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

小巷

The air still retained the unique freshness of the early morning.

The path was deserted, perhaps because the villagers were frightened by the King of Kui last night; there were only a few pedestrians on the road.

At a corner, several villagers gathered together.

"Have you heard? Those two monsters that appeared during yesterday's ritual have been killed."

"I saw it. The village chief had Old Li clean up the bodies. The scene was very bloody. Internal organs and flesh were scattered all over the ground. It took several truckloads just to transport them away."

"Really? That's so cruel. Who killed him? We don't have anyone that capable in our village." A villager asked.

"I know this one. He's with the county clerk. He's a new face. I heard he's an official sent down from the prefecture."

He's incredibly powerful; he can use magical arts, and his punches are as big as houses. He also radiates golden light, just like a god.

"really?"

"Absolutely true!"

"Thank God, we have such a capable person, otherwise our village would have been in trouble. But it's a pity..." A man with a mole shook his head as he spoke.

"What's a pity?" someone asked.

The man with the mole glared and said:

"Didn't you see it yesterday? When those two monsters flew down, they crushed Chen Si and Lai Pizi's gang into a bloody pulp. They didn't even have a recognizable face left. It was truly horrific!"

"Tch, what's there to regret? Those people deserved to die!"

A burly man with a thick beard, his face full of resentment, continued:

"A bunch of lazy good-for-nothings, relying on their stinking money, bully men and women. How many girls in the village have been ruined by them? In my opinion, this is retribution!"

The remaining people nodded in agreement.

"But speaking of which, aren't you curious? Chen Si and Lai Pizi's gang used to be freeloaders everywhere, how come they suddenly have money?" someone asked, puzzled.

"Why!"

The man with the mole seemed to have thought of something and said:

"Now that you mention it, it's true. And it's not just them, it seems the village chief is involved too..."

"Village chief?" someone asked in surprise.

"Shh, shut up, do you want to die? If this gets overheard and reaches the village chief's ears, none of us will have a good time."

Upon hearing this, the group lost their gossipy nature and quickly fell silent.

"Brothers."

Suddenly a voice came from the side.

The group was startled and quickly turned to look.

Suddenly, a well-dressed and handsome young man appeared nearby.

"You're the one who killed the monster last night!" the man with the mole exclaimed.

Upon hearing this, the others' expressions changed drastically, their expressions becoming unnatural, their eyes widening as if in fear.

Her body trembled slightly, as if she were nervous.

They've been recognized!

The person who came was Qin Huaiyu. He had just gone out to the street and had intended to inquire about the whereabouts of the sorceress and listen to some gossip, but he did not expect to have an unexpected gain.

"Please relax, everyone. I didn't mean to eavesdrop. I only stopped here because I heard you mention the person who died last night."

However, these words had no effect whatsoever; the group remained uneasy, and some even became timid and hesitant.

Clearly, it stemmed from an instinctive fear of officials, especially those capable of killing monsters, which intensified the fear.

Seeing that no one responded, Qin Huaiyu had no choice but to force the issue.

He looked at the man with the mole and asked:

"You just mentioned the village chief. Is he connected to Chen Si and the others you mentioned earlier?"

The man with the mole avoided eye contact, his brows furrowed, looking very troubled. He said:

"This... sir, we were just talking nonsense."

They weren't so scared as to lose their minds; they still knew how to protect themselves!

Qin Huaiyu, not wanting to waste any time, conjured a large money pouch in his hand with a thought. He opened it to reveal gleaming silver and said:

"How about this, let's form a good connection!"

The men's eyes lit up immediately, and a greedy look appeared on their rough faces, like dry wood meeting a raging fire, ready to ignite at any moment.

When faced with desire, even a mouse can become a cat; as for maintaining it, that depends on who provides the benefits.

Without the slightest hesitation, the man with the mole stepped forward and took the silver.

The others were not to be outdone, and their money bags were emptied in almost no time.

Seeing this, Qin Huaiyu smiled and said:

"Could you continue?"

The man with the mole, abandoning his previous timidity, spoke directly:

"Sir, I don't know if there's any connection between them, but my brother works at the village chief's house and I saw him take out gold coins, several of them. The village chief's family has been poor farmers for generations and we've never seen them have any treasures before. How could they be so rich?"

"Forehead?"

The bearded man beside him let out a soft moan, as if he had thought of something.

"What's wrong?" Qin Huaiyu asked.

The bearded man frowned and said:

"Sir, Chen Si also had one. He threw a gold nugget when he snatched Old Man Huang's granddaughter last month."

Both exist, how could it be such a coincidence?

Qin Huai frowned, deep in thought. "What's their relationship like? Do they do any business dealings outside?"

"Their relationship isn't good. Chen Si is a notorious scoundrel, and the old village chief looks down on him and has scolded him a lot. As for business, there probably isn't any. The two of them are usually in the village but rarely leave," someone said.

"Have those two ever done anything strange?"

Several people shook their heads.

"My lord, our knowledge is limited. If you wish to know more, I have thought of someone."

Qin Huaiyu looked up. "You mean the sorceress?"

"The sir knows!" The man with the mole exclaimed in surprise.

Nonsense, as the village's priestess, if we're talking about matters big and small, who knows the most about them? No one but her.

Qin Huaiyu clicked his tongue. "Where does she live?"

"The house in the north corner of the village, the one with the two peach trees at the entrance, is it."