Chapter 15

I Can See Through Everything – Chapter 15

Chapter 15: The Big Fish! The Mysterious Fish Stone

At a bend in the river, Lu Qing finally discovered a new fishing spot.

[Beginner Fishing Spot: A nutrient-rich area with abundant aquatic plants, a place favored by fish for feeding.]

[There are exotic fruits growing here, which some rare fish are particularly fond of. Fishing in this spot might yield unexpected surprises.]

The white glow it emitted was even more intense than the previous beginner fishing spot he had found.

"Exotic fruits growing above?"

Lu Qing looked up and searched the riverbank.

Soon, a few strange-looking plants caught his attention.

Under the scrutiny of his special ability, these plants also emitted a white glow.

[Blood Apricot Tree: Produces Blood Apricots, which are non-toxic and can be used medicinally.]

[It is said that Blood Apricots contain a special substance that certain rare fish particularly love.]

"Blood Apricots?"

Lu Qing gazed at the small, fingertip-sized red fruits hanging from the tree.

Could these be the exotic fruits that the rare fish liked?

With that thought, he stepped forward.

Fortunately, the Blood Apricot Trees weren’t very tall, and he easily picked a handful.

"Brother, these fruits look so delicious."

Xiao Yan saw the bright red Blood Apricots in Lu Qing’s hand and couldn't help swallowing her saliva.

"These aren’t for eating."

Although his ability's information indicated that the Blood Apricots were non-toxic, it also mentioned that they had medicinal properties. Since they were considered medicinal, Lu Qing didn’t dare let Xiao Yan eat them casually.

"If we can't eat them, then why did you pick them, Brother?"

"For fishing. Some fish love eating these fruits, so I want to try using them as bait to catch a big one," Lu Qing explained.

"Big fish like eating fruit?" Xiao Yan’s eyes widened.

"Yeah, fish eat all sorts of things—worms, fruit, corn, grass, you name it."

"They eat corn and grass too?!" The little girl’s eyes grew even wider.

This was the first time she had learned about such things, and she found it absolutely fascinating.

"That’s why you can’t eat these fruits, Xiao Yan. We’re going to use them to catch a big fish."

"Mm-hmm! I understand!" Xiao Yan nodded eagerly.

Compared to the fruit, she was far more interested in the big fish.

"Xiao Yan, stay here and wait while I clean up the area."

After reminding Xiao Yan not to wander off, Lu Qing secured a short-handled machete to a wooden stick and began clearing the weeds and small trees around the fishing spot.

Having done this countless times in his past life, he was naturally adept at it.

Before long, he had cleared the undergrowth and carved out a good fishing spot.

However, he left the Blood Apricot Trees untouched—after all, they were white-glowing plants and held significant value.

Once the fishing spot was prepared, Lu Qing got ready to fish.

He still didn’t use baiting techniques—his family’s food supply wasn’t abundant enough to be wasted like that.

Besides, the river in this strange world was rich in resources, and with a naturally selected fishing spot chosen by his ability, he was confident he could catch fish even without baiting the waters.

Sitting by the riverbank, Lu Qing decided to start with worms to secure enough food for the next two days.

He hooked a worm and cast his line into the water, watching as the float settled on the surface.

It truly was the best among the beginner fishing spots he had found—its white glow was the strongest.

Lu Qing hadn’t even let go of his fishing rod yet when the float started moving.

First, it trembled slightly, then suddenly plunged downward.

With a flick of his wrist, Lu Qing heard the whistle of tension as he reeled in the fish.

It wasn’t big—just a small white fish about two fingers wide.

Lu Qing raised an eyebrow. It seemed that these small white fish were one of the most common species in the river, appearing everywhere.

"It’s a white fish!"

Xiao Yan recognized the fish immediately and called out excitedly.

"Yeah, a white fish. Looks like we’re in for a good haul today."

Lu Qing removed the fish from the hook and placed it in the bucket.

A successful start so soon gave him a gut feeling—today, he just might catch a real monster.

With renewed focus, Lu Qing continued fishing.

However, things soon took an unexpected turn.

After catching a few more small fish, he cast his line once more—this time, no bites came for a long while.

"If the small fish aren’t biting, it either means the area is empty or that a big fish is driving them away."

