Where to Fish

"Done!"

Huang Shang pricked up his ears to listen to the dispute over there, and the moment he heard the words "Lord Bao," his heart settled.

The rough, burly man, however, changed his expression, bowing his waist and saying respectfully, "Could it be that you are the son of Bao Gong?"

The man was full of question marks: "What son of Bao Gong? I just came to take a look and pay my respects to Lord Bao."

The burly man widened his eyes: "If you are not the son of Bao Gong, why do you call him 'Lord'?"

Those around them nodded one after another, their faces filled with disdain.

The man was baffled.

Many people think that in ancient times, commoners were supposed to address officials as "Lord" (Daren).

In reality, before the Qing Dynasty, "Daren" was primarily used to address one's own father or ancestors.

Calling someone "Daren" was essentially calling them "Daddy."

It was only in the Qing Dynasty that people began to grovel and address their superiors as "Lord."

In many later television dramas, they use "Lord" regardless of the dynasty; just imagine in Justice Bao, where Zhan Zhao calls him "Lord Bao" all day long—he was essentially calling him "Daddy Bao."

The mental image is too beautiful.

Perhaps some children might ask, "Uncle Huang Shang, why is everything in the TV shows wrong?"

Actually, it's normal; film and television are forms of entertainment, not science education. Much of it is clearly dramatized and cannot be taken as truth.

A small portion does respect history, restoring ceremonial titles and using meticulously researched costumes and props, such as The Longest Day in Chang'an.

Never mind film and television; many common "facts" circulated in reality are also wrong, such as the boiling frog experiment or the idea that fish only have a seven-second memory.

The key is not to believe everything blindly.

For instance, there is a rumor in the movie Dearest that one must wait twenty-four hours after a child goes missing before filing a police report.

This is a standard piece of pseudo-knowledge, and it is extremely harmful.

In reality, six years before the movie was released, the Ministry of Public Security had already stipulated that all reports of missing or abducted children must be immediately registered as criminal cases to investigate and locate the child.

If someone who watched the movie truly encountered a situation where their child went missing and believed the plot of the film—searching on their own first and waiting a day to report it—they might truly lose their last chance.

But I digress. Back to the main point: this reincarnator was clearly habitually using the terminology from TV dramas, calling him "Lord Bao."

Seeing the disdainful and contemptuous gazes of the crowd, the man became somewhat annoyed and clenched his fists.

But just then, a fair, delicate hand pressed onto his shoulder.

A beautiful woman with skin as white as snow appeared and shook her head slightly at him.

Two reincarnators!

Huang Shang firmly memorized the appearance of the pair.

He was no longer afraid of being noticed, because this man and woman had become the center of attention.

Everyone was watching them; they would not notice Huang Shang in the crowd.

After being held back by the woman, the man thought for a moment, extinguished his anger, and with a flash of movement, the two vanished without a trace.

"So they are martial artists; no wonder they are so boorish!"

"Disperse! Disperse!"

The two moved like ghosts, disappearing in an instant, which startled the surrounding commoners who had been eyeing them aggressively.

Just then, patrol soldiers emerged from Kaifeng Prefecture to disperse the congested crowd, and everyone scattered, continuing their weeping and wailing.

Only Huang Shang turned and left, returning home immediately to spread out paper and sketch the faces of the two.

It is not that every spy has the skill to draw portraits, but in this era where literary culture flourished, the "four arts" of zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting—along with wine and tea—were the basic operations of a scholar.

One essay evaluating the aesthetics of the Song Dynasty used this description: "A thousand years ahead of the world."

This statement is no exaggeration.

Whether in painting, calligraphy, tea ceremony, literature, or porcelain, the masterpieces of the Song Dynasty are deservedly world-class, and even in the modern era, they are difficult to surpass.

The scholars of this era were the elite of the elite.

It was not enough to just study books; they had to be well-versed in a vast range of subjects.

For instance, Zhang Zai studied astronomy and celestial phenomena, pondering how the heavenly bodies rotated.

The original Huang Shang also possessed a certain level of skill in painting.

At this moment, drawing upon his recent memory, the pair of man and woman quickly came to life on the paper.

Due to the limitations of the paper and ink, it was not particularly beautiful, let alone lifelike, but it was enough for identification.

