112: The 112th octopus has started to take the bait.

Bai Xiaohe closed her eyes, and after a moment, she leaned her forehead against his shoulder and began to sob quietly. Zhao Yang said nothing; he waited for her to calm down before handing her a tissue.

Bai Xiaohe wiped her tears and looked up. "Thank you. Let's go, I'm fine now."

The two walked back side by side. Zhao Yang asked, "Now that things are settled, are you heading back to the capital?"

"I'll wait for you guys," Bai Xiaohe said. "The scenery here is quite nice; I want to look around some more."

"Looking around here?" Zhao Yang frowned slightly. "Aren't you afraid of seeing things that remind you of him?"

"So what? It's not like there's any chance for us anymore anyway." She paused, her tone lightening. "Besides, it's better to follow you guys. Safety is guaranteed, and I don't have to pay for accommodation."

Zhao Yang couldn't help but laugh. "You really are a clever little thing."

Bai Xiaohe laughed too, then suddenly said, "I want to hear you play the piano. Unfortunately, I doubt we'll find any bars in a place like this."

Zhao Yang shrugged. "The spiritual life in this place isn't that rich yet. Even if there are bars, they're mostly for the flesh trade. Better to go back to the guesthouse. There are four of us, just enough for a game of Mahjong. We can buy a set on the way."

"Mahjong?" Bai Xiaohe was stunned for a moment, looking him up and down. "You know how to play that?"

"Don't you?"

"I do." Bai Xiaohe gave a sly smile, her tone carrying a hint of pride. "My mom taught me when I was a kid, but later on, no one wanted to play with me anymore."

"Why?"

"Because I always win." She lifted her chin. "If you play against me, I'm afraid you'll lose miserably."

Zhao Yang snapped his fingers. "What a coincidence, I'm an expert too. Let's go, let's buy a Mahjong set!"

Zhao Yang wasn't bragging.

With his Photographic Memory talent and a baseline of eight points in Intelligence, Bai Xiaohe's techniques and calculations were transparent to him.

Thus, before four rounds were even finished, the three girls reached a consensus—the three of them switched to playing Fight the Landlord instead.

...

At the first crack of dawn the next day, Zhao Yang drove the van Li Jianguo had found for him and headed straight for Miaogao Township.

Miaogao Township had beautiful mountains and clear waters, shaded by green trees. In the future, it would definitely be a top choice for agritourism.

Zhao Yang parked the car by the river at the village entrance, found some shade, and without even prepping the spot, he hooked his bait and started Fishing.

Five minutes in, the first one: three and a half pounds.

Ten minutes in, the second one: three point seven pounds.

...

By past ten in the morning, a dozen locals had gathered behind Zhao Yang, all staring intently at the Fishing rod in his hand or the float on the water.

In the fish basket beside him, all sorts of fish were almost overflowing, crowding together and splashing from time to time.

Zhao Yang glanced at the fish basket and clicked his tongue inwardly. Products from the System are always top-tier; this level six Fishing skill was truly terrifying.

He finally ran out of bait.

Although he could have dug up some earthworms on the spot, the novelty had worn off, and he didn't want to bother anymore.

He released all the fish that were too small; the ones left in the basket were at least two pounds each.

He stood up, stretched, and looked back at the group of locals who still wanted more.

"Big brother, aren't you going to fish anymore?" a five or six-year-old chubby kid asked, looking up.

Zhao Yang smiled. "No more. Does anyone here buy fish? I don't need this many, I'll sell them cheap."

The chubby kid froze for a second, then turned and shouted, "Mom! Mom! I want to eat fish! This big brother is selling fish!"

A plump woman walked over. Looking at Zhao Yang, her eyes sparkled—such a handsome young man was a rare sight in Miaogao Township.

She pulled the chubby kid over and said to Zhao Yang, "Are you really selling these fish?"

Zhao Yang smiled. "Except for that biggest one, you can pick any of the others. Two yuan per pound. Do you have a scale here?"

The woman thought for a moment. "Ding Chunmei's grocery store has one. Wait here, I'll go get it."

