Chapter 74: A New Mission

Father Jiang tugged at Jiang Zheng’s hand and said, “Zheng, listen to me!”

Jiang Zheng shook off his father’s hand, gazing at the three with a deep voice, “Today, you must apologize!”

His aura was strong, and the three young men weren’t particularly bold; Jiang Zheng’s presence unsettled them. After all, Jiang Zheng was the kind of person who dared to fight with knife-wielding thugs; there was a natural force in him.

“If you’ve got guts, let’s compete in fishing, not fighting!” one of the youths said.

“Exactly, let’s see who’s better at fishing,” echoed another.

Suddenly, the anger on Jiang Zheng’s face shifted into something more peculiar.

“You… are sure?” Jiang Zheng asked.

The three exchanged glances, feeling uneasy.

They began to whisper among themselves.

“This guy isn’t pretending to be weak, right?” one muttered.

“He probably isn’t. Even if he is, our fishing skills will turn any pretender into a real loser,” another retorted.

“The key is, we can’t back down,” said the last.

The other two nodded in agreement. Indeed, they couldn’t show weakness. Fighting wasn’t their strength, but when it came to fishing, they feared no one.

“Of course we’re sure. Let’s compete in fishing.”

Hearing their words, Jiang Zheng replied, “Alright, I’ll compete with you in fishing!”

At that moment, Father Jiang murmured, “Son, don’t compete with them. Their mouths may be foul, but their skills are indisputable.”

“It’s fine, Dad, just watch. Today, I’ll make them apologize to you,” Jiang Zheng said.

“Why won’t you listen to reason?” Father Jiang fretted.

Others might not know, but he did: Jiang Zheng didn’t know the first thing about fishing and had never shown any interest in it.

Jiang Zheng was a complete outsider!

Fishing wasn’t as simple as it looked; there were many subtleties. Jiang Zheng, a complete novice, was sure to suffer in such a competition.

“How do you want to compete?” Jiang Zheng asked.

“Simple. We’ll set a one-hour limit. Whoever catches the heaviest fish wins,” one of them said.

Jiang Zheng glanced at his father; he knew nothing about fishing and wondered if this was a fair way to compete.

Father Jiang replied, “With a one-hour limit, competing by weight is relatively fair. Big fish are hard to catch; it’s the small ones that are easier.”

Upon hearing this, Jiang Zheng nodded. If it was reasonably fair, he would accept the challenge.

“Alright! But let me be clear: if I win, all three of you must come over and apologize to me, one by one,” Jiang Zheng declared.

“And if you lose, you give up your spot to us and leave,” the other said.

“Agreed.”

Jiang Zheng accepted the terms.

Father Jiang opened his mouth but ultimately said nothing. In the end, his son was doing this for him. As a father, he couldn’t interfere any further.

Jiang Zheng accepted the challenge, and immediately focused his attention on the system.

[Mission: Defeat the enemy in their area of expertise; make the three apologize using fishing skills. Temporary skills: Professional Angler: Possess skills akin to a professional fisherman. Strength: Greatly enhanced physical power—when it comes to brute force, I never lose!]

Seeing the newly triggered system task, Jiang Zheng felt confident facing the fishing challenge despite being a novice. He’d experienced the system’s potent temporary skills before and had no reason to fear.

Father Jiang said, “Zheng, let me tell you how to fish.”

Jiang Zheng nodded.

Though he possessed the “Professional Angler” skill—giving him the techniques of a seasoned fisherman—these skills didn’t simply appear in his mind. He was still clueless about fishing.

Father Jiang began teaching him on the spot: how to cast the line, when to reel in, and how to outwit the fish once hooked.

Father Jiang’s own skills were mediocre, but his theoretical knowledge was flawless.

Seeing Jiang Zheng still being tutored, the other side laughed.

Then one of them jeered, “Hey, your dad can’t even catch fish himself, yet he’s teaching you? If you really want to learn, why not have me teach you? Don’t worry, I won’t charge you.”

Jiang Zheng shot him a fierce look and barked, “Shut up!”

The youth instantly went silent, mumbling to himself, feeling disgruntled. But recalling Jiang Zheng’s intimidating demeanor, he dared not say more.

Listening to his father’s explanations, Jiang Zheng realized fishing was far more complex than he’d imagined.

He thought fishing was just throwing in the hook and waiting for a bite, then pulling it up.

In reality, things that seem simple are often anything but. There are intricate details everywhere.

Time ticked away; the agreed competition would last just one hour.

Father Jiang was still coaching Jiang Zheng, who showed no rush to start fishing.

Sharpening the axe won’t delay cutting the firewood; since he knew nothing, understanding some theory first would make practice much easier.

Nearby, the three had already caught their first fish—a small crucian carp, barely a couple of ounces.

Still, catching anything was decent. Fish in these rivers were hard to hook.

“We’ve already landed one, and you haven’t even started. Why not admit defeat now and save us all time?” one taunted.

Jiang Zheng gave him a cool glance, and the youth fell silent.

Soon, another muttered, “So fierce, but in the end, he still can’t fish.”

Jiang Zheng ignored the muttering, saying to his father, “Dad, keep explaining.”

Father Jiang replied, “I’ve taught you most of it. Now it’s up to you to practice.”

“Alright.” Jiang Zheng nodded.

He began baiting the hook, and with a gentle flick, there was a sharp sound as the bait landed precisely where his father had spread feed.

The perfect cast stunned Father Jiang—his son’s innate talent for fishing was remarkable! His first cast was flawless.

Most people, their first time fishing, end up snagging the line on trees, their clothes, or their hands—or simply can’t cast far or accurately.

Jiang Zheng’s cast was as precise as that of a veteran angler with decades of experience.

The three on the side were also surprised, but didn’t worry too much.

A good cast didn’t guarantee anything—it might just be luck. Fishing was more than casting.

Jiang Zheng watched the float sink and sensed something was off. He couldn’t say what, but he felt something needed adjustment.

He knew this must be the effect of the system’s temporary skill.

So he lifted the rod, reeled in the line, and adjusted the sinker and float.

Father Jiang said, “Why are you adjusting it? I already set it up.”

“Dad, I think it’s better if I tweak it a bit,” Jiang Zheng replied.

Father Jiang opened his mouth, but said nothing in the end—after all, it was Jiang Zheng’s turn to fish.

After the minor adjustment, Jiang Zheng cast again, and this time, everything felt just right.