The shopkeeper has grown bolder than before.

He used to be so scared that his legs would tremble at the sight of customers covered in blood-red from head to toe, and he might end up kneeling down in fear.

But ever since he heard the rumors, he was no longer afraid. He thought to himself:

Maybe this customer is one of the mercenaries who went to the Black Tower before and barely escaped after being caught up in it.

If that's the case, the blood-stained clothes wouldn't be hard to explain.

Out of curiosity, before starting his work, the shopkeeper casually asked:

"I heard things are pretty chaotic over at the 'Disaster Relief Society'. Did you get involved in the chaos and end up with this blood-drenched look?"

Lying or making excuses seemed troublesome, and seeing that the shopkeeper had no connection to the Disaster Relief Society, Wang Xiaole didn't mind being candid:

"I wasn't caught up in the chaos; on the contrary, I was the one causing it."

Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper, who was originally manipulating the abacus, suddenly stopped. His small heart violently contracted, and the frequency of his Adam's apple bobbing noticeably increased.

"The one causing chaos... I don't quite understand what you mean, customer," he said hesitantly.

In fact, the shopkeeper already had some understanding, but he refused to accept the reality and tried to avoid it.

"What I mean is: the one who caused a commotion inside the Black Tower, that's me!"

Unfortunately, the shopkeeper didn't get the answer he wanted. Instead, he heard something ominous.

Initially, the shopkeeper was just an ordinary businessman with no ties to the Disaster Relief Society. However, such indifference could only be maintained until Wang Xiaole walked in.

As Wang Xiaole entered, he became the customer the shopkeeper needed to attend to.

Not all customers are the same.

At this moment, in the shopkeeper's eyes, Wang Xiaole was different from other customers.

Other guests would pay for their stay; however, this guest with hands stained with blood was not going to pay. In the worst case scenario, the shopkeeper might have to pay not just money but also with his life.

Fortunately, even at this moment, the shopkeeper still had a way to deal with it.

He put down the abacus, walked from the front desk, approached Wang Xiaole, lifted the hem of his robe, and then

--- plop, knelt down!

The whole process of kneeling was smooth and seamless, like flowing water, truly admirable.

Seeing this scene, Bai tilted his head in confusion, while Wang Xiaole muttered to himself:

"It's still a while before the New Year, and I'm not your elder. You're kneeling without giving me a New Year's gift. Why are you being so polite?"

Before he could figure out this question, the shopkeeper, in a kowtowing position (not very standard), knocked his head against the ground, pleading for mercy:

"Young Master, you can have money or land deeds, just spare my life!"

Now Wang Xiaole understood; the shopkeeper was afraid of being robbed of both money and life.

After understanding this, he supported his chin with his hand, raised his head slightly, and asked:

"Shopkeeper, are you running a shady business?"

"No, sir. Why would you ask that?" the shopkeeper replied.

The shopkeeper suddenly lifted his head, his eyes filled with bewilderment, making him look like a fledgling bird just opening its eyes.

"As long as you're not running a shady business, I have no intention of causing trouble for you or this establishment."

"Are you saying you won't make things difficult for me?"

In the shopkeeper's mind, he couldn't quite understand the kindness Wang Xiaole displayed:

"Isn't it common for the strong to bully the ordinary? Why else would one become so strong? Isn't it to bully the other to death when encountering someone they want to bully?"

"I have no idea why the strong become strong. Besides, everyone is different. I don't know who you've encountered in the past, but I don't have a taste for bullying the weak."

Wang Xiaole finished explaining.

He didn't want to say another word, merely helped the shopkeeper up and urged him to quickly arrange for himself and Bai to check in properly.

Although the shopkeeper owned the store, he couldn't refuse the guest in front of him and had to cooperate, arranging two rooms.

"No no, I only need one room."

By paying the shopkeeper the accommodation fee (for one person), Wang Xiaole proved he was serious.

Initially, the opportunity for him and Bai to share a room was due to Charley having ulterior motives.

But now, he has genuinely gotten used to living with Bai and had no intention of changing this habit.

The room they checked into was on the third floor, where each floor had a designated area for guests to bathe.

Out of necessity to rid himself of the smell of blood, Wang Xiaole took a shower first, spent some time cleaning the bloodstains off his clothes, and then returned to the room dripping wet.

It was unavoidable.

He rushed here and didn't bring spare clothes, so he could only make do for now and buy new ones when the one he was wearing dried up.

Entering the room, he found Bai curled up in bed, wrapped in a blanket, with only her eyes gleaming faintly.

