Xu Shuo arrived in the vige, the open square built around the river had already gathered a number of people, who looked to be travelers from out of town.


    It was lunchtime, and vigers, clutching their rice bowls, hade outside to enjoy the show, followed by neatly dressed children, blinking their big eyes curiously at the outsiders. They didn''t have the usual scruffiness of the countryside but instead looked clever and cute.


    "Dai, you''vee."


    As Xu Shuo approached, a six-year-old girl with double buns clutching a rice bowl came up to him, her round cheeks so tender it seemed they would burst with a touch.


    So Xu Shuo naturally pinched her cheeks and smiled, "Go back inside to eat, there''s too much dust out here."


    The little girl, with her cheek pinched, didn''t react much but just tilted her head and looked at him for a while before she scampered back under the eaves of the brick house, standing there and peering out.


    The vigers were actually not surprised by the arrival of travelers, as besides farming and cultivating the fields, they had few other forms of entertainment, so they inevitably enjoyed watching any excitement.


    Now was the nting season, and it wasn''t the weekend, so there weren''t many travelers in the vige.


    Moreover, those travelers who dide usually stayed at the farmhouse fun at the entrance of the vige to fish or went into the mountains and rivers for outings; they rarely came to the center of the vige to find people. Find exclusive stories on mvl


    After all, besides the ordinary fields and houses, there really was nothing special about the vige.


    Only those city folks who had never seen anything would make a fuss over nothing.


    When Xu Shuo walked over, someone who saw him immediately jogged over and said with a sycophantic smile, "Vige Chief, this person ims to be a detective and says that you called him over to handle a matter."


    "A detective?" Xu Shuo raised his eyebrows slightly and turned his head to look in a peculiar way.


    It was a man in a gray trench coat, tall and thin, wearing ordinary silver-framed sses, who exuded an elegant demeanor and was clearly an educated person.


    He didn''t look like a private detective, more like a teacher.


    "And there''s another," after pointing out the man in the trench coat, the viger looked toward the woman by the riverside taking photos of the wild bushes and said, "She says she''s a journalist here to interview our vige and can promote this ce!"


    Xu Shuo followed his gaze and took another look, by which time the trench coat detective who had been waiting had already stepped forward.


    "Hello," the man came up and extended his hand, asking with confusion, "Are you the Vige Chief of Qingliu Vige?"


    He seemed far too young.


    Xu Shuo shook hands in return, and with a touch of concern in his voice, said, "No, the Vige Chief is my father, but he has been gone for several months without any word, and I am merely filling the position temporarily."


    "Gone for several months?"


    The trench coat detective paused and the gaze hidden behind his sses became sharp as he quickly asked, "How did he disappear? Where was he before? Didn''t you report it to the police to search for him?"


    Xu Shuo didn''t respond to these questions, withdrew his hand, and said indifferently, "Sir, what are you here for? I don''t recall contacting you."


    Hearing this, the trench coat detective realized he had been too hasty and, noticing the vigers'' eyes growing suspicious, he spoke softly, "The person who called me should be the Old Vige Chief, he wrote me a letter not long ago, mentioning that something had happened in the vige that required my investigation."


    "Oh? What happened?" Xu Shuo also eased his expression and asked with concern, "The old man didn''t tell me about this, can you tell me?"


    The trench coat detective thought for a moment, feeling there was no need for secrecy, and said, "The matter of ''Green-Faced Fangs.''"


    As soon as these words were spoken, the surrounding vigers fell suddenly quiet.


    The legend of the "Green-Faced Fangs" was known to every household here; even the people in the towns and cities were well aware of it.


    After all, the tourism industry in Qingliu Vige had developed partly on the back of this legend, seizing the opportunity, the vige had also constructed quite a few promotional columns rted to "Green-Faced Fangs" such as the monstrous statues ced in the fields, and the white wall at the entrance of the vige that stretched over twenty meters.


    As for the story of this legend, even a three-year-old could recite it!


    Xu Shuo said with a smile, "What''s there to investigate about a legend that dates back thousands of years? However, I do need to ask for your help regarding the old gentleman''s disappearance. Why don''t you stay at my ce during this time?"


    The Trench Coat Detective looked at the seeminglyposed middle-aged man, his brow furrowing slightly at the smile on Xu Shuo''s face, then rxed into a nod, saying, "That works, thank you for your hospitality."


    As their conversation concluded, Xu Shuo immediately turned his attention to the female reporter nearby.


    She seemed in no rush to interview the vige, leisurely squatting by the riverside to take pictures of the unremarkable wild grass, thoroughly enjoying herself.


    Thus, to the rural folks, city dwellers make a fuss over trivialities, and to the city dwellers, vigersck sophistication.


    Each disdained the other.


    Xu Shuo didn''t take the initiative to disturb her and casually asked a viger to take the detective to his residence first, then continued walking towards the outskirts of the vige.


    The Trench Coat Detective initially wanted to wander around with him, but after some thought, decided to follow the viger and leave instead.


    The vige''s cemented main road stretched from the Archway at the entrance all the way to the Vige Chief''s House halfway up the hill.


    Xu Shuo walked along the road, passing a field of freshly transnted rice. On the edge of the paddy fields were rows of loofah trellises, and then he saw the girl in the floral dress standing in front of the white wall, daydreaming.


    The girl maintained her daydreaming pose and then, as if feeling his gaze, turned to look at him.


    She blinked and quietly sized him up, judging by his appearance and attire, he must be someone from the vige.


    Neither spoke first until Xu Shuo, pointing to the remaining small section of white wall, asked, "Why didn''t you continue painting?"


    "Ah, I don''t know what to paint next," said the girl with a look of distress.


    "How can you not know what to paint?" Xu Shuo continued to inquire.


    "This... I''ve never seen a real ''Green-Faced Fangs,'' and to paint such a thing is truly difficult," the girl sighed, her expression troubled.


    On the white wall, many splendid things were already painted—stories rted to "Green-Faced Fangs"—but in those tales, the monster always appeared only in a tiny corner, maintaining a mysterious image, unconsciously drawing people''s attention along the wall.


    And thest section of the white wall was supposed to disy theplete visage of the creature!


    But the girl''s inspiration had stalled.


    "Aren''t there statues in the fields? Just paint it like those; what''s the big deal?" Xu Shuo said calmly, his rough appearance contradicted by a warm and polite smile.


    Upon hearing this, the girl, resting her chin in thought, said, "As an artist, I feel the need to respect the truth. I want to paint the ''Green-Faced Fangs'' as I see it, not as others imagine it."


    "Do you artists always make things soplicated?" Xu Shuo expressed the bewilderment typical of a rural person just in time.


    The girlughed awkwardly but politely.


    If it weren''t for the mission, she would not want to deal with all these troublesomeplications either.


    [Main Quest: Paint the true Green-Faced Fangs.]