After Qi Ying led Chen Yi aboard the boat, she left him alone and went off to discuss matters with their eldest senior brother, Shi Lei.
Chen Yi glanced around, looking for familiar faces.
In the martial arts school, he was just a regular little transparent guy, mostly known for his humble background and his daily taking of beatings from his second senior sister to afford the monthly two taels of silver tuition fee.
A poor kid who made a living fishing, but was resilient and could take a beating.
Seeing Chen Yi and Qi Ying board the boat, everyone knew they were all really waiting for the second senior sister.
As for Chen Yi,
Oh, it seems the second senior sister unexpectedly brought along her personal punching bag. Perhaps she was planning on practicing her footwork during the course of the boat ride? How diligent of her!
Chen Yi too was content to leave such an impression.
Being ordinary was good, blending in with the crowd. As long as he didn't attract attention, there wouldn't be any big troubles.
After a quick scan, he saw few familiar faces and didn't even know whom to ask to find out about the current situation.
Suddenly,
He spotted a familiar figure near the bow of the boat:
"Elder Brother Yunhu?"
Dressed in workout clothes, Yunhu turned towards the sound and his face lit up with pleasure:
"Junior Brother Chen, you're here too?
Is the second senior sister that diligent in her martial arts practice, taking you with her on the boat for a major hunting event?"
"Hunting?" Chen Yi was intrigued.
"You didn't know?"
"Could you please elaborate, senior brother?" Chen Yi asked, fists held in a salute.
"Every year before the winter ban, aquatic behemoths are particularly active as they need to consume enough food before going into hibernation beneath the water."
"And that's when our town's fishing team sets off.
Each year the Fish and Dragon Gang join forces with our martial arts school for a large hunting operation,
Those big fishes weighing over 50 catties are very beneficial for us martial artists to replenish our Vitality and Blood Power,
If we're lucky and hunt down creatures over a hundred catties, even Anjin martial artists can benefit greatly!
Suppose, I mean just to suppose, if we encounter a Demon Fish exceeding two hundred catties, even Huajin experts will go crazy for it. That's a treasure that can significantly increase your Vitality and Blood Power!
Unfortunately, there haven't been any sightings of Demon Fish in the past decade. Even with all the resources of the Fish and Dragon Gang, we only manage glimpses but can never capture it."
With Yunhu's brief explanation, Chen Yi felt relieved,
Turned out they were going fishing. That was something he was adept at,
Except that on this occasion, they were going into the depths of Lake Taize where he might encounter some big fish that he normally wouldn't dare confront.
However, this time he was with a large group, and they had two large fishing boats, so dealing with 100 or 200 catties of fish should be fairly easy.
They were just setting the bait and casting the net, then everyone worked together to haul it aboard.
These martial artists were here because only their strength could contend with those fierce beasts in the water.
Moreover, if he was really in danger, he could always retreat into the Immortal Cultivation World and then return once it was safe.
Knowing what was expected of him, Chen Yi felt even more relaxed.
If he didn't have to draw attention to himself then that's precisely what he will do. He will join in with the crowd to lend a hand, blend in with everyone else and add some new experiences and skills, which seems quite beneficial.
...
The two large boats sailed further into Lake Taize for half a day.
The autumn wind was bleak, and the lake water was cool,
The fishing boat slowly drifted past a few distant protruding islands, then stopped on a calm lake surface.
The two boats, one large, the other small, were traveling parallel, connected by ropes,
Three people from each side slowly dropped a large fishing net into the water. After fixing the edge of the net, they moved the boats about 30 feet apart.
The people from the Fish and Dragon Gang on one side began to bait the net and wait quietly.
During this whole process, Chen Yi stood quietly observing from behind the crowd. Group fishing on a large boat was quite different from individual fishing. Some things he couldn't apply, yet others confirmed his existing knowledge.
Due to the not very advanced technology in this world, fishing mainly relied on the physical strength of martial artists.
It wasn't long before the calm water surface between the two boats began to churn.
Chen Yi knew that this was the effects of the fish bait.
Following a command from the other big boat, people at both ends started pulling the ropes to get the boats closer,
The martial artists, one by one, moved to the edges to prepare to haul in the net.
Chen Yi also took his place at one corner, standing near Yunhu, his hand grabbing one side of the net, pulling at the net in sync with the coordinated calls,
He was only using about 10% of his strength, but his face was flushed. Yunhu nearby advised him to take it easy,
"Junior Brother Chen, you just need to serve your second senior sister well. There is no need for you to do such heavy lifting until you advance to the mid-stage of Mingjin in a couple of years."
Following his advice, Chen Yi relaxed his grip and moved to the back of the crowd,
Since everyone was seeing him in this light anyway, any energy he could save was a bonus.
