Chapter 14: New Fishing Rod, New Fishing Spot (Two-in-One)

Chapter 14: New Fishing Rod, New Fishing Spot (Two-in-One)



Lu Qing examined the silken thread for a while, and a faint red light emerged.

【Snow Silk: Silk thread spun by the Spirit Silk Moth, extremely durable.】

【Resistant to water and fire, impervious to blades and swords, it seems to be a valuable treasure.】

【Main material for crafting Snow Silk Clothing.】

...

When Lu Qing activated his ability to scrutinize the thread that Old Doctor Chen had given him, his face couldn't help but show his surprise.

This mysterious silk thread actually emitted a red light, indicating its rarity.

Ever since he had awakened his ability, Lu Qing had learned that the light revealed by objects often represented their value.

Thus far, his ability had revealed three types of light: gray, white, and red.

Among them, he had only seen the red light emanating from Old Doctor Chen himself.

And the information revealed by his ability had shown the old doctor to be a covert cultivator.

Now, he had discovered another red-light item, and it was also a gift from the old doctor.

"I never expected this to be such a valuable treasure," Lu Qing muttered.

He had suspected that the silk thread was no ordinary item, but he hadn't anticipated its extraordinary worth.

For his ability to deem it a treasure, it must be truly exceptional.

The information note described it as resistant to water and fire, impervious to blades and swords! What kind of silk thread could possess such characteristics? If this wasn't a treasure, then what was?

"I wonder if Old Doctor Chen knows just how extraordinary this silk is," Lu Qing said, his feelings complicated.

In just a few days, he and Xiao Yan had received countless favors from the old doctor.

And now, he had even gifted them this precious silk.

Lu Qing felt both touched and ashamed.

After all, he knew that his intentions in approaching Old Doctor Chen weren't entirely pure.

"It seems that I must seriously catch some good fish to gift to Grandpa Chen," Lu Qing said, determined to reciprocate the old doctor's kindness.

However, his family was currently poor, and they didn't have anything decent to offer.

Moreover, given the old doctor's discerning eye, material possessions might not impress him.

After all, he had readily given away something as valuable as the snow silk.

The only thing Lu Qing could do was to cater to the old doctor's hobbies.

Previously, the old doctor had mentioned his fondness for fish.

Fortunately, fishing was something Lu Qing excelled at.

"It seems you're destined to become my fishing line," Lu Qing said, picking up the small bundle of snow silk. It felt soft and cool to the touch.

The thickness of the silk thread was similar to the fishing lines he had used in his previous life to fish in rivers. He wondered what kind of magical creature this Spirit Silk Moth was, to be able to spin such thick silk.

The bundle of snow silk didn't seem like much, but upon closer inspection, Lu Qing estimated that if he unraveled it fully, it would be at least a hundred meters long.

Of course, he wouldn't need that much silk to make a fishing line.

Lu Qing fetched a woodcutter's knife from the kitchen, intending to cut off a section of the silk to use.

However, when he placed the silk on a block of wood and brought the knife down, the silk followed the blade, sinking into the wood without sustaining any damage.

Then, Lu Qing recalled the description provided by his ability.

Resistant to water and fire, impervious to blades and swords.

He had initially thought this might be a figure of speech, praising the silk's durability.

But it turned out that the description was to be taken literally.

At the very least, with the current sharpness of the household knife, it couldn't cut through the snow silk.

Lu Qing was no longer in a hurry.

To test if the snow silk was truly resistant to water and fire, he fetched a fire stick from the kitchen, lit it, and held the front end of the silk over the flame.

The snow silk didn't break immediately; it took a full five minutes of exposure before it finally snapped.

"So, resistant to water and fire means it's difficult to damage, not impossible," Lu Qing mused, staring at the small segment of silk that had fallen to the ground.

Of course, being able to withstand fire for five minutes was already impressive, especially for silk instead of wire.

Nevertheless, the fact that the snow silk could be burned was good news for Lu Qing.

If it had been impervious to fire, he would have had to use the entire length of silk to make a casting rod, as he had no way to cut it.

But making a casting rod was much more complicated than a hand rod, and he had always bought the necessary parts in the past instead of crafting them from scratch.

With his current resources, crafting a usable casting rod wasn't very realistic.

Fortunately, now that he knew the snow silk could be burned, things would be much simpler.

Chapter 14: New Fishing Rod, New Fishing Spot (Two-in-One)



Lu Qing then threw himself into making the fishing rod.

