Chapter 551: Chapter 551

As soon as the shrimp bait entered the sea, it was like stepping into another world—silent, unnoticed, and quietly disappearing.

Tang Jing stared at it for a long while, then helplessly spread his hands and said, "Looks like our luck is a bit off today. Don’t get your hopes up too much. Why not assemble the Shadow Rod and play around for a bit?"

Han Qiwu nodded, took out the Shadow Rod, and gave it a quick touch before swiftly assembling it. While Tang Jing wasn’t paying attention, he attached the durable float, the spiral float, and the cork float from the Golden Sun rod onto the Shadow Rod.

Three float slots—what a joy!

"Next time, I need to visit the trade shop and get an extra float slot attachment. I’ll create a four-float Shadow Rod," Han Qiwu thought gleefully. Just as he was about to load the bait, he caught a glimpse of a faint system glow on the South Antarctic shrimp bucket beside him from the corner of his eye.

He walked over for a closer look.

[South Antarctic Shrimp Bait]

[Purpose: Fishing bait]

[Special Effect - Temptation: South Antarctic shrimp reduce the time it takes for fish to bite and have a certain chance of attracting big fish]

[Note: South Antarctic shrimp are a favorite among many fish]

"So this can be used as bait?" Han Qiwu quickly packed away his own bait, looked up, and shouted at Brother Jing, "Brother Jing, I’m going to use some of your South Antarctic shrimp, okay?"

"Go ahead," Tang Jing said with a wave of his hand, still focused on tinkering with his fishing rod.

Han Qiwu chuckled slyly and directly dragged a bucket of South Antarctic shrimp bait to his side.

After attaching the South Antarctic shrimp bait, Han Qiwu stood up and cast his line far out into the sea.

With the +12 fishing range bonus, the hook sailed far through the air before dropping into the water.

Han Qiwu watched the slowly descending hook with great anticipation.

Not even two seconds later, a silver fish with a spindle-shaped body darted in from the side and bit the hook.

"That fast? It bit in just two seconds?" Han Qiwu quickly focused his attention on the fishing game in front of him.

It seems the South Antarctic shrimp bait is quite effective. I’ll have to ask Brother Jing for some of it later.

[Blue Round Scad: Movement Pattern - Sprint; Skill Effect: None]

In the fishing game, the Blue Round Scad’s icon length was about the same as the Large Yellow Croaker.

"This doesn’t really count as a big fish—it doesn’t even have any skills," Han Qiwu said with a chuckle.

Honestly, using the Shadow Rod to catch a fish is just overkill.

With all the buffs, the current float length already occupied nearly half of the fishing game frame! Nᴇw ɴovel chaptᴇrs are published on novel~fire~net

Winning was practically a given.

Ten seconds later—success!

Han Qiwu gave a sharp tug, pulling the Blue Round Scad out of the water.

The flying Blue Round Scad landed on the deck with a thud.

"So fast? Your efficiency is pretty impressive," Brother Jing exclaimed, turning around in surprise. "What kind of fish did you catch?"

"It should be a Blue Round Scad," Han Qiwu said, walking over to remove the hook.

"Blue Round Scad? What kind of fish is that?" Brother Jing asked curiously. But when he saw the Blue Round Scad, his excitement skyrocketed.

"What do you mean ’Blue Round Scad’? This is a Chizai! With this, we can catch Red Snapper! Don’t unhook it yet. Fix the Shadow Rod to the side of the boat and toss it back into the water!" Tang Jing exclaimed, running over.

Glancing at his own unfinished rod, Tang Jing bit his lip in frustration. "You’ve got crazy good fishing luck. First catch and it’s already a Chizai."

"Chizai? Oh, now I remember—this is Barred Round Herring, right?" Han Qiwu suddenly recalled.

Barred Round Herring, scientific name Blue Round Scad, also known as Chiyu, Chizai, Stickfish, and Yellow Jack, were widely distributed, coarse in texture, and often sun-dried into salted fish by coastal dwellers to pair with porridge—a unique treat.

"Exactly! Barred Round Herring are the best live bait in this area. They’re high in histidine content, which makes them spoil easily, so it’s best to use them fresh," Brother Jing said with an eager gleam in his eyes, urging Han Qiwu to quickly bait the hook.

Han Qiwu smiled and followed Brother Jing’s advice, securing the Shadow Rod in place and casting the baited hook back into the sea.

Once submerged, the Barred Round Herring began to wriggle, instantly attracting a group of predators.

Through the murky water, Han Qiwu could faintly make out a pale red fish rushing in at high speed. It reached the bait first and took a big bite.

Fishing game triggered!

[Red Snapper: Movement Pattern - Sudden Dive; Skill Effect: Rapid Thrash]

It’s really a Red Snapper!

Who knew you could fish ?

Another lesson learned from Brother Jing!

In the game frame, the Red Snapper appeared quite restless. Its icon was a pale red, with large, round eyes, and its size was comparable to the Golden Shark Chef.

Feeling adventurous, Han Qiwu decided to test his new skill. He raised the progress bar slightly and activated the Shadow Rod’s special skill: Darkness!

In an instant, thick darkness enveloped the edges of the fishing game frame, completely shrouding the Red Snapper in confusion!

Under the confusion effect, the Red Snapper’s behavior and thought patterns became entirely reversed.

Faced with the approaching float, its body charged straight ahead without hesitation.

Its brain said, "No way!"

But its body said, "Here I come!"

Before the Darkness skill wore off, the progress bar had already maxed out.

Han Qiwu took a deep breath and quickly reeled in the Red Snapper.

"Reeling it in so soon? You already caught something?" Tang Jing hadn’t even processed what happened yet. While Chizai bait was great for Red Snapper, this was ridiculously fast.

"Got it, got it—it’s another Red Snapper. Brother Jing, grab the landing net," Han Qiwu said with a laugh. As the Red Snapper breached the water’s surface, the two of them worked together to hoist it aboard.

"You’re really something!" Tang Jing exclaimed excitedly, giving a big thumbs up. He grabbed the electronic scale nearby and weighed the Red Snapper.

"No wonder you beat Xiao Lin—your skills are something else," Tang Jing said with admiration as he read the weight.

Han Qiwu replied humbly, "This Shadow Rod is really handy. Brother Jing, how do you usually prepare Red Snapper?"

"We eat it raw. I’ve got the tools in the kitchen. You keep fishing; I’ll prepare it, and we’ll eat it soon," Tang Jing said enthusiastically, hefting the Red Snapper and heading toward the kitchen.

Han Qiwu didn’t get involved. He baited the hook with South Antarctic shrimp again and continued fishing for Barred Round Herring.

His plan was to catch a few dozen Barred Round Herring first and then help Brother Jing fish for Red Snapper.

You don’t go all the way out here just to have all the fun by yourself.

Half an hour later, a sizable pile of fish was stacked beside Han Qiwu, including over thirty Barred Round Herring.

"Take a break and try some Red Snapper sashimi. Unlike other raw fish, eating Red Snapper actually helps protect the stomach—back in the day, only nobles could afford it," Tang Jing said, carrying over a large plate of thick-cut Red Snapper sashimi.

"In that case, I’ll have to savor it," Han Qiwu said with a grin, picking up a thick slice of Red Snapper sashimi and popping it into his mouth.

The cut sashimi had a pale red color that looked incredibly appetizing. There wasn’t the slightest hint of fishiness when it entered his mouth. After a few gentle chews, the dense texture was deeply satisfying, and the flavorful freshness that spread across his palate was absolutely divine!