The Assassin on the Bed

"Eh... What is this?" Magnus Astor was taken aback as his fingers brushed against something soft and smooth, compelling him to gently caress it, and then begin to explore up and down to discover what it was exactly.

As Magnus continued his exploration, he felt the object was slippery yet warm, elastic, and curvaceous in a way that reminded him... almost like the perfect body of a woman. Oh... wait, this was indeed a woman's body!

"What the... How could this be..." Magnus was shocked to his core. Just as he was about to open his eyes to see for himself, the body under his hands trembled suddenly.

"Ah...!"

Then, a sharp scream pierced Magnus' ears, and before he could react, a tremendous force erupted from beside him. This invisible energy hit him squarely, sending him flying out of the bed and crashing against the wall of the room, before bouncing back to the floor with a thud.

Pain... excruciating pain! The unexpected impact had left Magnus seeing stars, his mind filled with countless questions.

"How could there be a woman's scream coming from my bed, and such a powerful force to send me flying?"

Before Magnus could ponder any further, the curtains around the bed stirred violently, and in the moment the bed curtains flew open, a woman with cascading hair and a stunningly cold beauty locked her icy, narrow eyes onto him.

Seeing Magnus' bare form, the woman's icy gaze faltered for a moment, her face twitching violently, but it could not hide her breathtaking beauty. Even Magnus, who was no stranger to female company, found himself momentarily stunned.

As the curtains closed again, and Magnus was about to speak, a strong gust of wind surged through the room without warning. The air roiled, and the curtains were flung open once more.

Before Magnus could get a second glimpse of the woman's beauty, a dazzling streak shot out from between the curtains, aimed directly at him!

Magnus had no idea what it was, but upon closer inspection, he nearly wet himself in fear. It was a long sword, gleaming coldly as it thrust towards his throat with lightning speed. Magnus watched, mouth agape, as a figure in white leapt from the bed, lightly touched the edge, and soared past the sword. The sword, which had been deeply embedded in the ground, was silently drawn out in an instant, then transformed into a dazzling sword flower, hurtling towards him again!

Magnus' pupils dilated in fear, a chill climbing up his spine as he felt the breath of death on his neck. At that moment, the golden meridian in his dantian shone brightly, mana flooding into his limbs like a reversing river, readying him for what was to come.

In the critical moment when his life hung in the balance, Magnus instinctively executed the Mystic Mirage Step, his knee striking the ground as his feet shifted, mirroring an old buffalo rolling up from the mud, using his limbs in a frantic attempt to regain his balance, much like a runner stepping into thin air and tumbling over sideways.

Magnus, in his desperate attempt, employed a series of bizarre maneuvers, deeply rooted in the first level of Mystic Mirage Step, adeptly dodging the woman's sword strikes, which were so fast they were nearly invisible.

"Eh...!" The woman was clearly taken aback, not expecting Magnus to evade her sword. It was evident to her that this audacious man before her was but a novice in martial arts, a low-level warrior at best.

After dodging the woman's sword, Magnus, despite his modest cultivation level, broke into a sweat in the cold winter weather, a testament to his profound experience. Being the son of a noble, his exposure was not to be underestimated.

He recognized the threat the woman posed the moment she launched her sword from the bed, confirming she was no ordinary person. Her swift move to retrieve the sword and her subsequent attack only solidified his belief that she was a martial arts master, perhaps even more formidable than his own guards.

Faced with such a formidable opponent, who seemed intent on killing him without room for explanation, Magnus abandoned any hope of luck or negotiation. "Discretion is the better part of valor," he reasoned.

The moment he dodged the woman's second sword strike, Magnus didn't hesitate. He propelled himself upwards, leaping towards the outer room, naked as he was, driven by the single thought of escaping and calling for his guards.

Magnus, like a golden carp leaping through the dragon gate, aimed for the outer room, ready to land and make his escape through the door.

However, the woman, who had already landed, let out a cold shout and swept her sword through the air. With a flick of her wrist, she conjured a barely visible white arc, like a long whip, striking Magnus in mid-air as he was about to land.

"Boom...!" A muffled explosion sounded as Magnus, like a monkey leaping into the water only to be slapped back by a whale's tail, flew backward with a scream, crashing back onto the bed.

"Help! Someone's trying to assault me!" Magnus, upon crashing back, didn't have the chance to groan in pain or check his injuries but immediately cried out for help.

