Chapter 023

The night had fallen. Upon hearing Nie Luo’s words, Mao Fei quickly glanced at his luminous float, only to see it had already submerged beneath the water.

He was startled. A fish had taken the bait so quickly?

Nie Luo also noticed the sinking float and remarked, "Looks like a big one."

"Quick, play it!"

Nearby anglers had overheard him. Earlier, when they heard this guy had spent a thousand yuan on a toy fishing rod, they had silently labeled him a complete sucker. Now, he had turned around and hooked a giant fish with that very toy.

But he still had to be able to land it.

The people around them turned their heads to watch, though most felt it was unlikely; they doubted such a flimsy rod could haul in a big fish.

"Take it easy, don't let it run," Nie Luo advised.

Mao Fei nodded. At this moment, he had completely forgotten about his earlier plan to report the shady stall. Compared to fishing, everything else was trivial.

He gripped the rod firmly, preparing to tire the fish out. He knew that relying on brute force to land a fish this size was nearly impossible; after all, fish aren't stupid, and if it struggled hard enough, it could easily drag him into the water. Furthermore, it was questionable whether this toy rod could handle the weight. He didn't want the rod to snap—he had paid a thousand yuan for it, after all.

Yet, to his surprise, the moment Mao Fei pulled, the fish was hauled straight up.

The massive fish thrashed on the surface. Just looking at it, the onlookers could tell it was truly enormous. Its tail whipped back and forth; if it were still deep in the water, it would probably take two people to pull it in. They hadn't expected this seemingly skinny kid to have such strength.

"Feizi, why did you pull it up so fast? Hurry, bring it over, I'll net it for you!" Nie Luo grabbed the landing net, getting ready. He estimated the fish weighed at least thirty pounds. He hissed, suddenly brimming with excitement. They usually caught only tiny fish, the largest being a few pounds at most. Landing a thirty-pounder would make every angler there green with envy.

The surrounding anglers watched with wide eyes.

"My goodness, that's a huge fish!"

"Brother, you have god-given strength! You pulled it up in one go!"

"Don't rush, don't rush, bring it to the bank slowly, don't let it slip away."

"That fish has some serious power, look at that tail!"

Mao Fei held the rod with both hands. Before he could even make a move, the rod—which had been extended about a meter—slowly retracted on its own, and the fish drew closer and closer. He stood there, stunned as the fish was practically delivered to him. He was completely bewildered.

Wait, why didn't he feel any resistance? When he pulled it up just now, he hadn't used much effort at all! The usual tension one feels when playing a fish was almost non-existent; it felt as if he were only lifting the weight of the rod itself. Even when the fish was right in front of him, it didn't feel heavy. Yet, visually, it was clearly a massive creature—if he had to lift it by hand, he probably couldn't.

Nie Luo watched the rod retract automatically and quickly used the landing net to scoop the fish onto the bank. He stood with hands on his hips and laughed heartily, "Such a big fish! Let's walk around the river tide three times later!"

After he had been excited for a long while, Mao Fei looked at the fish, puzzled. "How did I catch this?"

Could a thirty-pound fish really be caught with this piece-of-junk rod? Was he dreaming?

Nie Luo slapped him on the shoulder, soaking his clothes with river water. "What are you thinking about? Aren't you excited about catching a big fish?"

"And since when did you get so strong? A thirty-pound fish, and you pulled it up like nothing. You're something else."

That required immense strength—was he a superman?

Mao Fei looked at the rod in his hand. "I didn't use any strength."

"It’s this rod..." He scratched his head. "I just pulled, and it came right up. The fish didn't seem to have any weight, and there was no resistance under the water."

Nie Luo frowned. "This rod is that badass?"

He took the rod from Mao Fei. The moment he touched it, he felt it was extraordinary. First, it was incredibly light—a three-year-old child could easily lift it. Second, there was a button on the rod; he pressed it, and the rod immediately extended. It seemed quite fun.

By now, a crowd had gathered around the big fish, everyone sighing with envy. Hearing that the rod was the secret, they couldn't help but look over.

"Just this rod?"

"Brother, stop making excuses for that shady stall."

"Tsk, that fish is huge. I'm taking a photo."

Mao Fei wanted to say he wasn't making excuses. He was genuinely confused and doubtful—was it really the rod? Could he be the reincarnation of Lu Bu?

"Should I try fishing again to see?" Mao Fei sat down, re-baited the hook, and cast it into the river.

