Chapter 4: Fishing Spot

Lu Qing led a small tail of children to a river outside the village.

The river was not particularly large; at its widest, it was only about ten meters across.

However, while the river wasn't wide, it wasn't shallow either. In the deepest parts, it could submerge a person entirely, which is why the adults had always forbidden the village children from playing in the water.

Naturally, Lu Qing followed this warning.

So, upon reaching the riverbank, he immediately spoke sternly to the few brats following him: "You lot, you are not allowed to go near the water, and you are not allowed to play in it, understand?"

Don't let his thin, frail appearance fool you; Lu Qing was already fourteen or fifteen years old, which, in the eyes of these children, made him half an adult.

Therefore, none of the children dared to defy his words, and they obediently replied, "We understand, Brother Lu Qing."

Seeing that the brats had agreed, Lu Qing turned to Xiao Yan: "And Xiao Yan, you must be good too. Don't go near the water. Just stay here and watch the wooden bucket; don't let the fish get away, okay?"

"Okay~" Xiao Yan replied obediently, then asked, "Brother, when are you going to start fishing?"

"Don't be impatient. Let me look a bit more; you can't just pick any random spot to fish."

This was based on Lu Qing's experience.

When it came to fishing, there were several steps that were crucial to success.

For example, choosing a spot, baiting the swim, adjusting the float, and preparing the bait—each step could influence the probability of a catch.

And among these steps, none was more important than choosing the fishing spot.

A good spot often directly determined the likelihood of catching fish.

After all, even the cleverest housewife cannot cook a meal without rice. If the spot was poorly chosen and there were no fish beneath the surface, then even if you were a master angler with the best technique, it would all be in vain, and you would struggle to get a harvest.

In his previous life, Lu Qing had been a seasoned fishing enthusiast with quite a bit of insight into the craft.

Naturally, he was very experienced in selecting spots.

Although he was now in another world, many of the laws of nature remained the same.

The fish in this strange world likely didn't have habits that differed too drastically.

So, he wondered if he could use his past experience to pick a good spot, making his fishing trip twice as effective with half the effort.

He didn't even consider baiting the swim; his family didn't even have enough food for themselves, so where would he find extra grain to throw into the water?

After reminding the brats not to run around and to stay under a large tree, Lu Qing began walking along the bank, scanning the water.

Soon, he found a spot that looked promising.

He found a wooden stick to press down the weeds on the bank, reached the spot, and began to observe.

It was a small bay where the current was slow and gentle, and the water plants were lush—it seemed like a good spot.

Lu Qing watched for a while, feeling somewhat satisfied. Just as he was about to turn back to get his fishing rod, a gray light suddenly appeared in his field of vision.

Lu Qing was all too familiar with this gray light; he didn't know how many times he had seen it today.

His body froze, and he watched the water surface quietly.

He saw the layer of gray light gradually emerge, forming a spiral ripple about a meter in diameter on the surface.

Then, a line of text appeared.

【Ordinary Fishing Spot: A place where small fish gather; it seems like a decent choice for fishing.】

The location was exactly the spot Lu Qing had just chosen.

Lu Qing was stunned, then felt a surge of pleasant surprise.

His ability actually had this kind of function? It could even detect something like a fishing spot?

At the same time, he felt a hint of pride.

As expected, his experience in choosing spots was still quite solid, having even gained the approval of his ability.

With this unexpected discovery, Lu Qing was no longer in a rush to start fishing.

He continued walking along the river, only this time, he began to intentionally use his ability to search for spots along the water.

Not long after, he discovered two more fishing spots along this stretch of the river.

What surprised him even more was that one of the spots didn't emit a gray light, but rather a faint white glow.

【Ordinary Fishing Spot: A place where schools of fish must pass to forage; you might have a decent harvest fishing here.】

【Primary Fishing Spot: Wild fruits often fall here, which are a favorite food for certain large fish.】

【Fishing here may yield unique and unexpected catches.】

There were three notes in total; the first was for the gray-light spot, and the remaining two were descriptions for the white-light spot.

"As expected, the gray light and white light are different grades for the same thing. Gray corresponds to an ordinary spot, and white corresponds to a primary spot," Lu Qing muttered to himself.

And judging by the descriptions, it was clear there were even higher-level spots.

He just didn't know if this small river outside the village had any spots of that caliber.

After discovering these three spots, Lu Qing stopped searching.

These three spots already covered the relatively accessible part of the river outside the village.

If he kept going, the vegetation on both banks would become increasingly dense, and the path would be harder to traverse. Unless he used tools to clear a space, it would be difficult to even get near the water, let alone fish.

He didn't have the energy for that right now.

Besides, discovering these three spots was more than enough for his current needs.

Now, he had to consider which spot to fish at.

After a moment of contemplation, Lu Qing decided to start with the first spot he had found.

The reason was simple.

According to the description provided by his ability, the bottom of that spot was mostly gathered small fish.

The fishing rod Lu Qing had crafted was the simplest kind.

He didn't know if the hemp line was strong enough or how much tension it could withstand.

If he rashly tried to catch a large fish and snapped the line, he would have nothing to show for it but tears. After all, the remaining hemp at home wasn't enough to twist into many more decent lines.

More importantly, he only had one fishhook; if he lost it, he really wouldn't be able to fish at all.

So, it was safer to start by catching small fish.

Having made up his mind, Lu Qing returned to the large tree. Seeing that the brats were waiting obediently, he nodded with satisfaction.

In truth, Lu Qing hadn't gone far; he had stayed within the children's line of sight the whole time, fearing that these mischievous kids would run wild if they couldn't see him.

"Brother, you're back!"

Seeing Lu Qing return, Xiao Yan was the first to greet him happily.

"Mm, I'm back."

"So, have you decided where to fish?"

"I have. Let's go now."

Hearing that Lu Qing had decided where to fish, the brats immediately perked up.

The sharper ones stepped forward to help carry the wooden bucket: "Brother Lu Qing, let me carry it for you!"

Lu Qing didn't refuse. These kids ranged from eleven or twelve down to eight or nine—they were at an age full of energy, and letting them burn some of it off was fine.

The group soon arrived at the spot Lu Qing had chosen.

"You all stay up here and watch me fish. You are not allowed to get too close to the water, understand? A-Hu, you're the oldest, help me keep an eye on them."

A-Hu was the oldest among the children. At twelve, he was already at an age where he understood things.

"Understood, Brother Lu Qing!"

Seeing that the brats had all agreed obediently, Lu Qing nodded with satisfaction, took his fishing rod and bucket, and headed down the slope to the fishing spot.