Chapter 132: You think I'm fishing? Wrong!! I'm fishing (for something)!

Listening to the system's voice.

Lu Yuan blinked, a bit dazed.

Hmm…

"Cooking God"?

What a joke!

This must be the one teaching Lu Yuan to cook, to make dishes.

How could Lu Yuan possibly go learn?

Lu Yuan couldn't even be bothered to take it out and look, he simply didn't want to deal with it.

Wait until his wife gives birth to a child, then he'll show it to her.

Immediately, Lu Yuan stood up, looked at Gu Lie ahead, and said:

"Let's go, I'll buy a cricket at the market right now to settle this with you."

Gu Lie, of course, refused, and immediately stood up, saying:

"Let's go then!"

However, after glancing back at his fishing rod and the cage, he suddenly said:

"What about these fish of mine?"

Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow and said:

"Just leave them here; few people come around, we'll be back in an hour, let's go."

Gu Lie thought about it and agreed, then swung onto his horse and raced after Lu Yuan toward the market.

It's winter now, not the usual season for cricket fighting, but the imperial city is crowded anyway.

The market here has shops specializing in selling crickets, and rooms with heated kangs for people to fight crickets.

However, those who gather to fight crickets at this time are mostly wealthy young masters.

In the past, the Great Zhou Dynasty had many places where one could enjoy such pastimes.

Visiting brothels, drinking flower wine, all sorts of miscellaneous things—there really were plenty.

Nowadays, naturally, there's nothing left.

The only thing left to play with is crickets, and there are still quite a few people here.

After Lu Yuan and Gu Lie tied up their horses, they entered this shop.

Inside it was warm, with several stoves burning.

Those who fight crickets would rather freeze themselves than let the crickets freeze.

After entering, Lu Yuan began selecting crickets.

For Lu Yuan, picking crickets was the same whether the system was on or off.

However, it's better not to activate it, as for why…

Because the system marks the crickets' star ratings; if you take them to fight others, you already know you'll surely win, which isn't as satisfying.

But Lu Yuan isn't doing this just to teach Gu Lie a lesson.

Besides, even invincible stories have their satisfying points!

So, Lu Yuan immediately opened the system and scanned the crickets in the shop.

Hmm…

He saw a four-star cricket.

Lu Yuan, without changing expression, began asking the price of the crickets in front of him.

Gu Lie, standing beside him, followed behind and watched.

Soon, he was asking about the cricket Lu Yuan wanted.

The shopkeeper was annoyed by Lu Yuan's questions.

He glanced and then said with a pout:

"Two mao, the lowest price, not a cent less."

Lu Yuan swiftly paid and took the goods.

He immediately handed over a piece of money and said:

"Jar, firefly."

Hmm?

The shopkeeper watched Lu Yuan pay so quickly, and his demeanor didn't look like a novice, leaving him a bit puzzled.

"Did I sell my cricket at a loss?"

But having said it, business requires honesty; suddenly raising the price wouldn't do.

In the end, the shopkeeper took the money, gave change, and handed over what Lu Yuan wanted.

Meanwhile, Gu Lie, standing aside, saw Lu Yuan had picked his cricket, then rushed over to examine it closely, but after looking twice,

Gu Lie suddenly turned his head to Lu Yuan and chuckled:

"Yours is no good at a glance—look, yours is black, while mine is yellow!!"

There's a saying about cricket fighting:

"White is inferior to black, black to red, red to yellow."

Lu Yuan's cricket is jet black, while Gu Lie's is top-tier yellow.

But this is merely a matter of appearance.

Or rather, it's just a general impression.

If you could tell who wins or loses just by color, what point would cricket fighting have?

Let's just make it a beauty pageant, huh.

Everyone puts their crickets together and sees whose color is right—whoever has the right color wins, isn't that simple?

Seeing Gu Lie's smug look, Lu Yuan took the item from the shopkeeper, held the Lustrous Grass in his mouth, and looked at Gu Lie, raising his eyebrows and saying:

"Following the book to the letter."

Gu Lie: "????"

"You're insulting someone!"

Lu Yuan raised his eyebrows and said:

"Does following the book count as insulting someone?"

Gu Lie: "……"

"Then what does 'following the book' mean?"

Lu Yuan looked at this Gu Lie, who also came from a wealthy family, yet he doesn't even know what 'following the book' means??

Lu Yuan, while taking the item to find a spot on the opposite heated bed, raised his eyebrows and said:

"You don't even understand this meaning, you can—'unlearned and unskilled' describes you."

Unlearned and unskilled?

Hmm...

Gu Lie knows what 'unlearned and unskilled' means, because his sister often uses it to scold him.

