Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Fishing rod in hand, Ying Yuanxing noticed it wasn't particularly late. With little left to do on the farm, he decided to stay and fish. Even without bait, he could still catch fish; it would just take longer.

Ying Yuanxing surveyed his surroundings, chose the most prominent spot on the bank, and cast his rod. The line sank into the water.

Unbeknownst to him, this was Li An’s favorite fishing spot. The rod gave a slight tremor.

Ying Yuanxing instinctively pulled the rod, but the familiar fishing mini-game didn't appear. The rod was empty; nothing had been caught.

He checked his stamina bar. It had dropped slightly, but thankfully, the meal at the village chief's house had boosted it considerably, so the loss was negligible. Still, he couldn't afford to lose too much.

He cast again and waited a good while before feeling a strong tug on the rod. This time, the familiar fishing mini-game appeared before his eyes.

Ying Yuanxing realized that this mini-game now used mental control for the fishing bar, which was clearly more flexible than a mouse. However, the fish also seemed exceptionally agile, darting erratically to evade the fishing bar. He had to concentrate fully to keep up with the elusive fish.

Completely absorbed in fishing, Ying Yuanxing didn't notice the previously calm river surface beginning to ripple.

After a fierce struggle, Ying Yuanxing successfully reeled in a fish and promptly stowed it in his backpack. He continued fishing.

Time passed, minute by minute. The sun set, and darkness enveloped the land. The gentle gurgle of the water, coupled with the distant caw of a crow, created an indescribably desolate atmosphere. Yet, for Ying Yuanxing, these ambient sounds were all too familiar.

After all, in games, daytime was always packed with tasks, often leaving him to rush his fishing sessions at night. This very familiarity made him feel more relaxed.

“Just a bit longer. I have to be back by midnight,” Ying Yuanxing murmured to himself, checking the time.

His next few casts yielded more fish. Though reeling them in was arduous, the fish were remarkably large. The only issue was the variety of species and his dwindling backpack space.

Ying Yuanxing looked at the fish in his hand, then at the smaller ones in his backpack. He gritted his teeth, preparing to discard a small fish to make room for a larger one. He had, after all, inquired at the village chief’s house: a temporary market periodically appeared nearby, where he could buy and sell goods.

A large fish would undoubtedly fetch a better price than a small one.

But to simply discard a fish he had worked so hard to catch…

Wait. Ying Yuanxing suddenly had an idea. This wasn't purely a game. While some aspects followed game mechanics for benefits, others could be detrimental if treated carelessly. Perhaps he could exploit a loophole.

Holding the fish, Ying Yuanxing took two steps back from the bank, hesitated, then took two more. He then tossed one fish from his backpack onto the ground, successfully making space for the large fish.

As for the discarded fish, Ying Yuanxing picked it up, rinsed off the dirt in the water, and planned to take it back for breakfast. Even without a kitchen, he could make grilled fish, though it would lack seasoning.

He couldn't imagine what a fish without seasoning would taste like. Fortunately, he had his "One Gulp" skill. Even if it tasted terrible, he could just swallow it whole and at least fill his stomach.

Ying Yuanxing felt that with this skill, his cooking might improve dramatically. The biggest fear in cooking was making something inedible and wasting ingredients, but with this skill, he had no such psychological burden.

However, it was already midnight, and the tackle shop showed no signs of activity!

Ying Yuanxing looked at the tackle shop. In the darkness, it was pitch black and rather eerie. Yet, he secretly hoped the deceased fisherman would appear. The reason was simple: if the fisherman were there, he could sell his catch directly, saving him a trip to the market.

By the same logic, if the general store were open, he could sell his produce there. But now, he had to take action himself to earn money.

After waiting a while longer and seeing no movement from the tackle shop, Ying Yuanxing estimated that if he didn't leave soon, he wouldn't have enough time to get back. Disappointed, he departed.

Not long after Ying Yuanxing left, the river's flow grew louder. A pale figure emerged from the water and walked directly to the tackle shop door, only to find that the item once placed there was gone.

The figure sensed around and realized the curse attached to the fishing rod had been triggered, but the person had circumvented it.

No, not circumvented… The rod had been forced to attract fish even under impossible conditions.

Frowning, the figure wondered if the curse was simply too weak. Without lingering on land, it returned to the water and vanished without a trace.

If the fishing rod had consciousness, it would have cried out in protest. It had been trying to repel anything from biting, but the moment the hook touched water, something would latch on. No matter how hard it resisted, whether fish bit or not seemed irrelevant. Once hooked, unless Ying Yuanxing gave up, escape was impossible.

It had never encountered such a rogue fisherman.

Ying Yuanxing walked along, completely unaware that the rod's owner had returned and discovered its absence.

Hurrying as fast as he could, Ying Yuanxing finally made it back to the farm just before 2 a.m. As the clock struck two, he waited nervously, but he didn't pass out. This meant he could work as late as he wished.

Realizing what he was thinking, Ying Yuanxing shook his head vigorously. Even as his own boss, he couldn't work himself to death; that would be worse than his corporate job.

Before sleeping, Ying Yuanxing decided to toss all the fish from his backpack into the small pond beside the cabin. He planned to keep his catches there until market day, then haul them all at once.

Of course, if different species caused his backpack to overflow, he would dry them into fish jerky for sale.

However, since they would be kept for several days, Ying Yuanxing worried the fish might die. He rummaged through a crate and found no fish feed, but he did have some hay harvested earlier that day.

It wasn't fermented, but perhaps it was edible. He decided to try feeding them.

Ying Yuanxing scattered a handful of hay into the pond, then returned to the cabin to rest.

Inside the pond, once the outside fell silent, one fish violently slapped the water, baring its fangs menacingly at the other two. "As members of the Great Weird, you actually let yourselves get caught by a human?" it snarled.

That wasn't even the most shameful part. The worst was that the hook hadn't even carried bait—yet they'd bitten anyway.

Now, captured by the Great Weird, who knew when they'd meet their end?

The other two fish cowered under the scolding, silently exchanging glances. They'd been caught, sure—but how did you get caught too, boss?