Reborn As Super Heiress

Chapter 739: Chapter 736: Out to Sea

The Luo Jinzhi family’s fishing boat was small; counting Luo Jinzhi’s father, her elder sister, and adding Luo Jinzhi, Qin Shui, and Huo Sining, it was already at the maximum capacity the vessel could handle.

The group of five set off lightly equipped, aiming to catch as much fresh seafood as possible.

At the stern, there was a winch-like disc, and after several dozen minutes of net-lowering, Master Luo started turning the winch, attempting to pull in the first net.

Huo Sining quickly lent a hand, yet to everyone’s disappointment, the first haul brought in just a big basin of crabs, sea urchins, squids, shrimps, and other such things. Although the quantity was not small, there were no large fish, and the biggest sculpin was only the size of a palm.

”That’s it?” Huo Sining said with slight disappointment, feeling somewhat downcast.

”Not bad at all, this net alone weighs about four or five jins. Sometimes, we go out to sea for an entire night and can’t catch this much. We’re lucky today!” Master Luo said, speaking with a thick Mindong accent as he laughed with Huo Sining.

”You call this a lot?” Huo Sining thought it strange to himself. The waters of S City could be fishless, that was understandable, but this was Mindong, bordering the Glaze Straits—such a rich maritime resource, how could there be no fish?

”A few years ago, if a net came up with only this much, you’d definitely be laughed at for poor skills. But times have changed; even the most skillful fishermen can’t catch many fish nowadays. The fish in these waters are getting scarcer and scarcer.”

Seeing the puzzled look on Huo Sining’s face, Luo Jinzhi couldn’t help but explain.

Her expression was bitter, but her hands were busy; she shook all the fish out of the large net, which measured more than ten meters, into a wooden basin, then she and Elder Sister Luo cast the net back into the sea in unison.

”But when I watch ocean documentaries on TV, I often see schools of fish swimming around, dense and numerous,” Huo Sining inquired.

”That’s in the deep-sea zones. The coastal areas have been polluted, and it’s rare for schools of fish to come close to shore unless you have an artificial fish farm in your own waters for private breeding. Otherwise, it’s impossible to see what you’re talking about,” Elder Sister Luo also laughed.

Huo Sining came from the Mainland and seldom visited coastal regions, so he didn’t know much about the ocean; he asked questions that might sound silly, but these really were Mainland misconceptions about coastal areas.

”I’ve seen what you’re talking about, but that was twenty or thirty years ago. Back then, the entire ocean was like a natural fish farm,” Master Luo recalled his childhood while steering the boat.

”What’s a natural fish farm?” Huo Sining asked curiously.

”A natural fish farm is an area formed by the convergence of warm and cold ocean currents. In such places, the water temperature is typically stable, and the meeting of warm and cold currents brings an abundance of food, which in turn results in numerous fish species and the gathering of shoals,” Luo Jinzhi explained.

Huo Sining nodded, understanding. Where warm and cold currents meet, the water maintains a constant temperature, neither too cold nor too hot. Such a climate promotes the reproduction of a great amount of plankton. The collision of the two currents like waves stirs the water, and beneath the calm surface, countless plankton tumble through the depths, like appetizing bait, luring fish and shrimp from all around to gather there.

The warm current brought over the warm-water species of fish, while the cold current brought over the cold-water species.

As a result, the convergence of the two ocean currents not only facilitated a gathering of schoals but also enriched the fish population in the area, thus forming a natural fishing ground.

Having understood the conditions for the formation of the natural fishing ground, Huo Sining’s mind stirred. While the others on the boat were not looking, he quietly dipped his hand into the sea water, and slowly transferred his Spiritual Energy into it, then let the energy spread along the rope into the fishing net.

The Spirit of Azure Pearl was an irresistible temptation for marine life. As soon as his Spiritual Energy entered the fishing net, countless schools of fish sensed the presence of the Spiritual Energy and swarmed towards it like cats smelling meat, each vying to be the first to squeeze into the net.

Seeing this through his Heavenly Eye, Huo Sining curved the corners of his lips satisfactorily, smiled slightly, and secretly withdrew his Spiritual Energy from his hand.

At the second hauling of the nets, something surprising happened to Master Luo. After rotating the winch for several meters, it could no longer be turned. Master Luo thought it was jammed, and after checking, found nothing wrong with the winch.

”The net might have snagged on a reef, I’ll go down to check!” Having ruled out the winch being stuck, Master Luo thought the fishing net was caught on a reef. After giving a heads-up to Elder Sister Luo on the boat, he turned and jumped straight from the boat into the sea.

This did not worry Luo Jinzhi and Elder Sister Luo at all. They had accompanied their father at sea for many years and were used to such situations. Master Luo was a strong swimmer, and even diving several meters below the sea posed no trouble, so the sisters weren’t concerned.

But what struck the Luo sisters as odd was that less than two to three minutes after diving in, their father resurfaced looking shocked. He swam quickly back to shore, not even stopping to explain. He just yelled to Elder Sister Luo, ”Jinfeng, start the boat, head to the nearest island!”

On hearing Master Luo’s anxious words, Elder Sister Luo, Luo Jinfeng, thought something dangerous must be under the water. Without further ado, she hastily steered the boat towards the nearest desolate island.

Meanwhile, Master Luo calmed his nerves and began to summon Luo Jinzhi to help with the winch. Father and daughter worked together to turn the wheel, and after moving the winch a few more rotations, they managed to retrieve it by more than a meter before it could no longer be turned.

Master Luo gazed into the depths, shaking as he drew out a cigarette and took several heavy puffs. Then, with trembling hands, he took out his cellphone and dialed a number:

”Jin Ling, go ask your uncle to lend us a bigger boat, and make it quick. We’re heading towards the shore of Youming Island. Don’t ask too many questions, just tell your uncle, and he’ll know what it means.”

Luo Jinzhi, seeing her father struggling to contain his emotions even though he tried to suppress them, couldn’t help but feel curious. She asked, ”Dad, what’s going on? What exactly happened?”

Uncertainty flashed in Master Luo’s eyes, but after a moment, only excitement and ecstasy remained: ”Zhi’er, we’ve struck it rich today! The catch we’ve got in that net, we’ve hit the jackpot! I just took a look down there, and there are at least two Golden Spearfish trapped in it, and one Speckled Trout!”

”What? Dad, are you serious?!” Hearing this, not only was Luo Jinzhi startled, but even Luo Jinfeng was so shaken that she could hardly steer the boat steadily. She turned her head back in shock to look at Master Luo, her face full of disbelief.