Huang Shang let out a sigh of relief, a hint of excitement appearing on his face.

His luck was quite good.

The target had been locked.

Every time a reincarnator enters a world of the Heavens, the Main God Temple issues a main quest.

In the novice world of Book and Sword Gratitude and Revenge, Huang Shang's main quest was related to the Red Flower Society, and his starting location was right near Chen Jialuo.

The Main God Temple did not explain this, as it was a benefit exclusive to novices.

Following the logic of plundering the Heavens, the Main God Temple had no reason to make things difficult for its own subordinates.

Therefore, the fact that this man and woman appeared in Kaifeng Prefecture, did not leave immediately, and yet did not wish to cause trouble, suggested that their main quest was, nine times out of ten, within the capital city.

As long as it is before they complete their main quest, there is an opportunity.

Huang Shang nodded.

Not to mention that reincarnators have main quests; as he lurks in the plot world, he will surely have tasks in the future as well.

However, for this first time lurking, the Heavens made no demands.

Being able to maintain his hidden identity without exposure was already a great victory.

He could choose to coast to success, but that would be no different from a slow death; only by making a name for himself in this world would he have the qualifications to deal with the storms to come.

Therefore, after locking onto the reincarnators, the next step was to approach them.

After some thought, Huang Shang took a scroll from under the table and spread it out.

This was a hand-drawn map of Kaifeng, a topographical chart.

Every street and alley was marked clearly upon it.

His finger moved, quickly tapping on several "Main Inns."

So-called Main Inns were restaurants and lodges permitted by the government to brew their own alcohol, equivalent to star-rated hotels.

There was also another type called "Foot Inns," which were low-grade roadside motels.

Reincarnators were not short on gold and silver, so they certainly wouldn't suffer in a Foot Inn.

Huang Shang had long been prepared; there were seventy-two Main Inns in the Eastern Capital Kaifeng Prefecture. He had inquired about them early on and marked the ones with the highest standards and the most popular food and drink.

Those two reincarnators were highly likely to be staying in one of them.

If I were to have a chance encounter inside...

Huang Shang closed his eyes, scenes emerging in his mind as he began to conceive the imagery, a Simulated Theater.

When he was an extra at Hengdian on Earth, there was a period when anti-Japanese war dramas were popular, and he was rushing from set to set every day.

Torn apart in a scene in the morning, torn apart in the afternoon, working overtime at night, and getting torn apart again.

An elder once said that his name was too heavy; as a homophone for "Emperor," ordinary people simply couldn't suppress it.

Huang Shang didn't believe in such superstitions and insisted on forging his own path.

But those times were truly desperate; he would hide under his quilt alone and sob silently.

How did they become stars? How much beating did they have to endure? When will I be able to become a star?

Reality was not Farewell My Concubine, so he had once thought about changing professions, moving from in front of the camera to behind the scenes.

But Huang Shang soon discovered that the competition behind the scenes was even more intense. Although he had learned many skills, he couldn't specialize in any one, and in the end, he could only join a makeshift troupe.

However, during this process, Huang Shang found amusement in his own company, developing the ability of a Simulated Theater.

In his imagination, he acted as director, lighting technician, cinematographer, composer, art designer, lead actor, supporting actor, and extra all at once, staging a grand production.

It was the same now; he had set up the stage in his mind, added the two reincarnators, and began simulating sets of camera shots.

Doctor Strange, Time Stone, ultra-low-budget version.

Over and over again.

At first, everything went smoothly.

But a quarter of an hour later, Huang Shang suddenly frowned.

His finger drew two diagonal slashes over a Main Inn, forming an X.

Because he had simulated a certain situation.

The man was fine; his emotions were written all over his face, and it was clear he was the type who liked to solve problems with his fists.

That was the most common type among reincarnators.

But the woman was the variable.

Women were naturally meticulous and prone to noticing details, and since she was a beauty, she would always receive preferential treatment. An inn was a place where people came and went, and the staff were shrewd and observant. Once he appeared in the vicinity multiple times and was discovered by the staff, who then reported it to the woman, his intent to approach would be exposed.

No.

He could not take that risk.

Huang Shang opened his eyes and continued to move across the map, ruling out one location after another.

Finally, his gaze shifted, his finger stopped, and he tapped on a single spot.

That place was...

Great Xiangguo Temple!