Fishing Competition (4)

Just as Jiang Hao was about to withdraw his hand, Big Hen gently pecked his fingers with her beak, using the lightest of touches. Only after his hand stopped in midair did she stretch out her neck and rest her head in his palm.

At the sight, Jiang Hao smiled softly.

It was both heartbreaking and funny.

Beast pets could not speak, but that did not mean they had no emotions of their own. Joy, anger, sorrow, happiness-they felt them just like people did.

"Delicious. Too bad I can't eat another bite."

Gongsun Qianxun stood up and instinctively rubbed her little belly. It was so round and swollen that anyone who did not know better might have thought she was pregnant.

Most of the two boar legs had ended up in Chubby's stomach. The guy ate a lot but was hopeless with his hands. He loved good food yet could not cook, so any woman who ended up with him was destined for a life of toil.

Jiang Hao left the remaining meat to smoke, then devoted himself entirely to weaving landing nets. He made four in a single afternoon, bringing his total to seven with those from the previous night and that morning.

Nobody understood why he kept weaving nets instead of fishing, or why the nets were so small. What exactly was he planning?

Jiang Hao did not even touch a fishing rod all day, let alone catch any fish.

After a day's hard work, every contestant had caught something, whether it was a single fish or as many as three or four.

Even someone as short-tempered as Chubby managed to catch two. Congratulations were certainly in order.

While everyone else wanted to keep up their efforts after nightfall, Jiang Hao had already pitched his tent and was getting ready for bed.

He slept without dreams.

After he got up and washed the next morning, Wen Ruxue approached him, hesitating to speak. Even she could no longer stand his unhurried attitude toward the competition.

"Jiang Hao, you've already wasted a whole day. Aren't you worried if you still don't start fishing?"

Jiang Hao replied casually, "What's there to worry about? Relax. I know what I'm doing."

Wen Ruxue shook her head and walked away, speechless.

Not far away, Song Jie sneered. Was he planning to lie down and give up, or what? Rotten mud really could not be plastered onto a wall.

Jiang Hao continued weaving nets that day, but this time he made a Hand-Cast Net and a Fish Net Bag instead of landing nets.

The Hand-Cast Net had a relatively complex structure, consisting of netting and a ring of weighted chain secured around its bottom edge. Several Quick-Release Clips were spaced along the chain, allowing it to be detachably fastened to the inner surface of the net. Adjusting the clips' positions changed the size of the net's opening.

Marker lines were woven into the netting at intervals along its axis, and the Quick-Release Clips could be attached to those lines. A Pull Cord was connected to the top of the net, with a Storage Bag secured to its free end. The bag could hold the Hand-Cast Net.

Making this Hand-Cast Net took Jiang Hao two full days and nights.

Three days flew by. Some of the others had already caught more than a dozen fish. Now, not only were Wen Ruxue and the other two anxious for him, but the livestream viewers wanted to rush over and demand to know why he still had not started, instead spending all his time making useless things. Those who had bet on Jiang Hao winning, in particular, regretted it so deeply their guts had turned green.

They mourned his misfortune and raged at his refusal to fight-that described them perfectly.

On the fourth morning, Jiang Hao had just picked up his bamboo rod and fitted it with a reel when Chubby came over carrying a fish. "Hao, it's fine if you don't have any leaves. Take this fish. At least it'll get rid of that zero beside your name on the scoreboard."

In other words, even if he lost, he should not lose so disgracefully.

Looking at the fish before him, Jiang Hao did not know whether to laugh or cry. His delay certainly was not because he lacked Snow Spirit Tree leaves.

"Keep it yourself. I'll show you what a master angler can do in a moment."

"Are you sure you don't want it?"

Jiang Hao waved him off, picked up a piece of boar bone, and began shaving it vigorously with his Folding Axe. Gradually, a little Bone Fish took shape. That was right-he was going to use Artificial-Lure Fishing.

Artificial-Lure Fishing was a fishing method that used fake bait and required no chumming. It emphasized technique and coordinated control of rod, lure, and reel. By repeatedly casting and retrieving, the angler made the lure imitate the movements of small fish, shrimp, or soft-bodied worms in the water, enticing aggressive fish to attack.

Jiang Hao had thought of this method precisely because he knew how aggressive Snow Spirit Fish were. This was the confidence behind his refusal to start earlier.

Once the lure was finished, he began attaching the hook. Anyone looking closely would have noticed that his hook differed from everyone else's: it had a thin shank, a narrow gap, a long stem, and a straight point. Most importantly, it also had a barb.

Jiang Hao had specifically drawn the design based on hooks used by people on Earth and had someone custom-make it.

The hooks used by Chubby and the others generally lacked this kind of barb, so even when Snow Spirit Fish bit, they could easily break free.

Finally, he wound the fishing line onto the reel and tested it. Not bad.

He took out the pig's blood he had prepared three days earlier and soaked the lure in it for a few seconds. At last, Jiang Hao stepped up with his fishing rod.

The viewers watching nearly cried. Was this young man finally going to start fishing? They had waited three days for this moment and had thought he intended to lie down and give up.

Soon, everyone noticed a problem.

"Huh? He's actually not using Snow Spirit Tree leaves as bait. Can he catch anything that way?"

"Exactly. He might as well not fish and just keep lying down. If he catches anything with that, I'll eat shit right here."

"."

At the competition site.

When Song Jie saw Jiang Hao finally pick up a fishing rod, he was initially quite surprised. But once he noticed Jiang Hao's unusual fishing gear, he burst into loud, mocking laughter. "Haha! Jiang Hao, if you don't have any leaves, why not beg me? Maybe if I'm in a good mood, I'll bestow one on you so you can have a little fun. How about it? Haha!"

