20.1. The Fourth Princess

Faust stared down the black robed figure across the courtyard.

He idly looked around at the darkened estate. He could sense the two Nascent Soul auras but they didn’t seem to sense the assassin’s.

Not that he was surprised, even he completely missed the assassin until they made noise.

The assassin charged with their dagger, the tip glowing with a faint white mist that clung to the blade.

Faust didn’t see a need to engage. He leapt back several meters.

The assassin didn’t stop however, continuing to chase Faust down.

After Faust jumped back again, the assassin threw their dagger.

Faust tilted his head and the dagger sailed just past his face. So close he saw his own reflection in it.

“Hmm?” Faust looked back to where the assassin had been.

They were gone.

“That isn’t good.” He mumbled, before activating the Clear Mirror Pupil technique.

There was still nothing.

Faust cycled all the Qi in his body, using the best defensive technique he had found in the technique hall, forming a spherical barrier around him made up of thin blue films between glowing points. The Seven Star Barrier technique.

There was a heavy thunk from behind Faust.

Crsht!

The barrier cracked.

Then shattered like glass.

Faust twisted his body and kicked behind him.

Faust’s kick landed perfectly, hitting the assassin’s head as they thrust their dagger forward and sending them crashing into one of the trees in the garden and sending wooden shrapnel across the courtyard.

Faust exploited the moment to go for the kill, but then stopped and instead leapt backwards to create more distance— he used the The Seven Star Barrier technique again.

The assassin got to their feet and brushed some leaves and splintered wood from their shoulders. They glared at Faust through the only opening in their clothes.

Faust raised an eyebrow. You’re angry at that? I’m not going to fall for such a cheap trick a second time. He thought. He already fell for something similar with the demonic cultivator who pretended to attack before running away.

The assassin stepped forward, readying another dagger.

“Am I even your target?” Faust asked, “Why go through so much effort when you can run away?”

The assassin paused for a moment, looking at him briefly before shooting towards him and… Disappearing.

“…” Faust was unimpressed.

The normal Seven Star Barrier technique was a single layer, but that was because it only used 3 nodes for the standard one-three or two-three foundation.

Faust utilised all 12 nodes he had formed, layering 4 barriers around himself while focusing on his senses other than sight.

Bang!

A barrier was struck from Faust’s left. It cracked and shattered into pieces, practically exploding as the assassin’s dagger pierced into the second layer and its tip scratched the third.

Faust looked to where the assassin had struck, but they were already gone.

“…”

Faust reformed the technique.

“You can’t use that technique forever.” A low voice sounded, seemingly from nowhere and also everywhere at once.

“No, but I don’t need to.” Faust responded idly, glancing around. He still had enough Spirit Qi spread between his nodes and flowing through the channels between them to last plenty of time.

“That technique won’t hide you from me forever either.” Faust continued, returning his gaze to the places the assassin had disappeared.

He scrutinised the Qi.

High Yang Qi, strange considering it’s 3 or so at night. Faust observed. There was also an unusual amount of Sky Qi close to the ground and a lack of Earth and Yin Qi. The Lunar Qi was also undulating strangely.

“Is the technique you’re using derived from the Divine Moon church’s movement technique by any chance. The Lunar Ascension Technique?”

Two of Faust’s barriers exploded, letting silver light reflect off the dagger only a few inches in front of his face, the tip nearly reaching the final barrier.

He also saw the assassin’s eyes. They were wide with intense focus.

“Tch!” The assassin disappeared again.

The Lunar Qi vibrated for a moment while Sky Qi was drawn closer to the ground and the Earth and Yin Qi thinned.

Faust replenished the Spirit Qi of all 4 barriers. Dropping his Spirit Qi reserved to 3 fourths.

He narrowed his eyes slightly, dialing in his Qi sense onto the relevant Qi’s in the area.

Sky Qi began falling closer to the earth to Faust’s right and a bit behind him.

He released the Seven Star Barrier technique, widening his stance by sliding back and twisting his upper body right.

Faust leaned his head back slightly and a silver dagger missed him by an inch, cutting through some of his hair.

Faust grabbed the assassin’s wrist.

Their eyes widened in surprise and they tried to jump back, but Faust pulled them closer and to the side, winding up his right fist.

The assassin’s eyes dilated as they raised their own free hand to catch the punch.

Faust struck, but then moved his shoulder joint so his strike came from below instead of above at the last moment.

The assassin tried to compensate, but fell a bit short due to their evident lack of Body Tempering.

“Prft!” The assassin spat as Faust leaned into the punch, following through with the hit landing just below the diaphragm.

The assassin shot across the courtyard.

Bang! They smashed through a tree, exploding its trunk in a hail of wood chips.

Boom! Then a rock exploded, bits of stone clattering and tumbling across the courtyard.