Within a short time, with the forceful pulling of the crowd, the tens of meters long fishing net gradually surfaced from the water,
There was a splash, accompanied by a popping and crackling sound,
Many big fish began to violently struggle as they surfaced,
Chen Yi fixed his gaze and saw at least ten fish, each the length of half a person and weighing more than 50 pounds!
And then there were another 20 or 30 fish, each weighing about ten pounds, likely totaling dozens in number!
This catch was indeed worthwhile!
One haul of the net brought in nearly 2000-3000 pounds of fish, an excellent catch!
But the Fish and Dragon Gang, upon seeing the size of the catch, repeatedly shook their heads, dissatisfied with the absence of any fish weighing over a hundred pounds in the net.
Then, they put out the second net, this time using a heavier bait,
However, the result was the same, nearly 3000 pounds of fish, and the largest were just about 80 pounds, there still weren't any fish over a hundred pounds,
Furthermore, this second batch of fish consisted of fewer large fish weighing over 50 pounds. It contained mostly smaller fish weighing 20 to 30 pounds.
It seemed that bigger fish were scarce around this area.
Casting the fishing net twice consumed nearly six to eight hours.
Looking at the sky, the Fish and Dragon Gang's fishing team decided to return home,
Chen Yi didn't ask, so he didn't know why they were reluctant to spend the night in the Deep Marsh, but there must be a reason for it, Chen Yi noted this to himself.
The overall fishing trip was smooth, and both boats decided to return home. The weather was calm and everything was normal.
Most people on either boat had loosened up and, on the Fish and Dragon Gang side, they took out two jars of rice wine to warm everyone up,
On the martial arts school boat, Elder Brother Three also ordered a tonic to be brought out, each one got to savor a bowl of it, to restore their energy.
When it was Chen Yi's turn, Elder Brother Three handed the decoction with a beaming smile,
"Junior Brother Chen, you've worked hard. Have a warm bowl of decoction."
Chen Yi took the bowl and walked to the side of the boat, covering his mouth, and poured the decoction into the water,
Elder Brother Three was a bit too enthusiastic.
Moreover, while they were pulling in the fishing net, Chen Yi noticed that Li Baitiao on the other boat was giving someone a significant look.
Chen Yi didn't turn to inspect who it was in fear of being noticed; he was alert and cautious. The situation might not be as smooth as it appeared on the surface.
So, he dared not eat anything offered on the boat.
He also wanted to persuade his second senior sister not to drink the decoction, but seeing Qi Ying and Yunhu drinking without concern,
Chen Yi was helpless, hoping that Elder Brother Three had no other intentions in mind.
Just then, a burst of laughter sounded,
Chen Yi followed the sound and saw the young master of the large ship, dressed in a green robe, step onto a toppled log in three quick movements, jumping over dozens of feet,
His last step landed heavily on the log and he sprung into the air, effortlessly crossing over a number of feet and landing on the martial arts school's boat,
All while he held an opened jug of wine in his hand, not spilling a drop!
"Fantastic!!"
The crowd cheered, admiring his excellent lightness skills!
Chen Yi watched in admiration thinking, if he could master that sort of footwork, he'd be far safer.
However, Qi Ying who was standing next to Chen Yi scoffed, "Just a trick, nothing more."
"Brother Shi Lei, many thanks for your help today. Here is a bottle of decade-old brew; let's have a cup."
The young master, Lei Zhen, laughed as he jumped onto the small boat and shared a drink with Shi Lei.
The two of them had been long-time buddies. They were among the most outstanding of their generation and always got together for the annual winter fishing.
At that moment, Elder Brother Three, Niu Biao, came out from the cabin and saluted Shi Lei saying,
"Big brother, I am going to meet some old friends over there."
"Go ahead." Shi Lei gestured.
"I'll go too." Chen Yi, who had a bad premonition, was the first to decide to follow Elder Brother Three onto the other boat.
However, as soon as he raised his hand, he was stopped by Qi Ying,
"Where are you going? They're going because they know some people over there, who do you know? Besides, have you ever trained in footwork, can you tread over the toppled log and cross thirty feet? Just stay put."
Chen Yi regretfully watched Elder Brother Three climb onto the other boat; he had missed the chance to follow.
But then he thought, if something did go awry, those on the other boat would be the likely culprits. Going there would have just been walking into a trap,
It's safer to stay on his boat, where there were fewer enemies. If worst comes to worst, he could dive into the water and escape into the Immortal Cultivation World.
Amidst the joking laughter of the crowd, the two boats peacefully moved towards shore,
The large boat gradually pulled in the toppled log, and the young master didn't say anything; it was a common occurrence for him to share a boat with Shi Lei on the trip back from fishing.
At one point, the previously calm lake suddenly sprouted up waves.
Bang!
A loud noise suddenly came from the bottom of the small boat,
Everyone felt a strong jolt as if they, along with the boat, were propelled almost two feet into the air!