First, he had to choose the right bamboo pole. With a woodcutter's knife in hand, he spent an entire day in the bamboo forest behind the village before finally selecting a few aged bamboo shoots, which he cut down and took home.

Once the bamboo was chosen, it had to be trimmed and roasted, treated to prevent insects, and so on. These processes would also take a significant amount of time.

However, Lu Qing couldn't afford to wait that long, so he selected one of the aged bamboo shoots, gave it a quick roast, and decided to use it as his rod. He set the remaining bamboo aside, planning to roast them more carefully later.

With the bamboo selected, the rest of the process was simple.

It didn't take long for Lu Qing to craft his new fishing rod.

"Ta-da! Xiao Yan, look! How's this new fishing rod? Isn't it nice?"

One morning, Lu Qing proudly displayed his new fishing rod, resting it on his shoulder as he asked Xiao Yan for her opinion.

"It's nice!"

The adorable Xiao Yan immediately transformed into an enthusiastic cheerleader, nodding vigorously.

"I think so too!" Lu Qing boasted as he swung the rod back and forth.

Although he had rushed the process a bit, the quality of this new fishing rod was surprisingly good.

At that moment, the fishing rod glowed with a dense white light in Lu Qing's vision.

【Snow Silk Fishing Rod: A fishing rod made with a fishing line crafted from Snow Silk.】

【The line is resilient, the rod is sturdy, capable of withstanding a hundred catties of pulling force without breaking. With this rod, you might just catch a big fish.】

When Lu Qing first saw these two notes, he was startled.

The new fishing rod he had crafted could withstand a pulling force of over a hundred catties!

While it was impressive that the Snow Silk could bear such weight, he was more surprised by the resilience of the aged bamboo from the village's backend mountains.

He could only attribute it to the wonders of this alternate world, capable of producing not just wonders like Snow Silk but also exceptionally sturdy bamboo.

If his fishing buddies from his past life knew about this, their eyes would probably glow green with envy.

"Brother, now that the fishing rod is ready, are we going fishing?" Xiao Yan asked eagerly.

"Yes, of course!"

With the new fishing rod in hand, Lu Qing exuded confidence.

Moreover, he had spent two whole days crafting it.

In that time, they had almost finished eating through their previous catch.

More importantly, in one more day, it would be time for their appointment with Old Doctor Chen for acupuncture treatment.

This time, when he visited the old doctor, Lu Qing was determined not to show up empty-handed.

"Yay! We get to go fishing for big fish!" Xiao Yan's eyes lit up at the mention of big fish, and she excitedly added, "Brother, I'll help you dig for earthworms!"

Before Lu Qing could respond, she ran outside.

He shook his head, amused. Most children, especially girls, would feel squeamish about worms and insects, but not his little sister. Not only was she unafraid, but she was also eager to help him catch earthworms. Her courage far exceeded that of an ordinary little girl.

"I wonder if Xiao Yan will grow up to be the kind of lady I hope for, or will she turn into a tomboy?" Lu Qing couldn't help but worry.

While there was nothing wrong with being a tomboy, he secretly hoped that his sister would become a gentle and graceful young lady.

Shaking his head to dismiss these distant concerns, Lu Qing picked up his fishing rod and stepped out.

In the courtyard, Xiao Yan was already waiting for him with a bamboo tube full of earthworms.

"Brother, let's go! Don't dawdle!" Xiao Yan urged.

"Coming, coming!"

Lu Qing picked up a spade from the yard and joined his sister.

After digging up some earthworms, Lu Qing fetched a small cloth bag from the house and carefully placed the worms inside.

"Brother, what's that?" Xiao Yan asked curiously.

"It's a secret weapon. Whether or not we catch a big fish today depends on this," Lu Qing replied mysteriously.

"Big fish!" Xiao Yan's eyes sparkled at the mention.

She didn't know how big the 'big fish' her brother spoke of would be, but it certainly sounded exciting!

After preparing his secret weapon, Lu Qing retrieved the wooden bucket they had used previously for their catch, grabbed his new fishing rod, and set off.

"Let's go! We're off!"

"We're off!" Xiao Yan echoed excitedly.

...

Before long, the siblings reached the village entrance.

Xiao Yan, carrying the bamboo tube of earthworms, skipped ahead, chanting, "Big fish, big fish..."

The villagers who passed by couldn't help but smile at her enthusiasm.

"Xiao Yan, where are you and your brother off to?"

