Turns Out, I’m In A Villain Clan!

Chapter 441 Assassin at Imperial Banquet!

The girl smiled back, relief flickering briefly in her eyes.

They continued dancing while conversing with each other.

"What should I call you?" he asked.

The dancer hesitated for just a fraction of a breath.

"Xi," she replied, smiling softly. "Xi Yu!"

Bai Zihan nodded, committing the name to memory.

Whether it was real or fake, he didn't know.

Bai Zihan asked a few more questions-small ones, harmless ones.

About food.

About seasons.

About customs.

And slowly, carefully-He pieced it together.

She knew how to act like a mortal.

But she didn't think like one.

Her habits were trained.

Either she was like Luo Qing-someone who was a mortal yet served a powerful clan-

Or she was a cultivator pretending to be mortal.

Either way, she wasn't just a dancer from a troupe.

Around them, laughter rose.

More young masters joined the dancers.

The music did not stop.

It grew livelier-drums joining the flutes, laughter rising as more cups were refilled.

And that was when it happened.

Another dancer, who had been dancing with one of the young cultivators, moved closer to Bai Zihan and Xi Yu.

Everything seemed ordinary at first glance.

After all, dancing around, you are bound to change places tho

seemed to have deliberately chosed this.

that dancer

With Bai Zihan's reputation, who dares to get near him and disturb his dance?

However, then everything changed.

That dancer aura exploded outward.

The young master she had been dancing with was thrown backward, sent skidding several meters away by the sudden outburst of her aura.

Great Ascension Realm!

The dancers-including the young masters dancing among them-instantly felt the pressure, many of them kneeling while others collapsed outright.

They were far weaker, not to mention completely unprepared for the sudden surge of pressure.

Most of the dancers-well, almost everyone except Xi Yu-lost consciousness. Wine cups shattered.

Music faltered mid-note.

Faces drained of color.

She was already in motion.

Her body blurred, closing the distance in a heartbeat, her hand snapping forward like a viper's strike.

No blade.

No visible weapon.

Just fingers coated in something dark and shimmering. It definitely posion.

And her target was easy to guess.

Bai Zihan was in the open.

Surrounded by ordinary people.

No elders within immediate reach.

At this distance-

Even those Immortal Realm experts wouldn't arrive in time.

Chu Ziyan's face went white.

"Zihan-!"

Others reacted as well, instinctively moving toward Bai Zihan in an attempt to protect him.

However, the distance between Bai Zihan and the assassin was only a few

meters while they were far away.

Even Bai Chu with all his full speed would take more time than for the assassin

to strike Bai Zihan.

The assassin's eyes were cold, focused, merciless.

She was clearly ready to throw her life away to kill Bai Zihan. After all, there

was no escaping from the experts present.

So, this was definitely a sucide mission, to kill Bai Zihan before the Grand Elders of the Bai Clan.

All she intended to do was kill Bai Zihan-and she spared no effort, holding nothing back.

Bai Zihan pretended to collapse to the ground, continuing the act of being a mortal.

It was extremely dangerous-unable to respond against a Great Ascension Realm assassin.

But by pretending to be defenseless, he was taking a calculated risk.

He could be killed.

However, with his physique and the Heavenly-Grade defensive artifact he wore beneath his robes, Bai Zihan believed he could survive.

After all, assassins primarily relied on poison.

And judging by her methods, she was no exception.

He could dodge easily.

He could twist aside, let the strike miss, even counter if he wished.

But the moment he did-

The lie he had maintained-the lie of being crippled-would shatter in front of

the entire Imperial Court.

So, he decided to just take the attack wihtout defending himself.

It would be painful.

But not fatal.

Especially not for him.

So Bai Zihan made his decision.

He subtly shifted his weight, preparing to receive the blow in a way that

minimized exposure-

And then-

Someone stepped in front of him.

It happened so suddenly that even Bai Zihan's eyes widened.

Xi Yu!

She appeared completely unaffected by the assassin's aura.

(So she truly is a powerful cultivator.)

After all, even Spirit Severing Realm cultivators were struggling to stand.

Xi Yu was clearly not a mortal.

But the assassin had already revealed herself.

Bai Zihan couldn't understand what Xi Yu's intention was.

Was she an accomplice?

