《Fishing Livestream》 Chapter 1 - 1 01 Starting with a Store Newcomers Pit Please Collect and Follow ?1: Chapter 01: Starting with a Store (Newcomer¡¯s Pit, Please Collect and Follow) 1: Chapter 01: Starting with a Store (Newcomer¡¯s Pit, Please Collect and Follow) ¡°Yue Feng, I won¡¯t waste my breath on you. There are only twenty days left before the house¡¯s lease expires. If I don¡¯t see the rent by then, I¡¯ll definitely sublet the place to someone else, so don¡¯t blame me for not warning you in advance!¡± With a dull thud, the glass door at the entrance was slammed shut, leaving Yue Feng with the retreating figure of a middle-aged woman, not quite clear. Yue Feng was a bit dazed, with only three philosophical questions in his head. Who am I, where am I, what am I doing? In Yue Feng¡¯s memory, he worked for an import and export company, staying up late last night to finish his work. It was the weekend and he shouldn¡¯t have to work, so he should have been sleeping until noon in his bed. But when he opened his eyes, Yue Feng was surprised to find himself in an unfamiliar environment, confronted by a landlady with an unfriendly face urging him for rent. As he watched the landlady leave, Yue Feng looked around. This was a small-scale fishing equipment store, with a total business area of just over twenty square meters. As you entered, there were three L-shaped glass display counters in the lobby, with walls lined with panels displaying common freshwater fishing accessories like hooks and lines. Outside the counter area, against the wall, there were four sets of upright shelves filled with various popular brands of bait commonly used by fishermen. Business, it seemed, wasn¡¯t booming¡ªthe packaging on many baits was covered in a thin layer of dust, probably due to poor sales. Five minutes later, Yue Feng finally sorted out his thoughts and understood his situation. ¡°Have I, out of the blue, become the owner of a small fishing equipment shop?¡± Yue Feng pinched his thigh over and over again, the pain reassuring him that everything in front of him was real, not a dream. He found it hard to believe, but looking up at his own name written on the business license for individual industrial and commercial enterprises on the wall, he had to accept the truth. Ding! Binding Big Player System, do you confirm? Damn it! Syst...System!?? Ding! Binding Big Player System, do you confirm? Once again, a clear synthetic electronic prompt sounded in his mind! As a netizen of the new era, Yue Feng had read countless web novels and even fantasized about having a day like this. If he ever got a system, he believed his growth could outdo any protagonist in those novels. But now that the day had come, he was not only bound to a system, but had also acquired a store. Yue Feng¡¯s first reaction was confusion, and his second reaction was not excitement but an underlying sense of fear. His gaze wandered around the store, trying to find the source of the sound, but he found nothing! Ding! Binding Big Player System, do you confirm? Countdown one minute, 60, 59, 58, 57... After three system prompts, a countdown of one minute appeared in his mind. As time ticked away second by second, Yue Feng grew increasingly nervous. ¡°System, system? What are you for? What¡¯s the use of binding you?¡± ¡°This system is designed to assist growth in life for transmigrating individuals. It randomly selects and binds to transmigrating users. Current user¡¯s body condition is suitable, activating automatically. Countdown will end the binding process!¡± Countdown 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, As his time for decision grew shorter, Yue Feng, in a rush, chose to bind! If it was a dream, there was nothing to lose by binding the system, and if it was reality, there was definitely no harm in doing so¡ªthe books all said to make that choice. Ding! Binding successful! Big Player System is officially activated! Current host information! Name: Yue Feng Gender: Male Age: 23 Height: 183 Weight: 75kg Education: Bachelor¡¯s Degree Personality Traits: Bold, meticulous, thick-skinned Talent: Physically strong, calm thinker Skills: [Traditional Fishing Beginner][Taiwan Fishing Introduction][Cooking Introduction] Talents: Eating, bragging, Platinum in LoL The character and talents described in the data were very accurate, but the skills Yue Feng mastered in the base timeline, such as driving, public speaking, Excel, PPT, and so on, were not present at all. Instead, they had been replaced with the ¡°parallel world Yue Feng¡¯s¡± skills. In consideration of the host¡¯s data attributes and skill tendencies, the Fish Gear Shop Owner on the Edge of Bankruptcy has been officially bound as the player¡¯s occupational identity! Ding! Congratulations, you have received the Newbie Binding Gift Pack. To claim it, simply think ¡°extract¡± while in solitude, and the gift pack will be automatically delivered to your hands! Huh? Binding this system even comes with a newbie gift pack? That¡¯s rather generous. It¡¯s much like the tropes in domestic online games I¡¯ve played. I wonder if it¡¯s any good! After his initial confusion subsided, Yue Feng, who was naturally broad-minded, gradually accepted the existence of the system. Upon learning that there was a gift pack to be claimed, he even felt a growing sense of eager anticipation. The system prompt indicated that he could only extract the gift pack in a private space. Yue Feng glanced around the small shop¡ªthis should meet the criteria, right? Extract! Ding! Congratulations, you have received the Beginner Newbie Gift Pack! In front of Yue Feng, two small foil paper bags suddenly appeared. As Yue Feng¡¯s eyes swept over the bags, the information about them naturally came to mind: [Wild Fishing Companion]: A broad-spectrum wild fishing companion, 500g. When added in appropriate amounts to bait or groundbait, it increases the chance of attracting and catching fish by 20%, with a recommended addition of 1%! [True Wild Fishing Rice Wine]: A power-upgraded version of the super Bait Wine Rice, 500g. With a 30% increase in fishing attraction, it works even better when used in combination with Wild Fishing Companion! After reading the attributes of the two packets of fish bait, Yue Feng felt a bit disappointed. What the heck is this? I was expecting something impressive, but it¡¯s just a bag of Bait Wine Rice and a wild fishing version of a fishing lure enhancer. It¡¯s supposed to be a system gift pack, but this is quite stingy. Ding! You have successfully claimed the Beginner Newbie Gift Pack and are compelled to take on the newbie trial mission [Bankruptcy Edge]! [Bankruptcy Edge]: As a fish gear shop owner who isn¡¯t quite excellent, you¡¯re on the brink of bankruptcy, unable to pay your rent. Find a way to earn enough money to pay your rent by the latest deadline, or it will be regarded as a failing of the trial mission! Mission Completion Reward: Points + one random reward draw Mission Failure Penalty: Bankruptcy will result in the loss of your shop owner status, and the system will disappear. When Yue Feng saw that he was forced to accept a newbie mission with the penalty of losing his shop owner status and the system disappearing, a chill ran up from the bottom of his heart. Damn, this system is ruthless. I¡¯ve finally got a shop, and if I can¡¯t get through the trial mission, the system that I¡¯ve acquired will disappear! After taking a deep breath for a minute to calm down, Yue Feng began to inventory the capital at his disposal. He had 137 yuan in change in his pocket, and the shop had a fairly abundant stock of conventional bait and tackle. The rent for the year was ten thousand yuan. It would be difficult to earn that amount in twenty days, and even if he aimed lower, achieving ten thousand yuan in sales was a huge challenge for Yue Feng¡¯s current situation! More than an hour later, Yue Feng found the complete inventory list in the counter and roughly inventoried his resources. The shop¡¯s inventory was worth around 30,000 yuan, with some lesser-known baits severely unsold but with ample stock of conventional fishhooks, fishing lines, floats, and the like. Overall, it was the scale of a small-town fishing gear shop. Just as Yue Feng was getting a rough understanding of his assets, a sudden system prompt sounded. Chapter 2 - 2 2 Basic Business Thinking ?2: Chapter 2 Basic Business Thinking 2: Chapter 2 Basic Business Thinking Ding! Congratulations, you have acquired a new Passive Skill ¡°Basic Business Thinking¡± Ding! Congratulations, you have received 500 General Points! System notification: You can enter a lucky draw once you accumulate 1000 points. Please discover the ways to earn points on your own! ¡°Basic Business Thinking¡±: The essence of business is capital and circulation, and you have begun to realize this! Passive Effect: Wealth increase by $5/day. After checking the effects of the passive skill, Yue Feng was somewhat surprised that it was a skill that gave money every day; although $5 a day wasn¡¯t much, it was still something for nothing. Besides the skill, he also received five hundred points. The points could be used for lucky draws, but with only five hundred, it wasn¡¯t enough to participate. The system had given a reward, which indicated that Yue Feng¡¯s efforts were on the right track! What to do next? Yue Feng¡¯s gaze swept around the shop, and his mind began racing. Many people don¡¯t achieve world-renowned success not because they lack bright ideas but perhaps because they haven¡¯t found the right entry point. Just like Yue Feng, who, after a simple inventory check of the store, received a system reward and began to vaguely feel that he understood something. Since it involved running a store, naturally, all conventional actions that increased store sales were beneficial! With that thought, Yue Feng picked up a broom and thoroughly cleaned the entire store! Ding! Cleanliness of the store +70! Congratulations, you¡¯ve received a 200-point reward! It really worked! If cleaning was effective, what about organizing the shelves? After thinking this, Yue Feng, with patience, reorganized every item in the store. The bait that was dusty and unsold was cleaned and rearranged on the shelves. Additionally, Yue Feng adjusted the order of merchandise on the shelves, swapping the positions of high-selling products with those that sell less to better showcase them. He rearranged everything from top to bottom. Ding! Cleanliness of goods +10, Presentation +80 Congratulations, you have received a 200-point reward! Yes! Another reward! Seeing the points rapidly accumulating, Yue Feng immediately began to look forward to the next hundred points that would bring his Total Points to 1000 and allow him to enter a lucky draw, curious about what he might receive. His gaze swept the store again, but Yue Feng couldn¡¯t find any more ways to earn points, which made him scratch his head in frustration. This seems simple, but it¡¯s indeed difficult when you actually do it; the system offers no hints, and all rewards are triggered, making the interaction mechanism unfriendly! System, system! ¡°Here!¡± Is there any task I can do at this stage that I¡¯m unaware of? Can you give me a hint? ¡°You are currently in the beginner trial stage; please discover all actions on your own!¡± Seeking help only to be ruthlessly rejected by the system, Yue Feng scratched his head helplessly; this approach was a dead end. As he was racking his brains, the glass door of the shop creaked open, and a middle-aged angler with a dark complexion dressed in fishing gear entered! ¡°Do you have Rice Wine and earthworms here? Also, get me a 4.5-meter Seven-star float line set! When did you open this shop? I only noticed it when I came to the alley to buy buns; you really picked a hidden spot!¡± ¡°Yes! We just opened. I¡¯m not very familiar with it, which kind would you like?¡± Yue Feng hurriedly returned to his senses and greeted him. Quickly, Yue Feng completed his first business transaction¡ªthe customer bought two packs of cheap Rice Wine for wild fishing, two boxes of earthworms, and a main line, totaling $12! Ding! Congratulations on completing your first business transaction! System reward: revenue doubled! The $12 in loose change in Yue Feng¡¯s hand magically doubled! Darn! If only I¡¯d sold more! Yue Feng muttered to himself in frustration, turning one hundred into two hundred seemed worth it, but 12 doubling to just 24, what¡¯s the use! Unsatisfied as he was, he still needed to find new ways to enhance his skills. After racking his brain, Yue Feng finally discovered another possible improvement. The inventory of hand-tied traditional Seven-Star Float lines in the shop was running low, and many models were already out of stock. He wondered if preparing some in advance could earn him some points! With that thought, Yue Feng got to work. Making conventional fishing lines was quite simple¡ªSeven-Star Floats, Sky Hooks, all things Yue Feng knew. He had first learned about these as a child when he started fishing. It¡¯s just that he had grown up and stopped touching these after starting work, making him a bit rusty. Imitating as taught, he quickly had the first line set tied up, but the system notification Yue Feng anticipated didn¡¯t come! Had he guessed wrong? No, that couldn¡¯t be right. When he began cleaning initially, he didn¡¯t receive a reward either; it must be that the rewards are calculated after the task is completed! With that realization, Yue Feng busied his hands even more, replenishing all the low-stock line sets, tying over thirty pairs. He had stock for every conventional model, with at least five backup pairs for each model. Ding! Seven-Star Float line set inventory +50! Ding! Congratulations on earning 500 Points as a reward! Ding! Congratulations on completing three hidden routine tasks! Skill [Basic Business Thinking] upgraded to [Beginner Merchant] Career Skill Unlocked! Ding! Congratulations on acquiring the skill [Insight] [Insight]: As a merchant, noting the subtleties is an essential ability, observation skills increased by 50%. Ding! Congratulations on acquiring the passive skill [Greed] [Greed]: In business, the ultimate aim of [Beginner Merchant] is to make money. Passive Effect: Wealth growth of 8 Yuan/day, every monetary gain increased by an additional 10%. Seeing the effects of the newly unlocked skills, Yue Feng was once again dumbfounded. Career skills too? With Greed¡¯s passive effect enhanced and Insight being terrifyingly effective, Yue Feng now glanced over the shop, and previously overlooked details sharply appeared before his eyes. Damaged Wild Battle Blue Carp Expiring red worm earthworm nesting pellets Poor quality hand-tied line sets Various items appeared differently to Yue Feng, This wasn¡¯t just a 50% increase in observational power; it was practically like having a humanoid scanner. After checking the skill effects, Yue Feng quickly shifted his focus to Points. The last reward of 500 points brought his Total Points to 1400, and he could now enter a drawing! Yue Feng mentally initiated the draw! Soon, a magnificently designed huge disc appeared in his consciousness, with a golden pointer hanging at the starting space. The disc was crammed with countless awards, and Yue Feng wanted to see more clearly, but his eyesight just wasn¡¯t good enough to discern the effective content. Start! The disc began spinning, and eventually, the golden pointer landed on a reward! Ding! Congratulations on winning the badge [Wild Fishing Explorer] [Wild Fishing Explorer]: Fish catching rate while wild fishing increased by 15%, effective when worn! Wow! It¡¯s a badge! The badge was only the size of a thumb pad, with a dark gold base, featuring an angler holding a fishing rod. At the edge of the fishing line, the head of a big fish peeked out, and the design looked quite exquisite. Yue Feng examined the small badge in his hand, becoming quite attached to it. He casually opened the safety pin to wear it. Ding! [Wild Fishing Explorer] badge effect activated, valid for 720 hours, the badge will disappear automatically when the time ends! Chapter 3 - 3 03 Testing the Waters ?3: Chapter 03 Testing the Waters 3: Chapter 03 Testing the Waters Seeing the system¡¯s prompt, Yue Feng was immediately discouraged, as this gadget even had a time limit of 720 hours, which was 30 days, a month¡¯s time. With a 15% increase in the fish hit rate, Yue Feng didn¡¯t know the specific effects and didn¡¯t care much, but the thought of losing this pretty little medal after a month made him somewhat reluctant to let it go. Ding! The system detected that the host currently wears the badge ¡°Wild River Explorer¡± and has triggered the random mission ¡°Wild Fishing¡¤Little Trial.¡± Do you accept? ¡°Wild Fishing¡¤Little Trial¡±: Complete a novice period of wild fishing, unlocking at least two types of fish! Reward: Random bait recipe, the higher the task completion, the better the reward. Wow, a random mission was triggered! Yue Feng checked the mission requirements, which seemed pretty simple, unlocking two types of fish by picking any small river or reservoir. Accept! Ding! Mission accepted successfully! Countdown to completion 24h! Damn! There¡¯s a time limit too, needs to be completed within 24 hours, this is kind of a rip-off. Gripes aside, the mission still had to be completed. Yue Feng went around the storage room and took out his ¡°own¡± shoddy fishing gear. A worn short-section 6.3-meter fishing rod, a small traditional fishing line box, a bucket for holding fish, and half a bag of Rice Wine in the bucket, already opened and semi-dry from who knows when. This gear was so shabby it was nearly pitiful, probably only something an old man in the village would use, but Yue Feng was strapped for cash and too reluctant to use the new products in the store, so he had to make do with these flea market goods. Checking the time, it was already nine in the morning, and late March was the perfect time for springtime crucian carp fishing. Given the small shop¡¯s lack of fame and pitiful customer traffic, facing the countdown already started, Yue Feng decided to complete his mission first and see what the rewards were. After quickly organizing his fishing gear, finding nothing missing, Yue Feng took two boxes of earthworms from the store and grabbed the bucket, ready to head out. Just as he was about to leave, Yue Feng slapped his forehead, how could he forget the two packs of bait rewarded by the novice gift package? His mind made up to try out their effects. After locking the door, Yue Feng mounted his motorcycle and headed straight for the nearest reservoir to his fishing gear shop. Yue Feng was located in W city, a small town under a second-tier northern city, not far from the town there was a small reservoir on a mountain, spanning over a dozen acres. The reservoir was called Jiulongjian which sounded pretty intimidating, but people nearby knew it was just a fancy name. In recent years, precipitation had been low, and the springs upstream of the reservoir were showing signs of dwindling; plus, every year, many mountain farming people extracted water for irrigation, so the water level in the reservoir had been quite low. There were fish in the reservoir, but both in density and quantity, it was far worse compared to the more distant downstream waters of Qinglong Lake. The only advantage was its proximity. Old men from nearby villages would come here to fish for fun. Yue Feng rode his motorcycle leisurely up the mountain. Upon arriving at the reservoir, he didn¡¯t rush to start fishing but instead walked around the area where people usually fished. Not bad, there were two other anglers here, not many people. To Yue Feng¡¯s surprise, one of them was a middle-aged angler with quite sophisticated equipment, set up with a Taiwan Fishing and squatting on a Fishing Box. The other old man had much shabbier gear, a small stool, a bucket, and a clumsy old fiberglass fishing pole, similar to Yue Feng¡¯s setup. ¡°Hey, old man, how¡¯s the fishing today?¡± Yue Feng greeted and asked. ¡°Not many bites! I came in the morning and only caught three!¡± The elder nearby, who was using traditional fishing methods, smiled kindly and responded to Yue Feng. Yue Feng glanced at the old man¡¯s bucket, which contained a few crucian carp, two weighing about 200 to 300 grams each, and one around half a pound. The crucian carp in early spring were quite lean, looking very beautiful. ¡°Wow! The sizes aren¡¯t bad at all; this big one is almost half a pound!¡± Yue Feng couldn¡¯t help but exclaim. ¡°Young man, it¡¯s a bit late to start fishing at this time, haven¡¯t had a bite in a long time!¡± the old man said, giving Yue Feng an extra look when he heard the compliments about his fish. ¡°Heh, just playing around! I mixed some bait myself and just casually tried it out nearby!¡± Yue Feng scratched his head and casually picked a spot to start setting up his fishing gear. ¡°Just next to me here, the bottom is relatively flat. Further to the right is not very good, there are branches underneath, it¡¯s unclean!¡± ¡°Alright! Thanks, old man!¡± Traditional fishing methods require less specific conditions, usually involving a long rod and short line, using rice wine as bait, and then using sky hooks with live baits such as red worms or earthworms for fishing. Yue Feng knew these basic pieces of knowledge, and properly took out his bait thrower, attaching it to the rod, and started to prepare his bait. Usually, rice wine is used for preparing bait, and Yue Feng was no exception; however, this time he used rice wine included in the beginner¡¯s gift pack. After thinking, he added a little bit of the Wild Fishing Companion into it. The rice wine was already slightly moist. After mixing well and stirring lightly, the texture was quite fine. Since it was free, Yue Feng wasn¡¯t worried about using it excessively. He filled the bait thrower twice, with about a total of 100 grams, and threw it all into the bait spot. ¡°Young man, you don¡¯t need so much bait in spring. If you do this, the fish might get full and stop biting the bait!¡± the old man nearby, who had a good impression of Yue Feng, kindly reminded him. ¡°Oh, heh, I don¡¯t really understand, but since it¡¯s done, I¡¯ll just try fishing for a bit and pay attention next time!¡± Yue Feng chuckled, adjusted his line, baited it with an earthworm, and started fishing. In the first ten minutes or so, the Seven-star float didn¡¯t move at all, but Yue Feng, sitting on his small stool, was patient. However, in just a a little while, the old man¡¯s float dipped down, followed by a steady rise. He lifted the rod, and up came a golden, half-pound crucian carp. ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t let me leave! Spring fish are truly beautiful!¡± The old man¡¯s beard trembled with joy, as he removed the fish and placed it in his bucket. At this time, the middle-aged angler on the fishing platform nearby turned his head. ¡°Old man, what bait are you using?¡± ¡°My own dug earthworms!¡± The old man lifted his fishing line, with the earthworm on the hook still slightly wriggling. ¡°This place looks good, but there aren¡¯t many fish. I also have earthworms on, but they aren¡¯t biting much!¡± The middle-aged angler was somewhat dissatisfied with the fish situation in the small reservoir. ¡°Hehe! There are indeed fewer fish than before, all ruined by those who electrofish! They sneak in to fish with electricity every now and then at night!¡± The old man seemed to be a local resident, quite familiar with the small reservoir. While Yue Feng was listening to the two men chatting, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that the three Seven-star float beans on the surface of his water appeared to slightly move. Chapter 4 - 4 04 First Battle Victory Please bookmark please follow ?4: Chapter 04 First Battle Victory (Please bookmark, please follow) 4: Chapter 04 First Battle Victory (Please bookmark, please follow) When he finally snapped back to his senses and peered closely, it seemed as though the motion had ceased. Could it be an illusion? Just as he was about to turn his head, he suddenly saw a star-shaped float on the surface of the water abruptly sink to the bottom. Yue Feng realized that a fish had taken the bait and lifted the rod. The force transmitted through the tip of the rod was quite strong, and Yue Feng slowly raised the rod, quickly bringing the fish to the surface. ¡°Young man, you¡¯re in luck, just a short while and you¡¯ve caught a fish already! And it¡¯s not small either!¡± Seeing Yue Feng catch a fish, an old man nearby called out to him. Traditional fishing usually involves a long rod with a short line, which, compared to Taiwan fishing, has a slightly lower efficiency in retrieving fish. Yue Feng reeled in the rod section by section, quickly got hold of the fishing line, unhooked the fish he had caught, and casually tossed it into the bucket. Ding! Congratulations on unlocking the Carp species! Ding! Congratulations on earning a reward of 100 Points! Unlocking a species of fish even came with Point rewards! Yue Feng felt a surge of joy within, as this was an unexpected gain aside from the mission rewards. The bigger surprise came soon after. Less than a minute after Yue Feng unhooked the fish to the bucket and re-baited the line into the water, the three star-shaped beans on the surface had just steadied when there was another violent bite. A second strike! He had hooked another one! The force on the tip of the rod was still strong, yielding another wild carp weighing over half a pound! With two fish in hand, the prelude to a series of successful strikes unfolded. It was seen that Yue Feng¡¯s line had barely touched water when he got a bite, and if there was a bite, he caught a fish. In less than fifteen minutes, he hooked seven or eight large carps in a row, showing no sign of stopping. Now, even the old man and the middle-aged angler nearby were beginning to sense that something was amiss, Everyone was fishing, yet no one had seen a nibble for a long time. Why had the young man who had just arrived caught a series of fish in such a short period? The two surprised individuals soon put down their rods and walked over to Yue Feng. ¡°Young man, what bait are you using?¡± the old man asked curiously. Yue Feng answered, ¡°Earthworms, the ordinary kind that cost one and a half per box!¡± The old man took a few looks and indeed saw earthworms. He was somewhat puzzled about why Yue Feng was catching fish in succession, while he himself hadn¡¯t caught a single one for a long time. ¡°Right, could it be because of the bait? What kind of bait ball are you using?¡± Upon being asked about his bait, Yue Feng also came to a realization. Earthworms weren¡¯t anything special; all fishermen used them. Whether they were dug up in the wild or bought from a fishing tackle shop, there was no significant difference between earthworms. The current series of successful catches was most likely due to the addition of Wild Fishing Companion Rice Wine to the bait! ¡°Oh, this is a product I¡¯m still experimenting with. I run a little fishing tackle shop in town!¡± Yue Feng casually mentioned. Ding! Shop Reputation +10 Ding! Congratulations on earning a promotional reward of 50 Points, this reward can be earned repeatedly! System reward notifications popped into his mind, and Yue Feng¡¯s heart gave a slight stir. It turns out this was also possible! ¡°Fishing tackle shop? Young man, where is your store located?¡± both the old man and the middle-aged angler asked almost in unison. ¡°It¡¯s just down the alley south from the intersection of Meinan Road and Muxiang Road! Yuefeng Fishing Tackle!¡± Yue Feng naturally mentioned the store¡¯s address and name. ¡°Young man, do you still have extra bait with you? Can I try some? If it¡¯s good, I¡¯ll promote it for you on my friends¡¯ circle,¡± the middle-aged angler casually said. ¡°Sure! Why not? Actually, I was hoping you two could help me test its effectiveness!¡± Yue Feng replied eagerly, and even lent his baiting tool to the two anglers. Yue Feng divided up about less than two ounces of Rice Wine mixed with Wild Fishing Companion for the two anglers. They quickly set up new baiting spots and the three of them waited patiently. As it turned out, there were still fish in the Jiulongjian Reservoir. In just about ten minutes or so, there were movements at the bait spots of both the older man and the middle-aged angler, and they started catching fish. ¡°Hey! The lure works well! How do you sell this Rice Wine? I¡¯m going to grab a couple of bags later!¡± The middle-aged angler caught four or five crucian carps in no time, which were more than what he caught the whole morning. When asked about the price, Yue Feng did some quick calculations and said, ¡°This stuff is still in the experimental phase, so it hasn¡¯t been finalized yet. If the results are stable, it will soon hit the market. As the ingredients are hard to come by, the price might be slightly higher. I haven¡¯t decided on the price yet, but it won¡¯t exceed twenty per jin!¡± Normally, small packets of commercial Bait Wine Rice cost about three yuan for 120 grams, which translates to roughly twelve yuan per jin. If Yue Feng¡¯s product had as good effects as it seemed, doubling the price would be acceptable! ¡°Not expensive! Let¡¯s make a deal, save some for me! Actually, just give me your phone number, in case I can¡¯t find the store and lose contact!¡± The middle-aged angler was quite interested in the bait and decided to ask for Yue Feng¡¯s phone number straightforwardly. ¡°138*****,¡± Yue Feng gave out his phone number, and soon his phone rang. ¡°My name is Liu Fengnian, young man, how should I address you?¡± ¡°Yue Feng!¡± ¡°Alright, alright. We¡¯ll chat more after fishing! Got another bite, and this one¡¯s not small!¡± Afterward, the three men caught a good number of fish in a burst. The small ones were one or two ounces, the large ones over half a jin. On average, each person caught about ten or so fish. Yue Feng, having set up his bait spot the earliest, ended up catching the most fish, roughly under twenty, totaling about six or seven jins. As it neared noon, the fish bites finally slowed down. While fishing, Yue Feng¡¯s brain was constantly at work thinking fast. After testing and comparing with the other two, they could now be sure that the bait was very effective. Even in a sparsely-populated small reservoir they caught several jins of fish. The only uncertainty for Yue Feng was whether the millet used in today¡¯s fishing was decisive thanks to the Wild Fishing Companion, or if the overlap of Rice Wine and Wild Fishing Companion produced a 1+1 effect. The Wild Fishing Companion gift pack included a jin, and using it at a rate of 1% would allow for at least 100 jins of Rice Wine to be produced. His shop already had some assorted brands of Rice Wine in stock that weren¡¯t selling well, and he wondered how adjusting them might affect their attractiveness to fish. With this thought, Yue Feng became restless. Catching more fish wasn¡¯t his main concern; figuring out the effects of the items he had was most important. ¡°Old man, brother, keep having fun here, I¡¯m gonna head back first, we¡¯ll get in touch later!¡± Yue Feng said goodbye, packed up his fishing gear, and rode his motorcycle back. ¡°Take it easy on the road! Call me when the Rice Wine is ready!¡± Liu Fengnian called out, watching Yue Feng leave. Back at his shop, Yue Feng quickly found the Rice Wine stock. Ordinary Bait Wine Rice The packaging was labeled Bait Wine Rice, but the product wasn¡¯t quite living up to its name, made from broken corn pieces, which is why they were cheap at fifty cents but still not selling well. The information from Insight was straightforward, nothing particularly good or bad. Yue Feng opened a few packages of Rice Wine, mixed them together, cautiously added a bit of Wild Fishing Companion powder, made some simple adjustments, and just like that, a new bait mix was ready. The fish situation at Jiulongjian was too sparse and species too limited; half a day¡¯s fishing had unlocked only one type of fish. Wanting to experiment with bait and complete tasks at the same time, Yue Feng decided to take a longer ride, about seven or eight kilometers away from the town, to Qinglong Lake. Chapter 5 - 5 5 A Bountiful Harvest 2nd update please favorite please invest ?5: Chapter 5: A Bountiful Harvest (2nd update, please favorite, please invest) 5: Chapter 5: A Bountiful Harvest (2nd update, please favorite, please invest) Yue Feng rode his scooter straight to Qinglong Lake, and after more than half an hour, he arrived at a place downstream on the west bank called Wangjiazhuang. Standing on the riverbank looking down, the weather was good, and there were quite a few people fishing by the river. The better spots on the river beaches, at a glance, were crowded with people, at least several dozen of them. But after observing for a while, Yue Feng noticed that nobody seemed to be catching any fish. As the old saying goes, it¡¯s hard to catch fish at noon, and the situation by the river confirmed this. The fish were difficult to catch at that time of day. Going fishing with the intention of both completing a task and testing bait, Yue Feng chose a spot quite close to other anglers. He picked a spot with no one around and set down his simple fishing gear. As usual, before fishing, he needed to bait the spot. After preparing it with his homemade bait, Yue Feng adjusted his line assembly and patiently waited. Traditional trolling with a Seven-star float was relatively simple as well, as long as he roughly found the bottom and let three to four star beans peek out from the water. Perhaps it was because there was a higher density of fish at Wangjiazhuang¡¯s section, but just under five minutes after he had baited his spot, Yue Feng began to notice more fish activity around it. Holding his rod, he teased the water up and down a bit, and the three-star float on the surface was violently pulled under. From the look of the float, it should have been a solid bite, but when Yue Feng lifted his rod, he came up empty, catching no fish. ¡°The hook isn¡¯t even big, what¡¯s going on?¡± Yue Feng, with his limited fishing experience, was mystified. Several more casts had similar actions, but still he came up short. After lifting his rod again, Yue Feng noticed that the worms he had on his Sky Hook had been stolen by the fish. This time, an idea suddenly struck him ¨C perhaps the fish were too small, unable to swallow the large worms! He baited his hook again, this time only using a tiny segment of worm, just big enough to cover the hook. If a fish took the bait, it would likely be able to swallow it. After this adjustment, things improved a lot. The float made another large movement, and upon lifting the rod, a small fish only the length of two fingers was hooked ¨C a Wheat-ear Fish! Ding! Congratulations on unlocking a new species: Wheat-ear Fish! Ding! Congratulations, you have earned 20 Points! Damn! That¡¯s stingy! Only twenty points for unlocking Wheat-ear Fish left Yue Feng a bit disappointed. He had thought that unlocking a new species of fish would always give him a hundred points! Having solved the issue of not catching fish, Yue Feng¡¯s catch gradually stabilized, and he hooked five or six little Wheat-ear Fish in quick succession, quieting down the baited spot a bit. After about another five minutes, Yue Feng¡¯s baited spot had quieted down for a few minutes before he had another bite. This time, the float¡¯s movements were much steadier than before, a light dip followed by a dipping action, and both underwater star floats were pushed up. He lifted the rod to set the hook, and the force transmitted from the water told Yue Feng that the fish was pretty big, not another Wheat-ear Fish! A Crucian Carp nearly one pound in weight! From when Yue Feng started learning to fish as a child with his village friends to now, this was the first time he had ever caught such a big Crucian Carp. After the fish emerged from the water, he felt a surge of excitement, his hand gripping the rod trembling slightly. While everyone else wasn¡¯t catching anything, Yue Feng¡¯s catch of a big Crucian Carp quickly drew the attention of the other fishermen! ¡°Holy shit! Look over there, that young guy caught a big one!¡± ¡°That Crucian Carp is big, looks to be over a pound! Beautiful!¡± With the first big Crucian Carp hooked, Yue Feng began a series of continued catches. After one in the afternoon, a peculiar scene emerged on the western bank of Qinglong Lake downstream in Wangjiazhuang, a young man seated on a folding stool, carrying a fertilizer bucket, with a short glass fiber rod in hand, was incredibly pulling in fish left and right during midday when everyone else wasn¡¯t getting any bites! After the bait hit the water, the interval between bites became shorter and shorter, soon turning into a constant state of bites as soon as the bait reached the bottom; the larger fish weighed over half a pound and the smaller ones a couple of ounces. It seemed like the fish in the baited spot were inexhaustible. As a result, it wasn¡¯t long before Yue Feng attracted a crowd of onlookers! A group of people put down their rods and started to gather around, inquiring about the miraculous substance Yue Feng was using. The fish had gone crazy in the blistering midday sun! Yue Feng¡¯s initial purpose for coming to the riverside was to experiment with bait and advertise for himself. Surrounded by a group of anglers inquiring about his methods, Yue Feng was not stingy and distributed all the bait he brought with him, also raking in a wave of System Points as rewards for promoting his shop. Thus, today, the anglers fishing on the west bank of Wangjiazhuang all knew that a new fishing gear shop had opened in town. Actual fishing proved that the Bait Wine Rice concocted by Yue Feng worked quite well in Qinglong Lake. Not long after the new bait spot was established, people began to catch fish one after another, and although their success wasn¡¯t as exaggerated as Yue Feng¡¯s rapid catches, the fact that many were catching fish in the dead of afternoon exceeded everyone¡¯s expectations. Everyone was immersed in the excitement of the fish biting, and Yue Feng was unlocking new fish species in succession. Ding! Congratulations on unlocking a new fish species, Blue Knife Fish! Ding! Congratulations on earning 20 Points! Ding! Congratulations on unlocking a new fish species, Makou Fish! Ding! Congratulations on earning 200 Points! Ding! Congratulations on unlocking a new fish species, Qiaozui Ba! Ding! Congratulations on earning 100 Points! Ding! Congratulations on unlocking a new fish species, Can Tiao! Ding! Congratulations on earning 20 Points! After several hours of fishing, Yue Feng had not only unlocked the Crucian Carp Wheat Ear but also unlocked four other common freshwater species, bringing his total unlocked species to six. In addition to completing the system task for unlocking fish species, Yue Feng also earned 1660 System Points as a reward, along with the mobile phone and WeChat contacts of over ten fellow anglers. It was only when Yue Feng truly concentrated on doing something that he realized Points weren¡¯t as hard to come by as he had imagined! He stayed at Qinglong Lake until evening, before finally packing up his gear reluctantly to head back. Back at the shop, Yue Feng was confronted with nearly half a bucket of fish and didn¡¯t know what to do with them. Returning fish after traditional fishing was a bit slow, and considering he had had bites on and off all afternoon, plus the fish caught from the small reservoir in the morning, the total weight of the catch was at least twenty pounds or more. These were only the fish Yue Feng had carefully selected; he had simply released the smaller ones back into the water, not even placing them in the bucket. There was only a small fridge in the shop for storing earthworms and bloodworms; there was nowhere to put so many fish. What to do? While mulling over this, an idea suddenly struck Yue Feng¡ªnot far from the door was the night market. He decided to keep a few for himself to eat and sell the surplus at the night market! No sooner had he thought it than he did it. Before long, next to the vegetable stands at the night market, there appeared a young man sitting on a folding stool with a bucket of live wild crucian carp in front of him, the bucket filled with water, and the fish mostly alive. Freshwater fish just thawed out in spring were at their plumpest and most delicious. Usually, even the fish less than half a pound sold for at least eight yuan per pound at the market, but Yue Feng¡¯s, which were obviously of much higher quality, also sold for eight yuan per pound! In less than half an hour, discerning buyers had swiftly snapped up all the fish. Chapter 7 - 7 7 Little Fish Stirring Trouble Please Bookmark Please Invest ?7: Chapter 7 Little Fish Stirring Trouble (Please Bookmark, Please Invest) 7: Chapter 7 Little Fish Stirring Trouble (Please Bookmark, Please Invest) Ordinary aluminum alloy fishing platforms generally weigh around 13 to 15 kilograms because they require a certain sturdiness; the aluminum alloy material is made thicker, and this type of equipment has always given fishermen the impression of being cumbersome. In the past two years, new companies targeted carbon fiber as the material for making fishing platforms. This new material can significantly reduce the weight while maintaining the same strength. The carbon fishing platforms currently on the market weigh around 8 kilograms and have been hyped up to a high price of three to four thousand yuan. Now, the fishing platform Yue Feng was holding weighed 40% less than the ordinary carbon fishing platforms, weighing only a mere 4.8 kilograms. Yue Feng didn¡¯t know what kind of price this fishing platform could fetch if it were to hit the market. Upon carefully observing the details of the fishing platform, the craftsmanship was very solid. There were no burrs or defects on the edges and corners, and the outermost layer of material was coated with a layer of silver-gray paint. At first glance, it didn¡¯t seem conspicuous, but upon closer examination, he discovered an indefinable sense of quality that was both high-end and elegant. This fishing platform could be said to combine ultra-high performance with a low-profile appearance to the utmost, and it was definitely a high-end product made with care. After being excited for a while, Yue Feng gradually calmed down, treasuring the fishing platform as he put it along with the float back into the storage room behind the shop. Then, he checked the doors and windows before going upstairs to rest. The second floor was just a simple loft, not very comfortable for resting. The loft had a single bed and basic bedding. It was hot in the summer, cold in the winter, and barely tolerable in the spring. After washing up, Yue Feng lay on the small bed. The tiredness from a whole day¡¯s hustle quickly overwhelmed him, and he soon fell into a deep sleep. The next day, early in the morning when it was barely light, someone was banging on the roll-up door downstairs, Yue Feng thought it was a dream and ignored it, turning over to continue sleeping. It wasn¡¯t long before his phone rang, finally waking him up. ¡°Is this Yue Feng? What time do you think it is, still not opening the shop! Are you staying there or at home? Hurry up and open the door, I need to get fish food!¡± came the voice of the fishermen urging him to open up. After hanging up, Yue Feng rolled out of bed, clumsily dressed, washed his face in the washroom, and then hurriedly opened the shop door. Good grief, outside the door waited six or seven fully equipped fishermen, eagerly anticipating the opening. ¡°Sorry about that, guys. I was busy late last night and overslept!¡± Yue Feng sincerely apologized, inviting everyone into the shop. ¡°You, it¡¯s almost six o¡¯clock and still not open! Where¡¯s the bait Wine Rice we ordered? Get me two bags!¡± ¡°Exactly, the shop of Old Liu two streets over was open promptly at half-past five in the morning! I¡¯ll also take two bags of Wine Rice!¡± Yue Feng placed the zip-locked bait onto the counter and said, ¡°Here it is, the same formula as what you used yesterday, special tasting price, 20 yuan for a big bag! Guaranteed results!¡± These guys didn¡¯t seem like novices either, they opened the Wine Rice to look and smell, ensuring it was exactly the same as the bait they received from Yue Feng the day before, then happily paid up. Since they were already in the shop, naturally they were not only there for Wine Rice. Regular fishing lines, leader lines, Lead Skin, and various other consumables were also sold. Just during the two waves of morning traffic, they contributed over four hundred yuan in sales to Yue Feng. These visiting fishermen were part of the first wave of customers trying out the new products. If the bait worked well, the after-effects of word-of-mouth advertising would continue to ferment! After the customers had left, Yue Feng conscientiously cleaned the shop inside and out. Though there were no Points for rewards, since he had opened the shop, basic cleanliness was mandatory. However, what made Yue Feng frustrated was that apart from the customer flow brought in yesterday by expanding his clientele, he had stayed in the shop until nine-thirty, but not a single fisherman had entered the door. ¡°This can¡¯t go on. I don¡¯t know what I was thinking at the beginning. I had a good shop, so many locations along the street to choose from, yet I picked a spot in a small alley across from a crossroad, hardly seeing any passersby at all!¡± Yue Feng scratched his head, feeling somewhat dejected. Stuck in the store and truly fed up, Yue Feng gritted his teeth and decided to take his gear down to the downstream area of Qinglong Lake to fish. After all, he had made over two hundred bucks selling his catch at the night market yesterday, pure profit. Sitting in this nook of a shop all day, he figured hardly anyone would come in! With the special bait in hand, going out to fish could not only expand his customer base and earn points but also make money off the fish, which was much better than stubbornly sticking around in the shop. Once he made up his mind, Yue Feng packed up his things and headed out, straight for the spot downstream of Qinglong Lake where he had fished the day before. The weather was still good today, and when Yue Feng arrived at the spot he had fished yesterday, he found it had already been taken by an angler who had come earlier. Yue Feng wasn¡¯t too picky about the fishing spot, so he carried his stool and found a spot that was fairly roomy to set down his fish bucket. ¡°Hey, young man, the spot you picked has a fish cage in front, which makes it easy to snag the bottom when casting. You might want to change spots,¡± a fellow fisherman glanced at Yue Feng and kindly suggested. ¡°Fish cage? How long of a rod is hitting the bottom? About how deep is the water here?¡± ¡°The water is about two meters deep. Taiwan fishing rods around four and a half to four point eight meters long will hit the bottom! Seems like there¡¯s a fish cage buried under the silt!¡± Yue Feng quickly calculated in his head, based on what the fellow fisherman said, four and a half meter rods plus the line would total approximately nine meters. Subtracting the water depth of two meters, that left about seven meters or so. With his own six-meter-three rod, long rod and short line, there should be at least a meter¡¯s distance from the snagging spot in front, and as he was using a singular Sky Hook, it shouldn¡¯t be a problem! ¡°I should be fine with traditional fishing. I¡¯ll give it a try, and if it doesn¡¯t work, I¡¯ll switch. Thanks for the heads up!¡± Yue Feng thanked him politely. Hearing Yue Feng was going for traditional fishing, the other didn¡¯t say much more. After all, a Sky Hook with a weight on the shank would face upwards after it enters the water, which lessens the chance of getting snagged. Yue Feng casually took out the Bait Wine Rice he hadn¡¯t finished using yesterday, added a bit of Wild Fishing Companion and with a bait launcher, he formed a baited area and began to wait patiently. The ordinary Bait Wine Rice, enhanced with Wild Fishing Companion, proved effective. Within about ten minutes, there were already signs of fish. Yue Feng tried casting a few times and it was fine, without any snagging. Though he didn¡¯t encounter the snagging issue, Yue Feng ran into a new problem! Maybe due to some underwater obstacles, the baited spot Yue Feng chose today was teeming with small miscellaneous fish. Once they started biting, it was almost continuous. By a little after nine in the morning, most areas along the river saw intermittent catches, but the others¡¯ catches were generally larger. One could occasionally see good-sized crucian carp weighing from two to three liang to over half a catty being caught, which elicited murmurs of admiration whenever a big one was landed. Yue Feng¡¯s primary aim in fishing was to advertise for his shop and bait, and now, although he was getting many bites, the fish he caught were small and didn¡¯t really draw much attention, so naturally, he wasn¡¯t achieving his advertising goal. After fishing for a while, Yue Feng started to feel rather frustrated. In his fishing bucket were only four or five decent-sized crucian carp, with most being small-sized individuals; the bucket was mainly filled with small mahjong crucians. There were also a good number of other small fish like wheat ear fish and Blue Knife Fish. Damn it, this Bait Wine Rice was attracting fish alright, but it didn¡¯t discriminate by size. What to do now? Chapter 8 - 8 08 An Opinion ?8: Chapter 08 An Opinion 8: Chapter 08 An Opinion The smaller fish swim faster and are more aggressive in competing for food, so once the slightly larger fish in the baited area can¡¯t get any food, naturally, they won¡¯t be caught. And once they¡¯re full, they just turn around and leave. Yue Feng observed the other anglers around him and noticed that apart from an old gentleman who, like himself, was using traditional fishing methods with earthworms as bait, most people were using commercial bait. Those fishing with bait seemed to have much less trouble with small fish swarming their spots. But now Yue Feng only had earthworms, and the two additives used in the crucian carp bait formula hadn¡¯t arrived yet. He didn¡¯t bring any other types of bait either, so what was he supposed to do? Could it be the location of the bait spot? The old gentleman not too far away was also using earthworms, but his spot didn¡¯t seem to have as much trouble with swarming fish! ¡°Damn, these little fish in the spot are so annoying; there¡¯s never a moment when they¡¯re not!¡± Yue Feng mumbled, feeling somewhat frustrated. ¡°Young man, places with more underwater obstacles tend to hide small fish, so they¡¯re especially fierce when crowding the bait. I have another spot here, why don¡¯t you come over and fish with me?¡± The old man beside him was quite generous, inviting Yue Feng to join him in his fishing spot. The old gentleman meant well, but Yue Feng had come to fish with a purpose. Fishing in someone else¡¯s spot, even if he caught fish, would feel like a hollow victory. ¡°Thank you, sir, but I¡¯ve just started learning how to fish. I¡¯m not good enough yet, so I won¡¯t mix in with you. I¡¯ll find another spot and try baiting there!¡± After thanking the man profusely, Yue Feng picked up his bucket and stool and found a new spot. While everyone else was clustered near the prominent spade-shaped area, the migratory bend on the other side of the spade wasn¡¯t crowded. Yue Feng noticed some underwater vegetation in the water there and thought it might be a good spot, so he moved his stool to that location. As soon as he sat down, a system prompt echoed in his mind again. Ding! Necessity is the mother of invention. Your understanding of fishing has deepened by one point! Points reward +500! Damn, changing spots and getting points as a reward, five hundred points at that, isn¡¯t easy to come by usually. After moving, he used Rice Wine to bait the new spot. This time, Yue Feng drew on his experience and used less bait, opting to try it out first. Less bait, more frequent replenishment, so as not to waste Rice Wine if the underwater environment was poor and devoid of fish. After changing spots and baiting again, the swarming of small fish finally eased, and Yue Feng managed to catch three or four large crucian carp, each weighing about half a pound. With all the back and forth, it was already past eleven o¡¯clock. Gradually, on the entire west shore, most of the anglers had stopped catching fish. That¡¯s when Yue Feng¡¯s Rice Wine revealed its dominant effect. While everyone else had stopped getting bites, Yue Feng was still able to catch fish intermittently. Although the bites weren¡¯t fast, he usually didn¡¯t have to wait too long after casting his line. The sporadic catches kept everyone on edge, and soon enough, unable to contain their curiosity, some people approached Yue Feng to check out the fishing technique and bait he was using. However, seeing Yue Feng¡¯s rudimentary fishing gear and the earthworms on his hooks, many lost the urge to ask for advice. With such simple equipment, he couldn¡¯t be a fishing expert. Maybe his successive catches were just a streak of luck from sitting on a fish path. Yue Feng keenly observed these details, but he didn¡¯t come up with any good strategies. It¡¯s not like business; you can¡¯t just shove your way in ¨C he couldn¡¯t just start peddling himself with a thick face! Moreover, he couldn¡¯t leave his spot now with the bites being good. Some thought Yue Feng was just lucky, while others, driven by curiosity, asked him about the bait he was using. At the very least, this earned Yue Feng a few hundred Promotion Points. Yue Feng came prepared, bringing plenty of trial-sized packs of his own Rice Wine bait. Whenever someone asked, he gave them a small trial pack, and gradually, he had handed out more than a dozen. Strangely, the fishermen who used the trial Rice Wine bait out of desperation began to catch fish one after another, and suddenly they were exclaiming it was miraculous. Unthinkingly, it was already four in the afternoon by the time Yue Feng sat down by the water. He received a call from the delivery guy¡ªthe stuff he bought yesterday had arrived. He quickly packed up and cycled back to his shop. Having received the Licorice Powder and strawberry powder, Yue Feng began mixing his bait recipe. He found a large plastic basin and a bait-opening measuring cup for precise measurements and quickly started mixing according to the recipe¡¯s ratios. The bait he adjusted according to the recipe had a base smell of fish with a slight fruity sweet scent from the added licorice and strawberry powder. It smelled quite mild. Yue Feng casually took a small measuring cup and scooped up some dry powder, added water, and prepared a portion of bait. The state of the bait was just right, and it looked quite presentable too. No sooner had he separated the prepared bait into 400g packs than someone came into the store¡ª It wasn¡¯t just anyone; it was the fellow fisherman Liu Fengnian whom he had met yesterday at the Jiulongjian reservoir. Liu Fengnian wore casual clothes and had a slightly tanned face from frequently fishing outdoors. ¡°Hey, Brother Liu, you¡¯re here!¡± Yue Feng greeted with a smile. ¡°Ah, your place is really not easy to find. I was held up with something this morning and couldn¡¯t make it over. How about the Rice Wine bait? Get me a few packs first!¡± ¡°There¡¯s still quite a bit of Rice Wine bait left. How many packs would you like? Oh, and this is the spring crucian carp fishing bait formula I just mixed. Please do me a favor and test it out for me!¡± The cost of these baits wasn¡¯t high, and since the customer had taken the trouble to come to him, Yue Feng was willing to give away some trial packs to establish a good customer relationship. ¡°Give me four packs of Rice Wine, two sets of 3.6-meter, 1.0 mainlines! I won¡¯t stand on ceremony about the trial bait either, I¡¯ll give you feedback after trying it out!¡± As Liu Fengnian listed the items he needed, he casually looked around the shop. Yue Feng¡¯s shop wasn¡¯t big, but it was complete with all the equipment typically needed for traditional freshwater Taiwan Fishing, even stocking some basic lure products. There were fewer items for sea fishing, only some casting rods. Overall, there was nothing particularly distinctive about this small shop, nor any glaring faults¡ªit was decent and standard. ¡°Four packs of Rice Wine for 80, two lines for 12, I¡¯ll round down the change, so you can give me ninety!¡± Yue Feng said, briskly packing the bait and speaking generously. ¡°I witnessed the effect of that Rice Wine bait myself. I¡¯m curious how this formula bait will work¡ªif it¡¯s good, I can recommend it for you. I have quite a few fishing friends!¡± Yue Feng grinned and handed the trial bait to Liu Fengnian, saying, ¡°This is a recipe I got my hands on after a lot of effort, it works well for catching big crucian carp in spring. Give it a try when you have the chance!¡± ¡°Yue, you seem like a straightforward fellow, let me give you a bit of advice as an elder. Your DIY packages are effective, but the packaging is still a bit crude! Learn from other shops; it¡¯s best to print some labels and stick them on, at least with a name listed. It¡¯ll make it easier for fishermen to find you!¡± ¡°That¡¯s a great suggestion, I¡¯ll sort it out when I get a chance. I rushed into this line of work without really understanding it!¡± Yue Feng nodded humbly, quickly rinsing cups and boiling water to prepare tea. This was the first customer to give Yue Feng advice, and he had a good impression of Liu Fengnian. After all, in today¡¯s society, how many would actively offer suggestions to a stranger? Yue Feng valued such customers. Chapter 9 - 9 09 Random Task A Qualified Fisherman ?9: Chapter 09 Random Task [A Qualified Fisherman] 9: Chapter 09 Random Task [A Qualified Fisherman] ¡°Don¡¯t busy yourself, I¡¯m just picking up some stuff and heading out! Got more things to do, I¡¯ll come hang out when I¡¯m free some other day!¡± Liu Fengnian waved his hands repeatedly, handed Yue Feng a hundred-yuan note, took the change, and then left the store. After seeing Liu Fengnian off at the door, Yue Feng locked the door with a bolt and headed straight for the advertising print shop a street away. Yue Feng hadn¡¯t thought of sticky labels before, no wonder he felt like something was missing after packaging the bait! A word to wake the dreamer! The label didn¡¯t require much precision, Yue Feng simply told the typesetter the specifications, making clear the bait type, store address, and contact information, and a rather orderly sticky label design was settled. He ordered a thousand labels in one go, only costing a few cents each. Yue Feng wouldn¡¯t get the labels until the next day, so he leisurely returned to the store, picked up the fish he had brought back in the afternoon, and made a beeline for the night market. Over twenty pounds of fish sold out in less than fifteen minutes. A few were sold piecemeal, and the remaining more than ten pounds were scooped up by an auntie whose family had just had a baby.After selling the fish, Yue Feng grabbed some food from the night market for a quick meal before heading back to his store. Having seen some return on investment these past two days, Yue Feng felt it was necessary to keep some accounts. Today¡¯s earnings were good, four hundred and some in the morning, Liu Fengnian spent another 90 in the evening, and 245 from selling fish, totaling an income of 775 for the day. Adding the Passive Skill 10%+8 yuan/day income, the total revenue was 860. After subtracting 26 yuan for meals, 74 yuan for Licorice Powder and strawberry powder, and 35 for a thousand sticky labels, he had a net profit of 725 yuan. Yue Feng had just finished calculating the day¡¯s financial records when the system notification sounded. Ding! Congratulations on completing the basic financial record keeping! Business clarity +10. Good accounting habits can give you a more intuitive understanding of your shop¡¯s management. Congratulations, you¡¯ve taken another step towards becoming a successful store owner! Ding! Congratulations on earning a system reward of 500 Points! Seeing that the system had rewarded another 500 Points, Yue Feng couldn¡¯t contain his excitement. He had 260 Points left over from yesterday¡¯s three draws, two 500 Points rewards from the system today, plus 400 Points for the promotion rewards from eight Fishermen, making a Total Points of 1660, enough for another lucky draw. The system¡¯s Points draw feature was quite reliable, generally giving out items of some value, and Yue Feng wondered what he would get this time. Lucky draw! The big wheel began to spin again, and soon the golden pointer stopped on a reward! Ding! Congratulations on winning a Fishing rod [Qing Hong¡¤12-foot]! [Qing Hong¡¤12-foot]: A Taiwan fishing crucian carp rod made from high-tech materials. It truly achieves the sense of touch with small fish and the strength to handle big fish, making it a sharp tool for smaller species of freshwater fish in Taiwan Fishing. Additional Effect: Line Protection +25% After checking out the rod¡¯s Attribute given by the system, Yue Feng eagerly opened the cotton rod bag meant for storing the rod. This was a thin telescopic rod that wasn¡¯t much thicker than a cigarette. The rod had a full paint design, with a very minimalist style, the entire rod was ivory white, and a few simple strokes towards the middle section depicted several gently descending feathers, giving the whole thing an incredibly exquisite look. This wasn¡¯t just a fishing rod, it was a work of art! In hand, it felt almost weightless, with a great grip, easily held up with just two fingers. Gently shaking the rod, the tip was soft, but from the second section, it was extremely strong and resilient. To be honest, Yue Feng had been thinking of replacing the old short-sectioned fiberglass rod he had been using for the past two days, but the pressure of earning enough to cover the ten thousand yuan rent in a short time had made him reluctant to reinvest in decent fishing gear. Some might ask, don¡¯t you have it in the store? Indeed, there are items like fishing rods and fishing boxes that are priced higher, and the shop carries very few in stock, some with only one or two in inventory. Using it would lead to a stockout issue, and the decision would be whether to restock or to allow the stock to remain depleted for a certain category. Restocking would require spending money, and what Yue Feng was short on was money. Allowing a stockout could affect profits if customers came looking to buy, placing him in a difficult dilemma. But now, the system had resolved the issue of a large item like a rod through the lottery, which made Yue Feng start thinking about getting some basic equipment set up. Talking about simple field fishing gear, plus a fishing box or chair, a fish guard to hold the catch, and a basic rod holder, he could pretty much get by. Thinking about fishing during the day and the disdainful looks from anglers nearby, Yue Feng felt a burst of heat in his head and grabbed the small fishing box from the top of the shelf. A 26L small fishing box is convenient to carry and can be easily tied to a motorcycle with a rope. Most importantly, there are three of these in the shop¡¯s inventory, so even using one for himself wouldn¡¯t result in a stockout. Having made up his mind, Yue Feng immediately got to work. He quickly took out a plain white model and assembled the fishing box accessories in no time. Just as Yue Feng was jotting down the cost of the small fishing box in his ledger, the system prompt chimed in again! Ding! Random task [A Qualified Fisherman] triggered! [A Qualified Fisherman]: As a qualified fisherman, how can you tolerate lacking the basic fishing equipment? Complete your equipment essentials, and the system will issue rewards based on completion level. Special Tip! The current equipment focus is on beginner Taiwan fishing! Do you accept the task? Seeing this task, Yue Feng hesitated a bit. The store¡¯s inventory wasn¡¯t extensive, with most of the stock tied up in various bait products, and the basic equipment was limited due to a restricted total investment. Now that the system had issued a task, the question was whether to do it or not? The task wasn¡¯t very difficult to complete; being around the river often, though he hadn¡¯t eaten pork, he had seen pigs run ¨C he was clear on what equipment everyone used, and his little shop was fairly well equipped. But to use up the store¡¯s already limited stock for the task was something Yue Feng was reluctant to do. In the end, it was still a matter of money. Seeing the task prompt starting the final ten-second countdown, Yue Feng steeled himself and accepted the task with a clenched jaw. No guts, no glory ¨C the rewards for completing the task might be more generous! Task accepted successfully! Please complete the equipment you believe is necessary within 10 minutes! Rewards will be settled automatically when the time is up! Yue Feng, having made up his mind, did not hesitate and took out all the equipment he felt was necessary. Rod holders, nets, fish guards, rod bags, float boxes, leader boxes, main line boxes, bait opening bowl sets, fishing umbrellas, needle stoppers ¨C a full set of standard fishing equipment was arranged in one go. Adding all this equipment together wasn¡¯t cheap; by market prices, it was at least several hundred yuan. The ten minutes passed quickly. Ding! Congratulations on completing the random task [A Qualified Fisherman]! Current completion rate is 90%. Chapter 10 - 10 10 First Experience of Taiwan Fishing ?10: Chapter 10 First Experience of Taiwan Fishing 10: Chapter 10 First Experience of Taiwan Fishing Ding! Congratulations, you¡¯ve earned a reward: ¡°System pays the bill¡±. ¡°System pays the bill¡±: To do a good job, one must first sharpen one¡¯s tools. A qualified fishing gear shop worker must also be an excellent fisherman. As a beginner¡¯s benefit, I¡¯ll cover your expenses! Suddenly, Yue Feng had a stack of paper money in his hand! He counted it with a surprised look on his face, and the amount was exactly the same as the total cost price of the products! This left Yue Feng both surprised and regretful. Had he known about such a reward, he would have chosen better equipment earlier. Unfortunately, the task was completed, and there was no pill for regret. Yue Feng shook his head and began to arrange the new set of equipment he had just acquired. Getting a new set of equipment without spending a dime definitely made him excited. Yue Feng examined this and fiddled with that, cherishing it for a long time before finally setting it down. Now that the system was paying, there was no psychological pressure to use it. He packed the rod bag and placed the fishing box, tidying everything up neatly before storing it in the back storage room. Looking at his brand-new fishing gear, Yue Feng secretly decided that he must go out fishing tomorrow if the shop wasn¡¯t busy, to try out his new equipment! The next day, at exactly 5:30 a.m., Yue Feng got up on time to open the shop. He had just managed to clean up the shop when customers began arriving. There were more customers coming in to shop today than Yue Feng had anticipated. From the first customer at just before six in the morning, people kept coming in continuously until after eight, sending away five or six waves of people, totaling more than a dozen altogether. When the flow of incoming customers stopped, Yue Feng quickly calculated that he had sold almost 30 packs of carp bait that morning alone, bringing in over 700 in sales! It was clear that the effects of the promotions and going out fishing were starting to show. Most of the sales came from the special Rice Wine, of which there was a substantial stock still in the store, four to five boxes, so there was no worry about running out soon. All that was needed was some effort to mix the Rice Wine with Wild Fishing Companion and then package it for sale. Rice Wine was not a worry, but other items like earthworms had already sold out and needed restocking. Earthworms might not look impressive, retailing at only 1.5 per box, but the profit margin was quite good. The cost price was 0.6, so a box sold earned more than a box¡¯s price, and everyone from old men to young people typically kept them when going out to fish. Yue Feng quickly took an inventory of the items low in stock, and then dialed the supplier¡¯s number listed on the stock list. Yue Feng stocked up from a fishing gear wholesale market located in the city center. The stock list had the names of the goods and their prices, so Yue Feng didn¡¯t need to make the trip himself. A simple phone call to record the quantities and types of goods he needed was enough, and the next morning, a delivery truck would pass by and deliver the goods right to his door, with the delivery driver collecting the payment. After sorting out the restocking, Yue Feng paid another visit to the print shop to pick up the self-adhesive labels he had ordered. The labels printed ¡°Yue Feng¡¯s Fishing Gear Special Supply¡±, with the product names and uses manually written in parentheses at the bottom, followed by a mobile number. Having the branded self-adhesive labels made his self-packed baits look a lot more appealing! After eating lunch in the shop, Yue Feng couldn¡¯t sit still any longer. Since there was no business doing that time of day and he had just acquired a whole set of Taiwan Fishing gear the night before, he hadn¡¯t yet had the chance to test the waters with it! This time going fishing, Yue Feng looked considerably more professional. With the fishing box tied to the back seat of the motorcycle, the rod bag strapped to his back, and the fish protection placed in the bucket hanging on the handlebar, he looked quite like a seasoned fisherman. After two days of fishing, Yue Feng had already gained a rough understanding of the fish situation downstream of Qinglong Lake. The midday period overall was the worst time of day, with most anglers in a fishless window, and many experienced fishermen gathered together in small groups, bringing out liquor and dishes to share a drink. There were also those who had risen early, taking this time to rest briefly either in their cars or in a sheltered, warm place, waiting to fish again once the afternoon bite began. Yue Feng was aiming for this effect of everyone not catching fish, Under the watchful eyes of many, he rode his scooter to the riverbank, then unloaded his gear and began methodically baiting the spot. With a full set of fishing equipment, Yue Feng no longer planned to engage in traditional fishing. His twelve-foot rod, or three-point-six meters, was just right for fishing a bit beyond the riverbank¡¯s aquatic plants, suitable for this season. After setting up his gear, he started baiting. Today, Yue Feng didn¡¯t use earthworms but decided to try out a commercially prepared bait mix. Having prepared the bait, Yue Feng then took out a new set of ready-made lines. The line setup for Taiwan Fishing differed somewhat from traditional fishing, with the main line as long as the fishing rod, and the float used was a vertical float. Yue Feng¡¯s line setup now included a 1.0 main line, a 0.6 leader, and size three Red Sleeve Hooks. To save trouble, Yue Feng didn¡¯t tie his hooks to the main line himself; he used ready-made line sets sold in stores. As for the float, it was a Peacock Feather float he had won in a lucky draw. This season, a 1.2g lead weight was just right for crucian carp fishing. After adjusting the float for the lead weight and finding his fishing spots, setting four and fishing two, Yue Feng finally started to pull out his retired fiberglass rod and attach the baiting device to cast the bait. With all the preparations done, Yue Feng could finally breathe a sigh of relief. Now, he just needed to cast every so often and wait for a fish to bite. To give an objective and fair assessment, under regular wild fishing conditions, Taiwan Fishing, as a method, was somewhat superior to traditional fishing. Taiwan Fishing is not about fishing on a platform but is a shorthand for the method known as ¡°sliding sinker fishing,¡± which started in Taiwan by fishing experts in the eighties and, upon being introduced to the Mainland, quickly became widespread across the nation. Compared to the traditional Seven-star float and Sky Hook method, the advantages of Taiwan Fishing were very clear. The existence of vertical floats and sliding sinkers allowed for extremely precise balance adjustments of the entire line setup, greatly enhancing sensitivity. Beyond that, Taiwan Fishing used a double-hooked line¡ªone long hook leader and one short. The classic method of setting four and fishing two became very popular back then and has had a lasting impact even decades later. About five minutes after Yue Feng had baited the area, he saw the first sign of a fish. The Peacock Feather Float smoothly flipped, descending slowly, suddenly giving a very strong and exaggerated dip. With a clack, the float plunged nearly two units downwards. This type of biting action was much clearer and more abrupt than with a Seven-star float. Yue Feng thought it was a small crucian carp disturbing the bait and didn¡¯t take it seriously, letting the float continue downward. But even though he was targeting three units, the float stabilized around five units and didn¡¯t sink further. After a few more seconds, Yue Feng didn¡¯t lift the rod, and the float simply rose to the top. In the sliding sinker fishing method, a strong dip followed by the float rising is often a sign of a crucian carp eating the bait and then lifting its head. In professional fishing terms, this type of float behavior is generally called a ¡°dead bite,¡± with a very high hooking rate. Moved by the thought, Yue Feng lifted the rod to set the hook, and he struck true! Chapter 11 - 11 11 Return Customers ?11: Chapter 11 Return Customers 11: Chapter 11 Return Customers Although the rod was extremely light, the power transmission was very strong; the force of the fish underwater could be transmitted through the fishing line to the palm of the hand with precision, giving a fantastic sense of total control. With just one simple round of playing the fish, the first catch of the day was pulled up to the surface, a big crucian carp weighing about four taels! It was the first time Yue Feng had used proper equipment and Taiwan Fishing Technique to catch a fish, and he instantly fell in love with this wonderful feeling. He unhooked the fish, placed it in the fish guard, and quickly set up another ragworm and cast the second rod. After catching a fish, Yue Feng realized that he had actually misjudged the timing of the bite; the powerful pause was not due to small fish disturbing the float, but rather a misjudgment caused by the superior performance of the float. The only thing he couldn¡¯t quite understand was that the float he was using now seemed to exaggerate the biting action too much. With ordinary floats, a half-eye pause would already be pretty good. After catching the first fish, Yue Feng¡¯s hands and feet became even quicker. Once the bait was in the water and had reached the bottom, he gently played with it. If there was no action, he would lift the rod and repeat the cast, always ensuring the two pieces of bait had a certain range and movement near the baiting spot. If he had used his old, clumsy, and heavy fiberglass rod, achieving such a casting frequency would¡¯ve been a pipe dream. But now, with Qing Hong in hand, all he needed was a gentle toss and swing, and the action was complete without straining his arm at all. Under this relentless high-frequency casting to lure fish, it wasn¡¯t long before Yue Feng saw the second bite. The float gently dipped, followed by a sharp plunge¡ªanother crystal-clear two-eye biting action. This time Yue Feng didn¡¯t miss his chance. With a flick of his wrist, he lifted the rod to set the hook successfully! With the experience of the first fish under his belt, Yue Feng was much steadier this time; he exerted force upward with his arm, relying on the power of the rod¡¯s spine to surface the fish, and quickly pulled it near. Having caught two fish in a row, Yue Feng quickly caught the attention of the fishermen on the shore. Everyone was struggling to get a bite in the middle of the day, but here he was, catching fish one after another, making it impossible to keep a low profile. At first, people didn¡¯t recognize Yue Feng, but after he caught the third crucian carp, some began to walk over towards him restlessly. ¡°Eh! Aren¡¯t you the fishing gear shop owner who was also here yesterday? You¡¯re Yue Feng, right? I¡¯m Wang Dong, we met yesterday!¡± one of the anglers, who looked somewhat familiar to Yue Feng, recognized him. Yue Feng looked up and smiled amiably, ¡°Hello, that¡¯s me!