"Sea-Driving Skill? Evil-Breaking Spirit Eye? Water Pattern?"
Bai Qi was momentarily stunned. Breaking through the fishing skills proficiency was no surprise.
These days, every time he went to the river, he filled the fish basket to the brim.
He caught three treasure fish worth several dozen taels of silver, not to mention other good catches.
Such abundant catch naturally drove rapid progress.
But what does it mean to comprehend the Sea-Driving Skill?
"Speaking of which, basic skills like fishing and literacy seem to have a higher limit than cultivation techniques.
Although the improvements they bring aren't as significant, they occasionally bring surprises.
Perhaps… I should learn farming and cooking when the opportunity arises?"
Bai Qi patted his head, remembering the fishing skills at the minor achievement level, adding effects like 'excellent swimming' and 'eyes like a torch,' and also a positive gain of 'possible comprehension of Sea-Driving Skill.'
"I hadn't seen any response for so long, thought it was hopeless. Perhaps breaking through literacy into a minor achievement promoted both, allowing me to comprehend it!"
Once he figured out the rationale, he calmed down, eyes focusing, gazing at the clear text presented by the dark seal.
[Skill: Evil-Breaking Spirit Eye (Cannot be upgraded)]
[Progress: 1/800]
[Effect: Peering through shadows, intimidating ghosts, usable underwater, ineffective without water]
"Can only be activated underwater? It should help me find treasure fish."
Maybe he's used to grinding; ordinary skills with unchanging progress now hardly rekindle Bai Qi's spirits.
He rubbed his eyes again, didn't feel any discomfort or anomaly.
Probably would have to wait until he goes into the river for it to manifest.
"What does this water pattern mean?"
Bai Qi wondered, raised his hand to touch his forehead, feeling a bit itchy.
Could it grow something peculiar like horns?
With this concern, he grabbed the fishing net and went back into the river.
"Hiss!"
Bai Qi had just submerged to the riverbed; the water's flow seeped into and cooled his eyes.
His eyeballs seemed to congeal into ice, exuding immense chill.
This peculiar feeling came and went quickly.
As Bai Qi opened his eyes again, the scene became vastly different.
Originally a pitch-black riverbed, now displayed distinct colors vividly.
Things like reefs and driftwood were dull gray.
The fish, shrimp, and crabs alive were bright red and striking.
Under the Evil-Breaking Spirit Eye, the brighter the halo emitted, the better the catch.
Moreover, there were distant blue and green things, hard to grasp.
To be safe, he didn't go exploring there.
"Quite useful, makes finding treasure fish easier.
If I push my vision to the limit, I can see about two-yard radius.
And, the water seems without resistance.
It's like becoming a fish, perfectly adapting to the river's rush.
Is this the effect of the water pattern on the forehead?"
Bai Qi felt novelty, following the varied hues reflected in his eyes.
His fishing net swung repeatedly, scooping two Seven-star Spots underwater.
No matter how clever the treasure fish, encountering Bai Qi, who seems wrapped by water flow, moving freer than on land.
It's like capturing a turtle in a jar, with no escape!
Diving and surfacing repeatedly, several times.
Managed a bountiful yield weighing dozens of kilograms!
"Grabbing by hand is still too cumbersome.
Once Uncle Changshun recovers, he can join me in casting nets.
Faster deployment and more catch, then it will be easier."
Filling multiple heavy fish baskets, Bai Qi inexplicably felt his wealth increase, as if each basket was stuffed with copper coin dollars.
He took one last breath, diving into the riverbed.
This time swam further and deeper, intending to try his luck, see if he can find that unforgettable Golden Rainbow Trout!
"Such intense color! As large as a millstone! What a good catch?"
Bai Qi was using the Evil-Breaking Spirit Eye to search for other treasure fish, but then an extremely glaring halo flashed by, suddenly caught his eye.
The sudden intense change nearly made him stagger, falling headfirst into the mud.
"Take a glance? If it looks bad, quickly escape!"
Bai Qi cautiously approached.
The bright red color was like a shining golden mountain.
If he doesn't take a look, turns away directly, he might struggle with sleep tonight.
After all, what fisherman would remain unmoved upon encountering such a big catch!
"Huh, it's actually Ghost Pattern Fish? And not just one, but a whole school! Have I accidentally stumbled into a fish nest?!"
Bai Qi held his breath as he swam far underwater, and finally saw clearly.
At the edge of that bright red glow were seventeen or eighteen Ghost Pattern Fish.
They swam back and forth, pecking at bait, as if being raised in a fish pond.
Forming a not-so-small fish nest!
But strangely, the bright red glow wasn't emitted by the Ghost Pattern Fish.
They seemed like the outermost circle of a candlelight's halo, far from the core.
"Seems like there's movement on the riverbank? Someone's talking..."
Bai Qi was considering whether to explore further when his ears caught intermittent sounds.
He seemed to think of something, spread his hands and slowly surfaced.
His whole body hid among the water plants, with only half his head exposed, looking at the shadows moving on the shore.
"It's really Wang Laizi! Unknowingly, I ended up on the willow tree's side!
These Ghost Pattern Fish must have been attracted using human blood and flesh as bait!"
Bai Qi squinted his eyes. At this time, the night was deep and quiet. The biting cold wind carried Wang Laizi's muttering to his ears.
"That damn Yangquan... That damn Bai Ahqi... That damn Changshun..."
"Freezing to death, starving to death..."
Bai Qi looked like a Water Ghost floating on the river surface, silently watching Wang Laizi curl up in a makeshift shanty and light a fire of wood to warm himself.
"Those bastards said they would go get wine and meat, why haven't they returned yet..."
"Don't know how many Ghost Pattern Fish are gathered underwater, wait one more day before collecting the nets..."
"The stomach is swelling terribly, going out for a wild pee..."
Soon, Wang Laizi left the shanty and headed towards the big willow tree behind.
Bai Qi's eyes moved twice, cautiously got ashore, and snatched the two fish traps hanging by the river.
Then, he plunged back into the river, carefully opened the closely-knit fishing nets from all sides, and deftly collected one Ghost Pattern Fish after another.
"As the saying goes, 'the beasts hunted near the mountains belong to those who find them!'
The Black Water River is so wide, fishing is naturally about who acts quickly... Haha! Consider this my fortune!"
Bai Qi carried the two heavy fish traps, darting far away without stopping, faintly hearing angry shouts from behind—
"Which damn thief is here at night to steal my fish traps!"
When he returned to the rowboat, he didn't immediately sail back to shore but headed towards a secluded reed marsh.
Fishermen living off the Black Water River easily run into bad weather with torrential rain and waves.
These were the most dangerous times, alone on a boat, a slight mistake could lead to a fatal overturn.
Therefore, fishermen often set up bases, similar to anglers building their own fishing spots.
Find an uninhabited place, erect a grassy shelter to take a break and avoid the wind and rain.
"Yangquan forces an offering of Ghost Pattern Fish to curry favor with the Young Master.
Wang Laizi fawns on him because he has a way to get Ghost Pattern Fish, making it easy to profit big.
Now that I've seized their catch, it's sure to cause a huge uproar.
How to handle the Ghost Pattern Fish has become a big problem!"
Bai Qi docked the rowboat into the reed marsh and found an abandoned grass hut with a large water tank inside.
Originally used to store rainwater and freshwater, now it was long dry.
He filled it up, put all the several dozen Ghost Pattern Fish inside.
Then, he gathered a heap of reed grass to cover the tank's mouth.
It's far from the often-visited Niu Jiaotuo and Huangsha Creek by the fishermen.
No need to worry about being discovered.
Bai Qi didn't take them directly home, primarily for fear of Wang Laizi noticing.
If he brought Yangquan to his door, catching him red-handed, he'd be at a disadvantage.
Best to hide them first, then figure out how to handle them. That's more prudent.
"Keep them for myself? With my cultivation technique progress, I can probably digest one a day; it'll take half a month to finish them all."
Bai Qi frowned, with his mastery of fishing skills.
Plus the Evil-Breaking Spirit Eye to help, getting treasure fish for body nourishment is not hard.
Especially when the fish stall opens, making money will be much faster.
His real lack is actually stability.
"Yangquan can flatter the Young Master, Brother Shui can too.
His father is a Fishery Elder, and so is Old Liang.
Everyone has connections and pathways! If Brother Shui becomes the East Market Steward, expanding Bai's Fish Stall would be a piece of cake!
From ancient times to now, officials and merchants collude... Pfft! Such win-win cooperation is the fastest way to earn the first pot of gold!"
Bai Qi's mind was lively; if he sold the Ghost Pattern Fish to Liang Sanshui, helping him win the East Market Steward position.
Then, he'd have support and could suppress that scoundrel Yangquan.
The future fish stall business would be easier to manage!
Achieving three goals in one go!
Brilliant!