Li Hao didn't hide anything and honestly told the old man about it.
Li Muxiu learned that it was the strength of the Wild Bull and nodded slightly without saying much. He tossed a bag to Li Hao: "Inside is the bait you'll use. The monsters at the Tongli level really like it. What you catch depends on your luck."
After saying that, he was about to take Li Hao downstairs.
"What about my fish basket?" Li Hao asked.
"Haha..." Li Muxiu chuckled and said, "Let's see if you can catch anything first. If you do, we'll share one."
"Alright."
Li Hao didn't push the matter.
As the two went downstairs, they saw Li Fu waiting outside.
"Second Uncle, you guys are..."
Seeing the fishing rod in Li Hao's hand, Li Fu was momentarily stunned, then his eyes widened slightly.
"Do I even need to ask? We're going fishing," Li Muxiu glanced at him, clearly not interested in talking to this blockhead.
Li Fu looked like he wanted to cry and said, "Second Uncle, Hao'er learned the Wild Bull strength in just three months and has mastered it. His talent for body refinement is extremely high. You can't delay him!"
"You said that yesterday. Can you say something else?"
Li Muxiu dug at his ear and said, "What good will body refinement do? Even if you push it to the limit, you’ll only reach your level. Let me ask you, are you really strong? Can you hold off ten thousand soldiers?"
Li Fu was left speechless.
The ten thousand soldiers that Li Muxiu mentioned were not ordinary soldiers but the elite troops of the Li family. Ten thousand soldiers could easily crush half a city; there was no way he could stop them.
"Hao'er, ignore him. Let's go."
Li Muxiu seemed worried that Li Fu would interfere with Li Hao's thoughts, so he took Li Hao's small hand and left.
"Uncle Fu, don't worry."
Li Hao waved at Li Fu. Although this man had a serious and rigid personality, Li Hao appreciated his concern.
"Hao'er..."
Li Fu opened his mouth slightly, wanting to say something to keep him, but seeing Li Hao's bright little face as he was pulled away, the words suddenly got stuck in his throat, and he couldn't say anything.
"Is such a large Divine General's residence unable to support a child?"
Yesterday’s words seemed to echo in his ears again.
Li Fu fell silent.
Maybe, at this moment, Hao'er was happy.
At least he could have a joyful childhood...
The two figures, one old and one young, quickly disappeared, leaving behind the man who stood there for a long time, gazing after them, before letting out a soft sigh...
...
...
Feeling like he was riding on clouds, Li Hao was being led by Li Muxiu, flying high in the sky.
The various courtyards of the Divine General's residence rushed past beneath them. Li Hao saw maids and servants getting water and cooking early in the morning, and he even spotted an old lady taking a morning stroll in the yard, along with Fifth Aunt who was sending her child to the training ground, reminding them of something at the door...
These scenes flashed by, making Li Hao marvel at how vibrant life was outside when he usually slept in.
"Are you scared?"
Li Muxiu asked calmly, looking down at him.
"Not really afraid of heights," Li Hao replied.
He felt like standing on solid ground, as if something very strong was supporting him.
The cold morning breeze that came towards him felt gentle, just a slight chill brushing against his face and stirring his hair.
Li Muxiu smiled slightly and said, "I'm going to speed up now."
After he said that, Li Hao felt the scenery in front of him blur suddenly, and they shot forward like lightning.
In the blink of an eye, they had flown out of Qingzhou City and were heading towards the vast mountains and fields outside the city.
Half an hour later, Li Muxiu slowly descended with Li Hao to the edge of a vast lake.
The lake stretched endlessly, with dark waters rolling.
The deeper the water, the darker it appeared.
It was clear that this lake was bottomless, and at the moment, the surface only had slight ripples, looking calm and peaceful.
But because of this, it gave off a chilling feeling as if they were standing at the edge of an abyss.
Surrounding the lake were several tall mountains, some steep by the water, while others were low and wide.
At this moment, the two landed at the foot of a mountain. Li Muxiu glanced around and, with his experience, said, "The water is shallow here. You can fish from this spot, and I'll go to the center of the lake to catch bigger ones. Take this; it can help protect you in case of danger. Don't worry, if anything happens, just shout, and I'll be there right away."
"Okay."
Li Hao nodded, accepting the golden talisman that the old man handed him.
"Do you know how to bait the hook? Let me see you cast first."
Li Muxiu didn't rush to leave; he waved his hand, and a large stone beside them transformed into a fishing platform.
He waved again, clearing away the surrounding weeds to prevent the fishing line from getting caught on branches or grass when casting, which would waste time for a beginner like Li Hao.
Li Hao jumped onto the stone platform and opened his bag, revealing a pack of soft red dough.
"To catch these small monsters at the Tongli level, dead bait is fine. When your strength is enough, I'll give you live bait for better chances," Li Muxiu explained.
Li Hao didn't complain and nodded, skillfully pulling out a lump of bait, immediately smelling a strong fishy scent.
He kneaded the bait onto the fishhook, which was about the size of a fist, using a lot of bait to cover it completely.
Seeing Li Hao's actions, Li Muxiu was a bit surprised and asked, "Have you fished before?"
"No."
Li Hao replied, "Isn't it done this way?"
