Chapter 15

Donghu Park is one of the larger parks in Yunhai City, covering an area of 100 hectares. The park is primarily composed of large lawns, forests, and lakes, and is divided into several areas such as the native garden, scenic viewing area, sparse forest lawn area, and international flower garden, as well as meeting squares, children's playgrounds, and fishing areas.

Soon, Xu Jianxing arrived at Donghu Park, paid 10 yuan for the entrance ticket, and after a brief inquiry, headed straight for the fishing area. Upon reaching the fishing zone, he paid another 30 yuan, which left him with a wry smile. He hadn't even made any money yet, and he had already spent 40 yuan. Based on the fish prices in the coastal cities, he doubted whether he could even earn back the 40 yuan.

However, the surrounding scenery was quite pleasant. A gentle breeze blew, the trees swayed, and the small lake shimmered under the sunlight, creating a very soothing and beautiful scene.

At a glance, Xu Jianxing saw that there were already quite a few anglers around, mostly middle-aged uncles and elderly gentlemen, with very few young people. It seemed that these people were not really there for the fishing.

He then found a relatively less crowded spot by the shore, glanced around, and sat down to start organizing his equipment. Although this place was relatively less crowded, there was still an elderly man fishing about six or seven meters away. The old man looked kind and gentle, with a scholarly demeanor, and he seemed like an old scholar. While fishing, he also held a teapot, sipping tea leisurely.

Although the old man noticed Xu Jianxing's arrival, he merely glanced up and then paid no further attention. While young anglers were rare, there were still a few, and he didn't pay much attention to them because he believed that young people lacked patience.

In his experience, most young anglers would leave after a short while if they didn't catch any fish, showing a complete lack of patience.

"Whoosh!"

A light sound caught the old man's attention. He looked over and saw that the young man who had just sat down had already caught a fish, a small one about the size of a palm, with just one cast.

"Hmm, it seems this young man has good luck," the old man said with a smile, shaking his head.

While Xu Jianxing felt quite pleased to catch a fish so quickly, he was more shocked. Normally, fish would test the bait before biting, but this fish had pulled the float down almost immediately, without any hesitation, which was quite unusual.

Because of this, he couldn't help but suspect that there was something special about his "fishing profession." Moreover, he had only been fishing for less than a minute.

To test his theory, Xu Jianxing didn't pay attention to the warmth in his body and placed the bait on the hook. With a graceful cast, the hook landed in the lake, creating small ripples.

One second...

Two seconds...

Three seconds...

After just over 40 seconds...

Xu Jianxing saw the float tremble slightly and then get pulled down. However, this time, he didn't pull the fishing rod but was instead stunned, his eyes wide open. Even if he were a fool, he would have realized that the fish biting so quickly had nothing to do with his skill but was definitely due to his "fishing profession." This wasn't just fishing; it was like fishing for money...

After a moment of thought, Xu Jianxing had a slight epiphany. Every game has its own rules, just like the game "Struggle of the Nine States," which had a fishing feature that rewarded bound currency.

According to the game's rules, a fish would inevitably be caught every ten seconds, with the only difference being the type of fish caught, which varied in value.

The "Star God Fantasy" that had brought about his transformation likely had similar rules and certainly wouldn't have the concept of failure like in pharmaceuticals or equipment forging. At most, it would take a bit longer in real life.

Understanding this, Xu Jianxing felt a small thrill of excitement. It seemed that this fishing skill was quite useful, at least for making a bit of money.

He then gave his fishing rod a slight shake, and with a "splash," a carp weighing about two pounds was easily pulled up.

This movement did not escape the old man's notice. He looked at Xu Jianxing intently and thought, "Is this young man just lucky, or is he a true fishing expert, or does he have a fish nest?"

The old man had once encountered a fish nest while fishing, and in just half a day, he had caught nearly a hundred pounds of fish, which he had proudly shown to his friends ever since.

Xu Jianxing didn't know what the old man was thinking, but he realized that if he continued like this, he would attract a lot of attention. So, after putting the fish in the net, he didn't put any bait on the hook but simply cast it into the water, like a fisherman waiting for the willing to bite.

Xu Jianxing stretched and was about to close his eyes to rest when he saw the float tremble again.

"Damn, not again!" Xu Jianxing's eyes widened as he stared at the float.

Once...

Twice...

Three times...

After several tremors, Xu Jianxing saw that the float wasn't being pulled down, and he finally breathed a sigh of relief. Otherwise, he would have had to find a secluded spot to fish, as being discovered by others would cause a huge stir.

By now, Xu Jianxing had a better understanding. The secondary professions in the game had some variations in real life. Otherwise, even without bait, the fish would still be caught, as in most games, there was no concept of bait, only something like durability on the fishing rod.

Relaxing, Xu Jianxing closed his eyes to rest for a moment before pulling up the fishing rod, placing the bait, and casting again. As expected, about 50 seconds later, another fish was caught.

This movement made the old man extremely uneasy. He had been there for over an hour and had only caught three small fish, each smaller than a palm. In just about ten minutes, this young man had caught three fish. If he compared the catch rate, he was completely outmatched, which was hard for him to accept, considering he considered himself a fishing expert.

The old man thought sourly, "The spot where this young man is sitting must be a fish nest."

His interest in fishing waned, and he began to observe Xu Jianxing more frequently.

Three minutes later, a carp weighing about a pound was pulled up.

Five minutes later, a crucian carp weighing about six or seven ounces was pulled up.

Ten minutes later, with a "splash," a grass carp weighing about three pounds was pulled up.

Seeing this, the old man was extremely agitated. He picked up his stool and fishing gear and moved closer to Xu Jianxing, saying with a smile, "Young man, you seem to have good luck."

"Alright, alright," Xu Jianxing replied, though he wasn't too pleased with the old man's approach. However, given his nature, he couldn't just ignore him and smiled in response.

"Can I share your good luck here?" the old man asked with a smile, though he looked a bit awkward.

Xu Jianxing could only inwardly sigh, "Sure, go ahead. I'll move to your spot."

With that, Xu Jianxing picked up his chair and fishing gear and moved to where the old man had been sitting. It wasn't that he was being petty, but he was afraid the old man would notice something unusual about his fishing. Although this might make the old man feel awkward, they were strangers, and he couldn't risk his secret being discovered.

As Xu Jianxing moved, the old man's face turned red. He couldn't remember the last time someone had given him the cold shoulder, let alone a young man. Embarrassed and frustrated, he wanted to scold the young man, but he knew his actions were a bit embarrassing and unfair. So, he could only suppress his anger.

In reality, Xu Jianxing wasn't giving the old man the cold shoulder; he just didn't want his unusual fishing to be noticed.

Regardless of what the old man thought, Xu Jianxing was calm. Since he had just moved, he didn't cast without bait. He cast the fishing rod into the lake, enjoying the moment.

A moment later...

Xu Jianxing's eyes narrowed as he felt another fish bite. He gave a slight tug and felt the weight and slight struggle. With his sensitive abilities, he was sure it was a large fish. He controlled the fishing rod and slowly let out the line.

These actions were standard when catching a large fish, as it required patience. Although he could have pulled it up directly without much struggle, this was a public place, and some discretion was necessary.

As Xu Jianxing's actions continued, the old man, who was nearby, noticed something unusual and thought, "He must have caught a big fish."