After Reincarnating as the Dragon King, I Made a Fortune with Seafood – CH21

Chapter 21: Strange

Lu Ao considered it for the entire noon and eventually called Yan Zhengning to refuse.

Yan Zhengning sounded disappointed. “You really won’t come? A fisherman caught a yellow croaker weighing three jin and seven or eight liang two days ago. It sold for nearly a hundred thousand.”

The regret in his words was sincere. Lu Ao could not quite understand why a boss whose random beloved car cost several million would be so excited over a small sum like nearly a hundred thousand.

Lu Ao refused, “I want to go with friends. It wouldn’t be suitable for me to go on your side. I may find someone else to go with.”

“Who are you finding? Where are you going to fish?”

“I don’t know yet. I’ll probably only know after asking.” Lu Ao said, “Mr. Yan, it may be more convenient for you to go with your friends. I’m still not sure whether I’ll really go.”

“All right, then. Next time we go fishing, let’s go together. If we do this often, I can even buy a fishing boat…”

He talked for quite a while longer. Lu Ao finally managed to hang up, thought for a moment, and called Tian Mingzhi.

It had been quite a while since Lu Ao had called Tian Mingzhi.

When Tian Mingzhi saw his call, he picked up impatiently and called out, “Lu God?”

“It’s me.”

“Ah! I know. It’s been a long time since we chatted. How have things been in your hometown? Everything going smoothly?”

“More or less.” Lu Ao had no intention of exchanging small talk and went straight to the point. “I heard yellow croaker fishing has been popular in Xiding City recently?”

“Yeah. What about it? They’ve been fishing for quite a while now. A lot of people were already preparing to pack up and quit, but a few days ago, someone caught a big one, so the sluggish mood became heated again. Lu God, you want to fish for yellow croaker?”

“A little. Are you interested?”

“Us?” Tian Mingzhi’s words turned on the tip of his tongue, and he almost immediately made the decision. “Yes, yes! Lu God, when are you coming back? Let’s go together?”

“Do you have fishing qualification certificates?”

“Yes. We just renewed ours this year. We can go out to sea to fish and catch seafood. Rod fishing is fine too.”

Fishing qualification certificates were mainly aimed at offshore fishing operations. Rod fishing was more of a gray area. For fishing enthusiasts who drove a speedboat out to catch some fish, it was fine even without a certificate.

Lu Ao specifically raised this point only because the large yellow croaker they were going to fish for was too expensive. If they really caught one, it was hard to guarantee that no one would get jealous. If their documents were incomplete and someone reported them, it would be very troublesome.

“We can go together.” After receiving a definite answer, Lu Ao relaxed a little and said, “I want to rent your boat to go out to sea for yellow croaker fishing. There may be a few people on my side too. I’ll ask them first whether they’re going.”

“No problem. Our boat is big. It can hold ten people.” Tian Mingzhi said, “Renting would be too polite. If you don’t mind, let’s go out to sea as partners. We provide the boat, and you cover bait, fuel, and the like. We happen to want to film an episode about yellow croaker fishing too.”

“All right. I’ll ask first and give you an answer tonight.”

After Lu Ao settled this, he mentioned it in their fishing group and asked whether Lin Manzhang and the others wanted to go.

Lin Gongshang was the freest and replied first: When are we going?

Lu Ao: We need to go within the next few days. After some time, the weather will get hotter, and yellow croakers may stop coming out.

Yellow croakers did not like high temperatures. When the seawater temperature exceeded twenty degrees Celsius, their activity decreased, and they entered a semi-dormant state.

At that time, yellow croakers would not come into the shallow sea at all. Even if they wanted to fish for them, they would not be able to catch any.

In truth, now was not a particularly good time to fish for yellow croaker either.

Some time ago, news that someone had made a large sum of money had encouraged sea anglers. The Dragon Boat Festival was also approaching, and the price of yellow croaker was reaching a small peak. Everyone wanted to take advantage of the holiday and make a profit, so more people had started fishing again.

When Lin Gongshang heard that they were going within the next few days, he replied regretfully: Then I probably can’t go. Things on my side aren’t done yet.

Lu Ao: This year we’re only testing the waters. We may not necessarily catch anything.

