Inside the Haotian Mirror.
A few days passed, and Huo Ling'er's health gradually improved.
Although she still couldn't move freely and needed a wheelchair, at least her hands were now functional, allowing her to dress and clean herself without Xiao Fan's help.
Watching Xiao Fan fish for so many days, Huo Ling'er felt an itch to try her hand at it. It was time to show off her skills.
Today, she asked Xiao Fan to make her a fishing rod as well, proposing a contest to see who could catch more and bigger fish.
Xiao Fan was more than happy to oblige.
Winning or losing wasn't important to him. What mattered was that Huo Ling'er no longer exhibited the self-doubt and lack of confidence she had before.
"Just a contest without any stakes is boring!"
Huo Ling'er smiled mischievously at Xiao Fan.
"So, what stakes do you propose?"
Xiao Fan could tell that Huo Ling'er, after a few days of peace, was eager for some excitement. He was curious to see what she had in mind.
"How about this: if I win, you have to call me Master. If you win, I'll call you Master."
Perhaps fearing that Xiao Fan wouldn't agree, she added, "Of course, the 'Master' title is only in terms of fishing."
Huo Ling'er looked at Xiao Fan with confidence, her eyes sparkling. The thought of Xiao Fan respectfully calling her Master if she won made her feel elated.
If Xiao Fan ever dared to tease her again, she could accuse him of disrespecting his master.
"Master..." Xiao Fan's face darkened, the word dragging him back to painful memories.
He wondered how Leng Ruoxue and Wen Yaxian were faring now...
Seeing Xiao Fan's silence and thinking he was afraid of losing, Huo Ling'er hurriedly used a provoking tactic.
"If you're afraid of losing, then forget it."
Xiao Fan snapped out of his thoughts. He had been trying to prevent Huo Ling'er from dwelling on past failures, but he realized he needed to move on from his own painful memories too.
Xiao Fan smiled faintly, "Since you want to compete, I'll play along."
"It's a deal then. No backing out if you lose!" Huo Ling'er quickly seized the opportunity, fearing Xiao Fan might change his mind.
Xiao Fan found it amusing. He wondered where Huo Ling'er got her confidence, thinking she could beat him.
Huo Ling'er had extraordinary talent in cultivation and came from a noble background. She must have spent most of her time training and likely had little experience with fishing.
Fishing wasn't as simple as it seemed.
He looked forward to seeing her face when she realized this.
The fishing contest began.
Before starting, Huo Ling'er made Xiao Fan move away, not wanting him to steal her prime spot.
Xiao Fan was happy to oblige, choosing a spot about ten meters away.
The contest officially started.
Xiao Fan first scattered some bait in the water.
Huo Ling'er looked at him curiously, "What are you doing?"
"Chumming," Xiao Fan replied without hiding anything.
"Chumming?" Huo Ling'er was puzzled. She had never seen Xiao Fan do this before.
Watching him splash bait into the water, she thought he was scaring the fish away.
Satisfied, she began her own fishing.
However, she quickly noticed that Xiao Fan wasn't using worms as bait but slippery loaches, leaving her even more perplexed.
How could he catch fish with such slippery bait? Was he throwing the match on purpose?
"Hey! Don't lose on purpose. I don't want to win without a challenge," Huo Ling'er called out.
Xiao Fan didn't respond, just smiled.
Despite her annoyance, Huo Ling'er decided to focus on winning first.
If she became Xiao Fan's master, she would make sure he respected her.
The contest was intense.
But things didn't go as smoothly as Huo Ling'er expected.
Watching Xiao Fan fish, it seemed as simple as casting the line and waiting for a bite.
But when she started, no fish bit.
What was different?
She had taken Xiao Fan's usual fishing spot for good luck.
What was she missing?
Pondering this, she suddenly noticed movement in the water. The fishing line tugged, creating ripples.
Concentrating, Huo Ling'er knew timing was crucial. Pull too early, and the fish could escape.
She waited patiently.
The line tugged harder.
Huo Ling'er lifted the rod, flinging a fish onto the bank.
"Hahaha, I did it!"
Excited, she put the fish in her basket. Though it was small, she was thrilled by her first catch, confident she would catch more and bigger fish.
She wanted to show off to Xiao Fan.
"Xiao Fan, look at my fish..."
Her smile froze.
Xiao Fan was reeling in a three-to-four-pound fish.
Embarrassed, Huo Ling'er quickly tossed her fish into the basket to avoid further humiliation.
Xiao Fan placed his large fish in the basket and looked at her.
"What did you want to show me?"
Huo Ling'er pretended not to hear, avoiding eye contact.
Xiao Fan chuckled, already guessing that she had caught a small fish and wanted to show off but felt embarrassed after seeing his big catch.
He focused back on fishing, while Huo Ling'er sulked, her confidence shaken.
Xiao Fan continued catching large fish, each weighing at least two to three pounds, while Huo Ling'er only managed a few small ones.
She lost the contest miserably.
This was a disaster. Now she had to call Xiao Fan 'Master.'
Her hopes of regaining face were dashed.