Seeing their stunned expressions, the colleague burst out laughing, "You really believe it, huh?"
Another colleague laughed awkwardly, but Eaves Under Water Pig couldn't quite find the humor in it. He felt something was off but couldn't pinpoint what it was.
Perhaps because he had slept too much in the afternoon, Eaves Under Water Pig couldn't sleep again that night. While his colleagues snored lightly, he found himself troubled and went out to the corridor to get some fresh air. The rain had stopped, and the air was exceptionally fresh. The night sky was clear, with countless stars twinkling like silver on the black canvas, making time seem to get lost in the starlit sky.
After admiring the view for a while, Eaves Under Water Pig suddenly thought of taking a photo. He turned to go back to his room for the camera but saw a shadow at the end of the corridor. The light was dim, so he could only make out a vague figure standing still in the darkness.
"Who's there?" he immediately became alert.
The figure emerged from the shadows. He sighed with relief when he saw it was the innkeeper.
The innkeeper looked at Eaves Under Water Pig with a strange expression and said, "You… why are you back?"
Eaves Under Water Pig explained, "Oh, we ran into heavy rain shortly after we left, and the roads were bad, so..."
The innkeeper interrupted him, "You… you shouldn't be alive!"
Anyone hearing such a statement would probably be unsettled, and Eaves Under Water Pig immediately frowned, "What do you mean by that?"
The innkeeper seemed agitated, "You're still alive, so what about my Lanlan?"
Eaves Under Water Pig was very irritated by the innkeeper's way of speaking. He suddenly remembered that the young waiter had said that today was the innkeeper's daughter's memorial day, and he might be acting strange because of his intense longing for his daughter.
Realizing this, Eaves Under Water Pig decided not to argue further and turned to go back to his room. But just after taking a few steps, he felt a sharp pain in his head. He turned around and saw the innkeeper holding a strange axe, with Eaves Under Water Pig's blood on one end.
The innkeeper stared at him with a frenzied look, appearing almost mad. While injuring Eaves Under Water Pig, he shouted, "The hundredth one!"
Eaves Under Water Pig was both terrified and in pain, crying out as he fell to the floor, feeling dizzy.
At that moment, a colleague ran out of the room, and upon seeing the situation, immediately started to fight with the innkeeper. Several awakened guests also came out, and the innkeeper was quickly subdued by the crowd.
Seeing this, Eaves Under Water Pig lost consciousness completely.
When he woke up, he found himself lying in a simple clinic with his two colleagues by his side. Seeing him open his eyes, both of them clearly breathed a sigh of relief.
"You're finally awake," one colleague said, coming over to help him up.
"I'm fine, just have a bit of a headache," Eaves Under Water Pig said, touching the bandage around his head. "Where am I?"
"This is a nearby small clinic. It's quite far from a big hospital, and we were worried about blood loss, so we brought you here quickly. Fortunately, your injuries aren't severe," one colleague explained.
Another colleague looked at him with curiosity and asked, "What happened with the innkeeper? Why did he attack you?"
Eaves Under Water Pig was equally baffled and could only shake his head, saying, "I don't know. He suddenly appeared, said some strange things, and asked why I wasn't dead. When I ignored him, he hit me with the axe."
Recalling the innkeeper's menacing gaze, he couldn't help but shiver.
The colleague added, "That wasn't even an axe. I've seen it on TV; it's called a demon-slaying pestle, a type of exorcism tool. I guess what he had was a replica. If it had been a real axe, you'd probably be dead."
Eaves Under Water Pig nodded, realizing why his injuries weren't more serious.
The colleague patted his shoulder and said, "It's all sorted now. We took that man to the nearby police station. The police should be able to figure out what happened, and then we can leave."
The situation was more complicated than his colleague had said. Since Eaves Under Water Pig's injuries weren't fully healed and the matter with the innkeeper wasn't resolved, they had to find another small inn nearby to stay.
After waiting several days with patience, Eaves Under Water Pig's head wound had scabbed over, and the police station had some news. They reported that the innkeeper had been detained for assault while drunk and fined according to regulations. The police asked if Eaves Under Water Pig wanted to press charges. If he did, it would involve a complicated process and additional time. If not, they could settle it privately.
Eaves Under Water Pig was not satisfied with this outcome. Although he wasn't a legal professional, he had some knowledge in this area. The local police's handling of the case was understandable, but it was clear that they were showing favoritism towards the locals. They were just travelers; how could they afford to spend so much time suing someone? Additionally, no injury assessment had been done for them.
In the end, Eaves Under Water Pig chose to settle privately. Another reason for this choice was his desire to understand the true reason behind the innkeeper's attack, rather than the "standard explanation" provided by the police.
When they saw the innkeeper again, they were truly startled. He looked so haggard and ashen, resembling someone on the brink of death—far beyond what a few days in custody could cause.
After both sides sat down, a colleague presented the pre-prepared settlement agreement. The innkeeper glanced at it and signed without any objections. Eaves Under Water Pig was quite surprised, as the settlement amount was quite substantial.
Eaves Under Water Pig glanced at the agreement, which was signed: "Qin Yi."
After Mr. Qin signed, Eaves Under Water Pig pushed the agreement aside and asked a question he had been puzzled by for a long time: "Why did you attack me and say those strange things? Who is Lanlan? Is she your daughter?"
He had never believed Mr. Qin acted out of drunkenness, especially since it was the anniversary of Mr. Qin's daughter's death, making it unlikely that he was drinking. Also, Eaves Under Water Pig hadn't smelled any alcohol at the time.
Mr. Qin looked at him, then suddenly buried his face in his hands in anguish. After a moment, he said one thing and then remained silent.
He said, "All the sins are mine; I will repay you."
After that, he refused to say anything more.