That strike had made it clear to him that the woman had surpassed the seventh Postnatal Level, reaching the Innate Stage. The 'Fengyunia Record' clearly stated that only those who had broken through the seventh cloud could manifest their mana externally, a feat belonging to the masters of the Innate Stage.

Under such circumstances, Magnus knew that no matter what he did, even with the Mystic Mirage Step, escaping death seemed nearly impossible.

Left with no other choice, he could only shout for help, knowing that even if his stepfather hadn't noticed the commotion, there were surely old masters hidden within the palace, vigilantly monitoring every move.

Though he was uncertain if his cries would prompt those elders to save him, it was the only lifeline he had at the moment.

Upon hearing Magnus' cries for help, the woman's eyebrows knitted in fury, her almond-shaped eyes widening in anger. The murderous intent emanating from her surged, and her delicate hand gripping the sword swiftly raised, aiming a lethal strike at Magnus.

"Die...!" With a fierce shout, the woman's sword burst into a dazzling white light, a small beacon emitting a terrifying force, paralyzing Magnus instantly, rendering him unable to even twitch a finger.

As the sword light raced towards him, Magnus was on the verge of closing his eyes and accepting his fate when suddenly the door was pushed open, followed by a familiar female voice urgently calling out, "Stop...!"

At that command, the sword-wielding woman's brow furrowed slightly, her attack momentarily hesitating. However, that pause lasted but a moment before her power surged anew, her sword thrusting directly towards Magnus' forehead, intent on ending his life.

"Stop, do not harm him! He is the son of the Peerless King!" As the woman's sword thrust did not wane, the woman who had entered shouted louder.

Yet, her cries seemed futile until the words 'the son of the Peerless King' caused the deadly strike, which was destined to pierce through Magnus' skull, to halt miraculously mere inches from his forehead.

The atmosphere froze instantly, whether it was the woman who had entered, the sword-wielding assassin, or Magnus himself, naked and reclining on the bed. All three widened their eyes in shock, astonishment, and disbelief.

Magnus, with the sword tip almost touching his forehead, felt his heart pounding like a drum, his throat constricted as if choked, unable to swallow or spit, frozen in place, fearing any movement would cause the sword to penetrate his head.

"Are you the son of the Peerless King?" The sword-wielding woman's gaze was icy, her voice hoarse yet magnetic, devoid of any discernible emotion.

"Uh... Yes... Yes, I am." Magnus replied, his voice tinged with nervousness, an unprecedented experience of being questioned in such a manner.

"Are you Magnus Astor?"

"Yes!" Magnus answered truthfully, his demeanor completely earnest.

"Why are you here?" the woman glanced at Magnus, but her eyes inadvertently caught sight of an unsightly part of him, quickly averting her gaze with a chilling tone.

Seizing the opportunity to explain himself, Magnus, wearing an expression of injustice, responded, "Miss, this is all a misunderstanding. This villa is mine; I was merely returning home. How could I have known you would be here?"

"I intended to change my clothes due to the cold weather and thought to warm up in bed. Little did I expect to find you there, and my reaching out was without any ill intent..."

"Silence!"

Before Magnus could continue, the icy beauty, her face filled with deadly intent, moved her sword slightly forward, pressing the tip against Magnus' forehead.

Her arm trembled with the weight of the sword, her face a mask of changing emotions, even her breathing became erratic, causing her body to shake slightly.

Magnus hadn't mentioned the incident on the bed before, but now, bringing it up only fueled the woman's fury, causing her internal energy to surge in anger.

Traveling from the imperial capital Dragon City to the northwestern Silver City covered thousands of miles, a journey that took nearly a month. Despite her Innate Stage cultivation, the long journey and the stark climate change left her feeling exhausted.

Arranged by the palace steward to rest in a quiet and comfortable villa, she chose this particular villa on sight. Despite the steward's hesitation, they eventually acquiesced to her request, allowing her to move in.

After settling into the villa, the woman, lying on the soft bed, shed her tight black attire and unbound her hair, letting it cascade over her shoulders. Overwhelmed by a month's fatigue and the room's faint fragrance, she fell into a deep, pleasant dream.

In her dream, she rode a phoenix radiating with rainbow hues, soaring between heaven and earth, enjoying the vast and majestic rivers and landscapes with an unbounded view.

However, as she neared Dragon City atop her phoenix, intending to overlook the city from above, an unexpected 'hand of An Lushan' reached out, audaciously caressing her graceful body, abruptly ending her pleasant dream. This led to the earlier scene of Magnus being flung from the bed.