With his wealth of experience, Lu Qing immediately came to a conclusion.

Without hesitation, he reeled in his line, removed the worm, and pulled out a small cloth pouch.

"It’s the secret weapon!"

Xiao Yan immediately recognized the pouch—it was something her brother had packed before they left home.

Lu Qing opened the pouch and took out a few golden grains.

They were fresh corn kernels.

That morning, he had asked Aunt Wang from next door for some corn, specifically to use as bait.

In his previous life, whenever he went wild fishing for big catches, corn was his go-to bait.

Carp, grass carp—they all loved corn. It never failed.

He wasn’t sure if the big fish in this world would be the same, but he had to give it a try.

If it didn’t work, he’d switch to using the freshly picked Blood Apricots.

After hooking a plump corn kernel onto the hook, Lu Qing cast his line again.

What happened next completely caught him off guard.

The moment the hook entered the water—before the float even had a chance to settle—something yanked it downward with incredible force.

The fishing line went taut, and a massive force surged through the rod, nearly pulling Lu Qing off balance.

Luckily, he reacted quickly, stepping forward to stabilize himself.

"Well, well, trying to ambush me, huh?"

Gripping the rod firmly, Lu Qing could feel the raw strength coming from the fish below. His face lit up with excitement.

A big one—this was definitely a big one!

No fish under five pounds could exert this kind of power.

Whoosh!

Realizing it couldn’t break free, the fish started struggling fiercely, making the fishing line hum under tension.

"You think you can escape from me? No chance!"

As the fish thrashed again, Lu Qing skillfully loosened his grip to absorb the force, then tightened it again, continuing the battle.

His newly crafted fishing rod had been verified by his ability—it could withstand a hundred pounds of force. There was no way this fish would break it.

"Go, Brother, go!"

Xiao Yan, watching anxiously, clenched her little fists.

She didn’t dare cheer too loudly, afraid of scaring the big fish away, so she whispered her encouragement.

Thus began a battle of wits and strength between Lu Qing and the fish.

For a full half hour, they fought in a relentless back-and-forth struggle. Only then did Lu Qing start to feel the fish’s strength waning.

"Finally wearing you down." Lu Qing exhaled, relieved.

The prolonged struggle had drained quite a bit of his own stamina as well.

If not for the acupuncture treatment he had received from Doctor Chen a few days ago, which restored much of his vitality, he might not have been able to outlast the fish.

Now that the fish had reached its limit, there was no way it could escape from Lu Qing’s grasp.

A short while later, with one last forceful pull, Lu Qing finally brought his long-time opponent to the surface.

The siblings finally got a clear look at the massive fish.

"What a huge fish!"

When Xiao Yan saw the fish's head and back emerge from the water, she couldn’t hold back her excited scream.

Even Lu Qing couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement.

Good heavens—judging by its size, this fish had to weigh at least ten pounds!

Suppressing his excitement, Lu Qing tightened his grip on the fishing rod.

Fishing was something that required patience, and the most crucial moment was always the final one.

If he let his guard down now and lost the fish at the last second, it would be a regret that would haunt him even when he turned eighty.

But despite all his caution, an unexpected problem arose just as he was about to land the fish.

He realized something important—he didn’t have a landing net!

Of course, this wasn’t really his fault, as his family simply didn’t own one.

Forget a landing net—they didn’t even have a regular net basket.

Without a net, he couldn't simply scoop the fish up. The only option was to keep tiring it out.

Only after completely exhausting the fish did he hand the rod over to Xiao Yan and crouch down at the riverbank, preparing to grab the fish with his bare hands.

This method was actually risky.

A fish of this size, if it still had any strength left, could easily knock someone unconscious with a flick of its tail.

Fortunately, this fish was truly drained of all its energy.

In the end, everything went smoothly—Lu Qing successfully pulled the fish ashore.

"Brother! This big fish is taller than me!"

As Lu Qing carried the fish away from the riverbank, Xiao Yan compared their sizes and gasped in amazement.

"It really does seem a little taller."

Lu Qing glanced at it and realized she was right.

The fish was over a meter long—when lifted upright, it was indeed a bit taller than Xiao Yan.

"Let’s see what kind of fish this is."

Lu Qing examined the fish closely.

