Turns Out, I’m In A Villain Clan! Chapter 441 Assassin at Imperial Banquet!

The young woman returned the smile, a fleeting glint of relief shining in her gaze.

Their dance persisted as words passed between them.

"What should I call you?" he inquired.

The dancer paused for the briefest moment.

"Xi," she answered with a gentle smile. "Xi Yu!"

Bai Zihan gave a nod, etching the name into his mind.

True or false, that remained a mystery to him.

Bai Zihan posed several more queries—simple, innocuous ones.

Regarding meals.

Regarding the times of year.

Regarding local traditions.

And bit by bit, with caution—He assembled the clues.

She could mimic the ways of an ordinary person.

Yet her mindset stayed far from common.

Her patterns felt drilled in.

Perhaps she resembled Luo Qing—a commoner bound to a mighty family—

Or maybe a cultivator feigning the role of an everyday soul.

In any case, she exceeded the bounds of a mere performer in a dance group.

Laughter swelled around them.

Additional young masters paired with the performers.

The melody kept flowing.

It intensified—drums blending with flutes, chuckles mounting as goblets brimmed anew.

And that's when the incident struck.

A different dancer, previously twirling with one of the young cultivators, edged nearer to Bai Zihan and Xi Yu.

At a glance, it appeared unremarkable.

After all, in the whirl of dance, partners often switched spots though

that dancer

seemed to have chosen this on purpose.

Given Bai Zihan's standing, who would dare approach him and interrupt his steps?

Yet in an instant, the scene transformed.

The aura of that dancer burst forth explosively.

The young master she'd been partnering with flew back, sliding several meters from the abrupt force of her power.

Great Ascension Realm!

The performers—including the young masters amid them—felt the crushing weight right away, with many dropping to their knees or tumbling down completely.

They lacked the strength to resist, let alone any readiness for the unexpected wave of dominance.

Nearly all the dancers—everyone but Xi Yu—faded into unconsciousness. Goblets broke apart.

The tune stumbled to a halt.

Complexions paled sharply.

She launched into action.

Her form flickered, bridging the gap in a flash, her hand lashing out swift as a serpent's bite.

No sword.

No obvious tool of harm.

Only digits slick with a shadowy, gleaming substance. It was surely poison.

Her aim was plain to see.

Bai Zihan stood exposed.

Encirled by everyday folk.

No elders close enough to intervene.

From this range—

Even Immortal Realm powerhouses couldn't reach him fast enough.

Chu Ziyan's features blanched.

"Zihan—!"

Others sprang into motion too, rushing instinctively toward Bai Zihan to shield him.

But the gap between Bai Zihan and the attacker spanned just a few

meters, while they lingered at a distance.

Even Bai Chu at maximum velocity would need longer than the time for the attacker

to land her blow on Bai Zihan.

The attacker's stare held ice, intent, and no pity.

She was set to forfeit her existence for the slaying of Bai Zihan. With the masters here,

escape was impossible.

Thus, this stood as a clear suicide task, to end Bai Zihan before the Bai Clan's Grand Elders could act.

Her sole goal was his death—and she poured everything into it, withholding nothing.

Bai Zihan feigned a fall to the floor, upholding his mortal facade.

The peril was immense—powerless to counter a Great Ascension Realm killer.

Yet by acting vulnerable, he embraced a deliberate gamble.

Death remained a possibility.

Still, thanks to his robust build and the Heavenly-Grade protective treasure hidden under his attire, Bai Zihan trusted he could endure.

Assassins often depended on toxins, after all.

And from her tactics, she fit that mold.

He might evade with ease.

He could pivot away, allow the thrust to fail, or even retaliate if desired.

But the instant he acted—

The deception he'd upheld—the pretense of disability—would crumble before

the full Imperial Court.

Thus, he chose to absorb the assault undefended.

Pain would follow.

But fatality? Unlikely.

Particularly not for someone like him.

Bai Zihan settled on his course.

He adjusted his stance faintly, readying to meet the impact in a manner that

limited vulnerability—

And then—

A figure blocked his path.

The move came so abruptly that Bai Zihan's eyes widened in shock.

Xi Yu!

She showed no sign of the attacker's aura affecting her.

(So she is indeed a formidable cultivator.)

Even Spirit Severing Realm experts struggled to remain upright.

