"You misunderstand. My fishing skills are rather ordinary; I usually prefer scooping fish."
"The reason I mentioned the relic sturgeon is that I once fished with an elder who was very fond of them, though he could never catch one."
"Oh, right, you haven't answered my question yet!"
Ye Cangtian glanced at the other person and then asked.
Hearing this, Lei Ming chuckled and said, "Many people in the relic are fond of relic sturgeon, and most end up with the same result. However, in terms of taste, I personally feel the colorful fish is superior..."
Oh?
Ye Cangtian's interest was piqued by this. "Then it's up to you to see if we can taste deliciousness today."
"Heh, don't underestimate me!"
Lei Ming waved his hand and continued, "Colorful fish are very cunning. It's not easy to catch them! Sometimes I wait here for more than ten days and still might not catch one."
Ye Cangtian was slightly taken aback, then a bit disappointed. "Lei Ming, you don't need to be modest with me. If you weren't confident you could catch a colorful fish, why would you bring it up? Isn't that just asking for trouble?"
"Heh heh."
Lei Ming smiled playfully and continued, "Colorful fish are quite difficult to catch, so I invited you to fish with me. More people means more hope!
Of course, while fishing, we can also chat and get to know each other better..."
"Oh."
Ye Cangtian responded and continued, "If it's about fishing, you might have found the wrong person. I'm not good at fishing. As I said, I only know how to scoop fish. However, if you want to chat, that's fine."
"Even if you're not good at it, you can still fish. Perhaps the colorful fish will see through you and bite my line. If that happens, we can still have some grilled fish."
Hearing Ye Cangtian's words, Lei Ming smiled and then spoke.
Ye Cangtian raised an eyebrow. If it were just about fishing, he could have turned and left. After all, he wasn't craving the colorful fish, so there was no compulsion to eat it.
But since the other person wanted to talk, that was a different matter. He was also curious to hear what the other person had to say.
With that thought, Ye Cangtian shrugged and said, "Since that's the case, it's better to accept your offer than to refuse."
"Good!"
As he spoke, Lei Ming directly tossed a set of fishing gear to Ye Cangtian. Then, with a forceful swing, he struck the ice surface in front of him.
With a boom, the ice layer was instantly penetrated, forming a hole about the size of a washbasin. Lei Ming then scattered some bait before casting his line.
Boom!
On the other side, seeing Lei Ming's actions, Ye Cangtian followed suit, doing the same.
Since Ye Cangtian had no intention of actually fishing, a perfunctory effort was enough. After casting his line, he leaned back in the nearby reclining chair.
Seeing Ye Cangtian's actions, Lei Ming smiled slightly and said, "When I was young, I fished with my senior brother, and I was just like you now, completely uninterested. But as I fished more and more, I grew to like it."
Heh heh.
Hearing the other person say that, Ye Cangtian inwardly sneered. Didn't they already drive that person away in their struggle for power? How could they still mention it so shamelessly now?
Despite his thoughts, Ye Cangtian did not expose the other person.
He slowly said, "This is not difficult. As long as he returns, you can still fish together."
"Heh heh, I'm not talking about that."
Hearing this, Lei Ming smiled meaningfully and said, "Some things, at first glance, you're not interested in, don't like, or even find annoying. But over time, you might fall in love with them one day."
Hmm?
With these words, Ye Cangtian's eyebrows shot up. He had already understood the implied meaning.
This was not about fishing, but about him and Lei Ming.
Lei Ming was telling him that perhaps by staying with Lei Ming for a while, he would come to understand Lei Ming's good qualities.
It was from these words that Ye Cangtian finally understood.
The reason Lei Ming had endured so long without making a move against him was because he wanted to join forces with him, or perhaps bring him under his command.
With that thought, Ye Cangtian smiled slightly and said, "This kind of thing cannot be changed. The reason I don't like fishing is that fishing is too inefficient. It's not as satisfying as scooping fish!"