She looked like a little cat sulking in her nest after having a quarrel with her owner, occasionally peeking out to steal glances.

After taking a few glances, Wang Xiaole's heart was filled with thousands of words of "adorable," and he tiptoed to the edge of the bed.

He knew that the best thing he could do now was to divert Bai's attention away from any thoughts of harming him.

With this in mind, he thought for a moment and then made a suggestion:

"Bai, would you like to go fishing with me?"

Having spent time with Bai, Wang Xiaole understood:

To capture this little girl's heart, baiting her with fish was the way to go.

As expected, at the mention of fishing, Bai's face displayed a hint of struggle mixed with hesitation.

He knew Bai was about to take the bait, so he used a phrase that would somewhat alleviate her guilt:

"You stabbed me before, right? If you go fishing with me today, I might forgive you a bit."

He didn't say "completely forgive" because Wang Xiaole understood:

To rid Bai of her guilt, this one act wouldn't be enough; it would take time.

With an interest in fishing and a desire to make amends, Bai slowly emerged from under the covers after pondering for a while.

The fishing spot didn't need to be sought out deliberately because before making the suggestion, Wang Xiaole had already explored the inn and discovered a pond in the back yard.

Later, he asked the shopkeeper and learned that it was the inn's fishing spot provided for guests, with fish raised by the shopkeeper himself.

This is actually a way to make money.

It is easier for guests to catch fish in the pond, and the inn can ask guests to pay for the cost of the fish they catch after fishing, which can be considered a win-win situation.

Shortly after, Bai was taken to the pond by Wang Xiaole.

The two were lucky as no other guests needed to fish in a short time. It was probably because those people found it too hot and didn't want to leave the indoor during the summer.

After renting two fishing rods from the boss, Wang Xiaole sat by the pond while Bai sat down beside him.

"......"

Bai picked up the fishing rod and fiddled with it randomly, but couldn't figure out how to use it.

It's not surprising that she didn't know.

After all, Bai hasn't had many chances to play so far, let alone fishing, it was her first time coming into contact with it, so naturally she couldn't do it right away.

Wang Xiaole, on the other hand, was different; he had fishing experience several years ago.

At that time, he often bought a fish hook in the market, bought a small roll of thread, then went home and casually found a small bamboo stick to tie it on, and it was done.

Sometimes, he didn't even need to buy fish hooks and thread.

The fish hook was made of bent needles, and the fishing line was pulled out of an old straw hat.

Although the fishing rod made in this way was simple, it was fun, and most importantly, it didn't cost anything.

In other words, there was an obedient child who didn't know how to play on-site, and there was another older child who was good at playing.

The one who didn't know how to play needed to be taught, and this task fell on the one who knew how to play, who carefully taught and enjoyed the process.

When it came to actual operation, Wang Xiaole asked Bai to hang the float first, then let her put the bait on the hook, and then put the hook into the water.

To prevent Bai from getting tired, he also revealed a trick:

"You can hold the fishing rod in your hand, or lean it on the ground, as long as the angle is right, you can catch fish without any problems."

Having said that, he personally demonstrated it to Bai.

"......"

Bai looked as if she had suddenly realized something. It was evident that she was in a good mood today, at least more relaxed mentally.

Fishing in this small pond was definitely easier than fishing in a river.

Just as Wang Xiaole was thinking about when the first fish would bite, the float on Bai's fishing rod visibly trembled.

"Quick, quickly, lift the fishing rod, there should be a fish on the hook!"

Seeing this, Wang Xiaole quickly reminded, afraid that Bai's first fish would slip away like this.

Bai also acted on the spot.

As she slowly lifted the fishing hook, a carp weighing about half a catty was caught, and the tail of the fish splashed a layer of water in the air.

"Fish, fish!"

Bai was so excited. It was the first time in her life that she had caught a fish by her own strength.

"You are amazing, to think that you could catch such a big carp!"

Although this carp was not very big, Wang Xiaole's attitude was affirmative, so naturally, he wouldn't hesitate to praise and kept praising at that moment.

For Bai, she was already very happy to have caught something, and now being praised by "Big Brother," she couldn't help but feel a bit proud.

Wang Xiaole reeled in the fishing rod, and Bai quickly grabbed the fish with her hands, wanting to remove it from the hook.

However, the slippery carp, coupled with Bai's nervousness, led to an accident.

The carp that had already been caught slipped out of Bai's small hands, fell to the ground, and started leaping around incessantly.

"The fish is escaping, quickly grab it!"

Wang Xiaole was very excited, watching with interest the "battle of man vs. fish" or perhaps the "cat vs. fish" between Bai and the carp.