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

粉！

Paint an old cucumber green to make it look young.

So, that blush...

Flowers, powder, rouge, and yet no awareness of it.

Qin Huaiyu couldn't help but have a thought. He stared at the sorceress, and for some reason, her smiling face now seemed stiff, as if the skin was moving but the flesh was not.

"My lord, my lord!"

The fortune teller raised her hand and waved it.

Qin Huaiyu was startled and immediately looked away.

"What's wrong, old woman? Is there something on your face?"

Qin Huaiyu shook his head and forced a smile:

"I'm sorry, what you said made me think about something and I got lost in thought."

"That's excellent!"

The sorceress's smile widened, her wrinkles deepened, some of her powder faded, and a bluish tinge appeared on her skin beneath.

But she didn't realize it, and continued:

"Does Your Excellency still have doubts?"

"That depends on the final result."

As Qin Huaiyu spoke, he lowered his hand to the table, carefully peeled off a small splinter from the table leg, and then exerted force to shoot it forward.

The sorceress continued smiling, showing no reaction whatsoever. She said:

"That's right. The villagers can't just disappear without a trace. There has to be an explanation. The old woman is waiting for news."

As expected, there was no pain!

Qin Huaiyu knew exactly how much force he had used just now. He wouldn't say he could kill someone, but he could definitely make them feel pain, and it was a lingering, stinging pain.

The explanation makes sense now.

This fortune teller is truly unexpected.

He thought to himself, but his face remained impassive as he said:

"Thank you for your cooperation. There's one more thing I'd like to ask."

"Sir, please speak?"

"I've heard that someone in the village has a golden nugget?" Qin Huaiyu feigned doubt.

The sorceress tapped the table, her greyish-white eyes slightly raised, and said:

"As for the source of this windfall, I am not entirely clear, but some people say that Mount Mangdang has countless sources of wealth."

This is a cryptic statement...

Qin Huaiyu roughly understood the meaning, and then said:

"Thank you for reminding me. Since that's the case, I won't bother you any longer."

The fortune teller nodded with a light laugh.

"Please take care, sir. I am unwell and will not see you off."

Hmph, what a show-off!

Qin Huaiyu glanced at it, then stood up and walked outside.

moment

With a "creak".

The gate to the courtyard was closed.

The sorceress's face stiffened as she stood up, her gray eyes darting towards the courtyard.

"This person is really difficult to deal with, but the more difficult he is, the more useful he becomes."

With that, she waved her hand and said, "Go keep an eye on things for me."

As the sound faded, a chilling wind swept through the hall.

…………

Doorway

Qin Huaiyu smiled and withdrew his senses.

It seems her real intention wasn't what she was talking about; she appeared to be trying to clear herself of suspicion, but every time she said something, she was pointing out issues I had overlooked. She was clearly trying to remind me of something.

This shows that the sorceress knew far more than she appeared to.

She was intentionally guiding him.

Interesting. Could there be an even bigger secret in Langmu Village?

"My lord, my lord!"

Just then, a shout came from not far away.

Qin Huaiyu snapped out of his thoughts and looked ahead, where he saw a guard jogging towards him.

It was Wang Shi who was sent out.

"My lord, the matter you entrusted to us has been investigated and verified."

Where does he live?

"There's an abandoned courtyard on the edge of the village, not far from here."

"Lead the way, we'll talk as we go."

Upon hearing this, Wang Shi quickly turned around and stepped forward.

Qin Huaiyu followed closely, asking at the same time:

"What is his identity?"

Wang Shi slowed his pace and said:

"We visited nearly ten families, and what we learned was just as the village chief said that day: Fang Lie is an orphan whose parents died early. He couldn't handle the shock, which is why he went crazy."

Qin Huaiyu continued, "Then he was ostracized by his relatives, and his home was taken over."

Wang Shi was startled. "Sir, how did you know?"

It's the same old trick; you can guess it all.

Qin Huaiyu rolled his eyes at him, then waved his hand to signal the other person to continue.

Wang Shi's face fell, but he didn't dare ask any more questions and could only continue:

According to investigation, Fang Lie's family was originally a prominent and wealthy family in Langmu Village. They had three sons, including Fang Lie's father and two uncles.

"About twenty years ago, Fang Lie's parents encountered bandits while traveling and met with a sudden death. Their bodies were left in the wilderness to be eaten by wild animals for three days before being brought back by passing villagers."

"After eating it for three days, it can still recognize it?"

"Not their faces. According to an old man, when they were brought back, they were all bones, and the flesh and blood had been eaten clean, but they had tattered clothes and accessories, which were used to identify them."

Qin Huaiyu did not reply.

Wang Shi was quite clever; he continued:

"Fang Lie was just a toddler at the time. He went mad on the spot when he saw his parents' corpses. His two uncles not only ignored him, but also used this as an excuse to drive him out of the Fang family and seize his family property."

"Is nobody going to do anything about it?" Qin Huaiyu frowned.

"The village chief intervened, but this was a family matter, and Fang Lie was already mentally unstable at the time, so he didn't object. Since the person involved was like this, who could say anything?"

"It's all thanks to the village chief who took pity on him and arranged accommodation for Fang Lie, and even provided him with food. Otherwise, he probably would have been dead long ago," Wang Shi said.

Since the insane person has lost the ability to survive, legally and morally, they should be cared for by the person who owns the property. The village chief should know this!

Qin Huaiyu bit his lip. This is hypocritical, trying to appear innocent while actually being filthy!

"but……"

Wang Shi wanted to say something more, but seeing Qin Huaiyu's changed expression, he immediately shut up.

What's wrong? That stubborn person said something wrong again...

"But what? Tell me?" Qin Huaiyu didn't care about his little scheme.

Upon hearing this, Wang Shi was immediately frightened, but since the person had already spoken, he could only grit his teeth and continue, saying: