Wei Luo

Great Yin, Pingjiang Town.

At dawn, mist blanketed the boundless Hun River.

A skiff cleaved through the river fog, wobbling crookedly across the Hun River.

Wei Luo struggled to control the skiff, keeping it from crashing into other fishing boats.

But the skiff seemed to have a mind of its own, veering left and right through the water.

The surrounding fishing boats could tell at a glance that he was a novice at handling a boat, and quickly steered away.

"Ha ha, I was wondering who it was. So it's you, Wei Luo."

Hearing the teasing remark, Wei Luo turned to look behind him. A covered boat was drawing near.

The youth at the bow was dark-skinned from the sun, flashing a set of white teeth. A middle-aged man stood at the stern.

"What are you doing out on the river today?"

Wei Luo stopped his boat and replied.

"Fishing, of course."

The dark-skinned youth smiled faintly at once and said in an old-fashioned tone, "You really think fishing on the river is that easy? You can't even handle a boat properly. Setting out without experience, you're afraid you'll be busy for nothing."

The people on the covered boat were Liu Changle and his father, Liu Jun. Their homes were not far apart, and the two families were acquainted.

Liu Changle was right. Fishing on the river truly was not so easy.

Though the Hun River stretched endlessly and supported countless fishermen, there was knowledge involved in knowing which waters held more fish and what weather was suitable for luring them in.

There were differences between fishermen as well. Nearly eighty percent might return empty-handed after taking their boats out, while only a small number of experienced fishermen had stable incomes.

The Liu family had been fishermen for several generations. They were exactly the sort of experienced fishermen he meant.

In Liu Changle's eyes, someone like Wei Luo, who rented a boat and thought he could go fishing on the river, was either "stupid" or "foolish."

But Wei Luo was neither stupid nor foolish.

The reason he dared to take a boat out alone to fish was something else.

[Great Thousand Revelation]

Three months ago, after a severe fever, he had awakened the memories of his past life.

Awakening alongside them was this [Great Thousand Revelation].

With the memories of his previous life and constant experimentation, he had now more or less figured out how to use [Great Thousand Revelation].

It could perform deductions concerning a particular thing.

At this moment, a piece of information was clearly listed in his mind.

[Fish Catch Information Deduction]

[Time required: four hours]

[2,564 meters downstream on the Hun River, high-value fish can be found in the central waters of the shallow bend. There is a chance to catch them before noon.]

That was why Wei Luo had rented a boat and headed out onto the river.

Previously, Wei Luo had already tested the accuracy of [Great Thousand Revelation].

Using its information, he only needed to cast nets from the shore to catch quite a few fish each day.

But this time, the fish catch information included the three words "high-value," and the time required far exceeded before. He had thus decisively chosen to give it a try.

The covered boat stopped steadily beside the skiff. Liu Changle had still wanted to make a few more teasing remarks about "naivety" and the like.

But Old Liu smacked Liu Changle across the back of the head.

"We're all neighbors. What are you saying such sarcastic things for? Go over there and help him!"

Though Wei Luo's family had moved here from elsewhere, the two families had been neighbors for years. If they could help when they ran into each other, then they helped.

Wei Luo immediately smiled and thanked them. Old Liu waved it off carelessly and had Liu Changle teach Wei Luo how to handle a boat.

The skiff was not large and was controlled with an oar. It was not actually difficult to maneuver, but this was Wei Luo's first time touching one, and he did not know the knack.

After learning from Liu Changle for a while, he had basically grasped the fundamentals.

Soon, the two small boats headed out onto the river and drifted downstream with the current.

During their idle chatter, Liu Jun learned that Wei Luo had rented this skiff from the fish market for thirty copper coins and said, "Little Luo, haven't you been doing pretty steadily casting nets from shore? Casting nets from shore and fishing on the river are not the same thing. Don't end up losing money."

Wei Luo naturally understood the reasoning, but he obviously could not tell them about his cheat, so he simply replied, "I want to earn more money."

Liu Changle cut in with a grin. "I think Wei Luo has reached that age and wants to find himself a wife!"

Wei Luo had long been used to the fellow's loose tongue. He only smiled and gently shook his head.

Liu Changle was immediately a little puzzled. For poor fishermen like them, apart from scraping together a living and getting married to have children, there was nothing else major worth saving money for.

But he quickly thought of something else and immediately cried out, "Wei Luo, don't tell me you want to practice martial arts too?"

When he saw Wei Luo nod lightly, he grew somewhat excited.