It had a long, streamlined body covered in neatly arranged, armor-like scales that gleamed under the light, giving it an imposing presence.

He immediately activated his special ability to check the fish’s information.

Under his gaze, a dense white glow emanated from the fish’s body.

"A white glow, huh…"

Lu Qing felt a tinge of disappointment.

He had hoped that a fish this large might be at the red-glow level.

But after a moment’s thought, he realized he was being greedy.

If this fish had been red-glow level, landing it would have been another story entirely.

So far, he had only encountered two red-glow entities—Doctor Chen and Snow Silkworm Silk.

Both were extraordinary.

Doctor Chen was a cultivator, and Snow Silkworm Silk was a rare treasure.

If this fish had been red-glow level, it probably had some special abilities.

In that case, it was unclear who would have caught whom—he might have been the one dragged into the water.

Calming himself, Lu Qing focused on the new text that appeared before him.

[Blue-Armored Fish: A large fish species covered in blue-armored scales, a dominant force in the river, contains a Fish Stone.]

[It is said that mature Blue-Armored Fish have a Fish Stone in their throat. When polished and worn, it has a calming and stabilizing effect on the soul.]

Seeing this information, Lu Qing was overjoyed.

A Fish Stone!

The massive fish he had just caught actually contained a Fish Stone!

Fish Stones weren’t unfamiliar to Lu Qing.

In his past life, he had once caught a twenty-pound wild black carp that had a Fish Stone inside.

At the time, a wealthy buyer had offered him thousands for it, but he had refused to sell.

Aside from his personal attachment to it, there was also a persistent rumor among fishing enthusiasts—

That a Fish Stone, if aged long enough, had the power to ward off misfortune.

Lu Qing had never confirmed whether that was true in his past life.

But now, his ability had clearly identified that this Blue-Armored Fish’s Fish Stone had the power to calm the soul and mind.

That was perfect!

Ever since their parents passed away, Xiao Yan had been struggling with restless sleep, often waking up from nightmares and only being able to sleep again if he held her.

If this Fish Stone truly had such miraculous effects, it would be invaluable.

Excitement surged through Lu Qing, and he nearly gutted the fish on the spot.

Fortunately, he regained his composure and held back.

"Brother, how are we going to take this big fish home? The bucket’s too small," Xiao Yan asked with a frown.

She had already compared the fish’s size earlier—it was much taller than their wooden bucket and definitely wouldn’t fit.

"That’s easy. I’ll twist together some grass rope and carry it on my back!" Lu Qing said confidently.

What was a mere ten or twenty-pound fish?

He had already caught it—getting it home would be the easy part.

"In that case, are we still going to keep fishing?" Xiao Yan asked.

This question made Lu Qing pause.

From experience, after such an intense struggle with the Blue-Armored Fish, he had likely disturbed the entire area.

At this point, the fish below had probably scattered—if there were any left at all.

But then he thought about the Blood Apricots he had picked earlier.

His ability had specifically mentioned that they were a favorite food of certain "rare fish."

As a devoted fishing enthusiast, he was extremely curious about these so-called rare fish.

What qualified them to be labeled as "rare" by his ability?

Even the Blue-Armored Fish, which had a Fish Stone, wasn’t classified as a rare fish.

So what exactly made these rare fish special?

After some hesitation, Lu Qing decided to keep fishing for a little while longer.

Maybe these rare fish weren’t afraid of the Blue-Armored Fish and hadn’t fled.

With this hopeful thought, he filled a bucket with water, placed the Blue-Armored Fish inside head-down so at least part of it was submerged, then returned to his fishing spot.

But he had already made up his mind—he would only fish for a short while.

If nothing bit, they would head home.

Fresh fish was always better than dead fish.

This time, Lu Qing baited his hook with a Blood Apricot.

Casting his line into the water, he sat quietly and waited.

Time passed, minute by minute.

Soon, half an hour had gone by.

The float remained motionless, as if frozen in place.

"So it really did scare everything away—even the rare fish weren’t an exception," Lu Qing sighed.

This outcome didn’t surprise him.

He had only been holding onto a sliver of hope.

"Let’s pack up and head home."

Just as Lu Qing reached for his fishing rod—

Suddenly, without warning, the float plunged straight down into the water!

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