Afterwards, Gu Lie followed and sat down on the heated bed, then immediately said:

"What exactly does 'following the book' mean?"

Lu Yuan raised his eyebrows, looking at Gu Lie, and said:

"It means you only know how to read the book verbatim, describing someone as rigid in their actions, lacking any creativity or initiative!"

"How can judging cricket fights just by color? There are many aspects to consider; if just by color you could tell who's stronger, what's left to compare?"

In cricket fighting, there are many things to look at.

There's no perfect cricket, just like there's no perfect person—ah, no, my wife is perfect.

Hmm...

Anyway, crickets have many standards; Gu Lie's cricket excels in only one aspect: its color.

But the other aspects are no good!

What is this like? It's like the pentagon chart of some athletes.

For example, this athlete has maxed-out attack, defense, and speed, but extremely low stamina and mindset.

Once on the field, after being jeered a couple of times and hearing some boos from the crowd, his mindset collapses.

One needs to look at the overall aspects.

The same goes for crickets.

There's no cricket that's perfect in every aspect, so those selecting crickets naturally choose the best.

This is also one of the greatest joys of cricket fighting.

Watching the cricket you carefully selected win fills you with a profound sense of accomplishment.

That's also why cricket fighting has remained popular from the Tang and Song dynasties up to the present, eight or nine hundred years.

Lu Yuan placed his bought cricket into the big jar on the table, took the Lustrous Grass from his mouth, and then raised his eyebrows and said:

Come on!

Lu Yuan's technique, in Gu Lie's view, is indeed somewhat professional.

For a moment, Gu Lie really had a bit of doubt in his heart.

Could Lu Yuan really be an expert?

But now that we're here, we'll find out by competing.

Immediately, Gu Lie also took out his Ever-Victorious General and placed it in the jar to start the fight.

Others in the room, seeing another table set up, immediately gathered around.

In the past, everyone could place bets.

But now, the Great Zhou Dynasty strictly prohibits gambling, which is a serious crime, so everyone can only watch.

Gu Lie's cricket, naturally, looks good from the outside.

Otherwise, how could Gu Lie trade a jade pendant worth tens of thousands for it?

Immediately, someone said Gu Lie's cricket is this good, that strong, etc.

Lu Yuan merely pursed his lips, too lazy to listen to their chatter.

And Gu Lie, after hearing the praise from those around him, went from doubt to full confidence.

Afterwards, the two crickets officially began their fight.

There were no surprises.

After the third round.

Gu Lie's cricket couldn't continue.

It kept circling the jar, trying to escape.

It was thoroughly beaten by Lu Yuan's two-mao cricket, losing armor and helmet.

Some of the knowledgeable guys in the room instantly turned into fence-sitters.

They all stood with Lu Yuan, start saying how his cricket is this strong, that strong.

One said it had a big head, another said it had thick legs.

What they said made perfect sense.

On the contrary, he started analyzing how trash Gu Lie's cricket was, this one no good, that one no good.

Just having a body, and all kinds of messy stuff.

What he said to Gu Lie really made his face blotchy red and green.

Gu Lie's temper wasn't good; he immediately lifted his head and shouted angrily at these people:

"What's all the noise? Get lost!"

"Everyone in this room are rich young masters; they definitely won't stand for that!"

Immediately they rolled up their sleeves, wanting to fight Gu Lie.

Gu Lie wasn't afraid of a fight; he immediately got up, ready to brawl.

Seeing the situation was going bad, the shopkeeper immediately tried to intervene:

"Sirs, don't get rough; officials often patrol this street!!"

As soon as the shopkeeper said that, these rich young masters immediately stopped.

Things aren't like they used to be.

Nowadays, no matter who you are, fighting in the bustling market only ends one way: being locked up straight away.

No matter who your parents are, it won't help.

If it gets serious, even your parents will be dragged down because of you.

Normally, these people who don't work are often scolded at home by their fathers pointing at their noses.

If they stir up trouble outside, they could get beaten to death when they return home.

In the end, this group left, muttering complaints.

Gu Lie, meanwhile, stared at his frantically escaping 'Ever-Victorious General' cricket in the jar before him, somewhat speechless.

"What, you're not convinced? There are so many crickets here; let's buy another and we'll play."

Lu Yuan also got interested, and immediately raised his eyebrows and said:

Gu Lie was startled, then immediately nodded to go, but after thinking again, his little face fell and he said:

"I have no money... could you lend me two?"

"Huh?"

Lu Yuan gave Gu Lie a strange look and said:

"Your cricket is worth eight thousand, and you're telling me you have no money?"

Gu Lie pursed his lips and said:

"I have no cash... you, lend me two, I'll pay you back next time; I, a man of honor, absolutely won't cheat."