Krak! They hit the eastern building of the main courtyard.

A formation activated briefly, flashing yellow to defend the building, but shattered in an instant.

The sound of glass twinkling and clattering across the ground sounded.

The assassin smashed through a wooden support beam. A second yellow formation appeared. This one held, stopping the assassin from damaging the buildings connected to the covered walkway.

The covered walkway’s roof creaked and groaned.

Krshhht— Before bending and collapsing partway, covering the assassin’s body.

“Heaven’s almighty!” Faram suddenly appeared in the courtyard.

Faust guessed he had felt the array formation shattering when the assassin had smashed through it.

Faram looked around, then between Faust and the assassin collapsed on the ground.

Then he frowned and snapped his fingers.

The lights around the estate suddenly lit up again, formations and arrays thrummed to life and—

Pandemonium.

For some reason, the array formations had completely hidden the auras around the estate. Faust suspected the assassin’s movement technique must have also been enhanced somehow.

Faust sensed the auras in the eastern area of the estate rushing around rapidly.

There were also the shouts.

“Find them!”

“Assassins have entered the estate!”

“Get the tutor!”

“He’s not breathing! We need a healer!”

“Ensure her highness safety!”

Faram and Faust both looked over, then at each other.

Faram raised his hand, then waved it, causing countless ropes of light shot from his sleeve, before binding the unconscious assassin. He then rushed towards the eastern side of the estate.

Looking up, Faust saw a golden barrier rising, enveloping the estate.

Faust mulled it over for a moment, then reluctantly followed. It was generally better to be informed and in danger than uninformed and in danger.

He looked at the fallen assassin for a moment. He never got an answer for why they stopped to try and kill him. He didn’t even seem to be the target.

Entering the eastern area of the estate, where the royal flags had been, Faust noticed almost all the red uniformed guards crowding around one building with the royal guard, whilst the rest were trying to resuscitate fallen guards, or closing the eyes of others.

A few other black robed corpses were lying on the ground. But those were being more or less ignored.

Faust guessed there were also other guards out searching.

There was also the distinct lack of the second Nascent Soul expert that should be here.

“Lord Faram!” A royal guard quickly approached, bowing slightly and cupping a fist.

“What happened? The formations were fine, but then I come outside and they’ve all failed?” Faram asked.

“There was an assassination or kidnapping attempt on the princess. There were also five Golden Core realm assassins, but they all ran away. Sir Mo has gone to chase them.” The royal guard reported.

Faram narrowed his eyes, stroking his beard in thought.

Faust took in a sharp breath.

Something was happening.

“How did they get through my formations? No. How did they modify them without me knowing?” Faram said.

“I don’t know, sir.” The guard responded.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Faust also thought it through. Faram was best known for his Formations. He was widely considered among the empire’s top 3 Formation Masters. Even if he wasn’t directly controlling the formations and arrays it was hard to believe they were manipulated to this extent without his knowledge.

“…” Faram put a hand to his chin, his gaze scanning the area. He sighed.

“Is the princess injured?”

“No, sir. She did take some heavy physical blows, but she avoided being hit by the poisoned daggers.” The guard responded, before turning and leading the way towards the building surrounded by royal guards and red uniformed soldiers.

Faust didn’t miss the moment.

“Then, I’ll return to my room now.” Faust bowed and cupped a fist to Faram.

“Mhm.” Faram followed the royal guard towards the building, while Faust calmly left under the gaze of countless guards.

Entering the main courtyard again, there were several servants running around, as well as several people with swords, wearing white robes with black and white robes embroidered with an open book with one page black and the other white. The symbol of whichever clan Faram was from, Faust guessed. Probably their own clan guards.

The assassin he had met was still unconscious, still lying slumped against the yellow array formation barrier.

Faust approached his room when he spotted the same servant who had served him tea in the foyer looking around with trembling hands.

“Excuse me?” He called.

“Ah! Yes sir.” The servant whipped around and bowed to him.

“Can you ask someone to bring more paper to my room?” Faust didn’t forget what he originally came out for. Even if it was an inconvenient time to ask for it.

“Ah! R— Right away sir!” The servant hurried off.

Faust returned to his room. Whatever epiphany he’d had had long disappeared, but there were still a few insights he hadn’t managed to write down which he had held onto throughout the fight.

Damn that assassin. Faust cursed.

If not for them he could have gotten so much more out of this.

Not only that but…

Faust collapsed onto the bed.

The assassination happened literally the night he had arrived. Not more than a few hours after.

The sun was probably going to be rising soon.

Faust turned over and stared at the ceiling.

“Huuuuuuhh…..” He groaned, covering his face with his hands.

What happened to the Grand Archive?

Didn’t he come here to study?

Was he even going to have the opportunity at this rate?

Knock! Knock!

Faust got up and brushed his hair down

“Enter.”