He held the fishing uncle with one hand while tightly controlling the fishing rod with the other.
His strength was beyond that of ordinary people.
No matter how the *gǎn* fish struggled, it could only drag his body along, unable to break free from the hook.
When it paused to exert its force, Li Chonglou immediately kicked frantically, resisting the current and moving towards the shore.
The spectators on the shore gasped in amazement.
Jiang Yuxin's beautiful eyes widened. After the initial tension, she also noticed something was amiss.
Although Li Chonglou was not visible, the fishing uncle was floating on the water, swimming against the current in a way that defied common sense.
It was obvious someone was supporting him from below.
And half of the fishing rod was in the water, moving along with him.
That had to be Li Chonglou.
Seeing him getting closer to the shore, the heavy stone in her heart slowly began to lift.
With a splash!
As Li Chonglou neared the shore, he immediately reached out and tossed the fishing uncle onto the shallows, less than thirty centimeters deep.
Immediately, onlookers reached out and pulled him ashore.
After coughing up a few mouthfuls of water, his consciousness gradually returned.
As soon as he regained his senses, he frantically searched for the fishing rod, shouting, "My fish, my fish..."
"Stop looking, the fish is still in the water. That young man is truly fierce, just like Zhang Shun, the 'Wave-Splitting White Stripe' from the Water Margin. His swimming skills are incredible," someone said, pointing at Li Chonglou, who had already emerged half-submerged in the water.
The fishing uncle saw Li Chonglou swimming in the water, tightly gripping the fishing rod.
His eyes were wide with shock.
He remembered being dragged into the water by the fish; it was the biggest fish he had ever caught in his life.
Clinging to a sliver of hope, he refused to let go, but was quickly swallowed by the undertow.
Just when he thought he was going to die, someone pushed him to the surface. He didn't regret almost drowning, but he regretted losing the fish.
Who would have thought the fish was still there.
The fishing uncle shouted at the top of his lungs, "Young man, you must get it onto the shore!"
"Don't worry," Li Chonglou said from the water, full of vigor.
If not for the injury in his leg, he would have had the fish ashore long ago.
However, this feeling of fighting against nature and fighting against prey was truly intoxicating.
Adrenaline surged, making it even more thrilling than fighting.
His mind was almost blank, with only one thought: get this big fellow onto the shore.
The bank was already surrounded three layers deep with people drawn by the spectacle.
Finally, amidst the cheers of the crowd.
Li Chonglou exhausted the *gǎn* fish's strength and directly reached into its mouth, grabbed its gills, and hauled it onto the shore.
"Whoosh!"
Immediately, gasps of amazement erupted from the crowd.
After being brought ashore, the fish looked even bigger than it had in the water.
It was as long as an adult man, estimated to be at least 1.7 meters.
In the water, the buoyancy made it hard to estimate its weight.
But once on shore, two young men, each lifting one end, strained with flushed faces.
It was far more than fifty pounds, at least over a hundred.
Jiang Yuxin watched Li Chonglou come ashore and rushed over, using her top to wipe the water droplets from his hair. Her pretty face was flushed with excitement.
Her man, so heroic, not only rushed into the river to rescue someone.
But he also managed to catch such a large fish.
How formidable!
"Young man, if it weren't for you today, I would have lost my life... This fish was caught by you, so it's yours. I'm impressed." The fishing uncle said with admiration, giving a thumbs-up.
He wanted to take a photo with his phone as a memento.
Unfortunately, his phone had already been soaked and wouldn't turn on.
"Take it back to show Ning Lang and my mother," Li Chonglou nodded, looking at Jiang Yuxin.
Before Jiang Yuxin could reply, a voice from the crowd called out, "I'll take this fish, three thousand yuan!"
Then, a youth with an arrogant demeanor, dressed in fishing attire, pushed through the crowd and shouted.
"Three thousand? You want to buy this *gǎn* fish for that?" Before Li Chonglou could answer, the fishing uncle shook his head and chuckled, "Judging by your appearance, you're also a fisherman. Have you heard the saying 'a thousand *jin* carp in the long river, ten thousand *jin* elephant'?"
"This *gǎn* fish is that 'carp'. A thousand *jin* is an exaggeration, but who knows how many years it takes for one this size to grow."
"The bigger the fish, the more cunning. The chances of catching one are even slimmer."
"If this fish falls into the hands of a connoisseur, it could be worth at least this much if taken to a museum."
He then held up a hand: "Fifty thousand!"
"Young man, three thousand is too little."
The fishing uncle's words were not malicious.
It was purely idle chat among fellow enthusiasts, and he was also speaking up for Li Chonglou.
After all, Li Chonglou had saved his life, and this fish was caught by him.
No matter how valuable, it belonged to Li Chonglou.
If he didn't know better and sold it for three thousand yuan, it would be a huge loss.
In fact, the fishing uncle didn't know that not only three thousand, but he wouldn't sell it for thirty thousand.
This was a symbol of a man's hunt. No matter how mature a man was, his innate genes dictated that he would be proud of his prey.
"Fifty thousand? Why don't you go rob a bank!" The youth sneered at the mention, "I'll give you five thousand."
"It's settled then."
Saying that, he reached out to grab the fish's tail.
"Did I agree to that?" Li Chonglou, who had already dried his hair, flicked his clothes and slapped the youth's hand away, asking.
Although his clothes were wet and he didn't exert much force when flicking them, it still hurt the youth's face, causing it to twitch.