After saying that, Gu Lie then directly said:

"Brother~~ lend me a dollar."

Looking at Gu Lie's bear-like appearance, Lu Yuan chuckled, then took out two dollars from his pocket and handed them over, saying:

"With interest, next time give me three."

After receiving the money, Gu Lie immediately rushed excitedly to the shopkeeper, not looking back, saying:

"I'll pay you back five!"

The next hour.

Gu Lie picked three, all of them were defeated by Lu Yuan's cricket.

They were thoroughly defeated.

When Gu Lie, full of unwillingness to lose, wanted to pick another cricket.

Lu Yuan then put his cricket back into the jar, jumped down from the heated brick bed, and said:

"I'm not playing anymore; I'm going back to fish."

Gu Lie was startled, then began to plead:

"Let's play a little longer."

Gu Lie is now truly addicted.

Lu Yuan, meanwhile, raised his eyebrows and said:

"How else to play? My cricket doesn't need to rest, right? After four consecutive fights, it's now out of steam."

"What, if you beat my cricket now, do you feel great?"

"Is that what a real man would do?"

Gu Lie was startled; that's also true.

Finally, he slumped his head and followed Lu Yuan out of the shop.

Now Lu Yuan really feels great.

Gu Lie beside him sat sulking, not speaking.

Lu Yuan, meanwhile, wore an amused expression and said:

"It's fine; want to keep betting? If you win next time, I'll teach you martial arts."

Anyway, Gu Lie basically has no chance to win.

Upon hearing that, Gu Lie immediately regained confidence, looking at Lu Yuan and nodding repeatedly, saying:

"Deal!!"

However, after saying that, Gu Lie then looked at Lu Yuan and said:

"But... what do you want me to do this time?"

"Hmm..."

Regarding that, Lu Yuan really hasn't decided yet; he wants to do something himself, he doesn't need Gu Lie's help.

Lu Yuan immediately waved his hand and said:

"I haven't thought of it yet; I'll put it on tab for now, and I'll tell you when I think of it."

Gu Lie readily said:

"Sure, just tell me when you think of it!"

Soon, the two arrived at the moat; how they walked then is how they walk now.

Afterwards, the two began to continue casting their rods to fish.

Now Lu Yuan sat with his legs crossed, humming, needless to say, he was extremely happy.

Gu Lie, on the other hand, was not very happy.

After all, it wasn't just about losing earlier; the crickets he'd bought for a small fortune were useless, not to mention he still hadn't learned any martial arts.

And as time went on.

Things started to go wrong.

Gu Lie was hooking fish frenetically.

Meanwhile, Lu Yuan hadn't gotten a single bite.

The smile and pride on Lu Yuan's face disappeared.

No, to be precise, the smile and pride on Lu Yuan's face transferred to Gu Lie's face.

At this point Gu Lie was about to laugh himself to death.

Lu Yuan gave an exasperated look at his rod, which hadn't moved once all afternoon.

Damn it!!

"Hahaha, look, bro, look, I followed your advice and hooked another one, bro, what's wrong with you? Why aren't you catching any fish?"

Gu Lie laughed while putting the fish he'd caught into his own creel.

Lu Yuan: "……"

Another half hour later, as Gu Lie hooked another big fish...

And Gu Lie, just like before, was made extremely happy.

This time, Gu Lie, extremely proud, looked at Lu Yuan and laughed, saying:

"Bro~ you're not doing so well~~ your luck's bad today~~"

"Being all sarcastic, huh?"

"Fine."

The next second, Lu Yuan lifted his fishing rod, then deliberately fiddled with his hook, and then cast it out again.

Meanwhile, Gu Lie beside him was momentarily stunned.

He looked at Lu Yuan, a bit dazed, and said:

"Eh?? Bro??? You…… your hook…… how come it looks straight? Did I missee it?"

Hum~

The next second, Lu Yuan gave a serious look at the stunned Gu Lie and said:

"You think I'm fishing?!"

"Wrong!!"

"I'm fishing for home and country, I'm fishing for the universe, I'm fishing for the primordial wilderness, I'm fishing for faith!!"

"You don't know what fishing is at all!!"

"This is Jiang Taigong fishing!!!"

Thanks to Yu, Fish, and Old Brother Yu for the 1500 book coin reward, thank you very much.

Thanks to Hu Wukan, reader 20221023, Qiannian, that glimmer of dawn before sunrise, and the four old brothers for the 100 book coin reward.

Thanks a lot to the old brothers for the reward.

I don't know what's going on today, I felt especially sleepy; I woke up at 2 PM, wrote a few hundred words, got sleepy again, and didn't get up to write until 4 PM.

So it's late, hehe.

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(End of chapter)