Chapter 59: The Strange Assassin

Just as Li Xian was stunned by the strength of the black-clad figure before him, in an instant, his vision suddenly blurred and his mind went blank.

Then, a shadow darted swiftly across his sight…

“No!” Li Xian’s pupils contracted sharply as he hurriedly turned his head, only to see the black-clad man heading straight toward the pale-faced Princess Ellie.

‘His target isn’t me?’ A question formed in Li Xian’s mind.

His first thought was that this assassin was most likely the same man from Karinya’s tavern who had tried to force her before.

That was the easiest assumption to make—after all, when he left earlier, that man had sworn revenge and sending an assassin to kill him wouldn’t be surprising.

But now, it seemed things were not so simple.

If this assassin was truly sent by that Roy fellow, then his target should have been Li Xian himself, or at least Karinya.

It shouldn’t have been that quiet, reserved Princess Ellie.

While these thoughts raced through his mind, Li Xian didn’t hesitate for a moment.

Just as the black-clad man was about to strike and Karinya’s sharp scream reached his ears, Li Xian suddenly appeared right in front of Princess Ellie.

“Clang—!”

The crisp sound of clashing blades rang out sharply.

Princess Ellie stared blankly at the figure before her, her expression dazed.

“Who exactly are you?” Li Xian frowned, staring intently at the black-clad figure.

But the man gave no answer and seemed unwilling to engage with Li Xian further.

After deflecting the sword, he launched an attack toward Princess Ellie again from the side.

“This is going too far!” Li Xian’s anger flared, and he swung his sword with more force, cutting a deep gash across the assassin’s short blade.

“Hmph.” The assassin grunted, clearly feeling the blow.

He stepped back a few paces, sizing Li Xian up.

Realizing he had no chance, the man turned and tried to flee.

“Trying to run?!” But Li Xian wasn’t about to let him get away that easily.

Seeing his intention, Li Xian raised his sword and advanced to pursue.

However, the next moment left Li Xian dumbfounded.

The black-clad man’s body suddenly dissolved into a cloud of black mist, vanishing completely from where he stood without a trace.

“What…?”

Li Xian furrowed his brows tightly.

‘What was that? Disappearing on the spot?’

“Ma… Master Li Xian!”

Sara rushed over hastily, holding her sword, her eyes full of worry.

“Are you okay? You’re not hurt, right?”

“I’m fine.” Li Xian waved his hand but his brows remained tightly knitted, his heart filled with doubt.

He was now more certain than ever that this assassin was not sent by that Roy fellow.

That guy simply didn’t have this kind of ability.

And the assassin just now… although not especially powerful, was truly strange.

Not only did he vanish into black mist, but Li Xian’s momentary disorientation earlier was probably his doing.

He had never heard of such a thing—these kinds of skills, these kinds of methods…

“Li Xian, are you alright?” Karinya came over, her face pale with lingering fear, her steps unsteady.

Princess Ellie, meanwhile, had collapsed onto the ground, her face deathly pale.

She had once again narrowly escaped death.

The despair and terror were no less intense than before, if anything, they were even stronger, leaving her unable to fully recover.

“It’s over now. Don’t stand around.” 

Li Xian gave up trying to think any further about that assassin.

The whole thing was just too strange, beyond his current understanding.

Besides, this wasn’t a place to linger.

No one knew if that elusive assassin would return or if he had stronger allies.

For safety’s sake, it was better to leave as soon as possible.

Princess Ellie was still shaken, staring blankly at Li Xian.

Such a close brush with death—how could she not be terrified?

“Thank… thank you, and I’m sorry…” she finally said, bowing her head.

She knew clearly that if not for Li Xian, she would now be a cold corpse.

Li Xian looked at her and shrugged helplessly.

He wasn’t about to quarrel with a little girl like her—after all, he was only annoyed by her attitude.

Since she had apologized, he wasn’t going to wear a sour face.

Of course, his attitude toward these “bratty kids” hadn’t changed: bratty kids deserved a beating.

“Let’s go, or he might come back again.” Li Xian smirked and held out his hand to Ellie.

Ellie blinked, hesitated for a moment, then grasped his hand and stood.

The assassin’s strength was not overwhelming, but his methods were extremely strange.

No one knew what other tricks he might have up his sleeve.

With so little information, Li Xian couldn’t guarantee he could protect Princess Ellie.

So leaving quickly was the best choice.

Hearing Li Xian’s words, Ellie shivered all over, clearly terrified.

She fell silent and clung tightly to Karinya, her eyes fixed on Li Xian as if urging him to leave immediately.

That pitiful mix of fear and pleading made Li Xian want to laugh.

This girl, if she didn’t speak, was actually quite cute…

Without further delay and without caring about the magical beasts, Li Xian led the three of them away, heading back the way they came.

“But now that high-rank Magical Beast is gone, where am I supposed to get points?” Li Xian sighed, tapping his forehead in frustration as they walked.

Even if he went searching for other beasts now, he might not make it in time… and the low-rank Magical Beasts didn’t offer many points anyway.

Finding another high-rank Magical Beast?

That was basically impossible.

Maybe the Academy Instructor had only left that one high-rank Magical Beast behind.

“This is tough, really tough…”

As Li Xian pondered the problem, his eyes casually glanced down and caught a small detail on the ground that made his brows lift.

“This is…”

He looked at the familiar claw marks and a dragged trail that followed.

He thought deeply.

He wasn’t sure whether the assassin had been lying in wait for a long time or suddenly appeared.

But if that Magical Beast had returned, it would have been killed by the assassin, leaving the cave with the stench of blood.

Yet, when he was in the cave, he hadn’t smelled any blood.

That meant the high-rank Magical Beast hadn’t actually returned.

Just as Li Xian was thinking this, a loud roar suddenly came from not far ahead.

With it came a powerful aura that made Karinya and Princess Ellie shudder in shock…