Lin Gongshang: Impossible. Anyone else might fail to catch fish, but you definitely won’t have a problem!

Lin Guixiao appeared: Lu Ao, do we have to go to Xiding City?

Lu Ao: Yes. I haven’t heard of yellow croaker schools near us.

Lin Manzhang: There aren’t any. We rarely catch yellow croaker here.

Yellow croakers liked living in reefs and seaweed farther offshore in coastal waters. Their area did not have many environments suitable for yellow croaker growth.

Hearing that they had to go as far as Xiding City, Lin Guixiao thought for a while and replied: Then I won’t go. My fishing skills are average, so I won’t trouble myself.

Lu Ao: Okay.

Tan Junhao also came online: Lu Ao, I won’t go either. My child is still small, so I have to stay home and take care of her.

His youngest daughter was not yet half a year old and was right at the clingy stage. He could not leave.

Lu Ao replied understandingly.

Lu Ao asked: Then Brother Zhang and Qiyan?

He casually tagged the two of them.

Lin Qiyan: Me, me, me! I’ll go!

Lin Qiyan: I know Tian Mingzhi and the others. This is just right for a collaboration. Lu Ao, bring me along!

Lin Qiyan: It doesn’t matter whether we catch fish or not. I want to film this material.

Lu Ao: All right. You’re in.

Lin Manzhang: I’ll go too. I talked it over with your sister-in-law. There shouldn’t be anything major at home.

Lin Gongshang: You guys go. I’ll be back in a couple of days. I’ll help you feed the geese then. @LuAo

Lu Ao: Okay. Thanks.

This time, the only people going out with Lu Ao were Lin Qiyan and Lin Manzhang.

Lu Ao discussed it with them. They planned to set off tomorrow, June twenty-first, fish for around three days, and return on the night of June twenty-fifth.

The twenty-fifth was the Dragon Boat Festival. They had to go home and spend the holiday with their families.

The three discussed some details.

Lu Ao pulled Lin Manzhang, Lin Qiyan, Tian Mingzhi, Hu Xingjin, and Chen Shengrong into another group and created a sea-fishing group.

Lin Qiyan knew Tian Mingzhi and the other two.

Lin Manzhang had a steady and responsible personality, and he also got along harmoniously with them.

Everyone discussed things for the entire afternoon. When Lu Ao came back from fishing, they were still discussing.

Lu Ao glanced at the group. Seeing that they were chatting enthusiastically, he did not bother with it anymore. He simply carried a vegetable basket and went to the fields to tend his vegetables.

His vegetables were growing very well. The eggplants, chilies, and the like had already bloomed, and some had even borne tiny fruit. In about a week, they would be ready to eat.

The pumpkins, winter melons, and the like had also grown into very large plants, climbing and spreading in all directions.

The best-growing ones were the sweet potatoes.

Lu Ao planned to mix sweet potato leaves with rice or grain to feed the geese, so he had planted half a mu.

Now, these sweet potato vines were growing extremely lush. Not even a single insect hole could be seen on the rows of sweet potato leaves. Looking at them made one feel delighted.

Today, Lu Ao needed to pick a basket of sweet potato vines to take back. Some would be for him to eat, and some would be used to feed the geese.

Among these vegetables, some needed their tips pinched, some needed leaves thinned, and some needed bamboo poles set up to make it easier for them to climb. There were many scattered little tasks.

Lu Ao worked in the fields while waiting for Song Zhou.

When the sun was about to set, Song Zhou finally arrived.

Song Zhou glanced at the sky, then looked at Lu Ao’s sun-reddened cheeks and said, “Sorry to keep you waiting.”

“It’s fine. It’s not late now.” Lu Ao wiped away his sweat, carried the basket, and ran to the field ridge. “I’m ready. Are we starting to learn how to make rain now?”

“Yes.” Seeing the nervousness and anticipation in his eyes, Song Zhou smiled. “Don’t be nervous. Calling wind and summoning rain is originally an ability of your dragon race. You just need to become familiar with it and use it.”

“All right. How do I do that?”

“To use a dragon’s power, you first need to have an identity recognition as a dragon. The first thing you need to do now is understand from the bottom of your heart that you are already a dragon, not a human.”

