Financial freedom begins with fishing

Chapter 1, Awakening

Blue Star, in a remote mountain area far from the city in central Qianzhou, Xia Kingdom.

On the banks of a fairly wide wild river.

"Xiao Kai, Xiao Kai, wake up!"

A burly young man was anxiously squatting next to another young man who was lying down, slapping his cheeks repeatedly and calling his name.

It's easy to tell from how soaking wet the two of them were that they had just climbed out of the water.

The burly young man was shivering from the cold, but his complexion was relatively normal.

In contrast, the young man lying down looked rather thin, probably because he was not in good physical condition, or perhaps he had choked on water when he fell in, and was still unconscious.

Seeing that the young man lying there still showed no signs of waking up, the burly young man's face became even more anxious.

"What can we do? We've done CPR, and he's vomited up water, but why isn't he waking up yet?"

Seeing the young man lying there growing paler, the burly young man became even more anxious and was about to call the police.

"Could it be a lack of oxygen?"

"Do you want me to give you CPR?"

"Hiss~"

Thinking about this, the burly young man looked conflicted.

I really can't bring myself to do it. After all, we've been good friends for so many years. It would be so embarrassing if he suddenly woke up while I was giving him artificial respiration.

But given the situation, there was no time to waste.

"Damn it, Xiao Kai, don't blame me when you wake up!"

Without further hesitation, the young man took a deep breath and suddenly bent down, ready to give his good brother a close encounter.

Just then...

......

Xiao Kai is an ordinary office worker who lives a grueling nine-to-five life.

Since graduating from university and returning to his hometown, a fifth-tier city, Xiao Kai's life has been almost entirely confined to two points: either at the company or at home. Occasionally, when he has some free time to relax, he will go out for drinks and karaoke with a few childhood friends. Apart from that, his only hobby is fishing.

On this day, Xiao Kai, who had finally gotten a weekend off, invited his best friend, whom he had grown up with, to go fishing and camping in the deep mountains.

Unexpectedly, a big fish took the bait shortly after he cast his line. Before he could prepare, the fish dragged him into the water, causing him to stumble and fall in.

He swallowed several mouthfuls of icy river water during the process, which made him choke and become dizzy.

The water in late autumn was already icy cold, which caused him to cramp up in his legs. After struggling for a bit, he sank down.

Fortunately, his close relative Xiao Peng reacted quickly, jumping into the water and pulling him out the moment he sank, ultimately saving him.

But perhaps because he choked on the water, he didn't wake up for a while, instead remaining in a coma that he couldn't quite explain.

Endless darkness enveloped Xiao Kai's vision. He could clearly feel someone calling his name, but he was unable to respond.

And so, I don't know how much time passed, maybe a second, maybe an hour.

Just as Xiao Kai's consciousness was gradually weakening, a beautiful melody suddenly reached his ears.

The melody was interspersed with some incomprehensible language, babbling incoherently and making no sense.

As these sounds continued to enter his ears, Xiao Kai gradually regained consciousness, and slowly he found that he seemed to be able to control his body.

Even though it was just a tiny bit, it still made him extremely happy.

The feeling of not being able to control his body, the feeling of his consciousness gradually fading away, were things he had never experienced before, and he never wanted to feel the fear brought by the endless darkness again.

Xiao Kai just wanted to get out of this dark place as soon as possible.

He tried desperately to open his eyes, but it was incredibly difficult.

Suddenly, that feeling of hardship disappeared.

The next instant, a light illuminated the darkness in front of him.

Before he could even feel happy, a large face was pressed against his.

Xiao Kai felt a wave of malice wash over him and almost instinctively raised his right foot to kick it hard.

"Ah~"

Xiao Peng, who was about to give Xiao Kai artificial respiration, only saw Xiao Kai's eyes suddenly open. Before he could react, he felt a pain in his stomach and was sent flying.

Fortunately, he had just adjusted his position, otherwise he would have been soaked to the bone again.

"Damn it, Xiao Kai, what are you trying to do? That hurts like hell!"

"Ah~"

Upon hearing the sound, Xiao Kai realized what he had just done and quickly apologized.

"Brother Peng, I'm sorry, it was just a stress reaction. I didn't expect it to be you!"

As he spoke, Xiao Kai prepared to get up and help the other person, but found himself weak all over, and even sitting up was difficult, let alone helping someone.

Seeing Xiao Kai's actions, Xiao Peng knew his situation and waved his hand.

"Fine, I guess I owed you something in my past life."

"hehe!"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Kai scratched his head sheepishly.

"Brother Peng, thank you! I reacted instinctively when I saw your big face so close. I won't do it again!"

"No, please don't do it again."

Xiao Peng rolled his eyes and said, "This is the second time. If it happens again, I can't guarantee I can save you!"

That's right, to be precise, this is the second time Xiao Peng has saved Xiao Kai.

The first time was when Xiao Kai was in junior high school. They skipped school to go swimming, and Xiao Kai also suffered a leg cramp during the swim, almost drowning. He was eventually saved by Xiao Peng.

"Hehe, Brother Peng, I didn't mean to either. I wasn't prepared!"

Xiao Kai felt even more embarrassed after Xiao Peng said that, and quickly explained.

He knew that Xiao Peng was concerned about him and didn't mind the other person's tone.

They had known each other for over twenty years, and he could tell that.

"Alright, you'd better learn your lesson this time. If you're not a good swimmer, remember to wear a life jacket. I've told you so many times. It's lucky I was there, otherwise, if something had happened to you, how would I explain it to your fourth uncle and aunt!"

Xiao Peng looked like he couldn't do anything about it.

"Oh, I didn't even have time to put on my life jacket before the fish took the bait. I wasn't ready at all, and that guy just pulled me down in one go. Luckily, Brother Peng was here, or I would have been done for."

Recalling the scene of catching the fish, Xiao Kai's spirits lifted, and he recounted it vividly.

"You wouldn't believe it, that fish was definitely huge. I feel it weighed at least fifty pounds, maybe even seventy pounds."

"Tch, with your small frame, you think you weigh 70 pounds? 30 pounds would be enough to pull you down."

Xiao Peng looked incredulous.

Fishermen are stubborn; if they haven't caught anything, they might claim a one-pound fish is ten pounds, or a twenty-pound fish is a hundred pounds.

In his opinion, the fish that pulled Xiao Kai down must have weighed at least twenty pounds.

He knew perfectly well that Xiao Kai was using an 8+3 carbon line, which would be barely enough to withstand 20 jin (10 kg). If the force was too much, the line would break in the first round, and there would be no chance for him to be dragged down.

"Don't you believe me? Let me tell you..."

Seeing that Xiao Peng did not believe him, Xiao Kai immediately tried to argue, but was interrupted by Xiao Peng.

"Don't you feel cold? If you don't, then tell me yourself. I need to go change my clothes, I'm freezing!"

As he spoke, Xiao Peng's teeth chattered, and he turned and hurried toward the tent not far away.