Chapter 14: New Fishing Rod, New Fishing Spot (Combined Chapter)

Lu Qing stared at the thread for a moment, and a faint red glow slowly emanated from it.

【Snow Silk: Thread spun by the mystical Snow Silk Worm, extraordinarily resilient.】

【Resistant to fire and water, impervious to blades and steel—truly a remarkable treasure.】

【Primary material used in crafting Snow Silk garments.】

When Lu Qing activated his Abilities to examine the thread gifted by Chen Laodaifu, his expression flickered with surprise.

This mysterious thread… was a red-radiance item.

Having awakened his Abilities some time ago, Lu Qing had come to understand that the color of light emitted during his Abilities’ scan often indicated an object’s rarity and value. So far, he’d only seen three levels: gray, white, and red.

And red? He’d only witnessed it once before—on Chen Laodaifu himself.

Now, another red-radiance item had appeared. And this one, too, had been given to him by the old doctor.

"Who would’ve thought… this was actually a red-radiance treasure?" Lu Qing murmured, his heart stirred.

He’d suspected the thread wasn’t ordinary—but never imagined it was this precious.

For his Abilities to classify it as a treasure, it had to be truly extraordinary.

He reread the description.

Resistant to fire and water. Unbreakable by blade or sword.

What kind of thread could possess such properties? This wasn’t just strong—it was supernatural.

"Does Chen Laodaifu even know just how extraordinary this thread is?" Lu Qing thought, a mix of emotions swirling within him.

In just a few short days, he and Xiao Yan had received countless kindnesses from the old doctor. Now, he’d even been given such a priceless gift.

It filled him with gratitude—and shame.

Because he knew, deep down, his reasons for approaching Chen Laodaifu weren’t entirely pure.

"Guess I’ll have to catch something truly special… to repay Chen Ye Ye’s kindness."

Lu Qing desperately wanted to give back, but their home was so poor it barely had enough to eat. He couldn’t offer anything of real value.

And besides, with Chen Laodaifu’s refined taste—someone who’d gifted Snow Silk—money or common goods probably wouldn’t even register.

The only thing he could do was lean into his own strengths.

Earlier, the old doctor had casually mentioned his fondness for fishing.

And fishing? That was Lu Qing’s greatest skill.

"So you’re destined to become my fishing line," he muttered, picking up the small bundle of Snow Silk.

The moment it touched his palm, a cool, silky chill seeped through.

The thread’s thickness was roughly the same as the fishing lines he’d used in his past life—yet he couldn’t help wondering what kind of creature could produce such thick silk.

The bundle looked small, but upon closer inspection, Lu Qing realized: if fully unraveled, it might stretch over a hundred meters.

But he wouldn’t need that much.

He went to the kitchen, grabbed an old kitchen knife, and prepared to cut off a section to make a fishing line.

But when he placed the thread on a wooden block and brought the knife down—the blade sank deep into the wood, but the thread remained untouched.

Only then did he recall the description from his Abilities.

Resistant to fire and water. Unbreakable by blade or sword.

He’d thought it might be poetic exaggeration.

But it was literal.

At least for now, with this blunt kitchen knife, it was impossible to cut the Snow Silk.

That actually relieved him.

To test whether it was truly fireproof, he took out a fire starter from the kitchen, lit it, and held the tip of the thread over the flame.

The thread didn’t burn immediately. It held on for a full five minutes before finally snapping.

"So resistant to fire… doesn’t mean immune," Lu Qing mused, staring at the scorched fragment on the floor.

But still—five minutes of flame? For silk? That was incredible.

Of course, the fact that it could be burned was a good thing.

If it were completely fireproof, he’d have had to make a casting rod—something far more complex than a simple hand rod.

And he’d never made a full casting rod from scratch before. Most of his past ones had used store-bought parts.

Given their current circumstances, that was out of the question.

Now, with the thread burnable, he could proceed with confidence.

From then on, Lu Qing devoted himself entirely to crafting his new fishing rod.

First, he selected bamboo.

With his knife, he spent an entire day in the bamboo grove behind the village, finally choosing several small, aged stalks and bringing them home.

After selecting the bamboo, he trimmed and dried it, applied anti-pest treatment—tasks that normally took days.

But Lu Qing couldn’t wait.

So he picked one of the older stalks, gave it a quick heat treatment, and immediately began shaping it into a fishing rod.

The rest were set aside for careful, slow drying.

Once the main shaft was ready, the rest was simple.

In just a few hours, the new fishing rod was complete.

"Clang! Xiao Yan, look—what do you think of my new fishing rod? Pretty, right?"

The next morning, Lu Qing slung the rod over his shoulder and turned to Xiao Yan.

"Pretty!" Xiao Yan, ever the eager supporter, nodded vigorously.

"Yep, I think it’s great too!" Lu Qing swung the rod, grinning proudly.

Though the build was rushed, the quality was solid.

And as he looked at it now, his Abilities revealed a bright, shimmering white glow.

【Snow Silk Fishing Rod: Crafted using Snow Silk as the fishing line.】

【Line is incredibly tough, rod is sturdy—can withstand over a hundred catties of tension without snapping. With this rod, you might just catch a big one.】

When he first saw those words, Lu Qing nearly jumped.

His new rod could endure over a hundred catties of pull?

