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

"What do you mean? The cemetery, the maze, you didn't create that."

The guards were baffled again; this was a case, not a mystery.

How did it get even more difficult?

Qin Huaiyu turned around and said:

"Of course not. Not only that, the disappearance of the King of Kui and the villagers of Shiming Village has nothing to do with him. An ordinary person doesn't have that kind of ability."

Forehead?

The more they listened, the more confused they became.

"Then why did you create a fake Shiming Village? Was it just to cover up your murder and robbery of gold?" a guard asked Tian Dafu.

"Oh!"

Tian Dafu sneered and said:

"Isn't that reason enough?!"

He spoke with certainty, but his eyes were full of provocation as he looked at Qin Huaiyu.

This damn competitive spirit! Even in this state, he still wants to compete with me.

It's just one step, but I'll make sure you lose all hope.

Qin Huaiyu's lips curled into a slight, disdainful smile as he said:

"Old man, do you really think it's flawless?"

"You deliberately led us here into this maze to ambush us!"

"What?!"

The guards were greatly alarmed.

"You actually tried to kill us all!"

Tian Dafu's eyes widened instantly. How could this be? He had never been up the mountain, how could he possibly know?

Qin Huaiyu ignored everyone and continued:

"You've been up the mountain; the footprints along the way are proof enough that you should know other ways out of that maze!"

"How did you know!" Tian Dafu's expression changed drastically, and he could no longer maintain his forced composure.

"It's simple, no one will drive themselves to their death."

As Qin Huaiyu spoke, he lowered his head and said softly:

"Furthermore, I also know that you clearly had a chance to escape, but when you learned that I might be able to break through the maze and find the real Shiming Village, you had evil intentions again. You pretended to be a policeman and infiltrated the team, planning to find a way to get more gold after you found the village."

Old man, this is another reason why you faked Shiming Village: because you don't want anyone to find Shiming Village before you and cut off your source of income.

Tian Dafu's gaze froze, and the last vestige of pride in his heart was completely shattered.

He thought he was already quite shrewd, but compared to the young man in front of him, his meager skills were simply insignificant.

The fact that they could deduce the whole story from such a tiny clue, and that it was indeed true, is truly terrifying in its meticulousness.

"...I lost!"

Tian Dafu lowered his head in dejection.

"Then tell me," Qin Huaiyu said, standing up.

Tian Dafu looked like a wilted eggplant, listless, and said:

About half a year ago, I went hunting in the mountains and passed through Shiming Village. I found that everyone in the village was talking about Jingada.

So I asked around and learned that gold had been unearthed in the village, not just one or two pieces, but an astonishing amount, and everyone in the village had a share.

"Just asking?"

"...Some methods were used."

Qin Huaiyu sneered, "So you harbored evil intentions."

"That's right!"

Tian Dafu raised his head, his old face full of resentment, and said:

"Why should such a good thing belong to Shiming Village? We are clearly part of Mangdang Mountain, and the gold should rightfully be ours."

So that night I went up the mountain with Chen Si and his gang to rob the gold.

Our original intention was only for the money, but who would have thought that those two families were people who wouldn't even risk their lives? They even tried to call for help for the gold. We had no choice but to kill them and bury them in the deep forest under the cover of night. Everything went smoothly until the next day…”

Qin Huaiyu's brow twitched, and he said:

"Shiming Village has disappeared!"

Tian Dafu nodded, his old face full of confusion.

"The village was still there when we left, but when we went back up the mountain, we could no longer find it and even got lost in the deep forest."

For two whole days, we tried every possible method but couldn't find a way out, until someone accidentally fell into a cave, and we were able to escape by following the passage inside.

So that's how it is. The maze only works on the surface; the caves are not within its range.

Qin Huaiyu had to admit that the old guy was really lucky; otherwise, he might have become fertilizer for some tree by now.

"I understand. After that, in order to cover up the truth, you used the excuse of the earth dragon to create a replica of Ishiaki Village, while secretly searching for the real Ishiaki Villages in order to obtain more gold."

As Wang Shi spoke, a look of frustration appeared on his face.

The other guards weren't much better off; they all had dark faces and looked like they wanted to rush forward and chop the old man to pieces.

That's so damn shameful! It's like being sold out and then helping the seller count the money.

What a disgrace!

Tian Dafu didn't even glance at the guards; he seemed lost in memories, and said:

"After that, we went up the mountain several more times, but we not only failed to find the village, but people also went missing one after another. Of the dozen or so people, only Chen Si and a few of us were left. Until recently, when the monster appeared, Chen Si and the others also died. And the Shiming Village cemetery and the image of the earth dragon were also discovered. I realized that everything I had done had benefited others."

After saying that, he looked intently at Qin Huaiyu, wanting an answer in his heart.

It's like a seasoned falconer getting his eye pecked by an unknown eagle.

How could I accept this?

The old guy is alright; he even knows he's just a pawn in someone else's game.