A red mark quickly appeared on his hand.
The youth clutched his hand, glared at Li Chonglou, and snorted, "Whether you agree or not doesn't matter."
"This fish, you will sell it whether you want to or not!"
"Don't cause trouble for yourself!"
Forced sale?
Not only was Li Chonglou unhappy, but even the surrounding crowd began to condemn him.
"Young man, why are you like this? Trying to snatch someone else's fish in broad daylight, how interesting..."
"Acting like you have powerful backing, who are you that he has to sell it to you?"
"I saw him arrive by boat and come ashore from the side... I didn't expect him to be so arrogant."
...
Their words caused the youth's face to turn purple.
A sinister glint flashed in his eyes.
He scanned the crowd and roared, "All of you shut up! What business is it of yours? My name is Lian Dong. If you don't get lost, I'll make sure you all regret it!"
Seeing his arrogance, the crowd didn't know his background, but most chose to remain silent.
After all, someone who was so brazen probably wasn't simple.
There was no need to offend such a person.
"Lian Dong? In the entire Yong'an City, the only Lian I know is Lian Zijian, but he died a few days ago. Who are you to him?" The fishing uncle's face showed a cold smile, "Even he wouldn't dare to be so arrogant in front of me."
"Young people these days are really at two extremes."
"One sacrifices himself to save others, and the other tries to rob them."
The implication was that he was comparing Li Chonglou to himself.
Clearly, they were not on the same level.
"I am Lian Zijian's nephew, the new chairman of Lianchuang Group. And who are you, you old man?" Lian Dong glared at the fishing uncle with a ferocious expression.
How many people in Yong'an didn't know Lian Zijian, didn't know Lianchuang Group?
Lian Zijian had no heirs, and his only male relative was this nephew.
Now that Lian Zijian was dead, he had become the legal heir.
Suddenly, from a mere fisherman to a billionaire boss, he was no different from a nouveau riche.
Today, he was supposed to be participating in a lure fishing competition on the Changhe River with friends.
He was passing by in his lure boat when he saw someone catching a *gǎn* fish weighing over a hundred pounds with a hand rod, and immediately coveted it.
If this fish became his and he posted it on his social media, he would not only win the competition but also boast about it for a lifetime.
It wasn't about the money, but about vanity and gain.
Then, he would become the undisputed leader in the Yong'an lure fishing circle.
That's why he was so eager to buy the fish.
But he was used to being poor, so he naturally didn't want to pay Li Chonglou much.
"I'm just an ordinary fisherman," the fishing uncle said calmly.
"Lianchuang Group, is it very famous?" Li Chonglou said deliberately at this moment.
He hadn't expected to meet Lian Zijian's nephew while saving someone by the river and catching a fish.
Indeed, they were birds of a feather.
Trying to forcibly take things from him, how interesting.
"Hmph, I can tell you're not from Yong'an. You bumpkin from Qin Zhou, I'm telling you, I can smash you to death with money." Lian Dong, stung by Li Chonglou's words, became furious and pointed at him, yelling, "This is your last chance, are you selling or not?"
"What if I don't sell?" Li Chonglou was amused.
"You're looking for death!" Lian Dong was completely enraged.
He stood up, took out a wad of cash from his pocket, held it high, and shouted, "Whoever beats up this blind bumpkin gets this stack of money."
Immediately.
Several people, blinded by greed, were eager to try.
Jiang Yuxin looked anxious and was about to retort.
The fishing uncle next to her couldn't stand it anymore and shook his head with a sigh, "Young man, I advise you to leave. Don't cause trouble here."
"Otherwise, it will bring trouble to you and Lianchuang Group."
"Also, don't just throw money at people. Is your money clean?"
He wasn't angry at being called an old man by Lian Dong, as the age difference meant he wasn't that petty.
Lian Dong was a classic nouveau riche, as could be seen at a glance.
He was simply ignorant and unworthy of engaging in fishing, a sport that cultivated character.
"Does my money being clean have anything to do with you, old man? If you keep yapping, I'll beat you too!" Lian Dong's expression was ferocious.
It was as if if he didn't win, others would look down on him.
"Coincidentally, it does have something to do with me. I work in the tax bureau." To his surprise, the fishing uncle grinned, "We're actually planning to launch an investigation into your Lianchuang Group soon."
"I was planning to wait until after my annual leave to deal with this, but it seems I'll have to go back to work this afternoon."
After saying that, he grinned at Li Chonglou.
Silence!
Instantly, the onlookers fell silent.
Even those who were ready to take the money and fight backed down.
Lian Dong, holding the money, stood frozen like a fool, his face pale, his eyes filled with panic.
He never expected that his boasting would lead him to offend someone from the tax bureau.
Lianchuang Group had been in trouble these past few days, and he was competing with a prince today precisely to gain his assistance.
Who knew that for a fish, he would offend someone from the tax bureau?
This was a big problem.
Most of his uncle's inheritance was not obtained through legal means.
Once investigated, he would be left with nothing again.
Going from hell to heaven is happiness, but returning from heaven to hell is endless torment.
At this moment, all possible bad outcomes flashed through Lian Dong's mind.
Finally, the panic in his eyes reached its peak.
The money in his hand slipped from his grasp, scattering on the ground.
His body seemed to lose all strength, his legs buckled, and he knelt before the fishing uncle: "I'm sorry, I was wrong!"