15: Practice cooking more.

Li Jiabo and his group all looked quite displeased.

Zheng Ge's smile was forced. Noticing the basket at Shen Lian's waist, he asked, "Shen Lian, is that a prop provided by the production team?"

As if anyone didn't know that the biggest feature of this variety show was that the production team wouldn't provide any props.

"No, I wove it myself for fun," Shen Lian replied casually.

Just then, the staff arrived.

At the same time, they announced the second task—catching fish.

Shen Lian almost laughed out loud when he heard it; this was all stuff he had mastered long ago.

That being said, for these pampered celebrities and influencers, going into a river to catch fish wasn't a common form of entertainment, let alone at Clear Creek, which was a wild river. It was perfectly normal to slip on stones in the rapid currents and fall head over heels.

Zhao Lin and Fang Ke, however, were full of enthusiasm.

Fang Ke had already started taking off his shoes. "Perfect, I can give myself a quick wash. I'm filthy."

Zhao Lin nodded.

On this side, Li Jiabo turned to Feng Susu and said, "It's not slippery like the mountain paths here. You won't keep falling, right? There are many of us; if we work together, we'll definitely win."

Feng Susu's smile almost faltered. "Okay."

[Is Li Jiabo complaining that Feng Susu is holding them back?]

[What else? She kept screaming 'aiya aiya' and pulled Zheng Ge down several times already!]

[I'm so over Zheng Ge's fans! Isn't it normal to fall on this kind of path? Besides, Susu is a girl.]

[What about being a girl? If she can't handle it, she shouldn't have come. How come Zhu Yingyu is doing just fine?]

Zhu Yingyu probably never expected that she, known as the "Task Poison Bomb," would one day be praised.

Clear Creek was crystal clear, and the schools of fish were visible at a glance. The problem was that wild fish were too fast; without some technique, they were impossible to catch.

Zhu Yingyu tied up her hair. "Shen Lian, let's go too."

"Where are you going?" Shen Lian stood facing the light, squinting slightly. His casual tone carried a heart-stirring sense of security. "The water temperature is too low. No need for you to go in."

Zhu Yingyu's heart thudded. "N-no, how can you manage alone?"

"It's enough," Shen Lian said as he unfastened the basket.

In the live stream watched by nearly a million viewers, Shen Lian followed the current downstream, found a depression, moved the rocks above it, and left a spot just right for the basket to be wedged in.

The bullet chat was filled with a uniform row of question marks.

Wait, you kid... Shen Lian straightened up and saw that his plan to take off his shoes was abandoned because that fellow Fang Ke was so energetic, chasing the fish right toward him.

Shen Lian simply sat down on a clean rock nearby.

Splish-splash, many fish were swept away by the rapid current. With a flip and a few splashes, they fell right into the basket.

Shen Lian watched patiently, then suddenly gave a light chuckle and said, "It's full."

Audience: "..."

Production team: "..."

No one told them before they came that this guy was a variety show killer.

Shen Lian took out the basket; it was heavy. The splashing water from the fish tails hit his face. Wiping it off, he turned and asked the staff, "How many catties do you need?"

The Assistant Director ground his teeth. "Ten catties!"

Actually, it was set at six catties, but seeing Shen Lian's leisurely stroll-like manner, the Assistant Director—a man—felt so frustrated he could practically feel a blockage in his chest. In a fit of impulse, he changed it on the spot.

Shen Lian was unfazed. "Weigh it."

Assistant Director: "..."

Crap. Shen Lian had a basket, so ten catties of fish wasn't hard for him, but it indirectly increased the difficulty for the other guests.

After three trips back and forth, Shen Lian completed the task quota. Compared to the group of people soaked to the bone in the river, he looked like he was there for an inspection!

The contrast in styles was severe.

Shen Lian didn't rush to check in. Instead, he knocked the extra fish unconscious and searched patiently along the riverbank, finally picking up a "stone flake" with satisfaction.

One edge was thin and sharp. After dipping it in water and grinding it slightly against another stone, it was ready for use.

As Shen Lian deftly gutted the fish, he explained to the already dumbfounded Zhu Yingyu, "Flaked stone tools, ever heard of them? But not all stones can be made into flakes. This thing needs three surfaces—I remember they're called the dorsal, ventral, and striking platform—to facilitate flaking. I've only seen it on TV and am just mimicking it. It's actually not that handy to use."

[He says it's not handy while finishing up a fish.]

[I get the logic, I killed fish like this when I was a kid, but isn't Shen Lian's sequence of moves a bit too outrageous?]

Shen Lian looked into the bushes, seemingly discovering something, and said to Zhu Yingyu, "Pick a few of those Ghost-line Vines for me."

"Where? Where?! What do they look like?" Carried by his competence, Zhu Yingyu snapped out of it, her face filled with uncontainable excitement.

Is this what it feels like to be carried to victory while doing nothing?

"The brown ones tangled together. Watch out for bugs!"

Bugs or no bugs, Zhu Yingyu was fearless now!

After picking the Ghost-line Vines, Shen Lian washed them twice and peeled off the hard outer shell. The stems inside were as soft as rope. He threaded them through the gills, and soon several fish were strung together.

Shen Lian held them up to look and smiled. "I love nature."

The Assistant Director put his hands on his hips and closed his eyes tightly.

[The Assistant Director is thinking: 'Go ahead and play, who could possibly beat you?']

Actually, he could have killed more fish, but the stone flake was difficult to use after all. After just four fish, Shen Lian's palm was red, and there was a bloody mark on the pad of his right thumb.

Zhu Yingyu felt a bit distressed. "It won't get infected, will it?"

"No." After saying that, Shen Lian grabbed a few unknown plants from by his feet, stripped the leaves, chewed the stems, and applied them to the wound.

Zhu Yingyu: "This is..."

"Imperata root, it stops bleeding." Shen Lian couldn't help but nag Zhu Yingyu a bit. "You're participating in a survival variety show, after all. At least do some homework."

Zhu Yingyu said aggrievedly, "But even if I did my homework, in the wild, these plants all look the same. I can't recognize them."

Shen Lian didn't give her any face at all. "Practice more if you're bad."

Zhu Yingyu: "..."

Shen Lian checked in and asked about the point rankings while he was at it.

"The first to arrive at Clear Creek was..."

"Us!" Li Jiabo raised his hand as he walked toward the bank, the others following close behind.

Shen Lian sensed something was up, handed the basket to Zhu Yingyu, and signaled her to stand further away.

"No way, Shen Lian. Being that stingy?" Fang Ke laughed.

Shen Lian: "We're in a competitive relationship now. Everyone relies on their own ability."

Zhao Lin added, "You said it—relying on our own ability."

Zhu Yingyu, truly an old friend who had worked with Zhao Lin for two seasons, felt alarm bells go off in her head. She didn't use to react this quickly, but perhaps influenced by Shen Lian and stimulated by that "practice more if you're bad" comment, she turned and bolted.

She vanished in a flash.

Zhao Lin looked dazed. "Didn't Yingyu say running was her weakness?"

Shen Lian: "Obviously, it's not a weakness anymore."

Everyone: "..."