Chapter 14: Setting Out for a New Fishing Spot

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Jiang Fan arrived even earlier than yesterday, but there were more than ten times the usual number of people—about three hundred—completely taking over all the fishing spots.
At first, he didn’t know why this was happening.
But then he recalled catching a 132-pound giant catfish yesterday, followed by a streamer calling himself Wu Xiaoer who broadcasted it live and even clipped videos for Douyin. It seemed the video had made Beimen River famous.
Sure, the video went viral, but now all the fishing spots at Beimen River were taken. Where was he supposed to fish from now on?
Jiang Fan regretted a little letting that guy post his catch online.
“Hahaha, Dad, you’re here?”
Suddenly, a voice called out. Jiang Fan turned to see Zhou Hong.
Behind Zhou Hong were the yellow-haired guy and Ma Dongdong from yesterday.
“Haha, Master, your single-handed catch of that hundred-plus-pound catfish went viral on Douyin!”
The yellow-haired guy put his hands in his pockets, grinning smugly.
“Yeah, yeah, I posted it too. It already has over fifty thousand likes!”
“More importantly, it’s not just popular in the fishing community; it’s trending in the fitness circle too, with a new challenge called ‘Single-Handed 300-Pound Pull’!”
“Master, I suggest you ride this wave and open a Douyin account. You’d definitely gain a lot of followers!”
Ma Dongdong smiled widely, echoing the sentiment.
“Open a Douyin account?”
“Exactly!”
Jiang Fan thought it over—maybe that was a good idea.
But he’d consider it after going home tonight.
Right now, he just wanted to find a good spot to catch big fish.
However, all the prime fishing spots at Beimen River were already occupied.
Though there were some remote spots left, given the current popularity of Beimen River, even if he found a new spot and caught big fish, it would surely be taken over by other anglers the next day.
So, it was necessary to shift his base and look for new fishing grounds.
Zhou Hong seemed to read Jiang Fan’s thoughts and asked, “Dad, are you planning to find a new fishing spot?”
Jiang Fan glanced at the densely packed anglers along Beimen River. “You think Beimen River is like water in a sponge, that you can just squeeze in?”
Zhou Hong laughed cheerfully, “Hey, do you have a good place in mind? To be honest, I know a great spot. Hardly anyone knows about it. Want to come with us?”
“Where?” Jiang Fan's face brightened.
Zhou Hong didn’t hold back, “Just behind Dabao Mountain, upstream of Beimen River. That area is all mountains, with uneven terrain and tough to access.”
Jiang Fan frowned. “You mean near the Water Curtain Cave?”
“Yeah, have you been there?” Zhou Hong asked, a bit disappointed.
He had hoped to share a good fishing spot and maybe get some homemade bait from Jiang Fan, but it seemed unlikely now.

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Jiang Fan paused briefly, then said calmly, “I’ve been there before, but never ventured inside. You just reminded me. Let’s go!”
He hopped on his electric scooter and headed toward the Water Curtain Cave.
Zhou Hong, the yellow-haired guy, and Ma Dongdong squeezed onto a single scooter, following closely behind Jiang Fan.
Yellow-haired guy rode, Zhou Hong sat in the middle, and Ma Dongdong at the back.
“Hey! Ma Dongdong, you need to lose weight! You’re crushing me!”
Zhou Hong complained, squeezed between Ma Dongdong’s girth.
“What can I do? Who told you not to drive your Land Rover Defender today?”
“If I drove, my dad would know I’m fishing and I’d get a scolding!”
After a pause, Zhou Hong’s face twisted oddly. “Damn, Ma Dongdong, I forgot you’re from Chengdu!”
“What’s wrong?”
“Damn! You just bumped my butt!”
“Can’t you stop hating on Chengdu people so much?”
“Is it really hate? It’s a universally accepted fact! If a war broke out in Chengdu, I’d rather wear my helmet on my butt! Yellow-haired guy, I can’t take it anymore; I’m taking over driving!”
...
After more than half an hour, Jiang Fan and the three of them arrived upstream at Beimen River near Yuanshan Town.
The place was surrounded by mountains with rugged terrain.
They parked their vehicles and walked for about ten minutes until they reached an area full of graves.
“Whoa, is this a mass grave?”
Ma Dongdong looked at the mounded tombs before them.
Yellow-haired guy was unfazed. “So what if it’s a mass grave? If the fishing’s good, I’d come here every night!”
Ma Dongdong said, “I mean, it’s good because there are fewer people at a mass grave, so surely there are plenty of fish!”
“Hey, look! There’s someone fishing over there. I’ll ask about the conditions.”
Nearby was a lake where a match fishing angler sat.
After a while, Ma Dongdong returned. “He’s been fishing all night but said the fish aren’t biting well—just caught seven or eight small tilapia.”
Yellow-haired guy scoffed, “Lies, how could the fish not be biting if he fished all night?”
“I saw his fish basket; there aren’t many fish.” Ma Dongdong replied.
Hearing this, Jiang Fan and the others ventured deeper into the mountains.
Zhou Hong, beside Jiang Fan, guided him, “Past this mass grave, around that mountain, is Beimen River. Few people come here.”
“Brother Fan, the mountains are full of snakes and insects, especially this season. Let me guide you!”
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Ma Dongdong’s heart skipped a beat at the mention of many snakes.
The snake in question was the King Cobra. A single bite, if not treated within an hour, could be fatal.
“Are there really so many King Cobras? Don’t scare me!”
Zhou Hong glanced back at Ma Dongdong. “What’s there to fear? At worst, you have one bag on your back now, and you’ll have another one in a few days from the mountain!”
Yellow-haired guy put his hands in his pockets and said confidently, “The real fear is not finding any snakes; if we do, we might lose a hen!”
After about fifteen minutes, the four finally circled around a mountain and saw a wide river—the Beimen River—upstream from where they had previously fished.
Almost no one came here; the place was overgrown with weeds.
Jiang Fan took out his machete and cleared a path, then climbed onto a rock to set up a chair and open a fishing umbrella.
He planned to first try fishing with a rod to test the conditions, and if the bite was good, he would cast a few lures.
[Notification: Congratulations, host, you have received four packs of the Wild Battle Blue Crucian Carp “Crooked Mouth Dragon King War God Edition” bait. Emotion value -80!]
Jiang Fan took out four packs of system bait at once because the system had added two apprentice anglers.
He planned to bind them—Yellow-haired guy and Ma Dongdong—and give each of them a pack to help with fishing.
[Notification: Apprentice angler binding successful!]
[Name: Yellow-haired]
[Age: 24]
[Fishing experience: 5 years]
[Title: None]
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[Notification: Apprentice angler binding successful!]
[Name: Ma Dongdong]
[Age: 23]
[Fishing experience: 4 years]
[Title: None]
(+)
After successfully binding Yellow-haired and Ma Dongdong, Jiang Fan called them down to get the bait. The three of them scrambled down from a mountainside together.
“Dad! We’re here!”