After Tiexin and Phoenix regained their memories, they joined Ling'er and the other girls. They all sat on the sofa chatting, while Yun Tian looked outside.
"All right, we're here. Everyone, get out."
"Yay! We're finally here!"
Everyone stepped outside and saw a lake. Strangely, it hadn't frozen over, and mist rose from its surface-cold mist, of course. Since it looked so much like a hot spring, it was also known as Hot Spring Lake.
"Wow, it's beautiful here!"
"It really is!"
Once Yun Tian found a suitable spot, he had the RV deploy and set up camp, then carried the barbecue grill outside.
"Stop playing around, everyone. Let's fish! We'll grill whatever we catch for lunch."
"Sure!"
Yun Tian took out fishing rods and handed them around. Then Bailing said,
"Husband, just fishing like this is boring. Let's have a contest. If you lose, you have to agree to one request from us."
"Sure, bring it on! I'm the king of fishing. Even the Heavenly Emperor of Fishing would have to admit defeat against me!"
"Keep bragging, husband."
"You little rascal, how dare you doubt your husband? Just wait until I teach you a lesson tonight."
"Hmph! If you bully me, I'll tell Sister Ling'er."
"Oh, so you've learned to tattle now? Careful, or I'll teach your Sister Ling'er a lesson too."
When Ling'er heard herself being dragged into it, she joined the fray, teaming up with Bailing to trade barbs with Yun Tian.
Beiming Xue and Dongfang Tiexin watched them.
Tiexin: "Are they always like this?"
Xue: "Pretty much."
Tiexin: "That's really interesting. He's invincible, yet right now he's acting just like a child."
Xue: "Stay here long enough, and you'll get used to it. Besides, living like this is fun, isn't it?"
Tiexin: "Yes, it really is. By the way, how did you end up with Yun Tian and the others?"
Xue: "After I escaped from Beiming Mountain Manor back then..."
Tiexin: "I didn't realize you were just like me. But we were both lucky enough to meet him."
The fishing contest officially began, and the four girls quickly got into the swing of things, as though they were born expert anglers. They deftly baited their hooks, then flicked their rods lightly, sending the hooks streaking into the water like shooting stars.
Before long, Ling'er's fishing rod began shaking violently. "I've got a bite!" she cried excitedly. Good news soon came from the other three girls as well, as their rods also began to twitch.
The fish seemed especially fond of Ling'er and the others, constantly swimming toward their rods. How else could they have caught so many so easily?
By then, the four girls' buckets were filling with fish, each one lively and flapping, a delightful sight. Yun Tian looked into his own bucket again, only to be bitterly disappointed. It was completely empty except for a few leaves floating on the water, looking particularly forlorn.
Yun Tian took a closer look, inwardly alarmed. At this rate, won't I lose this contest miserably? Am I really going home empty-handed today? No way! Where would that leave my dignity as the king of fishing?
Just as Yun Tian was growing desperately anxious, inspiration struck. He quickly took a firecracker out of the system. It looked quite unusual, with the words "King of Firecrackers" prominently written on it. The moment Yun Tian saw those words, his confidence returned. With this firecracker, victory was guaranteed!
Without hesitation, Yun Tian lit the firecracker and hurled it into the lake like a grenade. Then he sprinted away as fast as his legs could carry him, afraid of getting caught in the blast.
Dongfang Tiexin and the others were puzzled when Yun Tian suddenly ran off. They had no idea what he was trying to do. While they were still wondering, a deafening bang rang out. A dazzling burst of fire shot up from the lake, followed by an enormous wave blasted from its surface.
Looking closely, they saw countless wriggling fish caught in the wave. They were thrown into the air along with the water, then came raining down from the sky.
Yun Tian was overjoyed at the sight and immediately raced back like an arrow loosed from a bow, his face glowing with excitement. Ling'er and the others stared in astonishment. They had never imagined he could blast so many fish out of the lake with a single firecracker!
Yun Tian ran up to them and said smugly, "Haha! Well? Pretty impressive, wasn't it?"
"So? Did I win or not?"
"But... husband, that's cheating!"
"Exactly, Yun Tian! You cheated!"
"Brother Yun..." Beiming Xue said nothing more, but she too gave Yun Tian a reproachful look.
The four girls' stares made Yun Tian feel a little embarrassed. But remembering that an angler's dignity was at stake, he brazened it out.
"Just tell me whether I won!"
At that moment, Ling'er said,
"Yes, yes, husband. You won."
Yun Tian jumped up in excitement.
"Oh, yeah! I told you I was the king of fishing!"
The other girls looked baffled that a mere title could make Yun Tian so happy, and asked Ling'er,
"Why is he so excited?"
"You don't understand. This is a matter of an angler's dignity..."
After hearing Ling'er's explanation, they understood.
By noon, the sun was shining brightly, making it the perfect time to enjoy a good meal. Yun Tian decided to treat everyone to grilled fish. He expertly cleaned the fish, then set them over the fire.
Having a system really was convenient! It contained every kind of high-quality seasoning imaginable, giving the grilled fish such an enticing aroma that they seemed to have become heavenly delicacies.
Once everyone had gathered around and was ready to eat, Yun Tian suddenly took several bottles of iced black tea out of the system. This was no ordinary iced black tea. It had a distinctive quality-at room temperature, it tasted like horse piss, but chilled, it was as rich and mellow as National Cellar.
Everyone eyed the bottles curiously, a little puzzled but mostly eager to try them. Smiling, Yun Tian opened the bottles and poured the iced black tea into their cups. The liquid swirled inside, giving off its distinctive aroma.
"Here, everyone, give it a try!" Yun Tian urged warmly. They all raised their cups and took a small sip.
Instantly, a cool, refreshing sensation washed over them. The iced black tea tasted rich and mellow, its fragrance lingering pleasantly on the palate. Although it was snowy outside, that did nothing to spoil their enjoyment of National Cellar.
"Wow, this iced black tea is delicious!"
"Yeah, it tastes incredible chilled!"
"Yun Tian, where did you get such unusual iced black tea?"
Everyone praised the iced black tea, savoring the delicious grilled fish alongside the distinctive drink in utter contentment.
While everyone was happily eating, Dongfang Tiexin's communication crystal ball rang.
Yun Tian: "What's wrong, Tiexin?"
"It's a call from the Heaven-Earth Alliance Leader."
"Oh, that's fine. Give it to me. I'll talk to him."
"All right."
Yun Tian answered the call and saw the Heaven-Earth Alliance Leader with his eyes closed.
"Hey, old Heaven! Long time no see. Have you eaten?"
The Heaven-Earth Alliance Leader was stunned. He remembered calling Dongfang Tiexin, so why was he hearing a man's voice? He opened his eyes, only to find Yun Tian staring back at him from the crystal ball.
"Fuck!" The Heaven-Earth Alliance Leader was so startled that he blurted out the classic curse.
"Yun Tian! Why is it you?"
"Where's Dongfang Tiexin?"
Seeing the Heaven-Earth Alliance Leader's reaction, Yun Tian couldn't help saying,
"Come on, old Heaven. We've met before, haven't we? That makes us old friends. Why react like that? You're really hurting your old friend's feelings." As he spoke, Yun Tian put on a wounded expression.
At the sight of his expression, Ling'er and the others couldn't help laughing.
"Husband, what are you doing?"
"Brother Yun, you're hilarious."
"Yun Tian, look how sour the Heaven-Earth Alliance Leader's face is!"
Before you continue