¡± Wang Dong took a good look at Yue Feng¡¯s equipment and said, ¡°All brand new gear, huh? Swapped a shotgun for a cannon, did you?¡± ¡°Haha, I had no gear to use, so just bought some at random. How¡¯s your catch going today?¡± Yue Feng asked. ¡°Don¡¯t get me started on the catch. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s up, but the fish haven¡¯t been biting well along the shore all morning, just caught a few early around six! What bait are you using? You caught fish shortly after arriving!¡± Yue Feng pointed at the top-quality ragworm laid out on the bait box, ¡°Just mixed up some commercial bait, came to test out the results! Where are your buddies? They went to the store early this morning to buy Bait Wine Rice, why haven¡¯t I seen them?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t talk to me about those animals. They heard that the upper stream of Qinglong Lake was fruitful, so after fishing for a bit in the morning and the bites stopped, they drove off! I¡¯ve been nurturing this bait spot for several days and couldn¡¯t bear to move!¡± ¡°Perfect, help me out, will you? Take a moment to try out the newly mixed dough bait.¡± Yue Feng quickly opened his bait box, took out a lump of dough bait roughly the size of a fist, and handed it to Wang Dong. ¡°Much appreciated!¡± Wang Dong took the bait from Yue Feng. Wang Dong set the tone, and several other guys nearby also started to cozy up to Yue Feng. He turned no one away. Before long, he had given away more than half of the freshly prepared pot of commercial bait. The bait recipe provided by the system really did perform well in practice, even without the use of Yue Feng¡¯s Rice Wine bait. Several anglers who got the bait started catching fish one after another. However, as Wang Dong said, the fish situation on the west bank of Wangjiazhuang wasn¡¯t very good today. Apart from the occasional slow bite at Yue Feng¡¯s spot, most anglers were catching fish at an extremely slow rate, sometimes going ten or twenty minutes without a single bite. The only consolation was that although the fish bites were slow today, the size of each fish was quite large. The clear bites on the Peacock Feather Float combined with the ultimate sensation of the Qing Hong fishing rod made Yue Feng lose track of time as he squatted over his fishing box the entire afternoon. Distributing the trial packs did have a certain promotional effect; no matter whether the overall fish activity was good or bad, after switching to the bait provided by Yue Feng, the anglers managed to catch fish at least. There were anglers who skeptically thought it was just a matter of luck and stubbornly switched back to their own bait, only to end up without a single bite. Quite a few anglers who tried the sample packs came back asking for Yue Feng¡¯s contact information, and by evening, Yue Feng had gained more than ten new fishing friends interested in his products. The promotion had also earned his shop an additional seven hundred Points. As the sun set, Yue Feng put down his fishing rod and stood up to stretch, noting that it was getting late and time to head back. After packing up his equipment and picking up his Fish Guard, he had thought that with the slow bite rate, the catch would be small, but the Fish Guard was filled with no fewer fish than the day before. The scarcity of bites was real, but the size of the fish was large, and since Yue Feng didn¡¯t keep small fish anyway, this saved him the effort of releasing them. ¡°Not bad, huh? It didn¡¯t seem like you were in a hurry, but you still caught a good amount in the afternoon. These fish must weigh over twenty pounds at least, right?¡± Wang Dong asked enviously after a few glances. Yue Feng nodded: ¡°About that! The fish were indeed larger today!¡± ¡°Bro, are you heading back to your shop or...¡± Wang Dong was interrupted by the sudden ringing of his phone from his pocket. He hastily made an apologetic gesture and took the call. ¡°Hello, Old Liu, are you guys back yet?¡± ¡°Dongzi, let me tell you, you really missed out today! Old Li and I had a massive haul, at least forty or fifty pounds each! Are you home yet? If not, swing by the town and pick up another ten packs of Bait Wine Rice from Yue Feng¡¯s for me! This Rice Wine is magical. We arrived late and sat in spots nobody wanted, but once we baited the spot, it was non-stop action in less than half an hour. Dozens of people watched our spectacle; it was damn exhilarating!¡± Liu Fengnian¡¯s voice came from the phone, revealing that these anglers were actually quite good friends behind the scenes. ¡°Cut the crap. You guys had a blast, but I wasn¡¯t exactly Air Force either. Yue Feng is right next to me, and we¡¯ve got a new bait recipe in the shop today that worked really well here at Wangjiazhuang!¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t mention it, but I used the trial pack from Yue Feng today! Bring me another five packs of that product bait! Old Li and I have discussed it, and we plan to go back to today¡¯s fishing spot early tomorrow morning to fish for the whole day, afraid that we might miss Yue Feng if we leave too late!¡± ¡°All set!¡± Wang Dong nodded and hung up the phone. ¡°Old Liu and the others had a blast fishing at Moon Bay! They asked me to bring them some Rice Wine. I¡¯m planning to get some for myself too!¡± Wang Dong said to Yue Feng succinctly. ¡°That¡¯s great! I¡¯m staying at the shop!¡± Yue Feng nodded his head. Packing up his fishing gear, Yue Feng led the way on his motorcycle, with Wang Dong following in his SUV, heading straight for Yue Feng¡¯s fishing gear shop. Chapter 13 - 13 13 Master Level Inner Line Hook Binding Method ?13: Chapter 13: Master Level Inner Line Hook Binding Method 13: Chapter 13: Master Level Inner Line Hook Binding Method Two common methods were used in Inner Line Hook Binding, one being the Wire Head Connection Method, and the other was the Finger Wheeling Method. Both methods essentially produced the same quality of hooks, but the techniques during the process differed greatly. The hooks bound by the Wire Head Connection Method were more uniform, and it wasted less material, but the speed was somewhat slow. The hooks crafted using the Finger Wheeling Method, on the other hand, were completed much faster than those done by the Wire Head Connection Method. The cost was that it required longer wire ends for easier handling, which led to more waste of material. Yue Feng tried both methods just now, but he found that controlling the length of the hooks with the Swinging Finger Method was difficult. After binding several sets, the hooks varied in length and looked quite unsightly. As someone with OCD from Virgo, he found such work unacceptable for sale, let alone for personal use. Yue Feng glanced at his work and frowned slightly, quickly cutting off the bound lines with scissors and switching back to the Wire Head Connection Method. After switching methods, though the speed of hook binding slowed down, Yue Feng managed to produce hooks that were passable after getting used to the method. When hung in the hook box and slightly pulled, they were basically uniform without significant discrepancies. Time seemed to fly by when he was deeply immersed in the task. When Yue Feng looked up again, he was almost done with the first box of hooks¡ªit was 11:10. With increasing proficiency, the quality rate of the hooks Yue Feng crafted was getting higher, and his speed was also increasing. By the time he finished the second box of hooks, he could basically achieve uniform length and the variance did not affect normal usage. At 1:20 A.M., two hundred pairs of hooks were bound, and Yue Feng stood up from the workbench, rubbing his slightly stiff neck. ¡°Finally done binding! With so many Sleeve Hooks, I probably couldn¡¯t use them all up this year even if I wanted to,¡± he said. Looking at the two layers filled with hook boxes, Yue Feng felt a sense of accomplishment rise within him. Ding! Congratulations to the host for completing the task ¡°Practice Makes Perfect,¡± with exceptional evaluation! Ding! Congratulations to the host for receiving the skill reward ¡°Master Level Inner Line Hook Binding!¡± ¡°Master Level Inner Line Hook Binding¡±: Master¡¯s craft, guaranteed quality! When normally binding ordinary sub-lines, a minimum 99% quality rate is guaranteed, with a 50% chance of producing perfect quality sub-lines, and no loss of tensile strength due to knots. Ding! You get what you give! Given that the host chose small Sleeve Hooks for practice, a skill with high binding difficulty, an extra reward ¡°Small Hook Binding Specialty¡± is granted. ¡°Small Hook Binding Specialty¡±: When binding hooks sized five or smaller, speed increases by an additional 50%, and the chance of achieving perfect quality increases by 30%. Following three system prompts, a vast amount of hook binding tips, tricks, proficiency, and muscle memory surged into Yue Feng¡¯s mind, seemingly appearing out of nowhere. Yue Feng casually cut another piece of sub-line to try re-binding a pair of hooks. His fingers were incredibly agile, swift, and precise, taking just a short dozen seconds to complete a hook. When turning the wire head to bind the second hook, the efficiency was the same, and in just over forty seconds, a pair of perfectly detailed hooks was hung on the hook box! Before completing the task, Yue Feng hadn¡¯t considered the differences between binding large and small hooks; he had instinctively felt that since it was for practice, why not bind what he could use, so he unconsciously selected smaller four-sized Sleeve Hooks. However, to those in the know, the time required to craft a size four Sleeve Hook is significantly more than what¡¯s needed for making the larger sizes five and six Ishiyama hooks. Given Yue Feng¡¯s beginner-level speed, the time it takes him to make two sets of Sleeve Hooks would suffice to make three sets of the larger hooks. But as the saying goes, heaven rewards the diligent, one reaps what one sows. Yue Feng, spending more time crafting smaller hooks, unexpectedly acquired the skill ¡°Small Hook Crafting Expertise.¡± In the future, he might even craft small hooks faster than the larger ones. Yue Feng finished the first pair of hooks and casually pulled out another line, and whoosh, in a blink, had crafted the second pair. This sense of everything being under control, flowing smoothly like clouds and water, felt incredibly wonderful. When the two pairs of hooks were hung side by side in the sub-line box, one could see that whether it was the total length of the hooks, the number of coils in the winding, or the size of the hook gap, they were almost exactly alike, as if they were cast from the same mold, not differing even slightly. ¡°Is this the power of the Master Level Inner Line Hook Binding?¡± Yue Feng marvelled at the hooks before him. Next, Yue Feng, as if enchanted, kept going and made several more sets, finishing up the last ten prepared sub-lines, and since there was no more room to hang them, he simply opened another single-layer sub-line box. Looking at the perfectly uniform sub-lines, Yue Feng scratched his head and couldn¡¯t bear to look directly at the full box of hooks on the table next to him. They say it¡¯s devastating to compare oneself to others, and goods to other goods. Compared to the Master Level hook crafting results, his own hand-crafted practice works, which just moments ago felt quite fulfilling, suddenly lost their appeal. After hesitating for several seconds, Yue Feng decided against the idea of cutting up the whole box of hooks and redoing them, reasoning that their quality was basically up to par; he could just sell them slightly cheaper to the fishermen who needed them. After tidying up the hook-binding tools on the table, Yue Feng looked up at the time, and before he knew it, it was already 2 a.m. After checking the doors and windows, he set the alarm clock and went upstairs to sleep. The next morning, Yue Feng, with dark circles under his eyes, woke up early to open the store. As usual, he cleaned the shop, then sat in the chair behind the counter, waiting for customers. On both of the previous mornings, there had been customers rushing to fish by the river early, and today, being the weekend, there were naturally fishermen among them; it wasn¡¯t long before a customer showed up. He was busy all morning and only managed to have a peaceful breakfast after 8 a.m. Before he¡¯d even had a chance to wipe his mouth after finishing his soy milk, the sound of a logistics truck¡¯s horn rang out outside the store; the goods he had ordered yesterday had arrived. In front of the logistics driver, Yue Feng checked the goods, confirming there was no loss or damage, then paid the bill. The logistics costs from the small town to the fishing gear market weren¡¯t expensive, just five yuan for a considerably large box of goods. After seeing off the logistics driver, the system¡¯s notification sound popped up in his mind again. Ding! Congratulations on completing your first restocking! You¡¯re one step closer to becoming a successful store owner, reward: Lottery Points +300! An unexpected gain, restocking gave him three hundred points! Yue Feng took out the goods one by one, placed them where they were supposed to be in the display, and then returned behind the counter to patiently start crafting hooks again. Chapter 14 - 14 14 Black Tiger Comes Calling ?14: Chapter 14 Black Tiger Comes Calling 14: Chapter 14 Black Tiger Comes Calling Having learned the Master Level Hook Binding Method, Yue Feng now tied hooks slickly. When he first started learning, he used to slowly bind ten or twenty lines at a time, but now he could manage to tie one set after another and ensured that each set of hooks was perfectly aligned. Even the Hook Spacing Tool, which most people had to use, was no longer needed by Yue Feng. With a flick of his hand and a casual glance, he would top it off with a standard subline, accurate to the millimeter. After several days of promotion and effort, that Saturday morning finally saw a few old fishermen who had heard of the store. These few old men who entered had limited spending power, generally only buying the Bait Wine Rice Yue Feng had been promoting recently, not even willing to spend on a box of worms that cost one and a half Yuan. Although he hadn¡¯t sold much, Yue Feng was still quite happy; people had come to his store, meaning his recent promotional efforts had been effective. With people coming in, making money would naturally follow. After lunch at noon, Yue Feng lay down behind the counter for a brief nap. He was slightly lethargic due to lack of sleep the night before, plus the shop had been busy that morning. Anticipating more business could come in the afternoon, Yue Feng decided to rest in the store all day and not go fishing. He had just lain down at the counter for a little while when the store door was pushed open, and a short, stocky middle-aged man entered. This man appeared to be in his thirties, with a short and stocky build, barely standing at 165 cm. His round face was full of fleshy creases, giving him an unapproachable look just from his facial expressions. The middle-aged man was dressed thinly, a long shirt layered with a thin jacket, and around his neck hung a thick chain of dubious authenticity. A tattoo with an indistinct design was faintly visible on the side of his neck, and using a term coined by a certain comedic actor to describe his master, he was quite fitting the description of a ¡®small, black, chubby guy¡¯. ¡°Hello, what can I help you with?¡± Yue Feng greeted and asked. ¡°Oh, nothing much, just looking around!¡± the middle-aged man replied, and started wandering around Yue Feng¡¯s small shop. A fishing store, being a place that supplies fishing activities and equipment, usually had customers with clear targets, but this visitor seemed different from the rest. Yue Feng couldn¡¯t figure it out, so he got up and stood beside him, watching to see what the man was up to. The short man walked around the store twice, surveying the general layout, before he slowly began to speak. ¡°You¡¯re Yue Feng, right? I heard your Bait Wine Rice is quite effective. Where is it? Fetch me a pack to look at!¡± Upon hearing the man inquire about the wine rice, Yue Feng immediately grabbed a bag from under the counter and handed it to him. ¡°Here it is! The effect is indeed good; you should try it!¡± The short man took the bag of wine rice, casually tore open the self-sealing bag, and carelessly poured some of the rice wine into his palm before smelling it with disdain. ¡°This little thing works? Smells just like the wine rice sold in the market, and you double the price just by changing the packaging? Isn¡¯t that a bit dishonest?¡± Yue Feng heard such remarks and smiled slightly, ¡°If I dare to sell it at this price, there is certainly something unique about it. If you don¡¯t believe it, you can try it yourself!¡± ¡°Make it cheaper, and I¡¯ll take this pack!¡± ¡°Heh, 20 per pack, no bargaining!¡± ¡°You can¡¯t just demand any amount you want. How about 15? If it works well, I¡¯ll come back for more!¡± Yue Feng didn¡¯t speak, his attitude remained firm as he shook his head. ¡°Then I don¡¯t want it!¡± The short stocky man turned and walked away. ¡°Feel free not to buy, but just a reminder: if you tear my packaging and then decide you don¡¯t want it, you¡¯ll be blacklisted in my store, and I¡¯m sorry but I won¡¯t be able to serve you anymore!¡± ¡°Pfft, such a small little shop and you think you¡¯re so important. I wasn¡¯t planning on coming back anyway!¡± The short stocky man threw down his words and strode off. ¡°Take care!¡± Yue Feng watched as this odd fellow walked out of the shop. A packaging bag with a sticker costs just a few cents, Yue Feng didn¡¯t see the need to get upset over such a person. He casually took out a new packaging bag, filled it with Rice Wine, pressed it shut with a heat sealer, and finished the job by sticking on a label. The short stocky man walked out of Yue Feng¡¯s fishing gear store and as soon as he turned out of the alley, he pulled out his phone and made a call. ¡°Hey, Liu ah, I just checked out that little shop you mentioned. It¡¯s just a tiny spot, absolutely no more than twenty square meters tops, and the owner is just some young guy in his twenties, looked totally soft. I purposely tore one of his packaging bags and he didn¡¯t even dare to make a peep!¡± ¡°What? You mentioned Rice Wine? That¡¯s exactly what I tore the packaging of. It¡¯s not as mysterious as they say. I looked and sniffed it; it¡¯s just ordinary corn bits soaked in wine, repackaged in another bag! Buddy, I¡¯ve been a fisherman for years, no way he could deceive me!¡± ¡°A minor thing; you asked and we at Black Tiger will make sure it¡¯s clear for you! No dinner for me, I¡¯ve got plans with friends. Let¡¯s do it some other day!¡± After hanging up the phone, Black Tiger walked past a bun shop, casually pulled out a crumpled five yuan paper money, bought a few buns, and disappeared around the corner of the street. After hanging up the phone, Liu Mingyuan, the owner of the outdoor fishing gear store, was lost in thought. At the dining table, Liu Mingyuan¡¯s wife, Zhang Cuifang, gave him a look, ¡°What¡¯s the matter, you can¡¯t even eat after a phone call?¡± Liu Mingyuan shook his head slightly, saying, ¡°A fishing buddy told me that a new fishing gear store has opened in town recently and several of our customers have been taken away by it. I had Black Tiger check it out!¡± ¡°So what if it opened? Such a tiny place, with so few fishermen around, it¡¯s hard to sustain one fishing gear store. Although we deal in fishing gear as well, it¡¯s really just a side thing, done half-heartedly. Are you taking it too seriously?¡± Liu Mingyuan¡¯s wife¡¯s point wasn¡¯t without merit; their primary business was the general retail and wholesale of tobacco, alcohol, sugar, tea, and everyday goods, and the fishing gear business really wasn¡¯t very extensive. The idea to engage in this business came simply because Liu himself loved fishing and wanted convenience for his own use of baits and gear, thus they dabbled in the fishing gear business. Liu Mingyuan shook his head, saying, ¡°It¡¯s different; you know what kind of person I am. It¡¯s one thing for us to stop on our own terms, but I definitely can¡¯t accept being forced out of business by someone else. We can¡¯t afford to lose face! What would my over ten thousand followers think if word got out?¡± ¡°Pfft! A bunch of zombie followers, hardly any real people among them. You really think you¡¯re some big fishing internet celebrity!¡± Zhang Cuifang retorted disdainfully, utterly dismissive of her husband¡¯s concern. Chapter 15 - 15 15 Challenge Tasks ?15: Chapter 15 Challenge Tasks 15: Chapter 15 Challenge Tasks Although Liu Mingyuan was in his forties, he was quite sharp-minded. When live broadcasting platforms just started to gain traction, he discovered them early on. Despite not producing any quality content, he slowly gained over ten thousand followers. Occasionally, when he came across a good fishing spot, he would start a live stream, attracting around ten to twenty live viewers in his room. ¡°What do those women know? They¡¯ve had their fill, now clear the table! I¡¯m off to fish by the river and will be back at dusk. Don¡¯t call me unless it¡¯s urgent!¡± Liu Mingyuan pocketed his minivan keys and headed straight to the riverbank at Wangjiazhuang. ... Up to now, Yue Feng was unaware that his presence had caught someone else¡¯s attention; at this moment, he was sound asleep behind the counter. That afternoon, the busy business he anticipated never materialized. Yue Feng stayed put in the shop all afternoon and completed only one transaction, netting $25. Damn! Had I known this, I would have been better off fishing. It would help promote the shop and increase my lottery points, and I could supplement my income with the catch. This afternoon was a complete miscalculation! Before closing for the night, Yue Feng recorded the day¡¯s sales: $427 in revenue plus 300 additional points. If it weren¡¯t for the first-time purchase incentive provided by the system, he would have been shaved bald. It was supposed to be a good weekend, but it turned out to be the day with the worst revenue so far. After a brief analysis, Yue Feng realized the main issue was low brand recognition and an insufficient customer base. So, Yue Feng resolved to make a change starting tomorrow; after lunch, he couldn¡¯t just sit around in the shop¡ªit was going nowhere. Otherwise, I might as well make a sign to hang outside the door stating, ¡°Business hours from 5:30 AM to 12:00 noon; in the afternoons, I won¡¯t stick around in the shop for nothing!¡± No sooner had the idea come to him than Yue Feng found a stiff cardboard, wrote a sign with a marker, and hung it outside the door. Suddenly, he remembered a system notification. Ding! Challenge task [Shop Popularity] triggered! [Shop Popularity]: As a novice shop owner, you¡¯ve realized the problems you face in your business and are attempting to make changes! During the startup phase of a fishing tackle shop, building popularity is the most effective way to improve profits! Within one week, raise your shop¡¯s popularity value to 300! Current popularity value: 43/300! Note: Every new regular customer with a visit frequency of at least once a month counts as one point of popularity value. The popularity value will fluctuate with the increase and decrease of customers. Task Reward: A random intermediate basic fishing skill or an entry-level advanced fishing skill. Failure Penalty: Failure will result in the loss of all current popularity value! Will you accept? Yue Feng usually happily accepted challenges when tasks were triggered, but the nature of this challenge made him hesitate. This was a completely different type of task, similar to a trial task, where success would bring rewards, but failure would also carry a penalty¡ªand a heavy one at that. Master Level Hook Binding had given Yue Feng a taste of its benefits, and he wondered what surprises the system¡¯s fishing skill reward would bring, But the thought of failing and losing all popularity points made him hesitant. If it weren¡¯t for the trial task that promised ten thousand yuan, he would certainly take a gamble, but now a failed mission would likely mess up the trial task too. Torn between the precious skill reward and the daunting failure penalty, Yue Feng couldn¡¯t make up his mind after a long hesitation. Clenching his teeth, Yue Feng pulled a one-yuan coin from his pocket. Let¡¯s gamble! Numbers mean accept, the national emblem means reject! Yue Feng flicked the coin into the air with his thumb, caught it securely after it traced an arc through the air. Numbers! Since it¡¯s numbers, let¡¯s take a chance! Accept! Ding! Congratulations on accepting the challenge task [Shop Popularity]. Please complete the task within 7¡Á24 hours, or you will face the penalty for failure! Yue Feng¡¯s mind began racing as soon as he took on the task. It had taken Yue Feng three days to increase his Popularity Value by 43 points, which seemed decently fast, but the number of fellow anglers in the area was fixed, and counting everyone, he wasn¡¯t even sure there were three hundred people. To complete the task, merely fishing and doing conventional promotion wouldn¡¯t be enough. He needed to think of something else. Just then, his WeChat notification sounded, sparking an idea in Yue Feng¡ªhow could he have forgotten about this! Yue Feng hurriedly took out his phone and dialed Liu Fengnian¡¯s number. ¡°Brother Liu, this is Yue Feng. I have a question for you. Do you have any WeChat groups of local anglers over there?¡± he asked. ¡°There are a few, but the group owners are all your competitors. Are you sure you want to join?¡± Liu Fengnian¡¯s words were like a bucket of cold water poured over Yue Feng¡¯s head, sending a chill from the top of his head down to his heels. ¡°Isn¡¯t there a group managed by an independent person?¡± Yue Feng asked, holding on to his last shred of hope. ¡°There is one, but it¡¯s not very popular. I¡¯m the group owner myself, and there are only a dozen or so close friends and acquaintances in it. What are you up to?¡± A dozen people were like a drop in the bucket and of little use to Yue Feng, who already had several dozen angler contacts on WeChat. If he were to set one up himself, he might even end up with a few more members than Liu Fengnian. ¡°Uh, never mind, I¡¯m just thinking about developing a client group. I¡¯ll figure something else out!¡± Yue Feng said. ¡°Alright! Call me if there¡¯s anything else.¡± With his shortcut idea quickly falling through, Yue Feng reluctantly continued to consider what he could manage, hoping to find a good strategy. Soon, Yue Feng took a piece of paper and started listing the resources he had at his disposal. He had a full set of equipment, and his Fishing Skill was passable. He had a decent stockpile of Bait Wine Rice material. One formula for Crucian Carp Bait for the spring season. A packet of Concentrated Version of Wild Fishing Companion. Master Level Hook Binding Skill. One Good Person Card. Less than three thousand cash. A small shop, and a few dozen anglers he was somewhat familiar with. After carefully considering the cards in his hand, Yue Feng ruled out the idea of aggressively promoting his shop by giving away freebies because of his limited finances, and the Good Person Card could only add a little to his Popularity Value¡ªit was only a drop in the bucket. In the end, it seemed that the only things Yue Feng had to offer were those he had acquired from the system, especially the bait formula and Wild Fishing Companion. After much deliberation, it appeared that fishing and promoting his shop was the most reliable option available to him. ¡°Damn it, starting from tomorrow, I¡¯m going all in!¡± Yue Feng gritted his teeth, retrieved the sign hung at the door, and changed the business hours to 5:30 AM to 10:30 AM. Now that he had resolved to rely on fishing to attract attention and promote his shop to gain Popularity Value, he couldn¡¯t afford to mess around like before as the deadline was too tight. What to do? Yue Feng decided to use a strong remedy for a serious illness and do everything possible to increase his fishing yield. He then promised certain benefits to encourage his fellow anglers to help spread his influence, thereby generating Popularity Value. Yue Feng had seen the aggressive tactics of WeChat vendors and figured that applying similar strategies could also effectively promote his own shop. With a rough direction in mind, Yue Feng started to act. Chapter 16 - 16 16 Enemies on a Narrow Road ?16: Chapter 16: Enemies on a Narrow Road 16: Chapter 16: Enemies on a Narrow Road First, he took out his phone to contact the wholesale seller for express delivery, ordering three pounds of bloodworms with an extra ten yuan for shipping to get them by tomorrow¡¯s early bus! It was said in the crucian carp bait formula that adding bloodworms could double the fishing effect. Besides, Yue Feng also added Wild Fishing Companion to the standard crucian carp bait formula, bringing the bait¡¯s fish-attracting effect to its peak. Finally, it was time for the bait. Yue Feng prepared a full three pounds of Rice Wine bait, planning to fish heavily if the overall fish activity was favorable. If he could create a frenzy, it would definitely cause quite a stir. Additionally, starting the WeChat group idea could be pursued initially. The existing few dozen clients were also seeds for word-of-mouth growth; if used well, they would undoubtedly have a certain spreading effect. After Yue Feng had completed all the preparations he could think of, he set his alarm clock and went to bed early, as the upcoming week would be a daunting challenge, and a lack of rest would definitely affect him. Early the next morning, the bloodworms Yue Feng had ordered arrived via the early bus. Keeping an eye on the time on his phone, when it struck ten-thirty, he locked up, hopped on his scooter, and headed straight for the river section at Wangjiazhuang. On Monday, compared to other times, there would be fewer fishermen. This was evident from the morning¡¯s business, as many working-class fishing enthusiasts had to work and couldn¡¯t afford the time to fish. After a slow start, Yue Feng arrived at the river to find that the prime spot near the plow tip was occupied by only two anglers. Usually coveted spots, now vacant, were a rare sight. Seeing this, Yue Feng quickly and efficiently unloaded his gear and set up his Carbon Fishing Platform at the position near the plow tip. ¡°How come you guys are fishing at this time? The fishing has been good today. The morning bite was fierce, but now the action has slowed down a lot!¡± a young angler nearby casually struck up a conversation. Yue Feng, no longer letting go of any chance to promote his shop, responded, ¡°No choice, I¡¯ve opened a small fishing tackle store. I was selling items this morning, and only when the store gets less busy can I find the time to go fishing!¡± ¡°Oh? You run a fishing tackle shop?¡± ¡°Heh, ¡®run¡¯ is a bit much, just a small business. My shop is in the alley on the east side of the intersection between Muxiang Road and Meinan Road¡ªYue Feng Fishing Tackle. Stop by sometime if you get the chance!¡± ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll definitely drop by when I have the chance!¡± While they talked, Yue Feng had swiftly set up the fishing platform, did a quick test to make sure it was stable, and then rolled up his trouser legs and climbed on. Using a fishing platform comes with many benefits. First, the area underneath your feet is relatively clean and free from too much mud or sand. Another advantage is the ability to use a shorter rod to reach spots slightly further than the usual fishing points. For example, with Yue Feng¡¯s current setup right by the water¡¯s edge, he could reach at least a meter further than with a standard 3.6-meter fishing rod. Sometimes, an inch longer means an inch stronger, giving him an edge over others without them noticing. After settling all his gear, Yue Feng commenced his fishing session. To fish well, the key was baiting the area. Yue Feng, departing from his past approach of baiting little and often, went all in with a whole bag of Rice Wine bait on the first cast, hoping for a miracle with heavy baiting! ¡°Tsk tsk, that¡¯s some serious baiting there. Having your own store gives you a solid foundation, huh?¡± the guy next to him joked, showing his teeth in a grin. ¡°Heh, I¡¯m trying out heavy baiting; who knows, it might trigger a feeding frenzy!¡± After baiting the spot, Yue Feng moved on to preparing his bait. He had done his homework before arriving by learning the method for creating ¡®Lure¡¯ with bloodworms online, mimicking the techniques, and combining bloodworms with commercial bait to get started. Here it¡¯s worth mentioning what ¡®Lure¡¯ signifies. It¡¯s a colloquial term among fishermen and has nothing to do with the traditional street food by the same name. To get more specific, a meat-stuffed bun used for fishing refers to adding a certain amount of bloodworms to a normal commercial dough bait and then sprinkling in an appropriate amount of Lasi Powder or Insect Glue to make a type of bait. Since the bait contains both vegetarian dough and meaty bloodworms, it¡¯s called a meat-stuffed bun. This concoction, because it includes quite a few bloodworms, has a very high cost, but it also has a very good fishing effect because of the presence of the bloodworms. Soon, Yue Feng followed the recommended bait-to-water ratio from online and prepared half a bowl of the meat-stuffed bun bait. Yue Feng¡¯s bait opening technique was pretty bad, so the condition of the meat-stuffed bun wasn¡¯t great¡ªit was barely passable! Following the key points mentioned in the tutorial, he slowly gathered the prepared bait into a ball and then separated the sub-line, dragging it across the balled-up bait, and two bait balls wrapped with bloodworms and dough were hooked. After a brief observation, the result was a bit worse than he had expected, but it was roughly good enough. Once the bait was ready, Yue Feng started fishing. For the next half hour or so, whether it was the weather or because he had chummed the water heavily, Yue Feng patiently cast his line repeatedly in the fishing spot, but there was still no activity. Just then, a silver-grey Wuling Hongguang van came from the industrial road and parked not far away. Having had lunch with nothing much to do, Liu Mingyuan came to the riverbank as well, feeling the itch to fish. Though the fishing gear sold in Boss Liu¡¯s shop wasn¡¯t anything special, the equipment he used himself was quite high-end¡ªa Dawa fishing box alone was four figures. Liu Mingyuan stood at an elevated spot and glanced over, noticing there was still one spot open at the tip of the plow, so he immediately unloaded his equipment from the car and headed straight over to Yue Feng¡¯s area. ¡°How¡¯s it going today, fellas?¡± Liu Mingyuan greeted, with a cigarette hanging from his lips while he set up his gear. Yue Feng looked up and shook his head, ¡°I just got here a little while ago. Haven¡¯t had a bite after chumming the spot!¡± The young man sitting next to him glanced at Liu Mingyuan and gave a meaningful smile, ¡°Yo, Boss Liu, the fish bite was pretty quick this morning, but it slowed down a lot at midday with the higher temperature. Come over here; I have a spare spot! Today¡¯s fishing is interesting!¡± ¡°Heh, Xiao Zhang is here too! Well, I¡¯ll take your advice, and let¡¯s fish next to each other.¡± As he spoke, Liu Mingyuan put the fishing platform he had taken off the car to the side¡ªit wasn¡¯t needed¡ªand instead placed his fishing box right next to where Xiao Zhang was sitting. The spot next to Xiao Zhang was specifically leveled with a shovel by someone who fished there yesterday, making it fairly flat, and it didn¡¯t require setting up a fishing platform. The only drawback was that it was a bit too close to Xiao Zhang. After choosing a good spot, Liu Mingyuan chummed the water with some Rice Wine bait according to his habit. When he glanced out of the corner of his eye at Yue Feng¡¯s area, he saw that the Bait Opening Bowl behind him still contained a small half bowl of meat-stuffed bun. ¡°Wow, young man came prepared for wild fishing, not afraid to invest!¡± Yue Feng chuckled, ¡°Didn¡¯t go for the large male worms. It¡¯s a mix of the smaller male Insect Buds and females, so it¡¯s not expensive!¡± Bloodworms also come in different qualities, with the highest priced being the extra-large males, starting at seventy to eighty yuan per jin for delivery. The smaller males, commonly known as Insect Buds, are slightly cheaper, around thirty yuan per jin, while the females cost about the same as the Insect Buds. Xiao Zhang, never one to shy away from excitement, chimed in, ¡°You came late, brah. The young one over there chummed the water pretty intensely earlier on, must¡¯ve gone through at least a jin of Rice Wine! If the spot gets hot today, there might just be a massive catch!¡± Chapter 17 - 17 17 Internet Celebrity Liu Mingyuan ?17: Chapter 17 ¡°Internet Celebrity¡± Liu Mingyuan 17: Chapter 17 ¡°Internet Celebrity¡± Liu Mingyuan ¡°Hehe, with you saying that, I don¡¯t need a 3.6-meter rod anymore, I¡¯ll go straight for a 4.5-meter one! I¡¯ve baited heavily and set up a fishing platform. If I used a shorter rod, I doubt I¡¯d catch many fish!¡± Liu Mingyuan¡¯s words were spot-on; it¡¯s often the case that a deeper understanding of fish behavior comes in handy! Xiao Zhang curled his lips, showing his teeth and said, ¡°Once you¡¯ve baited up, just stake your claim, haha!¡± Yue Feng still didn¡¯t know the identity of Liu Mingyuan and Xiao Zhang. Moreover, his fishing spot was still quiet, so he took it as if they were joking with him, and grinned in response, ¡°Sure, stake anywhere you like!¡± No sooner had they finished joking, Yue Feng noticed fish activity at his spot. He lifted the rod, rebaited, and cast again. As the float neared the spot, it suddenly dipped sharply. Yue Feng had gotten used to the dramatic dips of the Peacock Feather Float, knew he had a bite, and lifted the rod smoothly, hitting the mark. ¡°Yo ho, got one indeed, and by the bend of the rod, it¡¯s not a small fish!¡± Liu Mingyuan glanced over, his Seafood Live setup almost complete. The fish was a decent size, about four taels. Yue Feng casually unhooked the fish and tossed it into the Fish Guard, noticing the live streaming tripod and mobile phone placed beside his neighbor. ¡°Big brother, you¡¯re live streaming?¡± ¡°Ah, just messing around, a minor broadcaster, not many fans, barely under twenty thousand!¡± Although Liu Mingyuan downplayed it as ¡®minor broadcaster,¡¯ he couldn¡¯t hide a touch of pride when mentioning his fans numbered just under twenty thousand. ¡°Oh, right, hehe, that¡¯s nice!¡± Yue Feng replied noncommittally and said no more. By then, people were gradually joining Liu Mingyuan¡¯s live streaming. The title in Liu Mingyuan¡¯s room was quite apt¡ªPlow Tip Spring Fishing, Challenging the Toughest Midday Fishing Window! Old Liu had come up with the title on a whim, and it attracted a crowd of outdoor fishing enthusiasts. And indeed, the title worked great for attracting viewers; Liu¡¯s room had just gone live, and there were already more than thirty people, with numbers still increasing. ¡°Did the host just cast? Caught anything?¡± ¡°Show us the catch, show us the catch...¡± ¡°Hard to fish at noon, not an easy time to challenge!¡± ¡°Lu Benwei is awesome¡± ¡°Wrong room upstairs!¡± Seeing the surge in today¡¯s viewers, Liu Mingyuan was inwardly overjoyed. ¡°Everyone who hasn¡¯t followed, hit it up! Follow to not get lost; Old Liu will take you on the fast lane! Those with red hearts and free tickets, let them fly!¡± It was the first time Yue Feng had seen an outdoor live broadcast, and sitting next to its host felt extremely awkward; however, Liu Mingyuan had no such feelings and was immersed in the joy of his growing audience¡ªin just a short while, it had risen to over fifty. Although he hadn¡¯t caught any more fish yet, the camera offered a broad view of the distant scenery, which was also nice. With the host¡¯s relentless maintenance, he even sent out a ten-yuan red packet, miraculously keeping the crowd hanging around for a while. The live broadcast on this side was bustling; activity also started picking up at Yue Feng¡¯s spot. It¡¯s common fishing knowledge that when fish arrive at a spot, they don¡¯t immediately start feeding frantically. Drawn by the bait, they linger around cautiously. At this time, you can see fish stars¡ªtiny bubbles released by the fish. Now, fish stars were dense in Yue Feng¡¯s spot, but he had only caught one greedy fish so far. Knowing it was just a matter of time before the fish would bite actively, Yue Feng continued casting his lightweight rod effortlessly. The bait on the hook and the red worms would scatter upon hitting the water, further concentrating the fish. While Yue Feng patiently waited, Liu Mingyuan had cast his rod. A rather unimpressive fish under two taels was pulled up, stirring up more activity from the viewers in the live stream. ¡°Wow, the fishing has started! That first catch looks not too small, probably half a pound!¡± ¡°The comment above must be blind, that fish is barely more than two ounces!¡± ¡°Second floor +1¡± Liu Mingyuan didn¡¯t care about these harmless little rhythms in the chat, saying, ¡°Achievement unlocked for the first fish, come on guys, show some love with a double click! And don¡¯t forget to follow us if you¡¯re new here, right top corner!¡± Seeing that nearly everyone watching was a Fisherman, and since the host had started fishing, asking for a double click wasn¡¯t too much, and so the double-click analytics began to rise. The room¡¯s excitement started to stabilize, showing a slow increase. The beginning was always good, but then Liu Mingyuan found himself in an embarrassing situation with no bites, patiently casting for more than ten minutes without even catching a single fish. ¡°The fish seem elusive today; is this going to be a ¡®start and finish with one fish¡¯ kind of day?¡± ¡°The truth has been spoken above!¡± ¡°Probably just got lucky with that first fish, thought we had stumbled upon a wild fishing guru, boring, I¡¯m out!¡± Seeing people messaging about leaving the stream, Liu Mingyuan suddenly became anxious. ¡°Don¡¯t rush off, dear viewers, just watch a little longer, no one is catching anything on the entire river! And if you do leave, at least hit follow!¡± ¡°I hate it when old folks act cute, super annoying, get lost!¡± ¡°Blaming the weather when it¡¯s his own lack of skills, and it¡¯s such good weather today!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t believe me? I¡¯ll take down the phone and show you, really, no one is catching any fish!¡± In his anxiety, Liu Mingyuan took down his phone from the mount and started filming around. Just his bad luck, the camera had just pointed towards Yue Feng, who had a great bite and was reeling in a fish! The rod bent into a beautiful arc, evenly stressed. ¡°Haha, talk about a face slap! There¡¯s someone next to him catching a fish, and by the bend of the rod, it seems pretty big!¡± ¡°Oh, he really did catch a fish, guess I¡¯ll keep watching!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s start guessing, I say the fish is at least half a pound, anyone want to bet?¡± ¡°At least six ounces! I bet a pack of spicy sticks!¡± ¡°I say two ounces! Didn¡¯t you see his rod is as thin as a cigarette?¡± The folks in the live stream were easily entertained; as the camera passed over Yue Feng and showed the catch, they immediately engaged in discussions. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t keep moving the camera, let¡¯s see how big the fish is when it comes up!¡± Liu Mingyuan, seeing the comment, steadied the camera. After a few rounds of maneuvering the fish, the fish at Yue Feng¡¯s spot surfaced, and he was in luck; the fish weighed about eight ounces, too wide-bodied, and he struggled to lift it with his hands pinching the fish. ¡°Bet lost! The dealer wins everything!¡± ¡°Dealer wins +1¡± Seeing the size of Yue Feng¡¯s catch, a chorus of agreement echoed through the live stream room. Chapter 18 - 18 18 Unintentional Sabotage ?18: Chapter 18 Unintentional Sabotage 18: Chapter 18 Unintentional Sabotage ¡°Everyone is looking at the fish, but aren¡¯t you curious about what kind of rod this is? It¡¯s so thin, yet it perfectly handles the weight and curve of a big crucian carp without even reaching its limit!¡± ¡°Is there a pro here, please share the rod¡¯s name and specs!¡± ¡°Can the host help ask about the rod? I really like it!¡± ¡°Could it be RBen then?¡± God damn it, your RBen handles this well? A big crucian carp only bends it a little beyond the first two sections!¡± ¡°Whoever said it¡¯s RBen is a troll!¡± Seeing that his live stream was about to go off-track, Liu Mingyuan quickly took control of the situation. ¡°Let¡¯s keep the stream friendly, don¡¯t start any trends or attack anyone. I¡¯ll go and ask for you!¡± Liu Mingyuan said bravely. Yue Feng was very close to Liu Mingyuan, getting off the Fishing Box was just a formality since Yue Feng had already heard what he had just said in the stream. ¡°Hehe, this rod is custom made and not available for retail!¡± Yue Feng said with a smile, providing the answer. ¡°Can you show everyone the handle of the rod?¡± ¡°Sure!¡± Yue Feng lifted the rod, showing the brand, size, and position details on the handle. It only had ¡°Qing Hong 12 feet¡± written on it, with no manufacturer¡¯s mark or identifiable brand logo. Indeed, as Yue Feng said, this rod was not for sale. ¡°Wow, the paintwork is so neat, and the text is beautiful too! Does any pro know about this Qing Hong rod?¡± ¡°Idiot, he already said it¡¯s a custom rod, not a retail product!¡± ¡°Did anyone notice how magnetic the voice of the guy who just spoke was?¡± God damn magnetic voice, Liu Mingyuan was about to get frantic with the crowd in the live stream! ¡°Alright, alright, you¡¯ve seen the rod, let¡¯s stop the random discussions and get back to the topic, continue fishing!¡± Liu Mingyuan forcefully brought the conversation back and continued casting and changing bait. But often, the situation is not something you can control just because you want to control it. Liu Mingyuan had just sat down on the Fishing Box, not even having time to put his phone on the tripod, when Yue Feng next to him caught another fish. An observant Angler quickly noticed that Yue Feng had caught a fish and eagerly continued in the live stream: ¡°Wow, wow, wow, the guy next to him caught another fish! He might hook them continuously!¡± ¡°Watch the slip of fish, watch the slip of fish!¡± ¡°Watch the slip of fish +1, let¡¯s start betting on the size of the fish! Seven ounces, I bet a bottle of Lao Gan Ma!¡± ¡°Eight ounces! I¡¯m raising the stakes with a bottle of Lao Gan Father!¡± ¡°At least one pound! Raising the stakes with two packs of Wei Long spicy strips!¡± ... No sooner had the previous conversation calmed down than a new trend was immediately started. Liu Mingyuan, unable to resist the audience¡¯s spamming, slightly turned the camera, exposing half of Yue Feng¡¯s body in the frame. Seeing the full view was impossible, as Liu Mingyuan was hosting his own live stream, not someone else¡¯s. The better others fished, the louder his face would be slapped. Liu Mingyuan soon regretted his actions. If he could do it over, Liu Mingyuan definitely wouldn¡¯t have carelessly taken his phone everywhere to shoot videos, let alone adjusted the angle of the phone holder to capture Yue Feng in the live stream. Because he soon discovered that Yue Feng had started to connect his catches frequently. At first, it was quite lively, with bait entering the water about once every half a minute, but as the fish density increased and the shoals became bolder, Yue Feng¡¯s catching speed increased rapidly, reaching a frenzy where as soon as the bait hit the bottom, there was a bite. ¡°Wow, is this guy your friend, host? Your friend is really awesome, catching fish continuously in broad daylight!¡± ¡°Did you guys notice that when the resolution is set to 4k, you can actually see the buoy¡¯s bites!¡± ¡°The guy upstairs is really a master, he can clearly see it!¡± ¡°Wow, unbelievable, what kind of buoy is that young man using, the bites are so fierce, did you see that pause just now?¡± ¡°Saw it, saw it, even a slight bite is clear, and a pause is even clearer, starting from two notches, that buoy¡¯s bites are really beautiful!¡± ¡°I want one too, host, can you ask what brand of buoy that is, I want to get a set!¡± The chat in the live stream room was now completely chaotic! And Liu Mingyuan felt utterly miserable, as if he had swallowed a dead fly. He wanted to end the live stream, but he couldn¡¯t bear to lose the high popularity he was enjoying. However, if he continued streaming, Yue Feng would steal all the limelight in the live stream room. That guy was using some weird equipment, Liu Mingyuan could see clearly from his own fishing spot the precise movements of Yue Feng¡¯s buoy bites, which were much better than the Gold Eyes floaters Liu himself was using, which cost over a hundred each. ¡°Sorry guys, I rushed out to fish today and forgot to bring my power bank. My phone is about to die, so I¡¯m afraid I can only stream up to here today. Let¡¯s meet another day!¡± With a heartache, Liu Mingyuan still managed to retain a bit of sanity and found a somewhat plausible excuse to end the stream. If he continued, he felt he might actually suffer a heart attack. ¡°Phew...¡± Liu Mingyuan let out a long sigh after shutting down the live stream. Throughout the entire process, a fellow angler named Xiao Zhang had been watching and noticed Liu Mingyuan¡¯s defeat. Xiao Zhang¡¯s lips slightly curled up: ¡°Boss Liu, seems like your neighbor is luckier than you today!¡± ¡°Neighbor? Are you a host too?¡± Liu Mingyuan asked casually. Yue Feng shook his head: ¡°I run a fishing gear shop, in the alley at the intersection of Muxiang Road in town, Yue Feng Fishing Gear! Are you also in the fishing gear business?¡± Now, Liu Mingyuan felt even more depressed. The neighbor, who looked quite young, spoke pleasantly, and was very handsome, turned out to be his local competitor. Being beaten by a fellow angler was acceptable, but being defeated by a competitor was hard for Liu Mingyuan to accept. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m Liu Mingyuan, and I also have a store in town, Xinsheng Grocery Wholesale, and I also happen to sell fishing gear on the side!¡± Yue Feng was slightly moved inwardly, but his expression remained unchanged: ¡°Oh, so you¡¯re a senior in this field, I¡¯ve long admired your reputation!¡± As the old saying goes, peers are competitors, and this is true most of the time. After discovering that Yue Feng was in the same business, Liu Mingyuan¡¯s mindset underwent a significant change. Yue Feng also subtly felt a hint of indefinable hostility. The atmosphere became strangely silent, with Yue Feng still maintaining a high frequency of catches, but Liu Mingyuan was suffering on his end, mostly just watching after his initial catch. While the neighbor was catching one fish after another, Liu Mingyuan hadn¡¯t caught a single one, and for the first time, he felt that fishing was dull. He forced himself to stay by the riverside until past three and then found an excuse about a family issue to leave. Watching Liu Mingyuan¡¯s van retreat in defeat, Xiao Zhang finally opened up. ¡°Dude, you are fiercely competitive! It¡¯s my first time seeing Liu Mingyuan lose face! Whenever I¡¯ve seen Boss Liu by the river, he doesn¡¯t go home until it¡¯s dark, and today he just took off!¡± Yue Feng initially had a good impression of Xiao Zhang, but after hearing what he had said behind others¡¯ backs, his opinion changed quickly. Being nice in front of others and scheming behind their backs, such a person¡¯s character really isn¡¯t much to speak of. Chapter 19 - 19 19 A Cunning WeChat Promotion Campaign Please Favorite Please Invest! ?19: Chapter 19: A Cunning WeChat Promotion Campaign (Please Favorite, Please Invest!) 19: Chapter 19: A Cunning WeChat Promotion Campaign (Please Favorite, Please Invest!) In view of this impression, Yue Feng didn¡¯t have much desire to engage in deep conversation with Xiao Zhang. ¡°Hehe, the Hand Food is quite effective, if you¡¯re interested you can stop by the shop later and grab a couple of bags to try! Today I deliberately laid a heavy bait to aim for a new personal record, to see how many fish I can catch until it gets dark!¡± With just one sentence, Yue Feng had blocked the words that Xiao Zhang was about to say about laying his bait. It was inappropriate to encroach on someone else¡¯s bait spot when they were trying to set a personal record. Although Yue Feng didn¡¯t leave him any chance to speak, the routine product promotion was still necessary, so he shared some Hand Food and Rice Wine bait with Xiao Zhang for a trial. Xiao Zhang was quite tactful. After receiving the bait, he specifically vacated the old fishing spot and, more than a meter away, used the Rice Wine bait given by Yue Feng to create a new spot. Though the fish were biting slowly at the new spot, at least he started getting some. Yue Feng kept catching fish at his prime spot, and the live advertisement was quite effective, bringing interested anglers over to ask about the bait, which led to Yue Feng adding seven or eight new contacts on WeChat. However, since it was Monday, there were naturally fewer people fishing by the river, and the promotional effort didn¡¯t meet Yue Feng¡¯s initial expectations. As it neared darkness, Yue Feng fished until he could no longer see the float, then began to pack up to go home. Starting from catching his first fish at 11:20 AM, Yue Feng had fished by the river for a full six hours until 5:30 PM. When he pulled up the Fish Guard, even Xiao Zhang beside him was astonished. As per the usual rules, excluding the small fish that were caught and released immediately, there were at least fifty to sixty pounds of big crucian carp left in the Fish Guard. The 35 cm diameter competition Fish Guard was packed full and then some. Yue Feng spread out the Fish Guard filled with fish on the ground behind him and placed the bait with his store¡¯s logo next to it. He then took out his phone and snapped a picture of his catch. March 28, from 11:00 AM to 5:30 PM, downstream Qinglong Lake near Wangjiazhuang at the position of a large plowshare tip, solo explosion of the Fish Guard with a big catch! A photo of the catch with a brief description of the time, location, and general fish situation was posted to Yue Feng¡¯s Moments. Ding! The way of thinking determines the way, congratulations you now have a new understanding of commercial advertising promotions! Reward Lottery Points +500! The WeChat account that Yue Feng had applied for not long ago only had a few people in it, all customers of his, and as soon as he posted the explosive Fish Guard details, his Moments immediately blew up. ¡°Holy shit! Brutal, you caught so many! These have got to weigh at least sixty or seventy pounds!¡± ¡°Just got off work, free tonight, requesting to share the spot, applying to fish at night to take over the bait spot!¡± ¡°Is there a new badass bait out? Save a few packs for me in advance.¡± Seeing over a dozen comments and replies pop up in just a short time, Yue Feng had another idea. ¡°For the grand opening of the new store, to promote and increase store traffic and brand awareness, any angler who uses products sold by our shop and catches over 30 pounds alone, share a photo of your catch and yourself on Moments, and with 30 likes, receive a secret version of enhanced bait as a reward (300g)! In case of any cheating, all winning chances will be forfeited.¡± Once the separate message was posted on Moments, Yue Feng¡¯s phone was immediately inundated with calls! Goodness, Yue Feng¡¯s demonstration of an explosive catch at the Wangjiazhuang river section with photo evidence had already made many anglers itch with anticipation, and now he had revealed that participating in the promotional activity could win a secret enhanced bait reward. Rice Wine¡¯s bait at the store is now so impressive that the special in-house version was bound to be even more effective. Those who had bought bait from Yue Feng¡¯s store a few times and tasted the sweetness of success were immediately itching to get their hands on it. However, Yue Feng, who was usually easy to talk to, was unusually firm this time. Want to buy it with money? Sorry, it¡¯s not for sale! What, a high price? It¡¯s just a portion of bait. Someone is already willing to pay several times the price for high-quality fish bait, which is already nice, but how much higher can they go? Can they pay Yue Feng¡¯s ten thousand yuan rent? Definitely not! So, it¡¯s not for sale! The only way to get the enhanced in-house version of the secret bait was by using products from Yue Feng¡¯s shop, ¡°Fish Guard,¡± and sharing them on social media with likes. It was a spur-of-the-moment idea for Yue Feng, but with some reputation to back it up, and after today¡¯s exaggerated display of ¡°Fish Guard¡± catches, the sales of the bait at his store shot up dramatically. The first batch of die-hard fans Yue Feng acquired through the bait and Rice Wine heard that there was non-purchasable bait available through a promotional event and began their first wave of the dream-chasing journey. Take Liu Fengnian, for example, an old friend of Yue Feng¡¯s. After seeing the message on Yue Feng¡¯s social media and having his call rejected, he gritted his teeth, delegated his work for the next day, and went out fishing with a few friends. Isn¡¯t it not for sale? I¡¯ll play by your rules, bro. I¡¯ll win that limited edition bait fair and square and see just how magical it is. The next evening, as usual, Yue Feng was packing up his gear to return to the store when he glanced at his social media feed. Well, he only scrolled through a few pages and saw at least five or six posts spreading advertisements for ¡°Fish Guard¡±! These seasoned anglers usually had their own undisclosed fishing spots, which in industry terms, were known as private grounds. These places were not usually spoiled by excess fishing, and many anglers wouldn¡¯t take away large quantities of fish. The more extreme ones might even release fish caught elsewhere to increase the density in these specific waters. But now, faced with Yue Feng¡¯s secret in-house bait, these guys were completely rocking out. ¡°Yue Feng? Are you there? Posted the ad and finished liking it, where do I collect the reward?¡± Just then, a message from Liu Fengnian popped up on WeChat. Yue Feng grinned and typed back, ¡°Big Brother Liu, the shop is open from 5:30 in the morning to 10:30 at night, as usual. You can come and get it anytime!¡± ¡°Is the store not open now? We just came back from fishing and haven¡¯t even eaten yet. If your store is open, we¡¯ll stop by on our way to have a look!¡± ¡°Sure, come over! I was fishing near Wangjiazhuang this afternoon and just got back!¡± To prepare for the impromptu promotion he had launched the day before, Yue Feng readied ten special portions of bait, which was really just his spring crucian carp formula bait with a full dose of ¡°Wild Fishing Companion.¡± However, to distinguish it, Yue Feng wrote the word ¡°Special¡± beneath the bait¡¯s name on the non-sticky label with a marker pen. After arranging the promised bait, Yue Feng looked out the door at the restaurant across the street in operation. Liu Fengnian had said that several fishing friends hadn¡¯t eaten yet. Since they had helped him out, he thought he might as well be the host and treat them to a simple meal to express his appreciation and connect with them more closely. About ten minutes later, Liu Fengnian arrived with a few friends. Chapter 20 - 20 20 Mass Produced Handmade Reed Carp Floats ?20: Chapter 20: Mass Produced Handmade Reed Carp Floats 20: Chapter 20: Mass Produced Handmade Reed Carp Floats The phone was right, these guys looked like they had battled by the river all day, fully equipped with bamboo charcoal sunscreen clothing and fishing hats. ¡°Yo, Brother Liu is here! Please come inside!¡± Yue Feng quickly called out. Liu Fengnian chuckled as he glanced at Yue Feng, ¡°You, my friend, are not being very honest. With the kind of relationship we brothers have, you still make these exclusive items that are not for sale but only for gifting!¡± Yue Feng scratched his head, ¡°Oh please, don¡¯t take it too hard, bro. It¡¯s just that business hasn¡¯t been good at the store. I have to pay the rent in another ten days, which is ten thousand a year, and I earn just a few bucks each day! The main reason is our internal version of bait, it has a few ingredients that are very hard to come by, so it¡¯s just not possible to openly sell them. That¡¯s why I had to resort to this!¡± ¡°The bait, let me see what kind of bait can help you catch sixty or seventy pounds of fish in Wangjiazhuang. Bring it out for us to see first!¡± Yue Feng took out the prepared bait from a corner behind the counter and said, ¡°It¡¯s really not as magical as you think. It just has a few precious enticing ingredients added to the commercially available version! Don¡¯t judge it by its ordinary appearance, the effect is definitely solid!¡± ¡°Alright, I trust what you say. Today all four of us brothers have met your demands and followed the rules to post on social media. Can we get our reward now?¡± Yue Feng nodded, ¡°No problem, one pack each, all prepared for you!¡± After saying this, Yue Feng took out the portions for the other three and placed them all on the counter. ¡°Okay then, we¡¯ll be going now, haven¡¯t had a proper lunch yet and we are already starving, let¡¯s go find somewhere to eat. We¡¯ll have a chance to try out that magical bait you mentioned!¡± ¡°Not in a hurry, are you? You can eat anywhere, it¡¯s been such a long time and I hardly got to really know you guys, let me treat you tonight. How about we go to the local restaurant across the street for a drink? Let¡¯s deepen our friendship!¡± ¡°This... might not be a good idea.¡± ¡°Off we go, what¡¯s the harm! Leave the bait here, we¡¯ll come back for it after dinner!¡± Yue Feng greeted them warmly and pulled Liu Fengnian and the three others to go have dinner. The party of five, Yue Feng reserved a private room and then warmly ordered the restaurant¡¯s signature dishes, six dishes and one soup, a fairly decent standard. Originally, they just visited the store a few times for business, but now having the chance to sit together, Yue Feng really got to know these few friends. Liu Fengnian, a deputy factory manager overseeing production at a machinery factory, an old angler with at least fifteen years of experience. Wealthy and skilled in fishing. Wang Dong, worked at the same factory as Liu Fengnian, a workshop supervisor. He had been fishing for seven and a half years, had less time for fishing, but a strong addiction to it. Wei Liang, self-employed, owning a car accessories shop, had been fishing for six years. Ma Boqiang had been fishing for four and a half years, his grandfather the top official at the local government, barely qualified as a second-generation czar. This guy, with no regular job, was the most obsessed with fishing, always either on a fishing trip or on his way to one, meeting Yue Feng for the first time. If it wasn¡¯t for their shared love of fishing, these folks likely wouldn¡¯t cross paths at all, but now, often fishing together, their relationship had grown quite strong. Previously, Wang Dong was just a small team leader at the machinery factory workshop, promoted under Old Liu¡¯s wing. The meal and pleasantries skipped over, after a fulfilling meal and drinks, Yue Feng and the group really got comfortable with each other.. In the eyes of Liu Fengnian and the others, Yue Feng¡¯s fishing skills were ¡°excellent¡±, he had plenty of sought-after items not found on the market, and with his cheerful and generous personality, it seemed they would be interacting a lot more. Watching the four satisfied men drive away, Yue Feng¡¯s mind once again heard the system¡¯s settlement voice. Ding! Interpersonal relationships are the primary productive force. Congratulations, your understanding of basic business management has deepened by one point! Reward Points +400! A meal cost Yue Feng over two hundred yuan, but these four hundred points became an unexpected gain for Yue Feng. Adding the newly gained 900 points from today and the additional six hundred or so points from the store¡¯s promotion over the past two days, along with the unused points saved from before, Yue Feng¡¯s points balance had risen to 2710. Another fishing promotion by the riverside tomorrow would undoubtedly break the 3000-point barrier. Looking at the points balance in the system record, Yue Feng became impatient again. Why not use his two chances for a lucky draw right now? Once the thought emerged, Yue Feng could no longer suppress it. After returning to the store and locking the door, Yue Feng silently wished to draw a prize. Ding! Congratulations, you have obtained the Basic Taiwan Fishing Skill ¡°Basic Casting¡±. ¡°Basic Casting¡±: A standard and stable casting method is essential in the sport of Taiwan Fishing, Skill effect: Casting accuracy +60%, fish catch rate +5%, In an instant, Yue Feng acquired some new knowledge in his mind. Before receiving this reward, if someone talked to Yue Feng about casting, he might have been quite confident, especially since he hadn¡¯t caught much while fishing in Taiwan. But after acquiring this knowledge, he realized how shallow his previous self-assessment had been. The knowledge provided by the system detailed how to organize hooks and sub-lines, how to cast the line assembly with the right force, and how to adjust the landing points of the float and bait with subtle wrist movements. After acquiring the Basic Casting skill, even the most critical Fishing Master could find no fault in Yue Feng¡¯s casting technique. Knowledge-based rewards might be intangible, but Yue Feng didn¡¯t find them useless. After reviewing the content, he happily activated his second chance for a draw! Ding! Congratulations, you have received ¡°Handmade Reed Crucian Carp Floats¡± ¡Á10 ¡°Handmade Reed Crucian Carp Floats¡±: Handmade reed floats that are available in the market, with a jujube-core shape, lead weight of 1.3g, and robust overall performance. The float¡¯s body uses high-tech light paint, making it lightweight and eye-catching. The float performs very crisp and tidy actions, making it a powerful tool for catching small-scale crucian carp in Taiwan Fishing. In front of Yue Feng¡¯s counter, there suddenly appeared a small bundle of reed floats, each individually packaged in a clear tube, a total of ten. These floats did not vary in size or have any manufacturer¡¯s logo. Other than slightly different reed patterns used in making the floats, the bodies were all identical in size. Here¡¯s a bit of general knowledge: Reed has been used for making fishing floats for decades. Although they are called ¡°reed floats,¡± they are not the hollow reeds one might imagine. The material used for making floats is a plant that grows wild in the south called Southern Rush. The stems of this plant are uniform in texture, flexible yet with very low density, perfect for making floats. Regardless of the price range, high or low, all reed floats are made from Southern Rush. Currently, on the market, a high-quality handmade reed float can sell for a high price of one to two or three hundred yuan. For example, floats produced by leading float manufacturer Alu have regular prices over a hundred, and the prices for some rare commemorative collector¡¯s editions can multiply several times, even up to ten times or more. Take the Dog Year commemorative limited edition as an example; a set of four floats, along with a beautifully crafted Float Box, is priced at 3000 yuan. That¡¯s nearly equivalent to a common person¡¯s monthly salary. Chapter 21 - 21 21 Beginner Advanced Skill Fish Emotion Perception ?21: Chapter 21: Beginner Advanced Skill [Fish Emotion Perception] 21: Chapter 21: Beginner Advanced Skill [Fish Emotion Perception] Yue Feng¡¯s store had a section of floats in stock on the display shelves, but for some reason, possibly to increase the difficulty of the task, these were all low-priced and low-quality goods. They might be suitable for elder fishermen who prefer cheap gear and are reluctant to spend more money, but more discerning anglers would take one look and then ignore the rest. The circulation version floats won from the lottery, though lacking a manufacturer¡¯s brand mark, were observed with the naked eye to have fine details and superb craftsmanship without any defects. The date seed buoy type is very versatile and appropriate for various fishing conditions; anyone knowledgeable about floats and in need would definitely not reject them. These ten floats were clearly not meant for Yue Feng¡¯s personal use, as indicated by the words ¡®circulation version¡¯. Thus, Yue Feng guiltlessly positioned the floats in the most noticeable spot on the display shelves within the float section. Now, even the most fastidious fishing buddies coming to look for floats wouldn¡¯t have to endure that contemptuous glare. The existence of Qing Hong fishing rods and peacock feather floats had already imbued Yue Feng with an immense trust in the system¡¯s products, so he priced the floats quite high at $150 each¡ªalmost on par with domestic top-tier brands. Once the two drawing sessions concluded, Yue Feng was highly satisfied with the results and after recording the day¡¯s transactions in the ledger, he contentedly went upstairs to rest. Yue Feng went on with his business as usual, but the Moments posts from Liu Fengnian and the others caused an uproar within the fisherman¡¯s circle. Fishermen often connect with one another, and frequent anglers would inevitably make some friends over time. Liu Fengnian, a considerably experienced angler, had an extensive network. Many anglers who hadn¡¯t paid attention to Yue Feng¡¯s bait and groundbait before, upon seeing the shared catches, began inquiring everywhere. Having received favors, they naturally had a good impression, and old Liu spared no effort in praising. As a result, early the next morning, Yue Feng was baffled by the stream of customers in his store. Starting from half-past five in the morning, as the sky lightened, there was rarely a moment without visitors. Most of them purchased the Rice Wine + Formula Bait combo, selling at least 25 sets by morning, with over a hundred sets of carp hand-tied hooks also sold off the shelves. When the store calmed down around nine o¡¯clock, Yue Feng glanced at his task record, which showed the current popularity at 103/300, finally breaking through the hundred mark! To accomplish the task, Yue Feng explained in detail to every customer who bought the bait combo about the promotional rewards. Thus began an almost viral marketing campaign. Catching 30 pounds of fish in a day is quite challenging for an ordinary angler unless they encounter excellent fishing conditions. However, if they were using products from Yue Feng¡¯s store, the difficulty would be cut by more than half. With just a bit of cooperation from the fish and proper skills from the angler, winning the reward became possible. With the help of powerful groundbait, hand food, and satisfactory fishing skills combined with keen fishing enthusiasm, more anglers soon received the promised in-house formula bait from Yue Feng. As more winning anglers appeared, the heat of the Moments advertisements continued to rise. The sales at Yue Feng¡¯s store began to snowball in growth. Three days later, Yue Feng successfully completed the challenge task! Ding! Congratulations on completing the challenge task [Store Popularity] Ding! Congratulations, you have obtained the Beginner Advanced Skill [Fish Emotion Perception] [Fish Emotion Perception]: Understanding the water conditions and sensing the fish¡¯s intentions! Through judgment of hydrology, climate, barometric pressure, and real-life buoy sight, grasp the basic fish activity underwater. Accuracy rate 80% In an instant, a vast array of knowledge flooded Yue Feng¡¯s mind. Although it was only a beginner¡¯s level, the knowledge involved in an advanced skill like this was much broader than those related to fundamental skills such as Basic Casting. Several factors had to be taken into account to make an accurate judgment of fish activity. Having acquired several beginner skills in succession, Yue Feng had a thought and pulled up his personal data tab. Current host character data! Name: Yue Feng Sex: Male Age: 23 Height: 183 Weight: 75kg Education: Bachelor¡¯s Degree Occupation: Beginner Merchant (near-bankrupt fishing gear shop owner) Personality Traits: Bold, meticulous, and thick-skinned Talent: Physically strong and calm in thinking Current Remaining Points: 710 Skill: [Traditional Fishing Beginner] [Taiwan Fishing Basic Introduction]: [Master Level Inner Line Hook Binding Method][Small Hook Binding Specialization][Basic Casting][Fish Emotion Perception] [Master Level Inner Line Hook Binding Method]: A master¡¯s work is always of fine quality! Normally binding the regular sub-line, there is a minimum 99% good quality rate, with a 50% chance of creating a perfect level sub-line, without losing tensile strength due to knots. [Small Hook Binding Specialization]: When binding fishing hooks sized five or smaller, speed is increased by an extra 50%, and the probability of perfect level increases by 30%. [Basic Casting]: A standard and stable casting technique is essential in Taiwan fishing sport, with casting accuracy +60%, and increase in catching fish by +5%, [Fish Emotion Perception]: Knowing the waters as well as the fish¡¯s intent! Judging based on the hydrography, climate, pressure, and practical buoyancy, attaining basic knowledge of fish behavior underwater. Accuracy rate 80% [Cooking Introduction] Occupational Skill[Insight]: As a merchant, the ability to observe and analyze is essential, boosting observation skills by 50%. Occupational Skill[Greed]: In business, the ultimate goal of [Beginner Merchant]is to make money. Passive Effect: Wealth increases by 8 yuan/day; each time monetary gain is achieved, an additional 10% is increased. Talent: Eating, bragging, and being platinum in LoL Current Equipment: [Wild Fishing Explorer]: Increases wild fishing catch rate by 15%, effective upon wearing! Effective time: 485.5/720 hours [Special Edition Peacock Feather Float]: A Taiwan fishing float made with numerous cutting-edge technologies, with ultra-clear visibility and a high buoyancy ratio! A set of three, capable of handling most general fish behaviors! [Qing Hong¡¤12 feet]: A Taiwan fishing rod for crucian carp made from high-tech materials. Truly provides a hand feel for small fish and waist strength for big fish; it¡¯s a sharp tool for catching small freshwater individuals in Taiwan fishing. Additional effect: Line Protection +25% [Single Carbon Fishing Platform]: Made from new aviation-grade super-light carbon material, the fishing platform measures 80cm¡Á120cm, and weighs an astonishingly light 4.8kg. Current Cards: [Good Person Card]: Use on a specified target to gain their favor! This card is a one-time use item and will automatically disappear after use. Current Formula: [Spring Wild Carp Formula Bait] [Spring Wild Carp Formula Bait]: A bait formula blended for wild carp fishing in the spring low-temperature conditions, enhances the attraction effect by 20%, palatability by 15%, and when combined with bloodworms in making meat sandwiches, the effect of catching fish is doubled! Wild Station Blue Crucian Carp 35% + Giant Wild Station 40% + Quick Attack No. 2 15% + Four Seasons Brand 10% + 10g of Licorice Powder per kilogram + 15g of Strawberry Powder per kilogram. Current Item[Concentrated Version of Wild Fishing Companion]: A concentrated broad-spectrum wild fishing additive companion 330/500g, to be properly added to the bait or bait mixture, increasing the probability of attracting and catching fish by 25%, with a addition rate of 0.5%! Chapter 22 - 22 22 Black Technology Live Streaming Floating Ball ?22: Chapter 22 Black Technology Live Streaming Floating Ball 22: Chapter 22 Black Technology Live Streaming Floating Ball Current uncompleted task: ¡°Bankruptcy Edge¡±. ¡°Bankruptcy Edge¡±: As a fishing gear store owner who isn¡¯t particularly outstanding, you find yourself on the verge of bankruptcy, unable to pay your rent. You must find a way to earn enough money to pay your rent by the deadline, or you will be deemed to have failed the trial task! Reward for completing the task: Points + one random reward draw. Punishment for failing the task: Bankruptcy will lead to the loss of store ownership, and the system will vanish. Task countdown: 246 hours 48 minutes 32 seconds. Current task progress: 6470/10000. The task time is more than half over, and Yue Feng has already sold nearly 6500 yuan of stock, mostly from store inventory such as Rice Wine and regular bait, which means there¡¯s no significant pressure to restock for the moment. He is very close to completing the task. Thanks to a combination of promotions these past days, the shop¡¯s foot traffic has noticeably increased. Although most customers are trying things out for the first time, a group of regulars has already been established. As long as the product quality doesn¡¯t decline, these regulars can be considered stable customers. Having found a way, Yue Feng realized that completing the task under existing conditions wasn¡¯t as difficult as imagined, and he became full of motivation right then and there. The following week, Yue Feng lived fulfilling days, opening the shop at 5:30 am, buying lunch after 10:30 am and driving to Wangjiazhuang to fish in the river. In the evening, he¡¯d return, deliver the catch to a partnered restaurant, then head back to the store to have dinner. The evenings were for bookkeeping and maintenance, and life was stable and solid. Several boatloads of the ¡°show your catch and win bait¡± events were very successful, and now, Yue Feng¡¯s daily turnover remained stable at over 600 yuan. Adding the stable earnings of two to three hundred yuan from selling fish, Yue Feng completed the trial task five days early. Ding! Congratulations on completing the trial task ¡°Bankruptcy Edge¡±! Your current status suffix has been officially upgraded from a fishing gear store owner on the verge of bankruptcy to an ordinary fishing gear store owner. Ding! Congratulations on the points reward of 1500! Ding! Congratulations on receiving one chance for a random B category special item draw! The current environment is suitable, would you like to use it? What? The random draw mentioned in the system rewards isn¡¯t a typical lottery but is specifically marked as category B. I wonder what that means. System, system, what does category B mean? ¡°Category B Lottery is a higher level of lottery rights, with the system offering a higher quality of items and functions, and more abundant prizes! The ordinary points lottery is category C, and there are three higher levels above B category, which are A, S, and SS categories! Current permissions are insufficient, a detailed item list is available only with certain permission level upgrades!