Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Chapter 41 Reaching Consensus
The new group of people all wore masks of varying shapes, but all looked exceptionally ferocious. Perhaps the darkness emboldened them, for they looked down at the crowd below as if they were ants, their gazes haughty and condescending.

"Isn't this Mr. Yi? What brings him here?"

As this group appeared, everyone present couldn't help but let out a soft hiss, including the kidnappers. Clearly, even they rarely saw these leaders before.

Xiao Sheng maintained his terrified and cowering expression, but secretly glanced at the stage out of the corner of his eye. The man, also respectfully addressed as Mr. Yi, was tall and well-proportioned, standing there like a schoolteacher, yet his aura was like that of a demon rising from the earth, carrying endless darkness. Just looking at him easily conjured up images of death, cruelty, and hell.

Mr. Yi coldly stared at the filthy crowd below, subtly covering his mouth and nose. Clearly, in his eyes, even his loyal subordinates weren't human, just a group of slightly more useful tools. Tools, after all, couldn't hide their filth.

But he seemed to have something truly important to do here tonight. His hawk-like eyes darted through the crowd, finally settling on the child surrounded by women in the center. These people from the lower classes were truly lowly and contemptible; did they really intend to display their supposed benevolence at a time like this? A bunch of ants barely able to save themselves, they thought far too highly of themselves.

"Drag those kids out here."

The girls certainly wanted to help, but surrounded by wolves, they could barely protect themselves, let alone the children. Before long, the group of children, mostly five to eight years old, were pulled out and lined up in five rows because of their large numbers.

Mr. Yi was clearly unwilling to be associated with these lambs to the slaughter, but he had an important mission and had to condescend to step down from the platform and move back and forth among the five rows of children.

"Da da da……"

Mr. Yi's footsteps echoed softly in the otherwise deathly quiet cave. Xiao Sheng's fingers, tucked under his sleeves, clenched together involuntarily, his fingertips digging fiercely into his palms. He maintained a semblance of composure, knowing that Mr. Yi must have killed many people to possess such a chilling killing intent. Facing him, Xiao Sheng almost couldn't suppress the instinct to retaliate.

Even Xiao Sheng had this subconscious reaction, let alone the group of weak and innocent children. The moment the icy gaze from above swept over them, the children couldn't help but shrink back. But under these circumstances, no kidnapper dared to reprimand them, because even they themselves couldn't help but lower their heads deeply.

The time it takes for an incense stick to burn slowly passed. Mr. Yi finally stopped on two children who were supporting each other, their hands tightly clasped together. The two children looked to be around five years old, with rosy lips and white teeth, and were incredibly cute, like a pair of golden boys beneath Guanyin. They wore the cheapest linen clothes, and although they were afraid, they managed to maintain a semblance of composure. This made them stand out somewhat among the group of trembling children. Children of this age don't know how to hide their differences from others, and thus they were exposed.

Mr. Yi's lips, not covered by the mask, curved into a cold, mocking smile. His chilling voice carried an eerie quality, like someone finally finding the last hiding player in a game of hide-and-seek, strangely tinged with excitement.

"Found you."

The hairs on Xiao Sheng's neck stood on end instantly. At that moment, she finally realized that this person was a madman.

The two children forced themselves to lift their heads and stare at the adult who had found them. One of them spoke in a trembling voice.

"Do you need something from us, sir? We don't think we've offended you."

Mr. Yi was also somewhat surprised by the child's reaction, but that's what makes it interesting.

"Of course you haven't offended me, since we've never met before, but your father has. Blame it on yourself for having such an unreasonable father," the child explained cautiously.

“My father is just an ordinary person, always kind to others. How could he possibly have offended you? Are you sure you haven’t mistaken me for someone else?”

Mr. Yi slowly lowered his head, his chilling breath sending shivers down one's spine.

"You're quite a clever child..."

After a brief pause.

"But I hate smart people the most in my life."

Xiao Sheng's heart leaped into her throat, because she had discovered that one of the two children was none other than her young master!

Mr. Yi found the person he was looking for. His aura wasn't as cold anymore, but he still didn't leave. His lone wolf-like eyes stared at the huge crowd below, and he spoke lazily.

"Alright, let's begin. Let's see who the lucky winner is tonight."

His words gradually enlivened the atmosphere below. He returned to the platform, but even though the young master was still standing among the children, many eyes were already fixed on him, making it difficult for Xiao Sheng to find a suitable opportunity to strike.

Touching the two little things in her arms, Xiao Sheng frowned. She needed to find an opportunity to get closer to the platform. If these little things were really as powerful as Princess Ying said, she couldn't afford to accidentally hurt anyone.

Fortunately, Mr. Yi seemed to have a phobia of germs, unwilling to let the captured people near him, and remained standing on the high platform, looking completely relaxed. The higher-ranking members of the Worry-Free Cave were all around him, so they could be captured all at once. But the problem lay with the remaining low-ranking henchmen, who were scattered around the women and children, making them somewhat difficult to separate.

If we can stop them in a short time...

As Xiao Sheng was racking her brains for the right moment, she felt her sleeve being gently tugged. Looking down, she saw the girl standing next to her staring at her cautiously.

"Um, I can help."

Xiao Sheng's eyelashes trembled slightly. She didn't know how this girl had noticed her unusual behavior, but her willingness to step forward and help at this critical moment was a great help. To stand up in such a dangerous situation, surrounded by wolves, was already a significant risk. She whispered a few words in her ear. The girl beside her was petite; after hearing her words, her face went blank for a moment, but she quickly blended into the crowd, moving about as inconspicuously as possible. Before long, Xiao Sheng began to receive covert glances from all directions.

In an extremely dangerous situation, silently, these girls, whom the villains saw as weak and helpless, reached a consensus.

(End of this chapter)