Or something else entirely?

Xi Yu moved.

There was no warning.

No surge of aura.

No dramatic release of power.

She simply stepped forward.

To everyone else, it looked like she was throwing her life away to protect Bai

Zihan.

To the assassin-

Xi Yu was nothing more than a momentary obstruction.

Her poison-coated fingers were less than a breath away from Bai Zihan's chest

when Xi Yu's sleeve brushed past them.

A soft sound rang out.

Pa!

It wasn't loud.

It wasn't flashy.

But the moment Xi Yu's palm connected with the assassin's face-

The world seemed to lurch.

The Great Ascension Realm assassin was sent flying.

Her body twisted violently through the air like a broken doll, smashing into one

of the distant stone pillars lining the hall.

BOOM-!

The impact shook the entire banquet hall.

Cracks spiderwebbed across the stone as the assassin slid down the wall, blood

spraying from her mouth, bones audibly shattering.

She hit the ground and didn't move.

It was unclear whether she was dead-or barely alive.

Silence fell!

Not the tense silence from before-

But a stunned, absolute stillness.

Cultivators froze in place.

A Great Ascension Realm assassin had been dealt with so effortlessly.

Bai Zihan looked up at Xi Yu, genuine surprise flickering in his eyes.

She stood calmly in front of him, posture relaxed, breathing steady-as if she had merely brushed away an insect.

Not a single strand of hair was out of place.

Behind them, the oppressive pressure vanished as abruptly as it had appeared.

Those who had collapsed began gasping for breath, confusion and terror etched across their faces.

Chu Ziyan was the first to reach Bai Zihan.

"Bai Zihan!"

She grabbed his arm, hands trembling as she checked him over, eyes frantic.

Although she knew Bai Zihan was only pretending to be crippled, that

knowledge did nothing to erase her fear when a Great Ascension Realm assassin had nearly killed him.

Bai Clan elders arrived almost instantly.

Bai Tianheng appeared beside his son in a blur, expression dark and cold as his

gaze swept over Bai Zihan before snapping to the assassin embedded in the

wall.

Fortunately, she seemed to still be alive.

That meant answers could be extracted.

Relief flickered briefly across his eyes.

Then vigilance replaced it. His gaze shifted-

And locked onto Xi Yu.

A supposed dancer.

Unaffected by Great Ascension Realm pressure. Capable of neutralizing such an assassin with a single casual strike.

He couldn't see through her cultivation at all-but he knew it surpassed his

own.

Bai Tianheng clasped his hands together, voice polite but guarded.

He did not lower his guard.

Not after an assassination attempt in the middle of the Imperial banquet.

Not when such a dangerous unknown stood beside his son.

Who knew what her true intentions were?

"Thank you for saving my son," he said.

The words were sincere. But his eyes never relaxed. "May I ask who you are?"

Xi Yu turned to face him. Up close, the illusion fell apart completely.

There was no trace of mortal meekness left in her eyes.

"May I answer that after we move elsewhere?"

She asked.

Her gaze flicked briefly toward the many eyes fixed on them.

She clearly had no intention of revealing anything in front of so many people.

Bai Tianheng understood and nodded.

Since she was willing to speak at all, he allowed himself to lower his guard-just

slightly. Across the hall, elders from other factions finally moved, Immortal Realm pressure descending as they secured the area.

Imperial guards rushed in, faces pale as they stared at the assassin.

Whispers erupted.

"A Great Ascension Realm assassin...?"

"That dancer-who is she?"

"Tsk, tsk. Bai Zihan, who once easily killed Great Ascension Realm cultivators,

now can't even withstand their presence."

With how Bai Zihan kept his act, most believed that Bai Zihan was truly crippled

now.

After all, he didn't reveal himself when his life was in danger and no one

thought that anyone would do that.

The Elders and Grand Elders all apologized for the negligence and that they

would definitely find out who is behind this.

Bai Zihan reassured them that he was alright and that there is no reason to

worry.

Then he slowly stood, brushing imaginary dust from his robes.

His gaze on Xi Yu.

"Looks like you lied to me," Bai Zihan said calmly.

Xi Yu didn't answer immediately.

"I apologize," she said at last. "I had my circumstances for deception."

"Well, no matter, you saved my life. Thank you!"