Xi Yu was no ordinary mortal, that much was clear.

But the attacker had already exposed her hand.

Bai Zihan couldn't grasp Xi Yu's motives.

An ally in the plot?

Or an entirely different force?

Xi Yu advanced.

No prior signal.

No flare of energy.

No grand unleashing of might.

She merely took a step ahead.

To onlookers, it seemed she sacrificed herself to guard Bai

Zihan.

To the attacker—

Xi Yu posed only a brief hurdle.

Her venom-tipped fingers hovered a mere breath from Bai Zihan's torso

when Xi Yu's sleeve grazed by.

A faint noise echoed.

Pa!

It lacked volume.

It held no spectacle.

But as Xi Yu's palm met the attacker's cheek—

The surroundings seemed to tilt.

The Great Ascension Realm attacker soared through the air.

Her frame contorted wildly like a shattered puppet, crashing against a far-off stone column in the hall.

BOOM—!

The collision rattled the whole feast chamber.

Fissures spread like webs over the rock as the attacker slumped along the surface, crimson spilling from her lips, fractures cracking audibly.

She struck the floor and lay still.

Unclear if death had claimed her—or if faint life lingered.

Silence descended!

Not the strained quiet of earlier—

But a shocked, utter hush.

Cultivators halted where they stood.

A Great Ascension Realm killer dispatched with such ease.

Bai Zihan lifted his gaze to Xi Yu, true astonishment flashing in his eyes.

She positioned herself steadily before him, form at ease, breaths even—as though she'd swatted a mere bug.

Not one hair strayed from place.

Behind, the heavy aura dissolved as quickly as it had surged.

Those who'd fallen began heaving for air, bewilderment and dread carved into their expressions.

Chu Ziyan arrived at Bai Zihan's side first.

"Bai Zihan!"

She seized his arm, fingers shaking as she scanned him, gaze wild.

Though aware Bai Zihan merely played the part of the lame, that awareness failed to quell her dread amid a near-fatal strike from a Great Ascension Realm foe.

Bai Clan elders materialized in a blink.

Bai Tianheng blurred to his son's location, face grim and frosty as his eyes checked Bai Zihan then fixed on the attacker lodged in the wall.

Luckily, signs of life persisted in her.

Interrogation could yield truths.

A spark of ease crossed his features.

Then wariness took over. His stare turned—

And fastened on Xi Yu.

A dancer by appearance.

Untouched by Great Ascension Realm force. Able to fell such a threat with one offhand blow.

Her cultivation eluded his sight entirely—but he sensed it outstripped his.

Bai Tianheng cupped his fists, tone courteous yet wary.

He refused to drop his defenses.

Not amid an assassination at the heart of the Imperial feast.

Not with such a perilous enigma near his heir.

Her real aims? Unknown.

"Thank you for rescuing my son," he stated.

The gratitude rang true. Yet his eyes stayed alert. "May I know your identity?"

Xi Yu faced him directly. Viewed closely, the facade shattered fully.

No hint of common timidity lingered in her gaze.

"May I respond once we're in a more private spot?"

She inquired.

Her eyes darted shortly to the crowd of stares upon them.

She plainly wished to withhold details from the throng.

Bai Tianheng comprehended and inclined his head.

Her readiness to explain at all let him ease his caution—a touch. Across the chamber, elders of rival groups advanced at last, Immortal Realm might pressing down as they locked the site.

Imperial sentries poured inside, visages ashen while eyeing the attacker.

Murmurs broke loose.

"A Great Ascension Realm assassin...?"

"That dancer—who is she?"

"Tsk, tsk. Bai Zihan, who once slew Great Ascension Realm foes with ease,

now falters even under their aura."

With Bai Zihan's unwavering pretense, the majority accepted his true crippling.

After all, none would conceal strength when death loomed, or so they figured.

The Elders and Grand Elders offered regrets for the oversight and vowed to uncover the culprits behind it.

Bai Zihan assured them of his well-being and dismissed any cause for concern.

Then he rose gradually, flicking nonexistent dirt from his garments.

His eyes fixed on Xi Yu.

"Seems you weren't truthful with me," Bai Zihan remarked steadily.

Xi Yu held her response for a beat.

"I apologize," she finally said. "My reasons for the ruse were my own."

"Well, it doesn't matter—you preserved my life. Thank you!"