"My third uncle works as an accountant for the Sun Family. I heard the Sun Family is planning to recruit a group of capable men recently. My third uncle has already spoken to someone about it, so we can pull a few strings when the time comes."

"Once I master martial arts, I can register my name and be removed from the lowly rolls for good, bringing glory to the Liu family!"

"Then I'll marry Little Flower from the Yang family and bring her home!"

"..."

Excitement gleamed in Liu Changle's eyes. Once he started talking, he could not stop. After rambling on about this and that, he finally asked Wei Luo, "How much money have you saved? Are you planning to learn martial arts at a martial arts school? I heard that just food and drink for martial arts training cost a great deal. Ordinary families simply can't afford to support it."

"It would be best if I could learn martial arts, but I'm still saving money for now."

Wei Luo also yearned deeply for the martial path.

He had once personally seen a martial artist crack a foot-thick slab of bluestone with a single punch.

What Wei Luo cared more about was the Sun Family's recruitment that Liu Changle had mentioned. From what he said, it seemed that joining the Sun Family this time might offer an opportunity to learn martial arts as well.

Thus, throughout the journey, Wei Luo kept asking about the Sun Family's recruitment.

More than ten minutes later, the skiff reached the bend indicated by the fish catch information. Wei Luo thanked Uncle Liu once more, then rowed away.

"Dad, why is Wei Luo so stubborn? He insists on going to that godforsaken shallow bend. Isn't that just wasting the boat rental money for nothing? Does he really think he can catch fish on the river just because he's lucky?"

Liu Changle said with a frown.

Old Liu had just spoken up, telling Wei Luo to follow them and cast their nets together.

With his father's skill, it would not have been difficult to help Wei Luo earn a hundred or so copper coins.

If it were anyone else, even if they begged Old Liu, he might not agree.

But this boy had flatly refused.

Liu Changle was about to complain a little more when Old Liu smacked him again.

"You brat, you have no real skills, but you sure have plenty of skill at gossiping. You even look down on others. If you had half of Wei Luo's ability, I'd be burning incense in thanks!"

Old Liu and his son had completely different temperaments. Old Liu was a man of few words, but he saw things clearly.

If someone got lucky once and caught fish, it meant nothing. But if they could keep catching fish, then it was most likely not luck.

Splash—

The fishing net spread into a circle in midair and dropped into the water. The surface immediately boiled as the fish sensed danger and began splashing wildly.

Wei Luo had searched the bend for a long time and had already cast his net more than a dozen times, but he had not seen any valuable fish, only small fish and shrimp.

This time, seeing the water churn so violently, a smile rose to his lips.

At last, his repeated casting and hauling had not left him dripping with sweat for nothing.

After waiting two breaths, Wei Luo immediately began hauling in the net. Now it was time to see just how valuable this so-called high-value catch was.

Huff... hah...

Hauling nets was exhausting work. Wei Luo had only lifted part of it when he was already worn out, panting heavily.

"There are actually large yellow croakers!"

When Wei Luo saw yellow fish in the net, he felt strength surge through his body. He hurriedly hauled the net aboard.

He immediately counted his catch. There were three yellow croakers as long as his arm, which would sell for two hundred copper coins without any problem.

The other miscellaneous fish were also decent in size, weighing twenty or thirty jin altogether and worth thirty to fifty copper coins.

What surprised him somewhat was that there was even an old soft-shelled turtle in the net. This thing was extremely nourishing when stewed into soup. Quite a few people at the fish market specifically bought turtles, and it could sell for more than fifty copper coins too.

A fisherman in Pingjiang Town earned less than a hundred copper coins a day. Yet this single net had brought him more than three hundred copper coins!

Even ordinary fishing households could only make a hundred or so copper coins when the fishing was good.

The deduced information really was damn amazing!

By now, the river fog had long since dispersed, and it was nearing noon.

Wei Luo was just about to row away when he let out a soft sound of surprise.

[2,564 meters downstream on the Hun River, high-value fish can be found in the central waters of the shallow bend. There is a chance to catch them before noon.]

Hadn't I already hauled up the fish? Why is the fish catch information still here?

Could it be that the high-value catch wasn't referring to those yellow croakers? Then what could it be...

Wei Luo sensed something and immediately stopped the boat. He quickly sorted out the fishing net, chose a spot, and cast it into the water again.

He moved very quickly, casting the net four or five times in a short span.

But with midday fast approaching, Wei Luo cast his final net, a trace of anxiety in his eyes.

Could it be that there truly was no opportunity left?

As he hauled in the final net, the instant that flash of red appeared within it, Wei Luo's gaze sharpened and joy immediately surged in his heart!