Chapter 24: Forming a Party to Hunt Big Fish in the Water Curtain Cavern!

"..."
The most awkward thing in the world is when the air suddenly goes silent.
Every pair of eyes turned in perfect unison toward Liu Qiyan.
Liu Qiyan was so mortified that his toes were practically curling into the floorboards!
He could never have imagined that Jiang Fan was the legendary "fishing master." And really, how could any normal person have linked Jiang Fan to that fishing fanatic?
It was like a coincidence’s mother opening the door for a coincidence—it was a coincidence through and through!
Zhang Zhidong, clearly unaware of what had transpired, continued to chat with Jiang Fan, "Handsome, here is my business card. My name is Zhang Zhidong. If you think it over, feel free to contact me at any time."
Jiang Fan took the card and slipped it into his pocket. "Alright, I'll give you a call once I've made up my mind."
With that, Zhang Zhidong stopped bothering them and gave Liu Qiyan a meaningful look. The message was clear: he was to do his best to invite Jiang Fan to join them.
After Zhang Zhidong left, the atmosphere in the private room became even more stifling.
Jiang Fan was the first to break the silence. "Senior Liu, um, may I ask, do you believe now that I can enter the Water Curtain Cavern?"
Liu Qiyan forced a smile onto his face. "Heh, I couldn't tell that Junior Jiang Fan had such skills, truly impressive..."
He trailed off, and the awkwardness returned in full force.
"Ah, hahaha, Senior, let's not talk about that anymore. Let's eat, let's eat."
Xu An stepped in to smooth things over, and the group continued their meal. Once Liu Qiyan stopped holding the floor, the dinner ended quickly.
He had originally intended to show off and win the heart of Liu Ruyan, but instead, he had made a complete fool of himself.
On the way home, Jiang Fan and Liu Ruyan sat in the back of the Audi A6.
Liu Ruyan furrowed her delicate brows as she stared at Jiang Fan. "Honey, so you've been running off to such a dangerous place to fish these past few days! What would you have done if you hadn't been able to get out? I forbid you from going to that place ever again!"
Jiang Fan’s lips curled upward. "Didn't you say you believed in me?"
"I have to believe in you in front of outsiders, but you can't joke about your life! What would I do if something happened to you?" Liu Ruyan held Jiang Fan’s hand tightly.
"Alright, alright. I won't go fishing at the Water Curtain Cavern anymore, okay?"
Jiang Fan said this only to put his wife's mind at ease.
Throughout the journey, Shen Zhiling hadn't said a word. She had organized this dinner specifically to show Jiang Fan how sophisticated their social circle was, only for Jiang Fan to deliver a resounding slap to her face that left her cheeks burning with humiliation.

...

The next day, early morning.
Jiang Fan was groggily awakened by a voice call from "He Qiang."
"Hello, who is this?"
"Brother Fan, it’s me, He Qiang. Time to go fishing!"
"..."
What the hell? It’s four-thirty in the morning, the sun isn't even up, and you’re calling me? You must have a death wish!
"Talk to me tomorrow at seven!"

