The small glowing ball trembled in the air for a moment, then replied word by word, "[According to the system's detection, they're having a fishing and hunting competition. The winner will get a cash prize!]"
Li Zhichen had been rather uninterested at first, but her eyes suddenly lit up when she heard the word "prize money".
This competition was great! If she won, she'd not only get fish to eat but also earn some money!
Without hesitation, Li Zhichen ran back to the dilapidated temple. She rummaged around in the kitchen and soon took out an old bamboo basket from a corner.
Then she casually picked up a long, straight wooden stick in the yard. She wound the silk thread and dry grass roots around the stick a few times and headed straight for the frozen river.
The system followed Li Zhichen and asked curiously, "[Host, have you ever fished during the end - times?]"
"No."
The system immediately started to pour cold water on her quietly, muttering in a low voice,
[Ice fishing is very difficult. For someone without fishing experience, the chance of success in ice fishing is almost zero. Host, you'll probably return empty - handed~]
Li Zhichen gave the small glowing ball a meaningful look. "Since I was able to fight my way to become the leader of the Iron Cavalry in the end - times, I'll surely not be bad in any other field. I have this confidence."
The system felt goosebumps all over under Li Zhichen's gaze. It shivered twice and then fell silent.
When Li Zhichen reached the riverbank, the crowd was gathered in a makeshift shed. An old white - haired man in brocade robes was standing in the middle of the crowd, surrounded by others. He should be the organizer of this fishing and hunting competition, handing out fishing chairs to each participant.
Li Zhichen stepped forward and raised her voice, "I want to participate in the competition too!"
Hearing this, the people around made way. A young and graceful woman walked through the crowd calmly and reached the front.
Most of the people who came to participate in the fishing and hunting competition were men who made a living outside, so they were quite surprised to see Li Zhichen.
Someone sized her up and couldn't help sneering.
"What's a woman doing here? Ice fishing isn't that easy!"
Li Zhichen raised an eyebrow and retorted, "What's wrong with being a woman? You may not catch more fish than me."
As soon as she said this, the crowd fell silent for a moment, and then suddenly burst into laughter.
"Anyone can boast! If you can't catch any fish, don't throw a tantrum and cry!"
"Little girl, you'd better go back quickly! Ice fishing is very different from fishing in other seasons. There are many tricks to choosing the fishing spot and the bait! Just talking about the fishing spot, it requires the fisherman to know the topography above and below the water surface very well. You're just wasting your time here!"
Facing the unfriendly looks from around, Li Zhichen didn't dodge at all. A sneer appeared on her thin lips, and she raised her chin slightly.
"Stop talking nonsense. Whether I can catch fish or not, we'll know after a try, right?"
The people around didn't expect that Li Zhichen, who looked so gentle and frail, could talk so sharply! They were all stunned on the spot for a moment.
The old man who organized the fishing and hunting competition looked at Li Zhichen with a smile. He held this competition just for fun, so he didn't mind Li Zhichen's participation.
He handed a fishing chair to Li Zhichen and smoothed things over, "Then you can give it a try."
The competition was timed with incense. The one who caught the most fish within the time it took for two sticks of incense to burn would win. The champion would get five taels of silver.
The moment the competition started, everyone began to look for a suitable fishing spot.
Li Zhichen looked around and sat down in a wind - sheltered place. Since she didn't have an ice pick, she picked up a stone and hit the ice surface neatly. With a "boom", the ice surface was instantly broken into a big hole. The sound of the flowing water deep in the river and the dull rumbling sound of the rolling stones were continuous.
After all this, Li Zhichen slowly threw the fishing line in and then focused all her attention on mobilizing her supernatural power.
The river was about ten meters deep. It wasn't difficult to use her supernatural power to catch fish, but it would take time. Two sticks of incense should be enough...
Not far from Li Zhichen, a young man surnamed Guo was sitting on the ice. When he saw Li Zhichen's extremely simple fishing tools, he couldn't help laughing out loud.
This girl didn't even have bait or a fishhook. If she could really catch fish, he'd swallow the fishing rod alive!
Clouds were gathering on the horizon. In the blink of an eye, one stick of incense had burned out.
Some people had already caught a few small fish and were very excited; some people's fishing rods still showed no sign of movement, and they were sighing anxiously.
Only Li Zhichen was sitting calmly on the small stool. She seemed to be closing her eyes to rest, but in fact, she was calculating how to cook the fish once she caught them!
The fish meat could be roasted. It would also be good to make boiled fish or fish hot - pot. The fish bones could be used to make soup for Qi Lixiao. The remaining fish could be sold for money...
Just then, the old man walked over to Li Zhichen. Looking at her empty bamboo basket, he asked, "Girl, the incense is almost burned out. Why is there still no movement on your fishing rod?"
Li Zhichen smiled with her eyes bent, "Don't worry."
The old man was stunned for a moment and then couldn't help laughing.
He didn't expect Li Zhichen to win in the first place. He just thought she was here for fun. Shaking his head, he left.
Time passed second by second. The last stick of incense was burning shorter and shorter, and the competition was about to end.
Although the people had been waiting on the ice for a long time, they were all hot all over because ice fishing was physically exhausting. Some people with strong constitutions were even sweating down their necks.
Among all the participants, the young man surnamed Guo had caught the most fish. There were five or six palm - sized fish lying horizontally and vertically in his fish basket, struggling vigorously.
The others gathered around and praised him, "Catching so many fish in the time of two sticks of incense. You're really amazing!"
The young man was quite proud of the praise and raised his voice, "My bait is extraordinary. First, soak the millet in grain wine for three days and nights. Then mix it with fresh crushed shrimp meat fed with coarse salt and vinegar and earthworms. Using such bait for fishing will surely result in a big catch!"
The people around gasped in admiration. The old man also looked at the young man appreciatively. Seeing that the incense was almost burned out, he knew the outcome was set, so he raised his voice,
"It seems that the champion of this fishing and hunting competition has emerged. It's this young Master Guo!"
Just as the old man was about to hand the silver to the young man, a crisp voice came.
"Wait. There's still a small part of the incense left. How can we determine the winner?"
The old man stopped his hand. The people around also looked in the direction of the voice and saw that Li Zhichen's bamboo basket was still empty.
The man who had mocked Li Zhichen at first scolded her in an unfriendly tone, "What can you do with the remaining bit of incense? You haven't caught a single fish. The champion of the fishing and hunting competition has nothing to do with you!"
The old man also advised with a smile, "Girl, there's a lot of knowledge in fishing. You'd better go back and practice for a few more years!"
Li Zhichen just smiled but said nothing. By now, her supernatural power had almost accumulated enough. With a thought, a warm feeling instantly spread all over her body!
Just a moment before the incense was about to burn out, Li Zhichen released her supernatural power. Almost at the same time, the fish at the bottom of the river rushed over one after another!
Under everyone's gaze, Li Zhichen's fishing rod suddenly sank!
She curled her lips and said softly, "Here they come."