Chapter 16: Encountering a Hardcore Fishing Enthusiast, He Qiang

Jiang Fan carried his backpack as he entered the deep mountains, following the north gate upstream along the river, winding past several small hills. Along the way, he encountered a few anglers—some already seated and fishing, others, like himself, still searching for a spot.

As he ventured deeper, the number of fishermen dwindled. At this point, Jiang Fan realized he was drawing closer to the outer perimeter of the Waterfall Cave.

After about ten minutes, he emerged from a patch of woods and arrived at the foot of a large mountain. There, he noticed a collection of bottled water stored in one spot. Beside it stood a stone tablet inscribed with the words “Waterfall Cave Area.” It seemed he had indeed reached the outskirts of the Waterfall Cave, which must lie somewhere within the mountain. Jiang Fan had never been inside, but the name itself suggested the presence of water—and where there is water, there are fish, possibly even gigantic ones.

He did not rush in, however. Instead, he spotted an angler fishing not far away along the riverbank. It appeared that wherever there was water, there were fishermen; Jiang Fan had thought that deep in the mountains, he’d be alone, yet here was a fellow fishing enthusiast.

Approaching him, Jiang Fan inquired about the presence of large fish. As he drew near, he was taken aback. The man had one foot bound in a white bandage and had discarded his crutch on the ground. With a cigarette dangling from his mouth, he fished leisurely.

Noticing Jiang Fan, the man waved casually, seemingly indifferent to whether he was friend or foe. “Hey, buddy, are you here for adventure or fishing?”

“For fishing. Are there big fish around here?” Jiang Fan asked.

The angler grinned proudly, “Ah, a fellow fisherman! I thought you were one of those explorers. Five or six-pounders are common here. Just look at my fish basket—that tells the story.”

Jiang Fan lifted the basket from the water and was astonished. It was nearly overflowing with fish, mostly around three pounds each, some even seven or eight pounds. There must have been many more small fish he had caught but discarded.

Catching several multi-pound fish in the wild in a single day was impressive. This man’s basket held a dozen or more. Limping on that injured leg, Jiang Fan wondered how he managed to haul them back.

Then he noticed a kayak moored nearby and understood.

“Man, you’re something else with that leg…” Jiang Fan began.

“Don’t remind me,” the angler sighed. “A few days ago, I went with some brothers to catch a cheater. When we opened the door, six black guys came out. We didn’t stand a chance!”

Jiang Fan was speechless.

This angler was like a legend in fishing circles: his wife cheated on him, his leg was broken, yet he still found the spirit to fish.

If Jiang Fan didn’t already have his quota of apprentice anglers tied up, he’d have seriously considered recruiting this guy.

“Hey handsome, give it a few casts. The fishing’s really good here.”

“Alright, I’ll give it a try.”

For many, the fish this angler caught would count as large, but for Jiang Fan, who had hooked fish over a hundred pounds, it wasn’t quite satisfying. Still, no one could say whether this river might harbor tens or even hundreds of pounds in fish.

Jiang Fan skipped baiting and simply cast his lure a few times.

Half an hour later, he had caught three fish: two around four pounds each and one about ten pounds.

“The fishing’s decent, but I don’t see any monsters.”

He handed the fish to the angler.

“Monsters? Handsome, you’re not planning to fish inside the Waterfall Cave, are you?”

Hearing Jiang Fan mention monsters, the angler’s proud expression shifted to keen interest.

“How do you know I want to fish inside?” Jiang Fan frowned.

The angler chuckled, “Ha! Anyone here is either an explorer or a fisherman. And among fishermen, who isn’t tempted by the Waterfall Cave?”

Jiang Fan still looked puzzled. “Are there really monsters inside the cave?”

The angler nodded openly. “Sure are.”

“But hasn’t anyone been inside? How do you know there are monsters?” Jiang Fan pressed.

“One of our fishing buddies came here before. He flew a drone inside and captured footage. From the images, those fish must weigh three or four hundred pounds. Pictures don’t lie; that’s definitely a monster. But no one’s actually gone in there yet.”

Indeed, the angler had witnessed the drone flight firsthand and knew the existence of such gigantic fish. Ever since, he had planned to explore the Waterfall Cave himself, but with his leg bandaged, he was stuck fishing at the perimeter.

“Handsome, I want to go in too, but my leg’s a pain.”

“How about this: I’ll add you as a contact. If you find any monsters inside, drop me a message?”

Jiang Fan rolled his eyes. “You want me to hobble in with a crutch just because the fishing’s good?”

The angler grinned, “Heh, not impossible. Worst case, I wait till my leg heals and go in then.”

“Here, handsome, want some betel nut?” The angler, eager for Jiang Fan’s contact to update him on the cave’s fishing, produced a pack labeled “Hecheng Tianxia 200.”

“Here, here, nice and fresh fruit,” he said.

“Putting this nut in your mouth is a real treat.”

Jiang Fan glanced at it. “Wow, you’re eating a two-hundred-yuan pack of betel nut? That’s living!”

The angler was carefree, saying whatever came to mind. “Divorced from my wife, single now. I make 2,500 a month and can’t even spend it all.”

Jiang Fan waved off the offer. “I don’t chew betel nut—afraid of oral cancer.”

The angler popped one in his mouth anyway. “Ah well, good to avoid it. If you chew, quit fast.”

Jiang Fan sighed inwardly—how do you quit something you never started? This guy must be out of his mind.

Still, seeing a seasoned angler, Jiang Fan added him on WeChat. If he ever increased his number of apprentice anglers, perhaps he could bind this man to help earn money. With the size of fish he caught here, it could bring in several substantial daily earnings.

“Handsome, leave me a note. I’m He Qiang. What’s your name?”

“Jiang Fan.”

“Jiang Fan, great name—Fishing the Great River, born extraordinary!”

He Qiang sent Jiang Fan a file.

Opening it, Jiang Fan saw a map marking the entrance to the Waterfall Cave and the mountain trails. He frowned. “You’ve been inside the Waterfall Cave?”

He Qiang nodded. “Once, but only walked about four hundred meters. The cave still extends over two kilometers. You can use my map—might help.”

“If the fishing’s good inside, remember to send me a message! Don’t forget your brother!”

He Qiang was anxious for Jiang Fan to share information.

Jiang Fan said nothing and walked off with his backpack.

He thought bitterly: I worked hard to find a good fishing spot—why should I tell you if the fishing’s good? That’d just make me a tool.

At least wait until the system opens another apprentice angler slot for binding.

“Heh, I wonder if he’ll even get inside?” He Qiang muttered, watching Jiang Fan’s departing figure.

Though he kept urging Jiang Fan to report the fishing inside the cave, He Qiang himself couldn’t enter easily. Jiang Fan would face the same difficulty.

Forget it—he shouldn’t pin too much hope on it.

If He Qiang can’t get in, he’ll wait until his leg heals and go himself.

Meanwhile, Jiang Fan returned once more to the stone tablet inscribed “Waterfall Cave Area.” Without hesitation, he found an entrance and stepped inside.