Just as Hu Liena was about to put her strength into lifting the rod, a warm, dry hand gently pressed down on the back of hers.
"Wait."
Qin Chuan's voice came from beside her, low and steady.
Hu Liena's body stiffened. The warmth against the back of her hand felt like an electric current, racing up her arm and instantly spreading through her whole body. Her cheeks flushed uncontrollably, and her heart skipped a beat.
"It's not time yet." Qin Chuan leaned forward slightly, bringing his mouth close to her ear as he lowered his voice. "The fish is still testing the bait. It only gave it a light nibble. If you lift the rod now, you'll scare it away. Stay calm and wait for it to swallow the hook completely."
His breath brushed against Hu Liena's sensitive ear, tickling her and making the whole side of her body go numb.
Hu Liena nodded instinctively, but the hand gripping the fishing rod tightened without her realizing it.
Qin Chuan didn't move his hand. It remained over the back of hers, as if his composure could rub off on her.
Time seemed to slow at that moment.
The float on the lake bobbed gently up and down, like a mischievous child playing in the water.
Hu Liena's breathing grew a little uneven. She could clearly hear her own heartbeat and Qin Chuan's, their rhythms intertwining beside the quiet lake.
"Brother Chuan... did you... often teach girls how to fish before?" Hu Liena asked on a sudden whim.
Qin Chuan froze for a moment, then smiled. "How could I? I always used to fish alone. You're the first."
He was telling the truth, but to Hu Liena, his words sounded like the sweetest love confession.
[I'm the first...]
It was as if countless fireworks were blooming in Hu Liena's heart.
She stole a glance at the man beside her.
He was staring intently at the float on the lake, the outline of his profile looking especially gentle in the sunlight. His long eyelashes, straight nose, and lips pressed together ever so slightly.
Hu Liena suddenly felt that this man... might not be so ordinary after all.
Just as her thoughts were running wild, the float plunged down sharply, then was dragged straight under by a tremendous force!
"Now! Lift the rod!" Qin Chuan barked, his hand pressing hard against the back of hers.
Hu Liena came to her senses and immediately followed his lead, putting all her strength into swinging the rod back!
Whoosh!
The Black Dragon Wood fishing rod bent into an astonishing arc, as if it might snap at any moment. The line stretched taut, letting out a piercing whine!
A tremendous force surged from beneath the water, trying to drag the rod away.
"What strength!" Hu Liena cried out in surprise.
She was a level 79 Soul Saint. Though she wasn't using Soul Power, even her physical strength alone far surpassed that of an ordinary person. Yet now, even the two of them working together were struggling.
"Hold steady! Don't let it get away!" Qin Chuan shouted, his arm muscles bulging as he gripped the rod tightly.
The two of them began a tug-of-war with the giant creature beneath the water.
The line was pulled out by dozens of meters, then they would struggle to reel a few meters back in.
The Black Dragon Wood fishing rod's whine grew louder and louder. The line scraped against the air, even trailing wisps of white smoke.
Qian Renxue, in the distance, was drawn by the commotion.
She stood up in the tree and narrowed her eyes at the lake.
A Soul Saint and an ordinary man were fishing.
Qian Renxue thought the whole thing was absurd.
She saw Hu Liena's face turn bright red with exertion, beads of sweat gathering on her forehead. The man called Qin Chuan was also putting in effort, but he looked completely at ease, with enough time to direct Hu Liena.
"Guide it a little to the left! That's it! Don't let it dive into the weeds!"
"Reel it in! Quickly! It's running out of strength!"
"Good! Hold on a little longer, it's almost up!"
With Qin Chuan directing her, Hu Liena didn't lose her rhythm at all.
In truth, Hu Liena could have hauled the fish up by herself. She was simply enjoying the process of fishing.
After a few minutes, the force beneath the water finally began to weaken.
"Now! Pull it up!" Qin Chuan shouted.
The two of them put their strength into it at the same time and whipped the fishing rod sharply backward!
Splash!
Water sprayed in every direction as a silver shape was hauled from the lake. It traced an arc through the air before crashing heavily onto the grass.
It was a huge fish, well over a meter long!
Its entire body was covered in silver scales that glittered in the sunlight.
Its fins were pale gold, and its tail resembled an elegant fan. Most unusual of all, a short, dragon-horn-like protrusion grew from its head.
"This is... a hundred-year-old Silver Horn Dragon Carp!" Hu Liena stared at the huge fish flopping on the grass, her mouth falling open in astonishment.
Its flesh was delicious, and the Soul Power it contained was pure, making it a great tonic. In the outside market, one fish would sell for more than twenty Gold Soul Coins—and even then, it was hard to find.
Qin Chuan picked up the huge fish and put it into the net, whose lower half was submerged in the lake.
"Whew... that was exhilarating!" Qin Chuan exclaimed, his face alight with excitement.
Seeing how happy he looked, like a child, Hu Liena couldn't help smiling too.
She realized that being with this man always seemed to bring her new and interesting experiences. She had never felt this way in all her nineteen years.
"Brother Chuan, you're amazing," Hu Liena praised him sincerely. "If it weren't for you, I never would've caught such a huge fish."
"Haha, you're the strong one." Qin Chuan waved a hand. "Without you, it would've dragged me into the lake ages ago."
They continued fishing.
Over the next two hours, the two of them kept bringing in catches.
A thirty-year Phoenix Tail Spirit Fish, a forty-year Dragon Whisker Tiger Shrimp, an eighty-year Thunder Fire Eel, and a hundred-year Iron Pincer Black Fish.
