Chapter 2: Hooking a Big Catch

Page 1/3

...
In Yuanshan Town’s outskirts, there flowed a river called Beimen River.
Jiang Fan arrived at a familiar fishing spot by the river, full of enthusiasm.
Suddenly, dark clouds gathered overhead, and a light drizzle began to fall.
Yet for anglers, rain is no obstacle—come rain or shine, not even a storm could deter them from fishing.
Even at night on a burial ground, wherever there’s water, there will be fishermen.
Nearby sat a fellow angler with a furrowed brow, looking quite glum.
“Hey man, how’s the fishing today? Any bites?”
Jiang Fan waved and greeted him.
The other’s gloomy expression brightened instantly; he grinned slyly, “Yeah, there are bites. Looks like it’s gonna be a great catch today!”
Great catch, my foot! It’d be strange not to struggle in this weather!
He’d been here over two hours without a single fish.
If I knew fishing would be this dry, I’d have gone for a massage instead—at least that guarantees results.
Seeing Jiang Fan arrive meant he wouldn’t be fishing alone; might as well get one sucker to buy the story.
When Jiang Fan got no bites later, he’d say, “Huh, weird, no fish again?”
Of course, Jiang Fan wasn’t a fool; he could tell from that frustrated look that today’s fishing was tough.
Still, he opened an umbrella, unfolded a chair, and sat down.
Then he took out some fresh corn he’d bought on the way to use as bait.
Although the system had rewarded him with a pack of Wild War Blue Crucian bait, any true angler knows not using groundbait is like fishing in vain.
After prepping, he pulled out the Wild War Blue Crucian “Crooked Mouth Dragon King War God Edition” and the system-given hand rod.
This was the first time he’d heard of the “Crooked Mouth Dragon King War God Edition” of Wild War Blue Crucian.
Definitely something the system had concocted itself.
Still, Wild War Blue Crucian was quite popular online, spawning many jokes.
Like wilderness survival expert Bear Grylls stumbling upon a pack of used Wild War Blue Crucian in the Amazon... or Zhang Qiling entering the Bronze Gate and barely escaping with his life, discovering a pack of used Wild War Blue Crucian...
Though these were jokes, the fact that Wild War Blue Crucian was favored by anglers showed the bait had merit.
He just hoped the system wasn’t lying and that it would really help him catch fish one after another.
As for the system’s ordinary hand rod, it was worth several hundred yuan on the market—much better than what he had brought.
He decided to fish with the system’s rod.
He baited the hook, cast the line—smooth and seamless.
Now, all that remained was to wait.
Fishing with a hand rod requires patience; without it, you’ll never catch a fish.
Only, Jiang Fan slightly underestimated the system’s bait.
“Huh, just cast, and already a bite? That’s way too fast!”

Page 2/3

Normally, it’s hard to get bites on a rainy day, yet the line barely hit the water before a fish took it. Could this Wild War Blue Crucian bait really be that effective?
“It’s a bite on a black float—probably not a small fish.”
Jiang Fan grew excited and pulled the rod.
Soon, a half-pound carp surfaced.
He took out his landing net and scooped up the carp in one sweep.
“Ha! First catch is over half a pound. Looks like I’m in for a big haul today!”
He placed the fish in the live fish box.
Then the system chimed in.
【Wild Carp: Half a pound; Market price: 12 yuan per pound.】
【Ding! Congratulations, host, you’ve earned 12 yuan!】(Credited to system account, withdraw anytime!)
(This system’s withdrawals are completely legitimate and safe to use!)
【Ding! Congratulations, host, you’ve gained 5 emotion points!】
“Wait, it’s 12 yuan per pound, so why did I get 12 yuan for half a pound?”
【The system cashes out at twice the market price per pound. For fish over a pound, the multiplier increases, possibly tripling, quadrupling, or more.】
Ah, so that’s how it works.
“Can I keep selling the fish myself?”
【Of course, system cashing out is just one way to make money; selling fish yourself is another.】
So catching a fish under a pound lets me sell it at triple market price?
This money’s way too easy! Much better than working a job.
Nowadays, working feels like going to a funeral.
You have to endure your boss’s moods, manage office politics—if you could avoid work, who’d still go?
Without hesitation, Jiang Fan baited his hook again and cast his line.
Next to him, the other angler grew even more frustrated seeing Jiang Fan catch a half-pound carp right away.
Damn it! I’ve been here over two hours with nothing, and you come along and catch a half-pound carp immediately?
Where’s the justice?
Hmph, must be just lucky.
Nope, definitely just luck—a dumb fish like that isn’t worth drooling over; I wouldn’t want it even if it were given to me.
While the other angler seethed with envy, Jiang Fan’s freshly cast hook got a bite again.
This time, it was a smaller freshwater crucian carp weighing two or three ounces.
That earned him six yuan and 3 emotion points.
Soon after, another fish bit, then another, and another...
In just over ten minutes, Jiang Fan caught seven or eight fish.
Though none were as large as the first, they all brought in money!

Page 3/3

Meanwhile, the angler next door hadn’t had a single bite, staring wide-eyed in frustration.
What’s going on? Even in this weather, he’s landing fish one after another? Why haven’t I caught a single bite? Is it my technique?
Shouldn’t be—I learned from Teacher Deng on Douyin.
He stubbornly sat there waiting.
Since Jiang Fan was getting bites, he figured eventually there’d be some for him too.
But after half an hour, Jiang Fan had caught another dozen fish.
While the other guy only had one bite, and the fish slipped off the hook just as it reached shore, leaving him utterly discouraged.
Looks like the fish are mocking him today.
“Damn it!”
Suddenly, Jiang Fan shouted, drawing the other angler’s attention.
His rod bent sharply in a half-moon shape beneath the water, pulled fiercely.
“That’s a strong pull—has to be at least five pounds!”
Jiang Fan estimated the weight and was thrilled.
“What? Over five pounds???”
The other angler was baffled and crushed; he’d caught nothing all day, and hearing that only made it worse.
Impossible! Absolutely impossible!!!
I’ve been fishing forever and caught nothing.
If that really is a fish over five pounds, I call you Dad!
“Splash!”
Suddenly, the other angler heard a splash.
Looking up, he saw Jiang Fan had jumped into the river.
Holy hell! Using his body as a landing net? A Douzong-level warrior—terrifying!
Could it really be a huge fish?
Despite his frustration, the angler felt a surge of excitement seeing such a big catch.
He hurried over, fearing Jiang Fan might be dragged underwater and killed. “Hey! Brother, what’s going on?”
But all he saw was the rippling water surface.
“Damn! He’s not using his body as a landing net—he’s groundbaiting!”
“Hey! Brother, answer me! Answer me!”
“What’s happening? Where is he? He can’t have actually died, right???”