Lu Ao fell into thought. He had already been a dragon for some time.

But he did not think of his identity very often.

Most of the time, he still lived as a human and absolutely refused to expose anything unusual about himself.

He looked at Song Zhou. “How do I recognize it? Hypnotize myself into admitting I’m a dragon?”

“I’m not too sure about that either.” Song Zhou admitted frankly, “This is the first time I’ve encountered a situation like yours, where a person turned into a dragon. I can’t tell you how to identify with it. I can only tell you some things about dragons.”

“Mm?”

“Come, let’s sit and talk.”

Song Zhou moved over two stones and placed them on the field ridge. Then he summoned dark clouds to gather overhead and block the sun, called over a cool breeze to fan them, and pulled Lu Ao down to sit. He said unhurriedly, “Dragons are divine beasts, and also the kings of all beasts.”

Lu Ao nodded.

Song Zhou smiled. “That sentence is simple, but it contains an important piece of information.”

Lu Ao tried to answer, “Kings of all beasts?”

“Yes, exactly. Kings of all beasts.” Song Zhou said, “Becoming king of all beasts doesn’t only mean you can suppress them. It also means you can command them. If applied practically—”

Song Zhou raised a hand and pointed. “For example, the pests in your fields. If you dislike them, you can directly drive them away. As long as your aura remains in the field, they will never dare come back.”

This skill was practical. Lu Ao’s eyes lit up.

Song Zhou looked at his shining eyes, and the smile in his own eyes deepened. “This is only one small example.”

“For another example, your geese. Taking care of geese every day is troublesome. You have to feed them, give them water, and drive them out to move around. Actually, if you raise them as a dragon, there’s no need for it to be so complicated. You can directly command them to go to the river to find food and drink water, then return to sleep when it gets dark.”

Lu Ao could not help asking, “It can be used like that?”

“Of course. These are only insignificant little tricks. In reality, once you identify with your status, it will have many uses. If you’re willing, you can command any living creature on this land to work for you, including humans.”

Lu Ao looked at him and asked, “That must be very difficult, right?”

Song Zhou readily agreed. “It is difficult. Extremely difficult. But theoretically speaking, you can reach that realm.”

Lu Ao thought seriously for a moment. “I understand. What should I do now?”

“I’m not too sure either, but you can try communicating with any non-human creature you’re able to communicate with. Once you get used to it, practice will make perfect.”

“All right.”

The two talked from when the sun was still high until it had set.

Song Zhou helped him summon another rain.

The two returned home to eat.

After dinner, Lu Ao said, “By the way, I’m going back to Xiding City tomorrow to go out to sea and fish.”

“What are you fishing for?”

“Yellow cucumber.” Lu Ao explained, “It’s wild large yellow croaker. This kind of fish has been quite expensive lately.”

“All right. I understand.” Song Zhou reminded him, “The communication with living creatures we talked about this afternoon—you can also try communicating with fish while fishing. Generally speaking, you won’t be able to hold a conversation with fish, but you can receive a certain amount of feedback.”

Lu Ao thought for a moment. “All right. I’ll try it then.”

Song Zhou poured him a cup of tea. “What day are you coming back?”

“Probably the night of the twenty-fifth.”

Song Zhou smiled. “Then shall I help you water the fields these next few days?”

“Sure. I’ll leave them to you. Thanks.”

“No need to thank me. I’ve eaten quite a few meals here too. It’s only right.”

Song Zhou was a reliable person. Leaving the house to him, Lu Ao was not worried.

At dawn the next day, Lu Ao got into the vehicle heading to Xiding City with Lin Manzhang and Lin Qiyan.

By the time they arrived in Xiding City, it was already past three in the afternoon.

Tian Mingzhi and the other two came to pick them up at the station, then took them out to eat, saying they had to properly fulfill their duties as hosts.

At the dinner table, they discussed tomorrow’s fishing trip in detail and confirmed the location, bait, rods, lines, and so on.

After eating and drinking their fill, it was already past eight at night.

Lu Ao had not returned home in a long time. After dinner, he simply brought the two of them back to stay at his house.