You'll be crying soon enough. Just watch how I make you cry with envy. Hmph!

Jiang Hao tested the feel of the rod, then cast.

"Plop!"

The lure kicked up a small splash, and Jiang Hao turned the reel to retrieve the line, copying what he had seen in videos.

The Bone Fish lure traced a line across the water like a tiny fish. Once he had reeled in all the line, those watching laughed. The people hoping Jiang Hao would create a miracle were even more disappointed.

Jiang Hao was not discouraged and cast again. He was waiting for the scent of boar blood on the lure to spread.

On his third cast, just as everyone was enjoying the joke, a burst of spray suddenly erupted from the surface.

Jiang Hao felt a powerful tug through the line. He jerked the rod upward and rapidly reeled in with his right hand.

The Snow Spirit Fish struggled ever more violently.

Soon, a large Snow Spirit Fish weighing a full two kilograms was hauled out of the water as Jiang Hao raised his rod.

Viewer A: "Holy shit!"

Viewer B: "Holy shit, he caught one!"

The viewers stared at Jiang Hao with wide eyes. Some hoped the fish would slip the hook, while others nervously cheered him on.

That fast?

Song Jie and Chen Xiaolin looked over as though they had seen a ghost.

Jiang Hao had only cast three times, taking less than two minutes. When anyone else cast, forget two minutes-it was perfectly normal to see no movement for half an hour.

It would have been a lie to say Jiang Hao was not nervous about catching his first fish. He did not bother playing it out and simply hauled the Snow Spirit Fish onto the bank with brute force.

Once the Snow Spirit Fish was flopping violently on the ground, Jiang Hao breathed a sigh of relief. His lips curved upward, and with a confident expression, he picked up a stone and smashed it down on the lively fish's head.

"Nice! Impressive! I told you, Jiang Hao might stay silent, but when he finally cried out, he'd astonish everyone. His first fish is secured."

"Hmph. Just luck."

One viewer scoffed sourly.

"Why is he killing it? Will the Referee Panel even accept dead fish?" Although the journey to the City of Eternity was not particularly long, dead fish could spoil easily. The soldiers were bravely holding off the enemy on the front lines, and he intended to make them eat dead fish?

They soon discovered they had all been wrong.

Jiang Hao picked up the dead Snow Spirit Fish, gutted it on the spot, then threaded a vine through it.

At the sight, the viewers suddenly had an ominous feeling.

What are you trying to do?

Don't tell me...

You don't want the points anymore?

Sure enough, when Jiang Hao built a fire and began grilling the fish, everyone closed their eyes in speechless disbelief, unable to bear watching.

"Unbelievable. Absolutely unbelievable. I have nothing left to say."

Everyone else worked themselves to the bone to catch a single fish, then eagerly called over a referee for their points. Yet here he was, still thinking about grilled fish. This was too much!

"Sizzle, sizzle."

With its innards removed, the Snow Spirit Fish was almost transparent. Only as it began to cook did its skin turn yellow and release oil.

He sprinkled on seasonings, and slowly, the aroma of fish began to spread.

Gongsun Qianxun caught the fragrance from far away and instinctively swallowed. In the end, she restrained herself and stayed put, inwardly railing at Jiang Hao for being heartless enough to grill fish without inviting her.

Chubby was not capable of maintaining her restraint. He immediately dropped his fishing rod and ran over, muttering, "Hao, you finally managed to catch this fish. Why grill it? What a waste."

"If you want some, just say so. Why all the nonsense?"

"Hehe. You know me best, Hao."

Once the fish was cooked, Jiang Hao gave half to Chubby and eagerly took a bite. Fresh, silky, and refreshing, its succulent flesh made his mouth water. With color, aroma, and flavor all perfect, it was simply a heavenly delicacy. Jiang Hao closed his eyes and slowly savored the sensation of the fish in his mouth.

"Delicious. It's so delicious!" Chubby showered it with praise after a single bite. Suddenly remembering something, he got up with his half of the fish and ran over to Gongsun Qianxun.

"Qianxun, want some? It's really good. I'll give you half."

Gongsun Qianxun glanced at the fish he had already bitten, looking thoroughly disgusted. Yet she truly could not resist the temptation, so she pointed to the untouched side. "Give me this part."

"You got it!"

Not being rejected was the best possible start. A man who knew how to share never had to worry about finding a girlfriend.

Wen Ruxue looked over at them, then at Jiang Hao. But Jiang Hao merely kept his head down and devoured his fish, showing no intention of sharing.

Hah. Men!

Wen Ruxue stopped waiting and focused on her fishing rod. Out of sight, out of mind.

Even half a fish weighed a kilogram, and some remained after Jiang Hao had eaten his fill. Believing that waste was shameful, he released Big Hen and fed her all the remaining fish.

Only then did Jiang Hao notice the unhappy air hanging around Wen Ruxue. After a moment's thought, he picked up his rod and began fishing again.

With his first experience under his belt, Jiang Hao handled it even more smoothly this time. Within three casts, he was sure to catch something.

The second fish he caught was not particularly large, but it was enough to fill Wen Ruxue's stomach.

When Jiang Hao brought the freshly grilled fish over and held it out to her, Wen Ruxue finally smiled like a flower bursting into bloom.

She thanked him sweetly.

To the others, this interaction was a painfully glaring sight. Song Jie was particularly annoyed. He also wanted to offer grilled fish to win her favor, but he could not bear to part with the points.

There was something downright uncanny about Jiang Hao, too. How did he land a fish every time? None ever slipped the hook; they practically seemed to be throwing themselves onto it, one every few minutes. How wonderful would it be if that luck were his!