"It is." Li Muxiu nodded, glancing at Li Hao, not thinking much of it. He could tell this child was clever from just a few words yesterday.
"This stuff can mask your scent." Li Muxiu pulled out some powder from somewhere and dusted it over Li Hao before saying, "Now cast your line. If you can catch one today, I'll take you out again tomorrow."
"Okay."
Li Hao nodded.
He then swung the fishing rod, letting the line extend to its fullest before casting it a hundred feet away into the lake.
With a splash as the hook hit the water, a message appeared in front of Li Hao:
[Fishing Skill: Level Zero (1/100)]
[Fishing Experience +2]
Li Hao smiled, realizing that the fishing skill from the game could also be recorded on the panel.
What surprised him even more was that just casting the line earned him 2 experience points!
To compare, playing a game of chess usually only earned him one point.
Only when he encountered a slightly challenging chess situation would he get 2 points.
It seemed fishing, like chess, indicated that this lake was relatively dangerous and posed a challenge for fishing.
"Remember to be patient, don't make noise, and don't scare the things under the water."
"Don't look around too much; focus on the fish float."
"When you start fishing, it might feel a bit boring, but when you catch something, you'll know that all the boring waiting was worth it."
Li Muxiu earnestly taught, worried that Li Hao, being a child, might give up after a while.
After all, fishing was usually something older folks did, and a seven or eight-year-old kid was likely to be restless and unable to endure the quiet.
"Mm."
Li Hao nodded.
Seeing Li Hao's calm demeanor, Li Muxiu smiled slightly and stopped talking, quietly watching from the side.
Since it wasn't his own line, he secretly released his spirit to check for movements under the water and saw that something was swimming towards them—two small fish at the Tongli levels, one at the fourth level and the other at the seventh level.
"Looks like the beginner protection period is working; there's movement so soon. Let's see if he can catch it."
Li Muxiu felt envious. Although he could secretly help the fish hook themselves, which would greatly increase Li Hao's interest in fishing, his own love for fishing didn't allow him to do such boring things.
Before long, Li Hao noticed the fish float moving.
His eyes lit up, and after holding on for a moment, he waited until the float was halfway submerged before quickly pulling the rod.
With a strong tug, the line tightened straight, and something on the other end was struggling fiercely, sending a powerful force back.
But to Li Hao, this force felt like a feather. He pulled hard, and the other end was pulled over uncontrollably.
"Don't rush; be careful not to lose the hook," Li Muxiu quickly reminded from the side.
Li Hao felt a jolt, quickly easing up a bit, and then, under Li Muxiu's guidance, skillfully played with the fish.
The black lake water surged, splashing everywhere.
After about ten minutes, Li Hao finally pulled the exhausted monster fish up. It was about four to five meters long, with sharp teeth that could easily swallow a grown person whole.
If someone fell into the water, they would definitely become this fish monster's meal.
The fish at the Tongli level hadn't learned to transform yet, and their intelligence was just beginning to show, only possessing a bloodthirsty and fierce nature.
As the fish was pulled onto the shore, a message popped up in front of Li Hao:
[Fishing Experience +37]
Li Hao's eyes widened slightly, amazed that he had gained almost half a level of experience in one go!
The fish monster, struggling on the shore, suddenly lunged at Li Hao with its mouth open, trying to eat him.
Li Muxiu flicked his finger, and the fish monster's body shrank, turning into a small fish that he casually scooped up and tossed into the fish basket.
"Kid, I didn't expect you to catch something so quickly."
Li Muxiu laughed and said to Li Hao, "How does it feel? Tired? This fish is at the seventh level of Tongli. Its power underwater is even greater; even someone at the eighth level of Tongli might not be able to hold the rod. You've got some skill!"
"Not tired."
Li Hao grinned.
"Good, then keep going. I'll take this fish to use as bait."
Li Muxiu, feeling a bit eager, said this and stepped forward, flying off into the distance, leaving only a black dot behind.
Li Hao looked far away, noticing that Li Muxiu had reached the center of the lake. With his eyesight, he could barely see a small dot.
Shaking his head, Li Hao didn't look any longer and continued to focus on gaining experience.
He wrapped the bait again and cast the line.
[Fishing Experience +2]
Li Hao sat on the fishing platform, staring at the fish float, waiting quietly.
The previous example showed that if he could catch more fish, he would gain more experience, so he didn't let himself get distracted.
Time slowly passed.
Maybe because he had played with the last fish for too long, the splashing water scared away the nearby fish. Li Hao sat for an hour without seeing any movement on the float.
Could it be that they had secretly eaten all the bait?
This thought popped into Li Hao's mind, and he wanted to pull up the hook to check, but he held back.
He had thought about trying to cheat the system by casting repeatedly, which would be faster than just fishing normally for experience.
As a result, casting the second time only gave him one point of experience.
The third time, he got nothing.
Clearly, casting too frequently without any bites limited the experience he could gain just from casting.
At that moment, the still fish float suddenly moved.
Li Hao's almost numb eyes brightened instantly, but before he could hold on any longer, the float vanished into the water.
He quickly pulled the rod, and the line tightened with a whoosh, a tremendous force coming from the other end, weighing dozens of pounds.
(End of Chapter)