¡± With the system¡¯s explanation, Yue Feng understood that it was a higher level lottery opportunity. Even more excited now, he immediately activated the lottery. Ding! Congratulations on obtaining the special item ¡°Black Technology Floating Ball¡±. ¡°Black Technology Floating Ball¡±: High-end technology from the future that can connect to any currently open network live streaming portals without restrictions; Basic Functions: Waterproof, shock-resistant, automatic follow, shape mimicry, energy-gathering cell. Notice: This item is bind on pickup and cannot be given away or traded, and the source must not be revealed. If acquired by any third party, it will automatically be destroyed. Yue Feng¡¯s eyes widened as he read the performance description of the new gadget placed on the table in front of him. Damn, a livestreaming artifact! A few days ago, while fishing by the river, Yue Feng had ¡°passively¡± conducted his first live stream, feeling a bit embarrassed as he was captured by someone else¡¯s camera, chattering away. However, after analyzing the situation later, he realized that livestreaming could be a very good choice for running a successful fishing gear store. But at the time, occupied with completing his trial task and lacking spare cash for equipment, Yue Feng had set the idea aside. Now, as it turned out, the reward for completing the trial task was a piece of black technology live streaming equipment! Yue Feng hastily unpacked the floating ball to reveal its round and chubby body. The device was only slightly larger than an adult¡¯s fist, made of some unknown composite material with a camera resembling an eye under its transparent shield. Yue Feng weighed it casually with his hand; it wasn¡¯t heavy at all and, if he had to describe it, it was like some of the pendant-like, round 360-degree cameras. On top of the floating ball¡¯s round head was a red button, which Yue Feng pressed out of curiosity. Ding! The Black Technology Floating Ball is initializing. User Yue Feng is now bound to it. Would you like to activate it? As the prompt sounded, Yue Feng¡¯s mind made the choice to confirm! Ding! Activation successful! Ding! Congratulations on binding and activating the Black Technology Floating Ball. You are now assigned the novice live streaming task ¡°First Live Stream¡±. ¡°First Live Stream¡± task requirement: Open live streaming rights and have your own live stream room. Task countdown 24h. Reward: Unknown functional module. Penalty for failure: The Floating Ball will be retracted. The small sphere began to vibrate with a humming sound, and after a few seconds, it stabilized and hovered in mid-air. With the successful start-up, Yue Feng automatically received the management rights for the floating ball in his mind, along with a synthesized electronic voice that came to his thoughts. Ding! You have not selected a live stream content type yet. Please choose the live stream type and perform the first routine function setting! Along with binding the Floating Ball came a compulsory task, but the content was relatively simple¡ªjust to secure live streaming rights and set up a stream room. This was something Yue Feng had already researched in his free time. The process to enable live streaming wasn¡¯t difficult; it only required uploading personal basic information for verification, which could be done very quickly and without any hassle. Yue Feng took out his phone, accessed the Seafood Live platform which he frequently visited, and in the personal information section, he found the option to upload basic information to apply for live streaming access. Taking out his ID card, he uploaded the necessary content, and in less than a minute, the application was approved. Congratulations on successfully passing the video live streaming rights application. Your live streaming function is now enabled, and your room number is 87886331! Ding! Congratulations on completing the novice live streaming task ¡°First Live Stream¡±, unlocking the new Floating Ball feature ¡°Smart Housekeeper¡±! ¡°Smart Housekeeper¡±: Automatically becomes the live stream room administrator, with the ability to intelligently distinguish all behaviors in the live stream room using big data algorithms, accurately judge any potential risks in milliseconds, and respond accordingly. This feature module was also very practical, meaning he wouldn¡¯t have to worry about violations or trolls once he started streaming. Yue Feng thoroughly checked all of the Floating Ball¡¯s basic functions in his mind, made the necessary settings, and saved them! The Floating Ball is now bound to Seafood Live, room number 87886331! All initializations are completed. Please start your first live stream! Chapter 23 - 23 23 Drone Live Stream ?23: Chapter 23 Drone Live Stream 23: Chapter 23 Drone Live Stream Ding! Daily task activated, ¡°First Live Stream¡±! ¡°First Live Stream¡± task requirements: Conduct a novice test broadcast, reasonably adjust the regular streaming settings, with a minimum duration of 10 minutes. Task reward: Random Accept? Yue Feng certainly wouldn¡¯t pass up a daily task, and since he was set on starting live streaming, there was no point in hesitating. Accept! Task successfully accepted! With the basic settings of the Floating Ball sorted and the task accepted, Yue Feng got an itch in his hands. The requirements of the task reminded Yue Feng that he definitely needed to test the broadcast before going live. It was a perfect time to do a trial broadcast in the evening when there was nothing else to do and complete the novice task. Deciding to act on it, Yue Feng used his thoughts to activate the Floating Ball to start the live stream, and the Floating Ball automatically adjusted the camera to focus on his face. Yue Feng turned on his phone and saw his own live streaming footage. The angle was from above his head, which was a bit awkward, so Yue Feng controlled and adjusted the height, then started walking around the store. The Floating Ball, a true black tech for live streaming, was extremely smooth in following his movements, without any lag, and the content transmitted was crystal clear, capturing the background of the fishing store on the first floor in the live stream. But soon, Yue Feng noticed an issue he had overlooked. This device might be amazing, but it wasn¡¯t exactly suitable to carry around outside, just a bare ball floating in the air¡ªthis technology was too advanced. If the wrong people saw it, it could bring trouble to Yue Feng. Right, there seemed to be an appearance simulation function in the basic features. With a thought, Yue Feng found and activated the appearance simulation. The Floating Ball¡¯s transparent shell suddenly turned black, then cracked open and began to transform, with four propellers emerging. In the blink of an eye, what was once a bare ball became a small drone, looking a lot more believable now. At this stage, small drone technology was extremely mature, used for aerial photography, following, and even spraying pesticides in the fields. Yue Feng didn¡¯t know much about them, but since it had a video transmission system, using it for live streaming should be justifiable. Just as Yue Feng finished adjusting the settings, the first visitor entered the live streaming room, ID ¡°Drowning Fish.¡± ¡°New live stream room??? Is the host in a fishing store?¡± The first message popped up. Seeing this, Yue Feng smiled and said, ¡°Yeah, buddy, hi, I¡¯ve just opened the live stream room, and I¡¯m currently adjusting the equipment!¡± ¡°The angle looks a bit strange, are you using a phone to live stream?¡± Yue Feng shook his head and said, ¡°I¡¯m using a drone, and I¡¯m still adjusting the angle right now!¡± ¡°Is that so? Drones are so advanced nowadays? This is really the first time I¡¯ve seen one like this! The clarity and stability are pretty good, aside from the angle being a bit odd, everything else is ok!¡± ¡°Hehe!¡± ¡°Looking at your name, you¡¯re a fishing host, right? When will you start streaming? I¡¯ll swing by when I¡¯m free, I¡¯ve followed you!¡± The follower count in Yue Feng¡¯s live stream room jumped from 0 to 1. ¡°If nothing unexpected happens, I¡¯ll probably start around noon tomorrow; the store is busier in the morning, and I usually go out fishing from noon to evening!¡± ¡°Alright, then I¡¯m going to take off now, see you tomorrow!¡± Drowning Fish turned and left the room. The functions of live streaming felt a bit complicated, but once Yue Feng really started to study them, they were not difficult at all. He tried out the commonly used functions one by one and got familiar with the effects of each one. The ten-minute test live stream was completed quickly, and the system prompt sounded. Ding! Congratulations on completing the mission ¡°First Live Stream,¡± and receiving the system module functional reward ¡°Super Strong Signal Source¡± ¡°Super Strong Signal Source¡±: No matter when and where, network data transmission is always optimized. After activating this function, live streaming will no longer consume ordinary data traffic, and you will never experience disconnections or buffering. It was yet another very practical feature. Not long ago, Yue Feng had been considering the issue of data usage. He was using a plan with 100 GB of data per month, which would be throttled after reaching the limit. It was basically enough for regular use, but if he were to start live streaming, it would just barely suffice. Now, the issue of data was resolved. In the meantime, a few sporadic viewers came in, but seeing that Yue Feng wasn¡¯t talking and was just adjusting various functions, they soon left. During this half-hour test broadcast, Yue Feng only gained one follower¡ªDrowning Fish. After adjusting everything for the test broadcast, Yue Feng turned off the live stream and thought to deactivate the Floating Ball. The drone slowly descended back to its take-off position and then powered down, becoming motionless. Glancing at the time, it was already past ten at night. Yue Feng had to wake up early the next morning, so after simply locking the doors and windows and washing up, he turned off the lights and went to rest. The next day, Yue Feng woke up on time, and after busying himself until past ten in the morning, he took his new equipment and rode his bike straight to the Wangjiazhuang river section. There were still many people fishing by the river, but by now most of them recognized Yue Feng. As he greeted them, he found an empty spot to fish and began his preparations for the day. With everything ready, Yue Feng took the drone out from the Fishing Box. The drone slowly ascended and hovered at a position about one meter to the side of Yue Feng. The official fishing live stream had begun. The moment he pressed the start streaming button, a new system mission popped up. Ding! Congratulations on triggering the daily mission ¡°Challenging Newcomer Live Stream¡± Requirement for the ¡°Challenging Newcomer Live Stream¡± mission: Gain at least 300 new followers and over 5000 red hearts in a single live stream! System reward: One C-level random draw. It was another daily mission, challenging but not too high, with no penalties for failure, so Yue Feng casually accepted it. Ding! Congratulations on successfully accepting the mission! With a new mission accepted, Yue Feng felt even more motivated. He might not have eaten pork before, but he had seen pigs run. For his first live stream, Yue Feng gave his streaming room a very eye-catching name. Drone Live Stream Wild Fishing, High-Resolution Newbie Zone ¡¤ Female Show! People had seen live stream fishing before, but live streaming fishing with a drone was novel. Curious visitors quickly came to the live streaming room after seeing the title. ¡°Damn, this camera angle is so high, is it really live streaming with a drone? Has technology advanced this far already?¡± ¡°Has the host started fishing yet? What¡¯s the location, how¡¯s the fishing going?¡± ¡°Is that just a tall broadcasting stand for show, I¡¯ve never seen anyone live streaming with a drone! Plus, the camera is so stable, not a single shake!¡± ¡°+1 to the comment above. Host, make the drone move a bit!¡± The live streaming room only had a mere dozen or so viewers, but this bunch was quite active. The first point of focus was Yue Feng¡¯s drone. This was something Yue Feng had anticipated in advance, so he handled it with ease. ¡°Hello brothers in the live streaming room, I¡¯m the newcomer host Yue Feng, currently doing an outdoor live stream of wild fishing. If you like watching, please give me a follow, thank you!¡± Chapter 24 - 24 24 The Debut ?24: Chapter 24: The Debut 24: Chapter 24: The Debut ¡°Wow, such a magnetic voice, but the live stream angle is on the water surface, can¡¯t see the face!¡± ¡°Want to see the face!¡± ¡°Want to see the drone!¡± ¡°Upstairs +1¡± Since Yue Feng had just laid down the nest and there was still some time before starting to fish, he decided to fulfill the viewers¡¯ wishes on a whim. The drone slightly increased its altitude then swiveled its perspective to Yue Feng¡¯s face. Yue Feng was quite handsome himself, and with the live stream¡¯s built-in third-level beauty filter, his face under the camera was sharply contoured, and the beauty filter made him much whiter. With his sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes, he almost resembled a popular young actor. ¡°Wow wow wow! The drone actually moved, it really did! It must be above the water surface now, really streaming with a drone!¡± ¡°Is the person upstairs a true straight man? With such a handsome face, how can you still be focused on the drone?¡± ¡°So handsome +1, damn, even I¡¯m getting hard!¡± ¡°Get lost upstairs, asking for the bro¡¯s contact info!¡± This was something Yue Feng hadn¡¯t anticipated beforehand. Resigned, he said, ¡°If you like the host, please hit follow!¡± Follow +1 Follow +1 Follow +1 ... There were a total of 17 people in the live stream, and suddenly there were 15 more followers, which was a terrifying effect. Drowning Fish gifted a Rocket ¡Á1 Drowning Fish gifted Beer ¡Á10 Drowning Fish gifted a Gift 666 ¡Á1 At that moment, the notifications for gifts started to float on Yue Feng¡¯s backend. Drowning Fish has arrived. ¡°Haha, welcome Drowning Fish, my very first fan. Thanks for the gifts, bro!¡± ¡°The streaming effect is much better than last night; the angle is way more comfortable to view. Caught any fish yet? Probably the fish aren¡¯t biting fast at this time, you started streaming a bit late!¡± Drowning Fish asked. With a thought, Yue Feng shifted the drone¡¯s view back to the water surface. ¡°Just finished setting up the nest, but should catch some fish soon. There are already some fish signs, not sure if the live stream¡¯s resolution is high enough!¡± At a glance, nothing seemed off about the water surface, but when the resolution was set to the maximum, you could indeed see fish signs faintly appearing on the water surface. ¡°Holy shit! Everyone try setting the resolution to 4k, you can actually see the fish signs on the water, what kind of camera does the host use, it¡¯s so clear!¡± As someone suggested, others hurriedly switched to the highest resolution, and just as Yue Feng had said, the fish signs faintly surfaced. In ultra-clear mode, it felt as if they were right there, the effect was incredibly great. Ever since he mastered Basic Fish Emotion Perception, Yue Feng¡¯s ability to judge fish conditions had greatly improved. Through the subtle movements of the float and the wind and movements around the nest area, combined with the day¡¯s temperature and pressure, he could tell how the fish were behaving around the nest. Just then, the float at the nest moved gently. It was a small bite, not more than about one scale in magnitude. Yue Feng, who was used to the Peacock Feather Float, did not lift the rod. Such movements on an ordinary float might have meant the bait was already in the fish¡¯s mouth, but on Yue Feng¡¯s Peacock Feather Float, it was just the fish tentatively bumping the bait underwater. However, under the high-definition live broadcast, the viewers in the live stream room were not having it. ¡°Can the host even fish, he¡¯s not striking even with such clear bites?¡± ¡°A single look and he hesitates, definitely got it, yet he doesn¡¯t strike!¡± ¡°It seems that God is still fair, handsome though he may be, but the technique isn¡¯t there!¡± ¡°Getting such big bites in spring is already quite good, the host is a bit greedy!¡± said Drowning Fish. Wen Dong wasn¡¯t upset and explained, ¡°Hehe, the hook wasn¡¯t in its mouth, my float gives a different reading from others!¡± ¡°Host is full marks for faking it, is your float imported from the United States, it was obviously a bite and you¡¯re still not satisfied, waiting for a night float?¡± ¡°The person above is so unprofessional, Americans don¡¯t do Taiwan Fishing, where would the float come from!¡± ¡°Waiting for a night float +1, forced explanation is the most deadly! The host is a bit stubborn!¡± While the live stream room was intensely discussing, Yue Feng¡¯s float struck again. One could see the float giving a slight twitch akin to a bite, followed by a sharp decisive jerk. The second movement was nearly a double length in amplitude, a jerk that any fisherman would know meant a catch. ¡°Now that¡¯s a real biting action!¡± Yue Feng called out, flicking his wrist lightly, lifting the rod to accurately spear the fish. Seeing Yue Feng hooked a fish, the entire live stream room suddenly went silent. This silence lasted for more than ten seconds, and if it weren¡¯t for the live broadcast signal indicating no issues, Yue Feng would have even suspected he was offline. After a long while, someone timidly typed the first sentence, breaking the eerie atmosphere in the room. ¡°Damn! Who just saw that exaggerated jerking movement, was it a carp? It¡¯s too early for that this season, carps shouldn¡¯t be biting much at the start of spring!¡± ¡°Now I believe, it¡¯s not that the host is bad, it¡¯s that I messed up!¡± ¡°I messed up too, been fishing for so many years, never seen such a beautiful strike!¡± ¡°Just realized, the host¡¯s float is freaking awesome, super clear, and the fish biting action is great!¡± ¡°What brand is the host¡¯s float, such a beautiful bite, need a recommendation!¡± ¡°Need recommendation +1¡± ¡°Need recommendation +2¡± ¡°Need recommendation +10086¡± In two rounds, the crucian carp was already out of the water, weighing three to four catties. Yue Feng unhooked it and brought it home, then he finally had time to check the messages in the live stream room on his phone. ¡°Hehe, the float I used was a gift, it must be considered a handcrafted custom version, you can¡¯t buy it on the market!¡± Yue Feng subtly bragged again. ¡°Would you part with the float you use personally? I really liked that float, money is no issue!¡± Drowning Fish added. Yue Feng rejected without hesitation, ¡°Hehe, it¡¯s a gift from someone, it¡¯s not appropriate to give it away to someone else, I¡¯ll get you a suitable one if I get the chance!¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine! As long as it performs well, money is no issue! Actually, I¡¯m also quite interested in the drone you use for live streaming, I just called DJI to inquire, the consumer version of drones can support real-time video streaming, but the stability and clarity of your drone is just too high!¡± Seeing this message, Yue Feng was slightly stunned, just as he had expected, someone had taken an interest in his drone. ¡°The consumer version should be much inferior, the one I use was arranged by a friend, not for sale publicly, some things aren¡¯t for civilian use, so...¡± Yue Feng made up an excuse nonchalantly. ¡°Hehe, it¡¯s confidential, I understand, it has military grade!¡± said Drowning Fish. Yue Feng was worried about how to explain this, but Drowning Fish came up with a reasonable explanation on his own, leaving Yue Feng no choice but to ambiguously say, ¡°Hehe, long live understanding!¡± Chapter 25 - 25 25 A Pound and a Half of Wild Crucian Carp ?25: Chapter 25: A Pound and a Half of Wild Crucian Carp 25: Chapter 25: A Pound and a Half of Wild Crucian Carp In just a few sentences, Yue Feng¡¯s prestige had shot up a notch, making even the casual viewers in the live broadcast room feel that Yue Feng was a bit different from other live streamers. At that moment, Yue Feng saw that after the bait entered the water, the float began to exhibit lots of subtle movements, and the exchange of fish around the feeding spot became dense. This was a sign that a school of fish was gathering at the spot, indicating that it wouldn¡¯t be long before he started catching fish. ¡°Let¡¯s not continue discussing things unrelated to fishing, guys, fish have entered the spot, it¡¯s about to be fish-on time!¡± Yue Feng said. No sooner had the words left his mouth than the float dipped slightly¡ªa snapping action almost identical to that of a standard carp biting the bait beforehand. ¡°Here it comes!¡± With a flick of his wrist, Yue Feng struck again. This time, the fish¡¯s power was clearly much greater than the last; the rod bent down to the lower part of the second segment, which already constituted a significant bow. ¡°Wow, could it be a big fish this time? It¡¯s so strong!¡± Yue Feng also encountered this kind of fish situation for the first time, crying out in surprise while carefully controlling the line. ¡°Psh! The moment you start praising the host, he gets all cocky¡ªjust look at that noodle rod, barely thicker than a cigarette! It¡¯s a thin rod for catching carp; how resistant could it be!¡± ¡°The guy above makes sense, but the rod didn¡¯t bend this much even with the last big carp!¡± ¡°Eh, this feels somewhat familiar! Has the host streamed before? I feel like I¡¯ve seen this scene somewhere!¡± Two rounds later, the fish¡¯s power underwater finally stabilized a bit, and Yue Feng took the chance to glance at what everyone was saying. Then, a lightbulb went off in his head, and he had an idea. ¡°I see some brothers calling me out for lying. Since the fish isn¡¯t out of the water yet, why don¡¯t we all make a guess? Based on the power I felt underwater and the feedback through the rod, I believe this fish is at least one and a half pounds. If any of you disagree, you can follow up with your own guesses of the weight. As for the stake, I will choose the brother whose guess is closest to the actual weight and give them a batch of my secret Carp bait formula for free! And for those who guess wrong, please share the live broadcast room for me free of charge!¡± After all, a live broadcast needs to be topical. It would lose its appeal if it¡¯s as dull as still water. Besides, right now, Yue Feng could afford to give away a batch of bait. It was not only a way to liven up the atmosphere but also to make friends, proving to be an excellent choice. ¡°Free bait is worth a shot! I¡¯ll start; I guess the fish is about eight taels!¡± ¡°I¡¯m in, I guess seven taels!¡± ¡°I guess one pound!¡± ¡°Heh, I actually think the host¡¯s judgment is more accurate; I guess one pound and four taels!¡± Drowning Fish went with the flow and made a guess as well. Everyone enjoyed this type of small interaction, and soon, the chat was filled with replies guessing the weight of the fish. Some viewers who entered the stream were taken aback by the rapid-fire messages, wondering how a small live broadcast room with just over twenty people could be so lively. After a few rounds, the fish underwater had almost exhausted its strength, and Yue Feng gently applied force with the top of the rod, gradually bringing the fish to the surface. A large wild Carp with a golden body appeared in everyone¡¯s view. Even from a few meters away, its rough outline was clearly visible, and at a glance, it evidently weighed at least a pound. ¡°Damn! That¡¯s a huge Carp, and the gold color is so beautiful!¡± ¡°It¡¯s over, it¡¯s over, no chance at the bait prize now. It¡¯s so big, how could it possibly be just eight taels!¡± Soon, Yue Feng brought the fish to him, gently scooped it with the fishing net in his left hand, and the fish was safely netted. After unhooking the fish, Yue Feng held it in his hands, and with a thought, the camera angle zoomed in close. The big Carp was covered in golden scales, and its body was robust and well-proportioned, especially its width, which was exceptionally exaggerated. Yue Feng quickly measured it with his fingers, and it was almost four fingers wide, nearly as thick as a Carp weighing over two pounds. There were seasoned fishers in the live stream who had fished for many years, but such a large wild Carp was a find you couldn¡¯t search for. Many had not only never caught one but hadn¡¯t even seen one. Yue Feng took out a portable scale from his Fishing Box, secured it, and weighed the fish: 780g, just a bit shy of one pound and six taels. Ding! Congratulations, you have refreshed the Carp weight record for the Wangjiazhuang river section, automatically unlocking the regional big fish weight leaderboard! Current catch: wild Carp, weight: 780g, ranked first. Ding! Congratulations, you have received a reward of 500 Points! Several system prompts echoed in his mind. However, Yue Feng appeared nonchalant. Now that the Carp was onshore, the first thing to do was to harvest a wave of bets. ¡°Who participated in the guess just now? The truth is out now, my brothers, it¡¯s time to make good on your bets! I declare the winning brother is Drowning Fish! Please message me your address and phone number, brother, and I¡¯ll send you the courier after the stream!¡± Drowning Fish gifted the streamer a Rocket x1 Drowning Fish gifted Erguotou x1 Drowning Fish gifted Old Iron x1 Drowning Fish, who won the prize, was very generous and started gifting without a second thought, the three gifts together nearly worth a hundred yuan. He was clearly a man of character. As for the others, the majority were grown men in the live stream room, and they were willing to accept their losses; they had that much awareness. Immediately, the room was filled with notifications of the live stream being shared to friends¡¯ circles, which quickly flooded the screen. The benefits of sharing the live stream were obvious. Soon, the number of people in Yue Feng¡¯s live stream started to rise, jumping from less than thirty to fifty, practically doubling. ¡°Thanks for the support, brothers. I¡¯m starting another red heart lottery, the reward is the same¡ª a trial pack of fish food! Today¡¯s goal for the streamer is 300 followers and 2000 red hearts. If you haven¡¯t followed yet, click to follow, and if you¡¯ve followed, share it in your friends¡¯ circles, let¡¯s go for those little red hearts!¡± Quickly, a free red heart lottery appeared on one side of the live stream room. Simply light up a red heart to get a chance at the lottery, light up ten times to max out your chances of winning. Lighting up red hearts is a measure of activity in the live stream room. If a viewer likes it, they click to contribute a red heart. When a certain number of red hearts is reached, it triggers the live streaming software¡¯s background recommendation algorithm, pushing the live stream to various places. The smallest recommendation, ¡®Nearby Live¡¯, requires only 100 red hearts to be satisfied. A higher level one is within 30km, requiring 500 red hearts. For within 50km, 1000 red hearts, When red hearts reach 2000, you can get onto the regional live stream recommendations. If the live stream is hot and the red hearts exceed 10000, you might even get featured on the homepage¡¯s hot recommendations. Among those watching the live stream, there are rich magnates, but there are even more ordinary people who are reluctant to spend money. Now, with only a little over fifty people in the live stream room, running a lottery for a prize gave quite high chances of winning. Thus, the number of little red hearts in the live stream room quickly began to grow. Chapter 26 - 26 26 Perfect Debut ?26: Chapter 26 Perfect Debut 26: Chapter 26 Perfect Debut Watching the red hearts rapidly increase, Yue Feng gathered his spirit, ¡°We¡¯re almost at a thousand, guys, put some effort into it! If we hit two thousand red hearts, I¡¯ll add another prize, which will be a set of fifteen hand-tied leaders I made myself!¡± At first, everyone was quite interested when they heard about the additional prize, but the moment they learned it was hand-tied leaders, their interest plummeted. Ordinary anglers usually deal with medium and small-sized fishing stores, where offering leader tying is indeed a service. But those that can do the leader tying job well and with precision are quite rare. Most fishing gear industry workers tend to go for efficiency, resulting in just passable quality leaders that lack finesse. The very next second, Yue Feng casually opened his own box of leaders! Boy, all of the leaders were neatly arranged, whether it was the spacing between hooks or the length of the leaders, everything was in an impeccable standard; these leaders were not just for fishing, they could be considered works of art! ¡°Wow...¡± ¡°Holy crap!¡± ¡°Hiss...¡± All sorts of exclamations flooded the screen again. ¡°Are you a professional competitive angler? Those leaders blew me away! Did you tie them yourself?¡± ¡°Do you take orders, host? I really want to buy a box of these leaders, even if I don¡¯t use them, they¡¯d be great just to look at!¡± Yue Feng wanted to agree, but then he thought better of it and gave up on the idea. Although there were only about fifty to sixty viewers in the live stream, Yue Feng¡¯s fan count had already risen to 112. Yue Feng was very fast at tying hooks, but there were simply too many people; if he opened up this opportunity, he could make money, but then he wouldn¡¯t have any free time at all. ¡°I¡¯m not a professional competitive angler, to be precise, I¡¯m the owner of a small fishing gear store in town. As for the hooks, yes, I tied them myself, but tying hooks is a meticulous task, and my brothers might have a high demand, so I will not be accepting orders for the time being. ¡°A whole box of custom leaders, I will offer them to everyone in a lottery later, so brothers interested in this can follow the live stream for updates!¡± ¡°I knew it, the host isn¡¯t just any angler, you¡¯re the owner of a fishing gear store, you tie hooks authentically! I¡¯ve already clicked the red heart, wish me luck!¡± ¡°I want it too, I want it too, nobody else grab it, I¡¯m clicking, I¡¯m clicking, and I click some more!¡± Some people started a red heart clicking spree, which soon influenced others; a group of people focused and clicked away, sending the total number of red hearts to 5,000 and still crazily increasing. ¡°Alright, alright, that¡¯s enough! Let¡¯s start the lottery! One portion of secret recipe bait, fifteen pairs of hand-tied hooks on a platform, regular parameters of your choice, good luck everyone!¡± Upon clicking the draw button, names of all the anglers that met the conditions in the live room started leaping crazily. In the end, one name appeared behind the winner. Heartless Wanderer! Yue Feng glanced at the lottery result and said, ¡°Congratulations to the brother Heartless Wanderer for winning the second round of prizes! The usual rules apply, send me your phone number and address through private message backstage!¡± Ding! Heartless Wanderer sent a gift of 24 Beer Graffiti! Heartless Wanderer: ¡°Lucky me, ran out of virtual coins on my account, don¡¯t mind that it¡¯s a bit less!¡± ¡°Hehe, thanks for the Beer graffiti support from the heartless wanderer! Here, Yue Feng would like to add one more thing, the lucky draw is purely for fun and to liven things up for the bros, there¡¯s no rule that says you have to give gifts if you win a prize¡ªno need now, nor will there be in the future!¡± With that said, everyone¡¯s fondness for Yue Feng suddenly increased quite a bit. Out there in the world of live streaming, all kinds of hosts bait for gifts and use all sorts of tricks. A host like Yue Feng, who declares he doesn¡¯t operate under such rules, is truly a breath of fresh air in the live streaming community! After a shout-out, Yue Feng continued to cast his line. Curiously enough, he hadn¡¯t caught many fish, but the mood in the live stream room was extremely high-spirited. No wonder so many live streaming rooms are giving stuff away¡ªthe enthusiasm of the freeloading crowd is just too scary. Because of this brief delay, the fishing spot Yue Feng had settled on was now teeming with fish. As he cast his line into the water, he fished more and more quickly, soon starting to catch them in succession. ¡°To catch them one after another in the middle of the day, 6666!¡± ¡°I remember now, this is the west bank of Wangjiazhuang. A few days ago another Angler was live streaming here and caught sight of the host¡ªno wonder it feels so familiar!¡± ¡°I have an impression too, I think the live stream¡¯s title was ¡®Challenging the Hardest Time to Catch Fish in the Wild During the Afternoon Gap.¡¯ Back then, that Angler Old Liu started and ended his cast with just one fish, spending the whole time watching the host reel them in one after another. Later, he didn¡¯t stream for long before he ended the broadcast feeling down in the dumps!¡± ¡°Wow, impressive! Not only does he look good, but he also fishes well. Love it, love it!¡± ¡°Upstairs, have you no shame? Whip it out, and you might even be bigger than the host. Love my foot¡ªcalm down!¡± ¡°Ying ying ying, I don¡¯t care, little brother, I want to have your monkey babies...¡± Facing this kind of teasing, real or fake, Yue Feng ignored it all and focused on fishing. Anyway, the channel steward would veto any problematic comments¡ªanything that came through was definitely fine. The fish were biting incredibly well today, and they were big too. In just a short while, he had already landed more than a dozen fish, which were still crazily taking the bait. Yue Feng¡¯s adrenal glands were pumping out adrenaline, making him ecstatic. Without realizing it, two hours had passed, and a system notification chimed in Yue Feng¡¯s mind. Ding! There are 10 minutes left before the livestream ends. Please make sure to handle any unfinished business before going off-air to avoid any oversights. Once the system notification chimed, Yue Feng was dumbfounded. Damn, just for doing a livestream there¡¯s actually a time limit. ¡°System, system, there¡¯s actually a time limit for the livestream?¡± [Because the host¡¯s authority is too low and has not unlocked higher-level functions, you can only stream for two hours a day. If you want to get more streaming time, please work hard to complete various live streaming tasks. Additionally, the host¡¯s secondary job has been bound, and there¡¯s also a chance to get time extension rewards through a lottery draw!] ¡°Alright!¡± Yue Feng sighed helplessly. ¡°Sorry, guys, the drone has indicated the battery is low, so today¡¯s fishing livestream has to end here. If everything goes well, I should be streaming every day at noon in the near future. Those who won the prizes, please send me a private message with your address and phone number so I can send out the small gifts through express delivery as soon as possible!¡± ¡°Wow, time flies, it¡¯s already been two hours? I¡¯m not even done watching the bobber dunk!¡± ¡°Damn, it¡¯s almost two o¡¯clock, I¡¯m done for, gonna be late for work!¡± ¡°Little brother, I¡¯ve already sent you my WeChat ID in a direct message, remember to add me, love you lots!¡± ... Looking at the messages from the audience in the livestream, Yue Feng felt quite accomplished. The final minute ended, and the livestream automatically cut off. Chapter 27 - 27 27 Points Mall ?27: Chapter 27: Points Mall 27: Chapter 27: Points Mall Ding! Congratulations, Host, for exceeding the task [The Challenge of a Rising Star Live Stream], current live broadcast stats: Follows: 678/300, Red hearts: 7360 Ding! Congratulations, Host, for obtaining an additional reward of 1170 points. Ding! Congratulations, Host, for acquiring a Class-C lottery opportunity! Hearing the system¡¯s rewards in his mind, Yue Feng¡¯s head slightly froze. It seemed that the system had explained not long ago that the regular points lottery belonged to Class-C. Now that tasks were completed, why didn¡¯t he just get direct points rewards? Why emphasize a Class-C lottery opportunity? ¡°System, isn¡¯t a Class-C reward just an ordinary points lottery? What¡¯s the difference?¡± [While the ordinary points lottery prizes fall under Class-C, prizes awarded in the Class-C lottery have a larger range, including some authority effects not listed in the ordinary points lottery rewards!] Now Yue Feng understood that the Class-C lottery opportunity awarded by the system had a wider range of prizes than those accessible through the usual 1000-point lottery. Some rewards could not be won through the normal 1000 points draw. Yue Feng glanced at his attribute tab, and with all the recent unlocking of big fish rankings and completing tasks, he had unknowingly accumulated close to 3820+ points. By his calculations, when he returned home, he could go all out with four draws! It was just past two in the afternoon, and Yue Feng didn¡¯t want to give up the fishing spot that was still biting. After adjusting his mindset, he patiently fished until evening. Only then did he stand up from his fishing spot, stretch satisfyingly, pack up his equipment and catch, and head home. After dinner, having accounted for the day¡¯s takings, Yue Feng impatiently locked the door of the house and returned to his room. Let the lottery begin! First up, three points lotteries. Ding! Congratulations, you¡¯ve won the virtual card [Trash Fish Charge] [Trash Fish Charge]: When used, gathers all non-target fish species in the vicinity into the specified area. The card vanishes after one use, and the effect lasts for 6 hours. Continue the lottery! Ding! Congratulations, you¡¯ve obtained the skill [Basic Fishing Position Selection] [Basic Fishing Position Selection]: Fishing is about timing, location, and harmony, with location being particularly important. The choice of fishing spot can directly affect the outcome of a fishing activity. Learning to select a fishing spot will allow you to identify the quality of various fishing spots. Current effect: Ability to distinguish between spots with fewer or no fish from an array of options. Third time, continue the lottery! Ding! Congratulations, you¡¯ve won a special virtual item [Challenge Voucher (Rare)] [Challenge Voucher]: Triggers a challenge task against a specified target upon use. Success in completing a challenge will result in substantial rewards! Since the Host¡¯s profession limits the types of challenge tasks available to: fishing, live streaming. Usage example: Player A, who has bound the fishing skill, uses a challenge voucher proactively on character B, who possesses the same skill type, automatically triggering a fishing-related challenge task. Being the challenger, A has the initiative to choose one of three options that the system provides, which is most advantageous for them, to generate a corresponding challenge task. If the challenge is successful, substantial rewards are granted, and a certain penalty is imposed on the opponent. If the challenge fails, the challenger will suffer a certain loss. If owning a challenge voucher, when provoked by someone else, one can choose to automatically trigger a challenge task and enter challenge mode. Challenges triggered by provocation do not consume a challenge voucher! After three lotteries, Yue Feng got his hands on a basic skill and two special virtual items. The [Trash Fish Charge] card seemed a bit useless; it could control fish in the water to gather in a specific area. The only use Yue Feng could think of was to avoid small trash fish. As for the [Challenge Voucher] he got from the last lottery, Yue Feng was somewhat surprised. It turned out that he could trigger challenge tasks through special items. According to the system¡¯s example explanation, actively using the challenge voucher was clearly not worth it. Even if successful, the item would disappear. In contrast, if it was kept unused until someone else provoked a confrontation, then activating the quest wouldn¡¯t risk losing the item. After figuring out the general purpose of the three lottery rewards, Yue Feng¡¯s eyes fell on the last task reward¡¯s lottery option, which he had almost been unable to resist drawing from just now. As per tradition, the good stuff should of course come out last. Draw! Ding! Congratulations, you¡¯ve gained +100 Authority Value! Congratulations on the authority increase! Your current Authority Value is 200, and the Basic Fishing Gear Points Mall is now automatically unlocked! Damn! The lottery actually gave a hundred points of Authority Value and directly unlocked the system mall! Unable to wait, Yue Feng silently invoked the Basic Points Mall in his mind, and quickly saw an inventory list appear in his consciousness. Since binding with the system, Yue Feng had always passively received various system rewards and items through the lottery. He had never had the option to actively choose, but now that the mall was open, he had the power of choice. Items or skills already possessed could be found in the system mall with their prices listed, but not all items were included in the sellable items section. Instead, it was randomly refreshed every 24 hours, with a maximum of five items each time. Soon, a variety of items and skills appeared on the price list in the Basic Mall. [True Wild Fishing Rice Wine] priced at 5,000 points [Wild Fishing Companion Standard Version] priced at 3,000 points. [Wild Fishing Companion Concentrated Version] priced at 8,000 points. [Basic Trolling] priced at 1,200 points. [Basic Bait Opening] priced at 2,500 points. [Qing Hong ¡¤ 12 foot] priced at 16,000 points. [Single Carbon Fishing Platform] priced at 18,888 points. Yue Feng just took a cursory glance and was speechless. The prices of the goods offered in the system mall were really expensive. Big-ticket items like fishing rods and carbon fishing platforms having high prices was acceptable, after all, their performance was evident. But the combined exchange points of the True Wild Fishing Rice Wine and the Wild Fishing Companion, rewards from the system¡¯s big gift pack, amounted to as high as 8,000 points. What sort of exchange scheme logic was this based on? Compared to these tangible rewards, the price of skills was quite a bit lower. However, the fact that Yue Feng learned the Basic Hook Binding Skill just by watching videos taught him that it was possible to learn basic skills on one¡¯s own without the system, although it would require a lot of practice over time. With no mentor, Yue Feng felt that purchasing skills like Bait Opening and Trolling, which required a broad set of comprehensive abilities, would be more suitable through spending points; self-learning these skills would be quite challenging. Before the lottery, Yue Feng felt rather wealthy with close to 4,000 points, but upon opening the mall, he found that his points could hardly buy anything. Skills were indeed valuable and not too expensive, but without points in hand, Yue Feng couldn¡¯t afford them for now, so he could only close the mall with resignation. He prepared for bed early and rested. While Yue Feng¡¯s progress was steady and improving, and he slept rather well, a few streets away, his colleague Liu Mingyuan was somewhat irritable, tossing and turning with restlessness. Chapter 28 - 28 28 No Experience ?28: Chapter 28 No Experience 28: Chapter 28 No Experience As Yue Feng¡¯s fishing equipment store became more and more famous, Liu Mingyuan¡¯s shop began to lose many of its regular customers. The other shop had reliable and magical bait that increased the catch rate, while old Liu¡¯s store only had the common commercial bait available on the market; the outcome of the competition was as one might expect. A few days ago, Liu Mingyuan had Black Tiger scope out the situation, but he didn¡¯t obtain any valuable information. However, before long, he was given a good lesson by Yue Feng by the riverbank. Afterward, he got a bag through someone¡¯s help and was surprised by how effective it was at attracting fish. Only then did he begin to take it seriously. He figured out why the bait worked so well, but it still wasn¡¯t any use; it looked ordinary, yet it performed way better. Liu Mingyuan couldn¡¯t procure the same product and had to let his wife discount the goods in the shop to at least regain some of the customers. Rice Wine Liu Mingyuan himself couldn¡¯t produce nor had the supply channels for it, but it did reveal a benefit to him¡ªusing Yue Feng¡¯s bait for laying a bait bed and then live-streaming the fishing. What¡¯s the biggest fear of live-streaming fishing? Of course, it¡¯s not catching any fish during the stream. No matter how eloquently you speak, not catching fish is just blabber, No matter which kind of fish you¡¯re aiming for, as long as they bite and you can keep catching without interruption, there will be viewers who like watching, Exaggerating protection or the Air Force preaching logic; the audience has long been tired of such approaches. Through two live-streaming sessions, Liu Mingyuan tasted quite some sweetness and managed to showcase some products in his live room due to the increased catch. This pleasantly surprised him, as if he had found a way to solve his current problems. That¡¯s why recently, he¡¯s been live-streaming more frequently. The next afternoon, Yue Feng arrived at the Wangjiazhuang river section as usual, but as soon as he parked his car, he found that the fishing spot he used yesterday was already taken by someone who was also live-streaming. As Yue Feng walked up to take a look, he saw that it was the well-known internet star Liu Mingyuan. ¡°Yo, Brother Liu, what time did you get here?¡± Yue Feng asked with a slight smile, greeting him. Liu Mingyuan was interacting with friends in the live room and gave Yue Feng a nod as a greeting when he looked back at him. Yue Feng didn¡¯t know him well and just considered it a polite nod to an acquaintance. Since the other party was busy with the live stream and didn¡¯t have time to pay attention to him, Yue Feng didn¡¯t make a fuss and started looking for a fishing spot to set up and start his own live stream. As Yue Feng was assessing potential spots, he noticed a significant change in the scenery in front of the regular fishing positions; much of the area appeared grey. The spot where Liu Mingyuan was currently situated didn¡¯t have any color in front, similar to the area directly in front of the plow tip, but that place was already taken. Could this be the effect of Basic Fishing Position Selection? Yue Feng didn¡¯t rush to choose a fishing spot but instead started to observe and reflect. The description in the Basic Fishing Position Selection skill allowed anglers to identify primary zones with few or no fish. The grey area in front of the fishing spot he saw must correspond to the few or no fish zones mentioned in the skill. Yue Feng glanced at the fishing spot he randomly chose beneath his feet, which also appeared grey. He shook his head immediately and walked over towards the plow tip. The three best fishing spots at the plow tip location were already taken, but there was an available spot on the left side towards the river bend close to the plow tip¡¯s front end. This spot didn¡¯t appear grey, indicating it was a fish-active area. ¡°Yue Feng is here? No, come join me, the spot over there is a bit shallow!¡± At that moment, a fellow angler he recognized called out to Yue Feng. Yue Feng grinned and replied, ¡°Thank you, but there¡¯s no trouble. I¡¯m starting a live stream, and being too close will disturb your fishing. I¡¯ll just pick a random spot to have some fun!¡± ¡°Oh, I see, you¡¯re doing a live stream now? Which platform? I¡¯ll drop by when I have time!¡± ¡°Seafood Live, I just started one. I¡¯m new to this!¡± Yue Feng replied as he began to prepare for fishing with swift and skilled movements. The fellow angler mentioned that the water was shallow, so Yue Feng set up his fishing platform, mixed the bait, prepared the groundbait, and adjusted his line. He was ready to go before long. Everything was ready, and Yue Feng started the livestream at 12:10 PM. Drone livestream fishing, Yue Feng takes you to witness explosive protection! Currently in the novice stage, his popularity was quite low, so Yue Feng had to play up the selling points in the title of his livestream room. No sooner had the livestream started than people began to join in. The first few were IDs he somewhat remembered from the day before. Maybe they had set a reminder for when the livestream starts. ¡°Hahaha, first one here!¡± ¡°Second!¡± ¡°I¡¯m here too!¡± Yue Feng slightly adjusted the drone camera angle and began his opening remarks, ¡°Thanks, everyone, for watching my livestream! Today¡¯s the second show, continuing with the fishing livestream for you all!¡± ¡°How long since you cast the line? Have you started fishing yet?¡± ¡°When¡¯s the draw today?¡± ¡°Damn it, I set an alarm for this. Watching your live fish catching at noon yesterday made me late for work in the afternoon!¡± ¡°The draw will be held after the livestream room gets more popular. I¡¯ve just arrived at the fishing spot not too long ago. If it¡¯s your first time in my livestream, please follow me, and for those familiar faces, please help share as usual! Thank you, everyone!¡± Yue Feng organized his opening remarks with still quite an enthusiastic voice, but since there were so few people in the room, there weren¡¯t many responses. After an awkward chat with a few familiar anglers from the day before, the room gradually fell silent. Although the atmosphere in yesterday¡¯s livestream was quite good, after today¡¯s start, it didn¡¯t continue yesterday¡¯s brilliance. It was as if a passionate crowd had suddenly calmed down. Yue Feng was just a newbie host and didn¡¯t know where the problem lay. He only instinctively felt that today¡¯s vibe was a bit off. However, he had just set up his bait, and the area around it was eerily quiet, with no sign of fish activity. About five minutes later, the audience that remained in the room started to become impatient. ¡°No bites here, I¡¯m out!¡± ¡°Boring, better to watch Liu Mingyuan fish. He¡¯s getting constant bites!¡± After ten minutes since the livestream started, Yue Feng was frustrated to discover that the audience of more than fifty people from yesterday¡¯s room had dwindled to a sparse ten or so, and the number was still decreasing. ¡°Host, this isn¡¯t working. If there are no bites in a fishing livestream, then what¡¯s there to watch? People are gonna leave soon!¡± an ID named Cockroach888 left a message in the room. ¡°Hehe, it¡¯s my lack of experience in hosting. Thanks for the reminder, bro. But since I¡¯ve already started the livestream, it doesn¡¯t make sense to stop and start over. Just wait a little longer, the bait has been laid down, the baiting will happen soon!¡± After this reminder from the viewer, Yue Feng quickly realized where his problem lay. Although yesterday¡¯s start was somewhat successful, it didn¡¯t mean he had the right formula for starting a livestream. It was only because he utilized a drone to broadcast and encountered a generous viewer who gifted him that they made it through the awkward period before the fish started biting. What to do? What to do? Yue Feng started thinking rapidly in his head. Chapter 29 - 29 29 Drones Teach You How to Choose a Fishing Spot ?29: Chapter 29: Drones Teach You How to Choose a Fishing Spot 29: Chapter 29: Drones Teach You How to Choose a Fishing Spot Yesterday, I experienced drone live streaming. After the novelty wore off, many viewers weren¡¯t as enthusiastic today. As for showing off equipment, you can¡¯t update and change it every day, so it¡¯s not a lasting strategy. ¡°Damn, I¡¯m still inexperienced. It seems that if you want good streaming results, you can¡¯t just start fishing without proper preparation. You must at least have baited the spot!¡± Yue Feng muttered to himself. Ding! Every job isn¡¯t as simple as it appears to outsiders. Congratulations on gaining a new understanding of live streaming! Reward: Lottery Points +300 Ding! System notification! The average number of viewers in the first ten minutes of the stream is less than 1/50 of the total number of followers, and the current live performance is rated as poor. Please, streamer, find a way to change this situation. Being at a poor rating for a long time will affect the backend weight score of the streaming platform. While the reward was okay, the second system notification made Yue Feng slightly worried. He needed to come up with a plan. Just then, Yue Feng¡¯s WeChat pinged, reminding him. Right, besides getting viewers from the live chat to share, I can share it myself. The content itself isn¡¯t the issue; it¡¯s just that the opening is slow. Having thought of a solution, Yue Feng finally settled down. He quietly waited for the fish to start biting at the baited spot and then shared the link in his friends circle and fishing groups. Whether it was by skill or luck, just 15 minutes after baiting the spot, Yue Feng started seeing signs of bites. It was stars of fish and various baits sinking into the water attracting the fish, signaling to Yue Feng that his baited spot was attracting fish and they could start biting at any moment. Seeing the perfect timing, Yue Feng shared his stream link to his WeChat friends circle and fishing groups. New to streaming, explosive series of big crucian carp at Wangjiazhuang river section! Whether it was Yue Feng¡¯s WeChat friends or the group members, most of the fishermen were locals. The Wangjiazhuang river section, being a famous wild fishing spot, immediately triggered recognition about the location. Seeing Yue Feng¡¯s shared information piqued their curiosity, and they started clicking to watch without hesitation. This prompted a rise in the popularity of the live stream. Congratulations to Riverbank Angler for sending Rocket x1 Congratulations to Riverbank Angler for sending Super Sports Car x1 Congratulations to Riverbank Angler for sending Tomorrow¡¯s Star x1 Riverbank Angler: ¡°Bro, what are you using to stream? The clarity is good, and the angle is quite unique. Have the fish started biting? I am Liu Fengnian!¡± True to being a big shot, Liu Fengnian entered the stream and immediately sent three significant gifts, totaling almost two hundred bucks. Yue Feng switched the camera to his face and said, ¡°Thanks for the gifts, Big Brother Liu. I¡¯m using a drone for the live stream. I¡¯ve just finished baiting, and you can already see the fish stars. If you switch to 4k, you should be able to clearly see the surroundings of the baited spot!¡± Following Yue Feng¡¯s reminder, many newcomers to the stream quickly switched to 4k mode, and indeed, the view became much clearer! ¡°It really is. The floats and fish stars are clearly visible. Next time, put ¡®4k view¡¯ in the title, bro, you¡¯ll definitely get a lot of followers coming to watch!¡± Yue Feng was quick on the uptake and nodded, saying, ¡°Thanks for the tip from the angler. I¡¯ll include that in the title for the next stream! While the fish aren¡¯t biting in succession yet, let¡¯s use the drone to show everyone the surrounding environment of the fishing spot! It¡¯s not usually this convenient when fishing.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a great idea, teaching everyone how to select fishing spots, really making full use of the drone¡¯s advantages!¡± a viewer chimed in. Yue Feng¡¯s thoughts stirred, and the drone, which was hovering less than two meters high, began to ascend, quickly reaching an altitude of at least 30 meters. ¡°Wow, I thought it was just hype, but it¡¯s actually a drone broadcast! So high, the people below look like tiny ants!¡± ¡°Damn, I just realized I¡¯m a bit afraid of heights. I can¡¯t handle the 4k, it¡¯s too clear and it¡¯s making my head dizzy!¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t the host supposed to teach us how to choose fishing spots? Let¡¯s get started!¡± Seeing that the live room had become much livelier, Yue Feng finally relaxed and organized his thoughts briefly before starting to explain. ¡°In wild fishing, choosing a fishing spot is very important, as it affects the final catch of a fishing activity. Although we can¡¯t see the underwater environment, we can use some other methods to make a simple distinction. Taking the river section you see now as an example, the preferred fishing spot is located at the tip of the spade!¡± At this point, Yue Feng¡¯s thoughts stirred again, and he quickly zoomed in the camera, giving a close-up aerial view of the area near the spade. ¡°Holy shit! How much zoom is that? Not to mention the excessive smoothness, it still maintains such clarity!¡± ¡°The host¡¯s equipment is awesome¡± ¡°Everyone quiet down, let¡¯s focus on the lesson!¡± After the close-up, Yue Feng continued to explain the chosen fishing spots. ¡°It¡¯s best to have a spade jutting into the water. If not, how do you choose a fishing spot? In my opinion, an eddy that provides food and hiding spots for fish is also worth a try! Also, even though it looks quite flat onshore, spots near underwater ravines with varying depths are good fishing spots ¨C fish in the shallows if there are two deep and one shallow areas, and fish in the deep if there are two shallow and one deep areas.¡± As Yue Feng finished speaking, he deliberately zoomed in the camera again, marking the fishing spots that hadn¡¯t appeared with gray marks before. ¡°These fishing spots are all viable options, usually conforming to one of the principles I mentioned earlier!¡± ¡°On the contrary, the fishing spots I am going to mark next generally have little fishing value. They are usually too shallow, the terrain is too flat with no hiding places for fish, or they have deep cliff faults that are not easy to bait and gather fish,¡± Yue Feng¡¯s explanation might be well known to many experienced anglers, but just verbally explaining it tends to be hard to understand. However, illustrating it now with an aerial view using the drone is a different matter entirely. From the drone¡¯s camera above, one can see the variations in water color caused by different water depths. Landforms like eddies, spade tips, and underwater channels, because of the depth variations, can all be clearly and vividly seen. Now, the fishermen who had little idea about choosing fishing spots all suddenly realized why they hadn¡¯t been catching fish; choosing a fishing spot alone involved such deep knowledge. ¡°Not bad, this is good, I learned a lot today!¡± ¡°I always wondered why my catch never improved. It turns out the spots I chose were all wrong!¡± ¡°Although spade tips are good, good spots are fiercely contested. If you want to catch good fish, you still have to get up early to claim a spot!¡± As he touched on a point of interest for everyone, the volume of discussion suddenly increased, and the atmosphere in the live room gradually improved. Seeing the live room enter a positive feedback loop, Yue Feng breathed out lightly, finally managing to bring the rhythm of the broadcast back on track. Chapter 30 - 30 30 The Damaging Move ?30: Chapter 30 The Damaging Move 30: Chapter 30 The Damaging Move Ding! Congratulations, your understanding of controlling the live broadcast room has improved by one point! Lottery Points +200! Another two hundred points awarded! This indeed was an unexpected joy for Yue Feng. On this side, many people are still discussing the knowledge about choosing fishing spots that Wen Dong just talked about. Meanwhile, Yue Feng¡¯s float bobbed sharply twice, signaling a striking bite. Lifting the rod to strike the fish, he¡¯s got a bite! ¡°Finally got a bite, brothers, we¡¯ve got a fish on! Those who just joined the live stream, give it a double tap and follow!¡± Yue Feng called out excitedly as he lifted his rod, relying on the strength of the rod¡¯s waist to bring the fish out of the water. With Yue Feng catching his first fish, the volume of his voice inadvertently rose, causing Liu Mingyuan, who was also live streaming not far away, to look up and frown slightly. Liu Mingyuan had just figured out the routine of live streaming while selling goods, but he hadn¡¯t expected Yue Feng to start live streaming as well, which could spell trouble. You see, the Seafood Live platform has a certain logic mechanism for live stream recommendations. Smaller streamers, without any trendy catchphrases that go viral, are limited to regional exposure at best. Their fanbase also tends to be regional. This means that if Yue Feng¡¯s live-streaming of fishing overshadows Liu Mingyuan, there will be a significant impact on the fanbase, leading to a split in viewership, making Liu Mingyuan¡¯s comfortable routine of live-streaming and selling goods a lot harder. Liu Mingyuan¡¯s mind was filled with these issues, and as he watched the float in the water, he inadvertently lost his focus. On the other hand, Yue Feng, having started to catch fish regularly as if sounding a charge to attack, quickly went from slow bounces to rapid bounces, and then into a streak of continuous catches. During his last live stream, once Yue Feng began catching fish steadily, his interaction with the viewers in the live room noticeably decreased. At the time, Yue Feng didn¡¯t think it was a problem, but looking back, it was clear that today¡¯s lackluster performance in popularity and the room¡¯s low energy had a direct correlation with the reduced interaction with Wen Dong. Why would anyone be willing to wait for you if it¡¯s just a one-time thing? With that time, wouldn¡¯t it be nicer for them to hop to another channel where someone is on a catching streak? Thinking of this, Yue Feng began to contemplate new topics of conversation. Fishermen actually have no shortage of topics to discuss, but to guide the conversation intelligently is another matter entirely. After a brief moment of thought, Yue Feng came up with several interesting topics. ¡°Now that we¡¯re catching fish steadily, brothers, don¡¯t just sit there idle. While we¡¯re watching the floats, let¡¯s chat a bit¡ªI¡¯ll start. How long have you all been fishing? What¡¯s the biggest fish you¡¯ve ever caught?¡± ¡°Fishing for five and a half years, biggest catch two and a half pounds!¡± ¡°The guy above is even better than me. Apart from half a pound crucian carp, I haven¡¯t caught any decent fish!¡± ¡°Fishing for twelve years, wife left me because of it, child went with the mother, now living alone, working 12 hours and resting 24 hours, going fishing at least 260 days a year, biggest catch a three and a half pound carp, never caught a big one!¡± ¡°The guy above is even stronger than me. I got into a fight with my wife because of fishing, and I haven¡¯t gone home for a day and a night. Now I¡¯m by the lake, just freshened up the fishing spot, ready to fish all night again!¡± Yue Feng¡¯s topic choice wasn¡¯t problematic initially, but it was taken off on a tangent by a fellow fisherman, and soon the fishing live stream turned into a grievance airing session. Stories of family conflicts caused by fishing, warnings and fines from work, and buying equipment only to end up with no money for food at the end of the month stirred emotions in the live room. Seeing the topic veering off course, Yue Feng quickly steered it back: ¡°Fishing is a great hobby, but we need to balance leisure with work, and it shouldn¡¯t disrupt our main jobs or normal family life!¡± ¡°My idolized teacher once shared a classic example. When he wanted to go fishing, he took care of all the chores inside and outside the home in advance, and then when he asked his wife for permission to go fishing, naturally she allowed it!¡± ¡°I saw that story in a video, that teacher is so funny!¡± ¡°I most envy those couples who both enjoy fishing¡ªtruly a match made in heaven!¡± ¡°Envy what? My wife is right beside me now. I set up our nest, I carry the fishing box, if I don¡¯t catch fish, it¡¯s my fault. If there¡¯s a bite, she yanks me away! I regret teaching my wife how to fish!¡± ¡°Sympathy!¡± ¡°Sympathy +1¡± Finally, the tide of public opinion turned again. Just then, the fisherman by the river spoke up again. ¡°Bro, what kind of float are you using? How come the strikes are so exaggerated!¡± The fisherman by the river was none other than Liu Fengnian. It was his first time in the live stream, so he soon became fascinated by the beautiful strikes of the float and couldn¡¯t help but ask. ¡°Heh, Brother Liu, this float was a gift from a friend, not for sale!¡± ¡°If it¡¯s not for sale, never mind, but do they have a retail version? I didn¡¯t pay much attention when I last visited the shop!¡± In the past, Yue Feng might have been embarrassed for not having high-quality floats, but now it was different; he had floats from a lottery that hadn¡¯t even been sold in the shop yet. ¡°Actually, the shop does have some, they¡¯re made of reed, and they¡¯re also crucian carp floats shaped like date pits, which are suitable for fishing crucian carp this season!¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll stop by later to take a look, and if it¡¯s suitable, I¡¯ll get one to use!¡± ¡°Sure thing!¡± Yue Feng had simply answered a question about the float, but to Liu Mingyuan, it sounded extremely jarring. True to his worries, just when he started learning about live streaming, they began selling products, and the progress was a bit too fast. Before you know it, they¡¯ll be left high and dry on the beach! No, he can¡¯t show weakness like this, he needed a plan! With a quick turn of the eyes, Liu Mingyuan thought of a cunning scheme. Liu typed out a long text message with his head down and sent it to his wife through WeChat. A few minutes later, a new account named Sunset entered Yue Feng¡¯s live stream. ¡°Yue Feng, where are you live streaming from? The Rice Wine and bait formula I bought from your shop yesterday aren¡¯t attracting any fish!¡± Everyone was casually chatting and teasing, and suddenly such a message popped up, not only addressing Yue Feng by name but also tarnishing his products. The Smart Housekeeper could block and instantly delete negative comments from trolls, but it couldn¡¯t deal with fact-based situations like this. ¡°????¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Host, someone is here to sabotage your show!¡± The chatty audience was slightly startled and then started tagging Yue Feng. Yue Feng promptly spotted the message from the new account, his eyebrows slightly furrowed. ¡°This brother called Sunset, you bought my bait? Where are you fishing? Also, are you a beginner or do you have some experience? Maybe you didn¡¯t get the trolling or location right. The feedback for the bait sold in my shop has been very good, and everyone can see the results from the live stream!¡± Initially, Yue Feng¡¯s first impression was not that the other person was causing trouble, but rather that he might be a beginner. Chapter 31 - 31 31 A Straight Man Has No Fear of a Crooked Shadow ?31: Chapter 31: A Straight Man Has No Fear of a Crooked Shadow 31: Chapter 31: A Straight Man Has No Fear of a Crooked Shadow If the other party is a beginner, it¡¯s normal not to catch fish. Good bait doesn¡¯t make one invincible. If you are fishing in waters or water layers without fish, even the Air Force would find it normal, Yue Feng thought to himself. ¡°I¡¯ve been fishing for seven or eight years now. My skills aren¡¯t great, but I have basic judgment. What are you selling me? Rice Wine is made from crushed corn, and it tastes just like the cheap ones that cost two bucks a bag. You sold me twenty-one bags, and I didn¡¯t catch a single fish. That¡¯s just ruthless!¡± Seeing this comment, the entire Fishing Livestream Room instantly fell silent. There was a big scoop in the making! Don¡¯t look at the livestream having only sixty or seventy viewers, but if this issue isn¡¯t handled well, then Yue Feng¡¯s stream channel would be ruined. ¡°Rice Wine is made from coarse corn, I admit, but it¡¯s just a carrier for attracting fish. It doesn¡¯t negatively impact the fishing results. If you don¡¯t believe me, you can see what I use myself. It¡¯s the same material and taste!¡± As Yue Feng spoke, he took out his own prepared bait, showing under the camera that his indeed was made from crushed corn. ¡°Who knows about that? Anyway, here¡¯s the situation. See what you can do?¡± Yue Feng clicked on Sunset¡¯s profile, wanting to check the user¡¯s works or information, maybe recalling the face or name. But upon clicking, Yue Feng¡¯s brows furrowed. The account named Sunset showed it was registered just today, and all the details were left unfilled. Looking at this, there seemed to be an intention to set the pace. ¡°It¡¯s alright if it¡¯s not effective. Let¡¯s make a promise in the face of all the fellow viewers in the livestream, if the product is not satisfactory, I will refund you in full. You send back the bait, and I¡¯ll refund the money. How about that?¡± ¡°The fish didn¡¯t bite; I already threw it away. Where would I send it back from? It¡¯s just that small amount after all. You don¡¯t know your own product?¡± Seeing that I¡¯d already promised a refund no matter what, and the other party still said this, Yue Feng instantly confirmed the other party was just here to harass him. A bag of Rice Wine weighs about one pound. That¡¯s enough for heavy baiting this season. Even if the Rice Wine is used up, it¡¯s impossible that all the mixed bait is gone as well. That¡¯s just nonsense. ¡°No problem, let¡¯s connect on the microphone and verify the issue in detail. If it¡¯s confirmed to be our product, even if you¡¯ve thrown it away, I¡¯ll still refund you!¡± Having said that, Yue Feng immediately sent a request to connect on the microphone. However, to Yue Feng¡¯s dismay, the other party instantly declined. ¡°Why not connect? I¡¯d just started this, so I can¡¯t guarantee 100% satisfaction, but we should address issues, not run away from them!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not convenient!¡± ¡°Then buddy, when exactly did you spend money in my store? I¡¯ll try to remember if I have any impression!¡± Since Sunset mentioned it wasn¡¯t convenient to connect, Yue Feng had no choice but to continue asking for more details. ¡°Yesterday noon, about one or two o¡¯clock!¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°Absolutely sure. How could I be wrong about the time?¡± Seeing this response, Yue Feng felt his temper flare up. ¡°Heh, that money, I can¡¯t refund it! Go find whoever you want.¡± ¡°How can you do this, not keeping any credibility? It¡¯s just a few tens of bucks. Are you really abandoning all decency over such a small amount?¡± Upon hearing Yue Feng refused the refund, the other party instantly flipped. ¡°I was live streaming fishing by the river yesterday at noon. My viewers can vouch for me. When could have I sold you any bait? Clearly you just registered a new account, coming here to stir up trouble in my stream, right?¡± At that moment, Sunset had nothing to say. Despite all his calculations, he hadn¡¯t considered that Yue Feng¡¯s store didn¡¯t even operate in the afternoon, and he had so confidently stated otherwise. Now, there was no way to backtrack. ¡°I remembered wrong, I bought it the day before yesterday at noon!¡± ¡°The day before yesterday? For the last ten-plus days, my shop¡¯s business hours have been from 5:30 AM to 10:30 AM. If you want to tarnish my reputation, at least do your homework first, okay?¡± After saying that, Yue Feng did not hesitate to manually block Sunset and kick him out of the livestream room. ¡°6666! The host¡¯s logic is awesome!¡± ¡°Perfectly vindicated himself!¡± ¡°This smear tactic, it¡¯s so lame!¡± ¡°What kind of people are these, can¡¯t they see someone succeeding? He¡¯s just running a livestream catching some fish, how disgusting!¡± Riverside Fisherman: ¡°I am an actual customer from Yue Feng¡¯s shop, I can personally vouch for Rice Wine and the bait¡¯s effectiveness. Many of our fellow fishermen are using it, so let¡¯s not let these sneaky characters disturb us!¡± Youth from Afar: ¡°I¡¯m also a local fisherman where the host lives, bought his bait once, and the practical effect was quite good!¡± With local fishermen testifying, the truth about this incident surfaced very quickly. Yue Feng nodded, ¡°Thanks to both brothers for testifying! Although ours is a Fishing Livestream Room, we might consider preparing some promotional products for the brothers in the future, but I have no plan to pursue profit from this. Here, I make a solemn promise to everyone! Anything you get from me, whether used or unused, if you feel dissatisfied, you can return or exchange it unconditionally!¡± Despite the small troll¡¯s attempts, Yue Feng¡¯s image not only remained unscathed, but it also notably improved a lot. ¡°The Rice Wine and formula bait used by the host are very effective? Is there a little yellow car? Hanging for a wave, since we¡¯re using bait anyway, let¡¯s try something new!¡± ¡°Trying something new +1, I¡¯ll take one too!¡± ¡°Get me one too!¡± Soon, a frenzy of requests to purchase began. ¡°Hehe, no little yellow car temporarily, so if you want to try the bait, we currently don¡¯t have it for sale. But no worries, to thank you brothers for your support, we can run a lottery! This time I am giving away three sets of Rice Wine + bait. If we reach 100 shares and 800 follows, we¡¯ll start the draw!¡± Yue Feng timely brought out the perfect follower-increasing tool and continued the giveaways¡ªthis time, three sets at once. Fish in the Water shared the livestream room! Cockroach888 shared the livestream room! The Moon is Bright in My Hometown shared the livestream room! ... A whole flood of notifications showing people sharing the livestream room appeared. Soon, the number of viewers in Yue Feng¡¯s livestream room started climbing drastically, growing even crazier than the day before. In such a short span, it had already easily surpassed the 100 threshold! There were quite a few viewers from the same region who knew each other in real life, and sharing and promoting did play a certain role. Hearing that there were prizes, many viewers were quickly drawn into the livestream room. Perhaps because the two were too close to each other and their livestream content was similar, as Yue Feng¡¯s room began to gain viewers, Liu Mingyuan¡¯s popularity started to slide. From a stable 200+ it fell to just over 140, losing a third of its viewers. Chapter 32 - 32 32 Pinching Fish Challenge ?32: Chapter 32: Pinching Fish Challenge 32: Chapter 32: Pinching Fish Challenge ¡°Eh! Is this streamer also fishing downstream of Qinglong Lake? The environment looks pretty similar to that of Angling Liu!