His house was very large, with more than 160 square meters on a single floor. Three people could easily stay there.

After a tiring day, the three washed up early and went to sleep.

At a little past three the next morning, the three of them got up early and went to the pier to gather, preparing to take the boat to the fishing spot.

Tian Mingzhi and the other two had arrived earlier. When they got there, the three of them were already waiting at the pier.

“Come, come, come. We bought some breakfast. Everyone eat first before we get ready to board.”

Tian Mingzhi enthusiastically handed breakfast to Lin Qiyan and Lin Manzhang, then handed Lu Ao a separate large bag. “Lu God, this is yours.”

Lu Ao lowered his head and glanced at the bag. Inside were dumplings, wontons, sauced pancakes, bread, cake, milk, and so on. It had practically everything.

A hint of amusement appeared in his eyes, and he nodded. “Sorry to trouble you.”

“No trouble. Buying one portion is buying, and buying three portions is buying too.” Tian Mingzhi cheerfully called them onto the boat. “We already moved everything up just now. We’re ready to set off. You guys don’t get seasick, right?”

“No.”

“Great. Then let’s set off.”

The six boarded the boat, and Chen Shengrong went to the cockpit to steer.

With the putt-putt sound of the engine, the fishing boat gradually left the pier and headed into the distance.

It was already past four in the morning. The sky was not yet bright, but the horizon in the distance had turned pale. Before long, daylight would replace the night and descend upon the world once more.

The morning wind was rather cool. Lu Ao sat by the railing, eating breakfast while watching the scenery in the distance.

Seabirds circled in the sky, occasionally diving down to catch fish.

By a little past five, the sky was already bright.

The sun had not yet risen, but brilliant morning clouds could be seen, dyeing the sky a fiery red.

Tian Mingzhi and Lin Qiyan lifted their cameras to film the rosy clouds and seabirds.

After finishing breakfast, Lu Ao lazily caught up on sleep.

Chen Shengrong steered the boat for more than an hour before they reached the target sea area.

There were only so many yellow croaker fishing spots. When they arrived, quite a few people were already there.

Everyone spread out, and no one went near anyone else.

Lu Ao carefully sensed the surroundings and directed Chen Shengrong to stop the boat at a fixed spot.

Like most fish, yellow croakers did not like strong light. During most of the day, they would dive into deep sea trenches to avoid the sunlight, only coming to shallow waters in the morning and evening.

Lu Ao checked their surroundings and said, “Make the nest.”

The bait they used for chumming was ordinary commercial chum bought from the market. After mixing it with water, it smelled very fragrant.

The group formed the chum into balls and threw them around the fishing boat, then began baiting their hooks.

There were actually two kinds of yellow croaker: large yellow croaker and small yellow croaker. What they were fishing for today was large yellow croaker.

The rod was a red sea bream rod Lu Ao had personally chosen, with size-six line and a hand reel.

This was a common setup for beginners.

For bait, they chose bird clams and small sea intestines.

The six of them separately cast their hooks into the water and quietly waited for fish to bite.

Aside from fishing, Tian Mingzhi and Lin Qiyan also needed to film today’s fishing footage. Since holding the camera by hand was inconvenient, they fixed the cameras to the railing with octopus camera mounts.

Fishing was truly not easy.

After they cast their hooks into the sea, aside from Lu Ao, the others saw no movement for half an hour.

It was not just them. The nearby boats were the same. Not a single person had caught a fish.

The people on two boats suspected there were no fish here and simply reeled in their rods to fish elsewhere. Very soon, new fishing boats came over and took their places.

Lu Ao did catch two black sea bream, which was better than no harvest at all.

The six had already grown too lazy to talk and sat quietly on their chairs, waiting for fish to bite.

As they kept fishing, everyone almost began to suspect that the fish had eaten the bait and slipped away.

They could not help lifting their rods to check. The bait was still properly hanging on the hooks. There simply were no fish biting.

Just as they were growing restless, they suddenly heard a voice. “Got one, got one!!! I saw it! It’s yellow croaker!”

Everyone’s spirits lifted, and they turned to look. The people on the neighboring boat had all suddenly stood up quickly, and one of them held a landing net while waiting by the side of the boat.

