What a big guy!
Li Hao felt the tremendous force struggling in the water and realized that whatever was down there was no small creature. He felt a chill and didn’t dare to be careless. Instead of yanking the fishing line hard, which could easily tear the fish's mouth and lose the hook, he carefully tightened it, then eased it a bit before pulling tight again.
Suddenly, the calm black water erupted with waves, creating a disturbance that spread out over a ten-meter area. Li Hao could vaguely see a large dark shape being pulled from the depths, thrashing violently as it got closer to the surface. This shadow was terrifying, about seven or eight meters long, and its struggles sent splashes of water flying everywhere.
Li Hao kept the fishing line tight, using a steady method of alternating between pulling and easing to slowly bring the massive shadow closer to the shore. It seemed the creature sensed something, and in an instant, it leaped out of the water, revealing a flat, huge fish head with sharp teeth like countless pointed bamboo spikes. Its green eyes glared viciously at Li Hao on the fishing platform, and when it saw that he was just a seven or eight-year-old child, its fury intensified.
"You ignorant little brat, how dare you fish for your grandpa Catfish!"
To Li Hao's shock, the fish demon spoke in a sharp, piercing voice. Instead of continuing to struggle, it suddenly swam rapidly towards the shore, causing the previously tight fishing line to go slack in an instant.
"Watch me eat you!!"
In the blink of an eye, the distance of several hundred meters closed rapidly under the churning waves. The fish demon leaped towards the fishing platform, nearly a meter out of the water.
As the fish demon landed, Li Hao saw a message appear before him:
[Fishing Experience +68]
[Fishing Skill Level Increased to Stage One]
At the same time, a wealth of fishing techniques flooded into his mind. But Li Hao couldn’t focus on absorbing this knowledge right now; he needed to stay alert. The foul-smelling creature was now just a breath away, and he could see the pink flesh quivering in its throat.
This was Li Hao's first real encounter with danger, and while he felt a rush of fear at the ferocity of the fish demon, its movements appeared slow to him, almost like a turtle. He had practiced his eyesight in the Rain Listening Tower, studying three different methods to enhance his vision. By combining these techniques, he had greatly improved his sight, far beyond what was typical for someone at his level.
In a moment of clarity, he bit his tongue to snap himself back to focus. He then quickly turned sideways, bending down to grab the fish demon's sharp teeth, and with a swift motion, he spun around and threw it away!
This all happened in an instant, a smooth and fluid motion. There was a loud thud as the fish demon crashed into the mountainside dozens of meters away, its tail thrashing against the ground as it rolled over.
"W-What kind of monster are you?!"
The fish demon, dazed from the impact, managed to utter these trembling words. It twisted its fishy belly, feeling the shadow of death looming over it. The sight of this delicate child, with smooth skin and fine features, was terrifying. It couldn't possibly be human; it must be a descendant of some great demon.
Hearing the fish demon's words, Li Hao was momentarily stunned, then he burst out laughing. But to avoid any surprises from the fish demon, he decided to end things quickly and charged forward.
Suddenly, the fish demon's gills puffed up, and it spat out a mouthful of black, stinking mud that shot out like a poisonous arrow. Li Hao had been prepared for such tricks. The moment he saw the black mud coming, he shifted his foot to dodge, then pushed off with all his strength to close the distance.
"Please, spare me..."
The fish demon, terrified, tried to plead for mercy, but Li Hao's fist had already struck down, hitting it squarely on the forehead. The sheer force of the blow made the fish demon's body shudder, and its skull caved in with a crack, splattering green brain matter everywhere. Li Hao didn’t have time to dodge and got splattered with a lot of it.
A strong, fishy smell hit him, making him feel a bit nauseous. No wonder the old man always smelled like fish; fishing for years would inevitably lead to such things.
At this moment, the fish demon's tail was still thrashing on the ground, but it seemed to be just a nervous twitch, lacking the earlier ferocity. Li Hao, wary of it playing dead, threw in two more punches until the demon's head had a big hole in it, with its brain oozing out, before he finally stepped back and left the creature behind.