¡± ¡°Not just similar, it¡¯s the exact same place. See the cell tower across the river? This is the western bank of Wangjiazhuang, near the edge of the Hua Jian!¡± ¡°Damn, now that you mention it, it really is!¡± ¡°No way, I have to go to Liu¡¯s stream to tell my buddies, so we can all go grab the prizes!¡± Upon seeing the last message, Yue Feng felt like trouble was brewing. Damn it, don¡¯t people love adding fuel to the fire? Poaching viewers from another streamer¡¯s channel is just making a mess of things! As expected, in less than a minute, Yue Feng received Liu¡¯s PK challenge request! A PK is a form of live streaming common on many platforms, where two streamers encourage their fans to send virtual gifts, and whoever draws more support in a set amount of time wins. At the end of the day, it¡¯s a way of ¡®drinking the blood¡¯ of the fans¡ªthough the gifts are virtual, they are bought with real, hard-earned cash. At this stage, Yue Feng didn¡¯t have many fans and was not keen on trying this out. Even if there might be some short-term gain, it would be like quenching thirst with poison¡ªnot a sustainable strategy. ¡°Let¡¯s just focus on our own stream, and don¡¯t go around starting trouble. Brother Liu already invited me to PK, and I declined,¡± Yue Feng said. ¡°Man, you¡¯re such a scaredy-cat! We¡¯ve got so many brothers in this stream, what could go wrong if you accept it? If they dare to show their teeth, our brothers will take care of it!¡± ¡°Exactly, accept it!¡± ¡°Go ahead and accept. I¡¯ve been in his stream before, and the atmosphere here is way better. They don¡¯t have any big sponsors, let¡¯s take him on!¡± The warmongers suddenly became spirited. Seeing the PK request pop up again, Yue Feng scratched his head reluctantly but accepted, thinking it would be better to just clear the air. There was no need to have a PK over gifts¡ªto create unnecessary animosity when they would inevitably see each other again. Soon, the PK was connected, and the screen split in two, showing the first-person view of both individuals. ¡°Brother Liu, I¡¯m sorry about earlier. I didn¡¯t manage to keep things under control, and some viewers went to your channel and stirred things up!¡± Though Yue Feng hadn¡¯t really done anything wrong, he adopted a more humble stance and apologized to Liu Mingyuan right off the bat. Liu Mingyuan sneered coldly without a hint of warmth, ¡°Brother Yue Feng, you¡¯re playing a wild game here. If you want to gain some followers, you could have just co-streamed with me. Why let your viewers stir things up in my channel!¡± Hearing this, Yue Feng¡¯s face began to show hints of being unable to hold up his facade, as everyone had watched previously¡ªYue Feng had not instigated or persuaded anyone. It was merely the individual action of some viewers. Moreover, Yue Feng had already apologized with the first thing he said, not expecting Liu Mingyuan to reply without giving him any face. If Liu Mingyuan had been a huge internet celebrity with fans in the hundreds or millions, he would have the right to talk like that. But Liu¡¯s stream barely reached two hundred viewers at its peak, barely stronger than Yue Feng, yet he spoke so boldly. Any bit of goodwill Yue Feng had vanished instantly. ¡°You got it wrong, Brother Liu. I didn¡¯t ask my viewers to stir things up. I accepted the PK to clarify this matter with you, to avoid any hard feelings. Now that we¡¯ve talked, I won¡¯t disturb your fishing any further. We¡¯ll chat later!¡± After saying this, Yue Feng actively disconnected the PK! The more Yue Feng avoided conflict, the more Liu Mingyuan felt provoked. Watching Yue Feng hang up on his PK challenge, Liu Mingyuan clicked to request again. Yue Feng saw the PK request pop up once more and furrowed his eyebrows in annoyance. Was this still not over? Connect! ¡°Haven¡¯t done anything shameful, so why the rush to hang up? How about it, since we have similar numbers, shall we have a go?¡± Liu Mingyuan suggested. ¡°Better not, I just started and don¡¯t really know many people, and I don¡¯t have many big sponsors in my stream. I¡¯m not comfortable with this kind of PK that¡¯s all about who has more money,¡± Yue Feng shook his head, unwilling to agree. ¡°How about we change the method? Let¡¯s not compare the score of gifts anymore; how about we compete with fishing?¡± Ding! You are currently facing a provocation from Liu Mingyuan, will you accept the challenge? Since you have a Challenge Voucher, accepting will automatically generate the corresponding challenge task. Winning the challenge will grant you generous rewards! Failing the challenge will result in certain punishments! No sooner had Liu Mingyuan made his suggestion than Yue Feng received a system prompt. He could now activate the challenge mission? Since the prompt mentioned generous rewards and did not cost a Challenge Voucher, Yue Feng had nothing to be afraid of. Besides, Liu Mingyuan¡¯s fishing skills were just average and not much better than Yue Feng¡¯s. The only reason he didn¡¯t bother with him was to avoid trouble, not because he was afraid of the other party. Now that the other side had repeatedly provoked him, it was no wonder Yue Feng wouldn¡¯t show mercy anymore. ¡°What¡¯s the method?¡± Yue Feng had made up his mind, but he didn¡¯t immediately accept the challenge. He wanted to understand the rules first. ¡°Both our fishing spots are doing well right now, so how about we compete for ten fish? Whoever catches ten fish first wins. The loser has to stand on their hands and bark like a dog!¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t this punishment a little harsh? It feels somewhat insulting,¡± Yue Feng hesitated and asked. ¡°What¡¯s the big deal? Plenty of them have turtle drawings on their face; standing on your hands and barking is just a game. Lots of streamers play this way, don¡¯t make it too serious!¡± ¡°Alright, let¡¯s do as you said!¡± Upon hearing the rule was to catch ten fish, Yue Feng was full of confidence. Not to mention that his fishing spot was in a ¡°hit-after-hit¡± condition, while Liu Mingyuan¡¯s spot, not far away, was barely ¡°about to jump¡±, slightly slower than Yue Feng¡¯s. ¡°Deal! Let¡¯s settle this! Restart the PK, time is running out!¡± Understanding the rules, Yue Feng instantly accepted the system¡¯s challenge mission! Ding! You have successfully accepted the challenge mission ¡°Ten Fish¡± Reward: Random Punishment for Failure: Unknown! Very soon, the PK in the live broadcast room started up again, and Yue Feng readied his double hooks with lure, then joined the PK. ¡°Let¡¯s start!¡± Yue Feng gave a shout-out and swiftly cast his line into the water. Yue Feng¡¯s fishing spot was next to the spade¡¯s edge in a whirlpool. When he cast his line, fellow anglers had reminded him that the water was a bit shallow, currently only about 1.5 meters, around forty to fifty centimeters shallower than Liu Mingyuan¡¯s side. Normally this slight difference wouldn¡¯t matter, but in an official fish-off PK, it was critical. The shallower the water, the shorter the time for the double hooks and lure to reach the bottom. Both people cast their lines into the water nearly at the same time, Yue Feng¡¯s float had already reached the fishing mark, but Liu Mingyuan¡¯s float was still on its way down, more than ten centimeters from the fishing mark. Yue Feng¡¯s fishing spot was fully stirring, and he was using the current stage¡¯s most effective lure for middle-sized fish, the meat-stuffed bun lure. As soon as the bait hit the bottom, there was an immediate bite, followed by another firm bite. The fish were biting steadily. He lifted the rod to hook the fish! Hit the target precisely! The fish¡¯s strength underwater was not weak, bending the rod into a beautiful arc. To apply pressure on the opponent, Yue Feng purposely stared at the screen after taking the fish off the hook and shouted, ¡°First one in the house!¡± He cast his second rod, and even before it hit bottom, it was intercepted mid-way by another fish, a slightly smaller crucian carp! Usually, Yue Feng wouldn¡¯t count a small crucian carp just over a pound towards his catch, but now that the competition was about the number of ten fish, size didn¡¯t matter! ¡°Second one in the house!¡± In just a few minutes, Yue Feng had already caught six fish. Liu Mingyuan was starting to panic! Chapter 34 - 34 34 Highlights Beyond Expectations ?34: Chapter 34: Highlights Beyond Expectations 34: Chapter 34: Highlights Beyond Expectations Ding! You have successfully accepted the challenge mission ¡°One Hour Fish Pinching¡±! Reward for the mission: Random Punishment for mission failure: Unknown! ¡°Hey, Yue Feng, are you listening, are you taking on the fish pinching challenge tomorrow or not?¡± Just as Yue Feng was daydreaming, Liu Mingyuan urged him again. ¡°Accepted! Why wouldn¡¯t I? Meet here at noon tomorrow!¡± Yue Feng called out the time. ¡°Alright! Don¡¯t forget to watch the big fish pinching battle in the livestream tomorrow, brothers. I, Old Liu, will definitely prepare thoroughly to redeem myself for today¡¯s shame!¡± Unlike Old Liu¡¯s serious tone, Yue Feng just grinned and laughed, ¡°Haha, the fish pinching is just for the livestream¡¯s effect. Let¡¯s not take it too seriously! If our brothers in the livestream have nothing else to do, they can also come and enjoy the spectacle!¡± ¡°That¡¯s it for now, I¡¯m ending the PK, remember the fish pinching competition tomorrow!¡± After turning off the PK, Liu Mingyuan exited Yue Feng¡¯s livestream. ¡°Yue Feng was quite impressive here, didn¡¯t expect his Fishing Skill to be that good! The way he caught those ten fish was so clean and efficient!¡± ¡°Old Liu has no sportsmanship, Yue Feng already apologized, but he still wouldn¡¯t let it go. Now, it turned out bad for him, losing face big time!¡± ¡°I guess Old Liu is too embarrassed to continue livestreaming, probably going offline soon!¡± ¡°There¡¯s going to be a good show tomorrow, this is making enemies now!¡± The livestream room buzzed with excitement; after this round of PK, the number of viewers in Yue Feng¡¯s livestream stabilized at over 200 people. Though it¡¯s good to have more people, Yue Feng was not blindly optimistic. Today¡¯s event was actually a broadcast accident, and he had been lucky this time, together with his basic skills passing muster, that he hadn¡¯t lost face. However, if he didn¡¯t curb this kind of attention, it would eventually bring real trouble to him! After organizing his thoughts a bit, Yue Feng sincerely said in the livestream, ¡°Thank you everyone for supporting Yue Feng, I¡¯m new here and am so grateful for your love! Although I won the fish pinching, I still want to emphasize in the livestream that we¡¯re just a newcomer who has only broadcasted twice. Let¡¯s chat, watch the livestream, and discuss fishing. Let¡¯s not follow suit and set a rhythm for the streamer everywhere! There are no squares without norms. If any friend in the future sees the excitement and doesn¡¯t mind making a scene, don¡¯t blame me for not reminding you. You¡¯ll be blacklisted and banned when the time comes!¡± ¡°The streamer is right, if you like fishing, just watch fishing. Why provoke others!¡± ¡°Support the streamer +1¡± ¡°Support the streamer +2¡± ¡°Don¡¯t rush to lay down the rules, the float has topped up to the belly, if you don¡¯t strike soon, it will be dragged away!¡± A sharp-eyed viewer in the livestream timely reminded him. Yue Feng turned his head to look, and sure enough, the float had been pushed up and was showing its belly. He lifted the rod, the force underwater was quite strong, but Yue Feng controlled the rod steadily, and after a simple two rounds, he finally pulled the fish out of the water. The bite was too generous, he actually caught two fish with one rod, pulling up a double-tail! ¡°Double-tail!¡± Yue Feng called out, casually pulling out a landing net from behind. The fish were of a decent size, and it was a bit safer to use the landing net. Busy with watching the punishment for the fish pinching challenge, the fishing spot was left empty for about ten minutes or so. Thanks to the heavier baiting of the fishing spot, not only did the number of fish not decrease, but they became even more concentrated. After picking off the fish, Yue Feng continued to cast his line and soon started catching fish with almost every cast. With only basic fishing techniques, Yue Feng didn¡¯t have many flashy moves, just appropriately casting, feeling for bites, and reeling in fish. Under the high-definition camera, the brothers in the livestream found it incredibly satisfying to watch. Unconsciously, the two-hour livestream was over, and the system notification came in advance! Ding! Two-hour livestream countdown at ten minutes, please handle all related affairs in advance to avoid any unnecessary trouble caused by the end of the broadcast. ¡°Guys, sorry about this, the drone¡¯s battery is alarming again. Today¡¯s livestream can only last until now. For the winners in the livestream, send me your name, phone number, and address in a private message, and I will send out the gifts as soon as possible!¡± ¡°Damn, time flies!¡± ¡°Son of a bitch, I¡¯m gonna be late again. I swear I set an alarm!¡± ¡°Bro, when are you going to livestream again? I just got here and you¡¯re already signing off! Can I get your WeChat?¡± One of the viewers¡¯ questions in the livestream reminded Yue Feng, who quickly added, ¡°I¡¯ll be livestreaming around noon tomorrow, continuing the live fish pinching with Liu Mingyuan. Welcome all brothers who are free to come and watch!¡± ¡°886!¡± ¡°Goodbye!¡± Amidst the chorus of farewells, Yue Feng exited the livestream. Ding! The smart editor has generated highlights from this livestream, would you like to manually review? Holy crap, that¡¯s so advanced? It even edited together the highlights already? Yue Feng decided to manually review with a thought. The highlight reel has been saved to local files! Yue Feng opened the backend of his phone¡¯s livestream account and indeed, a clip that met the platform¡¯s requirements for snippet uploads was quietly waiting there. With a thought, Yue Feng started the preview. After just a few seconds, Yue Feng was completely blown away by the impressive intro. The 58-second clip began with some high-class opening effects that were apparently made with some software, looking very sleek and straightforward. After the intro, the video cut straight to the meat of the content, which began with a drone¡¯s bird¡¯s-eye view teaching viewers how to choose fishing spots, with corresponding locations marked and additional voice-over and subtitles added in post-production. Following the segment on choosing fishing spots, the clip moved on to the thrilling edits of fish biting, with dozens of consecutive shots of the float gently nudging and stopping satisfyingly. The selected actions were all very crisp and clean, and even Yue Feng, who was involved in the action, felt his blood boiling as he watched. The content about fish pinching and the handstand punishment was entirely absent from the clip, which was not exactly something to be proud of, exactly as Yue Feng had wished. The short video of less than a minute concluded, far surpassing Yue Feng¡¯s expectations, and he couldn¡¯t find a single fault with it, so he immediately chose to upload it. A few seconds later, the highlight reel was uploaded successfully! Uploads required a simple backend review before being published, and since Yue Feng was new to this, he casually set his phone aside and resumed fishing. The fish were biting well, and it seemed a shame not to take advantage of such rapid bites. Having caught just four or five fish, Yue Feng¡¯s phone chimed with a system notification. Yue Feng didn¡¯t have many friends, so his phone rarely buzzed with messages, and he usually checked them immediately. But this time, he was shocked. The snippet he had just uploaded had hit the regional hot list in less than five minutes. The viewing numbers, like counts, and followings were rising every second, and the comments had exceeded fifteen in a very short time. ¡°Damn! The editing on this clip is freaking awesome!¡± ¡°The fish are really active! That big bite has me too distracted to work!¡± ¡°This streamer¡¯s got the goods, followed!¡± ¡°Is this at Wangjiazhuang river section? I see the signal tower across!¡± ... Chapter 35 - 35 35 Old Liu Cheats ?35: Chapter 35: Old Liu Cheats 35: Chapter 35: Old Liu Cheats Before uploading the highlight reel, Yue Feng had a fleeting thought that this clip might go viral. However, the idea passed quickly; after all, fishing live-streams were just a small niche. Although there were people who enjoyed watching them, they only took up a small proportion of the overall user base. Competing with the meticulously produced works of singing, dancing, and talent streamers was exceedingly difficult. But reality exceed Yue Feng¡¯s expectations. Based on this development speed, getting over a hundred thousand clicks seemed effortless. One hour later, the uploaded clip successfully broke twenty thousand clicks, and Yue Feng¡¯s follower count also successfully surpassed 1,000. Ding! Congratulations on your follower count surpassing 1,000 and triggering the daily task ¡°Newcomer Streamer¡±. ¡°Newcomer Streamer¡±: Having a thousand followers shows that you¡¯ve successfully surpassed the rookie streamer phase. The system will now have higher expectations of you. System task: Advance to a Newcomer Streamer within a week, with followers successfully surpassing 10,000 and a stable attendance over 1,000 viewers in a single live stream! Reward: Unknown Increases in followers activated Yue Feng¡¯s daily task, and the requirements were not low¡ªachieving ten thousand followers within a week! However, this task wasn¡¯t a challenge task and had no failure penalty. Based on the current trend, it seemed like posting a few more videos should easily meet the system requirements. With a thought, Yue Feng accepted the task successfully. By dusk, Yue Feng had caught almost forty pounds of carp, but the growth in video data began to slow, and his followers reached 1,400+. Today was a great harvest not only in followers but also in live fish grabbing. Satisfied, Yue Feng packed up his gear, hopped on his scooter, and headed straight for his little nest. Yue Feng had a fulfilling day, but Liu Mingyuan¡¯s return home wasn¡¯t as pleasant. After losing in fish pinching and having mishaps during a headstand, he had shut down the live stream and returned home by three in the afternoon, his face sullen as he pulled up in his van but didn¡¯t drive it into the yard. ¡°Shopkeeper, why have you come back so early today?¡± His wife, Zhang Cuifang, noticed her husband¡¯s grim expression and asked with concern. ¡°Why do you think I¡¯m back early? You couldn¡¯t even do a simple task properly, what¡¯s the use!¡± Liu Mingyuan, feeling disgruntled, vented his frustration on his wife. ¡°I did exactly as you said in the message, but who knew he wouldn¡¯t open the door this afternoon! It wasn¡¯t my intention to expose us!¡± Zhang Cuifang argued. ¡°You silly old woman, I told you he was live-streaming at Wangjiazhuang river section around noon. Can¡¯t your brain take a turn? Even guessing the time, you couldn¡¯t guess something dependable! You¡¯ve made me lose at fish pinching, good for nothing and making things worse!¡± Upon hearing this, Zhang Cuifang immediately took offense, her face turning and pointing at her nose, she said, ¡°Liu Mingyuan, are you going mad at me! How is your fish pinching loss my fault? Are you fed up with peaceful days and looking for an excuse to quarrel with me?¡± Typically, Zhang Cuifang¡¯s status at home wasn¡¯t less than Liu¡¯s; they both had their wins and losses in arguments. Most of the time, when things got heated, it was Liu Mingyuan who cooled down first. But today was different; Liu Mingyuan had embarrassed himself during the live stream and was already fuming internally. ¡°Get lost, don¡¯t wave your fingers at me!¡± Liu Mingyuan swatted his wife away, his face cold as he moved towards the inner room to boil water for tea. It was just a simple swat, hardly forceful, but unfortunately for Zhang Cuifang, she stumbled, and her head accidentally hit the nearby shelf. Seeing a small cut on her face that even bled a little, the shopkeeper scrambled to her feet and launched a vicious attack on Liu Mingyuan. ¡°How dare you, Liu Mingyuan, take out your anger on me after getting upset outside! You push me and I get this scratch, you¡¯re not getting off easy either, watch as I rip your face apart!¡± The fierce shopkeeper was more than enough for Liu Mingyuan to handle. He guarded his face with his arms, blocking left and right, but still, he couldn¡¯t cover every angle, and soon enough, he had a bloody gash on his neck. ¡°You stupid woman, aren¡¯t you done yet!¡± Liu Mingyuan, his skin crawling from the scratches, pushed his wife away and raised his voice. ¡°You scoundrel Liu Mingyuan, we¡¯re not done today, I will fight you with everything I have!¡± Zhang Cuifang, feeling wronged, was relentless. The two tangled in a furious scuffle, even knocking over the nearest shelf, scattering small items all around, leaving the room in complete disarray. After a while, they stopped fighting, glaring viciously at each other while panting heavily. Liu Mingyuan¡¯s lips twitched, but he didn¡¯t dare to speak and turned his head to go into the back room. That night, Liu Mingyuan had an uneasy sleep on the small bed in the side room, putting his mind on the next day¡¯s fish pinching event with Yue Feng, he lost all desire to sleep, tossing and turning on the camp bed for half the night, only falling into a deep sleep after 3 AM. Since they had agreed to meet at noon, Liu Mingyuan ate his lunch early and hurried to the riverside. Fishing, indeed, involves many tricks, and although the rules he set with Yue Feng seemed fair, Liu Mingyuan still had his own schemes. Normally, it¡¯s difficult to cheat when two people choose their fishing spots, bait their hooks, and start fishing at the same time, but if one arrives early and tampers a bit, they could gain a significant advantage. Today, the riverside was crowded with fishermen, and the prime spots were already taken. Liu Mingyuan, carrying a fishing rod with a heavy line, walked around the vacant riverbanks, selecting several seemingly reliable spots based on his experience and, while no one was paying attention, secretly baited a few areas nearby. Yesterday, they had agreed that the fishing spots would be set side by side, they would bait the hooks simultaneously and start fishing together. Now, after marking his spots, Liu Mingyuan had pre-baited them in a circle. When the fish pinching started, Liu Mingyuan would already have the upper hand in terms of intelligence, and just a small oversight by Yue Feng could lead him into a trap, providing a good chance to get revenge. Before they even realized it, it was already the agreed time of 12 o¡¯clock, and Yue Feng arrived precisely on time on his motorcycle. Seeing that Liu Mingyuan had already unloaded his gear but had not yet started fishing, Yue Feng thought that the other man had just arrived, so after a quick greeting, he began unloading his equipment. As they had already finished discussions the day before, Yue Feng didn¡¯t wait until everything was ready to start the live broadcast today. He had barely set up his equipment when he activated the live stream. Liu Mingyuan had more or less the same timing as Yue Feng when he started his live stream. ¡°Hello everyone, I¡¯m Yue Feng, and today I am still at Wangjiazhuang doing an outdoor fishing live stream. Yesterday, I made a pact with Liu to pinch fish for an hour today, and we both arrived at the riverbank early, just unloaded our gear, and are preparing for the fish pinching!¡± Chapter 36 - 36 36 The Little Black Fan is Exposed ?36: Chapter 36: The Little Black Fan is Exposed 36: Chapter 36: The Little Black Fan is Exposed ¡°Who¡¯s the host following the trends in the popular segment, tell me what happened? It seems pretty lively!¡± ¡°Yue Feng must win! Go, go!¡± ¡°Let me congratulate the host in advance on continuing to win and making the opponent stand on their head and bark like a dog again!¡± Riverside Angler sends a gift of a huge Rocket! Drowned Fish sends a gift of Beer Graffiti! Drowned Fish: ¡°Hehe, I didn¡¯t watch the live stream yesterday, seems like I missed something, what¡¯s going on?¡± Yue Feng grinned: ¡°Hehe, it¡¯s nothing, just competing with a local big brother by the river, won a match yesterday, and we¡¯re up for another round today! Just got the bait ready, going to let it sit for a few minutes and then start fishing!¡± As soon as Yue Feng finished speaking, he suddenly saw a WeChat message pop up in the background of his phone! The presence of the drone freed Yue Feng¡¯s phone camera, so Yue Feng was able to exit the live streaming app to check the WeChat message, his OCD kicked in, and he casually clicked to view it. It was an image sent to Yue Feng by his fishing buddy, Wang Dong. What¡¯s this? Yue Feng glanced at the image, and his expression turned sour. It was a screenshot from a friend circle, ¡°My dear Liu is live streaming fishing, friends who know him, please support!¡± Just by looking at the title, there seemed to be no issue, probably Liu¡¯s wife promoting and sharing the live stream. But Yue Feng glanced at the top left corner, wasn¡¯t this the same alt-account Sunset that had trolled Yue Feng for selling fake bait in his own live stream yesterday? This alt-account turns out to belong to Liu¡¯s wife! Yue Feng had already concluded that the person was a troll, but had never linked him with Liu Mingyuan. Now, Wang Dong¡¯s screenshot had fully exposed their relationship. Yue Feng frowned deeply, ¡°Nice one, Liu Mingyuan. So it was you playing tricks behind my back!¡± With this on his mind, Yue Feng was no longer as polite to Liu Mingyuan as before, glanced at his Lure which was ready, and walked up to Liu Mingyuan. ¡°Boss Liu, where shall we choose our spots? Are you ready?¡± Liu Mingyuan had prepared the bait at home before coming, and was deliberately dawdling just waiting for the bait he threw earlier to attract the fish, now that more than ten minutes had passed, the timing was about right. ¡°Any place is fine, as long as it¡¯s next to you! Why don¡¯t you pick?¡± Liu Mingyuan said. Here Liu Mingyuan seemed generous, but he was scheming. By letting Yue Feng pick their fishing spots first, when it came time to choose their respective spots, Liu Mingyuan would pick first, and Yue Feng would find it awkward to refuse. Yue Feng was unaware of his little scheme, so his gaze swept over the vacant areas nearby. He passed over two gray areas directly, choosing an area a bit far from the plow tip. The distance between anglers on this side was greater, minimizing the impact on others as both were live streaming. ¡°How about we go there? We¡¯re both live streaming already, better not to disturb the other anglers!¡± Following where Yue Feng pointed, Liu Mingyuan felt greatly relieved inside¡ªthis fishing spot had been baited not long ago. ¡°Alright! Just as you said!¡± Liu Mingyuan slung the Fishing Box over his shoulder, carrying the fishing platform, and strode towards the position Yue Feng had chosen. Just as Liu Mingyuan had expected, Yue Feng had no objections to Liu Mingyuan casually choosing the fishing spot on his left, and the two set up their fishing platforms, one on the left and one on the right, and began to adjust their lines and accurately hit their bait spots! For this One Hour Fish Pinching competition, Yue Feng decided not to prepare a heavy bait spot, as the risk was a bit high, and if he over-baited and it didn¡¯t take, he would be at a disadvantage. Yue Feng chose the most commonly used method of baiting little and often, making the bait spot small and compact to minimize the time it took for the bait to take effect. Once each had finished their preparations, at the command, the competition began! Initially, their strategies were identical, each throwing three or four egg-sized Rice Wine bait balls into the bait spots, then quickly casting one rod after another. Both were using a bait made of dough bait mixed with red worms, but Yue Feng had added something extra from Wild Fishing Companion, whereas Old Liu was using a commercial formula bait sold by Yue Feng. After the bait was cast, frequent recasting also had a certain dispersing effect to lure fish, and both were aware of this, so they kept a high frequency of casting. However, Yue Feng had just started baiting, whereas Liu Mingyuan had already baited quite a bit in advance, certainly making a difference in effectiveness. In less than five minutes, Liu Mingyuan¡¯s float twitched slightly and then bobbed up, and he struck, hooking a fish! ¡°Haha, first strike! The first carp, and it¡¯s a decent size too!¡± Liu Mingyuan said with a smile as he unhooked the fish and placed it into the fish guard, showing it off especially for the live stream! In contrast, Yue Feng was less fortunate. Normally, it would take more than ten minutes for the bait to take effect, and it wasn¡¯t time yet. Soon, Liu Mingyuan¡¯s float moved again, and he struck to catch his second fish! ¡°As it turns out, even starting from the same line, there is still a difference in fishing skills! The second fish is caught!¡± Hearing Liu Mingyuan¡¯s slightly mocking words, Yue Feng frowned and increased his casting speed. It was really strange¡ªcould it be that Liu Mingyuan¡¯s bait and Hand Food were better than his? Yue Feng wondered privately. After catching five fish in a row, there was still no movement from Yue Feng¡¯s side. Although Yue Feng could keep his composure, the audience in the live stream couldn¡¯t hold back anymore. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Could there be a problem with the underwater terrain?¡± ¡°That shouldn¡¯t be the case. Both started baiting at the same time. Why is Old Liu¡¯s bait taking effect so quickly?¡± ¡°I thought Yue Feng could win, but looking at the situation now, winning seems difficult!¡± ¡°Could there be a problem with their Trolling? Logically, there¡¯s only a distance of two or three meters between their spots, the fish situation shouldn¡¯t be so different!¡± All these comments were seen by Yue Feng, but he was confident that there was nothing wrong with his bait or bait spot, so he didn¡¯t respond in the live stream and just increased his casting speed a bit more. Before he knew it, more than ten minutes had passed, and Liu Mingyuan had already caught at least seven or eight carp, including two that were quite large, weighing over half a pound each, while Yue Feng hadn¡¯t even made a strike yet. Seeing the increasing density of fish around the bait spot, Yue Feng¡¯s inner turmoil finally eased. ¡°I knew there was no problem¡ªfinally, fish are coming to the bait spot.¡± Two minutes later, Yue Feng deliberately cast his rod to the edge of the bait spot where the fish were densely gathered. The float settled steadily, sinking down, and just near the bottom, it gave a clear strong tug! Got it! Yue Feng lifted the rod and accurately hooked the fish! Catching the first fish, the viewers in the live stream finally breathed a sigh of relief. Chapter 37 - 37 37 Doggy Paddle Seeking Investment Seeking Favorites Seeking Recommendations! ?37: Chapter 37 Doggy Paddle (Seeking Investment, Seeking Favorites, Seeking Recommendations!) 37: Chapter 37 Doggy Paddle (Seeking Investment, Seeking Favorites, Seeking Recommendations!) ¡°Finally got the rod out, what¡¯s up with today, I¡¯m not performing as well as yesterday!¡± ¡°Exactly, only one fish after so long, Old Liu is already on his tenth! And there¡¯s less than fifty minutes left, catching up won¡¯t be easy!¡± After removing the fish from the hook and re-baiting, Yue Feng cast his line again, then he finally opened his mouth and said, ¡°We¡¯ve baited the spot, let¡¯s switch to battle mode, everybody just calm down! The fish will bite faster and faster!¡± With the increased catch rate from the Wild Fishing Badge and Wild Fishing Companion, Yue Feng quickly stabilized the situation after the initial baiting period, continuously casting his double-hook Lure with high frequency, and the speed of catching fish grew faster and faster. Initially, Liu Mingyuan mocked Yue Feng, but roughly half an hour later, his tally was surpassed by Yue Feng. The bites were coming faster and faster for Yue Feng, while Liu Mingyuan¡¯s fishing session seemed lukewarm with no progress in sight. There were still discerning viewers in the live stream, and soon someone commented in Liu Mingyuan¡¯s live stream, ¡°Early weight gain doesn¡¯t count, it¡¯s the later gain that crashes the kang, Old Liu¡¯s fishing seems a bit off today!¡± ¡°Seems off +1, started off well and doesn¡¯t seem negligent, but he is slowly getting caught up by someone else!¡± ¡°The other guy¡¯s casting frequency is fast, way faster than Old Liu¡¯s, you¡¯ll see if you watch closely!¡± Yue Feng¡¯s casting frequency was indeed faster, as martial arts dramas say that nothing in the world of martial arts is indestructible except speed, and the same principle applies to fishing. In a certain area, the total number of fish is fixed. Every time the bait¡ªlike the Lasi Powder¡ªis cast into the water, it starts to disperse from the surface, and by the time it sinks to the lower layers of the water, most of the wheaten bait has already swelled with water and fallen off into the water, leaving only a small part of Lasi Powder residues and bloodworms on the hook. The faster the casting frequency, the more of this powdery food debris lingers around the baiting spot, and the stronger the attraction to the fish. Plus, with the additional increase in catch rate from Yue Feng¡¯s equipment and additives, luring the fish became even easier. In contrast, Liu Mingyuan relied on the advantage of having secretly prepared his baiting spot beforehand, starting to catch fish with great effort shortly after beginning to fish. However, Liu Mingyuan¡¯s casting frequency was just passable, half as frequent as Yue Feng¡¯s, and over time, this gradually created a widening gap. Eventually, as Yue Feng reinforced his bait spot and the fish moved in, being overtaken was inevitable. One hour passed by under the watch of the two competitors and their viewers, second by second, until the hour-long timer went off, and Yue Feng put down his rod and stood up. ¡°The competition is over!¡± Yue Feng exhaled and lifted the Fish Guard out of the water. For today¡¯s competition, Yue Feng specially brought a handheld electronic scale. Without wasting words with Liu Mingyuan, he pulled out a transparent plastic bag from his pocket, dumped the crucian carp he¡¯d caught into the bag, and placed it on the scale. ¡°5.7 jin! Boss Liu, want to come over and check the number?¡± Yue Feng said, pointing at the number on the electronic scale. Liu Mingyuan¡¯s catch rate had slowed down in the second half, and he knew he had lost this round even without weighing it. ¡°I guess there¡¯s no need for me to weigh mine, I admit defeat!¡± As Liu Mingyuan looked at Yue Feng, his expression held a hint of hope, his gestures and expressions as if begging Yue Feng to take it easy on him. If it were any other day, Yue Feng might have gone soft-hearted and dropped the matter, but recalling the screenshots he saw on WeChat, a fire was smoldering in his chest. As for leaving Yue Feng some face, no chance of that. The corners of Yue Feng¡¯s mouth turned up slightly as he said, ¡°What do you mean by ¡®consider yourself lost¡¯? Lost is lost, won is won. We agreed on a one-hour weight competition, and here you are conceding without weighing your catch; isn¡¯t that against the rules? What if you caught more fish than I did? After all, you had such a quick bite when we started!¡± At this, Liu Mingyuan had nothing to say and looked visibly upset as he took the Fish Guard from the Fishing Box and lifted it up, then dumped it into the plastic bag Yue Feng had prepared. The electronic scale jumped to 3.3 pounds, not only overtaken by a large margin, but also surpassed by Yue Feng by a full 2.4 pounds of fish catch. ¡°3.3 pounds! Everyone is watching, folks, Liu the boss has lost the fish-off again!¡± Yue Feng held up the fish intentionally showing the scale¡¯s display to everyone, fearing that old Liu might renege and bite back. ¡°Next up, the most thrilling moment has arrived, please welcome Liu Mingyuan to perform his specialty for everyone, standing on his hands and barking like a dog! Those who have just joined the live stream, please note, if you haven¡¯t followed the host, give us a follow. And those who haven¡¯t shared the live stream today, please help out and share. Yue Feng here is thanking you all in advance!¡± Having won the fish-off, Yue Feng was feeling pretty smug, and his voice got louder, attracting the curious glances of the anglers by the river who weren¡¯t initially paying attention to the ruckus. Liu Mingyuan was furious and annoyed but having agreed to the wager, he had no choice. He saw Yue Feng again adjust the drone camera towards him, and with gritted teeth, he thought, what the hell, it¡¯s just standing on his hands and barking like a dog ¨C let¡¯s do this. Li Mingyuan didn¡¯t even bother to find a flat, clean patch of sand or dirt; he took a few steps back and with a deep breath, stood on his hands. ¡°Don¡¯t blink, folks, this action looks simple but is not easy to execute. Liu the boss has profound skills! Next, let Liu the boss bark like a dog for us, and I tell you, it¡¯s incredibly realistic!¡± Yue Feng watched, providing commentary to the live stream viewers, but he was internally fuming and couldn¡¯t possibly say anything nice. It was all mockery and teasing, leaving Liu Mingyuan dazed and confused. ¡°Woof... woof!¡± Just as Liu Mingyuan barked out twice, the same tingling sensation returned to his right elbow. But this time, it wasn¡¯t as intense as before, giving Liu Mingyuan a moment to react. If he had chosen a more spacious and even area to perform the handstand, he might have been able to regain his balance just by lowering his legs, but since he was standing close to the fishing spot, the discomfort in his arm made him lower his legs involuntarily. He lost his balance, stumbled backward several steps without steadying himself, and splashed into the water with a ¡°plop¡±. The river wasn¡¯t deep, and when Liu Mingyuan stood up, the water only reached his waist, posing no danger to his life, but he was completely soaked. ¡°Tsk tsk! Thanks to Liu the boss for his dedicated performance, giving us an extra ¡®doggie face plant¡¯ yesterday, and today an extra ¡®doggy paddle¡¯! Anyone with gifts, send them over now. Thank you all!¡± While the viewers had no complaints about Liu Mingyuan losing the fish-off and accepting the punishment, seeing old Liu fall into the water and Yue Feng being indifferent to the point of mockery made Mingyuan¡¯s live stream audience restless. They jumped straight into Yue Feng¡¯s live stream. ¡°Don¡¯t go too far in killing a man, Liu has accepted the punishment for losing the fish-off. Your words are too harsh, aren¡¯t they?¡± ¡°Liu is of a certain age after all, don¡¯t you have a bit of basic respect? You seemed quite amicable when speaking normally, but the manners you show in critical moments are a bit lacking! Aren¡¯t you embarrassed?¡± Chapter 38 - 38 38 You Ying Doll ?38: Chapter 38 You Ying Doll 38: Chapter 38 You Ying Doll Two abrupt statements interrupted the lively atmosphere in Yue Feng¡¯s live stream, causing it to suddenly cool down. Yue Feng saw the person who hadn¡¯t even followed the live room, curled up the corners of his mouth, and smiled, ¡°Me, petty? Me, uncultured? Who gave you the confidence to criticize my lack of manners?¡± ¡°With your smug pettiness, any brother with eyes can see it!¡± Yue Feng gritted his teeth and said, ¡°Fine! You say I¡¯m petty and uncultured, full of smug pettiness, then today we¡¯ll escalate things. I¡¯ll thoroughly explain to everyone why I behaved this way!¡± After saying that, Yue Feng turned the drone¡¯s camera around, its angle falling on the smartphone screen he was holding. Yue Feng slightly obscured the WeChat name of Wang Dong, who had sent him the message, and directly opened the screenshots in the chat history. ¡°Do you see this screenshot? This was just after the broadcast started today, a friend of mine stumbled upon it and sent it to me!¡± ¡°What¡¯s the big deal about sharing on Moments before broadcasting? How does that bother you?¡± Yue Feng flicked his finger to enlarge the screenshot, pointing at the ID ¡®Sunset¡¯, and continued, ¡°Does anyone in the live room remember this ID? During my broadcast, they deliberately caused trouble in my live room, slandering the bait I sold them as fake goods, and maliciously tarnishing my image!¡± Reminded by Yue Feng, the people in the live stream suddenly realized what was happening. ¡°Damn! This ¡®Sunset¡¯ calls Liu Mingyuan ¡®hubby¡¯, doesn¡¯t that mean she is Liu¡¯s wife? It means that the one who deliberately caused trouble and set the pace in Yue Feng¡¯s live room is Liu¡¯s wife! I thought there was something off about Yue Feng¡¯s performance today. Now we¡¯ve found the reason!¡± ¡°Never expected Liu to be this kind of person, doing such things behind the scenes!¡± ¡°I¡¯m un-following. No matter how spectacular the live stream is, I won¡¯t watch it now!¡± ¡°I¡¯m out too, fuck, that¡¯s really disgusting!¡± In the live room, a swarm of followers was un-following, and in Liu Mingyuan¡¯s live room, at least forty to fifty people left in the blink of an eye. Drenched Liu Mingyuan was also in a very sorry state, knowing he had been exposed and hurriedly collecting his equipment, he left in his van. After presenting the evidence, Yue Feng said, ¡°Now, does anyone still say I¡¯m petty and uncultured, smug in my pettiness? Where¡¯s the guy who was objecting to me just now?¡± Silence! The guy who just defended Liu had disappeared with no sound! Three seconds later, the system notification for completing the task sounded. Ding! Congratulations on successfully completing the challenge task ¡°One Hour Fish Pinching¡±! Ding! Congratulations on unlocking the advanced feature module for the Floating Ball ¡°Micro Nuclear Energy Battery¡±! ¡°Micro Nuclear Energy Battery¡±: A miraculous battery mounted on a micro nuclear reactor, allowing the Floating Ball to unlock longer live broadcasting times. Effect: +60 minutes to daily live broadcast duration. Ding! The challenger failed and has received an additional punishment ¡°Elbow Electric Shock ¡¤ Doggy Paddle Style¡±. The challenge task was automatically settled, and with the victory, an additional sixty minutes of live broadcasting time was unlocked. No need to fear followers¡¯ complaints about short durations, instant male endurance boosted by 50%. Yue Feng glanced at the soaking wet Liu Mingyuan and returned to his own seat. ¡°Although I¡¯m new to live streaming, I¡¯m not a pushover who doesn¡¯t know how to fight back when bullied. That will never change. Now that the fish pinching is over, the punishment is over too. Let¡¯s end this matter here. Those who think the host has a passable character can stay and watch, and those who think I¡¯m petty and smug, hurry and leave, don¡¯t sully your eyes!¡± The drowned fish sent a Cloud Piercing Arrow! The drowned fish sent a luxury yacht! The drowned fish sent a Boeing 747! The riverside fisherman sent an Ironclad Sixty-Six! The riverside fisherman sent a Beer Graffiti! The riverside fisherman sent an Unrivaled! ... Yue Feng¡¯s style of streaming with evidence and a bit of a temper instantly won him quite a few fans. A series of gifts were splashing across the screen in the live room. The Cloud Piercing Arrow from DrownedFish was a heavyweight gift worth a thousand bucks; once sent, a red packet treasure chest would appear in the live broadcast room, and the whole platform could see the system prompt, leading to a massive influx of viewers into Yue Feng¡¯s livestream, all eager to witness the spectacle and snatch the red packets. DrownedFish: ¡°Brother Yue Feng¡¯s got it right; a man¡¯s got to have some spine. Props to you!¡± Riverside Old Fisherman: ¡°Props times two!¡± Cockroach886: ¡°Mad respect, right to the Adam¡¯s apple!¡± Hua Feihua: ¡°The host¡¯s got personality; I like it!¡± In no time, the screen was flooded with various messages of support. ¡°Thank you, brothers, for the support! Much appreciated! I¡¯m extending today¡¯s broadcast by an hour; let¡¯s get hyped!¡± ¡°Holy crap, that¡¯s intense! Adding a whole extra hour, we¡¯re blessed, watch the drifts, watch the drifts!¡± ¡°Feeling blessed +1, the host is finally growing some!¡± ¡°Just joined; what¡¯s this about growing some? Enlighten me!¡± ¡°Outdoor livestream? Doesn¡¯t look like there are many people though; what¡¯s being streamed?¡± Seeing the influx of newbies into the livestream, Yue Feng perked up. Many viewers pouring into the room weren¡¯t fishing enthusiasts, but some were fishermen. Opportunities like a homepage feature didn¡¯t come easy, and with new viewers coming in, Yue Feng definitely wanted to catch as large a share as possible. So, Yue Feng maneuvered the drone to somersault a few times and returned to its fixed position over the drift watching area. ¡°Hello to all old irons who¡¯ve just joined the livestream; this is a high-definition outdoor fishing broadcast using a drone, I¡¯m your friend Yue Feng. If you like watching outdoor fishing, could you please hit the follow button on the top right corner? I stream every day, bringing you high-definition bites!¡± While he was talking, the float, eager to please, gave a big dip once again, captured precisely by the camera. Just then, a name with a host badge in front of it appeared in Yue Feng¡¯s livestream. You Ying: ¡°Wow, what¡¯s this? Looks like fun!¡± ¡°Damn, a Cloud Piercing Arrow managed to lure out the platform¡¯s darling, You Ying!¡± ¡°Caught You Ying live!¡± ¡°@YouYing¡± ¡°@YouYing¡Á2¡± ... ¡°@YouYing¡Á155¡± ¡°You Ying, I¡¯m your true diehard fan!¡± ¡°You Ying, beg for a WeChat add in private chat!¡± ¡°You Ying, do you like fishing too?¡± Yue Feng observed the series of messages in the livestream, slightly dumbfounded. Who was You Ying? Judging by the viewers¡¯ reactions, she seemed well-known. So, Yue Feng casually tapped on You Ying¡¯s avatar. Seeing that she had 17.55 million fans, Yue Feng instantly panicked. Damn, this girl¡¯s formidable, a super internet celebrity with over ten million fans! No wonder the animals in the livestream had gone nuts! ¡°Uh! Welcome, You Ying! I¡¯m just getting started with livestreaming, so pardon any lack of hospitality, and please don¡¯t hold it against me!¡± Yue Feng greeted her with neither humility nor arrogance. You Ying sent a gift of Love¡¯s Signal You Ying sent a gift of Heartbeat You Ying sent a gift of Male God You Ying sent a gift of Cutie You Ying sent a gift of Confession Balloons ¡°Damn, what¡¯s going on, You Ying actually sent the host a full set of confession gifts!¡± Chapter 39 - 39 39 Riding on the Coattails of Popularity ?39: Chapter 39: Riding on the Coattails of Popularity 39: Chapter 39: Riding on the Coattails of Popularity ¡°Damn! It really seems like a fake You Ying, doesn¡¯t it!¡± ¡°What¡¯s with the streamer¡¯s identity? You Ying actually sent you a confession set!¡± The confession set is a nickname given by the viewers, usually used when big brothers gift various girls, with each gift ranging from a minimum of 66 to a maximum of 188, all considered to be of high value. Unexpectedly, You Ying visited the live stream for the first time and arranged a four-piece confession set for Yue Feng. Yue Feng was even more dumbfounded now, fumbling to pull up the other person¡¯s profile, but his finger slipped, and he accidentally hit the invite for a PK battle next to the avatar. What flabbergasted Yue Feng even more was that the other party didn¡¯t refuse and directly accepted it. ¡°Wow, the guy is so handsome! Nice to meet you for the first time, please take care of me!¡± In the battle column was a girl who was at least a nine out of ten, you could tell she hadn¡¯t put on much makeup, her hair was slightly messy, but her beauty was off the charts, speaking in that soft, sticky loli voice. It¡¯s no surprise that someone of her level had more than ten million followers. ¡°I¡¯m in deep shit! It¡¯s really You Ying! Could this be her bare face? How on earth did the streamer invite her for a battle!¡± ¡°Starting a PK battle is not unusual, what¡¯s unusual is that she accepted without any makeup on!¡± ¡°Mom, I¡¯ve seen You Ying without makeup!¡± ¡°Something fishy¡¯s going on, who knows the inside story, spoil it for us!¡± The live room was in chaos, and Yue Feng forced himself to calm down, greeted her neither humbly nor arrogantly, ¡°Hello You Ying, welcome to my live stream. I accidentally clicked the invite for a PK battle just now!¡± ¡°Big brother, what are you using to live stream? A drone? The resolution is so clear, and it doesn¡¯t lag at all! I just glanced at the jokes in your space, they are also very high quality! You must be a professional!¡± ¡°You flatter me, You Ying. It is indeed drone broadcasting, and the jokes were made with the help of a friend! I¡¯m just getting started with live streaming!¡± ¡°May I ask the model? Big brother, is the content of your live stream fishing?¡± ¡°Outdoor fishing live stream, but I can¡¯t tell you the drone model. It was handled by a friend, and it¡¯s not a civilian model, you know!¡± Yue Feng had to resort to the same excuse as before. ¡°Oh, I see! Well then, it¡¯s alright! I wanted to ask you about the equipment, but it seems impossible now! Still, I¡¯m glad to have met you, let¡¯s play together sometime! I just woke up not too long ago, so I won¡¯t chat with you for now!¡± As she spoke, You Ying yawned lazily, her adorable antics reminiscent of a kitten, which had the live stream viewers completely mesmerized. ¡°All right, I¡¯ll look you up when you¡¯re broadcasting, and come play with you!¡± ¡°Mhm, I¡¯m going to go off now, bye-bye!¡± From You Ying¡¯s appearance to the end of the PK battle and her departure from the live stream room, the whole affair lasted less than five minutes. Yet, it sparked a tumultuous wave in the live room! A group of gossip-loving fishing fanatics¡¯ flames of curiosity blazed wildly, and the viewer engagement in the live room reached unprecedented heights. ¡°All right, You Ying¡¯s gone. Come clean, streamer, what¡¯s your relationship with her? Why did she gift you the confession set?¡± ¡°Scoundrel, draw your sword, how dare you steal my goddess!¡± ¡°Draw your sword +1, it¡¯s the hatred of a stolen wife, a mortal grudge!¡± Yue Feng scratched his head, a bit at a loss, forcing himself to stay calm. Those who had just been calling him ¡°little brother¡± not long ago were now his love rivals, ready to draw their swords at the drop of a hat. How was he supposed to bear this? However, the panic only lasted for a few seconds before Yue Feng realized that for a burgeoning streamer like himself, this wasn¡¯t necessarily a bad thing. After all, as a streamer, popularity leads to potential attention. With more attention, naturally, his fan count would rise, so after brief consideration, Yue Feng decided to grab this unexpected opportunity. ¡°Uh, everyone, let¡¯s calm down a bit. I say I don¡¯t know You Ying, and you might not believe it, so I won¡¯t bother forcing an explanation. Those who haven¡¯t followed me, give me a follow, and who knows, there might be a chance to interact with You Ying later! But, speaking of which, it really is my first time seeing You Ying without makeup!¡± The phrase about seeing You Ying without makeup for the first time slipped from Yue Feng¡¯s mouth as a smoke grenade deliberately thrown out for interpretation. There was absolutely nothing wrong with the literal meaning, but as for what conclusions were drawn, that was no longer Yue Feng¡¯s concern. ¡°Pfft! Don¡¯t you dare call my You Ying by her pet name!¡± ¡°First time seeing her without makeup, so you¡¯ve seen her many times with makeup then? Sounds like a discovery. What¡¯s your relationship? Confess truthfully, or you¡¯ll face the Manchu¡¯s ten most brutal tortures!¡± ¡°The logic upstairs is sound, no more excuses. You¡¯re not worthy of You Ying, better to let go of that dream early!¡± Though everyone was verbally abusive, their actions were quite honest; in just a short while, the follow count had increased by over a hundred. Seeing the rapidly rising popularity in the live stream, Yue Feng secretly rejoiced in his heart. No wonder the entertainment industry constantly hypes up CPs and creates topics¡ªit¡¯s a real profit. While Yue Feng¡¯s live stream room was bustling with flirting, teasing, loving, and hating, Seafood Live¡¯s biggest gossip host, ¡°Break My Dog Leg,¡± known among the rivers and lakes as Leg Brother, received a video submission from his fans in no time. Self-named ¡°Break My Dog Leg,¡± he was a gossip host, with presence in nearly every hot section of Seafood Live. Whether it was a streamer¡¯s birthday, a godlike patron splurging gifts in a stream room, or streamers quarreling with each other, all sorts of sensational topics would be turned into jokes and released by him. Although just a gossip host lacking any significant Talent, because he started early and chose very explosive content, he had a multitude of fans and was a major online celebrity with several million followers. With a base of fans, Leg Brother¡¯s business expanded. Sometimes he would cover content intentionally leaked by guilds to hype up topics, navigating these waters with ease and making a tidy profit. To maintain his watch over the entire platform, ¡°Break My Dog Leg¡± always offered high prices for valuable submissions. This time, he received a submission about You Ying dropping into a rookie outdoor-type male streamer¡¯s room and gifting a confession set. After multiple viewings, ¡°Break My Dog Leg¡± couldn¡¯t discern anything fishy. With his professional eye, he thought Yue Feng was handling himself appropriately but not as slickly as other seasoned streamers; Yue Feng seemed to be someone without much experience. But why would You Ying choose to gift presents in his stream? Could there be some deeper meaning? If it were someone else, that might have been plausible; the routine of top streamers promoting newbies had become common on the platform. However, to Leg Brother¡¯s knowledge, You Ying was one of the few streamers on the platform who hadn¡¯t signed with any guild or acting agency, remaining a freelance streamer. After much thought, he couldn¡¯t come up with a suitable possibility; the only explanation was that the two had met in real life. Chapter 40 - 40 40 999+ ?40: Chapter 40 999+ 40: Chapter 40 999+ As the paragon of go-with-the-flow live-streaming, You Ying was an oddity on the streaming platform; their scripted videos were all sorts of cool, with exceptional personal qualities to boot, truly one of those top-tier live-streamers who not only had the looks but also the talent. Just right, today¡¯s routine revelations had yet to hit a snag, and the sycophant quickly decided to place today¡¯s gossip spotlight on You Ying and this mysterious outdoor livestream. Normally, wording a story required all sorts of caution, using words like ¡®allegedly¡¯ and ¡®possibly.¡¯ But today¡¯s story didn¡¯t even need those. With a simple edit of the video content, the sycophant achieved the desired effect. You Ying caught in the fresh face handsome guy¡¯s outdoor livestream, relentlessly sending love-package gifts, what¡¯s the deal? A headline that was both factually descriptive and left room for imagination was quickly conceived. After one last check to ensure nothing was overlooked, the sycophant uploaded the content online with practiced ease. The broadcaster was already quite popular, and adding content with a controversial topic, the video instantly blew up; within one hour, views surpassed 100k+, with comments and likes coming in massively! It quickly topped the official homepage as the most prominent hot story. The audience, whose passion for gossip was equally inflamed, were all shook after watching the video. Damn, who the hell is this Yue Feng, and is everyone¡¯s goddess getting stolen away? The whole platform was in an uproar over what was initially an inconsequential incident, but as one of the people involved, Yue Feng, having finished his three-hour livestream, was at this moment still squatting by the river fishing, completely unaware of what had transpired. Today¡¯s catch was good¡ªaside from securing his livestream duration by clutching the fish, Yue Feng also caught more than 30 pounds of carp. However, fishing nearby every day, coupled with the passing of the springtime spawning season as the carp moved towards deeper waters, the bigger carps were gradually becoming scarce. After packing up, Yue Feng picked through the Fish Guard, only taking home about less than 20 pounds of the larger carps and releasing the rest back into the river. After delivering the fish to the old master¡¯s restaurant, Yue Feng rode his motorcycle back to his shop. He hadn¡¯t yet uploaded today¡¯s livestream highlights; it was a good time to upload them for review. Just as he opened the Seafood Live app¡¯s personal homepage, Yue Feng was stunned. Damn, messages 999+, friend requests 999+, follower increase 999+, everywhere that could show other¡¯s footprints were all uniformly these striking red 999+. Was the app bugging out? Yue Feng closed the app and opened it again, with the same result. After a quick glance, Yue Feng realized it wasn¡¯t a bug in the app, but rather he had gone viral! Indeed, Yue Feng had gone viral¡ªhis follower count had soared to 4000+, and it was still rising unstoppably, the figure fluctuating every moment. Gaining followers was Yue Feng¡¯s aim, without a doubt, whether for system privilege elevation or revenue, his follower count needed to rise. However, gaining followers in such a way put Yue Feng in a bit of a bind. How to put it¡ªthese new followers weren¡¯t precisely the core audience of his current live content; many had followed due to their craving for gossip. Everyone was guessing the relationship between the two, but deep down, Yue Feng knew there wasn¡¯t any at all. Once the misunderstanding gets cleared up, Yue Feng knew he¡¯d be mercilessly knocked back to reality, and he might even become the butt of others¡¯ jokes. Otherwise? Use a Good Person Card on You Ying and make friends? Yue Feng¡¯s heart stirred, and the Good Person Card in his consciousness was selected, revealing its card information again. He only needed to will it, and the effect would be immediate. After thinking for a while, Yue Feng shook his head and eventually gave up the tempting idea. Although a Good Person Card could rapidly improve the relationship between two people, Yue Feng, a bit chauvinistic, narrowly believed that pursuing a girl should be based on ability and strength, not a card with special effects. The girl had supported him and spent quite a bit of money on gifts for him. If he were to use the card secretly to curry favor and earn personal gains for his own desires, others might think nothing of it, but Yue Feng considered it not entirely honorable¡ªin unpleasant terms, somewhat despicable. Ding! You successfully resisted the temptation to take a shortcut, Lottery Points +2000! Seeing that the host¡¯s character is steadfast, the Good Person Card has automatically advanced, unlocking Character Traits ¡°Humanity¡¯s Radiance¡±. ¡°Humanity¡¯s Radiance¡±: When faced with temptation, we can make a variety of choices. Choosing kindness might not always be the best option, but it will definitely not be at a loss! Passive Effect: Charm Value +30, Impression with strangers +50, Appearance score +5 Hearing the system notification, Yue Feng was slightly taken aback, and with a thought, pulled up his virtual Attribute panel to take a look. Under the Skill section of his character, there was a new Character Trait ¡°Humanity¡¯s Radiance¡±, which had an extravagant effect, enhancing Charm Value, impression scores, and even appearance. In terms of image, it was as if the consumption-type Good Person Card that could only be used once on a target had become one of Yue Feng¡¯s Passive Skills, definitely counted as a significant gain. Compared to this Character Trait, the two thousand Points given seemed rather trivial. Having understood the unexpected gain, Yue Feng gained a deeper understanding of the system. The system seems impartial, rigid, and often does not interfere with Yue Feng¡¯s actions, but from this reward, it seems the system still encourages Yue Feng to be an upright and decent person. Being affirmed by someone else feels great, even if it is an emotionless system. After feeling happy for a while, Yue Feng started to ponder what to do next? Clarify things? Ride the wave of popularity? Or what? Inexperienced with this, Yue Feng thought it over but couldn¡¯t make up his mind. He had agreed to join You Ying¡¯s live stream today, so if nothing else, he could just reciprocate by gifting her during her broadcast. As for their relationship afterward, let¡¯s just play it by ear and see how far it can go. Having realized this, Yue Feng¡¯s thoughts cleared up quite a lot, and he immediately called up the video editor and found the clip, which he habitually previewed before uploading. Today¡¯s clip was still excellently edited. The content mainly consisted of the exciting bobber movements and enticing bites highlight reel from earlier on, interspersed with useful information about reading the basic fish activity in the pond, which Yue Feng had casually mentioned during the live stream. Overall, it gave off the vibe of not only being enjoyable to watch but also imparting some fishing techniques. After reviewing the clip in general, Yue Feng exhaled and proceeded to upload it for review! A few seconds later, the second ¡°exciting bites highlight reel¡± passed the review and appeared in Yue Feng¡¯s list of clips. Seeing that one of the subjects of the gossip, Yue Feng, had uploaded a new clip, the spectators immediately buzzed with excitement. Various comments in the comment section, loads of likes, and numerous private messages demanding why he wasn¡¯t responding¡ªan avalanche of messages quickly propelled Yue Feng¡¯s new clip to regional popularity. Chapter 41 - 41 41 Peak Battle Experience Card New Author Please Collect ?41: Chapter 41 Peak Battle Experience Card (New Author, Please Collect) 41: Chapter 41 Peak Battle Experience Card (New Author, Please Collect) The regional hotspot had lasted for no more than half an hour when once again, it surged to the homepage¡¯s trending list, propelling Yue Feng¡¯s follower count to new heights. Although the various onlookers weren¡¯t Yue Feng¡¯s target audience, their push had contributed to a significant increase in followers as a result of the popular meme. Many of them turned out to be quite precise fishing fans; those who hadn¡¯t seen the first meme stumbled upon Yue Feng¡¯s trending content and were instantly amazed, converting countless passersby into fans. In a spacious three-bedroom, two-living room house in Magic City, the doll-like girl had just returned home when she was immediately called out by her bestie who also doubled as her confidante. ¡°Doll, you need to hear this, you¡¯ve gone viral again!¡± ¡°Su Cheng, explain to me what you mean by ¡®gone viral again¡¯? I, the missy here, have always been fairly popular!¡± retorted the doll with a hint of arrogance toward her close friend. Su Cheng rolled her eyes and said, ¡°Just check out that brown-nosing meme for yourself. You went and secretly flirted with a guy, giving him a confession outfit, and now they¡¯ve turned it into a meme hanging on the homepage for all to gawk at!¡± ¡°What?¡± The doll¡¯s pretty eyebrows furrowed slightly at these words. She quickly picked up her latest-model fruit smartphone and logged into Seafood Live. The new meme interrupting my flattery was still on the homepage, and the doll soon found it and clicked in. The content of the meme was straightforward and didn¡¯t wildly speculate or overly sensationalize things. It simply recounted what had happened, ending with a thought-provoking question mark for the audience. ¡°I thought it was something big; this is nothing! Let them talk if they want! As long as I carry myself with integrity and sit upright, I have nothing to fear!¡± ¡°Fear isn¡¯t the point. I just want to know what¡¯s the deal with that guy? Little missy, did you take a fancy to him?¡± Su Cheng asked with a teasing smile. The doll pouted, ¡°Not at all. I got up around noon, was bored scrolling through my phone, and happened to see someone using Cloud Piercing Arrows. My hand was itchy so I clicked in hoping to snatch a red packet. Once inside, I noticed the live stream¡¯s clarity was incredibly high, and they were even using a drone for outdoor broadcasting. I¡¯m curious about equipment so I just wanted to get closer and ask, and casually sent a few gifts, that¡¯s all. I didn¡¯t expect it to be overinterpreted! Although that guy named Yue Feng is indeed quite handsome!¡± ¡°Yeah right! Still making excuses; if you like someone, you like them. Why explain so much? To explain is to conceal, to conceal is to confirm! I get it!¡± Su Cheng passed a knowing look that seemed particularly annoying. The doll rolled her eyes hugely, ¡°You don¡¯t know squat!¡± But while she talked tough, her hands unconsciously fidgeted with the corner of her clothing. ... After having dinner, Yue Feng accounted for the day¡¯s revenue and once he had nothing else to do, he closed up and headed upstairs. Unlocking Character Traits had rewarded him 2,000 Points, and together with the odd 1,000 he¡¯d saved previously, Yue Feng now had a jackpot of 3,000 Points for the lottery. Yue Feng browsed the shop and found that today¡¯s merchandise refresh was lackluster. The good stuff was too expensive, selling for tens of thousands of Points each. The cheaper items Yue Feng already owned. After a long search, he couldn¡¯t find anything suitable. ¡°Damn, I was hoping to learn from those two Basic Skill Books from last time, and now they haven¡¯t even refreshed!¡± Everything in the shop was valued higher than 1,000. In most situations, taking a chance on the lottery was more cost-effective than making a specific purchase. The only downside was the uncertainty. While Skill Books were useful, the need wasn¡¯t urgent, so he might as well try his luck with another lottery draw. With a thought, Yue Feng chose to enter the lottery. Ding! Congratulations, you have obtained the Skill [Basic Bait Opening] [Basic Bait Opening]: Bait Opening is a very important knowledge in fishing, especially crucial in Taiwan Fishing. After mastering Basic Bait Opening, you can fully utilize the potential of your bait. Effect: Real-world effectiveness of the bait is additionally increased by 5%, and the state of bait prepared will meet the designed standards! The first Skill allowed Yue Feng to make a big profit. He had wanted to buy the Basic Bait Opening Skill for a long time; it costs 2500 Points in the shop, but now he got it for just a thousand. It seems today¡¯s luck is not bad, continue to draw! Ding! Congratulations, you¡¯ve received ¡°Extremely thin sleeve 4#¡±¡Á100 ¡°Extremely thin sleeve¡±: Made from a new type of special alloy material using advanced technology and high-tech processes, this new fish hook is extremely lightweight while maintaining high strength. It doesn¡¯t turn blunt or open while fishing. Although Yue Feng doesn¡¯t need these high-tech fish hooks for the time being, going by the description, they seem to be pretty good stuff. Better to keep them safe. Only one more chance to draw left, Yue Feng silently prays to Amitabha, The Buddha, Guanyin Bodhisattva, Jesus, Amen in his heart. Draw! Ding! Congratulations, you¡¯ve received ¡°Peak Battle Experience Card (Rare)¡±¡Á1 ¡°Peak Battle Experience Card¡±: A rare special privilege card. Activating it enters peak battle state, where the system generates the most optimal battle plan according to current conditions, all live broadcast instruments and auxiliary effects are unlocked, lasting for 120 minutes. What the fuck! A special card labeled rare? Given the system¡¯s nature, the rarer something is, the more amazing it should be, right? But after examining the card for a long while, Yue Feng couldn¡¯t figure out what he could actually use it for. If it were for streaming other content, this battle card might be deemed a divine tool, but for Yue Feng, whose current live broadcast content is outdoor fishing, even if there is a PK battle, it¡¯s often with other fishing broadcasters. It¡¯s not about the flashy effects that entertainers need; more than 80% of the live broadcast outcome is determined by the fish caught. Without catches, no amount of special effects would matter. Well, just keep it for now, never know when it might come in handy. Drawing a rare card for a thousand points is a good deal any way you look at it. After the draw, the first thing Yue Feng did was to learn the Basic Bait Opening from the Skill Book. With a single thought, the Skill Book turned into countless streams of light that entered Yue Feng¡¯s mind. Parts of his memory that were previously unclear about the making of commercial bait now became crystal clear. After learning the Skill, Yue Feng realized how rudimentary his previous understanding of Bait Opening was. Just the Basic Bait Opening Skill alone included many details such as the ratio of water to add when preparing the bait, whether to add water before or after, the differences in the bait¡¯s state of water absorption during different stages after preparation, and the impact of different bait-preparation techniques on the bait¡¯s condition, and so on. All in all, there were more than ten details that Yue Feng hadn¡¯t known before but were worth delving deeper into. Now that he had learned so many aspects of Bait Opening, Yue Feng couldn¡¯t help feeling eager to try them out in practice. Knowledge is just knowledge after all; only by actually doing it can one gain deeper insights. So Yue Feng opened his Fishing Box and found his usual bait, and using his newly acquired knowledge, he prepared a batch of Lure that he normally used. When he actually got to work, it truly felt effortless, almost as if he didn¡¯t need to think about it at all, as if the skill was in his subconscious. The prepared bait ball that came out of Yue Feng¡¯s hands was discernibly different in its fine detail. After preparing the bait, Yue Feng casually picked up a fishing line, and with a pull over the Lure plate, two plump and fuzzy bait balls were ready. Their quality by far surpassed any Lure that Yue Feng had previously prepared. He removed the bait balls with his hand and tried to prepare the Lure again; once more, he got two round, fuzzy bait balls, just as perfect as the first attempt. Damn it, if anyone tells me again that commercial bait opening has no technique, I¡¯ll slap him with a big mouth! Chapter 42 - 42 42 Confirmed ?42: Chapter 42: ¡®Confirmed 42: Chapter 42: ¡®Confirmed Yue Feng studied back and forth for over an hour and finally understood how to prepare the bait, Checking the time, it was just past eight in the evening. Yue Feng, as if possessed, opened his phone and logged into the Seafood Live platform. Today¡¯s story had become very popular; by eight o¡¯clock, Yue Feng had gained up to 5,000 followers, which made him somewhat excited¡ªhe kept switching screens every so often to check the growth data and such. Scrolling through videos was a fast way to pass the time, and before he knew it, it was already half-past eight. Suddenly, Yue Feng¡¯s phone alerted him to a special attention notification. Your specially followed streamer, You Ying, has started her broadcast! Huh? Is she broadcasting this evening? Yue Feng glanced at the notification and casually clicked into You Ying¡¯s livestream. You Ying, after all a celebrity with millions of fans, had just started her broadcast and the number of viewers in her room had already surpassed ten thousand, still rapidly increasing. Normally, You Ying, who had put on light makeup, looked even prettier than she did during the midday battle broadcast. ¡°Hello everyone, welcome to my stream. Please help share it with your friends. If we go over twenty thousand viewers, I¡¯ll start singing for you all!¡± This was a simple and direct approach, without any fancy tricks, but the big celebrity¡¯s appeal was much stronger than that of smaller streamers. Very soon, notifications to share her stream started flooding the chat, and in less than a minute, the number of viewers had surpassed thirty thousand. The terrifying influence of the major streamers was apparent. True to her word, You Ying quickly adjusted her equipment and started singing the first song. The song, ¡°Learn to Meow¡±, had been covered by countless big and small streamers and was overplayed everywhere, yet You Ying sang it with a unique flavor that even made Yue Feng listen in a daze, it was soft, cute, and enchanting¡ªwho could resist that? After one song, numerous colorful virtual gifts began flooding the screen; her fans were very enthusiastic. Seeing everyone sending gifts, Yue Feng remembered he still owed You Ying a favor and hurriedly switched to his backstage view. From two broadcasts, Yue Feng had received about 2,700 Yuan in gift revenue. According to platform rules, if he cashed out, ordinary streamers would split the earnings 55/45 with the platform, and Yue Feng would get slightly more than 1,300 Yuan. If he converted it into virtual gifts, the ratio was slightly better, roughly a 60/40 split. Gritting his teeth, Yue Feng converted all the money he had received into virtual points. It wouldn¡¯t be proper not to reciprocate; having leached off her popularity and gained several thousand followers, he had to show some gesture¡ªindulging in a bit of splurge as a return gift! Yue Feng Fishing stream sends the Gift of a Golden Microphone! Yue Feng Fishing stream sends the Gift of Cute Little Love! Yue Feng Fishing stream sends the Gift of You¡¯re a Superstar! Yue Feng Fishing stream sends the Gift of Phoenix Crown! Yue Feng Fishing stream sends the Gift of Heartbeat! The gifts Yue Feng sent weren¡¯t expensive; with the meager money in his pocket, he couldn¡¯t afford to splash out on something big. The only gifts with special effects were the Phoenix Crown and Heartbeat, but before the e-commerce big shots had made their move, these gifts still caught quite a bit of attention. ¡°Dang! Isn¡¯t that the rumored boyfriend of You Ying, making such a high-profile appearance in the livestream?¡± ¡°It¡¯s confirmed! It¡¯s confirmed! You Ying¡¯s rumored boyfriend has shown up!¡± ¡°@Yue Feng Fishing Live¡± ¡°@Yue Feng Fishing Live¡Á2¡± ... ¡°@Yue Feng Fishing Live¡Á1350!¡± Yue Feng had just shown up and was immediately caught by the enthusiastic audience! His ID was tagged massively in the public chat. Under normal circumstances, this would be considered the highest compliment in the livestream, but it had a slightly different implication when used with Yue Feng. ¡°Wow, thank you for the bunch of gifts from Yue Feng Fishing Live!¡± You Ying quickly noticed what was happening in the livestream and warmly appreciated Yue Feng specifically. Yue Feng slightly organized his thoughts and typed in the public channel, ¡°The singing is really nice, awesome!¡± It was just a simple message of less than twenty characters, yet it was picked up by fans from among the numerous other comments. ¡°Damn it, do you have to be so harsh on us single dogs? This dog food is poisonous!¡± ¡°Dreams crushed, an affair with You Ying confirmed!¡± ¡°Is there a live stream? Can we play games together on the mic?¡± You Ying had a good impression of Yue Feng; not only was the guy handsome, but he also seemed reliable. He had mentioned stopping by to watch her evening stream at noon, and indeed, he turned up in the evening, prompting her to send an invitation right away. Seeing the battle invitation pop up on the screen, Yue Feng hesitated for a few seconds. Should he start a stream? Without his streaming gadget, Yue Feng would only be able to use his phone¡¯s built-in camera for streaming. His phone model was quite old, lacking both in resolution and stabilization, which would definitely compromise the streaming quality. Worried about poor collaboration quality, Yue Feng was hesitant, but he also couldn¡¯t bear to refuse. After all, this was an invitation to connect from a major internet celebrity¡ªa privilege others might not get despite showering her with countless gifts. Refusing might mean missing an opportunity to ¡°take off.¡± If only the Floating Ball could still be used today. Even if his room¡¯s setup wasn¡¯t appealing, at least he could go to the rooftop of the small building to stargaze, which would be a kind of romantic alternative, Yue Feng thought to himself. Wait, didn¡¯t the rare Experience Card he won in today¡¯s draw say it could unlock all broadcasting permissions temporarily? Could that mean it might also unlock the daily three-hour limit? System, system! ¡°Here!