*Click!*
Jiang Fan hung up the phone and drifted back to sleep, clutching Liu Ruyan’s 36D frame.
He woke up at six-thirty, washed up, and ate breakfast. He noticed that Zhou Hong and the others were constantly tagging him in the "Sanshang Fan Group."
He clicked into the chat and saw that there were over 999 unread messages.
"..."
To have three people generate over 999 messages was truly something else.
Jiang Fan skimmed through them. Seeing that they were talking about his TikTok going viral, he immediately opened the app to check.
Likes: 257,000
Mutuals: 3
Followers: 1,538
It really had blown up a little... Just that one video of him catching a 132-pound giant catfish had gained 257,000 likes and over a thousand followers!
Seeing potential on TikTok, Jiang Fan posted the video of the 130-pound black carp to the "Sanshang Fan Group."
Jiang Fan: "Who wants to edit this video for me? I’ll reward them with two packs of 'Wild Blue Crucian' Wry-Mouth Dragon King Edition bait."
Zhou’s Little Master: "Me, Father! Let me do it! Your child is willing to serve!"
Ma Xiaodongdong: "Zhou Hong, stop fighting over it, let me have it, okay? With your amateur editing skills, wouldn't you just be wasting Brother Fan’s two packs of bait?"
Zhou’s Little Master: "Can't I just pay someone else to edit it for me?"
Ma Xiaodongdong: "I despise the rich!"
Yellow-Haired Handsome: "Oh shit, I'm late! Brother Fan, are there any more tasks? Give me one too, I don't want much, just one pack of bait is fine."
Jiang Fan: "I have one, but it’s manual labor. You want in?"
Yellow-Haired Handsome: "Yes! Brother Fan, tell me! For the sake of placing in the TikTok Fishing Cup, I’ll do it!"
Jiang Fan: "I'm heading to that same spot from yesterday to fish in a bit. If you want in, head over now and contact me when you arrive."
Zhou’s Little Master: "Huh? Fishing? I'm coming too!"
Ma Xiaodongdong: "Me too, me too!"
Ma Xiaodongdong: "Brother Fan, I can send you some spicy photos. If I give you some uncensored resources of Teacher Sanshang, can I have a pack?"
Jiang Fan: "Quit the lust, don't do it!"

...

After coordinating with the three of them, Jiang Fan sent a message back to He Qiang.
He Qiang lived up to his reputation as a fishing master. Since he had rejected the call at four-thirty, He Qiang had sent over twenty messages, roughly one every few minutes.
...
He Qiang: "Are you up yet?"
...
He Qiang: "Brother Fan, are you heading out to fish?"
...
He Qiang: "I’m already waiting for you at the same old spot from yesterday!"
...
Looking at the messages, Jiang Fan felt even more admiration for this fishing fanatic.
He replied with a simple "Alright," then hopped on his bike and left.
At the same time, He Qiang replied with an "excited emoji."
When he arrived at the spot where Zhou Hong and the others fished yesterday, Jiang Fan didn't rush to find them. Instead, he opened the system store to look for a suitable kayak to purchase.
"This one will do. It has a thruster and can seat five people."
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for obtaining an inflatable kayak, complete with an air pump. Emotion points -1,000!]
After the purchase, Jiang Fan contacted Zhou Hong and the others.
The three were already there and ran over the moment they learned his location.
When Yellow-Haired saw that Jiang Fan wanted him to help carry the kayak, he was overjoyed. "Brother Fan, is the manual labor you mentioned just carrying the inflatable kayak? I'm good at this! Every year when my grandma harvests rice, I help her carry it for a kilometer or two."
Ma Dongdong took a look and said, "Yellow-Haired, it looks pretty heavy. Can you let me help carry some of it? If you do, will you split the bait with me?"
"No way!"
Jiang Fan chimed in, "Yellow-Haired, let Ma Dongdong help carry it. Each of you will get a pack—there's plenty of bait."
Yellow-Haired split the rubber mat in half. "Alright then."
Zhou Hong pointed to himself. "Brother Fan, what about me?"
"You've already got your two packs, don't be greedy. Let's go!"
Jiang Fan waved his hand and started walking ahead. The three followed him like eager puppies.
Before long, they arrived at the riverbank on the outskirts of the Water Curtain Cavern.
He Qiang, leaning on his crutches with his bag on his back, had been waiting there for a long time.
"Ha, Brother Fan, you're quick! I just finished setting up my gear when you arrived!"
He Qiang smiled, limping toward them with his crutches.
When Zhou Hong, Yellow-Haired, and Ma Dongdong saw He Qiang, they were stunned.
"Holy crap, isn't that the TikTok fishing legend with millions of followers, Great Master He Qiang?"
"It really is!"
"Damn!"
Zhou Hong’s eyes widened. "And here I was wondering how Brother Fan’s fishing skills were so insane—he actually knows Great Master He Qiang!"
Jiang Fan was completely confused. "Great Master He Qiang? Millions of followers??"