Not long after, before the crowd had even dispersed, they saw his float sink again. Mao Fei lifted the rod, and another big fish was pulled onto the bank.

The crowd: "??!"

Were the fish in Qingliu River that easy to catch? Damn! Was this guy Jiang Taigong reborn? Why did the fish bite the moment the hook hit the water? Usually, the fish weren't this stupid.

They had no idea that beneath the surface, countless fish were lingering in place, reluctant to leave, and then slowly dispersing. Only when the hook dropped did they swarm in, fighting to bite.

Mao Fei hauled up another fish. He suddenly laughed out loud, "It is the rod!"

"This rod really can catch fish! The stall owner didn't lie to me!"

Nie Luo’s mouth hung open, still unable to recover from the miracle of Mao Fei catching three fish in a row. He swallowed hard. "You said you spent a thousand on this rod?"

"Where did you buy it again?"

Someone nearby spoke up, "Wasn't it under the overpass?"

"Brother, can you lend me your rod? Just for one try?" Someone wiped their hands, looking at the rod as if it were the flesh of a Tang Monk. They had seen it with their own eyes—the rod looked unremarkable, yet it had pulled up three big fish in no time! Besides, since this guy was so skinny and could haul the fish up so easily, it definitely had to be the rod!

Nie Luo waved his hand. "Go away, go buy your own." He then leaned in with a cheeky grin. "Feizi, let me use your rod for a bit."

Mao Fei handed it to him. "Take it easy now." Even though he had only spent a thousand yuan, the rod was truly incredible. What was the principle behind it? He had long since forgotten his earlier feeling of being ripped off. For them, a good fishing rod costing thousands or tens of thousands was normal. Now, it seemed like a thousand yuan was a steal.

Nie Luo held the rod with extreme care. He baited the hook and cast it. The moment the hook hit the water, the float sank.

The onlookers gasped. "Good heavens, it's like the fish are just waiting there."

"Hooked again! How is it so fast? Did he pre-bait the spot?"

Anglers nearby, whose floats remained motionless, looked on in frustration. What was going on? Did the fish have favorites?

Nie Luo quickly pulled the fish in. It wasn't as large as the ones Mao Fei caught, but it weighed about ten pounds.

"Hahahaha! I caught one too!" Nie Luo stood with his hands on his hips, laughing joyously. He rarely caught anything other than tiny fish on his daily outings. His child used to tease him about going out every day just to "hunt" tiny fish for her. Today, he could finally bring home a big one!

"Brother, brother," someone circled Mao Fei. "Are you selling this rod? I’ll give you two thousand. Sell it to me."

Mao Fei shook his head. Are you kidding? He only paid a thousand, but given how it could catch fish by the minute, why would he sell it? No way.

Someone else chimed in, "If you want one, go buy it at that stall. It’s under the overpass, right?"

The man sneered, "What do you know? Even if every rod is the same from the factory, what if only this one can catch fish?"

Nie Luo listened intently. He leaned close to Mao Fei and draped an arm around his shoulder. "Feizi, we've known each other for twenty years, haven't we?"

Mao Fei glanced at him. "I wouldn't sell it to you even if you were my son."

Nie Luo: "..."

"Dad, five thousand!"

Mao Fei snatched his rod back. "Don't even think about it. If you really want one, let's go to that stall right now. The owner should still be there, right? Hurry, pack up!"

At that, the crowd rushed to pack their own gear. It was already past eight in the evening; they might still make it!

Nie Luo and Mao Fei had four fish in total. After releasing one that was full of roe, they used wooden sticks to carry the three fish and headed for the shortcut to the overpass. As for the small fish they had caught earlier, Nie Luo just tossed them back into the river. Now that they had big fish, the others were just small fry that weren't worth the trouble.

As they walked, a dense crowd followed behind them. Some anglers who didn't know what was happening just wondered why everyone was heading home so early. Others, having seen the fish Mao Fei and Nie Luo were carrying, hurriedly asked where they had caught them, then dashed off to claim a spot. That place must have great Feng Shui! Maybe they could get lucky and catch a big one too.

When the group arrived under the overpass, Mao Fei looked at the empty space. "That owner was setting up a stall right here. Do they close that early?"

He had been there in the afternoon, and just after he went to fish for a while, the owner was gone. The others silently memorized the location, though some suspected he was lying to keep the spot for himself. But even if he were, there was nothing they could do. Damn, why hadn't they been the ones to discover the rod first?

Since the stall owner was gone, everyone dispersed. Whether they went home or wandered around hoping to run into the owner, no one knew.