Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Chapter 54 Murder and Silence

Jiu Que also saw the billowing smoke and felt something was wrong. He rushed over as fast as he could, only to see a house gradually turning black and collapsing in the flames.

It is said that water and fire are merciless. When Jiu Que first saw it, the fire was not that big. But now, the fire is raging, and her face is burning from the scorching heat even before she gets close to the house.

"Lord Ying!"

Jia Twenty-Three quickly stopped Ying Jiuque from approaching. The fire was so intense that if Lord Ying, an ordinary person who did not know martial arts, rushed over, he would be seriously injured.

Jiu Que was aware of this, but the skilled female warrior from before was nowhere to be found; she must have gone inside. With the fire so intense, wouldn't she be injured? Although it was their first meeting, Jiu Que had developed a strong liking for this highly skilled martial artist who could fly so freely.

Moreover, according to her, this house was full of abducted women and children. How could things be so coincidental? They were just on their way to see the abducted people when the fire broke out before they even arrived. Where are the people inside? Are they still safe? Why did the fire suddenly start? With so many people in the house, surely someone would have noticed the fire? Why didn't anyone run out?

Yi Shiyi, who had escorted the children to safety, had not yet returned. Jiu Que was only protected by Jia Ershisan, and no matter what Jiu Que said, Jia Ershisan refused to leave.

Logically, with such a large fire, the surrounding residents should know about it, yet the entire area is quiet, as if no one is home. Aren't they afraid the fire will spread to their homes?

wrong!

Jiu Que's expression suddenly changed, and he rushed towards the nearest house.

"Squeak!"

The door was open. Jiu Que pushed it hard, and the wooden door swung open. It was quiet inside, not even a breath could be heard. Jia Ershisan, who was beside him, suddenly frowned and looked cautiously at Lord Ying.

"The smell of blood..."

Ying Jiuque's face was extremely pale as she rushed straight to the main house. Upon opening the door, the strong stench of blood almost knocked her over. An elderly couple lay on the ground, their faces contorted in rage, blood splattered everywhere. The two were not far apart, their hands outstretched towards each other, but they could not shake hands until the very last moment.

He crouched down and checked their breathing, but there was no breath. Jiu Que suddenly closed his eyes, his eyelashes fluttering like trembling butterflies, almost unable to contain the anger in his eyes.

"Go check if there are any living people left in this house."

Jia Twenty-Three dared not disobey his superior's orders at this time, because the other party's expression was truly grim. After searching around, Jia Twenty-Three emerged, his face pale.

There were no survivors in the house, but in the side room lay a young couple, both dead without exception.

Ying Jiuque glanced at the elderly couple's hands, which were unable to clasp together, blinked, and suppressed the urge to ruin the scene. She turned and walked out the door, but tripped over the doorframe, swaying a few times before finally regaining her balance. Standing in the courtyard, she looked up at the sky; in the dim light, even the sun seemed invisible.

So does the sun really exist in this world? If the sun does exist, why do so many vibrant and innocent lives perish in corners where the sunlight doesn't reach?
They searched all eight houses in the surrounding area, finding no survivors. It seemed the people had been caught completely off guard by a sudden intrusion and were swiftly and decisively killed. The victims included men, women, and children of all ages, indicating the killer had no specific target and simply wanted to silence everyone in the area.

Finally, Jiu Que walked towards the mansion and rubbed his face hard. Unsurprisingly, he saw the dejected figure of the senior who had been so spirited just moments before. Cui Zhufeng stood blankly in front of the still-burning mansion gate, seemingly unable to understand why everything had changed after he had only gone out for a short while.

Those people, they waited so long in purgatory before being rescued. But they didn't even have half a day, not even half a day of good life, before they were silenced!

As the fire raged, the stench of burning human flesh filled the air, yet the burned people lay quietly on the ground, without making a sound.

Those children who were once quiet, frantic, anxious, or hopeful are now lying on the ground, unable to utter a single word.

"How could this happen? I told them before I left that I would find someone from the government to take care of them. Their good days were just around the corner, so why are they getting nothing now? They've lost everything?"

Jiu Que felt as if something was blocking her throat, making her unable to speak.

She also really wanted to know why, why kill a group of innocent people? Are human lives so worthless in the eyes of their own kind? Can they be trampled on so easily? Does holding a high position and wielding power give one the right to trample on all those weaker than themselves?
This world shouldn't be governed by such laws. All people are born equal. Jiu Que knew this was impossible in this feudal dynasty, but this was the first time she had witnessed such cruelty. How innocent were those killed? And those behind it all ultimately had only one reason: to silence witnesses.

"senior……"

Jiu Que stepped forward, standing before Cui Zhufeng, staring into her dazed eyes, his voice growing louder and louder. That heart-wrenching pain transformed into a force, burning through her internal organs, searing her throat, and scorching her heart.

She's in so much pain!
But this pain only fueled her strength.

Cui Zhufeng looked up in a daze and saw that the little girl in front of him had eyes that were almost burning. Her face turned red with intense anger, but her eyes were still black and bright.

"Senior! Look at me! You are highly skilled in martial arts. Can you bring out a few corpses from inside while protecting yourself? Try to keep them intact, with complete wounds."

"……what?"

Cui Zhufeng was momentarily stunned. Jiu Que didn't blame her. Although the senior in front of her was highly skilled in martial arts, it was clear from her words and actions that Senior Cui was definitely the kind of martial arts fanatic who was oblivious to everything else and focused solely on studying martial arts.

"The situation is now very clear. The other party intends to kill to silence them, and before that, they have a very suitable scapegoat, which is you, senior! After all, as long as they deny everything, from an outsider's perspective, you will be the last person to come into contact with these victims."

"I was very careful and no one noticed me."

"Really? Then how was this house discovered?"

Cui Zhufeng was speechless for a moment.

(End of this chapter)