Volume One, Chapter 16: The Divine Artifact: The Fishing Net

The villagers poured in like a tide and saw Zhou Wu had subdued a thief dressed in black.

“Such audacity! Our Niujia Village hasn’t seen a thief in years. Someone, bind him!”

The village chief took charge, ordering two villagers to tie up the bold intruder, preparing to interrogate him thoroughly.

Although the thief’s face was covered, Zhou Wu studied him closely and felt a strange sense of familiarity.

Bound tightly, the thief struggled fiercely, seemingly terrified.

“Rip off his mask! Let’s see what kind of thief dares to be so bold.”

At the village chief’s command, a villager pulled off the mask, and the once noisy scene fell instantly silent.

“It’s… it’s… it’s you…”

“How can it be him?”

“It’s actually him, though that’s not entirely surprising.”

“Niubi~~~”

The village chief was stunned— the thief was a fellow villager. For a moment, he didn’t know how to proceed.

“Niubi has been idle since childhood, always pilfering and sneaking around.”

“That’s right. And yet he dared to break into Scholar Zhou’s house in the dead of night.”

“Village chief, what should we do?”

“Exactly, according to village law, he should be put in the pig cage.”

Niubi’s reputation was already poor, and being caught red-handed only stirred the villagers’ anger further. They clamored for strict punishment according to village rules.

As the village chief hesitated, an elderly woman suddenly rushed forward and threw herself onto Niubi, crying.

“Village chief, fellow villagers, please have mercy. Forgive my son—he means no harm.”

The woman was none other than Niubi’s mother. Seeing this, the villagers’ fervor cooled somewhat. Though Niubi was a scoundrel, his mother was an elderly woman who had committed no great fault—at most, a loving mother spoiled her son.

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“Old sister-in-law, it’s not that we’re unwilling to relent. But Niubi’s crime of breaking into a residence is so severe that even if Scholar Zhou were to execute him on the spot, it would be just and legal.”

The village chief’s words shifted attention to Zhou Wu. The old woman crawled over, tears and snot streaming as she begged for mercy. Zhou Wu, not a hard-hearted man, was deeply troubled—this incident had seriously endangered his family’s safety, yet he held his resolve.

“Scholar, if Niubi trespasses, you could justly execute him without question, and the authorities would not trouble you. But since we are all from the same village, and his mother is so old and relies solely on this son for support, how about this: spare his life but not his guilt—banish them both from Niujia Village forever, never to set foot here again.”

Seeing Zhou Wu silent for so long, the village chief knew if he did not decide soon, Niubi’s fate would be grim.

“Agreed.”

After a moment’s thought, Zhou Wu consented. He actually wished to deal with Niubi harshly, knowing from past dramas that such people often seek revenge and can become formidable foes. But since the village chief had spoken, and to maintain a better impression among the villagers, he had no choice but to agree.

“Thank you, Scholar Zhou, thank you,” Niubi’s mother seemed as if she had been granted clemency, bowing repeatedly to Zhou Wu. Niubi was then untied and, under the villagers’ watchful eyes, was driven out of Niujia Village that very night.

The next day, Zhou Wu gathered his supplies and went up the mountain. Now that Niubi was gone, it was time to resume setting traps on the mountain. Zhou Wu also planned to invite the whole village for a feast, after everyone had come to help the previous night.

After setting the traps, Zhou Wu returned home to weave fishing nets. Relying solely on the mountain traps would not yield enough food for a village feast in such a short time, so he planned to fish by the sea as well.

“Zhou, what are you doing now?”

“Weaving fishing nets.”

Strangely, in this world, fishing nets did not exist. To catch fish, people either fished with rods or speared them—both methods were inefficient. So Zhou Wu decided to make his own nets.

“What’s a fishing net?”

“It’s like a spider’s web, able to catch many fish at once.”

“Really? That’s amazing.”

After spending time together, Baiwei admired Zhou Wu deeply. He often created things unknown in this era, always opening her eyes.

Zhou Wu spent the entire day weaving the net. Before nightfall, he checked the mountain traps. Since they hadn’t been tended for several days, nearly all the traps had caught something—a bountiful harvest.

“Wow, we caught so much today.”

Baiwei sorted the live animals into cages, while Zhou Wu took the dead game to the kitchen to gut and store them. In a couple of days, they would prepare a feast for the villagers.

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The next morning, Zhou Wu called Niuer, hitched the cart, and set off for the sea.

“Brother Wu, this cart is really something.”

Niuer looked on with envy. Zhou Wu was the only one in the village with a horse-drawn cart, pulled by a fine yellow-bay horse—not like the old farmers’ mongrel horses.

“Like it? Work hard with me, and you’ll have one too.”

“No, I still prefer the ox cart. It’s practical for carrying loads and plowing fields.”

To Niuer, the few acres of family farmland were most important. Along the way, Zhou Wu explained the fishing net’s concept, as today Niuer was there to help.

Niuer had no objection to helping, but remained skeptical of the net. Looking at the pile on the cart, he refused to believe such a thing could catch fish, let alone many at once as Zhou Wu claimed.

Zhou Wu didn’t argue. Though the principles seemed simple to him as a modern man, for ancient people unfamiliar with such inventions, understanding was limited by their education and environment. So he preferred to prove it through action rather than debate.

With the cart’s help, they soon reached the seaside, choosing a rocky beach where the water was calm and deep—ideal for fishing.

“Niuer, watch how I do this. Once you learn, you’ll do it yourself.”

Niuer was uninterested. “I’d rather catch crabs and oysters.”

“Let’s go.”

Zhou Wu cast the net for the first time. It spread wide and heavy as it sank into the water. The fish here had likely never encountered such a thing before and were stunned, so when Zhou Wu pulled the net up, it was almost too heavy to lift.

“Niuer, come help me!”

Niuer was amazed. This thing really caught fish—and so many at once! Hearing Zhou Wu’s call, he hurried over to help drag the net ashore.

“Phew… Brother Wu, this is incredible. I never thought catching fish could tire me out.”

After great effort, they hauled the net in, filled with heavy, large fish, packed so tightly the net seemed on the verge of breaking.