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

Just as Shen Wan'er was preparing to face death, a loud shout suddenly rang out in the Buddhist hall.

"Don't move!"

The sound was not loud, but it was powerful and resonant.

The two men's attack stopped immediately. They stood there like wooden statues, their blood-red eyes instantly losing their luster.

What's wrong?

She glanced at the two of them in disbelief, then turned her gaze toward the source of the sound.

It's him!

Shen Wan'er's eyes were immediately filled with the joy of surviving a disaster.

Outside the crowd, that familiar figure reappeared. He was slender, yet still so sturdy, like a sharp sword gleaming with its edge.

"Village chief, tell your men to leave, or I can't guarantee your life!"

Qin Huaiyu grabbed a slightly overweight, white-browed, white-bearded old man who looked very kind.

This man is Zhou Shiren, the village chief of Beian Village.

Zhou Shiren was terrified. Things were going very smoothly until a killing god descended from the sky and immediately seized his vitals, even snatching the leaf from his mouth.

"Don't just stand there, get back, get out of there!"

Upon hearing this, the villagers looked at each other and slowly retreated from the main entrance of the Buddhist hall, leaving only the two men standing there in a daze.

"Young man, I... I did as you said!"

Zhou Shiren said cautiously.

"Village chief, please don't misunderstand, we meant no harm, and we apologize for any intrusion!"

Qin Huaiyu looked sincere. Now was not the time to turn against him; he had to make the other party lower their guard as much as possible.

"Please don't do it, please forgive me, please forgive me!" Zhou Shiren nodded hurriedly.

Qin Huaiyu grinned and then gave Shen Wan'er a look.

Having worked together before, the two naturally understood each other's thoughts.

Shen Wan'er quickly bypassed the two men and then leaped onto the roof.

"Village chief, I had no intention of being an enemy. Once this matter is settled, we will leave the village."

After saying that, Qin Huaiyu released his grip and jumped up.

"Walk!"

The two met up and, without pausing for a moment, disappeared into the distance.

As the figure disappeared off the roof, a sinister look appeared on Zhou Shiren's face.

"That woman was so close to dying! Young Master Qin, is that it? You ruined everything for me! I should have dealt with you sooner!"

His eyes flashed with a fierce light, but he quickly transformed them into a kind expression, then strode to the door and greeted the villagers warmly:

"Disperse, everyone. They're gone. I'm sure they won't bother the True Buddha anymore."

After listening, the villagers lost interest and then said goodbye and left.

...........

Back mountain

Mountain path

Qin Huaiyu glanced behind him and, seeing that no one was following, slowed his pace.

"Who gave you the audacity to go to the Buddhist temple? We already exposed our purpose that day; wasn't that just walking into a trap?"

"I, I..."

Shen Wan'er looked at Qin Huaiyu's angry face and was at a loss for what to do.

"Is it Shen Jie?"

How did he know it was his younger brother who suggested visiting the Buddhist temple at night?

Shen Wan'er, recalling the conflict between the two, hurriedly said:

"No, it was my fault for not thinking things through and going without permission."

"Still trying to argue!"

Upon seeing Shen Wan'er's serious expression, Qin Huaiyu immediately knew whose idea it was, and he angrily said:

"Keep protecting him; one day he'll be the one to get you killed!"

"........."

Knowing she was in the wrong, Shen Wan'er pursed her red lips and lowered her head, looking like a wronged little wife.

Qin Huaiyu couldn't stand this kind of behavior the most, and his temper instantly vanished. He shook his head helplessly.

"Alright, stop being so petty. What happened to those two tonight? How could you, a secret master, almost die at their hands?"

Seeing that her own affairs were being skipped over, Shen Wan'er quickly raised her head and said:

"Those two are not ordinary people in terms of strength or speed, but they are not cultivators either. Their blood energy is exceptionally strong, and judging from their condition, they seem to be being controlled by someone."

"That's right, they're being controlled by the village chief, and they're using this."

As he spoke, Qin Huaiyu opened his hand, revealing a very ordinary green leaf lying quietly in his palm.

"Leaves?"

Qin Huaiyu nodded affirmatively.

"Actually, I arrived a long time ago and have been observing from the rooftop. The two people stood still and were very conspicuous before they fought you. It wasn't until the village chief blew the whistle that the two people launched an attack."

"And when you were in danger, the first thing I did was remove the leaf, and those two never moved again, which shows that the leaf flute was controlling them."

"Ye Di, could it be some kind of barbarian Gu technique?" Shen Wan'er frowned.

"You mean that kind of magic that eats insects and controls people's minds?"

Qin Huaiyu's knowledge of online literature was not wasted; he immediately put it into practice.

"Pretty much. Those are called Gu worms. They are cultivated using a large amount of blood and qi with the help of secret methods. Each type of Gu worm has a different effect. Some can cause hallucinations, while others can drive people crazy."

"If these two are indeed afflicted by a Gu, it should be the Blood Spirit Worm. This kind of worm can control people's souls and also possesses powerful blood energy, which fits their condition," Shen Wan'er explained.

It really is a form of Gu poison, but...

Qin Huaiyu frowned slightly. "Isn't this barbarian magic? How do you know so much about it?"

It was rare that Qin Huaiyu still had something to ask her, so Shen Wan'er couldn't help but smile.

"My father once went to the barbarian lands and obtained a book of Gu poison from the locals. It contained some methods for making Gu poison. I read it, but I thought it was too sinister and the secret methods were too obscure and difficult to understand, so I did not study it."

"Where is that Gu manual now?"

"Last year, our house was burgled; the Gu book was stolen."

Qin Huaiyu was taken aback, then asked:

"Such an important thing, how could your father not take good care of it?"

Shen Wan'er shook her head. "It's not that I didn't keep it safe. Father put it in a secret compartment that only he knew about, but the thief even broke into the secret compartment."

What a coincidence!

The village chief can command people who are afflicted by Gu poison, and the Shen family's Gu poison manual was lost a year ago. Is there any connection between the two?

Qin Huaiyu lowered his head in thought, and before he knew it, the two had returned to the cave.

As soon as she entered, Shen Wan'er saw the little figure huddled by the campfire, and a look of surprise appeared on her beautiful face.

"What is this?" she asked, pointing at the girl.

"Oh"

Qin Huaiyu snapped out of his daze, glanced at the girl, and said:

"Li Rui, her parents were killed by the village chief and Old Zheng."

"Old Zheng?"

Qin Huaiyu slapped his forehead, only then realizing that Shen Wan'er knew nothing about the Li family's affairs. So he recounted the whole incident, excluding the interesting details about the Zheng family, which were too embarrassing to mention.

"That's outrageous! How could you treat a child like that!"

Shen Wan'er was somewhat annoyed, and continued:

"Since you knew the village chief killed his parents, why did you let him go just now?"

"The time wasn't right. If we had killed him then, would the villagers have let us go? Besides, he was just an accomplice. The real culprit is behind us. Only by letting him go can we find the Nightmare Devourer through him," Qin Huaiyu explained.

Upon hearing this, Shen Wan'er pondered for a moment and couldn't help but admire him. She once again felt the difference between the two of them. It was the same thing, but she could only think about the surface, while the other party had already planned the whole scheme.

When do you plan to start?

Qin Huaiyu smiled and said:

"At midnight, the old man would never have dreamed that we would go back to their house right after we escaped."

..............