¡± Would using the Peak Streamer Battle Experience Card unlock the broadcasting time restriction for the Floating Ball? ¡°Yes!¡± With an affirmative response, Yue Feng¡¯s mind became more active. Why not use a card and accept the battle for a round of play? He was quite excited about fully unlocking all broadcast effects with this Special Card. Yue Feng wasn¡¯t the type to be indecisive. Once he made a decision, he acted quickly. With a thought, he accessed the Virtual Space, found the Peak Experience Card, and selected to use it. Alert! This is a rare Special Card, and it will disappear after use. Do you confirm activation? Activate! The card flashed in his mind, and Yue Feng instantly felt as if something unknown had been activated inside his head. Detection: The streamer is accepting a kind invitation from the opposite sex! Evaluating the current external environment of the streamer! Detecting the subconscious thoughts of the streamer! The optimal broadcasting plan has been generated; all permissions for the Black Technology Floating Ball are temporarily unlocked for 120 minutes! In ten seconds, the challenge will be automatically connected. Please prepare to start broadcasting! The optimal location is the rooftop of the second floor. Please move to the position! A series of system prompts sounded in Yue Feng¡¯s mind, and as if possessed, he opened the door to the rooftop of the second floor and went up to the rooftop of the small building. The rooftop of the small building was empty, but standing on the rooftop allowed him to see the brightly lit homes in the distance. Suddenly, the Floating Ball appeared just above Yue Feng¡¯s forehead, with all streaming assistant permissions fully activated. Natural beauty enhancement max Sound optimization max Intelligent filter activated Intelligent scene capture on standby! Brain-controlled live-assist script activated! Battle connected! Yue Feng¡¯s sharply defined face appeared before all the viewers in the live battle room. Chapter 43 - 43 43 Send You a Music Video ?43: Chapter 43: Send You a Music Video 43: Chapter 43: Send You a Music Video Before Yue Feng could speak, You Ying asked with curiosity, ¡°Wow! Where are you? Mid-air?¡± No wonder she was curious. The drone was hovering in mid-air, and the angle largely excluded the area below Yue Feng¡¯s feet. From the live stream, it looked like his background was the distant lights, truly as if he was suspended in mid-air. ¡°You guess!¡± Yue Feng grinned and smiled slightly, his voice deep and magnetic. The tone hadn¡¯t changed much, but somehow the system had adjusted it to sound particularly pleasing. ¡°No, I¡¯m on the rooftop. The stars are nice tonight!¡± Yue Feng didn¡¯t wait for a response before he revealed the answer himself. The drone¡¯s camera intelligently scanned around, capturing the surroundings so that everyone finally realized Yue Feng was on top of a building. ¡°Wow, what kind of divine operation is this? Why do I feel a little excited!¡± ¡°Is this You Ying¡¯s rumored boyfriend? His voice sounds so nice, I like it!¡± ¡°You scoundrel, you dare to flirt with our You Ying in public. Draw your swords, we must beat you till there¡¯s no skin left!¡± A mere couple of sentences, and You Ying felt someone had flirtation with her, her heartbeat uncontrollably quickening. ¡°Do... Do you want to play a game?¡± A normally unflappable You Ying found herself unexpectedly stumbling over her words. ¡°Play a game? Sure, anything goes!¡± Yue Feng agreed promptly. ¡°What shall we play? Let¡¯s skip the voting. There are many fierce viewers in the livestream threatening to beat you till there¡¯s only skin left!¡± This term ¡°till there¡¯s only skin left¡± related to the PK battle setting on the website, where the side with fewer gifts would have their health bar shrink. If the gap in scores was large, they would be left with a thin layer of ¡°skin¡±, and for a famous broadcaster, it would be quite embarrassing to be beaten to this extent. However, Yue Feng wasn¡¯t burdened by idol worries. He didn¡¯t have many followers anyway and only started broadcasting when challenged, with no prior preparation. Even if all his followers joined the fray, they numbered only in the thousands, not enough to match the regular viewer counts of other channels. With no chance of winning, losing wouldn¡¯t be embarrassing. ¡°What do you want to play? I¡¯ll go along with you!¡± Yue Feng¡¯s tone was steady and hard to fault, giving a very comfortable feeling. ¡°Er... How about I sing you an original song?¡± You Ying, in a moment of inspiration, threw out a sudden idea. You Ying had indeed been preparing an original song, but it was just a demo and hadn¡¯t been formally recorded or uploaded yet. And she suddenly suggested singing it to Yue Feng. ¡°Sure!¡± Yue Feng responded. ¡°Hold on a moment; I¡¯ll find the accompaniment!¡± You Ying searched her equipment and quickly the accompaniment began to play. Just a few seconds into the accompaniment, the Floating Ball in front of Yue Feng vibrated, instantly disassembling into numerous micro flying devices that scattered in all directions, leaving behind only a slightly larger camera that remained hovering in front of him. Smart scene collection activated! ¡°Distant lights flicker and beam,¡± ¡°You walk alone, head down on the street,¡± ¡°The larger the city, the more it rattles the heart,¡± ... ¡°How I wish to accompany you more, narrating the scenery of the first half of my life,¡± ... A song that was both warm and a little sad had just finished, and everyone in the live broadcast room fell silent, even the war mongers who had been clamoring nonstop quieted down. You Ying¡¯s voice was very distinctive, and the emotions conveyed in her singing were exceptionally fitting. There were minor flaws in the many recorded versions, but paradoxically, when she sang live this time, it was surprisingly perfect, stunning everyone in the broadcast room. In a matter of minutes, the song ended, and the tiny flying devices that flew out earlier reassembled together again. Scene collection complete, generating scene video! Please follow the brain-controlled script. ¡°It sounds great! It¡¯s only right to return a favor, so how about I give you an MV?¡± Yue Feng, although a bit confused, saw that the script was written this way, so he boldly spoke out. ¡°An MV? Sure!¡± You Ying was also startled, knowing that an MV couldn¡¯t be made just by moving one¡¯s lips. Despite some skepticism, she agreed without hesitation. With a wave of his hand, Yue Feng instantly redirected the camera. A special beam of light projected from above the Floating Ball, and then, in the space where the night sky had been, a 3D projection appeared out of thin air. Upon seeing this, Yue Feng¡¯s heart skipped a beat, Holy crap, future technology? 3D projection? What was even more astonishing followed, as the projection was far more than a simple image; it came to life realistically. It was as if a 3D immersive version of an MV was playing in the night sky! It was clear that this piece of advanced technology was powerful. The video segments were all scenes just captured, featuring distant lights in the lyrics, lonely neon signs, and boys and girls walking alone under the streetlights in different nighttime settings. Everything was the most natural and harmonious scene, and the cinematography technique was of Master Level, perfectly fitting the warm yet somewhat sad mood of the entire song. Paired with the fitting lyrics in the MV, it made viewers feel a slight warmth in their eyes and a stirring at the bottom of their hearts. Initially, You Ying hadn¡¯t clearly seen what the other party had released, but a few seconds later, when she understood, she was so shocked that her eyes widened. The unhurried melody, warm yet slightly sad lyrics, combined with the extremely fitting visuals, quickly convinced You Ying that this was exactly how the most perfect MV in her mind would look. ¡°????¡± ¡°?????¡± ¡°?????¡± The viewers in the live broadcast room, watching through Yue Feng¡¯s perspective, had their eyes wide open, wondering what on earth was going on. One moment they were broadcasting a battle, and the next it turned into an MV, with a 3D projection of the MV in the sky¡ªwhat sort of divine maneuver was this? Had technology really advanced this much? Soon, the MV reached its climax, and the singing stopped once again. The perspective shifted and switched back to Yue Feng¡¯s handsome face. ¡°So, did you like it?¡± ¡°How... how did you do that?¡± You Ying¡¯s eyes were full of little stars, and she was somewhat dumbstruck. Others might not be aware, but she knew that her song had not been officially released yet. Creating a live-action MV in advance was simply impossible, yet it had actually happened before everyone¡¯s eyes. ¡°Just a little surprise, I¡¯ll explain it to you later!¡± Yue Feng smiled calmly, as if it were no big deal at all. At that moment, someone from the live viewers suddenly shouted in the live chat. ¡°I get it now, You Ying is just promoting her new song, even pre-recording the MV and showing it to us in this way!¡± With that said, suddenly more people chimed in with agreement. Although it seemed incredible to play this during a battle, it might have been prepared in advance technologically. Chapter 44 - 44 44 Special Meteor Shower ?44: Chapter 44: Special Meteor Shower 44: Chapter 44: Special Meteor Shower The program¡¯s effect is just an illusion. Even the Magic Master plays with sawing people in half without an actor actually being sawn apart. It¡¯s the same principle. ¡°Wow, You Ying¡¯s creativity is awesome, absolutely perfect!¡± ¡°Perfect plus one!¡± ¡°This song sounds so good, is it uploaded anywhere? Where can I listen to it?¡± ¡°Speaking of which, could the guy opposite really be You Ying¡¯s boyfriend?¡± ¡°Boyfriend my foot, that¡¯s totally impossible, I don¡¯t believe it, I don¡¯t believe it!¡± ¡°If you ask me, he¡¯s probably just a coworker at most, for the broadcast effect. You get me, the broadcast effect?¡± ¡°Mind-blowing performance, I¡¯m on my knees for you!¡± Little Shrimp sent over Cloud Piercing Arrow¡Á6 You Ying¡¯s live stream room suddenly experienced a flood of Cloud Piercing Arrows, with the recognized megapatron of Seafood Live ¨C Little Shrimp making an appearance and starting off with an onslaught of Cloud Piercing Arrows. ¡°Thanks to Brother Little Shrimp for the barrage of Cloud Piercing Arrows!¡± Even someone as important as Wan¡¯er wouldn¡¯t dare to offend a patron of this caliber. She promptly nodded and gave thanks. Little Shrimp: ¡°Nice creativity, keep it up!¡± While the live room was bustling with excitement, I, with my broken leg, also received the submission right away. There¡¯s new juicy gossip on You Ying. In the middle of the live stream, her rumored boyfriend appeared on camera, and they even started playing a 3D version of her new music video live ¨C what a sensational scene! Knowing a bit more, so my views as Dogleg Bro are higher than the average person, I couldn¡¯t help but be impressed with the level of quality achieved by the video software¡¯s recording. To professionals, the MV production standard was super high, possibly the work of a top domestic team. Does this mean You Ying has signed with a talent agency? This is huge news, no, I must go check it out myself! ¡°What shall we do next?¡± Yue Feng asked casually with another question. ¡°My song is over, you decide!¡± ¡°Um, I¡¯m a bit limited here, how about we watch the stars?¡± Yue Feng continued, following the script. ¡°Watch the stars? Sounds great!¡± People who have been exposed to a certain level of art appreciation, especially girls, are usually defenseless against a starry sky. It sounded nice in the script, but Yue Feng¡¯s head was still empty. Watch the stars, how? Although the stars in the small town¡¯s night sky are brighter than those in big cities, the idea of stargazing during a live stream battle was a bit far-fetched; what could possibly be seen through the camera? Probably not even a single hair. But the next second, a scene that made everyone¡¯s jaw drop happened. The camera in front of Yue Feng flashed, and the video transformed into a vast starry sky. With ultra-high-definition clarity, the stars in the night sky seemed like countless diamonds scattered on blue velvet, and the entire sky was captured within the equipment¡¯s field of view. If one had good eyesight, they could even see the stars twinkling. ¡°Damn, damn, damn!¡± ¡°What kind of sorcery is this?¡± ¡°Crap, don¡¯t tell me this is another special effects video?¡± ¡°I just realized how beautiful the starry night sky actually is!!!¡± If you think it was just a change of perspective and nothing more? Suddenly, the Floating Ball in front of Yue Feng started ascending towards the high sky. Within the perspective of the battle, the view began to rise swiftly, and within a matter of seconds, it had passed through the clouds. Through the clouds, the starry sky appeared even more beautiful, and everyone was instantly mesmerized. ¡°It¡¯s so beautiful!¡± ¡°Damn, this can¡¯t be a dream, right? I feel like it doesn¡¯t seem like special effects, it seems more real!¡± ¡°Mom, I can fly! I¡¯ve already flown up to the edge of the sky!¡± ¡°This streamer¡¯s got the goods, yeah? I might not get fishing, but checking out stars every now and then is nice, and who could resist that? Compared to stargazing, all that flower sending, candlelit dinners and the like are just so basic, you know?¡± ¡°Romantic +1¡± ¡°Even if it¡¯s fake, I¡¯m in, followed!¡± The viewers in the live stream were full of admiration, and You Ying too was in a state of tremendous shock. The scene captured by the camera seemed like something she had only seen in her childhood, back at her grandma¡¯s house in the countryside, and as the video perspective kept rising, the magnificent sea of stars made people feel dizzy and fascinated. Looking at such a beautiful starry sky, it felt like all worries were being emptied out. ¡°Do you like it?¡± Yue Feng¡¯s magnetic voice came through her mind again. ¡°Mm-hmm!¡± ¡°Want something even more thrilling? Don¡¯t blink!¡± ¡°Something more thrilling?¡± You Ying was utterly confused. The next second, in the far northwest of the night sky, a meteor swept across, its long golden tail streaking through the night, adding even more splendor to the already dazzling starscape. ¡°Wow! Did you see that, a meteor!¡± The live stream erupted into exclamations again. ¡°It¡¯s really a meteor, so beautiful!¡± One meteor wasn¡¯t enough to make a showy effect, but soon after, successive meteor showers streaked across, and within a few minutes, there was a meteor shower of at least dozens of meteors in the night sky. You Ying covered her mouth with both hands, her beautiful eyes stretched wide in astonishment, filled with countless surprises. ¡°Okay, no more!¡± Yue Feng¡¯s voice came once more, the camera started to descend rapidly, the stars got larger and larger in the view until it finally returned to Yue Feng¡¯s handsome face. ¡°How was it? Did you like it?¡± ¡°Wow, wow, wow, I loved it! Tell me, how did you do it?¡± You Ying¡¯s eyes sparkled like little stars, and she felt completely overwhelmed. At first, it had been just a fleeting fancy, similar to the feeling you get when you pass a well-dressed handsome guy on the street, but tonight¡¯s experience had been so magical, utterly exceeding You Ying¡¯s highest expectations of romance. Let¡¯s set the MV aside for now, it¡¯s possible some emergent technology could achieve that effect, but the stargazing felt a bit too real. The camera view was on the whole time, moving from Yue Feng¡¯s face up to the starry sky, then ascending, followed by a meteor shower. The ultra-high-quality image plus the perfect angle gave the feeling of being there in person, without a hint of unreal fakeness. ¡°It¡¯s a secret. Time for me to sign off. I¡¯ll hit you up when I¡¯m free!¡± Yue Feng didn¡¯t provide any answers and casually ended the video call after a quick goodbye. ¡°Phew...¡± Yue Feng sighed deeply after ending the call, his heart pounding rapidly in his chest. This time, the system had gone a bit too big, what with the MV and then the stargazing, completely beyond Yue Feng¡¯s expectations. The show had been explosive, but how on earth was he going to explain this afterward? The technology revealed here was far more advanced than current tech; if professionals caught on, he might end up being seized by the government for dissection. System, system! [Here] Isn¡¯t this kind of play risky? I just got comfortable, don¡¯t let me get into trouble! [Existence is reasonable, there is no need to worry excessively!] But what should I say when they ask later? It won¡¯t take much to see through a casual lie! [Standard explanation: ¡°It¡¯s a secret!¡± The system will automatically correct any adverse effects resulting from this action!] Chapter 45 - 45 45 New Fishing Spot ?45: Chapter 45: New Fishing Spot 45: Chapter 45: New Fishing Spot The system provided an explanation, and Yue Feng¡¯s worries finally calmed down a bit. After all, since binding with the system, there had never been any control issues, and it claimed it would automatically correct any adverse effects, which meant it likely would. After exiting the live broadcast, Yue Feng did not rush to leave the platform but continued to stay in the live broadcast room. With a base of forty to fifty thousand viewers, as long as he remained silent, he definitely wouldn¡¯t be noticed. Having experienced the surprises of the MV and watching the meteor shower, it would be a lie to say Baby wasn¡¯t shocked. However, since the live broadcast was on, she maintained her professional composure, quickly settled her emotions, and resumed her usual live streaming routine, performing various talents. The subjects of the matter had calmed down, but Ken was exceptionally excited by Yue Feng¡¯s unusual move. The previous MV playback could be understood as a pre-prepared technical effect, but watching the stars afterward, what was that about? Ken was sure that this wasn¡¯t a commercial activity planned by the entertainment company; it seemed more like a romantic gesture, such as sending flowers or setting candles, only Yue Feng¡¯s method was more advanced. Could it be that Baby already had someone special? That little look just now was totally smitten! No way, no way, he couldn¡¯t miss this big explosive moment! Whatever it took, he had to catch this wave of popularity! Quickly, Ken started editing the video. With such a level of popularity, Ken wasn¡¯t the only one interested; shortly, a condensed version of the MV appeared in the platform¡¯s popular clips and was rapidly promoted as a hot topic, making Baby¡¯s new song a hit. As the instigator, Yue Feng, for the time being, didn¡¯t have such keen senses. He stayed lurking in Baby¡¯s live stream room until 9:30, then, as it was his normal bedtime, he logged off, washed up, and went to bed. The next morning, Yue Feng was woken up by his alarm clock, and the first thing he did upon opening his eyes was to check the live streaming platform app. As Yue Feng had expected, the edited MV had made it to the top position of the hottest videos, and the official recommendation had even featured it prominently on the homepage. The views had exceeded 5 million and were still rapidly increasing. Due to the MV, Yue Feng also gained some fame, gaining nearly 2000 followers overnight. He was now just a few hundred short of 7000 followers, Backstage private messages and comments, the friend column was in a 999+ state, with countless curious babies developing a strong interest in Yue Feng. After gaining followers, Yue Feng felt refreshed, opened the doors early, had breakfast, and started his normal business. Through recent promotions and normal business growth, the daily revenue of Yue Feng¡¯s shop had stabilized, averaging about 600 per day, reaching 800-900 on Saturdays and Sundays. All in all, after deducting the cost of goods, his monthly income could reach about ten thousand, which was quite satisfactory. After 10:30 AM, Yue Feng bought a simple lunch and rode his motorcycle again to the river section on the west bank of Wangjiazhuang, where he usually live-streamed. Arriving at the riverbank, Yue Feng parked his motorcycle and habitually glanced into the river, slightly frowning. Damn, the water level had dropped! For a fisherman, a falling water level wasn¡¯t good news. Fish are very sensitive to changes in hydrology, and once the water level drops, most of them will swim towards deeper areas, leaving little chance for normal fishing. There¡¯s a saying, ¡°rising water brings fish, falling water brings shrimp.¡± When the water rises, seeds and insects near the riverbank are washed into the water, drawing fish closer to the shore for feeding, making them easier to catch. In contrast, when the water falls and the water level lowers, the shallow areas where shrimp live are exposed, making them easier to capture. Given today¡¯s situation, without even trying, Yue Feng knew there wouldn¡¯t be much hope for good fishing, the empty bank was quite telling. Recently, Yue Feng had developed the habit of starting his live broadcasts at set times and locations. Plus, since he hadn¡¯t informed his followers that he¡¯d be absent from yesterday¡¯s live stream, there might be many fans waiting for him to start broadcasting. What to do? Yue Feng was feeling a bit anxious, it was already eleven o¡¯clock, and any further delay would affect the normal start of his live broadcast. Fishing live streams need to be as uninterrupted as possible. He was at a stage where he was solidifying his fan base, and instability in his streaming could quickly lead to a loss of followers, something Yue Feng did not want to see. That¡¯s right, he should ask in the group chat where other anglers are fishing. Yue Feng opened the WeChat group and shouted out. The water downstream from Qinglong Lake has receded, it¡¯s impossible to fish on the west side of Wangjiazhuang, brothers, does anyone have a good fishing spot to share? I¡¯m going fishing and live streaming there! Normally, Yue Feng rarely showed up in his own group chat of several hundred members, so when the group owner actually spoke up, several acquaintances started joking around. ¡°Wow, did you find your WeChat password? Apart from that one time you accidentally showed your face during a stream, you haven¡¯t popped up in the chat. Thought you disappeared as the group owner!¡± ¡°I just went to Wangjiazhuang this morning, saw that no poles were even set up and left, currently at home, also looking for good fishing spots!¡± ¡°The water receded because the dams downstream were releasing water. As far as I know, the reduced water level extends from Wangjiazhuang upstream to Masong, so don¡¯t bother trying out the nearby fishing spots for now!¡± Hearing this, Yue Feng scratched his head, wondering what to do. While the group was chirping away, Liu Fengnian sent Yue Feng a private message. ¡°Where are you? Wangjiazhuang? I know a spot, the fishing isn¡¯t bad, but it¡¯s a bit far, are you up for it?¡± Upon hearing there was a good spot, Yue Feng didn¡¯t care about the distance, and asked, ¡°Where is it? Being a bit far is no problem!¡± ¡°The place I went with Wang Dong a few days ago, by the river channel on the North Shore of Qinglong Lake¡¯s reservoir area!¡± ¡°The reservoir area? Isn¡¯t fishing there not allowed?¡± Yue Feng was skeptical. ¡°Of course, fishing isn¡¯t allowed inside the reservoir, otherwise, who would fish downstream! The place I¡¯m talking about is a small tributary extending from the North Shore of the reservoir, a local resident took us there, I can give them a call to guide you over, it¡¯s about twenty-five kilometers from your shop!¡± Yue Feng was tentatively excited by this news, but worried about troubling others, so he weakly asked, ¡°Is it convenient? If it¡¯s going to put you out or owe someone a favor, forget it!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not as exaggerated as you think. There¡¯s a booth along the North Shore of the reservoir area, locals can pass through without issues, but outsiders aren¡¯t allowed in. A local can take you inside for a box of cigarettes priced at 12 yuan, no favors owed!¡± Relieved that he wouldn¡¯t owe anyone, Yue Feng was at ease ¨C the cost of a box of cigarettes was manageable for him. ¡°Then fine, send me the location, I¡¯ll head there now!¡± One minute later, Old Liu sent over the GPS coordinates and the contact¡¯s phone number. ¡°I¡¯ve called him, once you get there just phone him directly and it¡¯s all set!¡± ¡°Got it, thanks a lot!¡± Now with the new fishing spot address, Yue Feng pulled up his phone¡¯s GPS and rode off on his motorcycle towards the destination. Chapter 46 - 46 46 Unfamiliar Waters Strangers Please Vote Please Collect! ?46: Chapter 46: Unfamiliar Waters, Strangers (Please Vote, Please Collect!) 46: Chapter 46: Unfamiliar Waters, Strangers (Please Vote, Please Collect!) The road was good, and the motorcycle was fast, so it took about half an hour for Yue Feng to arrive near the point on the address. Following the experience given by Old Liu, Yue Feng made a call and, sure enough, he was let past the guardhouse for the cost of a pack of cigarettes. Qinglong Lake is a medium-sized reservoir, and in principle, the entire reservoir area is a domestic water source and activities like fishing are not allowed. The larger water area of the reservoir is fenced off with wire mesh. But local officials are not as strict as those from afar, and this tributary known by locals as South Creek had no such restrictions. Locals who lived nearby weren¡¯t supervised and could do as they pleased. After passing the guardhouse and circumventing the area enclosed by iron fences, Yue Feng regained his freedom. He rode his motorcycle around the North Shore Storage Area, searching for the fishing spot at South Creek mentioned by Old Liu. It was a relatively flat water surface area, neatly arranged along the riverside, with a swath of trees seven or eight meters behind, resembling a natural bend. Not only was it sheltered from the wind, but it also faced the sun¡ªit was definitely a great fishing spot. However, the downside was that on arriving, Yue Feng found that others were already fishing there; a Cherokee and a Jeep Wrangler were parked by the road, and three anglers were squatting on the fishing platforms. Yue Feng parked his small motorcycle to the side and walked over to the riverside. The man closest to Yue Feng was a middle-aged man wrapped in a new Shimano bamboo charcoal sunscreen suit, his face covered with a sun protection scarf, and wearing plain fishing glasses, looking fully geared up. ¡°How¡¯s it going, master, caught much?¡± Yue Feng greeted politely. Such simple communication between riverside fishermen was normal; asking casually could sometimes save a lot of trouble. The man glanced up at Yue Feng, then at the motorcycle behind him, and said with low enthusiasm, ¡°So-so!¡± ¡°Caught many?¡± ¡°Not much.¡± With his Insight Skill, Yue Feng judged from the man¡¯s tone and body language that he was not welcoming, so he didn¡¯t continue to pry and annoy him. Scanning around the riverside, he prepared to find a spot to start fishing. Where Yue Feng looked, the spots chosen by the few men with fishing platforms all seemed poor; in Yue Feng¡¯s eyes, they all appeared grey, indicating areas with few or no fish. If the others had been more welcoming, Yue Feng wouldn¡¯t have minded suggesting they chose a bad spot. But considering their dismissive and condescending attitude, Yue Feng said nothing and turned away, walking along the water¡¯s edge to find a suitable fishing spot about thirty to forty meters away from the group. Choosing a good spot, setting up his fishing platform, Yue Feng began the preparations of bait opening and nesting before fishing. While busy with preparations, Wang Jian on the fishing platform was sizing up this young fisherman. A somewhat old, ordinary Qianjiang 125 motorcycle, with fishing boxes and platforms tied to the rear seat with ropes; his gear looked ordinary and even a bit shoddy, clearly not the setup of a wealthy person. Wang Jian was the owner of a fishing gear shop in Fang¡¯an District, adjacent to the area where Yue Feng lived. He opened the shop early, so he had a bit of a local reputation. Hearing that the fish situation in Qinglong Lake was good, Wang Jian had specifically driven here with some wealthy clients from the store, arriving early in the storage area, choosing spots and baiting, but managed to catch only five or six carp by midmorning. The carp in this area were indeed bigger, but the fishing was not as good as rumored; his companions had even complained about the weak fish presence not long ago. Now, nearing noon, another young angler had come to join the crowd. As the storage area wasn¡¯t his property, Wang Jian couldn¡¯t drive the newcomer away, so he resorted to giving him the cold shoulder. Ten minutes later, Yue Feng¡¯s preparations were complete, Waiting for the fishing spot to stabilize, I can start the livestream. Ding! Triggered the regular task ¡°Exploring Unknown Waters¡±. ¡°Exploring Unknown Waters¡±: As a fisherman, exploring unfamiliar waters is a very common activity. Task requirement: Catch not less than the usual average weight in unfamiliar waters. Task reward: Gold Edition Wild Fishing Companion. Wow, such a good deal! Changing fishing spots triggered a daily task! Seeing the reward is a Gold Edition Wild Fishing Companion, Yue Feng hurriedly accepted it. Yue Feng felt no psychological pressure accepting such tasks that offer rewards but no penalties, especially since he had already learned about the fish situation here from Liu Fengnian before coming, which was definitely much better than in Wangjiazhuang. Indeed, the fish situation at Qinglong Lake was much better than at Wangjiazhuang. It took just five minutes to prepare the spot properly, and there were already signs of fish activity. Suddenly, the float slightly swayed, then sharply jerked down. This bite was quite different from the fish bites he had experienced on the west side of Wangjiazhuang. The bite was very fresh, without any tentative small movements, quick and forceful, showing a very aggressive bite. Yue Feng lifted the rod, and the first fish was pulled up, a crucian carp weighing about half a pound. After removing the hook and placing the fish in the hold, Yue Feng activated the livestream system with a thought, and the drone took off from the toolbox behind him, hovering at a fixed height beside him. Having gained several thousand followers the day before, Yue Feng saw the popularity of the livestream room exceed 100 people as soon as he started streaming¡ªmore than double the usual number, and the number of viewers continued to grow. ¡°Hello everyone, I am Yue Feng. Since we couldn¡¯t fish at our usual spot near the west side of Wangjiazhuang due to the water level dropping, I chose a new spot to start the stream for you all today! As usual, please help share the stream, brothers! Thanks!¡± Yue Feng started off with his customary confident introduction. Things were fine on Yue Feng¡¯s end, but the livestream room started getting chaotic. ¡°Eh! The rumored boyfriend of the pop star is streaming, what¡¯s this little bro doing?¡± ¡°Drone livestreaming fishing? It looks so high-end.¡± ¡°What¡¯s your relationship with the pop star?¡± ¡°I watched the MV and meteor shower last night too. When can we have an event to watch stars?¡± ¡°The host is so handsome, why don¡¯t you reply when I send you private messages? Seeking WeChat friendship!¡± A series of messages from unfamiliar IDs flooded the public chat, making Yue Feng frown involuntarily. Damn, a perfectly good fishing livestream room was at risk of turning into an entertainment livestream room. ¡°Hello to everyone watching my stream for the first time, please click follow and share! I see a lot of questions from you guys. If we reach 300 viewers, I¡¯ll start picking a few questions to answer. The spot I prepared earlier is already active, so let¡¯s watch some fishing first!¡± After saying this, Yue Feng put his phone aside and began patiently casting and fishing. If he had known there would be so many viewers, there would have been no need to wait for the bait to stabilize before starting the stream. The interaction was definitely up to par, even exceeding it by a lot. With more people, the questions varied tremendously, most of which were off-topic, giving Yue Feng quite a headache. Chapter 47 - 47 47 Treating a Dead Horse as if It Were Alive ?47: Chapter 47 Treating a Dead Horse as if It Were Alive 47: Chapter 47 Treating a Dead Horse as if It Were Alive Having more people around did have its advantages; in the blink of an eye, shares in the livestream room began to surge, and Yue Feng got to enjoy the treatment that only top internet celebrities received. He had thought it would take quite a while for the number of people in the livestream room to reach three hundred, but in less than two minutes, Yue Feng¡¯s request was forcefully fulfilled! ¡°The number has been reached, should the host answer our questions now? I¡¯ll go first, are you Baby Doll¡¯s boyfriend?¡± Yue Feng wasn¡¯t planning on being evasive. He simply shook his head after seeing that public channel comment: ¡°Nope, I¡¯ve only known Baby Doll for a short while!¡± ¡°Was the music video from yesterday pre-recorded?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t answer that question for now, it¡¯s a secret!¡± Yue Feng said, sticking to the standard response. ¡°That¡¯s no fun. Then at least you can talk about the meteor shower, right? When will we watch the stars again? That¡¯s way more interesting than playing in the water!¡± Seeing the onlookers describe Yue Feng¡¯s fishing activity as playing in the water, Yue Feng helplessly shook his head. What¡¯s that got to do with anything? ¡°Meteor showers and such are out of the question for now, we need to wait for the right opportunity, and as for the specifics, that¡¯s a secret too, can¡¯t disclose them!¡± ¡°Gosh, big bro, you¡¯re no fun at all, so tight-lipped, can¡¯t get any useful news out of you! I¡¯m outta here!¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you notice the big brother is quite handsome and speaks so gently? If you¡¯re leaving, do it quick. Big brother, I have a question, can I add your private WeChat? I¡¯m super easy to flirt with, can be sweet or cool, and my avatar is my real picture!¡± ¡°Ah, I¡¯m super easy to flirt with too, private chat with my WeChat is sent, add me!¡± Yue Feng saw the situation and thought, where the heck did this troop of demons spring from? He quickly interjected. ¡°Stop, stop, stop! This is a wholesome outdoor Fishing Livestream Room; it¡¯s broad daylight, please be mindful of the impact!¡± But Yue Feng¡¯s words were to no avail; with nearly 350 viewers in the livestream, there were quite a few chirpy girls, and the fisher fans who were there for the fishing content became less vocal. However, this situation didn¡¯t last long, as Yue Feng began to catch fish, finally breaking the slightly awkward atmosphere. Focused, Yue Feng took his time with each cast, hooking fish after fish, but the fellow fishermen in the livestream were over the moon with excitement. Yue Feng was too embarrassed to flirt with the group of girls due to the nature of the livestream, but the viewers in the channel had no such scruples; soon enough, various jokes were flying back and forth, and the whole livestream room became joyful and harmonious. For a fisherman, just having a beautiful bite was happiness enough, but now there were also many cute girls to flirt with. Regardless of whether they could actually hook them, this treatment was exceedingly comfortable. The activity in the livestream room was lively, which saved Yue Feng a lot of energy in moderating. Every so often, he checked the public channel, jokingly picking semi-sensitive questions to answer. The fishing spot he had chosen was excellent; it wasn¡¯t long before the crucian carp in the nest started biting one after another. Over in the western channel, the size of the crucian carp was generally on the larger side, with even the smallest weighing over 100 grams, mostly averaging over 250 grams. Catch after catch, Yue Feng called it thrilling. Yue Feng was having the time of his life, but the few guys fishing some dozens of meters away couldn¡¯t stay calm any longer. ¡°Damn, that guy¡¯s only been here for a short while and now he¡¯s hooking one after another! Wang Jian, is there something wrong with your bait?¡± One of the young men, looking to be in his twenties with delicate features, loudly asked the Wang Jian beside him. Wang Jian saw that Yue Feng also had a fish on the line and felt a bit upset. Hearing his companion¡¯s question, he frowned, ¡°Little Ma, what you¡¯re saying is not very clever. How come you didn¡¯t complain about the bait during our streak of catches the other day? Are you full and now blaming the chef?¡± Next to Little Ma, a burly fellow with thick eyebrows and big eyes chimed in, ¡°You guys wait here, I¡¯ll go over and take a look!¡± ¡°Sure, Lei Lei, you go have a look!¡± Wang Jian nodded in agreement. Lei Lei, whose full name is Lei Lei, was tall and burly, about the same height as Yue Feng, but much thicker. One could tell at a glance that he had the physique of a tough northern guy. He was often outdoors, his skin tanned to a light wheat color. The Jeep Wrangler parked on the shore was his. Lei Lei hopped off the fishing platform and strolled over toward Yue Feng. From twenty meters away, Lei Lei saw a drone hovering slightly higher than the level of Yue Feng¡¯s forehead. The intention to shout out a loud greeting immediately subsided. As he got closer, he found Yue Feng in the middle of a live stream, chatting away happily with the viewers in the Fishing Livestream Room. Lei Lei tiptoed to Yue Feng¡¯s side after figuring out the situation and gently patted his shoulder. ¡°Bro, I have some questions to ask you!¡± Yue Feng felt someone behind him and turned his head. After recognizing the face, he turned off the live stream¡¯s microphone. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°What bait and ¡®bait recipe¡¯ are you using over here? You haven¡¯t been here long but already started catching fish. We¡¯ve been here all morning and haven¡¯t caught many decent ones!¡± As Lei Lei asked, he pulled out a cigarette and offered it to Yue Feng. Yue Feng didn¡¯t have a high opinion of them, but their approaching him and offering a cigarette did leave a positive impression. ¡°Oh, the bait, eh? I mix it myself. By the way, I own a fishing tackle shop in Fang¡¯an District town, Yue Feng Fishing Tackle!¡± Yue Feng took the opportunity to promote his business and pocketed fifty points. When Lei Lei heard that Yue Feng owned a fishing tackle shop, his spirits lifted. ¡°Do you carry extra bait and ¡®bait recipe¡¯? Can you sell me some?¡± ¡°That¡¯s no problem, but my stuff is a bit pricey, I¡¯m not sure if you can afford it! Rice Wine is $20 per pound, and the crucian carp formula bait is $25! Guaranteed to work!¡± ¡°How¡¯s that expensive? We¡¯ve been using ¡®Hand Food¡¯ that¡¯s even pricier than that and still can¡¯t catch anything. Give me the same, I want to give it a try!¡± Yue Feng took a set of Bait Hand Food out of his Fishing Box and handed it to Lei Lei. Lei Lei was very straightforward, leaving a good impression on Yue Feng. Besides, now that he had bought Yue Feng¡¯s bait, he was considered his customer. Yue Feng decided to offer a few simple tips. ¡°You¡¯ve probably laid several bait spots where you guys are fishing now, right? Using my ¡®Hand Food¡¯, don¡¯t fish at the old spots anymore, it affects the results. Look, you see that large rock on the shore not far from here? Move there and give it a try!¡± Yue Feng, being generous, pointed out a new fishing spot to Lei Lei. There were plenty of fishing spots to choose from along the riverbank. It was a mystery why the three of them had chosen an area that was all grey, blending in together, devoid of fish. Lei Lei came to seek advice as a last resort, without giving it much thought. But now, having bought the bait and gotten a new fishing spot location from Yue Feng, he decided to give it a try. Chapter 48 - 48 48 Poaching Clients in Person ?48: Chapter 48: Poaching Clients in Person 48: Chapter 48: Poaching Clients in Person ¡°Okay, you guys keep busy, I¡¯m going to try setting up a new bait spot over there!¡± Lei Lei greeted before leaving with the bait. Xiao Ma and Wang Jian were a bit baffled to see Lei Lei had come back with two bags of bait that bore a huge brand label after just asking about the fish activity. Curious, Wang Jian asked, ¡°What¡¯s the deal? How did you end up bringing back hand food after just asking about the fish?¡± ¡°That guy is in the same line of work as you, and he happened to have hand food with him, so I casually bought two packs to try out!¡± Upon hearing this, Wang Jian¡¯s face looked a bit displeased. From Lei Lei¡¯s perspective, coming out to fish definitely means focusing on the fish catch. Since Wang Jian¡¯s bait was not effective, and the young angler was constantly getting bites, it made perfect sense to try switching the bait. However, from the standpoint of Wang Jian, a fishing shop owner, it didn¡¯t feel right; he kindly brought two customers out for fishing, only to find they didn¡¯t trust his products. Anyone would probably not look too happy in this situation. ¡°Let me have a look, what good stuff is this?¡± Xiao Ma reached out to ask for it. Lei Lei had a good relationship with Xiao Ma and handed over the unopened bag easily. After taking a simple look at the Rice Wine and the dough bait, Xiao Ma couldn¡¯t see anything remarkable about them. The Rice Wine was just regular crushed corn kernels with a mild scent of alcohol, and nothing about the bait material stood out as special; the overall flavor profile was just a common fishy scent. To be honest, it was much inferior to the imported Marukyu bait they were using. ¡°This is no good either, just some cheap stuff!¡± Xiao Ma said after looking it over. Lei Lei thought differently, having witnessed someone catching fish with it, he had to try it out: ¡°Just give it a try, what if it works!¡± ¡°Heh, I want to see what miraculous effects this new bait can have!¡± Wang Jian said, with a gloomy face. Wang Jian judged that today¡¯s fish activity wasn¡¯t great and it had little to do with the bait; he had switched several varieties from Fish Guard to Hand Food, and none were significantly effective. If this low-grade bait that looked no different from the Wild Station Blue Crucian Carp turned out to be effective, that would really be something. Lei Lei was entirely focused on fishing and didn¡¯t notice Wang Jian¡¯s expression; he picked up his Fishing Box from the fishing platform, moved the platform to the non-grey fishing area that Yue Feng had pointed him towards, and actually set it up there. After re-setting the platform, he began the usual baiting ritual. Lei Lei¡¯s actions were pretty rough; he dumped half of the one-pound package of Rice Wine into his freshly made bait spot. Having set up his spot, Lei Lei found himself without much to do and his attention was temporarily drawn to Yue Feng¡¯s drone live stream. Having been broadcasting for over half an hour, Yue Feng¡¯s live stream had already reached 400+ viewers. The atmosphere in the room was great, with an audience made up of both fishing enthusiasts and cute girls just there for fun, throwing one mischievous joke after another, some of which were even too much for Yue Feng to bear to look at. It was then that the role of the intelligent room management became clear, jokes were fine and edgy comments tolerated, but as soon as comments crossed the line, they were blocked, with a private message of warning sent out. After two warnings, if the behavior persisted, commenting privileges would be banned. After Lei Lei set up his bait spot, the focus of his friend Xiao Ma and the fishing shop owner Wang Jian was also drawn over to this side. Xiao Ma was curious to see if his good brother¡¯s new bait spot was effective, while Wang Jian was hoping to see Lei Lei and Yue Feng make fools of themselves. It wouldn¡¯t take more than half an hour to see whether the fish would bite or not, and then he could enjoy kicking them while they were down. Wang Jian¡¯s plans were well made, but it wasn¡¯t long before they were shattered. In less than ten minutes after preparing his bait spot, Lei Lei¡¯s fishing point was already surrounded by a dense array of fish shadows. Lei Lei switched to a new Lure and cast it into the water, and as soon as it hit bottom, he noticed the float twitched¡ªa fish had bitten! ¡°Haha! Got a bite!¡± Lei Lei called out with a bit of excitement, his burly arm gripping the fishing rod and forcefully pulling up the crucian carp. ¡°Damn, Lei actually caught a fish!¡± Seeing his good buddy hook a fish, Xiao Ma was getting restless at his own fishing spot. Wang Jian curled his lip: ¡°Who doesn¡¯t eat dumplings during New Year¡¯s? It¡¯s just one fish, could be a blind cat stumbling upon a dead mouse!¡± But it didn¡¯t take long for the fish activity around Lei Lei¡¯s bait spot to slap Wang Jian right in the face. After the bait spot was prepared, Lei Lei¡¯s catch rate increased. In no time, he was pulling them in rapidly, almost two fish for every three casts, none of them small. One after another, he pulled up more than a dozen crucian carps, each weighing over half a pound. ¡°Heh heh, Brother Jian, I¡¯m not sticking around to watch the floats anymore, don¡¯t blame me for not being loyal!¡± Xiao Ma called out and started to pack up his gear. Lei and Xiao Ma have been childhood friends, growing up together like brothers. For activities like fishing and preparing bait spots, they didn¡¯t need to communicate. After bustling about, moving his Fishing Box and adjusting his fishing platform, Xiao Ma had moved beside Lei Lei. ¡°Look at you, Lei, the bait and preparations you bought might not look impressive, but they seem really effective in action!¡± Lei Lei removed a hooked crucian carp and tossed it into the Fish Guard, then said, ¡°I¡¯ve still got half a pack left, if the fish stop biting later, we can pour the rest in together!¡± ¡°Sure! Let¡¯s indulge for a while! I¡¯ve barely caught a few fish this morning, nowhere near your catch rate!¡± Getting approval from his buddy, Lei actually slowed down. He hopped down from the fishing platform and hustled over to where Yue Feng was. ¡°Hey, man! Got any extra bait left? It works really well. Sell me a few more packs!¡± Yue Feng turned around upon hearing the call, ¡°No more, I only brought this much. If you need, you can go to the shop with me in the evening to get some!¡± ¡°Okay! I¡¯ll call out when I¡¯m packing up, and we can go together!¡± Getting an affirmative response, Lei Lei went back to his own fishing spot. ¡°Does the bait seller over there still have stock?¡± Xiao Ma asked casually. Lei Lei glanced at Wang Jian from the corner of his eye and whispered, ¡°All gone. Told him I¡¯d go with him to the store in the evening to get some. Don¡¯t let Wang Jian know, that guy is really petty!¡± ¡°We¡¯re not his lackeys, who cares about him? The way he prices things is already a rip-off, it¡¯s just that we don¡¯t make a fuss. If his stuff isn¡¯t good, why should we buy exclusively from him?¡± ¡°True, but it¡¯s not bad to leave some room when doing things! You can¡¯t avoid him!¡± Lei Lei added in persuasion. ¡°Alright, I got it!¡± Whatever the young duo muttered privately, Wang Jian definitely couldn¡¯t hear. But seeing Lei Lei go to Yue Feng again, Wang Jian was still a bit upset. He had finally managed to maintain two big clients, only to have them so easily swayed by a competitor, which left him feeling particularly aggrieved. Watching the three on his right steadily catch fish, Wang Jian grew restless at his spot and also began to stroll along the shore, heading straight for where Yue Feng was. Chapter 49 - 49 49 How much money ?49: Chapter 49 How much money 49: Chapter 49 How much money ¡°Today, our fishing spot is a river tributary in Qinglong Lake¡¯s waters. Technically, fishing isn¡¯t allowed here, but no one really checks this spot, so we¡¯re kinda bending the rules. Look at the size of this fish, everyone! It¡¯s way fatter than the ones caught near Wangjiazhuang!¡± Yue Feng was chatting with his friends in the live stream, unhooking a fish and showing off the big carp he had caught to the camera. As everyone was thoroughly enjoying the chat, Wang Jian strolled over to where Yue Feng was. ¡°Yo, the young man is still live streaming, big internet star, huh!¡± Wang Jian said nonchalantly. Yue Feng glanced over, recognizing the guy who initially didn¡¯t really want to interact with him, so he responded somewhat coldly, ¡°Just messing around!¡± ¡°Which platform are you streaming on? I¡¯ll check it out later!¡± Wang Jian, oblivious to the hint of unwelcome, continued making small talk. ¡°Seafood Live, I¡¯m still broadcasting. If you need something, we can chat after I¡¯m done!¡± After answering, Yue Feng turned away, ignoring Wang Jian. That¡¯s just how Yue Feng is. When you first come asking about fishing and you¡¯re barely responsive, don¡¯t expect him to serve you when you decide to show interest later; sorry, buddy, he holds grudges! ¡°Is someone hitting on you again?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the second wave already, isn¡¯t it? Hope they¡¯re not here to sell bait again!¡± ¡°You know, you can¡¯t really fault Yue Feng¡¯s bait. I tried out the prize he sent me yesterday, and it worked pretty well!¡± ¡°The host isn¡¯t hanging any ¡®small yellow fish¡¯, you got the first taste, we are still hungry here!¡± ¡°Thanks for the love, guys! I don¡¯t have enough supply right now, so no ¡®small yellow fish¡¯ for now. Please help share the stream, and I¡¯ll do another giveaway!¡± Wang Jian, hitting a soft spot and feeling awkward, turned to head back but stopped when he reached Lei Lei and Xiao Ma. ¡°Brother Jian, maybe you should change spots, feels like our area is just not hitting. Why not move over here and try!¡± Xiao Ma called out. ¡°Ha, no need, I just got a call; there¡¯s some issue at the store I need to handle!¡± Wang Jian made up an excuse. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s too bad, the fishing is actually good over here, big sizes too!¡± ¡°You two keep playing here; I¡¯ll pack up my stuff and head back!¡± Seeing Wang Jian leave, Xiao Ma and Lei Lei exchanged looks knowingly without saying a word. The live stream was planned for three hours, but Yue Feng wrapped it up in just two and a half, a lesson learned from last night¡¯s PK event, to spare some time in case of another PK invite. Meanwhile, You Ying was playing little schemes of her own. Her MV from last night had exploded in less than a day, surpassing 8 million views and sparking a covering frenzy on the platform, firing up her popularity once again. But You Ying was more curious about how Yue Feng had managed yesterday¡¯s feat. The cool, slightly rogue guy had successfully attracted You Ying¡¯s attention, but precisely for that reason, she hesitated, watching Yue Feng¡¯s live stream notification without daring to appear. This feeling was indescribable, a mixture of quiet anticipation and subtle hesitation and unease, a stark contrast to her past boldness in asking for joint streams or initiating PKs. Her best friend Su Cheng seemed to notice You Ying¡¯s unusual behavior, tiptoed behind her observing for a while before nonchalantly plopping onto the sofa. ¡°You Ying, what are you doing?¡± ¡°Ah? Su Cheng! Are you a cat? You walk without making a sound!¡± You Ying exclaimed, both startled and annoyed. ¡°Teehee! I saw you just spacing out with your phone! What¡¯s up, thinking about that cute guy again?¡± ¡°Mind your own business!¡± You Ying rolled her eyes, not really wanting to engage in this sensitive topic with her best friend. ¡°Seriously, I¡¯ve noticed you¡¯ve become more timid. If you like him, go for it! Keeping quiet isn¡¯t going to solve anything! We are no less than him!¡± ¡°I was thinking about the MV. Do you think we could spend some money to buy the original version? The ones online are all recordings from the live broadcast. Their quality is too poor!¡± ¡°That¡¯s true, the resolution is indeed lacking! We¡¯re about to hit 10 million views. Imagine how popular a high-definition version would be!¡± ¡°How about I try to contact Yue Feng for you?¡± Su Cheng suggested. ¡°What could you do? I¡¯ve already sent him a private message, but I bet his inbox is already full. It¡¯s unlikely he¡¯ll see it, and he hasn¡¯t left any contact information in his public profile!¡± ¡°A meal at Haidilao, and I¡¯ll find someone to ask for his phone number?¡± ¡°Really? You can get his number?¡± You Ying instantly perked up upon hearing her friend¡¯s offer. ¡°Just wait, I¡¯m going to ask a friend for help right now!¡± About ten minutes later, Su Cheng handed You Ying a sticky note with a phone number. ¡°Here you go, I found it for you!¡± ¡°Where did you get this from? I¡¯m starting to think you are 007!¡± ¡°I asked a friend who works at the platform to get it from the registration information! Remember you owe me a meal at Haidilao!¡± ¡°Fine, fine! We¡¯ll go tonight!¡± You Ying shamefully compromised in front of the phone number. At ten past four, Yue Feng had just rebaited for the second time, and the fish were still biting well. The phone suddenly rang, pulling Yue Feng away from his focused fishing. Checking the caller ID, it was a strange number from out of town, so Yue Feng casually answered. ¡°Hello, who¡¯s this?¡± ¡°Is this Yue Feng? I¡¯m from Seafood Live, You Ying!¡± Hearing the name on the other end, Yue Feng¡¯s mind went blank. Damn, You Ying was actually calling me? ¡°Oh, hi You Ying. What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°Sorry for calling out of the blue. I actually wanted to thank you for your MV yesterday, with the meteor shower. I really loved it! The second thing is, I wanted to negotiate with you; I would like to buy the original master tape of the MV!¡± ¡°How much are you prepared to pay?¡± With the mention of money, Yue Feng¡¯s mind heated up, and he reflexively spat out the question, though it was a bit too late once he realized it. ¡°Uh, I don¡¯t know much about the cost of shooting such a high-quality MV. I¡¯m not sure about its specific value. Why don¡¯t you suggest a price, and let¡¯s see how that sounds?¡± You Ying had fantasized before calling that he might be interested in her and offer it for free, but it turned out she was just overthinking it. Yue Feng, now unsure if the tape could even be made available, regained his composure and replied, ¡°The tape isn¡¯t with me at the moment; I¡¯ll contact you as soon as I can get it. I¡¯ll call you the moment I have news, is that okay?¡± ¡°Great! I¡¯ll wait for your call!¡± Chapter 50 - 50 50 Freshman Period!! ?50: Chapter 50: Freshman Period??!! 50: Chapter 50: Freshman Period??!! After hanging up the phone, Yue Feng¡¯s mind was still in a muddled state. Only after checking the call history on his phone again did he confirm that he was not dreaming. You Ying really had called him, and he had foolishly discussed the price of the film with her! Taking a deep breath, Yue Feng slightly calmed his emotions and silently called out to the system in his mind. System, System! [Present!] Could I extract the MV I synthesized last night under the Peak Challenge State? [The live-streamed version has already been automatically edited into the highlights reel. The high-definition master tape, due to the host¡¯s low authority, cannot be extracted at the moment!] Damn, extracting this thing requires permissions too? What exactly are the requirements for the permission and how far off am I? [Currently, the host¡¯s Professional Level is Beginner Fishing Tackle Store Owner, the Professional Skills rating is Wilderness Fishing Beginner, Novice Broadcaster! Minimal permission requirements are one of the following: Regional Franchise Store Owner, Competitive Master, Internet Celebrity! Please endeavor to improve your fishing skills and operational abilities to unlock higher-level permissions and enjoy more privileges!] Is this thing so serious? Can¡¯t you open a back door for me? [Please endeavor to improve your fishing skills and operational abilities to unlock higher-level permissions and enjoy more privileges!] [Additionally, a friendly reminder! The host¡¯s novice period is more than half over. Once the novice period ends, the requirements for ordinary points in the lottery will double, and you will no longer receive special items and cards!] Without communication, he wouldn¡¯t have known, but after casually asking a few questions, Yue Feng also received news he hadn¡¯t known before. Since being bound to this system, there apparently was a novice period. Why had the system never informed him of this? Whether special cards or special items, Yue Feng had already tasted their benefits, and these were good things. But now the system was telling him that after the novice period, these relatively easy-to-obtain good things would no longer be accessible if the permissions were not sufficient. How much longer until the novice period ends? [There are 16 days left until the end of the novice period!] Yue Feng didn¡¯t know how the novice period was calculated, but with only sixteen days left, half a month, it wasn¡¯t looking optimistic to earn more points and enter more lotteries. One last question, how can I quickly improve my authority and rating? [The system¡¯s existence is only to assist the host in improving; its purpose is not to provide a means for cheating! To improve quickly, the host needs to raise self-expectations and not settle for the current situation!] [Proactively triggering more events that you are capable of handling at your current stage will earn you higher scores, improve your professional conduct, and also elevate your rating!] Before the system¡¯s reminder, Yue Feng had felt that he was already doing well. But looking back, he realized he was living an uneventful life daily: opening the store in the morning, going out to fish and live stream at noon, with essentially fixed daily earnings and no significant improvements in his catch. This state had already continued for over a week without him realizing it. In the beginning, Yue Feng¡¯s fishing outings earned him quite a few promotion points each day, but as time passed, most anglers had come to know him, and it became increasingly difficult to earn promotion points. If it weren¡¯t for the slight buzz created by his recent streams, it could be said that Yue Feng had been marking time. ¡°Damn! I didn¡¯t realize I was already wasting quite a bit of time!¡± Yue Feng couldn¡¯t help but exclaim. Ding! Congratulations, host, for realizing your current situational issues. The phase main mission [Pioneering and Enterprising]has automatically been triggered! [Pioneering and Enterprising]: An outstanding person will never remain in a state of comfort but is constantly thinking about how to make progress! Mission requirement one: Increase the store¡¯s Popularity Value to 1000, and the number of loyal fishing friends to 100. Current Popularity Value 457, current number of loyal fishing friends 22. Mission requirement two: Improve fishing skills to Intermediate Taiwan Fishing. Current unlearned skills [Basic Sliding Fish][Basic Trolling] Mission requirement three: Increase the live-streaming room¡¯s active fan base to 10,000, current follower count 5270! Mission reward: Intermediate Taiwan Fishing Skill, unlock new live-streaming permissions and professional skills! Seeing the newly activated main mission, Yue Feng found a new direction to strive for, According to the system¡¯s explanation, after the novice period ends, many benefits will become much more difficult to obtain. Taking advantage of the remaining time in the novice period, Yue Feng decided not to remain complacent and to make changes. According to the three directions provided by the system mission, Yue Feng began to think. These three tasks, although they seem parallel, Yue Feng realized they are interrelated after careful consideration. For example, the improvement of fishing skills and the popularity of the shop indeed have an inherent connection. Recently, Yue Feng had been active around the Wangjiazhuang river section. The anglers he knew were mostly from around there, which is why the shop¡¯s Popularity Value was steady. The fundamental reason was Yue Feng had not been fishing in other places. Why hadn¡¯t Yue Feng gone to other places? One reason was the fish conditions did not allow it; secondly, he was well aware of his own skills, and going to places with higher fishing demands wouldn¡¯t necessarily be profitable for him now. For example, there was a commercial pond open to the public not far from Wangjiazhuang. Yue Feng knew of its existence but had never thought about going there to spend some money to play and try it out. As for live streaming, it was even more closely related to this matter. There were perceptive viewers among the audience; many of Yue Feng¡¯s small errors had also been mentioned in the live stream, only he had not taken them seriously before. With these thoughts, Yue Feng nearly had his breakthrough figured out. The priority was still to first improve his fishing skills, which was fundamental to completing the main mission. Thinking this, Yue Feng felt today¡¯s fishing had lost its appeal. Since he had enough hours for live streaming and his catch was not lower than usual, Yue Feng decided to pack up. ¡°Hey, buddy, what time are you playing till? I have something to do and need to leave first!¡± Yue Feng made a point to call out. ¡°Ah? Pulling out so early, can¡¯t you stay a bit longer and leave together?¡± Lei Lei, seeing Yue Feng about to leave, was reluctant to leave his productive fishing spot. ¡°How about this, add me on WeChat as a friend. I¡¯ll send you the address of my shop in WeChat, just navigate over after you¡¯ve packed up!¡± ¡°Alright then!¡± Lei Lei accepted Yue Feng¡¯s suggestion. Soon, Lei Lei was added as a new friend in Yue Feng¡¯s WeChat. Although he packed up early today, Yue Feng¡¯s catch was still quite substantial. He weighed his fish guard and found there were about thirty to forty pounds of big carps, each over half a pound. Yue Feng packed the catch into a bucket, covered it with the fish guard and finally settled it down. After delivering the fish to regular customers, Yue Feng got back to the store by four thirty. The first thing to do upon returning was to close the door and turn in the mission. Ding! Congratulations on exceeding the mission [Exploring Unfamiliar Waters]! Chapter 51 - 51 51 Advanced Tasks ?51: Chapter 51: Advanced Tasks 51: Chapter 51: Advanced Tasks Ding! Congratulations on earning 1 ¡°Gold Edition Wild Fishing Companion¡±. ¡°Gold Edition Wild Fishing Companion¡±: 500g of Gold Edition Wild Fishing Companion, when appropriately added into bait or feed, increases the probability of attracting and catching fish by 30%, with a usage amount of 0.1%. Using this feed and hand food for fishing can occasionally catch larger fish. It also works well with farmed fish. Ding! Congratulations on additionally gaining 1720 points! The Gold Edition Wild Fishing Companion is a higher-level bait additive, requiring less quantity for better effects, definitely a powerful prize. Besides, these extra points were also a bit of a surprise for Yue Feng. The task rewards didn¡¯t mention any points, but unexpectedly, he received so much after turning in the task. He only caught about ten or twenty pounds more fish than usual; could it be calculated at 100 points per pound? Previously, he was worried about not having enough points to learn skills, but now, with the 1700 points awarded by the system, Yue Feng¡¯s total points had reached 2500. Dammit, no chance for a draw this time, but let¡¯s check the basic items refreshed in the store first! Luckily, today¡¯s basic items included both ¡°Basic Sliding Fish¡± and ¡°Basic Trolling¡± skills, being the most fundamental skills, they were priced low. 1200 per book, he bought both for just 2400 points without hesitation. With a thought, both books were learned, and the knowledge of sliding fish and trolling filled Yue Feng¡¯s mind. Ding! Congratulations, host has learned all Basic Fishing Skills, automatically triggering the advanced task: ¡°Securing a Victory in a Fishing Competition¡±. ¡°Securing a Victory in a Competition¡±: As a reasonably skilled fisherman, how can you not have remarkable achievements? Task requirement: Participate in a small-scale fishing competition with no fewer than twenty people and secure the first place! Task reward: Intermediate advanced skills, random reward! Countdown: 240 hours. What the heck? Learning all the Basic Fishing Skills triggered an advanced task, and what¡¯s more annoying is that this task is compulsory and has a countdown. Although fishing is a popular sport, competitions aren¡¯t just available whenever you want, and truthfully, Yue Feng had absolutely no confidence in winning a fishing competition in ten days. After a brief moment of confusion, Yue Feng started to analyze this task. The task requirements were detailed, a minimum of twenty participants was okay, but Yue Feng racked his brains and couldn¡¯t think of such a competition nearby. It was really because Yue Feng was a loner, overly uninformed in this area. Perhaps ask big brother Liu? Yue Feng quickly thought of Liu Fengnian, whom he knew quite well from the local fishing circles ¡ª big brother Liu was much more familiar with these matters than Yue Feng was. Soon, Yue Feng dialed Liu Fengnian¡¯s number. ¡°Hello? Yue, how was the fishing today? Are you home yet?¡± ¡°Oh, haha, the catch was pretty good, and thanks to the spot you recommended, it was much better than the Wangjiazhuang river section!¡± Yue Feng hurriedly thanked him. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s great. Is there anything else you¡¯re calling for?¡± ¡°Yeah, actually, there is something. I was wondering if there are any small- to medium-scale fishing competitions nearby?¡± ¡°Fishing competition?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve been fishing for quite some time now. I feel like wild fishing isn¡¯t improving my skills much anymore, so I wanted to find myself a challenge!¡± ¡°There isn¡¯t an official fishing competition, but if you want to challenge your fishing skills, you could try the commercial ponds!¡± ¡°Commercial ponds?¡± ¡°Yes! It¡¯s pretty much the same format as a competition, just without prizes, and the spring fishing season is almost over anyway. The Black Pits around us have already started opening up. Personally, I think, if you want to take your little store to the next level, commercial ponds and Black Pits are a great direction!¡± As soon as Liu Fengnian mentioned this, Yue Feng got the idea¡ªhe remembered that the advanced task mentioned organizing a small fishing competition for more than twenty people. Wouldn¡¯t a commercial pond count as a competition too? Maybe it could work. ¡°Is there a suitable pond to try out nearby? I know a bit about fishing, but I don¡¯t have experience with commercial ponds. I¡¯ll have to rely on you to teach me!¡± ¡°The day after tomorrow, early in the morning, there¡¯s a Crucian Carp pit opening that a few of us were planning to go to. How about joining us? The announcement has already been made, 180 tickets, 50 pounds per person!¡± Hearing that a fishing session was nearly two hundred bucks, Yue Feng felt a bit of a pinch. However, thinking about the advanced task, he let it go. ¡°Send me the announcement later, I¡¯ll look it over and get back to you, okay?¡± ¡°Sure! I¡¯ll send it to you right away!¡± ¡°Alright, let¡¯s leave it at that!¡± After hanging up, Yue Feng didn¡¯t wait for Liu Fengnian to send the announcement; he immediately communicated with the system through his thoughts. System system, does fishing in commercial ponds and Black Pits count as small fishing competitions? [Any fishing scenario involving competition for fish catches and ranking of those catches counts as a fishing competition! That includes Black Pit fishing scenarios!] Having received a satisfying answer, Yue Feng finally felt at ease. However, another problem quickly popped into Yue Feng¡¯s mind. The only ace up his sleeve right now was the Crucian Carp formula and the Golden Edition Wild Fishing Companion. Yue Feng had never tried them in commercial ponds and didn¡¯t know how effective they would be. He knew that to complete the mission, he had to win the championship, not just participate randomly and hope to fulfill it 100%. But he had to go to grasp any chance to understand and perhaps learn from the experience. Yue Feng understood this logic and, after briefly considering it, decided he would study it! Just then, the announcement for the opening of Dong Family¡¯s fishing site also came through on WeChat. Yue Feng started to look it over carefully. The location of the pit wasn¡¯t too far from Yue Feng¡¯s small store. He checked his phone¡¯s navigation and saw it was less than 18km away, so going by scooter wouldn¡¯t be a problem. The fee was slightly different from what Liu Fengnian had mentioned; the formal fishing fee noted in the announcement was 200 bucks, with stealth fishing at 100, suggesting there might be some discount for regulars or groups. Here¡¯s a bit more about what formal and stealth fishing mean. Formal fishing means fishing on the day they stock the fish. Stealth fishing, unrelated by terminology, refers to fishing after the formal event has ended at a lower cost, targeting the remaining fish. The exact origins of these terms are unclear, but they are commonly understood by players in commercial ponds and Black Pits across the country, despite being completely unrelated to their literal meanings. Dong Family¡¯s fishing site had thirty-six fishing spots in total, stocking two thousand pounds of Jiangsu Crucian Carp weighing around six, seven, or eight pounds each. The charge was four bucks per pound of fish, and taking a large amount of fish away wasn¡¯t allowed. The fishing rules were fairly simple: before starting, everyone must uniformly cast their bait, help in netting fish was allowed, as well as substituting fitters, but digging the baited spot was forbidden. Digging the baited spot is a common term in Black Pits, also known in some areas as needling or nest jabbing. Essentially, it means fishing at someone else¡¯s baited spot without their permission, which is a highly uncivil and unethical habit in Black Pits. It often leads to conflicts between fishers, and even physical altercations, and is strictly prohibited in most Black Pits. Having understood the general rules, Yue Feng had made up his mind, Go for it, stir up a wave! Chapter 52 - 52 52 Preparation ?52: Chapter 52 Preparation 52: Chapter 52 Preparation A few minutes later, Yue Feng sent a message to Liu Fengnian on WeChat. ¡°I¡¯ve read the announcement, Big Brother Liu, please sign me up, I want to go have fun with you guys!¡± ¡°ok! Tomorrow morning I and a few others will go to the shop to find you, and we¡¯ll get ready for the Black Pit! This pit is open for red worms, so start preparing some worms in advance, we¡¯ll need at least one pound per person, prepare five or six pounds for yourself! Three pounds of Male Worm Seed, three pounds of female worms! It will be too late to get them fresh the morning after next!¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll call to order the worms right now!¡± After discussing the preparations, Yue Feng turned his attention to the internet. He wasn¡¯t about to go into this unprepared; without hands-on experience, the least he could do was to look for some strategies or tips online and learn in advance. However, it was frustrating for Yue Feng that after searching high and low on the internet, he couldn¡¯t find any mature video programs, only a few posts shared by netizens on some half-dead forums. When Yue Feng first took over the tackle shop, he didn¡¯t know much about fishing; you could say that he was a new recruit starting from scratch. But Yue Feng wasn¡¯t dull-witted. After browsing through forum posts and adding his already basic grasp of Basic Fishing Skills, he quickly made inferences and gained a rough understanding of the upcoming commercial pond fishing experience. As the saying goes, ¡°the army moves after provisions are ready,¡± and fishing, like mobilizing troops, had similar aspects, where preparation was especially important. If they were going to the Black Pit to fish for crucian carps, then the sub-lines used for wild fishing were not suitable. For crucian carps weighing six to eight taels, a regular fishing field typically recommends using size six or seven Sleeve Hooks. The size three or four Sleeve Hooks that Yue Feng used for wild fishing were too small and could easily result in losing fish. Tying hooks was something Yue Feng had gotten pretty good at. Based on his understanding and the advice of forum seniors, he quickly prepared several sets of sub-lines that might be needed. Size five barbless golden sleeves. 0.4 size sub-line. Folded at 60 centimeters. Size six barbless golden sleeves, 0.6 size sub-line, folded at 60 centimeters. Size seven barbless golden sleeves, 0.8 size sub-line, folded at 60 centimeters. Combining different hook sizes with different sub-line sizes basically met the needs for typical Black Pit crucian carps. Using barbless hooks made unhooking fish very convenient and saved time. After preparing the sub-lines, the corresponding main lines needed to be ready too. Yue Feng made new main lines in 0.8/1.0/1.2 three different sizes. With the line assembly ready, the next aspect was the bait and Hand Food for fishing. Farmed crucian carps have some significant habits different from wild crucian carps, with the biggest difference being their feeding capacity. Farmed fish are adapted to being fed and have a larger appetite, so the bait required for fishing is also greater. Unlike wild fishing, where a few handfuls of Rice Wine could last a whole day, such bait would hardly yield good fish in the Black Pit. Since a large amount of bait is required, Yue Feng couldn¡¯t just use Rice Wine; after a quick look around his own shelves, he selected a few commercially available baits that were commonly sold. Musk Bottom Nest bait produced by Fishing King Brand, Pure Grains¡¤Sharp produced by North-South Angling Supplies. These two were very affordable and effective bait options mainly containing ingredients like wheat germ, crushed maize, toasted bran, and other grain processing products, plus some Rice Wine, and the newly acquired premium version of Wild Fishing Companion. This should suffice for the bait preparation. With the bait and bait pits chosen, the last thing that needed to be prepared was the Hand Food, and this was where Yue Feng encountered difficulty. The store did have quite a few crucian carp bait offerings, but Yue Feng had little experience using them, and he had absolutely no experience with fishing in Black Pit. Asking Liu Fengnian and the others was not out of the question, but Yue Feng did not intend to do so. As the owner of a fishing equipment store, Yue Feng naturally had his own standpoint. It was not impossible to ask for advice from fellow anglers, but the questions he preferred to ask were more about advanced techniques and experience. If he blindly asked for help with basic issues such as the characteristics of fishing baits, it was very easy to be looked down upon by others. Imagine, as a store owner, if you¡¯re not clear on the most basic properties of baits and you ask others for advice, what would others think of you? As a fishing equipment store owner, losing authority among fellow anglers also meant losing credibility and pricing power, which was very detrimental to the business. This matter had nothing to do with right or wrong; it was a matter of standpoint. After some consideration, Yue Feng decided to give up. Since he wasn¡¯t sure about the commercial baits, he might as well stick to pure worms. Among all the common baits used for fishing crucian carp, red worms and earthworms were definitely two of the top choices, and red worms were especially effective for fishing farmed crucian carp. The only drawback was that red worms were slightly more expensive. Let¡¯s talk about red worms specifically: red worms, also known as bloodworms, are the larvae of midges and are found mostly in water with a high content of organic matter like smelly ditches and segments of rivers. They are blood-red all over, widely distributed, and are an excellent natural bait for fish, with a very high nutritional value as fish feed. There is no such thing as farming red worms. All the red worms on the market are collected by workers who painstakingly wash and sort through them, which makes their price relatively high. For example, in mid-April, the wholesale price for male worm seed of red worms is 28 yuan per half kilogram, and the price for the female worms is 24 yuan per half kilogram. The price for the largest size male worms used for wild fishing is even higher, at about a hundred yuan per half kilogram year-round. Male worm seed and female worms are not suitable for hooking on their own. When used for fishing, they are usually mixed with commercial baits to make a sort of sandwich or used with something like Insect Glue to make lures. Using red worms to prepare lures for fishing also has a small trick, which is a part of the knowledge of Basic Bait Opening. The male worm seed has a harder skin but is smaller in size, whereas the female worms are larger but have softer bodies. Mixing both male and female red worms together for bait preparation results in a red worm lure with a better state and effect. After completing the basic preparations, Yue Feng was able to relax a bit. He casually prepared some additional sublines. Since a group of people was going fishing, it was better to prepare some hooks in advance to avoid last-minute chaos when customers needed something. The next morning, Liu Fengnian, Wei Liang, and Ma Boqiang really did come to the store. ¡°I heard from Liu that you¡¯re going to join us at Black Pit tomorrow? Have you done it before?