"It's Uncle Zhao! Brother and I are going to the river to fish for big fish!" Xiao Yan replied politely.

"Oh, you're going to catch a big one, huh? How do you know you'll catch a big fish?" Uncle Zhao teased her.

"Of course I know! Because my brother said so, and he's the best at fishing!" The little one boasted proudly.

"Haha, yes, yes, your brother is the best."

Seeing her proud little face, Uncle Zhao laughed even more.

"A child's words, please don't take offense, Uncle Zhao," Lu Qing said apologetically.

"It's nothing, nothing. Xiao Yan is adorable like this. When you were sick the other day, the way she cried really tugged at my heartstrings," Uncle Zhao said with a smile.

"However, you can fish all you want, but you must keep an eye on Xiao Yan and don't let her play in the water."

"I understand," Lu Qing replied seriously.

"Xiao Yan, did you hear that? Listen to your brother. When you get to the river, don't go play in the water secretly," Uncle Zhao admonished Xiao Yan again.

"I know." The little one replied obediently, "I'm very well-behaved."

"Yes, Xiao Yan is the most well-behaved."

Uncle Zhao ruffled her hair affectionately, his tone turning a bit wistful.

After bidding farewell to Uncle Zhao, the siblings continued on their way to the river.

However, when they arrived at the riverbank, the two of them were left dumbfounded.

Because they discovered that the spot where Lu Qing had fished before was already occupied.

It wasn't just one or two people, but seven or eight, all crowded together in a small space.

And these people were familiar to the siblings, as they were all villagers.

"Lu Qing, you're here to fish too? Why don't you come and squeeze in with us?"

One of the villagers greeted Lu Qing and Xiao Yan.

"Mmm, we've finished eating the fish we caught last time, so I thought I'd come and catch some more," Lu Qing smiled.

Then he asked curiously, "Why are you all squeezed together like this? Aren't you afraid of accidentally tangling your lines?"

"Don't mention it, we don't want to either." The villager wore a bitter expression, "It's difficult to catch fish at other spots, and you have to wait a long time for a single bite. Only at this spot is it easier to catch fish. By the way, did you hear that Tiger and the others said you fished at this spot last time?"

So, because it's easier to catch fish here, you're all crowded together?

Lu Qing was speechless.

However, he still nodded, "Yes, I fished here last time."

"Then you really are amazing! You chose a great spot. We've been fishing here these past few days, and we've caught the most fish at this spot. But today, it seems the fish aren't biting as much," the villager said, giving Lu Qing a thumbs up.

Of course, they're not biting as much!

With so many of you crowded together, even if there were more fish, they'd all be scared away.

Even if they weren't all scared away, the remaining ones would be extra cautious.

Lu Qing shook his head.

This fishing spot was probably ruined now.

At least for a long time, it would be hard for it to recover to its previous state.

"You guys keep fishing. I'll go try my luck somewhere else."

After expressing his dismay, Lu Qing pulled Xiao Yan towards another direction.

The villagers didn't try to stop him, but instead breathed a sigh of relief.

It was already crowded with them, and if one more person joined, it would truly be too packed.

As for Lu Qing's intention to try his luck elsewhere, they didn't pay it any mind.

In the past few days, they had also tried fishing at other sections of the river, but with little success.

No matter where they fished, they found that this spot yielded the most catches.

Otherwise, they wouldn't all be crowded here.

After leaving the small fish spot, Lu Qing led Xiao Yan further upstream.

The villagers' behavior left him speechless, but he couldn't really say anything about it.

After all, the river belonged to everyone, and anyone had the right to fish here.

It wasn't as if a spot belonged to someone just because they had fished there first.

Therefore, Lu Qing didn't mind that the villagers had taken over his previous fishing spot.

With his ability, he could always find another spot.

This river was so long, and there were probably countless fishing spots along its length. He wasn't worried about finding a new place to cast his line.

With these thoughts in mind, Lu Qing continued walking with Xiao Yan.

He didn't even bother going to the other two spots he had discovered before.

Those spots were also within the villagers' line of sight.

What if he started catching fish, and they all rushed over to crowd his spot again? It would be better to just walk further away, to a place out of everyone's sight, and avoid any unnecessary trouble.

After all, this time he was well-prepared. He had brought not only his fishing rod and bucket but also a woodcutter's knife, so he could clear a new fishing spot whenever he wanted.

Lu Qing and Xiao Yan walked along the riverbank, and he constantly used his ability to scan the water for signs of fish.

Suddenly, his eyes lit up.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end