Chapter 4
Lu Qing, with a small tail of children trailing behind him, arrived at a river outside the village.
This river wasn't large, about ten meters wide at its broadest point. However, despite its narrow width, it wasn't shallow. The deepest part could submerge a person, which is why the adults always forbade the village children from playing in it.
Naturally, Lu Qing adhered to this prohibition.
Upon reaching the riverbank, he sternly addressed the few kids following him, "You guys, don't go near the riverbank or play in the water, understood?"
Despite his frail appearance, Lu Qing was fourteen or fifteen years old, making him nearly an adult in the eyes of the children.
So, the children obediently responded, "Got it, Brother Lu Qing."
Seeing their compliance, Lu Qing turned to Xiao Yan, "Xiao Yan, you also need to behave. Don't go near the river; stay here and watch the bucket. Don't let the fish escape, okay?"
"Okay~" Xiao Yan obediently replied, then asked, "Brother, when are you going to start fishing?"
"Don't rush, brother needs to check first. You can't just fish anywhere," Lu Qing advised from experience.
In fishing, there are several crucial steps to catching good fish, such as choosing a spot, baiting, adjusting the float, and preparing the bait. Each step can affect the success of catching fish.Among these steps, choosing the fishing spot is the most important.
A good fishing spot can directly impact the probability of catching fish. After all, even the most skilled fisher can't catch fish where there are none. If the spot is chosen poorly and there are no fish underwater, even the best fishing techniques would be in vain.
In his previous life, Lu Qing was an avid fishing enthusiast, with a wealth of experience in fishing. Choosing a fishing spot was naturally something he was well-versed in.
Although he was now in another world, many principles of nature were universally applicable. The habits of fish in this world shouldn't differ much. He wondered if he could use his past experience to find a good fishing spot, making his fishing trip more fruitful.
He dismissed the idea of baiting the water, as his family didn't even have enough food for themselves, let alone extra grain for baiting.
After instructing the kids to stay put under a big tree, Lu Qing began to walk along the riverbank, scanning the water's surface.
Soon, he found a spot that seemed promising. Using a stick to press down the weeds along the bank, he reached the spot and began observing.
It was a bend in the river where the water flowed gently and the vegetation was lush, which seemed like a good fishing spot.
After a while of observing and feeling satisfied, he was about to turn back to get his fishing rod when a gray light appeared in his vision.
Lu Qing was all too familiar with this gray light, having seen it countless times today. He froze, quietly watching the water.
The gray light gradually surfaced, forming a meter-wide spiral ripple on the water. Then, a line of text appeared.
【Ordinary Fishing Spot: A place where small fish gather, seems like a good choice for fishing.】
The location was exactly the spot Lu Qing had just chosen.
Lu Qing was stunned, then delighted. His ability could even identify fishing spots?
He felt a bit proud, knowing his spot-choosing skills were validated by his ability.
With this unexpected discovery, Lu Qing wasn't in a hurry to start fishing. He continued walking along the riverbank, deliberately using his ability to search for fishing spots.
Before long, he found two more new spots in this section of the river. To his surprise, one of them emitted a faint white light instead of gray.
【Ordinary Fishing Spot: A place where fish come to feed, may yield good catches.】
【Beginner Fishing Spot: A place where wild fruits often fall, favored by certain large fish. May yield unusual catches.】
The three notes indicated that gray light corresponded to ordinary spots and white light to beginner spots. There were likely even higher-grade spots.
He wondered if there were such spots in this small river outside the village.
After discovering these three spots, Lu Qing stopped searching. These three spots covered the cleanest part of the river outside the village. Further along, the vegetation on both sides became denser, making the path difficult.
Unless he had tools to clear the area, it would be hard to even get close to the river, let alone fish.
For now, these three spots were enough for him.
He needed to decide which spot to fish at first.
After some thought, Lu Qing decided to start at the first spot he found. The reason was simple: the note indicated that many small fish gathered there.
His fishing rod was simple, and he wasn't sure how strong the flax line was or how much force it could withstand. Trying to catch big fish might break the line, which would be a disaster as he had limited flax at home for making new lines.
And he only had one fishing hook. If he lost it, he couldn't fish at all.
So, it was safer to start with small fish.
Having made up his mind, Lu Qing returned to the big tree and found the kids waiting obediently. He nodded in satisfaction.
He hadn't gone far, always staying within the kids' sight, fearing they'd run off if they couldn't see him.
"Brother, you're back!" Xiao Yan was the first to cheerfully run up to him.
"Yes, I'm back."
"Did you decide where to fish?"
"Yes, I did. Let's go."
Hearing that he had decided, the kids perked up. One smart kid even stepped forward to help with the bucket, "Brother Lu Qing, I'll help you carry it!"
Lu Qing didn't refuse. These kids were between eight and twelve years old, full of energy. It was good to let them help.
The group soon reached the chosen fishing spot.
"Stay here and watch me fish. Don't get too close to the river. Got it? Ah Hu, you're the oldest, keep an eye on them."
Ah Hu, the oldest of the kids at twelve, was mature enough to understand.
"Got it, Brother Lu Qing!"
Satisfied with their compliance, Lu Qing nodded and headed down the slope to the fishing spot with his rod and bucket.