William Carter saw the assassin's true face and said quietly, "Fifth Senior Brother, what are you doing?"

The assassin suddenly clenched his teeth, blood spilling from his mouth—he had poisoned himself.

William Carter had no time to stop him, but he wasn't disappointed.

He searched the assassin's body but found nothing. Then he shouted loudly, "There's an assassin!"

He shouted over a dozen times. Stephen Reed was the first to rush in, followed by the other disciples.

William Carter collapsed onto the bed, gasping for breath, his face full of lingering fear.

Charles Foster pushed through the crowd and quickly stepped forward. When he saw the dead man, his expression changed dramatically: "Fifth Junior Brother!"

The other disciples were also shocked.

Although Fifth Senior Brother didn't have much presence, he had never made enemies with the other disciples.

Charles Foster noticed the dagger in the assassin's hand, his face darkening. He stepped forward to check and quickly concluded, "He poisoned himself."

He instantly realized the gravity of the situation. If it were just a conflict between fellow disciples, why would he hide poison in his mouth?

He looked at William Carter, hoping William Carter would say something.

William Carter feigned shock and anger, gritting his teeth: "I don't know why Fifth Senior Brother tried to attack me. He tried to kill me, but I managed to capture him, and then he poisoned himself."

This was his room, so he had confidence.

Stephen Reed added, "Senior Brother Changsheng always trains alone and has no grudges with the other disciples. Even if there were grudges, it wouldn't make sense for Fifth Senior Brother to come to our room to assassinate him. Besides, he poisoned himself, which clearly means he had a guilty conscience and was afraid of being questioned."

The other disciples nodded, voicing their opinions. Some still doubted William Carter, since the dead should be respected.

Charles Foster took a deep breath and said, "Junior Brother Changsheng, from today on, you will stay in your room. Stephen Reed will bring you your meals. Wait here until Master returns. The courtyard disciples will take turns guarding you to protect you."

William Carter had no objections. Though they called it protection, it was also a form of surveillance—after all, no one knew the truth.

Charles Foster led people to carry the assassin's corpse away.

Stephen Reed comforted him, "Senior Brother Changsheng, don't be afraid. I'll be guarding outside the whole time."

William Carter nodded and watched him leave.

This incident quieted the liveliness of Longqi Temple, plunging it back into its usual silence.

William Carter heard many disciples discussing the matter. They all found it strange—why would Fifth Senior Brother try to kill William Carter?

Inside the room.

William Carter sat down to meditate and began practicing.

He started to wonder what kind of expert the other side would send next.

[In the fourteenth year of Kaiyuan, an assassin attacked you. You captured the assassin, but he poisoned himself. You survived a deadly calamity and received a survival reward—martial art 'Seal of Life and Death']

A prompt appeared before his eyes. While the disciples were still outside, he immediately accepted the inheritance of the Seal of Life and Death.

The Seal of Life and Death was a martial art of true qi. It could strike a mark onto an enemy's meridians and acupoints, making them wish for death—a torturous martial art, not fatal, but life-threatening.

This was a good martial art. If he caught another enemy, he could interrogate them.

However, William Carter was well aware of who his enemies were, so he didn't need it for now. Still, learning another martial art would always be useful in the future.

For the next ten days, William Carter was not attacked again, perhaps because the disciples were taking turns guarding the courtyard, making the enemy hesitant to act rashly.

At noon that day.

A commotion broke out in the courtyard.

"How dare you! I, His Highness, want to see someone, and you won't allow it?"

"Don't dare, don't dare, it's just that..."

"Just what?"

"Junior Brother Changsheng was attacked by an assassin earlier, and we're protecting him..."

"Insolence! Are you tired of living? Do you think I, His Highness, want to kill him?"

After the commotion, the door was rudely pushed open. A richly dressed young boy stormed in, looking only eleven or twelve years old, followed by two men in purple robes, both burly and each holding a saber.

When the boy saw William Carter, his eyes lit up. He immediately rushed over, exclaiming excitedly, "Are you Daoist Changsheng?"

Only William Carter himself knew his surname; he usually went by Changsheng.

William Carter got off the bed and cupped his hands, asking, "May I ask who you are?"

The boy grinned proudly, "I am the Fourth Prince, here especially to become your disciple and learn martial arts."

William Carter asked in surprise, "Why are you looking for me?"

The Fourth Prince glanced at the two guards behind him. They immediately stepped back to the door. The Fourth Prince took a step forward, leaned in close to William Carter, and whispered, "Father said you're very powerful and told me to come learn from you. Have any other princes come to you?"

Chapter 6: The Capital's Heavenly Prison, the Evil King Attacks

Fourth Prince, Thomas Carter.

William Carter knew him—he'd heard about him from David Brooks. Thomas Carter was his biological younger brother, same father and mother, also born of the Empress. It was said that after giving birth to Thomas Carter, the Empress no longer suffered from madness.

Hearing that the Emperor had sent Thomas Carter, William Carter's thoughts raced.

Could it be that the Emperor had already recognized him? Why hadn't he come to meet him directly?

William Carter couldn't ask directly, so instead he said, "You want to learn martial arts from me?"

Thomas Carter replied excitedly, "That's right! Father said you're only two years older than me, but you've already surpassed the first-class realm. You must be my master! Whatever you want—gold, silver, treasures, rare and precious items—just name it."