Why Is the Carp King So Hard to Catch?

"Got one!"

"Brother Xian, you really weren't lying to me!"

He Qi cried out excitedly as he scooped up the big fish.

Fang Xian grinned. "Of course not. Brother Xian never lies."

He Qi really did have a knack for fishing.

In just two hours, his keepnet was nearly bursting.

Fang Xian remembered going fishing once with a high school classmate. He had cast his rod all morning without catching a single fish.

Come to think of it, who was that classmate?

Fang Xian suddenly couldn't remember.

He pulled his thoughts back to the present.

With his left hand, he kept refreshing the Urban Legend Compendium on his phone.

If anything about the Ghost Story came up, Fang Xian would adjust his actions accordingly.

But the Human-Faced Fish still hadn't shown itself.

It was almost as if it knew Fang Xian intended to catch it.

A Ghost Story with high intelligence... What a pain.

Fang Xian gripped the Fire Axe as the thought crossed his mind.

"Chirp."

Xiao Jiu nodded solemnly. Her eyes remained fixed on the water, as though she were searching for the Human-Faced Fish.

Seeing Fang Xian deep in thought, He Qi came over. "Brother Xian, there's something I've always wanted to ask you."

"Ask."

He Qi loved that cool, aloof attitude of Fang Xian's. "Brother Xian, how did you manage to get such a beautiful girlfriend?"

"Honestly, I've never seen anyone like her in real life. She looks like a huge star."

Fang Xian fell silent for a moment. "That's my secret. Want to hear it?"

He Qi grew excited. "Yes!"

Fang Xian rubbed his hands together. "Then you have to do me a favor."

He Qi perked up. "I'll do ten!"

Fang Xian waved that off, then lowered his voice. "Have you ever heard of... the Human-Faced Fish?"

Changzhao Reservoir.

On the shore at night.

"Suppose there's a fish like that."

"It's as smart as a human."

"Then it's only natural we can't catch it right away."

He Qi smiled. "With that in mind, we can use the same methods we'd use against a person."

"Living things can't resist their instincts."

"If there's something tasty to eat, they'll take a few risks for it. Especially when they're underwater, where they feel safest."

Fang Xian saw some unusual bait in He Qi's hand.

"I made this bait myself."

"We'll leave the rod there and walk away. As long as we're patient enough, that fish will bite. I'm confident of it."

Looking at He Qi, Fang Xian wished he had that much confidence when pursuing girls. "Wait. If it just eats the bait, won't it swim off? That fish is about five and a half feet long. It's huge."

He Qi chuckled. "I've got this."

He gently broke open the bait.

A tiny chip lay inside.

"A tracker."

"Once it's on, the battery will last about fifteen hours. That's more than enough time to catch it."

Fang Xian straightened at once. "May I ask what you study?"

He Qi carefully put the bait back together. "Jiangzhou Institute of Technology, Electronic Information Engineering."

Damn, that's impressive.

You can always count on us engineering students.

Someone like Song Yizhou, with her degree in Chinese Language and Literature, can't even find a job after graduation.

Fang Xian puffed out his chest with pride. Then he said gravely, "Student He, let's begin."

He Qi gripped the fishing rod. "Right!"

Whether it was a big fish or a girlfriend,

he wanted both!

A few minutes later.

The fishing rod was set up.

Given how smart that fish was, Fang Xian decided he and He Qi had better put on a show.

They could wait by the shore for ages, then finally get restless and wander off to sleep or take a piss.

The important thing was to make it convincing.

Fang Xian kept sensing a malicious gaze from somewhere.

This time, it seemed to come from beneath the water.

It was as though a pale, rotting human face with wide, hollow eyes was watching the foolish anglers on the shore through the rippling water.

Fang Xian was patient. After he and He Qi had waited nearly an hour, he gave him a subtle signal.

He Qi stretched. "Brother Xian, let's go take a piss."

Fang Xian chuckled. "I was just thinking the same thing."

With their arms around each other's shoulders, they walked toward a dark thicket in the distance.

The sound of "psss, psss, psss" drifted through the slightly damp air.

When men took a piss, that sound was practically mandatory.

Beneath the dark lake, lit by the moon,

something seemed to move.

Thud.

Thud.

An eerie shadow slowly swayed.

It looked like a rotting corpse dancing underwater.

First, it circled.

Then it watched.

A pair of narrow eyes flickered in and out of view.

They were small and vicious-looking—human eyes that had no business being underwater in a place like this.

Once it was certain the people on shore had left,

glug.

Glug.

The shadow lunged!

It took the bait!

The entire rod tipped over and bent double!

The force was terrifying. All the fishing gear went flying, as though something had slammed into it.

"Finally got you!"

"You bastard!"

"Chirp!!"

Fang Xian emerged from the darkness with the Fire Axe.

Xiao Jiu sat on Fang Xian's shoulder, pointing one tiny finger at a spot beneath the water as she cried out.

He Qi trailed behind, thrilled but also wondering how the hell Fang Xian could run so fast. Was the guy an athlete?

"Xiao Jiu, use Spirit Separation!"

Fang Xian lowered his gaze without the slightest hesitation.

Xiao Jiu cried out and pointed her tiny finger.

A rotten, uncanny aura surged forth.

This time, it struck the fish-shaped shadow beneath the lake dead-on!

This time was different!

To catch this Ghost Story, Fang Xian had spent his lifespan trying out every one of Xiao Jiu's skills.

And Spirit Separation's greatest effect was to stun its target!

It could leave a person or a Ghost Story dazed. How long depended on the target's willpower, but it would halt them for at least an instant.

That instant was all Fang Xian needed!

Fang Xian told He Qi to hold the rod tight.

Then he hurried forward, stepping partly into the water.

He grabbed the fishing line and yanked it upward!

A face that made his skin crawl broke the surface!

This time, Fang Xian saw it clearly.

The face even had hair on it!

He Qi shuddered in fright and instinctively let go of the rod.

Fang Xian didn't hesitate. He swung the axe.

THUD!!!!!

Fang Xian put every ounce of strength he had into that blow with the Fire Axe.

It slammed into the human face.

A sound like cracking bone followed.

The thing thrashed so violently that Fang Xian couldn't hold on. It knocked him back onto the shore.

"Fuck!"

That had really hurt.

Fang Xian felt as though the blow had nearly broken his leg.

The shadow seized the chance to bite through the fishing line. It seemed to glance at Fang Xian before swiftly vanishing down the waterway.

Why the fuck is the Carp King so hard to catch?

After He Qi pulled Fang Xian up onto the shore, that was the only thought in Fang Xian's head.