Lu Qing arrived at the fishing spot and trampled the grass around flat, placing it in a wooden barrel, then took out the bamboo container holding the earthworms.
He removed the mud seal from the bamboo container, revealing the red earthworms wriggling inside.
The sharp-eyed little rascals, from their higher vantage point, saw the wriggling beings in the bamboo container and immediately cried out in astonishment.
They certainly knew what earthworms were—they often caught them for play.
Sometimes they dug them up to feed their family's chickens and ducks.
But they didn't know that they could be used to catch fish.
Under the watchful eyes of the little rascals, Lu Qing took out an earthworm and threaded it onto the hook.
Then he cast the still-twisting earthworm into the water.
It landed exactly at the gray swirling fishing spot marked by his superpower.
Once the hook was in the water, Lu Qing began to wait quietly.
The little rascals behind him on the slope held their breath, their eyes fixed on the scene.
Soon, they saw the small stick tied to the fishing line, now floating on the water's surface, begin to gently move.
This made the little rascals even more tense.
Only Lu Qing remained calm and steady, not moving and letting the stick tremble there.
Not until the stick tilted upward sharply and suddenly sank did he quickly jerk the fishing rod upward.
A white line flew out of the water.
By the time everyone saw clearly, a small white fish as thick as two fingers was already hanging on the hook.
"We actually caught a fish!"
Seeing the small white fish hanging on the hook, constantly flicking and jumping its tail, the little rascals were stunned.
Little Yan even jumped up, "Brother caught a fish; it's a big one!"
Lu Qing also smiled.
It was good that his skills hadn't regressed; catching one on the first try was a relief, otherwise it would have been embarrassing in front of a bunch of little rascals.
He removed the fish, observing it closely.
This small white fish resembled the whitefish he had fished in his previous life.
Soon, a faint gray light emerged from the body of the fish.
[Small White Fish: Edible, perhaps good for nutritional supplement.]
Seeing the words "edible," Lu Qing instantly felt relieved.
Being edible was good; at least today's food supply was secured.
He poured some water into the barrel and placed the fish inside, hearing the little rascals behind him still shouting excitedly, somewhat helplessly.
"Quiet down a bit, don't scare all the fish away."
Hearing this, the little rascals quickly covered their mouths, not daring to make any more noise.
But the excitement in their eyes simply couldn't be hidden.
Seeing that Lu Qing had actually caught a fish, they felt as if they had discovered a new world, their hearts incredibly thrilled.
However, what happened next made the little rascals realize what truly thrilling excitement was.
Lu Qing threaded another earthworm and had barely put the hook back in the water when the float moved again, and he pulled up another small white fish.
From then on, Lu Qing entered continuous casting mode.
One small fish after another was ceaselessly pulled up by him, the ease of it almost like he was simply lifting fish directly from the water.
The fish he caught were not limited to small whitefish; other types of small fish were also caught in abundance.
Various fish like yellowbone fish and small river shrimp were also plentiful in the catch.
This scene made the little rascals behind him truly excited to no end.
If it weren't for their fear of scaring the fish away, they would have shouted out loud.
Lu Qing reached into the bamboo container once more, but came up empty.
Looking inside, he saw that most of the earthworms in the bamboo container had been used up, with only a few remaining at the bottom.
Glancing at the wooden barrel next to him, it was brimming full, a bountiful harvest indeed.
He couldn't help but smile.
It had been a long time since he'd felt such satisfaction from a fishing rod.
No wonder it was Otherworld, where the native environment fostered such unique fish.
The sensation of their strength was full, even the smaller fish felt substantial when pulled up.
At the same time, he felt somewhat relieved.
It was good that he had chosen this fishing spot, where even the small fish tugged powerfully. If he had gone to the other two spots, he feared the line would have snapped immediately under the pull of larger fish.
Noticing that the earthworms were almost used up, and since the frequency of bites had noticeably decreased,
Lu Qing knew it was time to call it quits.
If he continued, he'd likely empty out the spot of its small fish.
They needed some time to regather.
With this thought, Lu Qing began to reel in his fishing rod, dumped the remaining few earthworms into the water, and picked up the bucket to head uphill.
The kids on the slope, who had been watching, were already looking at him with great admiration.
Seeing Lu Qing approach, they immediately surrounded him.
They were in awe at the bucket full of small fish.
"Lu Qing, you're amazing, you caught so many fish!"
"So many fish, how long will it take to eat them all?"
"So you really can catch fish with a bamboo pole!"
...
"Brother, brother, look at the fish, so many fish!"
Little Yan also came up to Lu Qing, jumping around excitedly, her little face flushed.
"It's alright, just that the fish are a bit small," Lu Qing modestly said.
After the kids had nearly exhausted their excitement, Lu Qing added, "You guys, help me carry this bucket of fish back home. Then, everyone will get a share."
Lu Qing estimated that he had caught about seven or eight kilograms of fish. Adding the weight of the bucket and water, it was not light.
He was still a bit weak, handling it momentarily was fine, but carrying it back to the village seemed a bit daunting.
After all, so many fish, he and his siblings couldn't finish them in one or two meals.
Small fish die easily, and there weren't many ways to preserve them at home, it was better to distribute a portion.
"Okay, Lu Qing!"
Hearing they would get a share of the fish, the kids got excited instantly.
One grabbed one side of the bucket, and they easily lifted the whole bucket of fish.
Those who couldn't find a spot nearly cried.
Because of this, Lu Qing had to step in to mediate, letting them take turns, which finally calmed the quarrel.
And so, the group, carrying a big bucket of fish, headed towards the village.
Arriving in the village, because of the excited chatter of the kids, some villagers came out to see what was going on.
And they were immediately surprised.
"Lu Qing actually caught fish, and so many?"
During the time Lu Qing went fishing, news of his recovery had also spread throughout the village.
Many villagers knew he had gone to the river to fish.
But no one expected him to catch so many at once.
Looking at the bucket, there had to be at least ten kilograms of fish.
When had Lu Qing learned this trick?
Suddenly, many villagers became curious.
Especially those who had also tried fishing by the river themselves, they were particularly eager to know what method Lu Qing had used to catch so many fish all at once.
Driven by curiosity, some villagers couldn't help but follow him to Lu Qing's house.