Hmm?
Hearing this, Lei Ming's brows furrowed deeply. Had he really not understood his meaning?
Or had he understood but was deliberately playing dumb?
With that in mind, he smiled and said, "Junior Brother Death God, you've probably been outside for too long and gotten used to it. It's not your fault. Let me tell you, in the relic, you can't scoop fish with a net.
It's not because the net isn't strong enough, but because the fish are very cunning, and the net is too conspicuous, so no fish will fall into it."
Hearing this, Ye Cangtian chuckled and said, "Lei Ming, I think you've misunderstood. I'm not talking about scooping fish with a net, but with my hands."
This...
Lei Ming looked at Ye Cangtian strangely. If even a fishing net was too conspicuous, wouldn't hands be even more so?
Moreover, if one used their hands, wasn't that called catching fish, not scooping? However, he didn't dwell on this phrasing, dismissing it as a regional dialect.
With that in mind, Lei Ming said, "Junior Brother, you say scooping fish is more efficient than fishing? You know this is the relic, not the outside world!"
"I naturally know!"
Ye Cangtian smiled faintly and then chuckled, "It seems you don't believe me. How about we have a competition with some stakes?"
"Sure!"
Upon hearing this, Lei Ming's eyes lit up instantly, and he readily agreed.
He had just taken over the Imperial Dragon Villa not long ago, and supplies were insufficient. Now that Death God had come to him, why would he refuse?
As he spoke, Lei Ming said, "How about this: one colorful fish counts as ten points, and other fish count as one point. We'll fish for an hour, and then we'll tally the scores. What do you say?"
"No problem!"
Ye Cangtian readily agreed with a smile and then continued, "Then tell me, what should the stakes be?"
Lei Ming was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "How about this, we bet five Nine Revolutions Golden Pills, plus one kilogram of ice crystal stone."
Hmm? Ice crystal stone?
Ye Cangtian was slightly taken aback. In the past, the stakes with others were usually pills, which was generally the norm for stakes in the relic.
In the relic, blacksmiths were very rare, making them difficult to encounter.
Therefore, even if there were rare ores, it was difficult to forge handy weapons or armor.
Most importantly, instead of finding blacksmiths to forge these items, it was better to complete exploration quests, as one might find better weapons and armor.
After all, the current so-called blacksmiths were far from the skill level of ancient blacksmiths.
Now, Lei Ming mentioning ice crystal stone not only indicated that the other person lacked ice crystal stone but also suggested that he likely had a blacksmith in his possession.
"What? Junior Brother, are the stakes I offered too high?"
"If that's the case, you can adjust them."
On the other side, seeing Ye Cangtian's silence, Lei Ming thought his offer was too much for the other person to accept.
Hearing this, Ye Cangtian waved his hand and said, "The stakes are too low, which makes me a bit uncomfortable. How about doubling them? Ten Nine Revolutions Golden Pills and two kilograms of ice crystal stone. What do you think?"
"This..."
Lei Ming's expression clearly changed. This was essentially calling him stingy.
With that in mind, Lei Ming snorted and said, "Good. Since you're so enthusiastic, as your senior brother, I naturally have to accompany you to the end."
In his opinion, since he was certain to win this competition, he dared to bet on anything.
As he spoke, Lei Ming took out a stick of incense, lit it, and with a wave of his hand, inserted it directly into the ice. "This stick of incense will burn for exactly one hour. You and I can start now."
Ye Cangtian nodded, then leaned back in his reclining chair, casually lit a cigarette, and took a puff.
Uh...
Seeing this scene, Lei Ming's brows furrowed deeply, and a look of intense confusion appeared in his eyes.
How could one fish without watching the water surface or the float?
Was he deliberately going easy on him?
Impossible! There were stakes involved!
And given the current relationship between him and Death God, Death God wouldn't be so kind as to give him so many supplies for free.