The person who had hooked the fish carefully reeled in the line.

A moment later, they lifted the fish up. As soon as it came out of the water, its yellow scales seemed to shine under the morning sun. “Fuck! It really is yellow croaker! Seven or eight liang!”

Lu Ao glanced over, then withdrew his gaze.

He had sensed it too. There were indeed fish near the boat.

Just then, the rod in his hand sank.

A fish had taken the bait!

Lu Ao stood up, carefully turning the reel. “Fish on. It’s not small. Bring the landing net.”

“Ah!” Lin Qiyan answered and quickly brought the landing net over. Then he hurriedly turned the camera, wanting to film the moment the fish came out of the water.

Lin Manzhang took the landing net. “I’ll do it.”

Lu Ao did not care which of them did it. He focused entirely on pulling the fish up.

As soon as the fish came out of the water, Lin Qiyan said excitedly, “Yellow croaker! It’s yellow croaker!”

Tian Mingzhi quickly aimed his camera at the fish on the water, while Hu Xingjin and Chen Shengrong ran over to help.

Lin Manzhang had sharp eyes and quick hands. The instant Lu Ao pulled the fish up, he pushed the landing net forward and directly scooped the large yellow croaker back.

The large yellow croaker that had just come out of the water was still alive. Hu Xingjin could not help shouting, “Careful! Don’t bruise it!”

Large yellow croaker was very expensive and particular about appearance. Once it was bruised, it became a lower-grade croaker, and the price would not go up.

Lin Manzhang moved the landing net onto the deck and estimated, “Whoa, this fish has to be two jin, right?”

Lu Ao reached into the landing net and unhooked the fish while estimating. “More than two and a half jin.”

Because the Dragon Boat Festival was approaching, wild large yellow croakers weighing two jin started at 3,500 yuan per jin. From two jin to two jin and one liang, the price was 3,500 yuan. Under three jin, every additional liang increased the price by 500 yuan.

Hearing Lu Ao’s words, Hu Xingjin clicked his tongue. “Six thousand in hand?”

“Not sure. We’ll weigh it when we go back.” Lu Ao said, “Bring me a plastic bag.”

After a wild large yellow croaker left the water, it had to be wrapped in an opaque plastic bag and placed in ice away from light. Only then would the large yellow croaker maintain its golden appearance.

If it was exposed to the sun and its golden color faded, the price would also be heavily discounted.

The commotion on their side was large. When the people on the nearby boats heard that they had caught a large yellow croaker weighing more than two and a half jin, they all grew quite excited.

The place was only so big. Since the large yellow croaker might eat their bait, naturally, it might eat their own bait too.

Everyone began fishing with full concentration again.

Over the next two hours, Lu Ao caught fish one after another.

The people on the neighboring fishing boats watched until their eyes nearly turned red. Yet the large yellow croakers just kept eating Lu Ao’s bait and refused to eat anyone else’s.

The only slightly comforting thing was that the people on the same boat as Lu Ao had not really caught much either. Only Lin Qiyan caught one large yellow croaker weighing around one jin and six or seven liang.

Within three hours, Lu Ao caught five in total, three of which weighed over two jin.

Seeing that the sun had risen and the temperature was gradually climbing, yellow croaker fishing was becoming more and more difficult. Everyone prepared to pack up and return.

They had to sell the fish first, then come back to fish again in the evening.

Just as they were about to leave, the rod in Hu Xingjin’s hand suddenly sank. A fish had bitten.

Hu Xingjin became excited. “Wait, wait, I’ve hooked one too.”

Everyone hurriedly stopped and turned back to look.

“Move gently.” Lin Manzhang held the landing net and quickly said, “Carefully pull it up.”

“Okay!” Hu Xingjin slowly pulled the fish up. Halfway through, he saw what the fish looked like and could not help shouting excitedly, “Yellow croaker! It’s yellow croaker! A big yellow croaker weighing at least two jin!”

The people on the nearby fishing boats all heard his voice. For a moment, the looks they threw over were full of envy, jealousy, and hatred.

This was downright strange. Same place, same fishing rods, same bait—so why were these yellow croakers only biting the bait on that boat?

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