I had expected the woman to ruthlessly reject Qiling's ridiculous request. But what I didn't anticipate was Ellie's excitement in front of her.
"Good brother, your appearance moves my heart. Since you've been insistent about letting me in, how could I refuse?"
Before Qiling could respond, the woman stepped into the cage without hesitation.
To put things into context, the people imprisoned here were slaves—captured by the Celestial Dragons. Those trapped in these cages had no rights, reduced to the lowest rung on the biological hierarchy. The slaves' only fate was to be paraded in front of the Celestial Dragons to be ogled and admired.
Qiling had initially planned to teach this woman a lesson, but he hadn't expected that Ellie, the princess of the Celestial Dragons, would not hesitate for a second.
"Good brother, everyone is inside. Why don't you do something?" Ellie's face held a trace of coyness, and her voice dropped to a more flirtatious tone.
She was certainly a princess with strange inclinations. Perhaps her long-standing position among the Celestial Dragons had left her feeling unsatisfied, and after a few moments of teasing from Qiling, her deeper desires began to surface.
Though Qiling was speechless, he couldn't help but acknowledge this was part of his plan. If the princess didn't mind, then he was more than happy to show the Celestial Dragons just how shocking it could be when someone of her stature was imprisoned.
"Alright, let's bring you in now." A sinful thought crossed Qiling's mind as he locked the red curtain behind them.
This was the backstage area of the hall. Any prey brought in was concealed behind a curtain, their identity hidden to stir the Celestial Dragons into a frenzy when they were revealed.
As Ellie entered the hall, Qiling couldn't hide the hint of satisfaction on his face.
"Brother, what are you laughing about?" Hancock asked innocently, her expression filled with confusion.
At her young age, Hancock couldn't understand the depth of the Celestial Dragons' cruelty, but to Qiling, this was all part of the plan.
"Don't worry, I'll show you in a moment," Qiling reassured her, grabbing her by the hand and leading her down a different path.
Inside the hall, the Celestial Dragons were already in full swing, eagerly chatting amongst themselves.
"I heard this one is top-quality," one remarked.
"If it's really the best, it won't be your turn to bid. I have a hundred thousand beli ready for this one!" another replied with a boastful grin.
As they spoke, the host entered, guiding the prepared slave cage.
"Ladies and gentlemen, what lies within is the greatest reward. The curtain adds an element of mystery."
The host, used to pandering to the whims of the Celestial Dragons, spoke with practiced enthusiasm. As a lower-class individual, this was the only way he could survive in their presence.
"Stop talking nonsense, fool. We didn't come here to hear you blabber. We want to see what's inside the cage!" one of the Celestial Dragons barked.
Inside the cage, Ellie listened to the insults being hurled around her, but instead of being crushed, her heart raced with an unfamiliar excitement.
If it weren't for Qiling, she never would have considered such a spectacle.
The host dramatically reached for the curtain. "Now, let's uncover the mystery and reveal the prize!"
From his position in the shadows, Qiling observed the chaos unfolding with casual interest.
Finally, the curtain was drawn back. And when the Celestial Dragons saw the prisoner, their collective breath caught.
"Princess Ellie!"
No one could have anticipated that the most esteemed figure in the Celestial Dragon hierarchy would be behind the curtain in the lowest of cages.
The shock froze the room for a few seconds. Some of them couldn't even process what they were seeing.
"It's really Princess Ellie!" one stammered.
The hall erupted in chaos as the Celestial Dragons struggled to comprehend the scene in front of them.
The host stood frozen, unable to respond, before a shot rang out—his heart pierced by a bullet from a nearby Celestial Dragon.
Qiling observed with indifference. This man had only brought this fate upon himself.
"Who did this?!" the leader of the Celestial Dragons shouted, his voice trembling with disbelief. The sight of the princess in such a degrading position felt like a personal attack on their entire bloodline.
"Princess Ellie, how could you..." the remaining Celestial Dragons muttered in confusion, unable to comprehend why she would have willingly submitted to such a fate.
"This is my choice. I am now willing to follow Mr. Qiling and become his slave." Ellie's voice rang out, calm but resolute.
A stunned silence fell over the Celestial Dragons. Not only had the princess willingly entered the cage, but now she was publicly declaring her allegiance to Qiling.
"Good girl, come here," Qiling said with a malicious smile, pointing to Ellie behind him.
But in the next instant, Qiling found himself surrounded by more and more Celestial Dragons, all with their guns pointed at him.
"You!" one of them yelled. "You dare humiliate our princess? You won't leave this hall alive!"
Qiling remained unfazed. "Troublesome indeed. It's your princess who knelt before me willingly. Yet somehow, I'm the one being accused of 'bewitching' her?"
"Enough of your nonsense!" one of the Celestial Dragons shouted, firing his weapon.
The bullet flew toward Qiling—but it never reached him. Calmly, Qiling sat where he was, untouched by the attack, and his smug smile never wavered.
"Courting death!"
"Kill this bastard!"
A chorus of enraged shouts rang out, and in an instant, the room erupted as bullets flew toward Qiling from all directions. But to their astonishment, not only did the bullets have no effect, they were repelled by Qiling's Shinra Tensei.
"How amusing," Qiling said with a mocking laugh. "You so-called noble Celestial Dragons think you can threaten me with nothing more than these pathetic pistols?"
Before the Celestial Dragons could react, Qiling roared again. With a flick of his hand, all the bullets that had been fired in the chaos were sent back toward their attackers. The Celestial Dragons were thrown to the ground, overwhelmed by their own ammunition.
In mere moments, the entire hall descended into chaos. Ellie watched in stunned excitement, unable to suppress the rush of emotions building inside her. She had yearned for this feeling—of being utterly dominated by someone, especially someone as terrifyingly powerful as Qiling.
"Who dares to cause trouble here!" A furious voice rang out from the crowd.
"Seize him! Let this fool die in Marie Joa!" another shouted.
"We'll take his head and display it on the city walls for three days and nights!" The Celestial Dragons raged, their anger reaching a boiling point.
For the first time in years, they were faced with a man so audacious and powerful that he dared to openly defy them. It was a slap in the face to their perceived invincibility.
But Qiling stood there, calm and unfazed, his demeanor one of absolute control, as if none of these threats mattered.