¡± Ma Boqiang greeted Yue Feng as soon as he entered the shop. ¡°No, I haven¡¯t. I¡¯m just following to broaden my experience!¡± Wen Dong, who was tying hooks, scratched his head and answered truthfully. Hearing Yue Feng say he had never done it, Ma Boqiang¡¯s spirits dropped a bit, ¡°What a waste. I was hoping you would have some effective baits for Black Pit. The Wild Fishing Companion set you had last time was really good.¡± Yue Feng didn¡¯t say he didn¡¯t know anything, he just scratched his head, ¡°I¡¯ve also prepared a bit myself. Let¡¯s give it a try first. Maybe the crucian carp nest I¡¯ve put together won¡¯t be too bad!¡± Liu Fengnian glanced at Ma Boqiang and said, ¡°Don¡¯t listen to Qiangzi¡¯s nonsense, Yue. Black Pit is even more straightforward and brutal. More than half the factors affecting the catch depend on your behind, getting a good fishing spot is stronger than anything! Anyway, everyone is allowed to use red worms there. It¡¯s not like anyone uses imported worms from the United States. The bait factor isn¡¯t as big as he¡¯s making it out to be!¡± Chapter 53 - 53 53 First Experience of a Business Pond ?53: Chapter 53: First Experience of a Business Pond 53: Chapter 53: First Experience of a Business Pond ¡°Uncle Liu, I won¡¯t argue with you on this point, a correct backside really does allow one to do as they wish! Remember last autumn at the Dong Family¡¯s big pit fishing for carp, I drew the south bank with the oxygen machine for three straight matches. That thing, it would slay gods and Buddhas in its way!¡± Qiangzi reminisced about his glorious victories, spitting as he spoke with fervor. Fishermen never lack topics of conversation. As long as they find the right direction, their brags are endless, completely uninhibited by the relevance of actual facts. Yue Feng could understand this point. Who doesn¡¯t have dumplings for the New Year? Almost every angler can face their moment in the limelight. As they discussed with great enthusiasm, Yue Feng just listened attentively while serving tea and water, quietly taking notes of many little skills he was previously unaware of. The group chatted about past achievements, then onto fishing techniques, and then additives, eventually circling back to discussing bait and hand food needed for the Carp Pit, prompting further research by everyone. Rice Wine¡¯s shop temporarily didn¡¯t have any ready-made formula bait or hand food, so Liu Fengnian and the others could only use commercially available bait products. The bait everyone prepared was quite similar, all opting for Musk Bottom Nest with pure grains and a combination of Super Attraction and Rice Wine, which pretty much matched Yue Feng¡¯s own assessment. At noon the next day during Rice Wine¡¯s livestream, he mentioned the upcoming first show at the Black Pit to his fans, changing the usual starting time from noon to seven in the morning. At five o¡¯clock sharp in the morning, Wen Dong got up early, hastily got ready with his fishing gear, grabbed some breakfast to fill up, hung a ¡°Temporarily Closed¡± sign at the shop door, and headed straight for the Dong Family fishing grounds. At five-fifty, Yue Feng arrived at the destination. The fishery was located next to a lumber processing plant. Liu Fengnian said it was initially dug out for firefighting water, and somehow it turned into a fishing ground later on. The fishery was rather irregular in shape. Overall, it was oriented east-west, but the east bank was broader while the west bank was narrower, appearing a bit like a distorted trapezoid. Both the north and south banks allowed anglers, with a pole limit of 3.6m. When Yue Feng arrived, the pit wasn¡¯t crowded, and a few cars were sparsely parked on the empty grounds outside the fishing area. Around seven or eight anglers were preparing their bait and adjusting floats on the edge, getting ready to start fishing. Being new and unrecognized, Yue Feng could unabashedly observe his surroundings, and within a short period, he formed a preliminary judgement of the place. No doubt, compared to wild fishing competitors, anglers at the Black Pit had much better equipment. Everyone who came to fish at least had a fishing chair¡ªnone of those who use a small stool like in wild fishing could be seen. Not only was their equipment top-notch, the anglers were also willing to invest in their bait. Worms were opened in whole jins, and the bait was plentifully prepared in bowls. Just by eyeing it, Yue Feng estimated that a bowl of bait plus a jin of worms would cost over fifty or sixty dollars, not even including the fishing fee. ¡°Yo, Little Yue, you¡¯re here! Have you had breakfast? There¡¯s fried dough sticks and soy milk in the car. If you haven¡¯t eaten, help yourself to some!¡± Liu Fengnian approached Yue Feng and greeted him. ¡°Oh, Brother Liu, I¡¯ve already eaten,¡± Yue Feng replied, shifting his gaze. Liu Fengnian came closer, whispered in Yue Feng¡¯s ear, ¡°The mid-waist position with the oxygen machine and the large spot on the east bank were the best spots in the pit last year. Keep your eyes peeled when we draw lots!¡± ¡®Mid-waist¡¯ refers to the mid-position of a rectangular pit where an aerator is usually placed to oxygenate the water for fish. Fish are attracted to oxygen-rich areas, so the ground under active aerators tends to be cleaner. Combined with the fact that it¡¯s along the route fish pass through, the mid-waist fishing spot is generally good. ¡®Big side¡¯ is another commonly used term in Black Pit fishing, referring to the spot closest to the edge in a rectangular or square fishing area. Due to its special location, the big side spot typically has more fish and is also considered a prime fishing location. Upon hearing this, Yue Feng nodded and involuntarily scanned the fishing spots. With the skill of Basic Fishing Position Selection, Yue Feng¡¯s examination was more precise than others. Liu¡¯s words were only half-correct; the fish in today¡¯s pit were suitable for fishing in the mid-waist position, but the big side on the east bank seemed to be a gray area with few or no fish. ¡°When are we drawing the lots?¡± ¡°Soon, don¡¯t worry. We registered late, so our draw will be later. The boss said it¡¯s not full, so there¡¯s an advantage to drawing later; we can choose from the remaining fishing spots!¡± Hearing that they could choose any of the remaining spots, Yue Feng started to scheme. This rule could be extremely advantageous for him. ¡°Am I one of the last to draw?¡± ¡°Probably. When the boss comes out, I¡¯ll take a look for you!¡± ¡°No need to look. It¡¯s best if we can choose our spot. What if a good position like the mid-slope or a big edge hasn¡¯t been picked!¡± Yue Feng said with a grin. After preparing the bait and waiting for a while, it turned out to be just as Liu Fengnian had said. The boss came out of the portable cabin with a ledger, and Yue Feng went up to ask. There were 31 people registered for the opening, and Yue Feng was second to last in the draw. With 36 fishing positions and 31 people attending, there were five spots left. Yue Feng felt that he shouldn¡¯t have any problems today; out of five spots, he should be able to pick a decent one. At six-thirty in the morning, the boss glanced at his watch, called out, and the drawing of lots began. As they approached the cabin, the boss briefly went over the fishing grounds¡¯ rules, which were the same as those posted on the notice. Yue Feng listened half-heartedly. Suddenly, Yue Feng felt someone pat his shoulder and turned around reflexively. He recognized the man behind him; it was Lei Lei, whom he¡¯d met while fishing at South Creek. ¡°Hey, Yue Feng is trying out Black Pit too!¡± Lei Lei looked tall and burly with thick brows and large eyes, but he was good-natured, always speaking with a smile when greeting acquaintances. ¡°Yeah, just hanging out with some friends!¡± ¡°Did you get the bait and ground bait for Black Pit? The bait I got from your store last time worked really well. We tried a new spot yesterday and it was fantastic! If you have Black Pit bait, I¡¯ll come by and get some later!¡± Yue Feng couldn¡¯t say he didn¡¯t have it, so he vaguely replied, ¡°Still testing it. It¡¯ll be ready in a couple of days and I¡¯ll announce it on my social circle then!¡± ¡°That¡¯s great! I¡¯ll definitely try it when it¡¯s out!¡± ¡°Are you here alone? Where¡¯s your childhood friend?¡± ¡°Xiao Ma and Wang Jian are over there, preparing the bait. I¡¯m in charge of drawing the lots!¡± Yue Feng looked in the direction pointed out by Lei Lei and sure enough, the other two guys were there. Wang Jian was using a bait opening bowl that was even larger than a footbath basin, mixing a large portion of ground bait. ¡°Geez, you guys don¡¯t skimp on fishing expenses, such a large bowl of bait!¡± ¡°Well, if you want to land the fish, you exchange grain for it! This is nothing. When the temperature rises a bit more, and we fish in the Carp Pit, we¡¯ll use buckets this size, about one bucket at a time!¡± ¡°Haha, makes sense!¡± Yue Feng instinctively felt there was something off about what Lei Lei said, but he didn¡¯t delve into it. He himself hadn¡¯t fully grasped fishing yet; it was pointless to scrutinize this further. Soon, the boss began the draw. Chapter 54 - 54 54 Enemies on a Narrow Path ?54: Chapter 54: Enemies on a Narrow Path 54: Chapter 54: Enemies on a Narrow Path The pit boss grabbed a cardboard box sealed with tape from inside the house, with a hole the size of a fist punched on top. As he walked, he shook the box, and the rattling sound of objects rolling inside could be heard. Yue Feng stood to one side and peered into the box, which was filled with ping pong balls. Before long, they began drawing lots. It wasn¡¯t until the first angler showed the ping pong ball in his hand that Yue Feng could see that the balls had numbers written on them with black marker. Those numbers represented the seat assignments. After a few more people drew lots, Lei Lei¡¯s name was called by the pit boss. It was clear that several people had registered early. Lei Lei grabbed three balls at once, drawing for his companions as well. After recording the numbers, Lei Lei greeted Yue Feng casually and turned to carry his fishing box to his new spot. The drawing proceeded quickly and was soon over. Liu Fengnian drew number 22, Xiao Ma got number 31, and Wei Liang got number 5¡ªnone of them great, not near the middle nor the edges. When it was Yue Feng¡¯s turn to draw, there were only seven lots left in the box. As the final person to draw, the pit boss took out the remaining lots for Yue Feng to pick at random. All the spots in the middle and at the edges had already been drawn. In theory, no one knew which of the remaining spots were good or bad, but Yue Feng saw that number 11 was still available and he grabbed it straightaway. ¡°I¡¯ll take number 11; it¡¯s closer, which makes moving the fishing box more convenient!¡± Yue Feng casually shouted, and his fishing spot was decided. The reason Yue Feng chose number eleven wasn¡¯t mainly for proximity¡ªit was because number 11 was one of the few spots in the entire pit that didn¡¯t have any grey areas to the left or right. With none of the surrounding spots being grey, it implied that the fish density around was quite high, making the whole area essentially a Fast Fish Zone. After the drawing, Yue Feng moved his fishing box over and began the preparations before starting to fish. Fishing in Black Pit has many similarities to formal competitions, one being a sense of urgency not found in wild fishing¡ªjust before the start, there¡¯s an involuntary acceleration of one¡¯s heartbeat. This adrenaline-fueled thrill is even more intense after catching fish, which is why fishing is so popular. Having set up his gear, Yue Feng casually scooped a basin of water and placed it behind him, a trick he had learned from other anglers. ¡°Yo, what a coincidence, you¡¯re here to fish too?¡± Just as he put down the basin, the person in spot number twelve greeted Yue Feng. Yue Feng turned to look, and after a few glances, his heart sank slightly. The thoroughly bundled-up angler next to him was none other than the same fellow angler he had met the last time they fished, Wang Jian. Wang Jian¡¯s wrapped-up appearance had prevented Yue Feng from recognizing him immediately, but Wang Jian had long since recognized Yue Feng. Wang Jian had been nursing a grudge from the last time they fished at Qinglong Lake and was pleasantly surprised to run into Yue Feng at Black Pit, his spirits lifting instantly. ¡°Oh, I remember now. We were fishing together at Qinglong Lake last time!¡± Yue Feng smacked his forehead, saying aloud. ¡°Heh, who did you come with? You seem to have some skill; go easy when we start fishing, okay!¡± Wang Jian asked casually, trying to glean the information he was interested in. ¡°Me? I came with a few fellow anglers from our area. I haven¡¯t tried Black Pit before, just here to gain some experience!¡± Yue Feng admitted truthfully. Wang Jian¡¯s heart leaped for joy, yet he kept a straight face: ¡°Haven¡¯t tried it before? No problem, it¡¯s quite similar to wild fishing. You¡¯ll get the hang of it after a few rounds!¡± ¡°Haha, just for fun! Since we¡¯re side by side and the spots are tight, if there¡¯s anything I don¡¯t do quite right, I hope you¡¯ll be patient with me!¡± Yue Feng preemptively showered Wang Jian with compliments, preventing future grievances. Despite Wang Jian being fully geared up to the point where his expression was not visible, Yue Feng¡¯s Insight Skill was not for show. Through the tone of voice and subtle body movements, he had already detected the veiled hostility from the other party. ¡°No worries, we¡¯re all buddies here, just hanging out!¡± His words sounded open and honest, but Wang Jian¡¯s hands were far from idle, as he greeted Yue Feng, he simultaneously took out half a pack of some unknown bait from his Fishing Box. He brazenly poured it directly into the Bait Opening Bowl in front of Yue Feng, changing the water ratio of the bait mix that had already been prepared. After learning Basic Bait Opening, Yue Feng had gained a rough understanding of the water ratio and condition of baits, yet when he saw that dry bait was added to an already prepared bait spot, it still puzzled him. It was already enough, so why add more bait? With such a question in mind, Yue Feng kept an eye on it out of the corner of his eye but did not get an answer right away. At seven o¡¯clock sharp, the pit boss called out in his harsh voice, and the competition began! The pit allowed hand-thrown baiting, and as soon as the boss gave the signal, the sound of bait bombs entering the water reverberated throughout the fishing ground. Every bait bomb, molded from Bait, was the size of a chicken egg at the smallest and as large as a fist at the largest, creating loud plops as they hit the water, leaving Yue Feng feeling both alarmed and amazed. Compared to others, Wang Jian was much gentler. He simply grabbed a large handful of Bait, then placed the Lead Skin at the center of the Bait, clenched it tight with his fingers, and firmly secured a large ball of Bait onto the Lead Skin. After that, he gently pushed the rod forward, and the ball of Bait landed in the fishing spot. A few seconds later, with an upward flick of the rod, the bait and the Lead Skin separated. This method of baiting was called Lead Skin with Bait, which Liu Fengnian and others had mentioned during casual conversations. It was the first time Yue Feng had seen the specific method in person. Compared to the hand-thrown bait bomb technique, Lead Skin with Bait had many more advantages: the noise of entry was quieter, and the accuracy and concentration of the drop point were much better. Liu Fengnian and his group all used this method of baiting, except when using long poles for carp fishing, where they would opt for hand-thrown baiting. Although Yue Feng hadn¡¯t tried it before, relying on his foundational casting Skill, he followed suit and gave it a try. Except for the first cast that fell at his feet due to a poor grip, the rest went decently well, reaching his baiting spot. Wang Jian, who was nearby, had been observing Yue Feng and noticed that Yue Feng¡¯s baiting seemed proficient, which inadvertently raised Wang Jian¡¯s opinion of him. What Wang Jian did not know was that Yue Feng had just secretly learned this technique by watching him. After seven or eight bait balls entered the water, the first phase of baiting before fishing could be deemed complete, and Yue Feng set down his rod to wait for the bait to take effect. But while Yue Feng had stopped, Wang Jian had not. After baiting several large balls, Wang Jian¡¯s last-minute addition of dry powder before the competition came into play. Wang Jian first used pure Insect Bait to make two round bait balls on the hook. With a casual scoop from his fingers in the bait bowl, he lifted a semi-dry mound of bait into his left hand. He then positioned the Insect Bait under the mound of bait, slightly closing his fingers, and the bait was set. The odd-looking bait was released with a flick of the hand and also cast into the fishing spot. As soon as this bait entered the water, it began to disperse instantly, turning the previously clear water surface turbid, forming a suspended trail of mist. Chapter 55 - 55 55 The Difference Between Farmed Fish and Wild Fish ?55: Chapter 55 The Difference Between Farmed Fish and Wild Fish 55: Chapter 55 The Difference Between Farmed Fish and Wild Fish Yue Feng wasn¡¯t familiar with the technique of using Loose Bait with a Lure in Black Pit commons, a common fishing method, but since Wang Jian was using it next to him, there must be some reason for it. Unable to figure it out, he decided not to dwell on it for now and just follow and learn, planning to figure things out after finishing this round of fishing. The movements looked simple, but when he actually tried them, it was a different story. The bait mixture Yue Feng had prepared himself was a bit too watery. Trying to mimic others, he applied a bit of force with his fingers and ended up with a dead lump. Just like others, his casting sent the bait underwater where it sank to the bottom like a solid cannonball, barely scattering at all. After some thought, Yue Feng figured out the reason. No wonder Wang Jian was sprinkling dry bait into his mixture¡ªit was to decrease the water content in the bait. With less water, the bait became drier and more crumbly. When squeezed into looser chunks, it wasn¡¯t as sticky as the wetter bait and exploded more easily once it hit the water. However, all the bait he brought was already wet, and Yue Feng had no spare dry bait. What could he do now? After a moment of hesitation, Yue Feng found half a bag of wild catch carp bait in his fishing box and sprinkled some into the overly watery bait. At this point, any bait would do¡ªit was all made from grains, so it should work fine for chumming! The dry bait absorbed some of the water, finally getting the water content to the level Yue Feng wanted. The bait was now suitable for Loose Powder application. After several attempts, Yue Feng finally succeeded in throwing the first Loose Bait into the chum spot, marking a milestone success! The learning process might sound complicated, but in reality, less than ten minutes had passed since he started fishing. The series of bait bombs at the beginning disturbed the fish already placed in the water. Now, almost no one else at the fishing site had started fishing; everyone was patiently waiting. But with the Basic Fish Emotion Perception skill, Yue Feng could already tell from the water¡¯s fish sparkles and the slight movements of the float that fish were beginning to gather around his chum spot. During the descent of the turning float, there were slight pauses and then acceleration, and sometimes, when the bait reached the bottom, there would be a sudden sharp black float. These were signs of fish swimming around the chum spot but not yet biting, causing disturbances. Seeing the preparatory work nearly complete, Yue Feng turned around to tinker with the gear behind him. He powered up the drone¡ªthe live stream officially began! Starting a stream early in the morning would logically affect viewer numbers, but once Yue Feng went live, the viewer count was quite high; many fans had been waiting eagerly! ¡°Damn, finally started streaming. Wasn¡¯t it supposed to start at seven sharp? You¡¯re over ten minutes late!¡± ¡°How¡¯s it going? How are the fish biting? Have you started fishing?¡± ¡°Where are you, man? This little pond looks pretty basic. The opposite bank doesn¡¯t even have a proper edge, just some non-woven fabric.¡± ¡°Wow wow wow, little brother has started streaming. Look at that face! Why aren¡¯t you replying to my DMs?¡± With people all around, Yue Feng couldn¡¯t ignore the continuous stream of comments from the online audience. He reluctantly replied in a low voice, ¡°Hello everyone, I¡¯m Yue Feng. Today I¡¯m trying out a Black Pit carp pond for the first time here. We have a 200 RMB fishing rate today, 50 kg per person, and mainly seven, eight, and nine pound carp. Just finished preparing the chum and haven¡¯t started fishing yet. Fishing alone in Black Pit is quite stressful, so I might not catch everyone¡¯s questions. Just a heads-up for those who know me¡ªI can be a bit grumpy, so please don¡¯t provoke me!¡± ¡°That¡¯s alright, as long as we see some bites. Hurry it up; we¡¯re all waiting to see some action!¡± ¡°+1 to the above.¡± ¡°I also like playing in Black Pit. I received the sample you sent last time, and it worked very well for wild fishing. Do you have a version for Black Pit? Send me one!!!¡± ¡°If there¡¯s one, count me in! I¡¯ve watched the host¡¯s live streams for so long, and I really think the products are good!¡± Yue Feng glanced at the float, then continued in a lowered voice in the live stream, ¡°We¡¯re still in the testing phase and haven¡¯t finalized the product yet. When we have some, I¡¯ll do a giveaway for everyone! Let¡¯s not chat now, there¡¯s something stirring in the bait. I¡¯ll cast a few more times to see if I can catch the first fish!¡± After the greeting, Yue Feng used red worms to prepare two full lure balls. He stretched out his arm, swinging the fishing rod and casting the line out. Using only red worms without Loose Bait, the bait was lighter, staying longer in the water¡¯s journey. The float trembled slightly, flipped over, and then began sinking slowly but steadily. Just as the float descended about five centimeters above the bottom, it paused briefly and then there was a crisp, decisive bite. Accustomed to wild fish, Yue Feng instinctively waited for a second bite, but there was no second bite. The float gently rose¡ª the fish was lifting its head! With a bite not taken, chaos ensued in the live stream! ¡°Lift the rod and strike the fish! Are you going to miss such a good bite?¡± ¡°The float has topped; the bait might even be in its throat!¡± ¡°Damn, if I hadn¡¯t watched the host¡¯s live streams many times, I wouldn¡¯t have believed he could fish!¡± ¡°That was such a stable bite!¡± Seeing the float top out, Wen Dong realized there was no pausing or sinking movement and lifted the rod belatedly to strike the fish. He struck it! The force from a cultivated fish was incomparable to a wild fish. The light Qing Hong rod he held hardly felt strained, and he could bring the fish to the surface in one go. He then scooped it up with the net, unhooked it, and placed it in the keeper. Cultivated crucian carp¡¯s bait-eating habits are still slightly different from those of wild crucian carp. Wild crucians prefer to bow down to eat bait and will perform a probing bite before swallowing it, ensuring there¡¯s no danger before gulping it down. This would mostly result in a tentative light tapping on the float, followed by a pause. If not struck promptly, it often led to a sinking float or a float drifting away. However, cultivated crucians tend to eat bait by lifting their heads and snatching, preferring to take it near the bottom. They are used to competitive feeding and are bolder when nibbling. The float movements are subtly different at this point, the tentative light tapping when the mouth first contacts the bait is rare or even unseen; instead, it directly results in a bite, followed by either lifting their heads or turning around. Being new to fishing for cultivated fish, Yue Feng didn¡¯t yet realize the difference, which led to him missing the first bite and then experiencing a topped float. Now that the fish had started biting, Yue Feng suddenly felt energized. He prepared another double hook with red worms and cast it towards the side of the bait spot. With nearly identical actions as the first fish, Yue Feng again hesitated after the bite and lifted the rod to successfully hook another crucian carp. Yue Feng, sharp as ever, quickly noticed that the difference in float movements wasn¡¯t just a fluke. After casting the third rod, he finally took a moment to glance at the livestream. ¡°Haha, cultivated fish bite differently from wild fish. I wasn¡¯t used to it at first. Anyway, the fish aren¡¯t that particular. Just watch and enjoy, guys, no need to nitpick!¡± Yue Feng casually mentioned without admitting his confusion about the bites in the live stream. Chapter 56 - 56 56 Plans Cant Keep Up with Changes ?56: Chapter 56 Plans Can¡¯t Keep Up with Changes 56: Chapter 56 Plans Can¡¯t Keep Up with Changes ¡°I knew it, the host¡¯s skills are still pretty good, how could he possibly miss seeing the bites? It¡¯s just habitually making sure of the bites!¡± ¡°Securing the bites +1¡± ¡°When I usually fish for this kind of fish, I mostly strike as soon as I feel the bite, and most of the time, I catch a fish. There¡¯s also a small chance of a miss, or the fish getting off halfway! The host¡¯s slower response does seem much steadier!¡± ¡°Did you guys notice that detail when he was unhooking just now? The hook was at the 12 o¡¯clock position on the fish¡¯s upper lip, which shows that the host knows what he¡¯s doing. If it were really late in setting the hook like some people were saying earlier, the hook would mostly end up at the corner of the mouth or swallowed deeply!¡± In the live broadcast room, online viewers freely shared their opinions, and soon the tide of public opinion shifted from criticizing Yue Feng for failing to set the hook, to applauding his secure timing. This was something Yue Feng hadn¡¯t expected. However, the viewers did have a point, having the hook at the 12 o¡¯clock position indicated that there was no issue with his hook setting, and this was due in no small part to the superior performance of his Peacock Feather Float. If he were using an ordinary float with slightly less sensitivity, the signal might have been delayed and if he allowed the fish to take the bait a bit longer, half a second would mean the bait would¡¯ve been swallowed deeply¡ªnine out of ten times it would be deep in the throat or at the corner of the mouth. As Yue Feng began pulling in fish, Wang Jian at the side wasn¡¯t the least bit anxious. He maintained the rhythm of casting the lure and adding Loose Powder, continuously casting and lifting the rod as if he didn¡¯t care at all about the fish Yue Feng was catching next to him. Wang Jian had, in fact, noticed Yue Feng catching fish and had also started his live stream. But fishing in a Black Pit is not like wild fishing; there are particular tricks to securing a good catch. One of the tricks is in the early stages of fishing, to safeguard the density of fish in your own baited spot to a certain extent. There were fish in Wang Jian¡¯s baited spot; it¡¯s just that he didn¡¯t want to pull them out for the time being. Anglers with a bit of experience know that typical freshwater fish like Crucian carp and Common carp move in shoals; once they find a spot with food that also feels safe, a large group of fish will remain there. Passing fish that discover the spot will gather in increasing numbers. Old hands often say that using fish to lure more fish is much more effective than using bait. The reason is that a larger shoal gives individual fish enough of a sense of security that the fish in the baited spot become more abundant. Their bites also become bolder and more aggressive. Yue Feng¡¯s behavior of immediately setting the hook upon detecting a bite isn¡¯t wrong, but it¡¯s hard to achieve a stunning catch that way. If the amount of bait added to the baited spot can¡¯t keep up, the number of fish there will dwindle. The painstakingly built-up shoal will disperse, and eventually, the baited spot will break down, attracting no more fish. Hmph! Just wait and see how lively it is now¡ªlater when we tally up! Let him catch his few fish for now; he¡¯ll just be staring blankly in the live stream later! Wang Jian thought maliciously to himself. Yue Feng didn¡¯t know what the old-hand fisherman was thinking, but for the short term at least, there was no sign of the fish in his baited spot losing interest. Almost every time he cast the float, he would get a bite. Out of ten fish, at least eight would take the bait near the bottom. After quickly getting the hang of the rhythm for setting the hook, Yue Feng stopped deliberately allowing the fish to take the bait and returned to his previous style of straightforward, precise hook setting. Regarding the fish in the baited spot, Yue Feng set a simple standard for himself based on his past experience with wild fishing. When fish bites became sparse during wild fishing, he would replenish the baited spot. Fishing in the Black Pit, Yue Feng followed this same principle. Once he could no longer detect a bite after casting the float, he would cast a rod with Loose Powder to replenish the baited spot and gather the fish, then he could catch several fish in succession. When the bites became slightly less frequent, he¡¯d add more Loose Powder. If he were fishing side by side using the same bait as Wang Jian, Yue Feng¡¯s method of replenishing the baited spot would definitely not be as effective as Wang Jian¡¯s frequent casting. But the beauty of the situation was that Yue Feng, by a lucky mistake, used a bait for crucian carp that was meant for wild fishing when collecting water. This stuff, in addition to the regular ingredients of common bait, also contained licorice powder and strawberry powder which are quite attractive to fish. Plus, with the presence of Wild Fishing Companion, the bait¡¯s overall appeal far exceeded that of Wang Jian. For the first twenty minutes or so, Wang Jian was basically busy making nests to gather fish. According to his experience, a twenty-minute Loose Powder with nesting should have certainly snuffed out the neighbor by now. But as perfect as his plans were, the reality was not looking optimistic. Yue Feng next door wasn¡¯t casting Loose Powder as diligently, but his nest was never without bites, the strikes coming steadily, showing no signs of dying down. Damn, that¡¯s weird! Wang Jian glanced at his watch and muttered under his breath before deciding to stop nesting continuously and started fishing effectively. The pit boss claimed that everyone would catch an average of fifty pounds of fish, who knows how many were actually put in. Any more delay and if the fish stopped biting, he might end up with nothing at all. In terms of understanding the pond¡¯s fish activity, Wang Jian was much stronger than Yue Feng; he was already considered one of the observant anglers on the fishing grounds. However, fishing isn¡¯t just about understanding fish behavior; the hardware plays a very large role. No matter how much you cast and make nests to attract a portion of the fish to your area, if your bait is inferior, Yue Feng just needs to cast a few Loose Powder rods every now and then to replenish his nest, and the formerly ¡°loyal¡± little fish will all defect. This was also the direct reason why Wang Jian hadn¡¯t managed to put out Yue Feng¡¯s fire. Wang Jian muttered to himself, and Yue Feng who was nearby overheard him! A thought struck him, and he began to pay attention to Wang Jian¡¯s actions. He hadn¡¯t noticed before, but now that he took a closer look, Yue Feng vaguely grasped something. Even when he started catching fish, he was always casting with Loose Powder on every rod, only he was making the Loose Powder much smaller now, just pinching it around the shank of the hook above, while the hook below was still baited with a single worm as lure. Yue Feng was originally there to learn, and seeing the new change, how could he not keep up and learn as well? So, from the next cast, Yue Feng¡¯s double-hook baiting became one hook with pinched Loose Powder, the other hook with a normal worm lure. In the live broadcast room, many were experienced anglers who had been fishing for years. Seeing Yue Feng made an adjustment to his technique, they started to chat in the public channel again. ¡°The more I watch, the more I feel the host has a deep understanding of fishing. Are you sure this is his first time fishing in Black Pit? When starting to fish, the density was quite high, initially using only Loose Powder to attract fish. After fishing for a while and the amount of bait in the nest increased, it turned into one hook with a small Loose Powder and one hook with a lure, catering for both attracting and catching fish ¡ª such an expert!¡± ¡°You¡¯re just realizing the host is an expert? This reaction, this adaptability! And the accuracy of Floating Trolling Adjustment! You can¡¯t achieve that without several years of practice!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, pay attention to the host¡¯s float movements. They¡¯re almost all standard bites for live crucian carp, you can¡¯t see any of that sticky, hesitant nibbling, which means the float is adjusted extremely well!¡± ¡°Not just the trolling is reasonable, look at how he prepares the bait! I often use Insect Open Worm as well, but I have to admit, I can¡¯t get it as perfect as this. Look at him pulling the bait casually, without needing too much preparation, just two fluffy balls, both vivid and in excellent condition! And that¡¯s pure earthworm!¡± Chapter 57 - 57 57 Sharing Dry Goods ?57: Chapter 57 Sharing Dry Goods 57: Chapter 57 Sharing Dry Goods ¡°Can the host explain how this batch of Insect Bait was prepared? It¡¯s indeed impressive! What brand of Insect Glue did you use?¡± ¡°Oops, someone upstairs let the cat out of the bag, huh? This is most likely made with Loose Powder Crucian, not regular Insect Glue. Regular Insect Glue can¡¯t achieve this quality!¡± Just then, Yue Feng saw this public message. When it came to adjusting fishing techniques and figuring out biting habits, Yue Feng was a bit weak and only had basic knowledge, so he couldn¡¯t offer much insight. However, discussing how this red worm bait was prepared was right up Yue Feng¡¯s alley, so he quickly organized his thoughts. ¡°I saw a brother asking about the preparation of my Insect Bait in the public channel, so let me briefly explain! To get good results with pure worm lures, it¡¯s not just about what brand of Insect Glue you use. Whether it¡¯s Loose Powder Crucian, Chi Lian, or any other company¡¯s Insect Glue, the method is the same! There¡¯s a little trick to it, just pay a bit more attention the next time you prepare it, and you¡¯ll be okay!¡± ¡°A trick? All ears!¡± ¡°All ears +1¡± ¡°Now, let¡¯s move on to the tips-sharing session!¡± ¡°Screen recording is ready!¡± ¡°Continuing with the trick, brothers, why not share the live stream? Quick, move those lucky fingers, share it around, and then onto the real stuff!¡± At this moment, Yue Feng had grasped the rhythm of the live stream, teasing them to share first before continuing. Although it was a call for shares, nobody really resisted. Soon enough, the share count skyrocketed, and the number of viewers in the live stream room shot up from just over three hundred to nearly five hundred. While he was speaking, Wang Jian too was all ears, keenly listening. It was just about preparing some measly red worms¡ªa task so simple that, crudely put, one could do it with their eyes closed. Yet Yue Feng was making a big deal out of it. Wang wanted to hear what insightful things Yue Feng could possibly say! Seeing that viewers had shared enough, Yue Feng quickly organized his words and said, ¡°To prepare pure worm bait well, first and foremost, the worms must be fresh. This is the most basic requirement! If the worms you buy are half-dead, even a god couldn¡¯t prepare them well! What¡¯s the criterion for freshness? It¡¯s simple, just look at the newspaper packaging the red worms. As long as you open the newspaper and the red worms are not stuck to it, the quality is basically okay!¡± ¡°Once the quality of the red worms is assured, the second thing to pay attention to is the type and ratio of the worms! To achieve good bait consistency, it¡¯s best not to use solely Male Worm Seed or female worms. Male Worm Seed is harder, and using it alone makes it easier for the bait ball to burst open and for it to not stick together properly, affecting how it is taken up!¡± ¡°Using only female worms, on the other hand, makes them softer and easier to take up, but they lack activity, are too long, and the prepared bait tends to drag on and doesn¡¯t stay in good condition!¡± ¡°The best result is achieved by combining the advantages of both types of worms. Mix about half Male Worm Seed and half female worms. After thoroughly mixing them, prepare the Insect Bait. The consistency will be much better!¡± ¡°Another point to add, in fact, female worms also vary in size. Sometimes, smaller female worms are available in the market. Mixing these smaller worms with Male Worm Seed results in even better outcomes. That¡¯s what I used today¡ªsmall female worms mixed with Male Worm Seed to prepare the lure!¡± ¡°Damn! That¡¯s an eye-opener! Who knew such tiny red worms had so much to them!¡± ¡°F*ck, just realized after fishing for over a decade, it¡¯s like all my experience went to the dogs!¡± ¡°What the host said is definitely valuable¡ªtotally convincing!¡± ¡°Speaking as a fellow tackle shop owner, what the host said is spot-on. Male and female worms do come in different sizes. Like the female worms he mentioned, they¡¯re usually a couple of bucks more expensive per pound! However, these worms don¡¯t last long after storage, they usually go bad in a day or two!¡± ¡°Anyone who understands these differences is definitely an expert! I¡¯ll get some myself and try it out, see if it works as the host said!¡± ¡°Even though I don¡¯t understand, I feel like my idol is making a lot of sense. What are red worms? Are they edible?¡± ¡°It tastes really great, deep-fry it for a bit, and it¡¯s like chicken, extra crunchy!¡± In the live stream, a bunch of people began discussing again, while Wang Jian, who was listening intently nearby, remained silent. Wang Jian had been a seasoned fisherman and industry veteran for over ten years. Although he felt somewhat aggrieved, after listening to the details about red worms, he really couldn¡¯t find anything to refute. Yue Feng¡¯s explanation was logical and indeed made sense. ¡°Alright, alright, that¡¯s enough on the specifics¡ªlet¡¯s continue fishing. If you guys aren¡¯t busy, hit the little red heart with a double tap, let¡¯s see if we get a bite!¡± With that call, Yue Feng pinched a couple of Loose Powder and cast them again. After trying the little Loose Powder he had learned from Wang Jian for over ten rods, Yue Feng was pleasantly surprised by the results. In terms of bottom fishing, whereas the strikes used to happen three to four lengths from the bottom, after adding Loose Powder for a while, the strike depth increased to seven to eight lengths. What does this mean? Because of the scattering of the bait, the fish around the feeding spot became denser, the stock of fish increased, and naturally, the layer of fish moved up. The fish began to strike higher and more frequently¡ªit was all quite logical. Using double hooks with Loose Powder was more aggressive than using single hooks with Loose Powder. Loose Powder is quite small; it dissolves before it even hits the bottom, and double hooks increase the amount of bait cast, naturally enhancing the fish gathering effect. This scene did not escape the eyes of the viewers in the live stream. ¡°Look, look, the host changed from single hook with Ragworm to double hooks! He¡¯s getting serious!¡± ¡°Really curious about how the neighboring angler¡¯s luck is, hasn¡¯t he been out-fished by the host?¡± ¡°Out-fished is quite possible! Look how high the strikes are now, the float total is 15 lengths, and the strikes are already at about 10 lengths. With such quick fish, fishing off the bottom is enough!¡± ¡°Host, please show us the neighboring angler, has he been closed off?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see +1¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see +2¡± The crowd was stirring, asking Yue Feng to adjust the camera angle to check on his neighbor. Yue Feng could not refuse and had the drone sweep a glance on both sides. Seeing the drone turning its camera towards him, Wang Jian grew even more frustrated. Just a moment ago, he could maintain a fast pace, but as Yue Feng continuously used small Loose Powder, Wang Jian¡¯s pace slowed down from fast to slow! When the drone camera turned over, Wang Jian¡¯s bites had essentially stopped, indeed as the live stream had mentioned, he was closed off! Talking about being closed off, it is a term often used in fishing, synonymous with being out-fished. Simply put, it is when two anglers side by side, due to differences in fishing skills, techniques, or bait, result in one angler taking all the fish from the other. In Black Pit fishing, being out-fished is quite embarrassing; it signifies a comprehensive gap in fishing skills and bait. Especially for someone like Wang Jian, who owns a fishing gear shop and is an experienced angler, being out-fished is not only humiliating but could also impact his reputation and influence among fellow anglers. Chapter 58 - 58 58 First Victory ?58: Chapter 58: First Victory 58: Chapter 58: First Victory ¡°Enough already, bro, stop filming me! Everything has quieted down, what¡¯s there left to film?¡± Wang Jian couldn¡¯t help but blurt out to Yue Feng. ¡°Oh, haha, sorry about that! I¡¯ll switch the view back!¡± Yue Feng nodded and maneuvered the drone to return the view to its original position. ¡°He¡¯s really doused the flames! From the sound of it, he seems totally disheartened!¡± ¡°The host¡¯s skills are seriously impressive!¡± ¡°Of course, it¡¯s not like you¡¯re looking at who my husband is! My idol¡¯s skills are top-notch!¡± ¡°What about the angler on the other side, is he getting any bites? Let¡¯s see?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see +1¡± Seeing the group in the live room who thrived on chaos, Yue Feng scratched his head helplessly. ¡°Let¡¯s just focus on our own fishing and stop the chaos, guys! With so many bites happening, why focus on anything else?¡± No wonder Yue Feng said that, as the activity at the bait spot had practically exploded due to the Double-hooked Scattering Bombs. Once the bait was thrown in, the float had just flipped when it started indicating bites. The float signaled bites crisply and decisively, and Yue Feng would strike immediately, without any hesitation. If he delayed for even a moment, it was definitely a double bite at the tail end. If Yue Feng¡¯s rod had been a bit stiffer, carp double bites would actually be more efficient, but the Qing Hong rod he was using was just too light. Managing one fish was fairly straightforward, but handling two was a bit more challenging. Yue Feng was quite fond of his rod, so he grabbed at every bite and rarely waited to hook double at the tail. Starting from the first fish caught ten minutes into fishing, Yue Feng¡¯s spot continued to produce for over two hours, their bite activity gradually thinning out. A thoroughly invigorating carp fishing session, the live room¡¯s viewers had truly indulged their visual appetites. As the bites slowed, Yue Feng switched his line setup to 0.8 main with 0.4 leader and a size five Sleeve Hook. The bites looked pretty good, but it was long before he saw another, and looking over the entire fishing area, bites had essentially stopped. As the host, he knew it was time to wrap up when things were good. Seeing the day¡¯s fishing wind down, he addressed the live stream. ¡°For a small fee of 200, managing to catch so many fish isn¡¯t easy. The bites have pretty much stopped, so I¡¯m going to temporarily turn off the live stream now. Those who haven¡¯t followed, please do so. I¡¯ll mark tomorrow¡¯s stream time and today¡¯s final catch in today¡¯s highlight reel!¡± ¡°Wait a minute!¡± Just then, an inconspicuous message popped up in Yue Feng¡¯s live room, suddenly catching many people¡¯s attention. No wonder the viewers were excited, You Ying had come again! ¡°Damn, You Ying is back in the live room, host spare me!¡± @You Ying¡Á1 @You Ying¡Á2 @You Ying¡Á3 ... @You Ying¡Á101 A flood of @You Ying completely blocked Yue Feng¡¯s live room. The situation in the public channel instantly caught Yue Feng¡¯s attention, and he stopped moving towards ending the stream. ¡°Hello, You Ying is back! Welcome!¡± ¡°Pfft! Easy for you to say, we agreed you¡¯d clarify and call me, why has it been several days with no word!¡± You Ying¡¯s typed message appeared on the public channel, and because it was prefixed with the host symbol, it was particularly conspicuous. ¡°Damn, who said it wasn¡¯t a big deal, they¡¯ve even called!¡± ¡°Does the guy above even have a brain? You care about the weirdest things, is this really about making a phone call?¡± ¡°It¡¯s confirmed now!¡± ¡°From You Ying¡¯s tone, she sounds like a woman cooped up in seclusion!¡± ¡°Damn, the rumors were true after all. Yue Feng, you beast, give me back my doll!¡± ¡°Draw your sword, let¡¯s decide the winner and settle this once and for all!!!¡± The bunch of animals in the live stream saw the doll and their IQs instantly went negative. A perfectly good fishing live stream was being derailed again. Scratching his head, Yue Feng sheepishly said, ¡°Uh, sorry, my bad. I got caught up preparing for the Black Pit and totally forgot about this!¡± ¡°Is that even something a person would say?¡± ¡°You can forget something involving the goddess but remember a trivial thing like fishing? How can you even compare that with the goddess!¡± ¡°+1 upstairs¡± Seeing Yue Feng admitting he forgot, You Ying, who was still in bed, pouted instantly. Just when she thought she hadn¡¯t received it, turns out he had forgotten! This stinky jerk!!! ¡°I¡¯ll call you later, got to run now!¡± You Ying dropped a line and left the live stream. Staring at this message, Yue Feng was dumbfounded on the spot. Damn, what the hell is even going on! ¡°Host, you¡¯re simply a beast, even bullying You Ying!¡± ¡°Exactly, exactly! You could even forget about the goddess!¡± ¡°Curious about what it really is, host, don¡¯t rush off. Spill some gossip!¡± ¡°Good point from upstairs. Here¡¯s a dollar, delete your comment so I can post it!¡± ¡°Spill the gossip, spill the gossip!¡± Yue Feng scratched his head helplessly: ¡°Gossip about what? It¡¯s just some cooperation stuff, you¡¯re all thinking too much! It¡¯s getting late, so I¡¯ll be ending the stream now!¡± After a farewell greeting, Yue Feng turned off the live stream and went offline. Seeing Yue Feng ending the live stream, a fishing buddy who was right beside him came over. ¡°Hey buddy, I¡¯m Wang Meng. What bait are you using? The effect is fantastic! I¡¯ve hardly caught a few fish next to you. Can you share it? I heard during your live stream that you run a fishing gear shop?¡± Yue Feng sized up the guy next to him¡ªa big round-faced fellow, easily 200 pounds, speaking with a smile and seeming pretty amiable. ¡°Ah, I¡¯m Yue Feng. I use the bait sold in my shop! If you¡¯re interested, come by the shop and try a set!¡± Hearing the two talk, Wang Jian on the other side felt even worse. Damn, in over two hours, Wang Jian had hardly stopped casting his line, but he could only ensure a very slow rate of catching fish. But Yue Feng, on the other hand, was catching one after another non-stop; the disparity was simply too vast. Now that Yue Feng had ended his live stream, the whole pit¡¯s fish were biting slower, and Wang Jian felt today¡¯s fishing had been terrible. He immediately lifted his rod, deciding not to fish anymore! As he was leaving, Yue Feng inadvertently rubbed salt into the wound: ¡°Buddy, it¡¯s not even ten o¡¯clock, are you packing up already?¡± ¡°Yeah, got something to do, stopping fishing!¡± Wang Jian replied gloomily, packed up his gear, and lifted his Fish Guard out of the water. There were hardly thirty fish in the Fish Guard, totaling maybe just over twenty pounds. At the pit owner¡¯s rate of four dollars per pound for returned fish, he could make about a hundred dollars. The fishing spot by Yue Feng was already slow, and with the nearby disturbance of hauling up the Fish Guard, the few remaining fish had also made their escape. After actively fishing for over two hours, Yue Feng calculated that he had definitely made his catch; he decided not to persist anymore and wiped down his rod, packing up! ¡°Boss, selling fish!¡± Yue Feng called out, and the pit owner who had just entered his house turned back. ¡°How was the fishing?¡± the pit owner greeted Yue Feng and reached to pick up the Fish Guard from the water, but couldn¡¯t lift it. ¡°Damn, is it stuck at the bottom! Can¡¯t pull it up!¡± ¡°Hehe, there are quite a few fish, let me give you a hand and we¡¯ll try pulling it up together!¡± Yue Feng lent a hand, and together, they barely managed to haul the Fish Guard up. Chapter 59 - 59 59 Little Fatty Wang Meng ?59: Chapter 59: Little Fatty Wang Meng 59: Chapter 59: Little Fatty Wang Meng While professionals at Black Pit mostly used the kind of pocket-shaped hanging nylon lines, Yue Feng used a competitive line. In just over two hours, he caught a bin and a half of fish, dragging up the fish guard until its round frame was deformed. At the height of the fishing frenzy, Yue Feng had already become the center of attention for the whole pit. Seeing him livestream using a drone, everyone was too embarrassed to come over and ask for advice. Now that he had stopped streaming and started selling his fish, people immediately gathered around him. ¡°Damn, that must be over a hundred pounds at least!¡± ¡°I think so, too, that fish guard is huge, a bin and a half, definitely more than a hundred pounds!¡± ¡°Buddy, what bait mix did you use? Can you share?¡± A crowd surrounded him, chattering nonstop. Yue Feng wouldn¡¯t miss such a great opportunity; after a thorough introduction, he added over ten new friends on WeChat. ¡°125.3 pounds! Congratulations!¡± the pit owner said as he poured the catch into a plastic basket and put it on the electronic scale. ¡°Should be the champion of the pit today, right?¡± Yue Feng relaxed after hearing the number. ¡°Definitely, you¡¯ve even shut Wang Jian up, you¡¯re the undisputed pit champion today!¡± With the fish selling at four yuan per pound, Yue Feng made over five hundred yuan. He didn¡¯t bother with the change and took five hundred-yuan bills from the pit owner. After deducting the cost of the fishing fee and bait, Yue Feng had made at least two hundred dollars at a minimum, an income that could match an afternoon of wild fishing! After selling the fish, there was nothing left for Yue Feng to do at the pit. He greeted Old Liu and the others and headed back to his shop on his scooter. Once inside and with the door closed, Yue Feng thought, submit mission! Ding! Congratulations on completing the advanced mission ¡°Win a competition¡±! Congratulations on earning 2000 Lottery points! Congratulations, your professional rating has been upgraded to ¡°Black Pit Beginner¡±! ¡°Black Pit Beginner¡±: Passive effect, fish rate in Black Pit increased by 5%. Congratulations on your intermediate skill reward ¡°Bait Matching Introduction¡±! ¡°Bait Matching Introduction¡±: Well-acquainted with the basic performance of all conventional baits and able to make appropriate adjustments based on actual situation needs¡ªan essential quality for a qualified fisherman, and a necessary path to becoming a master angler. Skill effects: Passive, familiarity with conventional bait performance +50! Active use: Based on the fishing conditions experienced, create a reasonably balanced mix using conventional baits to get a stable and mature basic formula. Fishing effectiveness +15%. Cooldown time 72 hours. Yue Feng was instantly thrilled upon reading the skill description. This mission had not been in vain; it was like sending charcoal in the snow for him at the moment. Although no specific formulas were provided, with the ¡°Bait Matching Introduction¡± skill, it was as if countless formulas were given to him, which was just amazing. After reading all the descriptions, Yue Feng couldn¡¯t wait to choose to learn the skill. In an instant, a vast amount of knowledge flooded into Yue Feng¡¯s mind. The composition of conventional bait materials, the principles of pairing basic materials. The status changes that occur when different materials are matched and used together¡ªall kinds of knowledge that Yue Feng didn¡¯t know before, appeared in his mind. With a deeper understanding of baits, he could now mix baits more methodically and adeptly. Yue Feng briefly recalled the situation from this morning¡¯s Black Pit event, and a thought stirred in his heart, the optimal bait combination appeared in his mind. Standard wide-spectrum Black Pit live bait formulas for Crucian Carp Scattering Bomb: one bag of Musk Bottom Nest, half a bag of pure grains, two bags of Super Attraction, 5% Musk Rice, one pack of Gold Edition Red Devil, and one pack of Ultimate Crucian Terminator. 10% Quick-Strike No. 2, 10% light bran. 0.1% Licorice Powder, 0.5% Strawberry Powder Yue Feng had been worrying about how to make his Loose Powder, so as soon as he got the formula, he immediately took the bait from the shelf and started mixing. The shop had all the commonly used commercial baits, so Yue Feng fetched a large plastic basin and followed the formula¡¯s ratios for the mix. In no time, he had made a batch of Loose Powder. After preparing the bait, Yue Feng checked it briefly. The Loose Powder, adjusted to the new formula, was much stronger than the one Yue Feng had used in the Black Pit earlier that day. The ingredients for the bait were more reasonably matched, the fish-attracting components were present, the nest-holding components were satisfactory, there was enough State Bait like the light bran that flakes off, and the visual appeal was significantly better. However, looking at the big basin of bait, Yue Feng felt something was missing. He slapped his forehead as he remembered: Gold Edition Wild Fishing Companion! Although it wasn¡¯t mainly aimed at farmed fish, it still had a good effect when added to the mix. Yue Feng wasn¡¯t stingy when it came to improving the bait¡¯s effectiveness, and he dumped a generous amount into the mix. What was left was to package it and label it. Once everything was sorted, he neatly arranged around thirty packets of the Loose Bait on the shelf. Just as Yue Feng finished cleaning up the bags and other trash in the shop, Liu Fengnian and the others rushed back spiritedly. Not just Old Liu and his brothers but also the chubby guy who had been fishing next to Yue Feng that day burst into the shop one after another. ¡°Xiao Yue, you¡¯re not being fair, hoarding the good Loose Powder all to yourself and not recommending it to your brothers, just sneakily using it on your own!¡± Liu Fengnian said jokingly with a smile on his face as soon as he entered the door. Wei Liang chimed in as well, ¡°Exactly, this guy is just too disloyal. What did you use at Black Big Pit today? Hurry up and give your brothers some! I only caught less than thirty pounds, I¡¯m not even satisfied!¡± Without explaining, Yue Feng just grinned, ¡°Hey hey, I was just experimenting, how could I dare to let you guys use it without trying it myself first! It¡¯s all ready, on the shelf! The latest adjusted formula!¡± As Loose Bait is used frequently, Yue Feng opted for larger bags when packaging it. One bag of bait weighed two pounds, which was enough for a small event like today¡¯s, usually lasting for a single fishing session. ¡°Damn, you¡¯re fast! Give me two bags first!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll also take two bags!¡± Liu Fengnian, Wei Liang, and Ma Boqiang, without hesitation, swiped a few packets of Loose Bait onto the counter. ¡°Don¡¯t take all of them, leave some for me!¡± Just then, Wang Meng, who had been quiet all this time, meekly spoke up and also grabbed two bags of bait in his hands. ¡°How much for this special bait?¡± Yue Feng glanced at Wang Meng and casually said, ¡°Twenty for a pound, two pounds in a bag for 40!¡± To be fair, the price was not unreasonable. After all, the ingredients Yue Feng used were genuine. Not to mention the skill in mixing bait, even if you had the recipe and mixed it by yourself, the cost for a pound of bait would still be over ten yuan. ¡°Alright then, I¡¯ll take two bags as well. Do you have any matching Hand Food? I saw many people at the pit using meat-filled buns!¡± ¡°Xiao Pang, what are you thinking? Listen to me, in pits where you are allowed to use Loose Powder as well as live worms, just go with pure live worms for Lure. The effect of meat-filled buns is nowhere near that of pure worm Lure!¡± Wei Liang stated with certainty. ¡°He¡¯s right! What do you need meat-filled buns for? You were right next to Yue Feng today, did you see him using meat-filled buns? He still cleaned out Wang Jian, nice and proper!¡± Ma Boqiang added his agreement. ¡°I heard it from Wang Jian that using meat-filled buns is better for luring fish! But I was using the bait sold in his shop today, and I didn¡¯t feel any exceptional effect!¡± ¡°Wang Jian is just a kid! Today for fishing, he himself was using pure worms. I say the whole ¡®meat-filled buns work better¡¯ is a sham; he¡¯s just trying to trick you into buying more bait!¡± Wei Liang said, not mincing his words. As the others chatted and joked around, Wang Meng came to a realization; it really did seem that way to him!. Chapter 60 - 60 60 Black Pit Customer ?60: Chapter 60 Black Pit Customer 60: Chapter 60 Black Pit Customer After chatting idly for a while, Yue Feng checked the time and realized it was already noon. Since they had made money at Black Pit that day, Yue Feng generously beckoned everyone to stay, inviting them to the small restaurant across the street for lunch! Liu Fengnian and the others were already well-acquainted with Yue Feng and had no qualms about taking advantage of his generosity. However, Wang Meng was a bit hesitant and only reluctantly joined them at the restaurant after being invited multiple times. Through casual conversation over the meal, Yue Feng learned that Wang Meng was a civil servant at the county government, with ample free time on weekends. He was also a fishing enthusiast, having spent quite a bit of money on it, yet without making much progress in technique. Now, it seemed he had found his group. While Yue Feng and his buddies were eating and drinking in the small eatery, Wang Jian had returned to his own shop. As soon as he entered, Wang Jian¡¯s face turned sour, which was unsurprising considering that someone else had cleaned out Black Big Pit¡ªhardly a situation that would leave anyone looking cheerful. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you answer your phone? Your senior brother came looking for you at the store, saying he couldn¡¯t get through to your mobile!¡± the lady boss said to Wang Jian. Wang Jian pulled out his phone and glanced at it, not knowing when he had accidentally switched it to silent mode. There were four or five missed calls, all from Yu Qulong. Yu Qulong and Wang Jian were fishing buddies who had learned to fish together. With poorer family conditions, Wang Jian was more pragmatic, having opened this fishing gear shop. On the other hand, Yu Qulong was from a well-off family and had always been active in competitive fishing, with his skills improving rapidly in recent years and winning several awards annually. Senior brother looking for him meant that there was surely something up, so Wang Jian immediately called back. A few seconds later, the phone rang. ¡°Senior brother, you were looking for me?¡± ¡°You back from Black Big Pit? Why was no one answering the phone?¡± ¡°Accidentally put it on silent, didn¡¯t hear it!¡± ¡°Come to Junyue for lunch, me, Xiaobo, Er Mao and a few others are here! Hurry up, we¡¯re waiting for you!¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Wang Jian replied, gave his wife a heads-up, and drove off. Fifteen minutes later, Wang Jian arrived at the private room. ¡°How was the battle this morning?¡± Yu Qulong immediately asked as Wang Jian walked in. Usually, Wang Jian was quite well known among the local fishing circles; in places like Black Pit, he often came out ahead, making it relatively easy to break even. However, today had been an utter downfall for Wang Jian. (Breaking even meant selling the caught fish to the owner, covering the cost of one¡¯s fishing fees.) ¡°Man, don¡¯t even bring it up. Caught 25 pounds of fish in a complete mess, all for nothing!¡± ¡°Did the whole pit die off or what? Your wife said you went to a grand opening event, right?¡± For grand openings, pit owners usually aim for good luck by stocking the pond with a higher quantity and quality of fish. This is almost an unwritten rule in the local Black Pit circles, with few exceptions. Wang Jian massaged his cheeks, dejectedly saying, ¡°It was weird today; some young guy totally put us out of business!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s hear about it!¡± Yu Qulong¡¯s interest was instantly piqued upon hearing these remarks. With everyone present being quite close friends, Wang Jian didn¡¯t hold back, detailing the events of the morning from start to finish. ¡°What bait were you using in the nest?¡± After listening, Yu Qulong frowned slightly and then asked. ¡°It¡¯s the same set, but I think the fish will bite faster, you added a bit too much of the ¡®Thousand-Mile Fragrance¡¯!¡± ¡°The water temperature is unstable this season. Using ¡®Thousand-Mile Fragrance¡¯ improperly can easily lead to trouble! I reckon that¡¯s where you went wrong!¡± Yu Qulong nodded in agreement with Wang Jian¡¯s statement. ¡°How about this, I¡¯ll give you a new recipe later. For this season¡¯s cultured big carp, it¡¯s absolutely top-notch!¡± ¡°That¡¯d be great!¡± ¡°Stop standing around, let¡¯s eat!¡± The waiter brought the last main dish to the table. Yu Qulong called everyone to eat and drink, creating a really good atmosphere. ... Before one in the afternoon, Yue Feng and Liu Fengnian had their fill and walked out of the small restaurant. Before even reaching the fishing gear shop, Yue Feng was startled by the situation in front of him. There were five or six cars parked on the not-so-spacious road in front of Yue Feng¡¯s shop. After a quick look, Liu Fengnian grinned at Yue Feng and said, ¡°Here we go, business is coming, nine out of ten they¡¯re here for you!¡± Wei Liang also took out a cigarette and passed it around, saying, ¡°Looks like Lei¡¯s group. They were all at the fishing ground this morning! Big Brother Liu is right!¡± As expected, as soon as Yue Feng reached the shop¡¯s entrance, people started getting out of the cars. Yue Feng recognized many of the guys; they had been fishing together that morning. Having won the pond trophy in the morning, this bunch was now making a pilgrimage to his shop for a ¡°lesson¡±! When Yue Feng returned, Lei Lei and Ma Run got out of the car and greeted him from a distance, ¡°Where have you been flaunting around, not answering your phone! We¡¯ve been waiting for you guys for almost an hour!¡± Yue Feng felt his pocket¡ªno phone. He hurriedly opened the door: ¡°Went to have a bite with Big Brother Liu at the small restaurant across the street! Left in such a hurry I forgot my phone! Come in, please, come in!¡± Yue Feng¡¯s small shop, spanning only dozens of square meters, was suddenly filled with over a dozen people and felt a bit crowded. However, Liu Fengnian and the others didn¡¯t need Yue Feng to ask; they found a corner by the small tea table as soon as they entered and started to drink tea. Lei Lei stood at the counter closest to him and shouted, ¡°It¡¯s not our first deal. The bait from this morning, the ¡®Loose Powder¡¯, give me some of that! Seeing your catch was tantalizing, damn it, I only caught around ten pounds this morning!¡± ¡°Ten pounds is not bad at all, I only caught five fish! Fuck, that¡¯s practically 40 bucks per fish!¡± Little Ma muttered on the side, immediately making everyone burst into laughter. Since it¡¯s a business, the more customers, the better. Yue Feng grinned without saying a word and took out the freshly prepared ¡®Loose Bait¡¯ from the shelf. ¡°This is a new ¡®Loose Powder¡¯ formula I just tested! Two pounds per bag, 20 per pound!¡± ¡°Grab a few more bags, what¡¯s this little amount good for!¡± Lei Lei wasn¡¯t satisfied with the few bags of bait Yue Feng placed on the counter and with a sweep of his hand, gathered them in front of himself. ¡°Exactly, as long as it works well, price isn¡¯t an issue. Catch more fish, that covers everything, same cost for fishing fees. If you don¡¯t catch many fish, that¡¯s a bigger loss! Grab a few more bags for me, I¡¯ll use them for baiting next time I fish!¡± Lei Lei¡¯s companion Ma Run chimed in with the same sentiment, taking four or five bags of bait for himself, totaling nearly ten pounds. With these two spendthrifts setting the trend, the rest of the group became much more eager to sweep the goods. Yue Feng had prepared over thirty bags of bait and watched as these guys snatched them all up, not even leaving any samples behind! As they were willing to spend money, after getting the bait they needed, they didn¡¯t rush to leave. They walked around Yue Feng¡¯s shop and bought quite a few other items. Yue Feng¡¯s hand-tied sub-lines, known for their neatness and strength, were especially rounded up by several discerning customers. ¡°Hey, what brand are these floats? They look pretty well-made! Take them out for a look!¡± After wandering around a bit, Lei Lei¡¯s eyes caught sight of a handful of reed floats stored in transparent plastic tubes, displayed below the counter. Chapter 61 - 61 61 Have Temper Set Rules ?61: Chapter 61: Have Temper, Set Rules 61: Chapter 61: Have Temper, Set Rules Yue Feng casually handed one over, ¡°This float is made in the same place as the Peacock Feather Float I use myself; it comes in one standard size without variation. With a lead weight of around 1.3 grams, it¡¯s effective for crucian carp weighing from 50 to 500 grams¡ªa universal killer!¡± ¡°The craftsmanship of the float seems pretty good, but the way you¡¯re marketing it is way too lackluster, isn¡¯t it? What do you mean it¡¯s a ¡®universal killer¡¯ for crucian carp between 50 to 500 grams? That¡¯s just misleading!¡± Lei Lei, although not stingy when buying things, has a straightforward nature. Hearing Yue Feng¡¯s description, he immediately spotted a point of contention. How should one interpret his words? If one isn¡¯t picky, any float can be used for fishing, but if you get down to the nitty-gritty, floats do have specific targets. The amount of lead a float can carry, its size, and the shape of the float all affect certain aspects of its performance. Looking closely, what Lei Lei said was indeed true. The swimming speed, bait-eating habits, and the strength with which they take the bait differ significantly between larger and smaller crucian carp. True crucian carp enthusiasts, the kind who really get into the hobby, are particular about the floats they use¡ªsmaller fish that weigh around 50 to 100 grams generally don¡¯t use floats designed for 1.3 grams of lead, simply because the sensitivity would not be sufficient. Yue Feng had already tested this model of float during wild fishing. Without striving for an extremely refined line setup, its performance was nearly indistinguishable from his own Peacock Feather Float, which is why he dared to claim it was a ¡®universal killer¡¯ for crucian carp between 50 to 500 grams. ¡°Heh, don¡¯t believe me? We can go nearby and test it out! Or you can take the float first, and if you find it unsatisfactory as long as it¡¯s not damaged, you can return it to me unconditionally!¡± Lei Lei has many good points, but he tends to be overly earnest, which isn¡¯t always a good thing. Seeing Yue Feng¡¯s challenge, he nodded and actually took one to examine closely. Hearing the conversation about floats, Liu Fengnian stood up from beside the tea table, ¡°Is this the float you mentioned in your livestream last time? How much? I¡¯ll take one!¡± ¡°120 yuan each! There were only ten to begin with, and I¡¯ve used one for testing, so there are only nine left here! If we¡¯re not careful, they might become collector¡¯s items!¡± ¡°You¡¯re pricing them a bit steep, aren¡¯t you? Alu¡¯s handcrafted reed floats are how much? Over a hundred per float is the price of top-brand floats!¡± Lei Lei¡¯s friend, Ma Run, muttered after hearing Yue Feng¡¯s price. Yue Feng wasn¡¯t offended and repeated, ¡°Whether new friends or old friends, the policy is the same. If you¡¯re not convinced, take it and try it. If you think the real battle performance isn¡¯t worth it, send it back to me, and I¡¯ll refund your money. No hard feelings! However, that being said, this limited-edition item has its own rules in my shop¡ªeach person can only have one. It¡¯s meant for those with fate! Even if it breaks or gets lost, if I have any in stock, I won¡¯t sell a second one to the same person!¡± As Yue Feng spoke, there was a hint of defiance in his voice. It was as if to say, ¡°You don¡¯t trust your buddy¡¯s word? Well then, here are my rules.¡± Yue Feng was very confident in the real-world performance and knew that when you have something good, you can afford to make demands! No sooner had he finished speaking than a system notification sounded in Yue Feng¡¯s mind! Ding! Congratulations on triggering the side quest[Temperamental Shop Owner] [Temperamental Shop Owner]: Business should be conducted in a friendly manner, but having some spunk in certain situations isn¡¯t necessarily a bad thing! Task requirement: Earn the recognition of the anglers around you through real battle and sell at least five circulation-version handcrafted reed floats! Task reward: Unknown. Upon triggering the quest, Yue Feng immediately accepted it. ¡°Hey! Yue Feng, you¡¯re even more stubborn than me! We didn¡¯t even say much, and you¡¯ve already set your rules!¡± Liu Fengnian felt the mood shifting and made a playful remark with a chuckle. Having taken on the challenge, Yue Feng was even less inclined to back down. ¡°How about this, since we¡¯re all free this afternoon? Let¡¯s go test it out in person! We don¡¯t need to go to Wangjiazhuang; let¡¯s just pick the nearest small reservoir. How about it? Consider it a way to digest our meal!¡± With that suggestion from Yue Feng, the ten or so people in the shop immediately agreed. ¡°Let¡¯s go! We¡¯re free anyway, might as well have some fun! I¡¯m actually really curious to see just how good the performance can be!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got the Alu and Golden Eye floats in my float box, so I might as well give them a try and see if they are as miraculous as they say!¡± Everyone loves to join in the fun when it¡¯s about stirring up excitement, and they all began to clamor around, making preparations. Only Wang Meng didn¡¯t join in; he simply pulled out 120 yuan from his pocket and handed it to Yue Feng, then casually picked up a float. ¡°I don¡¯t need to try! I¡¯ll take one first to avoid missing out later. The way your float performed this morning was really good; I was watching!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go, no more dawdling, let¡¯s head to the small reservoir and test the floats!¡± With just a call, Yue Feng locked up the shop, and everyone piled into a car, heading straight for the nearby Jiulongjian Reservoir. When the group arrived at the small reservoir, it was surprisingly deserted, despite usually hosting a handful of anglers by midday. Testing floats didn¡¯t require much preparation¡ªtwo handed over their fishing boxes, and Yue Feng used the shop¡¯s Rice Wine to quickly bait a couple of spots and randomly opened a bit of bait to begin the experiment. Testing the sensitivity of floats is actually quite simple: select two floats with similar weight capacities, set them to almost the same depth, and then fish to see how the floats perform. Yue Feng effortlessly adjusted the weight the float could bear, set it for four depth marks, fished for two, and used ragworm bait meant for crucian carp, maintaining a state where the hook lightly touched the bottom when biting and slightly tilted on the floor at rest. About ten minutes after baiting the spot, the reed float showed signs of activity. The float began a slight up-and-down movement, within a range of less than half a mark. ¡°This bite is no good either, what¡¯s with the half mark jitter, what kind of bite is that?¡± grumbled Ma Run. Liu Fengnian and Yue Feng looked at each other and both smirked, saying nothing. Yue Feng gently lifted the rod tip, raising the float before letting it return to the set depth. This was teasing the float, a little angling trick that created a small movement in the bait underwater, making it easier to be detected and taken by a fish. The float had barely returned to its fishing depth when it dunked violently, with a movement of at least a mark and a half! Yue Feng flicked his wrist and set the hook¡ªfish on! ¡°Holy shit! Such a decisive bite!¡± exclaimed the others, taken aback. The fish below wasn¡¯t large, and Yue Feng easily lifted it up; it was no more than barely two liang in weight. ¡°For such a sizeable fish to take the bait this way, there¡¯s no problem, right?¡± Yue Feng did not hurry to unhook the fish but instead showcased it to everyone. ¡°Let¡¯s try another cast!¡± Lei Lei was still not convinced and continued. ¡°Alright!¡± It didn¡¯t take long for the float to start wobbling again. Yue Feng said, ¡°Watch closely, it¡¯s about to bite again!¡± As expected, in less than five seconds, the characteristic double twitch of a crucian carp bite occurred. This time, because there was no teasing the float, the bait was in a more stable state underwater, which is why there was a tentative nibble by the crucian carp before the double twitch, that little nibble being the initial bite. Chapter 62 - 62 62 Actual Combat is the Only Criterion for Testing Truth ?62: Chapter 62: Actual Combat is the Only Criterion for Testing Truth 62: Chapter 62: Actual Combat is the Only Criterion for Testing Truth Ordinary floats can also show this bite point after proper trolling, but the degree of movement is not significant, barely enough to be clearly seen. High-end competition floats handle this better, with the float being able to showcase about a third of the intended action. However, the float Yue Feng is currently using shows more than half of the bite, and the following stop is almost an exaggerated two bites in magnitude. To the uninitiated, it might seem like a big carp was caught! ¡°Holy shit! That was a clean move!¡± Wei Liang exclaimed. The fish was slightly bigger than the previous one, weighing about three taels and a bit more. ¡°I wasn¡¯t talking nonsense, was I? How¡¯s that? Is it good enough?¡± Yue Feng displayed the second fish to everyone again. ¡°The bites are quite aggressive over here! Wonder how it¡¯d look with a different brand float?¡± Ma Run muttered. ¡°No worries, didn¡¯t you bring other brand floats? Just find one with similar lead weight and try it out!