There's definitely something wrong with this murder mystery game

Chapter 112: Chapter 108: Confusing and Complicated

The Village Chief's house was situated on high ground and was the best constructed in the whole village.

It was a two-story self-built house with a backyard that looked rather like a villa, only without the complex structure, and it appeared quite large.

Additionally, once inside, the difference from an actual villa became even more pronounced.

Xu Shuo set the little girl down on the ground and rummaged through a tall cabinet in the living room, finding some maltose, crispy twists, and other snacks to arrange on a plate.

The little girl sat obediently on a chair and her eyes brightened at the sight of the snacks; she consciously reached out her little hand and began to eat.

She looked like she often came here for treats.

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Xu Shuo sat beside her, smiling affectionately as he watched her.

He had previously asked the villagers to send the Trench Coat Detective here to rest, but since the house was empty, he figured the latter must be gathering information elsewhere.

"Uncle Dai?" The little girl asked curiously, tilting her head, with crumbs of maltose still on her lips.

"How old are you again? I've forgotten." Xu Shuo asked softly.

"Qing... how old?"

The little girl looked completely puzzled and then stretched out five fingers, counting on her sticky fingers, her whole demeanor was that of extreme confusion: "How old, umm... five, five..."

She showed her fingers to Xu Shuo but seemed unable to say the word and just kept repeating "five."

"Five years old?" Xu Shuo prompted.

"Ah?" The girl still looked completely puzzled, unsurely watching him, and finally nodded tentatively, as if to say whatever you say must be right.

She blinked her adorable, big, innocent eyes, her round cheeks flushed with apple red, looking especially cute.

Xu Shuo's fingertips absentmindedly caressed her cheek, chuckling, "Do you know about 'Green-Faced Fangs'? Everyone in the village is talking about this monster. Aren't you frightened?"

"Monster, scared," the little girl responded solemnly with a nod.

"Why are you scared?"

"It looks very scary, and it comes out at night to kill people, even eats people," the little girl replied without hesitation, and as she spoke, she stuffed a crispy twist into her mouth, chewing with a crunchy sound.

"It's all made up, where is there any killing and eating people? Who told you these stories?"

"Um..." The little girl's cheeks were puffed out, munching while she mumbled, "Uncle Huang at the village entrance said so. Just a few days ago, his wife was eaten by the monster."

There had already been deaths in the village?

Xu Shuo narrowed his eyes and wiped the crumbs from the little girl's mouth, coaxing her to answer, "How come I haven't heard about this?"

At the end of his words, the girl paused in her chewing and looked up, puzzled, "Uncle Dai, aren't you the one who told everyone not to call the police, saying that Auntie just went back to her parents' home?"

"You remember well, Qing, Uncle was testing your memory!" Xu Shuo said, his expression unchanged, smiling.

Praised, the little girl's smile broadened joyfully on her face, looking very endearing.

Looking at the half-eaten snacks on the plate, Xu Shuo took out a few more from the cabinet, then continued to press the little girl with questions as he grasped her hand.

His role had its advantages, making certain tasks easy, but the disadvantages were also very apparent.

Being in the position of Village Chief, it was impossible for him not to know about the village affairs, and trying to extract information from others could easily arouse suspicion.

Therefore, he could only resort to luring and cajoling children.

...

Rumors in the village about the appearance of "Green-Faced Fangs" were always a mix of truth and fabrication.

Some claimed that they saw the monster devour someone, and afterwards, that person indeed went missing; yet others asserted that there was no monster eating people, and the person in question had simply gone out.

Under these ambiguous rumors, the existence of "Green-Faced Fangs" became even more elusive. Whether someone's belongings went missing, someone got injured, someone was attacked, or a tourist disappeared, all could be attributed to the monster's assault.

To the outside world, however, it was said that all of these were just rumors, and in fact, nothing had happened.

Legends of such ambiguous nature always have a peculiar charm that attracts the curiosity of many, drawing numerous thrill-seekers to flock to the location.

That's how the tourism in Qingliu Village developed.

Xu Shuo pondered with downcast eyes, his fingers gently tapping on the table, as he formed a general idea of this task.

He looked at the little girl who had finished two plates of snacks, and was drinking water with intermittent hiccups, and smiled, "Qing has been playing here for quite a while. I'll take you back."

"Mmm hmm." The little girl wiped her fingers with a handkerchief, then naturally stretched out her arms towards Xu Shuo, blinking her eyes and looking as if she was asking to be held.

Xu Shuo obligingly picked her up, but after they walked some distance, he put her down again.

The little girl looked bewildered for a moment, then turned to Xu Shuo, only to hear him laugh, "Qing must walk by herself, uncle will follow behind."

Hearing this, the little girl didn't find it strange at all, instead she nodded very seriously and then staggered along the road with exaggerated movements of her arms and legs as if to show she could indeed walk.

She wore a little teal jacket and had somewhat disheveled double buns. With her small steps and pose, she looked absolutely adorable!

The two returned to the village center's square. There was a river flowing below the square, and above it stood an ancient-looking, gray and black courtyard-style building.

The little girl had previously been sitting at the entrance eating.

Now, upon reaching the place, she naturally ran inside, and Xu Shuo followed after her, furrowing his brows slightly at the sight of the building.

After entering the gate, first came a spacious courtyard, and directly in front, on the weather-worn plaque of the house, though the inscriptions were blurred, one could still faintly discern the words "Ancestral Hall."

This is the village's ancestral hall?

Xu Shuo saw the little girl run into a small room on the right. Following her in, he noticed furniture like beds and cabinets, and the room was a bit dark, with the girl lighting a candle.

"Acting Uncle, sit!" the little girl said after lighting the candle. She turned around, saw him come in, and hurriedly grabbed the hem of her clothes.

"All right." Xu Shuo sat down on a stool, pinched the little girl's cheek, his expression somewhat cryptic.

A girl living alone in the ancestral hall must be an orphan; if not taken in by a family, she likely was supported and raised with assistance from the whole village.

In his role as the village chief, regardless of his inner thoughts, outwardly he would, of course, act conscientiously towards the little girl, which explained why she was quite fond of him.

In a place rife with monstrous rumors like "Green-Faced Fangs," the girl must feel scared living alone.

Xu Shuo pondered these thoughts, yet he had no plans to take her into his care. After a perfunctory sit-down, he stood and stepped outside to take a closer look at the ancestral hall.

The village's ancestral hall was infrequently used unless there was a significant event, resulting in weeds in the courtyard and turbid water in the water tanks.

The main hall was for worship, its platform adorned with both ancestors and Buddha Bodhisattva. Xu Shuo's gaze swept over the ancestral tablets placed there when a voice suddenly echoed in his mind.

[Congratulations, player, for triggering the role-playing task: Acting Village Chief.]