Hunting Wilderness: Starting with the Butcher

Chapter 58: Combining baiting and hooking, popularity skyrockets!

It was a rare opportunity to experience fishing early in the morning. After having breakfast, Yuan Linghan arrived at the lake and, as usual, first cast bait to his fishing spot to attract fish. In addition to the innards that were difficult to hook, he also collected the scraps of meat and blood clots that had been removed the day before.

He stirred the mixture briefly and tossed it into the bay. Instead of immediately fishing, he gathered stones and firewood and lit a bonfire behind his fishing spot. The bonfire would provide warmth and also ensure he wouldn't be ambushed while fishing.

Even a ferocious beast like a black bear would still feel fear in the face of a blazing fire. The purpose of the campfire was to deter any beasts that might approach or ambush, giving Yuan Linghan more time to react.

With the preliminary preparations complete, Yuan Linghan baited his hook and cast it precisely to the pre-baited fishing spot. Seeing that the bait didn't seem to react much to the water, he occasionally lifted his fishing rod to provoke the nearby lake fish.

Soon enough, the first lake trout that couldn't resist the temptation paid the price with its life for its gluttony!

Seeing the lake trout being dragged ashore, Yuan Linghan picked up a prepared stick and struck the still-jumping trout on the head. After confirming that the trout had stopped jumping, he unhooked the fish and threw it into a pre-dug sand pit filled with water.

"Great! It seems the baiting is working very well, let's continue!"

Before casting the line into the water again, Yuan Linghan made sure to continue casting bait. This combination of baiting and catching attracts carnivorous fish to the fishing spot quickly, saving waiting time.

These fishing tips were all things Yuan Linghan had learned through fishing after arriving here. And now, they seem to be working quite well. Almost every few minutes, an unfortunate fish is pulled ashore.

These fish will either be smoked into dried fish or turned into grilled or fried fish fillets. Because they are all wild freshwater fish, their taste and quality are naturally quite good.

Just as Yuan Linghan was focused on fishing, a figure appeared in the distance, causing him to instantly lift his fishing rod. He tossed the rod aside and picked up the bow and arrows lying nearby. As he prepared to draw the bow and nock an arrow, the figure swiftly darted into the jungle.

Seeing this, Yuan Linghan said with a hint of regret, "Why did it run away? I thought I had a chance to hunt a big black bear today! I didn't expect it to cower in fear the moment I got my bow and arrows ready."

For Yuan Linghan, who is participating in this wilderness survival activity, he will definitely try to hunt a black bear. If given the opportunity, he won't let go of other large wild animals either. But since he is currently fishing, he won't chase after a fleeing black bear.

After all, even if a normal person isn't afraid, they wouldn't provoke a black bear without having the "truth" to back them up. Besides, there were fish they'd worked so hard to catch in the nearby sandpit; who knew if the black bear might use a diversionary tactic?

Yuan Linghan carefully surveyed his surroundings with his bow and arrows, and after confirming it was safe, returned to his fishing spot and threw a few more pieces of dry firewood into the campfire. Putting down his bow and arrows and picking up his fishing rod, Yuan Linghan resumed his frenzied fishing mode.

After catching another dozen or so fish, Yuan Linghan scattered the remaining bait back into the fishing spot. Although there was still bait left, he felt he had caught enough for the day and it was time to call it a day and head back to the shelter. One should know when to stop!

Yuan Linghan strung the dozen or so fish he had caught together with paracord and carried them to the stream that flowed into the lake bay. He quickly processed the freshly caught lake fish, throwing all the internal organs back into the lake except for the swim bladders and fish oil inside the fish's bellies.

Yuan Linghan believes that if he uses bottom fishing, he should be able to catch catfish and other fish that inhabit the lake using the innards of these lake fish. The problem is, with trout and salmon available, who wants to eat catfish?

If there were eggplant and other seasonings, perhaps Yuan Linghan wouldn't mind catching a catfish and stewing it with eggplant!

