Lu Qing arrived at the river outside the village, trailed by a string of little kids.
The river wasn't very large—at its widest point, it was just over ten meters across.
But though the river wasn't wide, it was quite deep. The deepest parts could submerge a grown adult completely, which was why the village elders had always forbidden children from playing in the water.
Naturally, Lu Qing followed that same rule.
As soon as they reached the riverbank, he turned to the kids following him and spoke sternly:
"You guys aren't allowed to get close to the water or play in it. Got it?"
Though Lu Qing looked thin and weak, he was already fourteen or fifteen—practically half an adult in the eyes of the younger children.
So no one dared to disobey him. They all responded obediently,
"Got it, Brother Lu Qing."
Seeing them comply, Lu Qing then turned to Xiaoyan.
"And Xiaoyan, you have to be good too. Don't go near the riverbank. Just stay up here and watch the bucket. Don't let the fish escape, okay?"
"Okay~" Xiaoyan agreed sweetly, then asked, "Big brother, when are you going to start fishing?"
"Don't rush. I need to scout a bit first. You can't just fish anywhere."
That was a lesson Lu Qing had learned from experience.
When it came to fishing, several steps were essential if you wanted a good catch—choosing the spot, baiting the area, adjusting the float, and preparing the bait mix. Every step could affect your chances of catching fish.
And of all these steps, choosing the right fishing spot was by far the most important.
A good spot could dramatically increase your success rate.
After all, no matter how skilled a cook was, they couldn't make a meal without ingredients. If you picked the wrong spot where no fish swam, then no matter how talented you were, it would all be for nothing.
In his previous life, Lu Qing had been an experienced fishing enthusiast. He knew quite a bit about the craft.
So of course, he was also well-versed in selecting a fishing location.
Even though he was now in another world, the principles of nature were often universal.
He figured that fish in this world probably didn't behave too differently from those in his old one.
So he thought, why not try applying his past knowledge to choose the best fishing spot and make the most of this trip?
As for baiting the area—he wasn't even considering that. His family didn't even have food for themselves. Where would he get spare grain to throw into the river?
After making sure the kids stayed put under a big tree, Lu Qing began walking along the riverbank, scanning the water's surface.
Soon, he spotted what seemed like a promising location.
Using a wooden stick, he pushed down the tall grass by the bank and stepped into the spot, then began observing the area closely.
It was a bend in the river, where the current slowed and aquatic plants grew thick. It looked like a good fishing location.
Just as he was about to turn back and fetch his fishing rod, something suddenly caught his eye—a soft gray glow appeared in his field of vision.
Lu Qing was all too familiar with that kind of glow by now. He had already seen it countless times today.
He immediately froze in place, quietly focusing on the water.
The gray glow slowly spread out, forming a one-meter-wide spiral ripple on the surface.
Then, a line of text appeared:
[Ordinary Fishing Spot: A place where small fish gather. Seems like a decent choice for fishing.]
The location matched the exact spot Lu Qing had just selected.
Lu Qing was stunned for a moment, then filled with delight.
His supernatural ability could even identify fishing spots?
At the same time, he felt a hint of pride.
Clearly, his fishing spot selection skills weren't bad—even his ability acknowledged the choice.
With this unexpected discovery, Lu Qing didn't rush to fish right away.
Instead, he continued walking along the river, this time intentionally activating his supernatural vision to scan for more fishing spots.
Before long, he found two more fishing spots along this stretch of river.
To his surprise, one of them wasn't glowing gray—it had a faint white glow.
[Ordinary Fishing Spot: A place fish pass through while foraging. You might have good results fishing here.]
[Beginner Fishing Spot: Wild fruits often fall here, attracting certain large fish that favor them.]
[Fishing here may yield some unexpected catches.]
Three lines of text: the first describing a gray-glow spot, and the other two describing the white-glow one.
"Just as I thought—gray and white glows represent different grades. Gray is for ordinary fishing spots, while white corresponds to beginner-level spots," Lu Qing muttered to himself.
And based on the descriptions, it was clear there were even higher-level fishing spots out there.
Whether such spots existed in this small village river, though, was another question entirely.
After discovering these three spots, Lu Qing stopped searching.
These three were enough to cover the cleaner stretch of river near the village.
Beyond that point, the vegetation grew thicker and the path more treacherous. Without tools to clear the way, it would be hard just to reach the water, let alone fish.
And right now, he didn't have the energy for that kind of effort.
Besides, these three spots were more than enough for his current needs.
What he had to decide now was—which spot to fish at.
After thinking it over, Lu Qing decided to start with the first one he found.
His reason was simple.
According to the description from his supernatural ability, the first spot was where small fish gathered.
And the rod he'd made was very basic.
He wasn't even sure how strong the hemp fishing line was or how much tension it could handle.
If he blindly went for large fish and the line snapped, he'd be in trouble.
After all, the remaining hemp in his house might not be enough to make more proper fishing line.
Even worse—he only had one fishing hook. If he lost that, fishing would no longer be an option.
So it was safer to start with small fish.
Having made up his mind, Lu Qing returned to the tree and found the kids still obediently waiting. He nodded in satisfaction.
In fact, he hadn't gone far—he'd stayed within sight, just in case the little troublemakers wandered off when they couldn't see him.
"Big brother, you're back!"
Seeing Lu Qing return, Xiaoyan was the first to greet him happily.
"Yeah, I'm back."
"Did you decide where to fish?"
"I did. Let's head over."
When the kids heard he'd picked a spot, they all perked up with excitement.
One of the quicker ones even rushed up to help with the bucket.
"Brother Lu Qing, I'll carry this for you!"
Lu Qing didn't refuse. These kids were between eight and twelve years old—full of energy. Letting them burn off some was a good thing.
The group quickly arrived at the fishing spot Lu Qing had chosen.
"You all stay up here and watch. Don't go near the riverbank. Got it? Ah Hu, you're the oldest—keep an eye on the others."
Ah Hu was the eldest among them, already twelve and mature enough to understand responsibility.
"Got it, Brother Lu Qing!"
Once they all agreed, Lu Qing nodded with satisfaction, then grabbed the fishing rod and bucket and headed down the slope to the fishing spot.