Chapter 037: We Can Only Fight Again Next Time!

Jiang Fan attached the bait and cast his line.

"Kid! Why does your fishing rod look so much like a piece of rebar?" Liu Zhoucheng stared at the rod in Jiang Fan’s hand, scrutinizing it back and forth.

He Qiang chimed in, "It is rebar. Brother Fan used this very rod to land a 358-pound monster yesterday. I saw it with my own eyes!"

Liu Zhoucheng asked, "So that’s the rod that pulled in that behemoth? But isn’t rebar awfully heavy?"

He Qiang laughed, "Ha! You don't get it. Brother Fan has immense strength. If your daughter marries him, she’ll definitely be happy!"

"..."

Jiang Fan ignored their chatter, his eyes fixed on the location of the hook through his sunglasses detector. A moment later, a two- or three-pound freshwater rockfish took the bait.

"I’m not looking for you. Get lost!"

With a powerful flick, Jiang Fan sent the fish flying out of the water, then immediately re-baited and cast again. Before long, another small fish was hooked. In the world of wild fishing, a few pounds is a decent catch, but to Jiang Fan, it was insignificantly small. As a "Fishing Spirit," he possessed a 10% bonus for hooking giant fish; catching these tiny ones was essentially a waste of time.

Soon, fueled by his 10% attribute bonus, Jiang Fan hooked a black carp weighing several dozen pounds. The ease with which he reeled it in made it look like he could single-handedly lift a helicopter, much like a character from a Marvel movie. Liu Zhoucheng and He Qiang watched with eyes wide, mesmerized. They watched for over ten minutes, seeing nothing but mid-sized fish; the giant behemoth from earlier had vanished without a trace.

Eventually, Jiang Fan grew frustrated. The giant had clearly taken the bait earlier—why was it ignoring him now? Was the "War God Edition" Blue Crucian Carp bait not attractive enough? He decided to purchase the "Dragon King Earthworm" bait to test it out. Even with the superior bait, the giant Mekong catfish remained elusive. Even through his detector, he couldn't see a sign of it; the beast had evidently settled deep into the abyss.

"Brother Fan, it must have gone to the bottom. I’ll go get some proper gear, and next time we come back, we’ll drag that thing out for sure!"

He Qiang stepped forward, clearly restless since he had no rod to fish with. Jiang Fan sighed and reeled in his rebar rod. There was no point in continuing like this. Besides, his current "Fishing Spirit" status was capped at 400 points, and he wasn't sure if he could handle a 558-pound monster yet. He would have to wait until he leveled up to "Fishing King" to try again.

"Are we packing up?"

"If we move now before it gets dark, we can get the fish loaded..." Liu Zhoucheng had been wanting to leave ever since he caught his 120-pound bighead carp.

Jiang Fan smirked, "Old man, I bet you just want to drive around and show it off, don't you?"

Liu Zhoucheng grinned, "What’s the point of catching a big fish if you don't parade it around? By the way, why didn't you parade that 358-pounder yesterday?"

"I was busy going to see you, wasn't I?"

"And the fish?"

"Sold it!"

"Damn! What a waste! Next time, don't sell it—let me help you show it off!"

...

The three men boarded their inflatable boat and left the water curtain cave. The moment they left, the 558-pound monster surfaced, slapped its tail against the water with a thunderous splash, and slowly sank back down.

Mekong Giant Catfish: *Hmph! A bunch of pathetic amateurs. How laughable. The angler capable of catching me hasn't even been born yet!*

Back in the city, Jiang Fan sold the rest of the catch and checked his system panel.

[Host: Jiang Fan]
[Title: Fishing Spirit (Giant fish catch probability +10%)]
[Emotion Points: 15,800 (15,800/22,000)]
[Cash Balance: 5,050,000 Yuan]
[Fishing Gear: Rebar fishing rod; Standard hand rod; Two-meter diameter landing net; Sunglasses detector]
[Boat: One inflatable kayak]
[Apprentice Anglers: 5 (5/5, all bound)]

[Map: Water Curtain Cave (Other locations pending)]

He was only 3,000 points away from the "Fishing King" title, which required 25,000 points. Thinking of this, Jiang Fan withdrew one million from his system account and headed to a car dealership. Riding his small electric scooter was becoming a struggle; whenever he caught a massive fish, what should have been a ten-minute trip turned into a two or three-hour ordeal. Plus, his wife, Liu Ruyan, had to take the bus to work every day—it was time to get her a car, too.

When two saleswomen saw Jiang Fan enter in his plain clothes, one looked at him with disdain, while the other’s eyes lit up.

"He’s dressed like a peasant, but he’s incredibly handsome. Look at that height, that sturdy build... Ah! My knees are going weak just thinking about it!"

"Xiao Yue, go entertain our big client! Introduce some models to him!" the older woman whispered.

The other girl scoffed, "You’re such a simp. He’s just a poor guy. What’s the use of being handsome if you’re broke? It’s 2025! If you have no money, you're nobody; if you have money, you can be anything!"

Jiang Fan walked up and said, "Give me two cars—an Audi A6 and an Audi Q5L."

Xiao Yue, who had been leaning against the wall, changed her attitude instantly.

"Oh my goodness! Hello, darling!"

"???"

"Darling, you want an A6 and a Q5L, right? Come, come, let me introduce them to you."

A short while later, the deal was done, with delivery scheduled for a few days later. After swiping his card, Jiang Fan left the dealership, followed by the saleswoman calling him "darling" at every turn. He hurried away—if he had stayed any longer, she probably would have tried to kiss him. During the tour, she had dropped hints about going out for barbecue tonight, and after that, heading to a hotel for "seafood." Jiang Fan hadn't understood at first—why would anyone go to a hotel to eat seafood?

Only after leaving did he realize the double entendre. *Heh. The seafood at home is fresher, more tender, more fragrant, and juicier. Who would want anything from the outside?*