¡± Yue Feng, confident, quickly called out upon hearing Ma Run. Ma Run wasted no time, retrieving a float box from the car and picking out two floats commonly used for Crucian Carp angling. ¡°These are all Crucian Carp floats, though they require slightly less lead, around 1.1!¡± Ma Run said while selecting floats. ¡°Alright, that¡¯s close enough. Adjust four, troll two, ragworm, switch to your float and give it a try!¡± This time, Ma Run picked out a long-bodied, short-footed, long-tailed reed float designed specifically for small Crucian Carp. It was slender with a small cross-sectional area, minimizing resistance when initiating a bite, making it a classic bottom-fishing float for Crucian Carp. A few minutes later, after re-tuning his gear, Yue Feng repeated his technique, casting back into the feeding spot. After a few minutes of emptying the spot, on his first cast, the float immediately signalled a bite. Without a comparison, you can¡¯t see the gap, and the newly swapped float¡¯s movement was quite standard, but the magnitude of the bite was noticeably less, with just a gentle nibble followed by a substantial pause. ¡°Got one!¡± Ma Run couldn¡¯t contain his enthusiasm and chimed in. Yue Feng lifted the rod to hook the fish, pulling up the Crucian Carp. It was roughly the same size as the previous one, about three taels. Yue Feng didn¡¯t say anything and casually prepared some bait before casting again. By now, the people behind him started murmuring quietly. ¡°Alu¡¯s reed float normally looks quite good, but compared to Yue Feng¡¯s earlier movement, it¡¯s still a bit lacking!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not just a bit; you say the float movement is standard, I have no objections, but the magnitude is much less! It already requires less lead by about 0.2g; with the same tuning, the earlier movement was nearly half less! And this is after gaining considerable advantage due to its elongated deep-bottom fishing float design! If you¡¯re fishing for farmed fish and have any requirements for float travel, the difference becomes even more apparent!¡± As an experienced angler, Liu Fengnian, who was very knowledgeable about floats, bluntly pointed out the disparities between the two floats. Yue Feng cast a few more times, and another fish bit the bait. This time, the bite came from the bottom, and the float movement was significantly worse than the previous one, with the gentle probing action barely noticeable. The float briefly paused as it neared the bottom before sinking lightly, and then the fish was hooked! ¡°Look, this one was hooked near the bottom. The movement was much worse! Almost no pause, just a smooth slide into a shadow float and fish on!¡± Liu Fengnian continued to explain. Yue Feng lifted the rod, removing the float: ¡°Any more? Try another brand! Everyone saw the difference with this one!¡± Ma Run took the float and pulled another one from the float box. ¡°Hey, I don¡¯t believe it, you try this one!¡± Yue Feng didn¡¯t argue back, he just took the float and attached it to the line setup. This float required slightly less lead than the previous one, the lead skin on the seat directly submerged the float. Yue Feng remained silent; after all, those with sharp eyes were watching! Adjusted the same to four depth marks, fishing at two. The results of this experiment were even worse. They only caught three fish, and only one of them had acceptable movements; the other two barely hit the target by half a mark or more, and the small movements from the bait probing didn¡¯t show up on the float at all. ¡°There¡¯s something off with your float! It feels pretty flimsy!¡± Old Liu spoke up again. ¡°Liu¡¯s right, I think this float feels flimsy too!¡± Lei Lei was straightforward, saying whatever came to mind. ¡°It¡¯s from Wang Jian¡¯s shop, the Pond Sea Golden Eye, shouldn¡¯t be! Could it be the trolling wasn¡¯t set right!¡± Ma Run muttered, still not quite ready to give up. Yue Feng removed the float from the mainline float seat, glanced at it casually, and grinned as he handed it back to Ma Run. A counterfeit Golden Eye float! Insight Skill had given Yue Feng a precise answer. Although he saw there was an issue, Yue Feng didn¡¯t voice his opinion. They were all in the same line of work, and saying such things could seem like taking the opportunity to smear others. ¡°Liu, take a look, is there something wrong with this float?¡± Ma Run got a bit anxious by Yue Feng¡¯s grin and casually passed the float, which cost over a hundred, to Liu Fengnian. Liu Fengnian took it, briefly examined the tail of the float, then checked the body and the connection between the float foot and tail. He quickly shook his head. ¡°I guess its quality isn¡¯t much better than those ten yuan wild fishing floats. The joints at both ends of the float belly aren¡¯t even polished smooth! Look at the Golden Eye logo, it¡¯s blurred! Fake!¡± ¡°Damn, I¡¯m going back to confront him later!¡± Ma Run gritted his teeth and said. ¡°Anyone else want to try? Now that we¡¯re here, let¡¯s try a few more!¡± Yue Feng continued. One after another, the group tried several of their own floats and none could match the performance. They were consistently outperformed, with no other matching its caliber. The group spent a bit over an hour at the small reservoir, then happily headed back to the shop. When Yue Feng opened the shop door, a few quick-handed guys slipped behind the counter without doing anything else and grabbed a float first. Even the high-end Alu floats priced at 160 were sold for 120, what an absolute bargain! Now, they had a total of nine floats in stock, and since Liu Fengnian, Wang Meng, and Lei Lei each took one before starting their experiments, only seven remained, but there were eight people in the shop, not enough to go around. ¡°Damn, we can¡¯t play like this, someone share one with me!¡± Wei Liang instantly felt desolate when he didn¡¯t snatch one. ¡°Haha! Fast hands have, slow hands lack, who told you not to be quicker!¡± Liu Fengnian chuckled and teased. ¡°Liu and Little Fat were clever, picking them out before we started experimenting!¡± Lei Lei gleefully looked over the float he secured, growing fonder of it the more he looked. ¡°Yue Feng, come up with something, everyone has one, just me left out,¡± Wei Liang rubbed his hands together, feeling uneasy as if a cat had scratched his heart. ¡°Alright, why don¡¯t you take the one I¡¯ve used in the water once, that one is from an old reed, it has pretty patterns! But I can¡¯t give you a discount!¡± Yue Feng gave in and pulled the once-water-touched reed float from his float box and presented it to Wei Liang. Chapter 63 - 63 63 Forgot Again ?63: Chapter 63 Forgot Again 63: Chapter 63 Forgot Again ¡°This one¡¯s good, this pattern is much prettier than theirs!¡± Wei Liang took the float and immediately treasured it like a baby, finding a plastic tube to store it in. Having been in the water once, it couldn¡¯t strictly be considered new anymore, but this old reed with its unique pattern soon caught Liu Fengnian¡¯s attention. ¡°Liangzi, let¡¯s make a deal, would you swap this float with me? There¡¯s not much difference for you guys when using it, but I want to add it to my collection!¡± If it had been anyone else, Wei Liang would definitely have refused, but since it was his own boss speaking, he found it hard to lose face. After a brief hesitation, he still handed it over to Liu Fengnian. ¡°Here you go! I can use any float just the same! The pattern is indeed beautiful!¡± Wei Liang spoke with a nonchalant tone, but deep down he felt a little heartache. ¡°I owe you one, brother! I¡¯ll treat you to dinner sometime!¡± Liu Fengnian, after getting the float, admired it from every angle, seemingly unable to express how much he prized it. ¡°You guys keep having fun here, we need to head off first, let¡¯s hang out another day!¡± Lei Lei, having purchased the bait, had been ready to leave for a while. Looking at the time, it was already four in the afternoon. He said his farewells and stood up. There were a lot of people with them; when Lei Lei prepared to leave, a crowd followed, standing up as well, and soon only Wei Liang, Liu Fengnian, and Ma Boqiang remained. ¡°Lei Lei and his gang are big clients, take good care of them, it¡¯ll be good for the store!¡± Liu Fengnian whispered a reminder to Yue Feng. ¡°Heh, sure!¡± Yue Feng nodded and responded affirmatively. ¡°Well, I¡¯ve had my fill and it¡¯s time for me to head off as well. I¡¯ll go rest a bit at home, I¡¯ve been out the whole day and haven¡¯t even been home yet. Let¡¯s meet up another day!¡± ¡°Sure!¡± ... After seeing off his friends, Yue Feng was the only one left in the store. Ding! Congratulations on completing the task [Temperamental Shop Owner], You have gained 1200 Lottery Points. You have received the reward [Gold Version Crucian Carp Scattering Bomb] 2000g. [Gold Version Crucian Carp Scattering Bomb]: Made from a combination of many high-end materials and cutting-edge fish attractants, this crucian carp loose bait is in excellent condition and has a very strong fish-attracting effect, especially effective for attracting crucian carp in various densities of Black Pit waters! Note: This loose bait must be used in combination with red worms. If the bait is a regular commercial bait, it is very likely that the fish will only eat the loose bait and not the bait itself. A large pack of loose bait appeared in front of Yue Feng, weighing a full four pounds. Yue Feng casually scooped out a bit for a rough observation and didn¡¯t notice any major differences from regular loose bait, but upon closer inspection, he found the dry loose bait to be light and airy, and he could see intact wheat germ flakes everywhere he looked. Wheat germ, being the most nutritious part of the wheat kernel, is usually found in small amounts in wheat bran, but now it was being used as a basic filler in the loose bait. The description mentioned high-end materials, and it certainly wasn¡¯t lying. ¡°Tsk tsk, this reward is exactly to my liking!¡± Yue Feng carefully stored the Gold Version Loose Bait in his fishing box, then brought up the system panel. With the recent 1200 points plus the 2000 points from previous task rewards and a few hundred points from promoting at the Black Pit, he had more than 3600 points in his hand now. But this time, Yue Feng wasn¡¯t in a hurry to play the lottery. Instead, he opened the system¡¯s Points Store. The Points Store refreshes daily, and in addition to the regular items like Wild Fishing Companion and Rice Wine, sometimes it features quite rare items. Yue Feng had never saved enough points, so he couldn¡¯t afford many of the more expensive items. Now with over 3000 points, he could exchange them for some items, so Yue Feng decided to take a quick look. He only glanced through the list of items once, but his eyes were immediately drawn to a Skill Book, and he couldn¡¯t look away. [Fish Situation Adaptability]: Intermediate Taiwan Fishing Skill, once learned it allows for proper adjustments during the fishing process, effectively increasing the overall catch! Passive Effect: Fish Emotion Perception +50, Basic Trolling proficiency +150, Basic Bait Opening proficiency +150. Lucky me, an intermediate skill actually popped up, priced at 3500. Yue Feng didn¡¯t hesitate to give up his chance at the lottery, and bought the skill book right away. With a thought, the skill book was learned by Yue Feng. Instantly, his mind was filled with plenty more new knowledge, and even the proficiency levels of both Basic Trolling and Basic Bait Opening each increased by 150 points. Today¡¯s earnings were quite bountiful. Over thirty 2kg packs of Loose Powder sold out, made a small profit from fishing and selling fish in the morning, and with ten floats making 1200 in the store, plus an additional 10% increase from the passive skill, roughly speaking, I made close to three thousand bucks in a day. Yue Feng happily noted down today¡¯s income in his ledger, then laid back on his lounger, letting himself relax completely. Yue Feng is comfortable now, but You Ying is angry. This stinky jerk, he clearly said he¡¯d contact me after ending the stream, but after waiting all afternoon, he still didn¡¯t call. You Ying was fuming, hugging her pet blue cat while watching a soap opera, her heart simmering with anger, to the point where even handsome Korean actors lost their appeal. After a while, her best friend Su Cheng came back and greeted You Ying, but You Ying only glanced up before continuing to sulk. ¡°Eh, who bullied our You Ying again? Why are you still puffed up in anger? Even your little face is all taut!¡± ¡°If not for Yue Feng that guy? He promised to call me back and hasn¡¯t until now. Do you think I should call and remind him?¡± ¡°Is it still about the MV?¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s been over a day, and that screen-recorded version of the MV has nearly reached thirty million plays on the hot list!¡± ¡°Just remind him, it¡¯s work! What¡¯s there to be angry about? Maybe he got busy and forgot!¡± ¡°Hmph! As if he could forget about my business!¡± You Ying retorted, but still honestly pulled out her phone to make the call. As Yue Feng saw You Ying¡¯s incoming call on his phone, his head heated up, and he realized his blunder. He had forgotten the matter he had promised in the morning. ¡°Sorry, You Ying, customers kept coming after the stream ended. Send me your email and I¡¯ll send the file over right away!¡± You Ying was still holding back her anger, but as soon as she connected the call and heard Yue Feng¡¯s apology, her anger dissipated. ¡°We haven¡¯t discussed the price yet!¡± ¡°I¡¯m just kidding with you, what price? Send your email first, we can talk about other things later!¡± Yue Feng ¡°righteously¡± turned down You Ying¡¯s offer. ¡°Alright then!¡± You Ying replied and hung up the phone. ¡°That was fast?¡± Su Cheng said, a little surprised. ¡°He¡¯s so weird. Last time I asked him about the MV, he said we¡¯d discuss the price another day, and just now he¡¯s saying he was joking! He doesn¡¯t want any money!¡± ¡°Not wanting money is a good thing! Send the MV over first and then talk!¡± ¡°Yeah yeah!¡± You Ying sent her email to Yue Feng¡¯s phone. In just a moment, a notification for a new email popped up in her mobile mailbox. You Ying opened it to see the new content Yue Feng had sent over. From the file size, it was clear the file had been compressed, but after opening it with a professional player for a quick look, the quality was almost unaffected. To upload to the streaming platform, it was more than sufficient; the clarity was much better than the recorded version. ¡°Tsk tsk! This guy is pretty thoughtful!¡± ¡°What?¡± You Ying looked over at her best friend curiously. ¡°Didn¡¯t you notice? This video is clearly compressed to the very limit the platform allows for uploading. A tiny bit larger and you couldn¡¯t upload it, but if it were smaller, the quality would suffer!¡± After Su Cheng pointed it out, You Ying took another look and realized that was indeed the case. ¡°Humph humph! Given how thoughtful he was, I¡¯ll forgive him!¡± The corners of You Ying¡¯s mouth lifted in a smile, and a sparkle returned to her eyes. Chapter 64 - 64 64 Wang Jians Fish-Picking Invitation ?64: Chapter 64 [Wang Jian¡¯s Fish-Picking Invitation] 64: Chapter 64 [Wang Jian¡¯s Fish-Picking Invitation] The Dong Family Fishing Ground, a venue for night fishing and donkey stealing. Having had some drinks at noon, Wang Jian returned to his store in the afternoon and, following the recipe given by his senior brother Yu Qulong, he mixed up a new batch of special Loose Powder bait said to be exclusively for farmed crucian carp. With the new bait, Wang Jian grew restless. He had been thoroughly trounced by Yue Feng that morning, his morning¡¯s work yielding only a modest catch and leaving his fishing itch unscratched. Now armed with a new formula, Wang Jian was itching badly to find a spot to enjoy some good casting. But after scouring the WeChat fishing group for half a day, he couldn¡¯t find the right place to go. The temperature had just begun to rise, and many fishing grounds were still closed for business. In the end, Wang Jian had no choice but to call Dong Xuelin, the pit boss of the Dong Family Fishing Ground. On the phone, he learned that they stocked the pit with two thousand jin of fish, and about 1,200 had been caught during the day. They would allow night fishing and donkey stealing in the early part of the night. As mentioned before, the donkey-stealing venues are actually second-water fish spots where, for less money, you fish what others have left behind. Wang Jian casually asked about the fishing fee, which was eighty yuan, until the area was cleared at midnight. Wang Jian thought the price was right. So, in the late afternoon, just before four o¡¯clock, he drove to the Dong Family Fishing Ground for the second time. At the end of April, the evenings were still somewhat chilly, so there weren¡¯t many people who turned up for night fishing and donkey stealing¡ªjust seven or eight. Wang Jian chose a spot slightly off to the side in the middle of the southern bank where no one else was, and began to set up his gear anew. This fishing session was unstoppable. Whether it was good luck stumbling upon a school of fish or his senior brother¡¯s Loose Bait recipe being exceptionally powerful, as dusk fell, Wang Jian found himself on a continuous catch. What is a continuous catch? It¡¯s when the fish are biting exceptionally well, to the point that almost immediately after the bait hits the water, a fish takes it, one after another¡ªthat¡¯s considered a continuous catch. While we¡¯re on the subject, let¡¯s also touch on some common terms related to continuous catch. If it¡¯s even faster, and the float dips as soon as it¡¯s in the water, or even when the bait has just been submerged, that¡¯s called an explosive continuous catch. If it¡¯s a bit slower than a continuous catch, it¡¯s called a quick bounce, and slower still, a slow bounce. If ten or even dozens of minutes pass without a single catch, that¡¯s considered a botched fish. From six in the evening, when he switched to electronic floats, Wang Jian maintained a continuous catch until past nine o¡¯clock when the fish bites finally thinned out. After three hours of continuous catch, Wang Jian¡¯s haul exceeded even that of Yue Feng¡¯s that morning. By ten o¡¯clock, he had sold over 150 jin of fish. That settled it; he had earned back the day¡¯s lost fishing fees. That night, when Boss Dong broadcasted the catch in his customer group, a bunch of Black Pit anglers immediately exclaimed in amazement¡ªit was a divine level of scavenging. With the great success, Wang Jian could finally strut proudly, regaining the face he lost during the day. Several buddies from the group added Wang Jian¡¯s WeChat, seeking advice on baits and formulae. Wang Jian obviously wouldn¡¯t put such proprietary secrets out into the market. He fobbed off the interested anglers with some products currently on sale in the store, using the opportunity to sell a few sets of small medicinal baits, which added a few hundred yuan to his income. In a small county of limited size, it didn¡¯t take long for news of Wang Jian¡¯s lucrative donkey stealing to reach Yue Feng, but Yue Feng wasn¡¯t particularly phased by it. Although Yue Feng had come to understand the frightening purchasing power of the Black Pit players, he hadn¡¯t yet started to shift the focus of his shop¡¯s operations. To Yue Feng, Wang Jian was merely an acquaintance in the same industry¡ªa nodding acquaintance with whom he had little contact. Yue Feng didn¡¯t make much of it, but Wang Jian considered Yue Feng a potential rival and felt an urge to regain face after suffering a loss to him. Leaving the fishing ground, Wang Jian made a point of asking Boss Dong when the next stocking of fish would be¡ªit was Tuesday, another day session, same old price, same old quantity, two hundred tickets for two thousand jin of crucian carp! Wang Jian immediately preregistered. If possible, he was determined to redeem himself and restore his reputation! In the following days, Yue Feng¡¯s life was exceptionally regular: managing the store in the morning and heading out to fish and stream in the afternoon. And before they knew it, it was Tuesday again, the normal fishing day at the Dong Family Fishing Ground. Having tasted the sweet success of fishing at Black Pit, Yue Feng had made plans with Liu Fengnian and the others to return to Black Big Pit. They got up at five in the morning, quickly got ready, and headed straight for the angling site. Because it wasn¡¯t the weekend, there were even fewer anglers than at the grand opening, with only 27 people registering. Yue Feng intentionally chose to draw lots for a position at the very end. For him, selecting a fishing spot was much more suitable than drawing lots. As they were starting the preparation of Loose Powder bait, Wang Jian came strolling over. ¡°Yo, Little Yue, you¡¯re opening the bait here! How many of you came together?¡± Wang Jian casually asked. ¡°Brother Jian, good to see you! There are four of us!¡± ¡°Last time I was next to you, you didn¡¯t let me off easy. I¡¯ve just made a new bait recipe, you up for a fish-off today?¡± Wang Jian got right to the point, challenging him to a fish-off. ¡°A fish-off? How does that work?¡± ¡°Just the usual way, either by drawing lots for fishing spots, or simply choosing adjacent fishing spots! Three hours, and we see who catches more!¡± Ding! You are now being challenged to a fish-off by Wang Jian, will you accept the challenge? As you have a Challenge Voucher, accepting will automatically generate a corresponding challenge mission. If you win the challenge, you will receive a handsome reward! Failure, however, will result in a certain penalty! Seeing the challenge notification from the system, Yue Feng felt a stirring, his luck was good indeed, another challenge mission activated! Accept the challenge! Ding! Challenge mission [Wang Jian¡¯s Fish-Off Invitation] automatically activated. [Wang Jian¡¯s Fish-Off Invitation]: Compete in a fish-off against Wang Jian, win and you will receive a handsome system reward! If you fail the mission, you will suffer certain punishments! ¡°Sure! Since not many people showed up for this round, let¡¯s discuss it with Boss Dong and pick adjacent fishing spots!¡± Yue Feng accepted the mission, agreeing to Wang Jian¡¯s challenge. ¡°Alright, this will be easy to manage. I won¡¯t draw either, let¡¯s keep the spots for them, and after they¡¯ve all drawn, we two can pick spots next to each other!¡± ¡°Good!¡± ¡°Then it¡¯s settled, no backing out at the last minute!¡± News of Wang Jian and Yue Feng¡¯s fish-off quickly spread around the angling site, drawing a crowd of Wang Jian¡¯s customers. Liu Fengnian and the others from Yue Feng¡¯s side also hurried over. ¡°What were you thinking, accepting a fish-off with him?¡± Liu Fengnian whispered a reminder to Yue Feng. Wang Jian had a bit of a reputation in the local fishing community and was very experienced with Black Pit fishing. Even though Yue Feng had won a match against him the last time they fished side by side, Liu Fengnian thought that it was not very wise of Yue Feng to accept the fish-off challenge. A win would be great, but if he lost, the bit of reputation he had built up would be taken back by Wang Jian. Yue Feng laughed: ¡°He came looking for me, so let¡¯s have the showdown. I¡¯m not scared of him! It¡¯s not certain yet who will be the last deer standing!¡± ¡°Are you still going to live broadcast?¡± ¡°Yes, I have already sent out the live broadcast notification. At seven o¡¯clock, the boss will announce the start, and I will begin live broadcasting!¡± ¡°Alright then, just be careful. I¡¯ve heard that Wang Jian has concocted a new big crucian carp bait recipe. He secretly fished with it the night of the grand opening and caught over a hundred pounds!¡± ¡°I know,¡± Yue Feng responded without elaborating further. What a joke¡ª he had a secret weapon. Was he supposed to be a freeloader? The Black Pit Scattering Bomb he got from the last mission would be perfect for dealing with Wang Jian. They would see whose bait was more lethal! Chapter 65 - 65 65 Something is Off ?65: Chapter 65: Something is Off 65: Chapter 65: Something is Off In the blink of an eye, Yue Feng had finished up all the preparatory work of bait opening and float adjustment for the early stage. A few more minutes passed, and the pit boss Dong Xuelin called out from in front of the plank house with the registration forms in hand. Time for the draw! Regarding the fish handling, Wang Jian and Yue Feng had already notified the boss. Wang Jian had voluntarily given up the advantage of registering early and drawing first, choosing instead to pick from the unselected spots at the end with Yue Feng. With fewer registrants this time, there were quite a few unselected spots left, and after everyone had drawn, Yue Feng and Wang Jian took out all the numbers. There were a total of 36 fishing spots, excluding Wang Jian and Yue Feng, and only 25 anglers had drawn lots, leaving 11 ping pong balls in the box. There were several adjacent unselected spots left. ¡°Where shall we sit? Yue Feng, you¡¯re younger, I won¡¯t have anyone say I¡¯m bullying you, so go ahead and choose!¡± Wang Jian said with an air of magnanimity. Although the offer seemed to give Yue Feng face, under normal circumstances, the choice of fishing spot mattered little to winning or losing the competition. This was indeed to Yue Feng¡¯s liking. There wasn¡¯t much room to operate in spot without fish, and winning a contest still required choosing a spot where fish were present. Yue Feng briefly glanced at the remaining ping pong ball numbers, then surveyed the entire venue. He immediately passed on two spots; they were grey areas, where four or five contiguous spots all connected. Who¡¯d sit there wouldn¡¯t necessarily be an Air Force unless they were experts. After looking around, Yue Feng finally picked a pretty good spot where both adjacent positions were not grey, with only one fellow angler nearby, separated by an empty spot. ¡°Let¡¯s just go with spots 6 and 7! Last time, this place seemed to be quite good!¡± Yue Feng casually bluffed before settling on the positions. ¡°Then it¡¯s settled! How do we pick between the two of us? Draw lots?¡± Wang Jian continued to feign magnanimity by asking. ¡°Since I chose the fishing area, you pick the seat number first, I¡¯m fine with either!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mind if I do then! I¡¯ll take number six!¡± Without hesitation, Wang Jian chose the sixth spot. Wang Jian had a clever little plan there. With no one at spot five next to number six and someone next to number seven at spot eight, his choice effectively gave him a little box office, with all the fish in the vicinity belonging to him! ¡°Wang Jian, that¡¯s not very fair, is it? Even if Yue Feng calls you ¡®Brother Jian¡¯, you¡¯re hogging a box office to yourself now, aren¡¯t you?¡± Liu Fengnian chipped in with a cool comment. ¡°What¡¯s there to fuss about? Brother Yue Feng let me choose, so I chose! You¡¯re not involved in the fish handling, so why bother with so many idle matters!¡± Wang Jian retorted to Liu Fengnian, dissatisfaction apparent in his tone. Yue Feng glanced at Liu Fengnian with a smile, ¡°No worries, it¡¯s just for fun, won¡¯t affect! Brother Liu, don¡¯t worry about us. It¡¯s about to start, you better prepare more! I¡¯m all set over here!¡± Since Yue Feng had said so, Liu Fengnian couldn¡¯t really say more. He turned his head to return to his spot, secretly sighing that Yue Feng was still too green, and fearing that things might look bad later! Yue Feng didn¡¯t really mind, shouldered his fishing box, and headed straight for the spot to start getting things ready. Unlike last time when he started streaming during peak fishing, Yue Feng followed other streamers¡¯ examples and learned to post teasers before going live. Those who were interested would naturally come to watch on time, so it was no longer necessary to wait until he started catching fish to begin streaming. After preparing for fishing, Yue Feng launched his drone stream. ¡°Hello everyone, this is Yue Feng¡¯s fishing livestream. Sorry to keep you waiting! I believe many fishing enthusiasts have seen the teaser posted this morning. Today, it¡¯s a competitive match at Black Pit fishing for crucian carp. To add a bit of challenge, I¡¯ve arranged a competition with the experienced angler next to me, Brother Wang Jian. I¡¯ll be streaming live to share the entire process with you all!¡± With time and persistence in streaming, Yue Feng¡¯s introductions had become very smooth. He broadly outlined the situation briefly and concisely. Casual viewers who dropped in could immediately grasp what was going on. ¡°Finally, you¡¯re live. You really time it tightly, not a minute early!¡± ¡°I¡¯m prematurely celebrating Brother Feng¡¯s victory!¡± ¡°Brother Feng, tough guy with few words!¡± ¡°Brothers who are new to the livestream, help support Brother Feng with a follow and share the stream! I¡¯ll lead the charge in sharing the stream!¡± When the stream started, over a hundred followers were already waiting in the livestream room. It was evident that these fans had developed a certain loyalty, and they started to voluntarily help maintain order and share the stream for Yue Feng. Yue Feng glanced at the time, one minute left until seven. He whispered in the livestream room, ¡°There¡¯s one more minute to go before we start fishing. I might not be able to respond to some of your messages during the initial rush for fish. Please bear with me!¡± The chat in the livestream room buzzed with supportive messages, warming Yue Feng¡¯s heart. All the while, Wang Jian stayed quiet beside him. This young man was trying too hard to look cool, not even knowing how many people watched his stream. His demeanor was comparable to that of a major influencer. Yue Feng thought about silencing him later; it would be fun to see him swagger then! At seven o¡¯clock sharp, Boss Dong gave the signal, and the fishing officially began! Having one fishing competition under his belt, Yue Feng felt much more steady during his second outing. Right after starting, he efficiently managed to prepare four egg-sized bait balls with ¡°Lead Skin¡±. The initial baiting session was swiftly concluded. Wang Jian glanced at Yue Feng out of the corner of his eye, pleased secretly. The few bait balls Yue Feng prepared with ¡°Lead Skin¡± surely wouldn¡¯t be enough; soon, the fish would have eaten them all. Peeking into Yue Feng¡¯s ¡°Bait Opening Bowl¡± behind him, which had just over a pound of ¡°Loose Bait¡±, Wang Jian felt this match was as good as won. Unlike Yue Feng, who believed in moderation for baiting, Wang Jian went all out this round, making bait balls as big as fists with ¡°Lead Skin¡±, creating seven or eight of them, and then began his signature ¡°Double-hooked Scattering Bombs¡±, frantically baiting to attract fish. Even though Yue Feng prepared fewer bait balls initially, he never stopped with his ¡°Double-hooked Scattering Bombs¡±. After summarizing from the first competition, Yue Feng had gained his own understanding of this type of crucian carp pit. Once the bait reached the bottom, its real effectiveness was greatly reduced. Continuously pinching smaller ¡°Loose Powder¡± was the most beneficial strategy to keep the fish biting, as proven last time. The ¡°Loose Bait¡± produced by the system surely delivered. With just over a dozen casts, Yue Feng¡¯s bait spot started showing activity. Every few minutes, the carp darted in and out of the water, diving back down, a sight that was exciting beyond words. Yue Feng cast his line with a double-hook and red worm, but the float remained motionless. The fish in the water seemed very restless, darting around the bait spot but not entering or taking the bait. ¡°Damn, could something be wrong with the ¡®Black Pit Scattering Bomb¡¯? The fish seem a bit off!¡± Yue Feng, seeing this anomaly, was anxious. He had never encountered this situation before. What was going on? Chapter 66 - 66 66 Overly Excited ?66: Chapter 66: Overly Excited 66: Chapter 66: Overly Excited The fish indeed seemed a bit off. As Yue Feng kept casting his rod with the Double-hooked Scattering Bombs into the water, the fish became increasingly excited, and the frequency of them surfacing and then plunging back down also grew higher. The effect of this Loose Powder was simply too domineering; the fish were getting too excited! No, I can¡¯t keep increasing the frequency, I need to figure out how to suppress the fish a bit. With that thought, Yue Feng placed the Loose Bait he had prepared back into the Bait Opening Bowl and gently stirred the water to adjust the water ratio of the Loose Powder. It was clear from the behavior of the fish that the Loose Powder was effective, and its effect was incredibly exaggerated. The high frequency of bait opening at the start had caused too much atomization in the fish nest, and the fish got overstimulated. If I want to fish normally and catch them, I¡¯ll need to control the state of the fish a bit. Things will get much better once I sort out the feeding rhythm. After briefly switching to a Loose Powder with a higher water ratio and extracting for a while, I managed to finally push the fish near the surface back down. With no crucian carp surfacing anymore, Yue Feng once again cast two bunches of red worm lures into the nest. The float went all the way to the fishing target, but still no biting action! From the subtle movements of the float, Yue Feng discerned that there were indeed quite a few fish in the nest, but their behavior was still off. During the descent of the float, one could occasionally observe noticeable line-rubbing actions, indicating the fish were still extremely agitated, madly darting up and down around the underwater nest. Seeing this, Yue Feng scratched his head, wondering if the effect of the Loose Powder was too good, the concentration of the enticing substance too high, and as a result, the overly excited fish were leaping about instead of eating the bait! After a brief consideration, that possibility did seem quite substantial. Yue Feng immediately started to readjust the Loose Powder. This time, however, the focus of adjustment was not the water ratio, but the substance itself. Mixing some regular bait into the Loose Powder he was using should solve the problem. While Yue Feng was busy adjusting his bait, Wang Jian had already started catching fish. Taking up a position in the adjacent private room, Wang Jian effectively had the territory of two fishing spots to himself, giving him a not insignificant advantage in the competitive Black Pit fishing scene. After preparing his fish nest for a while, Wang Jian hit the first bottom-feeding bite; then, the fish feeding rhythm straightened out, and bites became steadier, leading to a connected series of catches. ¡°What¡¯s going on with Yue Feng? Why has he fizzled out? Is there a problem with his bait? Wasn¡¯t he quite adept last time?¡± Wang Jian didn¡¯t forget to shoot off a remark in between casting his rod, seemingly concerned, yet the veiled sarcasm and schadenfreude were quite apparent. Yue Feng stretched out a grin and scratched his head, ¡°There¡¯s still time, just need to figure something out. I haven¡¯t even lit the fire, so there¡¯s no question of it going out!¡± The microphone from the livestream didn¡¯t discriminate, and the quiet conversations between the two men were broadcast live. This immediately riled up the viewers in the livestream room. ¡°Damn, what poor sportsmanship, just started catching a few fish and already taunting!¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on with the host? Weren¡¯t there a lot of fish in the nest at the start? Why aren¡¯t they biting?¡± ¡°You¡¯re not really fat first; wait until the fish in the nest begin to bite, then let¡¯s take care of him!¡± Yue Feng quickly glanced through the public chat in the livestream room, but he did not respond. After adjusting the Loose Powder, he continued with small bomb extractions to lure the fish, waiting for the school in the nest to start biting. During the wait of over ten minutes, Wang Jian had gone from sporadic catches to a string of catches. His rod was quite stiff, allowing for quick removal of fish from the water in just two to three seconds, boasting high efficiency. In a short time, he had already caught nearly twenty fish. ¡°I told you the formula I used was effective; many people thought I was bluffing, but now they¡¯ve got nothing to say!¡± Wang Jian¡¯s mood was extremely cheerful! ¡°Heh,¡± Yue Feng laughed noncommittally. ¡°How about I give you some? You paid to come fish, so you shouldn¡¯t be left as the ¡®Air Force.¡¯ The quality of the fish today is actually pretty good! Ah, another one!¡± While talking, Wang Jian lifted the rod again and caught another one right on! It¡¯s a common flaw among fishermen to brag and blow hot air. With the ¡®Air Force¡¯ trying to be reasonable, Yue Feng faced Wang Jian¡¯s insipid taunts without taking the bait, persisting patiently in tossing in his Double-hooked Scattering Bombs to lure the fish. About half an hour into the fishing, Yue Feng cast another rod with Double-hooked Scattering Bombs into the water. As the float turned over and sank, it suddenly paused in motion. Yue Feng¡¯s heart stirred, and he immediately lifted his fishing rod to cast another double-hooked lure back into the water. Since the double-hooked Loose Bait was too large for fish to easily take into their mouths, the brief pause in movement was quite evident. Yue Feng judged it to be a bite. The next second, a sight that shocked everyone unfolded. As the new bait entered the water, the float didn¡¯t turn over but lay flat on the surface. Yue Feng thought the line might have landed on the fish¡¯s back and didn¡¯t rush to set the hook, waiting two seconds instead. The float still hadn¡¯t righted itself; rather, it started moving diagonally downstream. Yue Feng, having fished for crucian carp for so long, had never seen such peculiar float movement before. Watching this, an image formed in his mind. As soon as the bait hit the water, the fish snatched it before the sinker could even straighten out the line, indicating a very high strike. Lifting the rod to set the hook, a tremendous force transmitted from underwater. After a brief struggle, he used the rod¡¯s backbone to surface the fish. Double-tail! ¡°They¡¯re biting, the fish in the spot are biting!¡± ¡°Damn! First cast and it¡¯s a double-tail!¡± ¡°Double-tail +1¡± ¡°Double-tail +2¡± ¡°The brothers upstairs seem to be missing the point, is this about single or double tails? The float didn¡¯t even turn over before the fish were hooked. Looks like the fish are at least seventy to eighty centimeters off the bottom!¡± ¡°Sharp eyes upstairs, estimating the water depth to be about one and a half meters, minus the length of the float and the leader, the line could at most be seventy to eighty centimeters. Either the fish have risen up, or they¡¯ve filled up the feeding spot¡ªI think the latter is more likely!¡± There were indeed knowledgeable people in the live stream who, through simple logical reasoning and observation of the line¡¯s length, had roughly figured out the situation with the fish in Yue Feng¡¯s spot. After hooking double-tails twice in a row, Yue Feng¡¯s heart settled¡ªfinally, a regular bite. But the next second, Yue Feng was troubled again. He was known for his high-definition float watching live streams, and now, the float wouldn¡¯t even stand up when it hit the water, so what was there to watch? Almost instinctively, Yue Feng pulled the float seat down thirty centimeters and cast it into the water again. By shortening the line, he estimated the float would stand up. Yet, on the next cast, the float was still in a state where it wouldn¡¯t turn over before the fish struck. Yue Feng thought, damn it, I¡¯ll just keep sliding the float down! Another thirty centimeters! Now, the bottom hook was a full sixty centimeters off the bottom, changing from bottom fishing to midwater fishing. However, the adjustment was effective; the float finally had the liberty to reveal the bites. ¡°Holy shit, is Feng planning to play it tough? Fishing for big crucian carp in Black Pit halfway above the bottom?¡± ¡°You¡¯re mostly right upstairs, this is called fixed-layer fishing!¡± ¡°Yue Feng¡¯s getting cunning. Before, it wasn¡¯t that there were no fish taking the bait. He was holding back, intentionally casting to lure the fish. Now, I bet the feeding spot is overflowing with fish!¡± ¡°Seems like that¡¯s exactly what¡¯s happening! Suddenly it¡¯s non-stop action without any warning!¡± ¡°But with today¡¯s fishy conditions, the rod he¡¯s using is a bit too soft, the double-tails retrieval is slightly slow!¡± Chapter 67 - 67 67 Invisible Confrontation The Most Lethal ?67: Chapter 67: Invisible Confrontation, The Most Lethal 67: Chapter 67: Invisible Confrontation, The Most Lethal Different standpoints lead to different judgments about the same matter. The viewers in the live stream couldn¡¯t see many details, so they thought Yue Feng was doing it on purpose, and suddenly, they rated the host¡¯s fishing skill even higher. Yue Feng was steadily catching fish, while next to him, Wang Jian¡¯s bites had gradually slowed down. Initially, he could maintain a state of quick bites, with one bite per nest, catching a fish. Gradually it became two or three nests for a bite. By around eight o¡¯clock, Yue Feng was still maintaining a high rate of consecutive catches, but Wang Jian had completely stopped getting bites! ¡°Haha, host, turn the camera. Look at that guy next to you, did he get shut out?¡± ¡°Seems like it¡¯s been a while since he caught a fish! He started off by talking big and drawing hate, but now he¡¯s completely fizzled out!¡± Yue Feng didn¡¯t respond to these comments and just kept fishing steadily. However, he still adjusted the camera angle quietly, revealing about half of Wang Jian¡¯s body. There were enough fish in the nest, so Yue Feng even reduced the frequency of using Loose Powder, catching five or six fish with a small scattering shot, which was basically enough to ensure the density of fish in the nest spot. If things went as expected, Yue Feng was set to win this fishing contest. Even if he stopped getting bites now, Yue Feng¡¯s catch would still be much larger than Wang Jian¡¯s. Compared to Yue Feng¡¯s calmness, Wang Jian was starting to get restless. While Yue Feng kept on catching fish in the half-water, Wang Jian¡¯s nest had practically gone silent. What should he do now? Recalling his bold words from not long ago, Wang Jian felt his cheeks burning with embarrassment. But as a seasoned competitor, Wang Jian wasn¡¯t going to give up so easily. Gritting his teeth, he took out a bottle of Loose Bait powder, Thousand Miles Fragrance, from his fishing box, poured the unused Crucian Carp Scattering Bomb back into the bait opening bowl, and slammed in several capfuls. Thousand Miles Fragrance was a very common fishing additive, one of the earlier types of composite fish attractants with strong penetration in water. Its compound sweet flavor was especially effective for catching crucian carp, making it one of the classic additives Wang Jian often used. Next door, as Yue Feng continued his string of catches, Wang Jian unconsciously added a heavy dose of the additive. From a few meters away, even Yue Feng could smell the subtle fragrance. ¡°Big Wang, are you using your trump card now?¡± Yue Feng asked with a smile. ¡°Heh, desperate times call for desperate measures! Let¡¯s do this!¡± Wang Jian casually shaped another nest the size of an egg and used a lead skin to send it into the nest spot. As Wang Jian added four or five lead skin-nest balls to the water, the bites at Yue Feng¡¯s fishing spot slowed down for a half-beat. It didn¡¯t matter whether the fish were excited or frightened by the sound, but this continued only for a short time. Seeing the bites slow down, Yue Feng immediately picked up his rod as the float reached his target depth with no action, and quickly added a few scattering shots of Loose Powder. The scattering shots regathered the scattered fish, and his consecutive catches continued. In contrast, Wang Jian didn¡¯t have such good luck with the fish. Despite the enhanced bait, he kept drawing up nothing, and no movements were seen in his fishing spot! Ten minutes later, Wang Jian added another lead skin-weighted nest ball. This time, Yue Feng¡¯s brow furrowed slightly. Wang Jian was being unsportsmanlike. Yue Feng hadn¡¯t said anything when he first added nest balls. When it was Wang Jian¡¯s turn, he had been careful to avoid making significant noise. However, discovering that adding nest balls would make Yue Feng stop getting bites, Wang Jian intentionally made louder sounds this time, with loud plopping noises of bait balls entering the water. Even the anglers across the way frowned and looked over. ¡°That¡¯s about enough, isn¡¯t it? Who plays like that!¡± Yue Feng muttered under his breath. ¡°If you want the fish onshore, you must pay with food! It¡¯s the Black Big Pit¡¯s rule to add nest balls by hand, but I¡¯m still using lead skin-weighted ones, what¡¯s the big deal!¡± Wang Jian remained defiant. Despite Yue Feng¡¯s kind reminder, he was unmoved, and with a series of plops, he added several more nest balls. ¡°Fine! Then keep on adding!¡± The smile disappeared from Yue Feng¡¯s face as he turned and poured out two 400ml measuring cups of Double-hooked Scattering Bombs from his fishing box. If you¡¯re not embarrassed by losing face, let¡¯s see you lose it all the way! Let¡¯s see whether your lead skin with nest leaves a bigger impact, or if my buddies gather fish faster! The pickup device transmitted the dialogue between the two people to the live broadcast room, and immediately the loyal viewers weren¡¯t having any of it. ¡°What the hell is this supposed to be? No class at all!¡± ¡°All smug when catching your own fish, now when you¡¯re out of luck, you start disturbing the guy next to you!¡± ¡°Is the host opening new Loose Powder? What¡¯s he planning to do? Go head-to-head with the other guy¡¯s bottom nest?¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t be, he only opened two cups, if it were lead skin with nest, a few rods would¡¯ve been used up!¡± Yue Feng quickly opened the Loose Bait, glanced at the live stream, and said calmly, ¡°The fish in the nest aren¡¯t agitated enough, let¡¯s get them riled up!¡± ¡°Oh oh oh, I get it now, this is the Scattering Bomb used at the start of fishing, the one from before any adjustments were made!¡± ¡°Using that isn¡¯t great, right? The fish go crazy, and you get no bites!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t get it, my friend above. Crazy is crazy, but they¡¯ll definitely still be around your own nest spot. Press on for a bit and for sure you¡¯ll start getting bites! Maybe once they adapt to the excitement, the bites will keep on coming!¡± ¡°That¡¯s more like it, if the guy next door plays dirty, we drop some heavy stuff too!¡± ¡°The host¡¯s thought process is razor-sharp, a grand and upright strategy! Just bring it on!¡± After a simple two minutes of waking up the bait to absorb water, Yue Feng returned to his Double-hooked Scattering Bombs and resumed pulling. 400ml of Loose Powder, if you were to clutch it with lead skin with nest, it would run out very quickly, but pulling with double-hooked Loose Powder needs some time; anyway, when bites stop, everyone just ends up hurting each other, right? The effect of the premium Loose Bait remained as domineering as ever, just over a dozen pulls of the Scattering Bomb into the nest, and the fish stars around the spot began to concentrate. After a dozen more casts, the nest spot was boiling! The crucian carp were jumping around the nest spot like crazy, extremely active. The fish stars underwater were dense, like the bubbles rolling in boiling water. ¡°Wang Jian, your magical medicine isn¡¯t working too well, huh? It¡¯s not even as good as my inconspicuous Loose Powder. How about it, want to add a few more balls of nest?¡± Yue Feng said in a bland tone. ¡°Uh...¡± Wang Jian was chocked up by Yue Feng¡¯s retort. Even if Wang Jian had a thick skin, he couldn¡¯t keep dumping nest balls over and over without it being fishing anymore, but rather causing disturbance. Besides, looking at Yue Feng¡¯s situation now, it wasn¡¯t something that a few nest balls could resolve. ¡°I just love to watch the host diss people so calmly!¡± ¡°My husband looks so handsome dissing people!¡± ¡°What Loose Bait did Brother Feng use just now, holy shit the effect is insane! I¡¯m willing to pay top dollar to buy some!¡± ¡°Count me in, the actual combat effect is so terrifying, taking it to Black Big Pit would be ecstatic!¡± ¡°Get lost upstairs, taking it to Black Big Pit¡¯s such a waste! At least take it to Big Circle Pond to snag a 500w!¡± Yue Feng glance around and said, ¡°While there¡¯s a lull in bites when the nest spot is boiling, I¡¯ll interact with the bros a bit. The gold version was a trial sample someone gave me, I only have a little of it, but I can arrange a few rounds of the regular version for the bros. Old rules, let¡¯s start sharing the live stream, chaps. Once the live stream viewership reaches 800, I¡¯ll draw two packs of Loose Bait for a free trial for everyone. Same old rules, SF Express delivery included!¡± Chapter 68 - 68 68 A Bountiful Harvest ?68: Chapter 68: A Bountiful Harvest 68: Chapter 68: A Bountiful Harvest Drowning Fish shared the live broadcast room. ¡°Handsome¡± is just one word shared the live broadcast room. He Doesn¡¯t Love Me shared the live broadcast room. ... The prompts to share the live broadcast room flashed across the screen in an instant, considerably increasing the number of viewers in Yue Feng¡¯s live broadcast room in just a short while, Mornings are considered the ¡°off-peak¡± period for live streaming platforms, with fewer people broadcasting and consequently, fewer watching, but in front of the many fans, these are not issues. After ten minutes, the number of people in the live broadcast room surged to eight hundred. ¡°Hello to the brothers who just joined the live broadcast room, I¡¯m Yue Feng, and this is the drone HD fishing live broadcast room. If you¡¯re interested, hit that follow button, and let¡¯s get started with the lottery¡ªgood luck to everyone!¡± During the time when the fishing spot was ¡®boiling,¡¯ Yue Feng didn¡¯t waste any time; he interacted with the audience and even started a lottery. Wang Jian was feeling embarrassed beside him, as Yue Feng¡¯s live broadcasting undoubtedly turned Wang Jian¡¯s awkward situation into a spectacle for the tourists in the live broadcast room, humiliating him online. Wang Jian scratched his head in irritation, mustering the courage to concede defeat and pack up several times but couldn¡¯t make up his mind. He had recently refilled his fishing spot with bait and wondered if there was a chance to stir up another feeding frenzy. It was this thought that retained a sliver of hope in Wang Jian¡¯s heart. About five minutes later, the fish activity in Yue Feng¡¯s spot gradually stabilized. With the previous experience, Yue Feng switched back to the wet loose feeder that he used before, appropriately pushed down the fish layer, cast the rod with double hooks and red worms, and started pulling up fish after fish! Seeing Yue Feng resuming his streak of catching fish, Wang Jian¡¯s last bit of hope shattered, and he reluctantly spat a thick gob of phlegm, started packing up his equipment, and admitted defeat. ¡°I can¡¯t compete in this fishing duel anymore, I concede!¡± said Wang Jian, disheartened. Ding! Congratulations on completing the challenge task [Wang Jian¡¯s Fishing Duel Invitation]! Ding! You have been awarded 1600 Lottery Points! Ding! The reward for this occasion is a physical item, temporarily stored in the mall space. Chant to claim it in a safe environment to receive! Ding! The punishment for the challenge task has been issued! The current punishment is [Sore Mouth and Tongue]. [Sore Mouth and Tongue]: One who lives in the world should be strict with oneself and lenient with others. Those who enjoy wagging their tongue will eventually suffer the consequences! ¡°We¡¯ve only been fishing for an hour and a half; why not play a little longer? I¡¯ve got some extra Loose Powder, why don¡¯t you take some and give it a try? We agreed on a three-hour time limit, and it¡¯s not up yet!¡± Yue Feng was no pushover when wronged; he took Wang Jian¡¯s initial taunts and flung them right back at him. ¡°No, thanks!¡± At that moment, Wang Jian felt his face burning with embarrassment, parched and tongue-tied, wishing he could just crawl into a hole. Every second in that place was agony for him. Unable to settle his mind to pack his fishing gear properly, he jumbled everything together and went to call the owner to collect the fish. Boss Dong quickly came over with the plastic basket for weighing the fish, dragged the Fish Guard to a distant place in the water, and then lifted it out. Wang Jian had caught some fish earlier when he was snatching the fishing spot, around fifty pounds within an hour, and practically brought them all to shore. He didn¡¯t lose any money, but his reputation was thoroughly tarnished! Wang Jian left the fishing site without any joy, his face grim as he loaded his Fishing Box and other equipment into his car and left the fishing ground in dejection! ¡°Haha, Brother Feng is awesome! Brother Feng is dominant!¡± ¡°Wang Jian¡¯s face when he left was so ugly! I bet he won¡¯t even be able to eat his dinner tonight!¡± ¡°Ugly face +1, let¡¯s see if he dares to challenge our Brother Feng next time!¡± With Wang Jian gone, Yue Feng¡¯s mood relaxed, and he fished methodically until the three-hour livestream ended, and then he went offline. He was busy until close to noon, and as the fish became sparse at his spot, Yue Feng used the remaining Loose Powder for a while, but with no improvement, so he knew that was about all the fish he would get for the day. After a morning of continuous fishing, Yue Feng¡¯s catch was even more impressive than the last session, filling two and a half sections of the Fish Guard. The pond owner could hardly lift it and had to get someone with a smaller net to scoop the fish out in portions before it could be lifted. 287 pounds, a full two baskets of fish! Such an achievement at this kind of small Black Pit was like a bumper harvest. As Yue Feng was pulling up the fish, fellow anglers crowded around him, greeting him, asking for advice about the fish, inquiring about bait and secret formulas. Yue Feng patiently dealt with them all, and after weighing the fish, he had over a dozen new Black Pit players added to his WeChat friends, earning him several hundred Promotion Points as well. After Yue Feng had sold his fish and packed up his gear, there was also no more activity from Liu Fengnian¡¯s spot. Although their catches weren¡¯t as extravagant as Yue Feng¡¯s, they had a very considerable haul. Apart from Wang Meng whose fishing skill was slightly lacking and didn¡¯t catch enough to make it worthwhile, there were five anglers using Loose Powder from Yue Feng¡¯s shop who easily reached their limits, with Liu Fengnian and Ma Run not only reaching limits but having a fantastic time bending their rods. ¡°Brother Yue Feng, I¡¯m truly impressed by your fishing skill! Defeating Wang Jian twice, here, this is the money for your fish sold back, 1148, count it!¡± Pond owner Dong Xuelin proved to be quite honorable. Despite Yue Feng catching so many fish, Dong didn¡¯t show any sign of annoyance and promptly handed Yue Feng the money. Yue Feng counted out a thousand from the fishing fees and put it in his pocket, handing back the remaining nearly 150 yuan to the pond owner. Since the money came from selling fish, he wasn¡¯t particularly attached to it, so he was as straightforward as the generous pond owner. ¡°Keep the change for buying a couple of packs of cigarettes! My little shop just opened not long ago, so I¡¯ll be counting on Big Brother Dong¡¯s support!¡± ¡°Yue is generous, don¡¯t worry. I will post the catch in the customer group right away and give your shop a good promotion!¡± Dong Xuelin had seen through the symbiotic relationship between the fishing gear shop and commercial fishing spots¡ªhelping others was helping himself. Without Yue Feng having to spell it out, he had already thought it through. ¡°It¡¯s getting late. Let¡¯s play another day, I¡¯m heading back!¡± With a wave, Yue Feng mounted his motorcycle and left the Dong Family fishing grounds. Back at the store, Yue Feng hurriedly locked the door and immediately checked his account. In addition to the Points reward, the challenge task also awarded an item, which piqued Yue Feng¡¯s curiosity to an unbearable level. Receive reward! Ding! Congratulations, you have obtained the item[Gale 11-foot] [Gale 11-foot]: Made of high-tech materials and advanced technology, this ultra-hard and clear Black Pit combat rod is suitable for quick ¡°Fly Copy¡± and ¡°Fly Kicking¡± fishing situations. The rod is lightweight yet strong, making it comfortable to hold over long periods. He was actually awarded a Black Pit rod! Yue Feng immediately opened the rod¡¯s packaging and began to inspect it closely. The rod was 11 feet in total length, which is three meters and thirty centimeters, clearly designed as a combat rod. The base diameter of the rod handle was quite thick, over 25mm. He opened the cap on the front of the rod to see the tip diameter was also thick, above 2.2, and the rod tip was crafted with a high-end metal swivel, with a horseshoe clasp for the main line that prevented tangling¡ªa design usually found on more high-end rods. Looking at the rod body, it had a full paint design, with a pale blue coating that looked very beautiful. On the upper half of the first section of the handle, there were several three-dimensional patterns that appeared like a background of pale blue that had cracked open, creating a very strong sense of depth. He shook the rod in his hand, truly validated as both light and hard. Chapter 69 - 69 69 Yu Qinlongs Desire to Challenge ?69: Chapter 69: Yu Qinlong¡¯s Desire to Challenge 69: Chapter 69: Yu Qinlong¡¯s Desire to Challenge After examining the appearance of the rod, Yue Feng tested it in action using store-bought mineral water. He hung a bottle of roughly 600ml of mineral water, lifted the rod from the ground, and the rod bent to about twenty centimeters at the tip, showing a certain degree of arc due to the pressure applied and also demonstrated exceptional strength. Its performance was extraordinary. ¡°Tsk, tsk, with this rod, catching common carp weighing about a pound and a half will be more convenient! If I used this rod today, snatching up a few dozen more pounds of fish wouldn¡¯t be a problem at all!¡± Yue Feng swung the rod again, feeling very refreshed in his heart. While Yue Feng felt refreshed, Wang Jian was feeling quite frustrated. Having been bested by Yue Feng twice in a row, even before he got home, his lips and tongue started feeling uncomfortable. Once home and his gear unloaded, canker sores emerged. Talking was a bit awkward and even drinking water was excruciatingly painful. ¡°Hubby, what¡¯s wrong with you? Should we go to the hospital?¡± Wang Jian¡¯s wife saw her husband struggling to speak and felt slightly worried. She didn¡¯t even ask how his fishing results went but instead wanted to take him to the hospital. ¡°Probably just from the heat, got some canker sores! I¡¯m not that delicate, I¡¯ll drink more water and it will be better in a few days!¡± Wang Jian managed to reply despite the pain in his mouth, then dropped his fishing gear and went inside. Just as the tea had been prepared, Wang Jian¡¯s phone rang¡ªit was his senior brother Yu Qulong calling. Normally, if it was someone else and nothing urgent, Wang Jian might not have picked up, but his senior wasn¡¯t just anybody, so Wang Jian endured the discomfort and answered the call. ¡°Have you packed up your rod? How was today¡¯s battle?¡± The concern in his senior brother¡¯s voice was apparent, knowing that Wang Jian had gone fishing at Black Pit today to redeem himself, he was calling to check on the results. ¡°Got home a while ago!¡± Wang Jian responded truthfully. ¡°So early? How was the catch in the morning?¡± ¡°Passable, barely made it to shore!¡± Wang Jian said unenthusiastically. ¡°How was it? Was the formula I gave you effective? That was the recipe tried out by Master Wang and others during a competition last autumn...¡± Yu Qulong, thinking Wang Jian had come home early because he had a successful fishing haul, started talking non-stop about the formula. ¡°I lost! I only fished for less than an hour, and in the second half, Yue Feng shut me out! I tried adjusting and adapting again but to no avail, so I admitted defeat and packed up!¡± ¡°What? Lost... you lost? What happened?¡± Yu Qulong was puzzled by the news, knowing that Wang Jian had made it ashore meant the bait direction was definitely correct, but hearing that his junior brother was shut out by someone else, he was a bit baffled, wondering how that happened! ¡°Talking about it, I¡¯m also a bit confused. In the first half of the fishing session, the fish action on my side was quite fast. I made and replenished my fishing spot regularly, and there were no obvious mistakes. But after competing for a while, the fish abruptly stopped biting. Meanwhile, Yue Feng started catching one fish after another!¡± Yu Qulong, still in the dark about what Wang Jian was saying, continued to probe: ¡°What was happening on his side? Tell me more details, I¡¯ll help you analyze it!¡± ¡°Yue Feng used some type of bait I¡¯m not sure about. Not long after starting, I saw many fish churning around his fishing spot, but the fish wouldn¡¯t bite! Meanwhile, I was already catching them rapidly! I continued pulling the rod and replenishing the fishing hole as usual while fishing. But after a while, it felt like my fishing spot was dissipating, and the fish were thinning out! Oh, another detail that puzzles me is when Yue Feng started catching fish, the layer where fish were positioned was very high, looking at the water level I concluded it was only about 70-80 centimeters deep. From then until I packed up, the fish layer hardly moved! The double-tail ratio was extremely high! Seeing he was catching fish swiftly, halfway through I used Lead Skin to replenish a few balls of bait in my fishing spot, and soon after that, his area paused momentarily. Then he rapidly pulled the rod more than ten times with Loose Powder, and the fish started biting again! No chance of winning, I just admitted defeat, sold my fish, and left!¡± Hearing Wang Jian¡¯s description, Yu Qulong became even more confused. Normally, in Black Pit where large carps are bred for fishing, most of the fishing is done purely at the bottom, or using lead skin to fly just above the bottom unless the density is too high. According to Wang Jian, the fish layer had moved up to mid-water, which was highly unusual behavior. What density would be needed for the fish to feed mid-water? Even in highly dense Competition Ponds, this was hard to achieve. ¡°What about Yue Feng? How many fish did he catch this morning? Do you know?¡± ¡°Just got back and saw on the WeChat group, Dong Xuelin already posted a video in the fishing WeChat group, 287 pounds, easily two huge baskets! Damn, he¡¯s stolen all the limelight!¡± Despite being somewhat prepared mentally, Yu Qulong was still stunned by the figure 287. Catching nearly three hundred pounds of fish in one morning was not something that could be done casually; it required a very high density at the feeding spot. Also, this figure corroborated Wang Jian¡¯s earlier description, which must not have been bluffed. ¡°How could Yue Feng turn the tables? When is the next regular fishing day? I¡¯ll bring a friend and challenge him!¡± With Wang Jian not clarifying the specifics, Yu Qulong¡¯s curiosity was piqued, and a desire to challenge arose. In most cases, anglers used to competitive fishing merely scoff at this type of Black Pit stocked fish. In their view, stocked fish have less variable moods, and since the pond allows the use of bloodworms, catching these fish is basically a breeze as long as you have the basic skills and the right bait flavor; it¡¯s merely a small dish. ¡°It¡¯s the usual two hundred bucks fishing fee for the Saturday daytime session, with two thousand pounds of fish!¡± ¡°Alright then, I got it, I¡¯ll take revenge for you!¡± Yu Qulong nodded and then hung up the phone. Sitting in the store eating lunch, Yue Feng suddenly felt a tickle in his nose and couldn¡¯t help but sneeze. After lunch, Yue Feng uploaded the polished best clips of today¡¯s live broadcast to the streaming platform, along with the final catch, and then listlessly started checking backstage. With his consistent streaming lately, Yue Feng¡¯s followers had broken through 8000, but the growth rate had slowed down recently. The fans from You Ying had gradually settled, and non-fishing fans popping up in his live room had decreased, showing that the hype had passed. However, today, less than an hour after uploading the clips, Yue Feng casually opened the backstage and his eyes widened. An hour ago, Yue Feng had 8125 followers, but an hour later, it had reached 14830, almost doubling! As he kept refreshing the backend data, the number was still growing. Having experienced the previous 999+ followers, Yue Feng was much steadier now. Seeing the surge in followers, he thought his clips had gone viral. He opened the clip and saw, views 60k+, likes 4000+, over two hundred comments. What the hell? Chapter 70 - 70 70 Making a Phone Call ?70: Chapter 70 Making a Phone Call 70: Chapter 70 Making a Phone Call For new anchors, such high data within a short period of time is already quite impressive. But this amount of data isn¡¯t enough to support an increase of more than six thousand fans, an increase of a thousand or two would be pretty good already. Could there be some trouble again? Yue Feng murmured to himself and quickly opened the platform¡¯s homepage to check it out. After looking through the popular works on the homepage one by one, Yue Feng finally found the reason! The music video he gave to You Ying was uploaded by her, and in the description comment section below the work, she left a special thanks to Yue Feng¡¯s live fishing broadcast. The high-definition version of the music video was uploaded not long ago and was quickly pushed to the popular section of the homepage. To show their emphasis on the work, the editors even gave it the triple highest treatment: featured, hot, and full-channel promotion. In just a short time, the music video¡¯s clicks had surpassed several million. As for the more than six thousand fans Yue Feng gained, it was just a byproduct of the situation. He merely basked in someone else¡¯s glory. ¡°Heh, this really proves the saying, ¡®give someone a rose and the fragrance remains in your hand!¡± Yue Feng muttered to himself, resolving the confusion in his heart and gaining clarity in his thoughts. ¡°Should I make a call to thank the person?¡± Having made the acquaintance of such a big online celebrity by mistake, Yue Feng cared quite a bit about it. Although entertainment anchors and outdoor fishing anchors didn¡¯t seem to have much in common at first sight, after all, Yue Feng had received tangible benefits. More interaction might even help him ride the wave of popularity and become even more well-known. Just as Yue Feng was hesitating whether to make a call, You Ying too was facing a similar dilemma. After the music video was uploaded, it quickly became a hit beyond her expectations. The platform¡¯s support for quality content was quite substantial, and in less than a day, You Ying had gained nearly a hundred thousand fans. These weren¡¯t inactive zombie fans but very active ones, and You Ying valued each of them immensely, no matter how many millions she had. ¡°Su Cheng, should I give Yue Feng a call to say thanks? My fan count rose so quickly, it¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve experienced such a rapid increase!¡± You Ying nestled into the soft sofa, holding her phone and asking. ¡°Just to say thanks? Or is it an opportunity to flirt?¡± Su Cheng knew her best friend inside out and directly pinpointed You Ying¡¯s thoughts. ¡°Hey, why do you talk so rudely?¡± ¡°If you feel like calling, just go ahead and flirt. Anyway, it doesn¡¯t seem like the other person is married, and he¡¯s quite handsome too.¡± ¡°You know I¡¯m not all about looks!¡± ¡°Yes, yes, you like his talent, and his looks are just a bonus!¡± Su Cheng rolled her eyes. ¡°Ugh, I¡¯m not talking to you anymore!¡± You Ying got up from the sofa and went back to her room with her phone. Yue Feng was still hesitating when the call came in, and it was from You Ying! The moment the call came in, Yue Feng reflexively answered it. ¡°Hello?¡± ¡°Wow, you answered the phone so quickly!¡± You Ying¡¯s voice on the other end was still as melodious and sweet as an oriole. ¡°I was playing with my phone, so I just picked it up when I saw the incoming call!¡± ¡°Hehe, I called to thank you! I uploaded the MV and gained quite a few fans!¡± ¡°Haha, I¡¯ve also gained quite a bit of glory. I just took a look, and my follower count has surpassed ten thousand, with over six thousand new ones today!¡± Though a major internet celebrity, You Ying wasn¡¯t the kind that had become famous overnight and was well aware of the difficulty of obtaining the first ten thousand followers in outdoor livestreaming. ¡°I¡¯ve watched all your segments, and even though I don¡¯t know much about fishing, I can tell the quality is really high. But fishing is quite a niche after all; do you plan to keep going in this direction?¡± This time, it was Yue Feng that was caught off guard by the question. Yue Feng had become an anchor, that was true, but his future plans were not clear. ¡°Probably, maybe I will!¡± After pondering for two seconds, Yue Feng gave an ambiguous answer. ¡°The larger category of outdoor livestreaming actually has pretty good potential, but due to limitations on live content by external conditions and equipment constraints, there aren¡¯t any hugely popular anchors at the moment. The hottest one on the platform barely has less than a million followers! However, it seems that your drone is much more powerful than what everyone else is using now. If you continue to expand the livestream content, you might have the chance to overtake others on the curve! Don¡¯t think that singers and dancers gain followers quickly. Many of them are just inconsequential passerby fans. Take me for example, the backend shows a lot of new additions and cancellations every day. The overall number of followers doesn¡¯t change much, but in reality, I have unknowingly cycled through several groups of people! If I lose exposure, I might quickly fall from grace!¡± Yue Feng didn¡¯t expect such insight from You Ying; turns out she was not just a pretty face with a sweet voice. Her success was certainly not by chance. ¡°I hadn¡¯t thought that much about it, but I will seriously consider the direction you mentioned!¡± While they were on the phone, two fully equipped anglers suddenly pushed the door and entered the store. Yue Feng glanced up and then said into the phone, ¡°Sorry, I have customers in the store now, can¡¯t talk anymore. Let¡¯s hang out when you¡¯re free!¡± ¡°Okay then!¡± ¡°Goodbye!¡± ¡°Bye-bye!¡± After hanging up the phone, You Ying felt not so good. How to put it, there wasn¡¯t much to criticize Yue Feng¡¯s manners. A young lady took the initiative to call him, something countless fans in the live room would spend a fortune on and yet never achieve¡ªyet for Yue Feng, this wasn¡¯t even as important as a few customers in the store, leaving the usually high-spirited You Ying feeling slightly disappointed. ¡°This darn meanie! I¡¯m not calling you ever again!¡± You Ying tossed her phone to the side, where it bounced high, her lips pouted enough to hang an oil bottle. The two customers who entered the store were an old and a young angler. The one speaking was an older man, over fifty, with slightly greying hair but eyes still bright and full of spirit. He spoke with a strong and confident voice. ¡°Your store isn¡¯t easy to find. What were you thinking, putting a fishing equipment store in an alley? I used to pass by this junction often when I fished downstream of Qinglong Lake, but never noticed there was a fishing gear shop here!¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t know much when I started, just picked this place. What do you need? I¡¯ll get it for you!¡± ¡°Could I get some of that Loose Powder you used this morning at Dong Family¡¯s Black Pit? That haul of several hundred pounds of fish, the old man has been fishing all his life and has never seen such a big catch!¡± ¡°The one I used isn¡¯t available in the store, but the commercial version of Loose Powder is in stock! The catches were good this morning as well, several made it to the shore!¡± Yue Feng was too proud to lie or deceive; he didn¡¯t do business in a murky manner. ¡°That¡¯s fine, give me four bags! I¡¯ve heard that your field Rice Wine and formula bait are also effective, give me two sets of those!¡± The old fellow seemed unremarkable, but from what he was asking for, it was clear he had done his homework and come prepared. Chapter 71 - 71 71 The Off-Track Live Streaming Room Flirting with Girls for Everyone ?71: Chapter 71: The Off-Track Live Streaming Room, Flirting with Girls for Everyone 71: Chapter 71: The Off-Track Live Streaming Room, Flirting with Girls for Everyone Yue Feng nodded and brought all the products to the counter, packing them into a plastic bag. ¡°160+45, that makes 205! It¡¯s your first time here, so I¡¯ll round it down to an even 200!¡± Yue Feng said politely. ¡°Heh, young man, you are quite generous!¡± the old man chuckled as he pulled out his wallet and handed over two crisp hundred-dollar bills. After paying, the old man and the young man didn¡¯t linger in the store, they just picked up their bags and left. ¡°Master, you¡¯ve been fishing for so many years and yet you believe what my senior brother said!¡± the young man queried somewhat confusedly as they walked out. ¡°Xiao Chao, let me tell you, there¡¯s a lot to learn in fishing, keep learning as long as you fish! Since it¡¯s not just one person saying it, it¡¯s surely worth buying and trying! We¡¯ll fix it up this afternoon, and tonight let¡¯s go steal donkeys! Let¡¯s see how this bait works!¡± ... After seeing off the customer, Yue Feng was plunged back into confusion. I mean, being called by a big influencer and then hanging up so soon, should he call back again? Almost as if possessed, Yue Feng dialed again, but the phone returned a message saying the call couldn¡¯t be connected at the moment. He tried again to no avail, and reluctantly gave up. The terrifying influence of high-definition music videos continued, and by bedtime that night, Yue Feng¡¯s fan count had reached 18k. He was secretly astonished by the number. Although his fan count far exceeded the mission requirement, Yue Feng checked his system task list and saw that the Newcomer Streamer mission was still incomplete. However, Yue Feng was not too worried. He had the required 10,000 fans, but the task of having a stable viewership of 1000 during live broadcasts was still out of reach. He figured it would probably be achieved by the next stream. The next day at noon, Yue Feng rode his motorcycle back to the South Creek section of the Qinglong Lake tributary, fully prepared to ensure today¡¯s mission was completed. He closed the shop punctually at 10:30 AM and promptly reached the fishing spot before eleven. Yue Feng chose three locations and prepared each spot in succession, waiting to go live after settling in. At noon sharp, Yue Feng picked the spot among the three where the fish were the most aggressive, set up all his equipment, and started broadcasting live. Among Yue Feng¡¯s new followers, many weren¡¯t fans of Taiwan fishing; they followed him simply out of curiosity about his relationship with ¡®dolls¡¯ they saw under his music video. Yue Feng was well aware of this, so he had plans ready for when he started the stream. Not knowledgeable about fishing? Can¡¯t get the hang of it? No worries! With good equipment and some effort in interaction, he could surely retain some viewers! ¡°Hello everyone, this is Yue Feng¡¯s fishing live stream! Today, we are at a tributary section of Qinglong Lake, broadcasting wild fishing!¡± After a brief introduction, Yue Feng thought for a moment, and the drone began to rise, quickly capturing the surrounding terrain and landscape on camera. ¡°Holy smokes, what kind of divine operation is this?¡± ¡°Just got into this, newbie here, can someone explain how this is done?¡± ¡°Is this the guy that ¡®dolls¡¯ promoted actively?¡± ¡°Calm down everyone in the thread, it¡¯s just basic stuff! No fuss!¡± ¡°Yue Feng is back at Qinglong Lake, huh? Did you start fishing? How¡¯s the catch?