Chosen One, how did I end up as the villain?

Chu Langtian understood his meaning, so he decided not to waste any more words and said directly:

"Lord Zhai arrested my man, but I don't know what crime he committed."

"Is he Lord Chu's man?"

Zhai Tianlin pointed at Qin Huaiyu, feigning surprise, and then said:

"This is truly a case of the flood washing away the Dragon King's temple; family members no longer recognize each other. This kid kept saying he was handling cases for the prefect, but I didn't believe him. Now it seems it was all a misunderstanding."

Old fox, you're choosing to avoid the important issues and focus on the trivial ones!

Chu Langtian smiled and said:

"It's a misunderstanding, that's good. But what's the story behind the Black Cloud Stronghold incident? I heard that those bandits have joined your ranks and become part of the city's defense forces."

"That's right."

Zhai Tianlin nodded and said:

"As Lord Chu knows, our Jian'an City garrison suffers losses every year and needs to be replenished."

Since those bandits were difficult to eradicate, in order to prevent future troubles, I submitted a memorial to the emperor offering amnesty, allowing those bandits to serve the court and atone for their crimes. This plan has already been approved by the emperor.

He paused, a look of surprise on his face.

"But who would have thought that a few days ago, when I sent people to take them over, all of the more than one hundred people in Black Cloud Stronghold were slaughtered without a single survivor. The people I sent went to the back mountain and saw a message left on the wall: 'The killer is Jian'an, Xiong Ba.'"

Upon hearing this, before Chu Langtian could speak, the people present began to murmur in surprise.

"What?! Young Master Ba actually killed someone!"

"More than a hundred people, even though they are all bandits, are still far too ruthless."

"Don't talk nonsense, use your brains. If it really was done by the tyrant, why would he leave words on the wall? Wouldn't that be cutting off his own escape route?" a scholar reminded him.

"Yeah, if you killed someone, would you self-destruct? That would be stupid."

"Yes, someone must have framed me, targeting my literary circle."

Hmph, kid, even if I let you go today, I'll still ruin your reputation.

After listening, Zhai Tianlin thought for a moment, then turned to look at the person involved and said:

"Xiongba, were the marks on the wall your doing? Did you kill the person?"

Upon hearing this, everyone present turned their gaze to Qin Huaiyu.

The same thing happened to Chu Yanxi, the other party involved. This guy actually left words on the wall behind my back. Is he afraid that others will not know?

She was a little confused, but after thinking about it carefully, she realized something was wrong.

………wrong.

He is meticulous and wouldn't do something unnecessary unless he has some ulterior motive.

Could it be...?

Under the gaze of the crowd, Qin Huaiyu thought to himself, "Ugly people are always up to no good. They're covered in shit and they want to rub themselves on me? Dream on!"

He smiled slightly and raised his voice:

"That's right, those more than a hundred people all died at my hands, and I also left the words."

As soon as he finished speaking, those who didn't know the inside story looked at Qin Huaiyu in disbelief.

"How could this be? How could this be? Young Master Ba, have you been threatened in some way?" someone shouted.

Qin Huaiyu shook his head.

Upon receiving an affirmative answer, the group, especially the scholars, stood frozen in place.

"It really is you, Young Master Ba. You are a disciple of the Saint, how could you do such a cruel thing?"

"That's over a hundred people, how could you do that?"

"We have so adored you, yet you have betrayed our trust."

"You don't deserve your talent, you don't deserve to be a writer!"

"You're a ruthless killer, a disgrace to us all."

One offensive remark after another echoed through the courtyard.

As the saying goes, the greater the trust, the greater the disappointment.

Zhai Tianlin was overjoyed; he couldn't suppress a smile.

No matter what your reasons are, the deaths of over a hundred people will make these intellectuals completely disappointed in you.

Chu Langtian frowned deeply.

What is this kid doing? Isn't he digging his own grave?

Li Chengye stood to the side, his expression unchanged, but the slight raising of his eyebrows revealed his unsettled inner state.

On the other side, Zheng Chun looked dejected. He and Gongsun Shu were both leading figures of the new generation of Jian'an literary circles.

He idolized Qin Huaiyu, but the reality before him shattered that pure and beautiful ideal.

Such talent, how could it be given to a butcher? Heaven is unjust!

Seeing that the desired effect had been achieved, Qin Huaiyu looked at everyone and said:

"Gentlemen, don't you want to know the reason why I killed him?"

"No reason will do. There are over a hundred people, not a hundred animals," someone said angrily.

"What if those bandits are extremely heinous and outrageous, deserving the wrath of both gods and men?"

"What does that mean?" Zheng Chun felt a glimmer of hope return to his heart.

"Say it," Zhai Tianlin said dismissively, "no matter how much you argue, you can't change the minds of intellectuals."

Qin Huaiyu narrowed his eyes slightly and said:

"You all live comfortably within the city, unaware of the dangers outside. Recently, many villages under Jian'an's jurisdiction have become villages of the elderly, with the young children of over a thousand households disappearing one after another. Villagers have no way to seek justice, and they are robbed and killed as soon as they step out of their homes. It seems they have no way to survive. Are you aware of these things?"

His cold gaze swept over everyone present.

"Nearly a thousand households, that's several thousand people!" someone exclaimed in surprise.

"What does 'missing' mean? Does it mean they're dead?"

"Why hasn't there been a single word of such a major case in the city?"

As they spoke, everyone looked at Chu Langtian.

Chu Langtian nodded and said:

"That is indeed the case. Someone intercepted and killed the person who reported the crime and blocked news from outside the city. When I found out, I immediately sent Xiong Ba and your daughter to investigate the case."

"But what does this case have to do with Black Cloud Village? Could it be that they..." someone speculated.