Snow Silk being tough was understandable—but for ordinary, wild bamboo from the mountains to be this resilient? That was astonishing.

Only in this world could such wonders exist—snow silk, and bamboo that defied the laws of nature.

If his old fishing buddies back home saw this, they’d probably drool with envy.

"Brother," Xiao Yan asked, eyes sparkling, "is the fishing rod done? Can we go fishing now?"

"Of course we can!" Lu Qing declared, his spirit high.

He’d spent two full days building it.

And in that time, their fish supply had been completely exhausted.

More importantly, tomorrow was the day he was supposed to meet Chen Laodaifu for acupuncture.

This time, he couldn’t show up empty-handed.

"Yay! I get to go fishing again!" Xiao Yan bounced with joy. "I’ll go dig up some earthworms for you!"

She dashed toward the door.

Lu Qing shook his head.

The girl was strange. Most children—especially girls—were afraid of earthworms.

But not Xiao Yan. She wasn’t just unafraid—she wanted to help, running off to dig them up herself.

She had the courage of a boy ten times her age.

"Who knows," Lu Qing thought, a flicker of worry crossing his mind, "will she ever grow up to be the gentle, graceful girl I want her to be? Or will she end up a tomboy?"

He pushed the thought aside.

It was too early to worry.

He picked up the shovel from outside the house and stepped out.

By the time he returned, Xiao Yan was already waiting in the yard, holding a bamboo tube filled with wriggling earthworms.

"Come on, brother!" she urged.

"Coming, coming!"

After digging up the worms, Lu Qing pulled out a small cloth bag and tucked it into his pocket.

"Brother, what’s that?" Xiao Yan asked, eyes wide with curiosity.

"Secret weapon," he whispered with a mischievous grin. "Today’s catch depends on it."

"Daaaaa big fish!" Xiao Yan’s eyes lit up.

She didn’t know how big “big” was—but it sounded awesome.

Once the bait was ready, Lu Qing fetched the old wooden bucket they used for fishing, slung the new rod over his shoulder, and gave a final look around.

"Let’s go—off we go!"

"Off we go!" Xiao Yan chimed in, her voice bright and joyful.

…

Not long after, the two reached the village’s edge.

Xiao Yan, holding the bamboo tube, skipped ahead, repeating under her breath:

"Bigger fish… bigger fish…"

A few villagers passing by couldn’t help but smile.

"Xiao Yan, where are you and your brother off to?" Zhao Da Shu called out.

"Zhao Da Shu! We’re going to the river to fish! Big fish!" she replied cheerfully.

"Oh? Big fish? How do you know you’ll catch one?" Zhao Da Shu teased.

"Because my brother said so! He’s the best fisher in the whole village!"

"Haha, yes, yes! Your brother’s the best!" Zhao Da Shu laughed.

Seeing her proud little face, he couldn’t help but chuckle.

"Kids will be kids, Zhao Da Shu. Don’t mind her." Lu Qing smiled apologetically.

"Nah, it’s fine. She’s adorable. Remember when you were sick? She cried so hard—heartbreaking." Zhao Da Shu’s tone softened.

"But you know, Lu Qing—watch her carefully. Don’t let her go near the water."

"I know," Lu Qing said seriously.

"Xiao Yan, did you hear? Stay close to me. No playing in the water, okay?" Zhao Da Shu reminded her.

"Got it!" she replied sweetly. "I’m a good girl!"

"Of course you are," Zhao Da Shu ruffled her hair, a hint of melancholy in his voice.

After saying goodbye, the siblings continued toward the river.

But when they arrived, they both froze.

The spot where Lu Qing had fished before—his favorite little nook—was already occupied.

Not by one or two people, but by seven or eight villagers, packed tightly into the small stretch of bank.

And worse—Lu Qing recognized most of them.

"Lu Qing! You’re here too? Come join us!" one called out.

"Yep," Lu Qing replied with a smile. "We ran out of fish at home. Thought I’d come catch a few."

He paused, then asked, "Why are you all crammed together? Don’t you worry about tangling your lines?"

"Tell me about it," the man sighed. "We don’t want to be here either. But other spots? Nothing bites. Waited hours for one fish. Only this spot works. Oh—did you fish here before? Tiger’s kid said you did."

"So you’re all here because it’s working?" Lu Qing blinked.

"Exactly!"

"Of course it’s not working anymore!" Lu Qing thought, exasperated.

With that many people fishing in one place, even the most abundant fish would be gone.

And the rest? They’d be spooked, wary of anything that even looks like a hook.

He shook his head.

That fishing spot was ruined.

For a long time, it’d never recover.

"Keep fishing," he said. "I’ll try somewhere else."

The villagers didn’t protest. In fact, they seemed relieved.

They were already packed tight. One more person? It’d be unbearable.

As for Lu Qing’s plan to “try elsewhere”? They didn’t care.

They’d already tried other spots—nothing.

This was the only place that worked.

So they stayed.

Lu Qing took Xiao Yan’s hand and walked further downstream.

He couldn’t blame them. The river belonged to everyone.

No one owned a spot just because they’d fished there before.

So he didn’t mind.

With his Abilities, he could always find a new spot.

The river was long. There were countless fishing spots.

No need to worry.

He walked slowly along the bank, scanning the river surface with his Abilities.

Then—his eyes suddenly widened.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end