¡± Looking at the numerous comments in the live stream, Yue Feng had a good idea of what was happening. Fortunately, it was all standard chatter, well under his control. After amassing a substantial number of fans, within minutes of starting the stream, the audience count had surged to 700, which was close to the usual peak numbers! Yue Feng glanced at the figures and thought to himself that today¡¯s mission just might be achievable. ¡°To the brothers who have just joined the stream, please double-click and share the stream. We¡¯ve been on for a while now, and today I have a goal: to get the live stream to a stable viewership of 1000. If we can achieve that, I promise to fulfill one request from the audience, as long as it¡¯s within my capacity and doesn¡¯t violate the law or morals!¡± ¡°Is the host serious?¡± A lollipop graffiti suddenly appeared in the stream upon hearing Yue Feng¡¯s words! Using graffiti as gifts is a common technique among big players; it¡¯s more eye-catching than typing in general chat. A lollipop costs just 10 cents, and the graffiti won¡¯t cost much, but it instantly attracted Yue Feng¡¯s attention! This guy sending graffiti is exactly the one who broke my dog¡¯s leg! However, Yue Feng didn¡¯t know Society Dog Leg Brother, and Dog Leg mainly posted jokes and rarely appeared on live streams, so his appearance in Yue Feng¡¯s live room was unexpected. ¡°Of course it¡¯s true! The streamer always keeps his word!¡± The next second, a golden dragon soared majestically in the live room, winding and twisting for a long time, illuminating the room in dazzling gold! Global Announcement, breaking my dog leg in Yue Feng fishing live stream room has sent a golden Divine Dragon; everyone go watch! Seeing the ascending golden dragon, Yue Feng was dumbfounded. Did someone really send this thing? The golden Divine Dragon couldn¡¯t be obtained through regular recharges and was only available in limited quantities during the annual anniversary celebrations. This thing¡¯s effect was domineering enough, allowing for a single platform-wide announcement, and unconditionally topping the live room home page for five minutes! With over a hundred million registered users and over ten million daily active users on Seafood Platform, the traffic on the homepage was terrifying. With the support of this Divine Dragon, not just streamers with decent content, but literally tying a dog there, would easily attract a crowd of a thousand viewers. ¡°Uh, thanks for the golden Divine Dragon sent by Break My Dog Leg!¡± Yue Feng hurriedly expressed his gratitude. ¡°Damn, a Divine Dragon, and Dog Leg Bro is in Yue Feng¡¯s stream!¡± ¡°Society my leg brother, tough guy who speaks little!¡± @Break My Dog Leg¡Á1 @Break My Dog Leg¡Á2 ... @Break My Dog Leg¡Á273 Yue Feng didn¡¯t see the streamer badge of Break My Dog Leg and thought he was just an ordinary player, but then he checked his profile and was dumbfounded again¡ªhe was actually a mega internet celebrity with millions of fans. Yue Feng was nervous, but he didn¡¯t show it. He had already thanked him, and emphasizing it further would seem sycophantic, so he opted to maintain a cool distance. While speaking, Yue Feng¡¯s interface popped up with an invite to join a voice chat, initiated by this leg brother. Yue Feng hesitated for a moment before accepting. ¡°Hello, Leg Bro!¡± ¡°Heh, Yue Feng brother, you¡¯ve been quite popular lately!¡± Dog Leg¡¯s voice was quite magnetic, and he spoke in a cheerful tone, sounding pretty friendly. ¡°Thanks to you! Not sure what you are thinking, but as long as it¡¯s within my power, I¡¯ll definitely be straightforward!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really have any particular ideas myself, but seeing that the regulars in your live stream are quite concerned about you and Wawa, I guess you guys must be in touch privately. How about it, Yue Feng brother, give everyone a live flirt session?¡± Upon hearing this suggestion, the live room instantly went crazy. ¡°Damn, Leg Bro is awesome, how did he think of that!¡± ¡°Right, flirt with a girl, connect with Wawa, go for some cheesy pick-up lines!¡± ¡°This is good, up the stakes with a Cloud Piercing Arrow!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t have that much money, up the stakes with a Rocket!¡± ¡°Want to see this, up the stakes with a bottle of baijiu!¡± No one knew who started it, but a series of escalating bets suddenly filled the live room. Chapter 72 - 72 72 Flying Kicking Technique ?72: Chapter 72: Flying Kicking Technique 72: Chapter 72: Flying Kicking Technique ¡°Uh, we¡¯re just ordinary friends, and this doesn¡¯t feel quite right,¡± Yue Feng said with some difficulty. While he said that, Yue Feng¡¯s hands were already furiously typing on his mobile phone. Even if he was to go through with the connection, he needed to fill You Ying in first. If he did it forcibly, and the live broadcast went well, it would be effective, but if it went poorly, it could turn into an accident, with so many people watching. Actually, this kind of awkward live chat is very common during punishment for losing a PK in broadcasts, and it isn¡¯t difficult for a streamer to handle. But the difficulty lies in the fact that Yue Feng is an outdoor streamer, strictly speaking not the kind that sings or dances for entertainment, so he has less exposure to this area. This kind of slick move was a first for him. ¡°What¡¯s bad about it? You Ying has played this when she lost a PK in her live broadcasts before. It¡¯s just for the show effect!¡± Dog-Leg Brother said nonchalantly. While he was talking, Yue Feng had already quickly typed out and sent a brief message. Almost instantly, a message came back with a single word, ¡°Okay!¡± Seeing You Ying¡¯s response, Yue Feng felt as if a weight had been lifted off his chest. ¡°Since everyone really wants to see it, I¡¯ll give it a try, but let me make it clear first, my abilities are limited! It¡¯s impossible for me to charm to any great extent, but I can connect for a chat! Everyone just make do with that.¡± Everyone reluctantly accepted Yue Feng¡¯s half-agreement, half-rejection, and the word ¡°okay¡± started popping up again in the live comment section. Soon, Yue Feng submitted a video connection invitation! After waiting for about a dozen seconds, You Ying accepted the call. ¡°Hello! You Ying,¡± Yue Feng greeted. ¡°Eh, are you live streaming?¡± You Ying casually asked. ¡°Whether I¡¯m live or not isn¡¯t the point, the main thing is I missed you!¡± ¡°You¡¯re learning to be bad! You should¡¯ve said something earlier, so I could at least put on some makeup! This is ruining my image now,¡± You Ying said as she straightened her hair. ¡°True beauty can¡¯t be abandoned. You¡¯re pretty even without makeup,¡± Yue Feng continued his sweet talk. You Ying giggled coyly, ¡°Stop it!¡± ¡°How about this, you sing a song for the brothers in the live room, and I¡¯ll take you out for a meal after!¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes! Can¡¯t afford a fancy meal, but I can definitely treat you to a six yuan spicy hotpot!¡± ¡°Okay! Then I¡¯ll sing ¡®Devil from Heaven¡¯ a cappella for everyone!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± It was a beautiful nightmare at night I want to wake up but I can¡¯t resist being moved In my dream, you are a bottomless pit I can¡¯t fight the weightlessness ... When the song ended, Yue Feng¡¯s live room fell silent. You Ying¡¯s unique voice perfectly conveyed the song¡¯s sentiment, leaving the crowd speechless. ¡°Uh, my throat is a bit off today, just make do with it!¡± You Ying said. ¡°Awesome, better than the original!¡± ¡°Remember to treat me to a meal! I¡¯ve got other stuff to do, so I¡¯m going to hop off now, okay?¡± This was what Yue Feng and You Ying had agreed upon beforehand via text message ¨C mess around for a bit, sing a song, and that was enough. You Ying did just that. ¡°Okay!¡± After the connection ended, the live room went wild! ¡°Damn, the host said he couldn¡¯t charm, but I think he was smooth as hell!¡± ¡°Who can withstand that! I think it¡¯s better to switch to being an entertainment streamer, the outdoor streamer path is too narrow!¡± ¡°Damn, I¡¯m choking on the dog food thrown my way, can¡¯t finish it!¡± ¡°Six yuan for spicy hot pot? What¡¯s that all about?¡± ¡°The host is an old driver, assessment complete!¡± ¡°Whoever tells me You Ying has nothing to do with Yue Feng, I¡¯ll blow his head off! There¡¯s obviously something fishy going on between them!¡± Drowned Fish sends a Cloud Piercing Arrow! No Feelings sends a Rocket! Little Pig Pepe sends an Iron Buddy! ... ¡°Alright, alright, thanks again for Brother Leg¡¯s generous support! Guys, stop stirring things up, the chat is boiling over, watch your words, watch your words!¡± With a round of greetings, Yue Feng finally pulled everyone in the live broadcast back from their excited state. The fans calmed down, but the person involved in the incident found it difficult to settle his excited emotions. Cut Off My Dog Leg had witnessed the whole affair of Yue Feng and You Ying connecting over the stream, and although the Golden Dragon was precious, next to You Ying¡¯s scandal, it barely mattered. Cut Off My Dog Leg was willing to pay such a heavy price just to confirm his hunch that something was definitely up with You Ying and Yue Feng! And You Ying, who had just woken up not too long ago, was even more nervous after hanging up the call, thinking how this big baddie had actually taken the initiative to contact her. Even though it was just for the live broadcast, You Ying didn¡¯t seem to care much about those details; owing her a meal was something to be happy about, regardless of when and where they would eat. ... Ding! Congratulations on completing the daily task [Newcomer Streamer]! Ding! Congratulations on earning 1800 points in rewards! Ding! Congratulations on acquiring the intermediate Taiwan Fishing Skill [Flying Kicking Technique]! [Flying Kicking Technique]: An advanced angling technique commonly used in Taiwan fishing for high-density crucian carp, which produces extraordinary effects when used under the right fish conditions. Passive Effect: +150 proficiency in Basic Sliding Fish. Intermediate skills were just what Yue Feng needed at this stage, and with a thought, he chose to learn it immediately. A wealth of knowledge about the Flying Kicking Technique flooded into Yue Feng¡¯s mind. Compared to the usual broadcasts, Yue Feng¡¯s stream today was much more relaxed. His fans had gradually become accustomed to his style, and although a small portion of new fans left, the majority stayed. In the following days, Yue Feng spent his mornings watching the store and afternoons live streaming. Life went on smoothly until Saturday arrived, the regular fishing day at the Dong Family¡¯s Black Pit. Yue Feng¡¯s consecutive wins brought a lot of good word-of-mouth to the Dong Family¡¯s Black Pit in the local fishing circles, and consequently, the number of people registering increased. On the day of the event, the Dong Family¡¯s Black Pit was packed. When Yue Feng and a few regular buddies from the store arrived at the parking area, it was already filled with over a dozen cars. Yue Feng found a corner for his motorbike, then carrying the fishing box and other equipment, made his way to the pit. At that moment, Wang Jian, squatting on one side of the fishing ground, pointed out to his senior brother. ¡°Senior brother, Yue Feng is here! That tall and skinny guy walking this way with a fishing box on his back, that¡¯s him!¡± Yu Qulong, who was preparing his bait, looked up and frowned slightly. Riding a motorbike to fish probably didn¡¯t indicate a wealthy family; judging by the equipment and attire, the guy looked rather shabby. This young man who didn¡¯t seem very old had beaten his junior brother twice? Yu Qulong was a bit puzzled. ¡°It¡¯s him who beat you twice, doesn¡¯t seem too old, does he?¡± ¡°Hmm!¡± ¡°Alright, I got it, watch me,¡± said Yu Qulong as he stood up and walked towards Yue Feng. ¡°Hello, you are Yue Feng, right?¡± Yu Qulong was quite polite. ¡°Hm? And you are?¡± Yue Feng had just set his fishing box down and looked up at the stranger approaching him. Yue Feng had no recollection of this man, who looked to be in his mid-thirties with a high nose bridge, sword-like eyebrows, and sharp eyes. What¡¯s this about? Chapter 73 - 73 73 The Thousand-Dollar Fish Bet ?73: Chapter 73: The Thousand-Dollar Fish Bet 73: Chapter 73: The Thousand-Dollar Fish Bet ¡°I am Wang Jian¡¯s senior brother, and I¡¯ve heard you¡¯re pretty good at fishing, so I specially came over for some advice!¡± Yue Feng was slightly stunned, ¡°Well, no need for advice! I¡¯m just messing around!¡± ¡°Messing around and still winning twice in a row against my junior brother, we really need to talk about that!¡± Yu Qulong was polite at first, but as he continued, there was a slightly provocative tone in his voice. ¡°Not interested!¡± Yue Feng dropped the phrase and bent his head to continue preparing his own bait. Since the other party was rude, Yue Feng saw no need to be courteous. It wasn¡¯t that Yue Feng was weak, but since the other party hadn¡¯t triggered a challenge task after seeking him out, and there was nothing to gain from idle chatter with a stranger, Yue Feng didn¡¯t want to waste time. However, to Yu Qulong, this attitude seemed like outright contempt. ¡°How about a formal fishing contest? I won¡¯t let you busy yourself for nothing¡ªif you beat me, I¡¯ll put up five hundred as a prize!¡± Yu Qulong suggested. Prize money means a wager¡ªit¡¯s getting serious now! ¡°Could it be that you¡¯re afraid to accept? My master is a city-level fishing competition champion!¡± A young man in his twenties next to Yu Qulong provoked Yue Feng. Ding! You are now facing a provocation from Yu Qulong, do you accept the challenge? Since you have a Challenge Voucher, accepting the challenge will automatically generate the corresponding challenge task. Winning the challenge will result in a substantial reward! Failure, however, will carry a certain penalty! It was only then that the challenge task finally arrived late. At this moment, Liu Fengnian, who was worried that Yue Feng would be at a disadvantage, gently pulled Yue Feng¡¯s clothes and whispered a reminder in his ear. ¡°This guy is a professional competitive angler, don¡¯t mess with him, he¡¯s tough to beat!¡± Yue Feng nodded and gave Liu Fengnian a look of understanding, but the words that came out of his mouth the next second made Liu Fengnian somewhat frustrated. ¡°Five hundred for the prize money seems a bit low, how about we raise the stakes?¡± ¡°How much do you say?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s make it a thousand! Less than that is no fun!¡± ¡°Deal!¡± Yu Qulong agreed very readily. Seeing Yue Feng doubling the wager in one fell swoop, Liu Fengnian instantly looked anxious¡ªthis wasn¡¯t just for fun. An amateur facing off against a professional in a competitive setting was a significant gap. How does that saying go? Don¡¯t challenge with your hobby what others do for their livelihood. There¡¯s certainly a difference between competitive fishing and recreational anglers at Black Pit. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Brother Liu, if I agree, I¡¯m confident I can beat him! Just watch and see!¡± Yue Feng whispered a few words next to Liu Fengnian, showing a smile as if everything was under control. While they were talking, Yu Qulong had already called over the pit boss Dong Xuelin. In ordinary circumstances, the boss wouldn¡¯t meddle in a fishing contest, but today was different; all 36 fishing spots were booked, so if someone wanted to contest, they definitely had to inform the boss to make arrangements. After explaining briefly the situation, Dong Xuelin was quite straightforward, bellowing across the fishing area. ¡°Attention to all the brothers fishing here today, Yu Qulong and Yue Feng have both agreed to a fishing contest, but since there are no spare spots available, I want to let everyone know. I¡¯ll randomly draw a ticket, then add the two numbers from the right-hand fishing spot as the contesting positions. If any brothers have objections, speak now so we can think of another solution!¡± Anglers who love Black Pit fishing generally enjoy watching the excitement, and an event this rare that they were fortunate enough to encounter piqued everyone¡¯s curiosity. Moreover, Dong Xuelin¡¯s method of drawing lots was pretty fair and didn¡¯t affect everyone¡¯s fishing. ¡°We have no objections!¡± ¡°No objections!¡± A few outgoing and spectacle-loving voices loudly agreed several times, and no one at the fishing site expressed opposition to the pit boss¡¯s proposal. Dong Xuelin took out the drawing box early from the house: ¡°Since nobody has any objections, then I¡¯ll draw right now!¡± ¡°Sure! Go ahead and draw!¡± Yu Qulong replied, Yue Feng nodded, and remained silent. Dong Xuelin reached his hand into the box and randomly pulled out a number, which was written on the ping-pong ball: seven! ¡°Number seven! Then let¡¯s use the seventh and eighth spots for you to clip the fish!¡± Dong Xuelin showed the number to everyone, then reached into the box again, fumbled around for a while, found number eight, and took it out as well. When the pit boss drew the numbers, Yue Feng cast a nonchalant glance in the direction of the fishing spots. At a glance, the seventh and eighth spots appeared to be somewhat grayish-white, not densely populated with fish¡ªa sign of good fishing spots¡ªbut it was slightly reassuring to see that the neighboring sixth and ninth spots were not gray, leading him to believe that with frequent casting to attract fish, he could also gather them. In matters like a fish-clipping contest, fairness is paramount; once fairness is achieved, other things aren¡¯t so important. Yu Qulong approached Boss Dong and said, ¡°Better to trouble you once than twice. Why don¡¯t you handle the drawing for both of us? What do you think, Yue Feng?¡± ¡°Sure!¡± Dong Xuelin grabbed two balls in his hand and then turned his back to them. ¡°Which one of you will go first?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a few years older than him, so I¡¯ll let him choose first. I¡¯ll take the remaining one,¡± Yu Qulong said, rather liberally on this matter. Indifferent, Yue Feng randomly selected the ball in the left hand, opened it, and saw number eight! ¡°Everyone get ready!¡± With that, Yu Qulong walked towards the location of his fishing box, holding the number seven ball. After the draw, Yue Feng started thinking at high speed. The greatest confidence in accepting the challenge lay in the more than two pounds of gold-edition Crucian Carp Scattering Bomb in the fishing box and the Fly Kicking technique he had just recently learned. Now that the chosen fishing spots were not in areas dense with fish, the bait opening would have to be quite targeted. In the last match, because the Loose Bait was too aggressive, a lot of time was wasted waiting for the fish to calm down, so today, Yue Feng had originally planned to mix in some ordinary bait to decrease the concentration of the attractants. But now it seemed that there was no need to mix anything; the better the bait worked to attract fish, the greater the chance of snatching them from the hands of the neighboring anglers. Having made his decision, Yue Feng prepared the attractant Loose Bait with specific targeting in mind, adjusted his float, and then settled down leisurely, waiting for the competition to begin. In the waiting time, Yue Feng also specifically posted a snippet. Since someone had requested footage from Yue Feng, there was certainly an audience for the live broadcast. Taking advantage of the pre-broadcast downtime, it was a good opportunity to notify his audience in advance, ensuring even more viewers later on. While Yue Feng was making his pre-fishing preparations, Yu Qulong arrived at the neighboring position with his junior disciple. Yue Feng sized them up with the corner of his eye, gaining a preliminary assessment. People who often engage in competitive fishing are surely different from ordinary anglers, and this difference manifests in various aspects. Yue Feng could tell a clear difference just from the fishing equipment and gear being used. Chapter 74 - 74 74 Dragon Slaying Skill ?74: Chapter 74 ¡°Dragon Slaying Skill 74: Chapter 74 ¡°Dragon Slaying Skill Yu Qulong¡¯s equipment was even more professional; ordinary anglers typically use telescopic rod holders with a rear attachment, but he used a small and exquisite competitive rod holder. Competitive rod holders have only one section, which sticks up quite high; you simply prop the rod on it, and it would slowly slide into the water, leaving only the gourd-shaped holder visible. When fishing, it is necessary to always keep the rod in hand. Then look at the bait boxes; the difference was also clear. Yue Feng used a standard bait box + full magnet lure tray that came with his fishing box, which was just ordinary merchandise worth a few dozen yuan on the market. In contrast, Yu Qulong used a high-end bait box produced by Cangji, worth several hundred yuan. Add to that the same brand¡¯s double-hook upright strong magnetic line, which is another couple of hundred. Just a small bait box alone was nearly worth the total value of Yue Feng¡¯s entire fishing box. Besides using more sophisticated equipment, Yu Qulong, who was rich in competition experience, also did very well in preparation. He draped a towel over the fish guard on the left side, placed the handwashing basin to the left, and right behind him was a neatly tied sub-line box, with exquisite scissors fixed to a small device on the back side of the fishing box, readily accessible at a moment¡¯s notice. In comparison, Yue Feng¡¯s side was much more casual; he still used the same set of equipment he had taken from the store, and things like the towel, basin, and line box were simply placed behind him at random, revealing at a glance who was more professional just by their setup. After waiting for a while, at seven o¡¯clock sharp in the morning, the pit boss Dong Xuelin greeted everyone, officially starting the competition! Dozens of rods were raised at the same time, and then a large amount of bait was brought to the water¡¯s surface, causing ripples to spread across the already not so large pond. While other people began furiously filling their bait points with bait, some even using hand-thrown bait, Yue Feng and Yu Qulong did not do this. Having experienced the previous fish battling session, Yue Feng realized that bait carried down with lead skin wasn¡¯t very effective. As long as he could maintain a fairly high casting frequency, ¡°Loose Powder¡± was actually a better choice. Moreover, with the limited amount of bait, using it for lead skin baiting seemed somewhat wasteful. For the first cast of the competition, Yue Feng started fly kicking a 3.3-meter Lure with sleeve hooks, paying close attention with his eyes. There clearly weren¡¯t any fish around the bait point, and to win, he had to gather fish frantically. Unlike Yue Feng, who started the competition by frantically casting to gather fish, Yu Qulong¡¯s fishing habits leaned more toward competition. For his first cast, he casually threw a couple of round and full red worms into the water, deciding to first test the fish bites around the bait point before proceeding. Since there weren¡¯t many fish at the bait point, the test did not yield positive feedback. After waiting for a while with no action, Yu Qulong patiently changed bait, shifted the position slightly, and continued testing with the second cast. By then, Yue Feng¡¯s livestream room had gradually started to get visitors, and the number of viewers quickly surpassed 500. ¡°Is the host battling fish with someone again? What¡¯s with the ¡®competitive master¡¯ nonsense?¡± ¡°The host¡¯s style seems a bit different from before today, focused on casting and baiting, not even talking!¡± ¡°Bro, have you noticed? Yue Feng changed his rod! The paint job looks nice, and the action seems like it¡¯s for fast fishing with a stiff rod, does anyone know the brand?¡± ¡°A 3.3-meter rod, that length is usually for fly copying or fly kicking, right? The host is playing high-end now? He even knows these techniques!¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t seen him use it during the livestream, and he caught so many fish last time at Black Pit using regular techniques without switching!¡± The crowd in the livestream room was discussing profusely, but Yue Feng wasn¡¯t looking at all, far too busy to interact with everyone at this critical moment. With sleeve hooks and a large ¡°Loose Powder,¡± one cast followed another, landing precisely at the front, quickly muddying the water at the bait point. In about five minutes, Yue Feng had used up most of the ¡°Loose Powder¡± from his bait box into the bait point, and only then did he somewhat relax. ¡°Hello everyone, this is Yue Feng¡¯s Fishing Livestream Room. I¡¯m currently at Dong Family¡¯s Black Pit fishing field, 200 tickets for 2000 jin of Crucian Carp are at the headwater. We¡¯re fishing for the big one!¡± Today is still about catching fish mode, facing off against a local competitive master in person! The part before starting fishing where I prepare the nest to lure the fish is quite important, so if I can¡¯t see the public channel messages, guys, don¡¯t pick on me!¡± ¡°Damn, the host finally spoke. Everyone thought your equipment was having issues!¡± ¡°Can the host talk about today¡¯s line and rod setup? It looks like we haven¡¯t seen this model before!¡± ¡°Got any bites? You¡¯re casting pretty quickly, but we haven¡¯t seen you catch any fish!¡± ¡°I received the prize from last time¡¯s lottery, and I specifically went to try it yesterday. I successfully landed a fish, and the effects were good!¡± Another flurry of messages flooded the screen, and Yue Feng glanced at it, picking a less sensitive question to respond to, ¡°Today I¡¯m using a size 1.5 main line, size 1.2 leader, and size 8 sleeve hooks! The rod is 11 feet, Gale!¡± ¡°Damn, such a big setup? Are you planning to fish for whales?¡± ¡°Size 1.2 leader? Normally we only use up to size 1.0 for a big crucian carp!¡± ¡°The host is preparing for a strong Fly Kicking attack! That¡¯s not what the guy above said! Didn¡¯t you see how stiff the rod is, like a fire poker!¡± Hearing Yue Feng discussing his line configuration in the livestream room, Yu Qulong had a look of disdain clearly showing on his face. Without seeing anything else, just by the line setup, Yu Qulong could tell that it was amateurish. In a small field like this, averaging dozens of pounds of fish, using the Fly Kicking method is akin to a mythical dragon slaying skill; as powerful as it is, where do you find a dragon to practice on? It had been seven or eight minutes since the start of fishing, and the two targeting fish hadn¡¯t even opened their rods yet. The probability that the fish would be particularly irritable today was very low. Using the Fly Kicking method was clearly not quite appropriate. Yue Feng couldn¡¯t see Yu Qulong¡¯s expression, but he was still full of confidence because there had already been some activity at his feeding spot. In a situation similar to the last, a crucian carp burst out from underwater, then plunged back down. Although he hadn¡¯t got a bite yet, Yue Feng already knew that fish were starting to enter his feeding spot. Wanting to use the Fly Kicking method requires high demands on the fish¡¯s behavior, so Yue Feng didn¡¯t rush to adjust his Loose Powder and start fishing immediately, but maintained a relatively fast pace to continue throwing Loose Powder into the nest to lure fish. Yue Feng had made up his mind: he would not start fishing hastily until he had gathered enough fish. Compared to Yue Feng¡¯s somewhat serious approach to fishing, Yu Qulong was much more flexible. After testing the waters with a few casts at the beginning, Yu Qulong used Lead Skin to carry two balls of bait into the feeding spot. It¡¯s worth mentioning here that Yu Qulong¡¯s fundamentals did indeed surpass that of ordinary anglers. His skill with Lead Skin was second nature, almost magical; the bait balls landed in the middle of the feeding spot right over the surface of the water, creating almost no sound, and as they neared the bottom, he gently lifted the rod, and the line setup automatically detached from the bait. After baiting the nest, Yu Qulong started casting Loose Powder one rod after another to prepare the nest and lure fish, all the while keeping an eye on any movement at the feeding spot. About twenty or so casts later, Yu Qulong noticed fish entering his feeding spot, so on the next cast, he used his Lure with Loose Powder on the top hook and only a clump of red worms on the bottom hook before casting it out. Chapter 75 - 75 75 Outsmarting Others ?75: Chapter 75 Outsmarting Others 75: Chapter 75 Outsmarting Others As the float approached the right spot, ¡°plop, plop,¡± it made a standard biting motion, and Yu Qulong pursed his lips and gently lifted the rod to set the hook, hitting the mark accurately! After scooping up the fish, Yu Qulong took a special notice of the hook¡¯s placement in the fish¡¯s mouth while unhooking it, finding the hook to be slightly off, hanging a bit above the corner of the mouth. Normally, when trolling for the bite, if the hook is on the edge of the mouth, it¡¯s usually because the trolling is slightly paused or the bait is dropped too deep, resulting in an overly deep bite. Yu Qulong, meticulous in his attention to trolling details, frowned slightly at the sight and gently pushed the float seat down by half a notch. After two more casts, still giving the same action at the bottom of the water, Yu Qulong hooked another fish¡ªright at twelve o¡¯clock! With two fish brought in one after another, Yu Qulong had preliminarily grasped the overall situation at the feeding spot. Unbeknownst to the two of them, a crowd of onlookers had gathered behind them. ¡°Yue Feng¡¯s not doing well, huh? The other guy has caught two fish, and he hasn¡¯t gotten a single bite!¡± ¡°Back up a bit, they¡¯re live streaming, don¡¯t get in the way!¡± ¡°Live stream or not, it¡¯s useless if there are no fish. What¡¯s the point of blindly whipping the feeding spot!¡± ¡°The professional angler is really impressive, just look at how they cast and time the bite¡ªit¡¯s just so efficient!¡± Hearing what the onlookers had to say, Yu Qulong felt a bit proud. All the hard work put into practice would certainly pay off in a real situation and even the onlookers could somewhat understand the intricacies. While resuming his usual baiting and timing for the bite, Yu Qulong also occasionally glanced at Yue Feng with the corner of his eye. Initially, he saw fish stirring around Yue Feng¡¯s spot, but after a while, even the stirring had stopped. The fish at Yue Feng¡¯s spot really had stopped stirring, which wasn¡¯t because there were no fish, but rather because Yue Feng had deliberately adjusted the water over the spot, turning the dry Loose Powder into wet powder that only began to dissipate in the middle and lower layers of the water. Yue Feng heard what the people behind were saying, but he just slightly curled the corners of his mouth and offered no explanation. Yue Feng¡¯s thinking was straightforward¡ªafter feeding in the second box of Loose Powder, he would start normal trolling. Before that, nothing anyone said would have any effect. People always have a penchant for watching the excitement, and it comes with a certain level of blindness. They tend to believe what they see, but they neglect to explore the details. This was the same case for the live stream audience. ¡°The host isn¡¯t in form today, huh? The guy next door has already caught several fish, and you¡¯re still busy feeding the spot without even a hint of a bite!¡± ¡°I¡¯m out, this is boring!¡± ¡°I think he¡¯s gearing up for a big move, just wait for the sweep¡ªit¡¯ll be a killer finish! Didn¡¯t you notice that the host is using a stiff rod with thick hooks and line!¡± ¡°Heh, I agree with the person above, but whether this tactic will work or not, who knows!¡± Amid the murmurs of the crowd, Yue Feng finally managed to feed the entire second box of Loose Powder into the feeding spot, one cast at a time. Yue Feng smiled to himself and said in a low voice in the live stream, ¡°Preparation is complete, let¡¯s start catching!¡± The next cast, Yue Feng rigged two fresh red Insect Bait balls onto double hooks and tossed them into the feeding spot with one hand. Bite! Come on, bite! Yue Feng was tensely focused; success or failure hinged on this moment! When the float neared the target area, it finally showed a bite! ¡°Clack,¡± the number two Peacock Feather Float gave a great pause with more than one notch. Yue Feng¡¯s thoughts raced, he lifted the rod to set the hook! With a stiff rod and thick line, Yue Feng easily led the fish to the surface of the water. With a slight flex of his forearm, he used the flex of the rod to effortlessly send the fish flying into the Fish Guard! His left hand A gentle wrap around, with an open grip he guided the leader to the position of the Needle Stopper at the entrance of the Fish Guard, a light press with his pinky finger, and with a splash, the first fish safely entered the house! ¡°Holy shit! The host¡¯s Fly Kicking technique is pretty slick! Clean and efficient!¡± ¡°Here it comes, here it comes! I¡¯m getting a feel for this fish biting! That last action was really beautiful!¡± ¡°Show us a double Fly Kicking for the brothers to see!¡± The live streaming room was very noisy, but Yue Feng frowned slightly. The spot where he had received the bite was about five centimeters off the bottom, lower than he had anticipated, which meant the number of fish gathered was still quite sparse. Under such circumstances, the Fly Kicking method actually couldn¡¯t last long. If he were too eager to catch and gather fish when there¡¯s activity, later on, his fishing spot could become empty and might never get a bite again! Anticipating this, Yue Feng made some adjustments to his fishing rhythm. For each cast with the double hook and Lure, he would pinch a dose of Loose Powder on the hook, and if he caught a fish, the next cast would be supplemented with a double dose, combining baiting and fishing to draw as many fish as possible to the baiting spot. When Yue Feng caught his first fish, Yu Qulong glanced over with the corner of his eye. Yue Feng¡¯s Fly Kicking technique seemed quite standard to him, nothing remarkably good about it, but also no significant flaws to point out. However, Yue Feng¡¯s actions over the next few casts made Yu Qulong¡¯s heart sink. His estimation of Yue Feng rose significantly. The ordinary Anglers without formal training fail to realize the importance of maintaining and gathering fish in the baited area. Many of those who always do poorly have a habit of striking when there is a bite and giving up when there isn¡¯t. But Yue Feng was different. Just by watching the rhythm with which he refreshed the baited spot, it was clear that this guy had some real skills. The grey less-fishy area still had a great impact on both men¡¯s fishing situation. In the last match, Yue Feng used less than one bait box of Loose Powder before the baiting spot started boiling with fish, but today, he had gone through two boxes, yet the fish¡¯s activity only barely maintained at a level just shy of being brisk. Seeing this, Yue Feng had no better strategy but to cast diligently, maintain the baited spots more frequently, patiently waiting for bites, and maintaining a constant casting frequency. Yue Feng¡¯s fishing situation had stabilized, roughly maintaining a rhythm where he could catch at least two fish every three casts, but Yu Qulong, after snatching more than a dozen quick bites, noticed that his baiting spot gradually grew quiet. ¡°Damn it, has it stopped biting? I¡¯ve been constantly refreshing the bait, that shouldn¡¯t happen!¡± Yu Qulong whispered to himself, unaware when sweat appeared on his forehead, becoming a little panicked. At that moment, Yu Qulong fiercely recalled the fishing details that his apprentice Wang Jian had mentioned to him. In the last round, Wang Jian fished well at the start, but then it too went quiet, whereas Yue Feng just got faster and faster! In his panic, Yu Qulong hurriedly turned to look at Yue Feng. Just then, Yue Feng, on his next cast, hit his first double catch! The moment of catching a double was precisely witnessed by Yu Qulong! The last bit of hope in his heart had vanished! ¡°It looks like Yue Feng¡¯s tactic is to strike later but hit harder. Now he¡¯s even getting double catches! The guy next to him has slowed down a lot!¡± ¡°It¡¯s only been half an hour into the fishing, there¡¯s still time, and not a lot of fish have been caught across the entire pit!¡± ¡°To be able to live stream fishing, you¡¯ve really got to have some skills, he¡¯ll probably take the lead soon!¡± The onlookers were all fence-sitters without a firm stance, seeing Yue Feng gain the advantage, they immediately started chattering again. This was somewhat unbearable for Yu Qulong, damn it, if he were to lose in such a confused manner, it would be a significant loss of face! Chapter 76 - 76 76 Epic Protection Blowing nb ?76: Chapter 76: Epic Protection Blowing nb 76: Chapter 76: Epic Protection Blowing nb ¡°Xiaoming, set off some more Loose Powder! Make the water level a bit smaller!¡± Yu Qulong called out to his apprentice. Yue Feng glanced over with the corner of his eye, didn¡¯t hesitate, and continued to attach the Lure with Loose Powder. Yue Feng didn¡¯t care about these small details, but the fans in the live stream began to discuss it. ¡°This method of catching fish doesn¡¯t seem very regular. Just now, I think I heard the angler next door asking someone to set off Loose Powder for him! Is catching fish supposed to involve getting help?¡± ¡°This is him realizing that the situation is under control and if he delays any longer, he probably won¡¯t have a chance once the feeding stops!¡± ¡°Host, cast another line, let¡¯s see a double flying big crucian!¡± With the fish activity stable, Yue Feng took a moment to check the public channel and saw that the audience in the live stream had reached over 800 people, with a good discussion atmosphere. ¡°Welcome to the new brothers in the live stream! The fishing condition is gradually stabilizing. If you guys like our live stream, double click to share and let¡¯s go for a round! Old rules, if the number of people in the live stream exceeds a thousand, we¡¯ll have two giveaways! Giving away two bags of my own mixed Crucian Carp Scattering Bomb bait!¡± Yu Qulong was already a bit anxious to begin with. Hearing Yue Feng quietly interacting with the live stream viewers, his irritation spiked by another threefold. Damn it, did he think he had him beaten? In just a few minutes, the apprentice had prepared the Loose Powder and placed it next to Yu Qulong. Yu Qulong grabbed a huge handful and put it into the feed box, then began double hooking to set large Loose Bait, madly casting rods to make nests. As a Competitive Angler, Yu Qulong¡¯s basic skills were indeed strong; his speed at pinching Loose Bait and casting rods was a notch faster than Yue Feng¡¯s, but having missed the best gold period for luring fish, it was extremely difficult to take over a well-formed nesting spot from someone else. Whether they are farmed crucian carp or wild, they all have a habit of schooling. Once a school of fish gathers to a certain extent, even if a large part of the fish fail to get food, they won¡¯t leave the school to go elsewhere. It¡¯s common in the Black Pit fishing scene to see angling spots next to each other where one is continuously catching, while another angler close by can only watch helplessly, sometimes even using the exact same bait. This situation speaks volumes. Unless there are events like fish unhooking, running away, or nest explosions, luring fish away is almost impossible unless the bait is extremely effective. But was the Loose Bait Yue Feng used so easy to outperform? Obviously not. Even though Yue Feng was currently using only the retail version of the Crucian Carp Scattering Bomb, it was impossible for Yu Qulong to take over the fish in the nesting spot. After another ten or so minutes, Yu Qulong¡¯s spot had completely gone quiet, whereas on Yue Feng¡¯s side, the activity was getting faster and faster. Initially, the fish were biting about four to five layers from the bottom, now it was at least ten centimeters from the bottom that they would show activity, without missing a bite, just lowering the line a bit and then lifting the rod would bring a double catch. With such fish activity, the Fly Kicking method was now completely suitable. For the next half hour, Yu Qulong put a full basin of Loose Powder into his nest, but no matter how hard he tried, there was completely no activity, while on Yue Feng¡¯s side, it was a complete fish catching spree! After over an hour of snatching fish, the fish activity of the entire fishing field slowly subsided. Wang Jian saw his senior brother getting outperformed, put down his rod, and sauntered over. ¡°How¡¯s it going, senior brother?¡± Yu Qulong shook his head: ¡°I was a bit careless! Pretty much the same situation as the last round with you!¡± ¡°Is there still a chance?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll try again, but it¡¯s quite difficult!¡± Yu Qulong got up from the Fishing Box, opened it, and took out several unlabeled small bottles of medicine. With no real hope left in his heart, Yu Qulong made the new Loose Bait with a particularly heavy concentration, creating a pungent, offensive smell that could be detected from far away. ¡°Such a strong smell, he¡¯s really going all out this time huh!¡± ¡°Hard measures can¡¯t be helped, it¡¯s all gone quiet next door!¡± ¡°I think this round is doomed! Turning it around will be very difficult!¡± The onlookers were chattering, Yu Qulong heard and felt very aggravated inside, but it wouldn¡¯t do any good to snap at them, so he pretended not to hear, silently adjusted his Loose Bait, and continued to mend the nest and fish. In the face of absolute fish activity suppression, all the little secret fishing formulas were just paper tigers. Until the end of the designated fishing time, Yu Qulong had hardly caught a few fish. Yue Feng¡¯s phone alarm went off in his pocket, marking the end of the agreed two-hour fishing bout. ¡°Time¡¯s up, should we weigh the fish now?¡± Yue Feng put down his rod and called out. Yu Qulong, feeling gloomy from his loss at the fish-off, casually took out his wallet and pulled out ten hundred-yuan bills. ¡°No need to weigh, I concede defeat!¡± Yue Feng wasn¡¯t vague either; he took the bills, ¡°I appreciate the gesture!¡± After the loss, Yu Qulong wished he could crawl into a hole. He stopped fishing for the rest of the time, packed up his gear, and left the fishing site with his tail between his legs. ¡°Tsk tsk, that young guy¡¯s bait is impressive!¡± ¡°Nonsense, he owns a fishing gear shop. He¡¯s already won three fish-offs at the Dong Family¡¯s Black Pit!¡± ¡°The guy who just left, I think he was the expert Wang Jian brought in, and he took a fall here too!¡± There were people in the crowd who knew what was up, and with just a few murmurs, everyone understood the ins and outs of the situation. Having won the fish-off, how could Yue Feng pass up such a great opportunity to promote his own shop? He put down the rod, sauntered over to the shanty, bought two packs of fifteen-yuan cigarettes, and began handing them out all around. ¡°I¡¯m Yue Feng, I run a fishing gear shop in town. If anyone needs anything, feel free to visit my shop. I won the fish-off, so let¡¯s all have a smoke and share some good luck!¡± People already had a good impression of Yue Feng, and now that he¡¯d won the fish-off and was handing out cigarettes, the atmosphere grew even more buoyant. In just a little while, Yue Feng had gained more than four hundred Promotion Points and got five new angler friends on WeChat. After finishing all that, he finally sat back down on his Fishing Box and turned his attention back to the live stream. Having won the fish-off, the fans in his live stream went wild, and various small gifts flooded the screen for a long time without dissipating. As time went by, the number of online viewers also reached over 1100. ¡°Dude, this round was so showy, I don¡¯t even feel like going to class!¡± ¡°Damn, I¡¯m also grinding it out in class right now!¡± ¡°Where¡¯s the host from? Do you take disciples? Can I learn fishing from you?¡± ¡°Hehe, sorry folks, the host is from W City. I¡¯ve got limited skills, but we can surely learn from each other. As for taking disciples, let¡¯s skip that. If you want to learn fishing, you can follow my live stream, and we can interact there!¡± ¡°Talk about today¡¯s fish-off; how come you won out of the blue? At the beginning, the other guy was clearly faster!¡± ¡°Good question, let me tell you about it!¡± ¡°Tell us +1¡± ¡°Tell us +2¡± Seeing someone in the live stream ask this question, Yue Feng felt a surge of bravado, and figured it was a perfect time for some boasting since he had won and reason stood on his side. ¡°Since you all are quite interested in this, let me give a brief explanation, just to throw the ball out there. If there¡¯s anything I get wrong, I hope you¡¯ll forgive me!¡± ¡°My understanding of the Black Pit¡¯s Crucian Carp is actually quite simple. These fish with very typical breeding habits mainly depend on the ¡®nest¡¯. That¡¯s why, as you all saw, I kept a considerable amount of bait in my ¡®nest¡¯ throughout the fish-off! Some brothers might ask, even though others used a lot in their ¡®nests¡¯ too, why is it that only you caught the fish and they didn¡¯t? Chapter 77 - 77 77 Intermediate Authority ?77: Chapter 77 Intermediate Authority 77: Chapter 77 Intermediate Authority ¡°Starting to fish at the very beginning and trying to catch fish right away, to me, seems unwise. These fish that are just starting to enter the nest are like seeds planted in the soil. If you continue to let them stay at the nesting point, you can gather more fish. Once you have a group gathered, it becomes easier to fish!¡± ¡°If, during the process of luring and congregating fish, you start catching the fish that enter the nest, it¡¯s like losing the seeds, and as a result, fewer fish will gather at the nesting point. Once there¡¯s any disturbance and the fish are all caught without replenishment, the whole nest will be fished out! Trying to gather a nest again after that will be extremely difficult!¡± ¡°The host is sharing some real tips!¡± ¡°My master also said that fish attract fish more effectively than bait attracts fish! The host has a deep understanding!¡± ¡°It makes sense what you¡¯re saying, but that angler next door had a nest and was gathering fish correctly too! Why did he lose despite such confusion? According to the host¡¯s logic, doesn¡¯t it mean that as long as you keep replenishing the nest and gathering fish without catching the fish at the nesting point, you can win steadily in a fish-catching competition?¡± Surprisingly, there were some pretty sharp-minded fans in the live broadcast, who asked Yue Feng a very pointed question. Actually, the fish in the nesting point aren¡¯t unlimited. No matter if you¡¯re using hand-casting nests or scattering bombs to make nests, the total number of fish you can attract is fixed. Normally, as long as the fish activity within the nesting point is high and the fish can maintain a certain density, you can start fishing while luring. In this fish-catching competition, Yu Qulong did just that. But this assumes that the effect of the bait used by both parties is nearly the same. The Crucian Carp Scattering Bomb that Yue Feng was using was a high-end product from the system, and in terms of luring fish, it could outperform Yu Qulong by several streets. The basic premise was absent, so him being out-fished was a natural outcome. ¡°Hehe! This fan in the live broadcast named ¡®Bend the Bow and Shoot the Carp¡¯ asked a really good question. The scenario I mentioned earlier is based on the premise that bait performance is nearly identical and fishing spot conditions are basically the same! Everyone saw our nests, and they were pretty similar before we started fishing. Neither of us was in the Fast Fish Zone of the Black Pit, so there wasn¡¯t much difference in fishing spot conditions. The only difference was the bait! Pride aside, the difference in bait is quite obvious. The opponent¡¯s lack of follow-up, at least in terms of bait, accounts for a big reason for their shortfall!¡± ¡°This little science lesson isn¡¯t bad; I¡¯ve learned something!¡± ¡°Host, you¡¯re not going to reveal what bait you¡¯re using? Let us all have a chance to buy it, even if it costs money!¡± ¡°You can tell the one above is new here; the host doesn¡¯t sell things during the live broadcast!¡± Yue Feng grinned with a smile: ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to sell. Who doesn¡¯t want to make money, after all, this is my livelihood! But the timing isn¡¯t right. When it¡¯s appropriate, I will put out a notice!¡± ¡°Just for the host¡¯s straightforwardness, let me know when you start selling, and I¡¯ll support you!¡± ¡°Count me in as well!¡± ¡°And me!¡± A group of fishermen in the live broadcast began chattering, but Yue Feng felt a warmth in his heart. Who says there are no good people online? Most of the brothers in his own live broadcast are pretty reliable. ¡°Thank you everyone for your support. That¡¯s it for today¡¯s live broadcast. For those who missed the exciting details, I¡¯ll upload the highlight clips of the fish-catching later. Watching the clips is just as good. See you!¡± After turning off the live broadcast, Yue Feng began to pack up his gear. That¡¯s about all the fish for today; sticking around until noon won¡¯t yield many more. It¡¯s better to head back early for some rest, and I can sell some stuff too. Seeing Yue Feng packing up his gear to sell the fish, Liu Fengnian and the others also packed up their rods. Today, Big Brother Liu drew a powerful lot and caught over a hundred pounds of fish, but now the biting had pretty much stopped. ¡°Yue Feng, are you heading back to your shop, or somewhere else?¡± Liu Fengnian called out from several fishing spots away. ¡°Mmm, after selling the fish, I¡¯m heading back!¡± ¡°Okay then, you go on ahead. We¡¯ll come over later and have a drink at noon!¡± ¡°Sure!¡± Yue Feng replied and, with the help of the pond owner, heaved the fish guard up. Today¡¯s real fast fish session lasted just over an hour, and with the fish caught from earlier nibbles, the total weight came to 173 pounds. That was almost 700 yuan in fish sales, plus the thousand I won from pinching fish this morning, Yue Feng¡¯s net income was at least 1500+ yuan. After selling the fish, Yue Feng hopped on his motorbike, humming a tune as he headed back to his shop. The challenge task activated by pinching fish today hadn¡¯t automatically settled, and Yue Feng didn¡¯t know what had happened. He was eager to check it out when he got back. Once back in the shop and having closed the door, Yue Feng concentrated, silently bringing the task to mind. The challenge task [Invitation to pinch fish by a Professional Competitive Angler has been completed], the current Taiwan Fishing beginner challenge task record stands at 5/5. You will no longer trigger challenge tasks from low-level provocations in this professional skill direction! Would you like to settle? Yue Feng scrutinized the system prompt carefully and finally understood where the issue lay. The challenge voucher in his hand had already triggered five times before, and now these levels of provocations couldn¡¯t trigger new challenge tasks anymore. The system was providing a separate reminder! Settle! Ding! Congratulations, you have earned 500g of Magic Corn. Magic Corn: Corn is a commonly used natural bait in fishing and has a decent attraction effect on commonly found freshwater fish, known as the king of natural baits. This corn incorporates a variety of fish-attracting substances in its preparation, exerting a strong enticing effect on large crucian carps, carps, and grass carp, with magical results. Ding! Congratulations, you have earned 2000 Lottery Points! Ding! As the host has consecutively completed five challenge tasks, your authority has been automatically upgraded! Ding! System Mall beginner authority unlocked, and you have been awarded an extra [50% Off Voucher]. [50% Off Voucher]: A virtual item gifted by the system, which allows you to enjoy a 50% discount shopping in the mall for the next 24 hours after use! The voucher is valid for 7 days. Ding! Intermediate Authority unlocked, and you have gained a new professional characteristic [Streamer Life]. [Streamer Life]: While live streaming, all fan value and interactive actions can accumulate Vitality Value. Each point of Vitality Value gained will earn you corresponding Lottery Points. A series of system prompts rang out, leaving Yue Feng a bit dazed. The beginner authority in the mall has been upgraded to intermediate? Not only did he receive a Reward Card, but he also gained a new professional characteristic. This Streamer Life trait seemed to have great potential, although the specifics of how it worked were unknown. With the voucher valid for a week, Yue Feng wasn¡¯t in a rush to use it. Besides, his Total Points were just over 5000, and even with a discount voucher, he couldn¡¯t buy anything of high value. It was better to see what new items the upgraded System Mall had to offer. With a thought, the new mall interface appeared in Yue Feng¡¯s mind. Chapter 78 - 78 78 Liu Fengnians Warehouse Fishing Invitation ?78: Chapter 78 Liu Fengnian¡¯s Warehouse Fishing Invitation 78: Chapter 78 Liu Fengnian¡¯s Warehouse Fishing Invitation After unlocking Intermediate Authority, the number of products available in the marketplace increased significantly, and they were appropriately categorized¡ªI glanced over them briefly. All kinds of tangible equipment such as fishing rod, floats, and line sets for Taiwan Fishing were basically fully covered, with prices ranging from 5,000 Points to several hundred thousand Points. Virtual Skill Books, with both Basic Skill Books and Intermediate Skill Books appearing in the marketplace list. Basic skills were quite cheap, with most costing two to three thousand Points per book, whereas Intermediate Skill Books were much more expensive, starting from tens of thousands of Points¡ªYue Feng gasped in dismay, ¡°I can¡¯t afford these.¡± What interested Yue Feng the most were the card and recipe categories of virtual items; they were incredibly varied and far exceeded expectations in number. Misfortune Cards. Good Person Cards, Task Scrolls, a variety of quirky one-time props, all with hefty price tags and different effects. Beyond the diverse effects of the cards, the sight of various bait recipes made Yue Feng¡¯s heart race with excitement. But upon seeing the numbers behind the recipes, Yue Feng calmed down again. Gold Edition Wild Fishing Companion recipe: 100k Points. Improved Black Pit Crucian Carp recipe: 15k Points. Gold Edition Wild Fishing Crucian Carp Bait recipe: 25k Points. Wild Fishing Carp Nesting Formula: 20k Points. After considering over a dozen recipes available for selection, even the basic entry-level recipes cost at least 15k Points. Yue Feng, who had been saving for a long time and had completed two challenge tasks, barely had just over 5,000 Points in his pocket. Considering his current rate of earning Points, it would take a very long time to afford all these recipes! After looking for a long time, Yue Feng reluctantly closed the marketplace. Damn it, one day I¡¯ll buy all of these! Yue Feng swore to himself determinedly. It hadn¡¯t been long since Yue Feng came to his senses when the sound of a car¡¯s engine roared outside the shop¡ªLiu Fengnian and the others had arrived. ¡°Look at you, I didn¡¯t see it coming, but you actually managed to put out Yu Qulong¡¯s fire!¡± As soon as he entered the door, Liu Fengnian joked with a chuckle. ¡°Just got lucky. I may seem calm on the surface, but I was actually quite nervous!¡± Yue Feng scratched his head, saying somewhat embarrassedly. ¡°You seem pretty confident, though!¡± ¡°That¡¯s because I was riled up by provocation, got a bit carried away. Now that I think about it, I¡¯m still a bit scared.¡± ¡°No matter how it happened, you¡¯ve earned both face and profit! This is something worth celebrating! Lunch is on me, let¡¯s go have a few drinks!¡± Liu Fengnian looked extremely happy. ¡°Okay!¡± Yue Feng didn¡¯t decline and agreed generously. ¡°Actually, we have another reason for coming, aside from drinking at lunch, but I didn¡¯t mention it this morning because there were too many people around!¡± ¡°Hmm? What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°Cliff Dam reservoir is preparing to open, and Qiangzi has a contact who could pull some strings for us. We could go a few days early to play around, how about it, interested?¡± Yue Feng was familiar with the name Cliff Dam; located in Lechang City, a municipal city under the jurisdiction of W City, it was about fifty kilometers away from Yue Feng¡¯s current location. The bighead Carps in their reservoir were a famous freshwater delicacy in the area. The reservoir¡¯s scope was not small, spanning several hundred acres. It had been closed to the public for many years, only able to fish a part of them every autumn and winter seasons. ¡°Interested? Can we really go?¡± Yue Feng¡¯s spirits instantly lifted! Ma Boqiang nodded, ¡°One of the owners of this reservoir is a relative of my dad¡¯s friend. I only learned about it when we were dining together the other day and I asked about it. The answer was straightforward¡ªwe can go play!¡± ¡°Is the date set? I want to prepare in advance!¡± Yue Feng asked eagerly. Ever since he started live streaming fishing about a month ago, even though the streams were doing quite well, Yue Feng had begun to feel that the content of his streams was too monotonous. Wild fishing was too dependent on fish behavior, and long periods of fishing in the Black Pit had been met with resistance by many anglers. Now was the time when he was eager to enrich his live stream content. ¡°In principle, any day is fine, but Liu Fengnian and Wang Dong both have some matters to arrange at their factories, so we¡¯re tentatively scheduling it for the day after tomorrow, Monday! We¡¯ll depart at four in the morning, stay overnight, and return Tuesday afternoon!¡± Qiangzi said. ¡°Fine by me! No issues on my end! What about food and accommodation, anything I need to prepare? I¡¯ll get to it tomorrow!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t trouble yourself too much. I¡¯ve got all of the gear for reservoir fishing: the canopy, fishing platform, stoves, generators, tents. You just need to prepare your own fishing equipment and we¡¯re all set! We¡¯ll pick you up in the car; nothing will be delayed!¡± Liu Fengnian said confidently. ¡°Okay then, I don¡¯t have much experience or knowledge with those, so I¡¯ll leave it to you. I¡¯ll be responsible for preparing the bait for the next two days and buying some food for everyone to eat while we play!¡± Yue Feng said generously. When going out to play together, since others were providing all sorts of resources, Yue Feng naturally wanted to contribute too. It wasn¡¯t about how much money was involved; this was Yue Feng¡¯s principle. ¡°That works! Then it¡¯s settled. We¡¯ll prepare separately and keep in touch by phone if necessary!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± After the few of them confirmed their plans for next Monday, the celebration lunch seemed less important. They had been fishing all morning and after having their fill, everyone went their separate ways to rest and recover. Yue Feng also hurried back to his shop to prepare for the upcoming reservoir fishing. Yue Feng cherished this opportunity and immediately found a notepad, mulling over the details one by one. Since it was reservoir fishing, bait was essential. Recently, carps and grass carps had been feeding, and it wouldn¡¯t do to aim for small fish like crucian carps in the reservoir. Wanting to catch big fish meant needing a substantial amount of bait. At the very least, a few dozen bags of Old Tan¡¯s corn from the market would be necessary. Yue Feng didn¡¯t care much about the cost of these materials. Biting the bullet, he ordered a wholesaler to ship him a full box. If it was used up, so be it; if not, he would sell what was left in his store. Besides the bait, large-sized line assemblies and long fishing rods were essential. Ideally, a few sea rods would be best, but Liu Fengnian said he had some during lunch, so Yue Feng didn¡¯t make any additional preparations. After going through everything thoroughly, Yue Feng gradually organized his thoughts. Hence, he spent the afternoon meticulously and patiently preparing those things that needed advance preparation. To prepare for this reservoir fishing trip, Yue Feng had really splurged. He bought a new 24-foot long fishing rod for reservoir fishing and prepared the corresponding lines, floats, and other consumables, along with the bait and food purchased from the supermarket. In total, he spent over two thousand yuan. With the plans in place, Yue Feng didn¡¯t go out for a fishing live stream over the weekend. His shop opened at half-past five in the morning and did steady business until eight in the evening, marking it as the most stable day since he had taken over the shop. He didn¡¯t stream, but Yue Feng posted a message about his upcoming trip, which his viewers pushed with over a thousand comments, showing their high anticipation for the reservoir fishing live stream. At half-past three on Monday morning, Liu Fengnian¡¯s Toyota pickup arrived at Yue Feng¡¯s shop. With the vehicles loaded, a party of five, splitting across three cars, set off. Their destination: Cliff Dam Reservoir in Lechang County! Chapter 79 - 79 79 Heavenly Realm ?79: Chapter 79: Heavenly Realm 79: Chapter 79: Heavenly Realm The journey covered over fifty kilometers, including a stretch of dilapidated provincial road that had been left in disrepair for years. Driving for a bit over an hour, they finally arrived at their destination. By the time they reached the reservoir, the sky was already bright. Lechang County was relatively economically backward, and its small city was basically nestled by the mountains. Although the infrastructure was somewhat outdated, the environment was still quite pleasant. This was Yue Feng¡¯s first visit to Cliff Dam Reservoir. Before even getting out of the car, he peered through the window and was immediately struck by the sight. Cliff Dam Reservoir was a semi-artificial one, with a storage area of over three hundred acres. At a glance, shimmering waves stretched out, creating a beautiful scene adorned with a thin layer of mist that hung above the water¡¯s surface. The distant trees and mountaintops looked like they belonged in a painting. With the unknown waterfowl fleeting by the water¡¯s edge, it was easy to mistake this place for the Heavenly Realm. Not to mention the fish in the water ¡ª even without them, it was a great spot for a wild cookout. ¡°That¡¯s it, the car can¡¯t go any further; let¡¯s stop here!¡± Liu Fengnian turned off the engine of the pickup truck, opened the door, and got out. ¡°The scenery is great! The water, too!¡± Yue Feng exclaimed. ¡°Just the road that¡¯s a bit difficult to navigate, everything else is spot on! Many years ago, I came here with friends. It¡¯s been at least seven or eight years since they¡¯ve opened the dam!¡± Liu Fengnian said as he stretched his slightly stiff back. While they were talking, Wei Liang, Qiangzi, and Wang Dong also got out of the car. ¡°Qiangzi, the spot you found is really good! Even without fish, we could have fun for two days!¡± Ma Boqiang smugly pulled out a pack of cigarettes and handed them around, bragging, ¡°Of course, if it wasn¡¯t a good spot, we wouldn¡¯t have come!¡± ¡°Parking the car here shouldn¡¯t be a problem. Let¡¯s figure out where to set up the tents and fishing spots!¡± Yue Feng chimed in. ¡°Don¡¯t bother, I know where¡¯s good for setting up camp. Just unload the gear and follow me, there won¡¯t be any issues!¡± Liu Fengnian said confidently, exhaling a large smoke ring. With the group leader so assured, the others naturally had no objections. They immediately began to unpack the trunk, moving items from the car. Liu Fengnian¡¯s modified truck bed was filled with a surprising amount of stuff, and the more Yue Feng looked, the more amazed he became. There was a generator, camping tents, a stove, march pots, gas cylinders, lounge chairs, canopies, and even a complete tea set with a folding table, as well as barbecue racks and hot pot ingredients ¡ª practically everything Yue Feng could think of, the car had it. ¡°Liu, are you a veteran camping enthusiast?¡± Yue Feng said while he worked, moving stuff out. ¡°I went crazy with it a couple of years ago and got quite a lot of stuff. Energy¡¯s been down lately, more things to do at the factory, less time to go out, but I¡¯ve got all the gear!¡± Liu Fengnian was pretty confident about his equipment. Despite the unassuming look of these small items, many of them would earn a thumbs-up from real camping enthusiasts. A lot of it was military-grade, with even some imported gear, which cost a pretty penny when he acquired it. After unloading the gear from the car, Liu Fengnian, with a massive backpack, began to walk down a small path at the base of the dam. ¡°One person stays to watch the luggage; everyone else grabs the heavy gear and follows me!¡± Looking down from the dam, it seemed quite close, but as Yue Feng carried a large backpack down, he realized the truth in the old saying, ¡°Distant mountains appear close.¡± Liu Fengnian certainly remembered the terrain here and led the way with many twists and turns. Having crossed over a semi-protruding hollow, the scenery before everyone¡¯s eyes changed dramatically. Not just Liu Fengnian, even Yue Feng could tell this place was good. Alongside the reservoir was a large, very flat expanse of beach, and about forty or fifty meters above the beach was a large hawthorn grove. The hawthorn trees were quite old, thick as a sea bowl. The gaps between the trees were sizable, perfect for setting up camp. The location of the grove was relatively level, visually a few acres in size. Camping here, with shade during the day and shelter from the wind at night, even a heavy rain would pose no problem as long as a shallow drainage ditch was dug¡ªthe spot was an excellent camping site. ¡°This place isn¡¯t bad, and the beach is nice too, but I wonder about the water level! It wouldn¡¯t be fun if the shallow area extended dozens of meters forward!!¡± Wei Liang said breathlessly. ¡°The water level hasn¡¯t changed much. Using a 7.2-meter rod, we should be able to fish in water that¡¯s a little over three meters but not quite four meters deep, no problem!¡± Liu Fengnian said. ¡°That¡¯s great to hear. Let¡¯s try to set up camp while it¡¯s still cool in the morning! The sooner we finish, the sooner we can start fishing!¡± Ma Boqiang, the most impatient, was already getting restless. ¡°First, let¡¯s get all the gear down. We¡¯ll start divvying up tasks¡ªI¡¯ll take Wang Dong and Wei Liang to set up camp, while Yue Feng leads Qiangzi to prepare the fishing spot and bait the area!¡± Liu Fengnian, true to his leadership role, had clear thinking and sensible arrangements. ¡°Let¡¯s get a move on, hustle hustle hustle!¡± Qiangzi yelled, striding towards where the cars were parked. The group had arrived at the reservoir around 5:30, when it was scarcely light, and it took them until nearly 8 o¡¯clock to carry all their supplies to the campsite. Having risen early without breakfast, even these robust young men were feeling worn out. After the last trip carrying down the equipment, everyone sat down on the ground, too lethargic to even speak. ¡°Damn, I¡¯m exhausted! My arms don¡¯t even feel like my own anymore!¡± Wang Dong complained. ¡°Anyone hungry? I¡¯ve got meat buns we can make do with!¡± Wei Liang, with his thoughtful nature, unexpectedly produced a large plastic bag full of meat buns. ¡°Damn, Liang Bro, you should have said so earlier! I¡¯ve been starving!¡± Ma Boqiang didn¡¯t hold back, immediately opening a box of mineral water to distribute around, then grabbed a bun and started greeting it enthusiastically. Five big-bellied men devoured a seemingly large pile of buns until there were none left. With some food in their bellies, everyone¡¯s energy finally started to return. Soon, they split into two groups and commenced their planned tasks. Yue Feng was responsible for preparing the fishing spots and baiting the area, which was his forte. Taking a finely crafted multifunctional shovel from Liu Fengnian¡¯s hands, he strolled towards the shoreline. With the Skill of choosing fishing spots bolstering him, Yue Feng¡¯s ability to select a spot was outstanding. Even though he didn¡¯t know which location was the best, he at least knew which ones wouldn¡¯t work. However, after strolling along the shore, Yue Feng only found a few scattered greyish areas. Most of the shore had a normal coloration, indicating a higher density of fish. The shoreline was mostly flat, so there weren¡¯t many points or ridges to choose from. Yue Feng avoided the grey areas, used the shovel to prepare several spots, and then pulled out a long rod for reservoir fishing, beginning to measure the depth of the surrounding water. Chapter 80 - 80 80 Delivering Food ?80: Chapter 80 Delivering Food 80: Chapter 80 Delivering Food Fishing at the reservoir, if you want to enjoy it properly, actually requires paying attention to a lot of things, such as the oft-discussed selection of a fishing spot. How long the rod should be and roughly how deep the water you plan to fish in, then what the underwater terrain is like. Whether it¡¯s a relatively flat area or a terrain with complex features like ravines and uneven ground, there are certain preferences for targeting different species of fish. If the target fish is crucian carp, during the season around May Day, using a 3.6-meter fishing rod to fish at a depth of about one and a half meters can yield a good catch. It¡¯s better if the underwater area is relatively flat and has some aquatic vegetation. However, if the target fish is carp or larger grass carp or silver carp, then flat areas are not as beneficial as small terrains like ravines. Larger fish, having lived longer, are more cautious and prefer to hide in places with some degree of concealment, such as piles of underwater debris or deep ravines, which are favored hiding spots for big fish. Yue Feng walked around the gentle riverbank and gained a basic understanding of the surrounding water depth and general situation. Overall, this fishing spot is considered quite ideal for fishing, whether targeting medium and small-sized crucian carp or baiting for larger fish, the location is quite appropriate. In about half an hour, Yue Feng selected several suitable fishing spots and then asked about the rod lengths others were using. Combining that with how far the carbon fishing platform extended over the water surface, he began to distribute bait to establish his spots. The bait used for small crucian carp and large carp and grass carp also differ, For the crucian carp, it¡¯s generally small granular bait like rice wine and wheat kernels, but for the large carp, aged corn kernels are needed. This time coming to fish, Yue Feng brought an entire large box of aged corn kernels, dedicating ten pounds of bait to each spot as a sign of respect. Busy until past ten in the morning, Yue Feng had basically finished setting up his fishing spots, and Liu Fengnian¡¯s camping work had also taken shape, only fine-tuning details remained. Returning to the camp and taking a quick look around, Yue Feng knew that Liu Fengnian was definitely a pro. The tent was set up on a slightly elevated flat ground, with a spare drainage ditch dug beside it. The canopy and cooking equipment were well-organized, just awaiting the final setup of the stove before they were ready to go! ¡°The baiting¡¯s pretty much done. How are we handling lunch?¡± Yue Feng casually asked. Before Liu Fengnian could answer, Ma Boqiang spoke up, ¡°We don¡¯t need to worry about lunch. That friend of my dad called me just now, he¡¯s arranged our meal and will personally deliver it!¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s great! Otherwise, we¡¯d have to start getting ready now!¡± Yue Feng nodded. ¡°You must be worn out from setting up the fishing spots, come and rest in the shade for a while. After lunch, we¡¯ll start the battle!¡± Liu Fengnian said, wiping the sweat from his forehead. ¡°Sure!¡± Yue Feng didn¡¯t put on airs and settled down in the shade under the canopy, with no desire to move an inch. Around eleven, an old silver-gray Jetta arrived at their campsite and a middle-aged man in his forties or fifties got out. The middle-aged man looked tanned with a yellow T-shirt advertising fertilizer, rather unremarkable in appearance, but his eyes were bright and spirited, exuding vitality. ¡°Had some business in the county this morning, so I couldn¡¯t come earlier. Been busy all morning, are you hungry? I had my wife make some home-cooked food, just make do with it. If you like it, I¡¯ll deliver it every day!¡± Ma Boqiang looked over the middle-aged man and asked, ¡°You must be Uncle Meng, right? I¡¯m Qiangzi! Sorry to trouble you!¡± ¡°It¡¯s no trouble at all; it¡¯s our own reservoir. Just pay attention to safety, and you¡¯re welcome to everything else!¡± Master Meng was exceedingly generous. ¡°Well, thank you! And honestly, after bustling all morning, I am getting a bit hungry!¡± ¡°If you¡¯re hungry, let¡¯s eat first! There¡¯s not much fancy food in this remote place, just stewed a free-range chicken and some home-style dishes. It¡¯s simple food, but it¡¯ll do!¡± Although Master Meng said this, the dishes he brought were actually pretty impressive: a big bowl of spicy stewed chicken, a sweet and sour carp, stir-fried tomatoes with clumsy chicken eggs, old vinegar peanuts, cucumber with pig¡¯s head meat, and stir-fried asparagus. Each dish was outstanding, and it was clear that he had put a lot of thought into the preparation. ¡°Wow, that smells so good! Let¡¯s all stop what we¡¯re doing and eat! Uncle Meng, do you have plans this afternoon, or can you join us for a drink?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t join you. I¡¯ll leave as soon as I deliver the food; I¡¯ve still got other things to take care of!¡± Master Meng shook his head and refused. ¡°Well, alright then! Thanks for your trouble!¡± After sending off Master Meng, Yue Feng and the others gathered around and quickly began eating. The food was placed on Liu Fengnian¡¯s folding table, and several of them opened beers. They drank heartily, finishing two cases of beer. ¡°Tsk tsk, Qiangzi is really living the high life; having food delivered to him! If we had known it¡¯d be like this, we wouldn¡¯t have needed to bring anything to cook ourselves!¡± Wei Liang said contentedly with oil running down his chin. Liu Fengnian shook his head with a smile: ¡°It¡¯s nice enough that they delivered a meal for us, but we can¡¯t bother them every day! We¡¯ll start cooking ourselves tonight. Let¡¯s not make it awkward for Qiangzi. These are all favors!¡± ¡°No problem, if we like it I can just call them and have them prepare more, we can just pay for it!¡± Ma Boqiang said nonchalantly. Though he said this, Yue Feng could tell that Qiangzi was also feeling a bit uncomfortable¡ªit was already good enough to come and play, but to be looked after for three meals a day was a really big deal. ¡°So, what¡¯s the plan after we finish eating? It¡¯s getting a bit hot at noon! I doubt the fish will be biting much!¡± Yue Feng asked. ¡°Fish or no fish, let¡¯s just get the rods out for a bit of fun! After we finish eating and catch our breath, we can get started!¡± ¡°Ok!¡± Not even twelve o¡¯clock yet, and these animals couldn¡¯t wait to grab their fishing boxes and rush to their spots. The terrain was fairly flat, so the fishing spots for the five men were quite similar. Yue Feng, carrying his Carbon Fishing Platform, took one of the spots left over by others and quickly got ready to start fishing. At the spot Yue Feng was fishing, the bait was corn and beans, so he switched to a 7.2-meter pole, set up his Rod Holder, and began fishing. There¡¯s a saying that even immortals struggle to catch fish at noon, and during this time, the fish in the water barely bite. It was past two o¡¯clock, and Yue Feng, feeling resigned, shook his head and returned under the tent with its shade canopy. With the weather hot and the bait not set yet, it clearly wasn¡¯t smart to bask under the scorching sun, so Yue Feng decided to take a short rest and wait for the late afternoon to evening feeding window for the fish. Having made up his mind, Yue Feng found a hammock Liu Fengnian had strung up between two trees and lay down. He had just settled down for a moment when Wei Liang¡¯s call came from the shore. Got a bite!