Looking at the net packed with their catch, they exchanged a smile. A tacit understanding quietly blossomed between them.
Qin Chuan looked at Hu Liena's damp temples and her flushed cheeks, bright with excitement, and felt his heart stir.
He stood up, walked over to the nearby flower patch, and picked a few wildflowers in full bloom, then pulled off several flexible green vines.
He sat back down beside Hu Liena and began weaving, his fingers darting about.
Qin Chuan was nimble with his hands.
The colorful wildflowers and fresh green vines seemed to come alive in his hands. Before long, a delicate, beautiful flower crown took shape.
Red Flame Roses, yellow Sun Chrysanthemums, purple Bewildering Fragrance, and a few small blue flowers whose names he didn't know were cleverly threaded together with green vines, forming a little floral crown.
"Here, it's for you." Qin Chuan held up the flower crown and smiled at Hu Liena.
Hu Liena froze.
She looked at the flower crown woven from fresh blooms. Sunlight streamed through the petals, scattering dappled shadows, while the fresh scent of flowers filled the air.
She had received countless valuable gifts in her life: Soul Tools worth a fortune, rare pills, gorgeous jewelry... But no gift had ever made her heart tremble like this little flower crown.
"This... is for me?" Hu Liena's voice quivered slightly.
"Of course." Qin Chuan stood and came over to her. Bending down slightly, he placed the flower crown on her head with his own hands.
His fingers brushed against Hu Liena's hair and ear by accident.
Her hair was soft, her ear warm. That light touch made her body tense at once, a tingling sensation bursting across her scalp.
The flower crown fit perfectly, settling lightly on her rose-gold short hair like a princess's coronet.
"It suits you." Qin Chuan stepped back two paces and looked over his handiwork with satisfaction.
The flower crown's vivid colors set off Hu Liena's already bewitching face, lending her an ethereal, otherworldly beauty.
Hu Liena instinctively lifted a hand to touch the crown on her head. The petals were soft and still carried a hint of dewy moisture.
Just then, a cold, mechanical prompt boomed in her mind!
[Congratulations, player Hu Liena, you have unlocked a new scene: Wild Date!] [Congratulations, player Hu Liena, you have received a gift from the Shopkeeper and triggered a special reward!] [Member experience +50 points!] [Congratulations, player Hu Liena, your membership level has increased! Promoted from "Ordinary Member" to "Silver Member"! Current experience: 30/100.] [Silver Member privileges unlocked:] [1. Game Coin exchange amount per transaction +2.] [2. Daily number of grabs +2. Current grab limit: 5.]
Hu Liena felt as if she'd heard heavenly music.
She... she'd jumped straight from Ordinary Member to Silver Member?
A flower crown had given her 50 experience points!
That was several times more than she'd earned from treating him to a meal and fishing with him combined!
And then there were the Silver Member privileges!
She could grab dolls five times a day! That meant her odds of winning were almost double what they'd been before!
More importantly, she'd unlocked the High-Tier Zone!
She didn't know what was in there yet, but just from the name, she could tell the prizes had to be better than those in the Ordinary Zone!
An enormous wave of delight swept over Hu Liena, drowning out her reason.
Her mind went blank, leaving only overwhelming joy.
Looking at the man before her, who had placed the flower crown on her head and given her all this, an irrepressible thought surged through her.
She had to thank him! In the most direct, passionate way possible!
The next second, Hu Liena sprang up from the ground and threw herself into Qin Chuan's arms like a lithe leopard!
Qin Chuan was stunned by her sudden embrace. Before he could react, a pair of soft, warm lips pressed firmly against his!
The touch was soft and sweet, with a hint of Flame Rose wine on it.
Mwah~!
Qin Chuan's brain went BZZT and shut down too.
W-what was going on?
All he'd done was give her a flower crown. How had that turned into a kiss?
Hu Liena's kiss was both inexperienced and domineering. She didn't know what she was doing; she simply followed her instincts, sucking and nibbling with all her strength, as if she meant to pour all her excitement and joy into the kiss and pass them on to him.
High in the treetops in the distance, Qian Renxue stared at the eye-searing scene in dumbfounded shock. The half-piece of travel ration in her hand slipped from her fingers and landed on the ground with a soft plop.
What had she just seen?
Hu Liena... that haughty, overbearing Hu Liena had actually... actually taken the initiative to kiss an ordinary man?
And out in the open! In broad daylight!
Qian Renxue felt her entire worldview being overturned again and again, then ground into the dirt.
What in the world was happening? Was she dreaming? She pinched her thigh hard.
It hurt! This wasn't a dream!
Qian Renxue's face turned pale, then flushed. Her chest felt tight, as if a massive stone were pressing down on it, leaving her unable to breathe.
She didn't know why she felt this way.
Was it disdain? Anger? Or... jealousy?
She didn't know. She only knew that the scene before her filled her with a restlessness and confusion unlike anything she had ever felt.
The kiss by the lake lasted nearly a minute.
Only when Qin Chuan was almost out of breath did Hu Liena reluctantly let him go.
Her cheeks were crimson, her peach-blossom eyes rippling with emotion. She panted as she gazed at Qin Chuan, entranced.
"Brother Chuan... thank you." Her voice was so soft it seemed it could be squeezed for water.
Qin Chuan stared at her dazedly, her warmth and fragrance still lingering on his lips. He opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a word.
He felt that today's "date" had... gone a little beyond what he'd expected.