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

Main room, alchemy room

The purple alchemy furnace, half a person's height, was burning brightly.

The wisps of smoke were less and less than at noon, and a perfectly round purple pill took shape inside, instantly filling the entire room with a strong medicinal fragrance.

"It's done! My expensive prescription wasn't a waste!"

Qin Hai's eyes were filled with laughter and madness, and his face looked distorted in the firelight.

Beside him, Yang Dashan's corpse lay on the ground, his white eyes staring at him with unseeing rage.

On the other side, a pestle nearly as tall as a person leans against a wooden chair, with a heart placed on it.

The room was dimly lit, with no candles lit, only the sound of a fireplace burning and heavy breathing. The whole scene was unusually eerie and bloody.

"It's time to add the last two ingredients!"

After muttering to himself, he turned around, lifted Yang Dashan's corpse from the ground and threw it into the alchemy furnace, then threw the heart from the table into it as well.

Soon, a pungent, fishy stench, mixed with the nauseating smell of roasted meat, wafted out.

Qin Hai, however, didn't care at all. Instead, he sniffed and picked up the giant pestle next to him with a look of enjoyment, and slammed it down heavily into the hut.

In an instant, blood splattered and debris flew everywhere...

Many drops landed on his face, leaving it a bloody mess...

However, he became increasingly excited, his features contorted, as if he had gone mad.

"Pfft, pfft..."

The sounds from inside the furnace grew louder and louder.

I don't know how much time passed.

When everything calmed down, Qin Hai, panting heavily, put down the pestle.

His gaze was fixed intently on the alchemy furnace, where the corpse and heart, as well as the purple pill, had vanished without a trace.

The furnace walls were covered with burnt residue, and in the middle floated a sphere shrouded in black mist. Upon closer inspection, it looked like a palm-sized infant. It was jet black and shiny, with a nose and eyes, almost indistinguishable from a real person.

Haha, hard work pays off! I've finally mastered the human spirit, all my efforts were worthwhile.

Overjoyed, he couldn't wait to take the palm-sized infant out of the alchemy furnace and swallowed it without hesitation.

"Crunch, crunch..."

As I chewed, a black liquid slid down the corner of my mouth.

At the same time, Qin Hai felt changes taking place within his body. His internal organs were being cleansed, his bones were being reshaped, his blood and energy were increasing exponentially, and his body was filled with power.

"Haha, so this is the power of a sorcerer!"

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

The next day

The blood-red sun peeked out, painting the eastern sky with vibrant rosy clouds that rose and enveloped the entire town of Pingxing, draping it in a red veil and concealing the darkness of the night.

Qin Huaiyu got up early; his injuries had mostly healed after a night's rest.

The golden liquid was somewhat unexpected; it could even repair flesh and blood. The hideous wounds on his shoulder had now healed, and apart from some exposed red flesh, they were basically harmless.

She got out of bed and took a black, tight-fitting robe from the wardrobe and put it on.

He stood in front of the bronze mirror and straightened his clothes.

His figure was reflected in the mirror. A well-fitting robe accentuated his slender physique. His medium-length black hair covered his forehead, and his eyes shone brightly like stars in the dark night. Paired with his soft lips, he looked incredibly sunny and handsome.

"Young Master, are you up yet? Breakfast is ready!"

Just then, the voice of the butler, Du Ming, rang out from outside the door.

"Come in."

Qin Huaiyu called out, then tied his long hair back with a hairband and left the bronze mirror.

Upon receiving a response, the door opened, and Butler Du entered carrying the meal.

He was dressed very simply in a linen robe, and his face was full of wrinkles. Perhaps because he had been bowing and scraping to his cheap old man for a long time, his whole body was somewhat hunched.

He walked to the table and put down his plate.

Qin Huaiyu glanced at it; it was a very simple meal: porridge, some stir-fried vegetables, and a small amount of meat.

"Uncle Du, who cooked the food? Was it you?"

Having learned from yesterday's experience, he is now being extra cautious.

Du Ming also learned about the Nightmare Devouring incident and quickly replied:

"Yes, young master, rest assured, I selected all the ingredients and cooked the meal myself. It didn't go through anyone else's hands, so it's guaranteed to be safe."

Upon hearing this, Qin Huaiyu glanced at him, his expression sincere and seemingly genuine, and then said:

"Thank you for your help, Uncle Du. You've been up so early this morning. Let's eat together!"

After saying that, without waiting for Du Ming to refuse, he invited him to a seat. It would be more accurate to say he pressed him down rather than invited him.

"Young Master..."

Before he could finish speaking, Qin Huaiyu picked up the porridge and placed it in front of the butler.

"What, you're afraid to eat what you made yourself?"

Du Ming understood what it meant, so he had no choice but to give up. Since the master had done so, the servants could only obediently follow his instructions. So he picked up the white porcelain spoon and started eating.

It seems there are no problems.

Seeing this, Qin Huaiyu felt relieved and sat down to eat.

"Young master, there's something I'm hesitant to say."

During a break from eating, Du Ming suddenly asked a question out of the blue.

"Uncle Du, please speak freely. There's nothing wrong with saying it."

"Young master, you've changed. You used to be so simple and innocent, and you would never let us servants sit at the table to eat."

And you're so polite now! You never used to be like that. You seem like a completely different person to this old servant!

These are kind words, but they sound like insults.

You could just say he's stupid, brainless, and arrogant.

However, this could be an opportunity to clarify the situation.

Qin Huaiyu frowned slightly, and then said:

"Really? I'm not quite sure either. I don't know when it started, but my memory has become blurry, and I've forgotten a lot of my past memories."

Upon hearing this, Du Ming put down his spoon, thought for a moment, and said:

"You've started to change since you came back this time. Master shouldn't have taken you to pay respects to Madam that day."

Offering sacrifices?

Qin Huaiyu was taken aback. "Where?"

"West Mountain, your wife's grave is halfway up the mountain, don't you remember?"

The old man took me to Xishan. What's going on here?

I have no recollection of this at all. I was clearly at the crime scene when I woke up. Could it be that I traveled through time from there?

But how come there's no memory at all?

And this body...

Could it be...?

Suddenly, a very bold idea flashed through Qin Huaiyu's mind, and he quickly asked:

"Uncle Du, do you know if I have any noticeable marks on my body, like scars or birthmarks?"

"...Um, I think there is!"

Du Ming thought carefully and quickly replied:

"This old servant saw you bathing once when you were young, and it seems you had a black birthmark on your chest."

"Birthmark, Uncle Du, are you sure.............."

"Sure!"

Du Ming said with great certainty.

really!

Qin Huaiyu's eyes narrowed, but what exactly happened that day?

Did the old man do something?

"Young Master, why are you asking this? Did something come to mind?"

"I have a vague recollection of it!"

Qin Huaiyu pretended to have gained something.

"Uncle Du, you eat first, I have something to do and I'll be going out for a bit."

.......