Chapter 129: Huh, Where Is My Fishing Rod?

The sound of rushing water filled the air as Zhong Di quickly composed himself, focusing intently on the biting of the hook. Even though he was fishing leisurely, he treated every catch with seriousness.

Since he was casting randomly and not too far from shore, Zhong Di easily reeled in a large silver carp. To catch such a prize on his very first cast was quite remarkable.

He glanced again at the bait, understanding there was a trick to it. No wonder the fishing bait had been prepared in advance—it must have included the farm’s free-range chicken from their own estate.

Zhong Di wasn’t being vain; he simply believed that since the bait was effective, it surely contained their farm’s chicken. Everything pointed to that conclusion.

After Zhong Di caught that fish, others around him began catching fish as well, each with fairly good results.

Overall, everyone had some sort of catch—big or small, abundant or modest.

“Why do I feel like I’m in good form today?”
“I think I’m doing well too.”

Those who were catching fish started chatting, and like most people, they blindly attributed their success to their own skill.

“My touch is good today.”
“This fishing competition is getting interesting!”

Zhong Di immediately understood Uncle Qian’s intention. After this event, it was easy to imagine that all the fishing spots around Kuren City would be buzzing with activity like this place.

Even if people didn’t catch anything impressive on some days, they would instinctively think, “I just wasn’t feeling it today; last time I did better.”

All that was needed was to regularly have some big catches to keep this reservoir popular. Fishing alone might not be highly profitable, but the other services here would provide steady, long-term income.

Uncle Qian was clearly a savvy businessman; even small tricks could create a sustainable revenue stream.

But Zhong Di didn’t concern himself with these matters. After a brief reflection, he resumed casting his line.

The effect wasn’t quite as good as using pure chicken meat.

The bites weren’t very frequent.

He didn’t catch any particularly large fish either.

Perhaps only a small amount of chicken was added; otherwise, everyone would be landing huge fish, which was unlikely.

Fishing continued steadily from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m., with bigger and bigger catches coming in.

Suddenly, his stomach growled loudly. Looking around, nearly half the people had stopped fishing and were eating nearby.

Fishing was a test of patience, and few could spend an entire day just watching a float bob.

Zhong Di went to the seafood stall and showed his card, successfully securing a nice small private room.

The spot was a temporary structure, and according to Uncle Qian, after the competition, adjustments would be made daily based on the crowd.

Zhong Di thought that was a sensible approach.

After lunch, he found a lounge chair and lay down.

No matter how much others were catching, he was just here to relax.

Lying there, he nibbled snacks, drank iced cola, and ate watermelon—it was incredibly comfortable.

No wonder people said that stealing a half-day of leisure after a busy spell was so refreshing.

Before he realized it, Zhong Di had dozed off. When he woke, it was already 5 p.m. The sun had shifted, so he got up to move to a new spot.

There were still few people around, which pleased him. He liked peace and quiet and didn’t want the place too crowded.

Wait—where was his fishing rod?

Suddenly, he noticed the rod was gone from the stand, and the rod holder was toppled over.

“The fish must have dragged it away,” came a voice in his mind—from the waterweed deep in the reservoir.

Ah, that explained it. With such a strong fishing line and him asleep, it was no surprise the rod got pulled away.

Fortunately, he had a spare rod. Checking the time, it was already past five, and the competition was nearly over.

“Let’s go,” he thought.

But maybe it wasn’t appropriate to leave yet—after all, he was a contestant. Why not fish a little more? Seeing others constantly hooked up, the fish were definitely still biting.

Luckily, the rules forbade taking fish home privately; otherwise, Uncle Qian would be heartbroken by today’s big catches.

With that decided, Zhong Di began reassembling his rod.

He adjusted his stance and cast the line smoothly.

“Hmm, your technique isn’t rusty. But your spot isn’t good, and you’re not catching much. What, not interested in fishing?”

Just as Zhong Di cast into the reservoir, he heard someone speaking to him.

A dark-skinned man approached, wearing a badge labeled “No. 1 Zheng Xiongwei.”

Ah, a competitor.

Zhong Di immediately knew his identity.

“It’s fine. For me, it’s just a way to pass the time,” Zhong Di replied honestly.

“You won’t feel the true joy of fishing that way—especially the thrill of landing a big catch.”

Suddenly, with a splash, Zhong Di’s rod tightened sharply, and the line was pulled out rapidly.

He turned to look closely at his rod. What was happening? How could he be hooked up so quickly?

There was something off about the bait today, but it definitely shouldn’t have been this effective!

The sensation was like he had hooked a bighead carp before.

Wasn’t this only possible with chicken meat bait?

“Consider this a gift. Don’t thank me—it’s rare to have someone to talk fishing with,” came the voice.

Zhong Di???
The waterweed? He immediately understood the source of his fortune. Although he hadn’t yet seen the size of the biggest fish caught, it certainly wasn’t huge.

He even thought that if this catch came in, it might just win the whole competition.

Following the waterweed’s instructions, Zhong Di was no longer awkward like the first time. His movements became practiced and precise, and the fish soon stopped struggling.

The commotion drew many onlookers. The previously sparse southern shore suddenly became crowded.

“This can’t be real!”
“Cheating?”
“Come on, did you see the fish biting live? Is someone down there grabbing fish and hooking them up?”

“I’m just saying, but look at this—does this look like someone who can catch big fish? The spot’s bad, and everything else is off.”

“But the fact is, he’s catching big fish.”

Among the crowd, Qian Weining frowned at the scene.

He instinctively wondered if Zhong Di was using chicken meat bait, but then dismissed the idea. Nothing about this day suggested chicken meat was involved, especially given how lightly Zhong Di was dressed.

He hadn’t brought anything with him, and even if he tried to hide some bait, the commotion was too much for a small piece of chicken to cause such catches.

The event unfolded with mounting excitement.