Chapter 67: Chapter 66: First Time Losing a Catch

Day fifty-five.

After finishing with that huge deer hide, Lin Yu’an spread it out on the bed he had made with reeds and pine needles.

The whole skin emitted a faint scent of smoke and plant tannins, feeling soft and warm, instantly elevating the “luxury” level of the shelter several notches.

Ever since catching big fish two days in a row, Lin Yu’an felt as if he was a born fisherman! In top form at this moment!

He went to the fishing platform by the lake once again, but unlike before, today he brought two fishing rods.

One was painstakingly crafted from Pacific Yew, taking him an entire day.

The other was simply a spontaneous creation after last time’s “mystical” experience of catching a giant pike, a “new rod.”

He casually broke off a relatively straight willow branch from the woods, about finger-thick, to use as a fishing rod.

“Today I’m doing a fun experiment, continuing to test the new rod’s aura!”

He first picked up the valuable Pacific Yew Fishing Rod and attached a chunk of fishy-smelling bloody bait.

In an extremely standard side-cast pose, he cast the baited hook out into the deep water area in the distance.

Then he firmly inserted the handle of the Pacific Yew Fishing Rod into a gap in the original wood of the fishing platform, establishing a fixed fishing position.

After doing all this, he picked up the makeshift willow branch “new rod,” almost just a stick.

Likewise, he hung bloody bait, casually casting the hook into another area of water not far from the platform.

He held the “mystical wooden stick” and began fishing like that.

…

The whole morning passed.

Neither the fixed Pacific Yew Fishing Rod nor the “stick” in his hand showed any sign of activity.

“What… Did the fish sleep in today?”

He changed the bait several times and adjusted the fishing spots, but the situation remained unchanged.

Time flew by, and as afternoon began, the sunlight softened, and Lin Yu’an started to feel sleepy.

It turns out the new rod’s fish-catching mystique isn’t very effective!

Just as he leaned against the wooden stake of the fishing platform, nearly dozing off.

“Buzz—snap!”

A sudden, urgent and crisp sound came from beside him!

Lin Yu’an was jolted awake, sleepiness vanishing, and he looked toward the sound, only to see the Pacific Yew Fishing Rod he’d secured in the gap being pulled down with great force!

He grabbed the rod, now forming a full curve, with both hands!

A steady but not wild force came from the rod, and he immediately judged that the thing underwater had some weight but was certainly not as big as the previous two giants.

“Seems like a few-pound small guy, great for dinner!” Lin Yu’an thought happily, starting to expertly control the rod to fight the fish.

Using the Purple Fir Pole’s powerful flexibility, he easily neutralized the underwater fish’s sprints.

He could clearly feel the fish darting left and right underwater, each headshake transmitting through the rod to his hands.

He confidently smirked, ready to enjoy this not-so-intense battle, showing it what fishing was all about!

Just as he was about to exert strength to draw the fish to the surface!

Lin Yu’an felt the rod tip suddenly flick upward, and the persistent pull in his hands vanished without a trace!

The taut fishing rod snapped back to its original position, and the fishing line slackened helplessly.

“Lost the hook?”

Lin Yu’an stood there in shock, then quickly retracted the line.

He saw the metal hook at the end of the line was intact, but the bloody bait had disappeared.

“Damn it!”

“It must’ve been just not deep enough when I struck the fish earlier, or allowed it slack during the fight!”

A dinner that slips away like this is more frustrating than no fish biting at all.

After that, until sunset, neither the fresh-baited Purple Fir Pole nor the “mystical wooden stick” in his hand showed any movement.

In the end, Lin Yu’an packed up his gear and returned to the shelter empty-handed.

At night, by the stone house’s fireplace, Lin Yu’an munched on leftover smoked deer jerky while facing the camera, with a mix of regret and self-mockery on his face:

“Another day of being a non-fishing army… Hmm, doesn’t seem right…”

He argued earnestly: “Strictly speaking, I wasn’t a non-fishing army today! After all, my Purple Fir Pole did catch fish, and I even battled with it a bit.”

“Just a small technical mistake let it unhook and escape.”

“There’s a difference between non-fishing armies, right!”

Like all fishermen, he began the serious analysis and review after each fishing trip, mainly reviewing today’s haul and how impressive his technique was…

On the morning of day fifty-six, Lin Yu’an didn’t persist in seeking “revenge” at the fishing platform.

He understood that continually fishing heavily at the same spot could end up just feeding the fish. The fishing spot needed a rest for a few days.

“Alright folks, since the creatures in water aren’t giving face, let’s see if any friends on land have surprises for me.”

He took his bow and arrow, preparing to check the traps he set in the forest yesterday.

He first went to a distant spot from the shelter, where he had set a trap using a homemade steel lasso on the rabbit trail.

But it was empty, the trap wasn’t triggered either.

Although slightly disappointed, it was expected.

After checking several other small traps, most were similarly unfruitful.

Just as he thought today’s luck on land would also be “non-fishing army,” when he approached the last lasso trap, he saw a familiar figure.

The juvenile fox he had once saved was squatting near the trap, tilting its head curiously watching the snowshoe rabbit gently struggle inside.

It seemed the young fox had grown quite a bit.

Seeing Lin Yu’an walking closer, the young fox didn’t flee like ordinary wild animals but instead cautiously backed a few steps.

Its throat emitted a low “wu wu” sound, eyes warily watching him.

“Hey little one, we sure have a bond. Are you watching over my catch?”

Lin Yu’an smiled, the little fox’s appearance lightening his mood a bit.

He swiftly dealt with the snowshoe rabbit, not directly taking it as usual, but skillfully skinning and gutting it.

The young fox didn’t run away scared, just watched intently from the side, nose twitching, looking like it was about to drool.

Lin Yu’an tossed the rabbit’s organs to the young fox, and the little guy happily snatched them up, running a short distance away, gobbling them down.

“Alright, this is your reward for keeping watch today.”

Lin Yu’an felt a bit helpless, thinking this clever young fox might have learned to treat his traps as a “cafeteria” to camp out at.

The appearance of the rabbit completely made up for his fishing “non-catch” regret today.

By evening, at the stone house’s fireplace, Lin Yu’an enjoyed a bountiful dinner.

The main dish was the day’s catch, simply grilled snowshoe rabbit meat with wild onions, paired with roasted wild onions.

He ate while facing the camera, once again reviewing the day’s experience.

“Alright folks, though fishing was a non-catch today, we got a rabbit, which isn’t too bad!”

“Tomorrow, I plan to continue seeking new fishing spots to fish, and to use up the remaining bit of bloody bait quickly.”

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