"I'll go, I'll go!" a yellow-haired youth shouted loudly and turned to run toward the village entrance.

Zhao Yang glanced at him, the corner of his mouth twitching up—the fish were starting to bite.

That yellow-haired youth was named Yue Jun, a subordinate of Hu Yilang, a director of Kahn Paper Industry. Hu Yilang, in turn, was the number one henchman of Sun Chuanfu, the chairman of Kahn Paper Industry, and the mastermind behind all their criminal operations.

In the original plot, Yue Jun's task was to scout and coerce female students in Miaogao Township to provide entertainment for high-ranking officials and powerful figures. Hou Guiping had obtained evidence of their crimes and reported them to the authorities.

Under Hu Yilang's instructions, Yue Jun had originally intended to frame Hou Guiping for assaulting Ding Chunmei. However, he and several accomplices accidentally smothered Hou Guiping to death with a quilt during the struggle.

Later, when Jiang Yang began investigating, Yue Jun wanted his boss to help him flee, but he was eventually silenced to keep him quiet.

Last night, Hu Yilang had notified Yue Jun to keep an eye on Zhao Yang.

This morning, Yue Jun had been watching the Fishing from the crowd for a long time, worrying about how to find an excuse to strike up a conversation. When he heard Zhao Yang wanted to borrow a scale, he immediately volunteered.

In a short while, Yue Jun ran back carrying a scale. "Here you go, brother. My surname is Yue, how should I address you? You don't look like a local."

Zhao Yang took the scale. "My surname is Zhao. I'm here in Pingkang County from the capital on official business. I heard this place is a Fishing Holy Land, so I came to try my luck—it certainly lives up to its reputation."

Yue Jun glanced at the fish basket and sucked his teeth inwardly.

There were indeed many fish in the waters of Miaogao Township, but he had truly never seen someone pull them in like this before.

When the nearby locals heard he was from the capital, they all sighed with emotion. "Young people from the big city really are good-looking! This lad's face is as tender as a girl's."

Yue Jun continued the conversation. "Brother Zhao, how did you practice your Fishing technique? Can you teach me?"

Zhao Yang curled his lip. "I'm not the technical type, I'm the talented type. You can't learn it. Come, come, help me weigh the fish. I'll give you one in a bit to take home and stew."

"Sure thing!" Yue Jun then started helping, weighing the fish and collecting the money.

Halfway through, the fish in the basket stopped selling—those in a hurry to eat had already bought some, and the rest felt they could catch their own, so buying fish felt like wasting money.

Zhao Yang looked at the remaining fish and patted Yue Jun on the shoulder. "Is there a school in your village?"

"Huh? A school? Yeah. Why?"

"Besides the biggest one I'm keeping, you pick another one for yourself. The rest will be sent to your village school for an extra meal. Go find a sack, pack the fish, and help me get them into the car."

"Okay, okay!" Yue Jun found another large sack and started packing the fish.

The fish in the basket were not only large but also lively and jumping. Yue Jun's clothes were nearly soaked through, and he was covered in the smell of fish.

Zhao Yang didn't help; he just stood by watching, occasionally reminding him, "Don't let the fish escape."

Seeing him acting like a big boss, Yue Jun felt a surge of disgust. 'Damn it, who does he think he is, acting like a lord?'

He wanted to quit, but the task Hu Yilang had assigned wasn't finished yet, so he could only grit his teeth and keep working.

Finally, he got the sack of fish into the back of the van.

Zhao Yang asked for directions to the school, tossed Yue Jun a fish, and drove off with a stomp on the gas.

Yue Jun stood holding the fish, smelling the exhaust fumes, and stamped his feet in anger.

A mountain breeze blew through his soaked clothes, making him shiver involuntarily.

"Fuck!" He spat, then ran toward home holding the fish.

He had to change his clothes first, then go to the school to find Zhao Yang and finish what Hu Yilang had ordered—especially to find out if this guy named Zhao had come to Miaogao Township specifically for Hou Guiping's case.