He carried the cleaned fresh fish back to the shelter, and as usual, rubbed some salt inside each fish to prevent spoilage and to give them a salty flavor after smoking. As for dried fish, he thought salted fish tasted better.

But with salt limited, he would definitely have to use it sparingly. After all, there were still more than eighty days left!

After quickly marinating the fish he had just caught, Yuan Linghan checked the mutton jerky that was being smoked a second time. Once he confirmed it was properly smoked, he brought over an earthenware barrel and placed the smoked mutton jerky inside for storage. He then rekindled the charcoal fire and added the wolf meat that needed to be smoked a second time.

After dealing with these matters, Yuan Linghan touched the still-warm brick kiln and said, "The kiln surface is still warm. To ensure the pottery inside is fired successfully, we must wait until it has completely cooled before opening the kiln. I hope this batch will also be a success!"

He stopped paying attention to the brick kiln and started cooking lunch. With fresh fish he had just caught, lunch naturally included a grilled fish. He also fried the collected fish oil, storing it in a ceramic jar to cool and preserve. The fish maw and roe were used to stew Jerusalem artichokes.

After finishing lunch, Yuan Linghan did not immediately go hunting in the mountains. Instead, he took his axe and went to collect firewood nearby. Although there was already a considerable amount of firewood collected in the woodshed, the amount of firewood needed each day was still substantial.

Although they could still collect firewood after it snowed, Yuan Linghan felt that collecting enough firewood in advance would avoid having to go to the jungle to collect firewood on a snowy day. Besides, the firewood collected then certainly wouldn't burn as well as the firewood collected now!

Once the wolf meat is smoked and dried, it will be collected and stored in an earthenware barrel. A homemade smoking rack will be used to hang the marinated fresh fish. After the hunt, the fish will be smoked again before dinner, and presumably, the fresh fish will be transformed into dried salted fish.

As the saying goes, people are busy every day just to make ends meet. For Yuan Linghan, now stranded in the wilderness, this statement held profound weight. It wasn't until the fifteenth day after landing at Black Bear Bay that Yuan Linghan knew the video should be broadcast.

The reason is simple: the previously slow-rising popularity has started to increase significantly today. The sudden surge in popularity amidst the wilderness likely indicates the official launch of this season's "Wilderness Solo" program.

Judging from the increase in popularity, Yuan Linghan thought he wasn't getting much attention. But to his utter surprise, when he woke up the next day, he found that his popularity had skyrocketed again.

"I just took a nap, how did things change? What happened?"

Completely baffled, Yuan Linghan quickly abandoned the idea of ​​digging deeper. After all, they were in the wilderness; what could he do even if he knew what was happening outside? He'd rather spend his time getting more food!

In fact, according to the agreement signed between Doumi Company and the organizer of the wilderness solo living event, all videos involving Yuan Linghan's wilderness solo living event must be copied and sent to Doumi Company. After editing, Doumi Company will then release them on Yuan Linghan's account.

For fans of the show, learning that Yuan Linghan had successfully survived the first day of testing was naturally a source of great joy. After all, long-time viewers know that the show has a high elimination rate.

"Ling Ye is awesome! He really went to participate in a wilderness survival program. I just wonder how long he can keep it up!"

"I never expected that Master Ling is such a good fisherman! If you catch a lot of fish, you can lie down completely when it snows."

Yuan Linghan was naturally unaware of the barrage of comments and messages like these. But for those who cared about him, it was a great relief. Chen Duling, who was filming on set, also felt heartbroken upon seeing these videos.

After watching the video, she realized even more clearly that her previous partnership with Yuan Linghan had indeed made her feel like a burden. Now, venturing into the wilderness alone, Yuan Linghan could finally unleash all his skills.

After watching the first video, Chen Duling murmured, "Brother Han, there are still almost three months left, but I really miss you so much!"

Unaware of all this, Yuan Linghan recorded as many interesting videos as possible every day after confirming the show's start airing. He believed that his popularity would surge again once the videos from the second inspection day aired!