He thought to himself that next time he went fishing, he should probably bring a sword. Otherwise, if he encountered an even bigger creature, he might end up as bait instead of catching fish. Of course, with Li Muxiu nearby, he felt relatively safe; the golden talisman the old man had given him hadn’t even activated yet.
However, Li Hao didn’t like to rely on others for everything. After dealing with the fish demon, he finally reflected on the information that had rushed into his mind earlier. Many fishing techniques appeared, making him feel as if he had been fishing for over ten years.
He understood how to observe the water, measure the line, and hide the hook, among other skills. Li Hao approached the fishing platform, tidied up his fishing rod and the tangled line, and prepared to bait the hook again. This time, he was more skilled; he rubbed and smoothed the bait around the hook, ensuring it was securely attached.
Then he gazed at the black lake. The dark water, which had seemed so still, now showed clear changes to his eyes. He could see the subtle shifts in the water flow and even discern what lay seven or eight meters below the surface. The ripples that calmed down after the earlier commotion looked like a pattern to him, revealing the hidden currents beneath.
With this knowledge, Li Hao sensed that something was moving farther away at the bottom of the lake. After the two disturbances, there shouldn’t be much left around the fishing platform; the heavier creatures had likely fled.
Feeling a spark of inspiration, Li Hao didn’t just cast his line and wait. Instead, he decided to take the initiative. He carried his rod and walked along the shore, occasionally glancing at the water's surface, using the currents below to gauge the direction of potential prey.
Soon, after walking about a kilometer, Li Hao stopped at a spot that resembled a bay. He chose a solid patch of earth and prepared to cast his line. This time, even though he swung the rod with all his strength, strangely, when the heavy hook hit the water, it only created a small ripple instead of the loud splash he had heard before.
Then, the line was pulled down slowly by the hook, sinking into the depths. Li Hao crouched slightly, waiting patiently.
In just a few minutes, he felt movement on the line. This didn’t surprise him; the hook had practically delivered the bait right to the creature's doorstep. With a whoosh, the fish demon swallowed the bait. Ah, what an impatient little guy.
Li Hao chuckled softly and suddenly yanked the rod. The line transmitted a tremendous force, and in that moment of struggle, he could sense that the creature weighed about two thousand pounds. It was likely just a fish demon at the strength level, its intelligence not fully developed, which explained why the commotion it caused could be sensed from over a kilometer away.
He continued to pull steadily, alternating between strong tugs and gentle pulls. Soon, after about seven to eight minutes of tiring the creature out, Li Hao managed to pull the exhausted fish demon out of the lake.
[Fishing Experience +23]
The fish demon, now on land, lunged fiercely at Li Hao but was met with a single punch that knocked it dead, sending it rolling down the slope behind him. He then continued to bait his hook and fish, knowing there were more creatures lurking below.
...
"This old dragon is quite cunning; it hasn’t shown any signs at all."
Above the demon lake, Li Muxiu’s figure vanished into the sky. He didn’t have a fishing rod, just a nearly transparent line that plunged straight into the water.
His fishing skills had advanced to the point where he could sense the movements at the bottom of the lake through the line, almost like using his spirit to search for what lay beneath. He had made the line sufficiently hidden, yet the old dragon remained still.
Earlier, the little fish demon Li Hao caught had been eaten by another fish demon—big fish eat small fish. But his goal wasn’t to catch fish; he was fishing for a dragon!
"Well, it seems the old dragon is probably taking a deep sleep today. In this three-thousand-mile black lake, who knows where it’s hiding?"
Li Muxiu shook his head slightly, scanning the vast lake that stretched endlessly before him. He sighed and reeled in the line, pulling out a fish demon over ten meters long, covered in sharp spikes. This was his bait for catching the dragon.
With a flick of his finger, the fish demon's body shrank down to the size of a palm-sized black-spotted fish, which he tossed into his fish basket.
"I wonder how that little guy is doing. I hope he didn’t get too impatient and end up catching nothing."
Li Muxiu murmured to himself, picked up the fish basket, and soared back towards his original direction.
(End of Chapter)