Chapter 16

Shen Jinfeng noticed Qin Ye’s eyes darting away in an instant.

He slowly withdrew his hand, his gaze lingering on the young man’s slightly reddened earlobes opposite him.

Traces of sweat were clearly visible there. With each of Qin Ye’s breaths, a crystal-clear bead of sweat rolled down; under Shen Jinfeng’s steady stare, the shimmering liquid seemed to tremble, hanging precariously at the root of his ear.

Just like its owner, it was shy.

*Hiss*, that’s not good.

Shen Jinfeng gave a light cough and shifted his gaze.

Damn it, the secret admirer is going to let his imagination run wild now. He wouldn’t think I’m interested in him, would he?

"Qin Ye, if you can’t hold on, just tell me. I’m the team leader; I’m supposed to take care of you all," he explained, his attempt to cover up only making it more suspicious.

Qin Ye paused for two seconds, then began swinging his arm with such fierce momentum that he actually chopped down a bamboo stalk with a single blow.

[??? What just happened? Why does Qin Ye suddenly look like he’s on steroids?]

[My god, he wasn’t even using his full strength just now! Incredible, no wonder he’s the one the King of Kung Fu wanted to take on as his successor.]

[Is it just me, or is the atmosphere between these two a bit strange? Why did Qin Ye suddenly start working so much harder once Shen Jinfeng showed up? Did he even get stronger? It’s like a peacock spreading its tail.]

[No, isn't that just the "fujoshi" lens, upstairs? What’s strange about it? Isn't he just caring for a teammate? Shen Jinfeng helped He Erwang down from a tree yesterday, why didn't anyone say that was strange?]

[No, hey, why are you bringing up He Erwang out of nowhere? Besides, who said nobody thought those two were strange? "Strange" in quotes! The "Wind-Wang" CP group on Weibo was built overnight, and now they have tens of thousands of followers, okay!]

Just as the chat realized something was off and began to argue, He Erwang, living up to expectations, squeezed himself between Qin Ye and Shen Jinfeng.

His purple hair was soaked with sweat, sticking damply to his forehead, which somehow made him look quite obedient. But the moment he opened his mouth, his tone remained as brash and lively as ever.

"Hahahaha, Boss, that’s where you don’t understand! A man can never say he can’t!" He patted Qin Ye on the shoulder with the air of someone who knew everything.

Shen Jinfeng had a sudden realization. Thinking of the reason behind this "can't say you can't" remark, he was rendered speechless.

"I’m going to the seaside to catch some fish." He paused, then turned and walked away.

He Erwang nodded happily: "Okay! Boss, you’re the best!"

Before the words had even faded, he shivered. Why did it feel like the temperature had suddenly dropped?

[Pfft, this silly kid, he’s going to be the death of me, hahaha.]

[Exactly, a man can never say he can’t! I guarantee you that when Qin Ye heard him say that, his desire to murder someone was barely contained.]

[He Erwang actually makes sense. What wasn't Qin Ye leading the pack in before? But on this deserted island, he’s clearly being overshadowed by Shen Jinfeng’s "big boss" persona. He was probably just trying to show off. And then Shen Jinfeng asked him to speak up if he couldn't handle it—that’s basically telling him he can't say he can't! So, he just had a burst of strength.]

[Uh, these days, simple-minded netizens like the one upstairs are rare. Is this a CP request?]

[Reported! Someone here is openly trying to pick up a girl—well, or maybe a brother...]

The five-person tree-chopping and moving team continued to work diligently. But it was obvious that with only one main force, the efficiency was far from high.

And Shen Jinfeng’s efficiency, meanwhile, was simply too high.

Catching fish was a piece of cake for him. He hit his mark with every thrust of his spear, sometimes even catching several fish at once, easily making countless people think, *I could do that too.*

Sun Xinping, who had been glued to the live broadcast monitor, looked at the mountain of fish on screen and knew his plan to manipulate the guests through their food had completely fallen through.

*Damn it, does Shen Jinfeng have gravitational pull for fish?*

Just then, the head of the publicity department approached with a hesitant look. After struggling for a long time, he asked Sun Xinping, "Director, why is Shen Jinfeng catching fish again?"

Sun Xinping glared at him irritably: "Where have you been all morning? You’re only showing up now? What do you mean 'again'? Doesn't the man have to eat?"

The publicity head shrank back, his brow furrowed into a knot.

Sun Xinping had a bad premonition. "What happened?"

The publicity head wiped the sweat from his forehead: "Director, we’ve received a lot of complaints all morning. They’re all from parents during the summer break, saying our show has a negative influence and is inducing teenagers to perform dangerous acts."

"Huh?" A giant question mark appeared over Sun Xinping’s head.

The publicity head pointed to the screen where Shen Jinfeng was moving with fluid grace: "Shen Jinfeng’s videos of catching fish and climbing trees are too popular. Since it’s summer break, a lot of kids are imitating him. Some have smashed their home fish tanks, and others have fallen while trying to climb trees."

"There are even parents vacationing at the seaside saying their kids have been holding sticks and trying to catch fish all day because they watched Shen Jinfeng’s video, and they can’t be persuaded to stop..."

Sun Xinping suppressed his impatience: "No, why are these kids learning this? There’s light-body martial arts in wuxia movies where people can fly, why aren't they learning that?"

He didn't know it yet, but his words were about to become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

The publicity head was also full of righteous indignation: "Exactly! And at the end of the day, what does this have to do with our production team? Besides, Shen Jinfeng isn't faking it; he’s proving that these things are humanly possible. Isn't it more hopeful for these kids to learn this than to try to learn those 'light-body' techniques?"

"Ahem." Seeing Sun Xinping’s expression gradually darkening, Xiao Li nearby coughed urgently. "Director Qian, just say whatever needs to be done."

After all, Director Qian hadn't seen it, but Xiao Li had. He realized that among those who thought catching fish was simple and easy, believed *I could do that too*, tried it, and failed, was Sun Xinping himself.

The publicity head analyzed the situation with a grave face: "Director, our show is too hot. The slightest disturbance draws countless eyes. I’ve seen internet trolls stirring up discourse, saying that playing in the water during summer is dangerous, and that many children have been influenced by us to run off to the riverbank alone to try and catch fish..."

Sun Xinping’s expression turned stern; he realized the gravity of the situation.

He looked at the young man’s handsome, effortless movements on the screen with some hesitation. He couldn't afford to lose this popularity, but he also had to be mindful of public opinion.

After struggling for a moment, his eyes lit up. He ordered the head of the equipment department: "Yang, put a label on the screen, make it conspicuous."

The equipment head said, "Ah? What should it say?"

Sun Xinping: "Professional action, do not imitate."

The equipment head: "...6."

Sun Xinping thought for a moment, "From now on, whenever you see Shen Jinfeng do something an ordinary person can't, be smart about it and add that line yourself."

The equipment head: "Oh."

Netizens watching the screen in real-time as the text suddenly appeared: [???]

[What the hell, 'Professional action'?]

[Show-off.]

By the time Shen Jinfeng finished this "professional action" and returned with a basket full of fish, it hadn't even been half an hour.

The basket he used to carry the fish was one he had woven from leaves yesterday. It looked soft and "fashionable," but clearly, its load-bearing capacity was top-tier.

[I feel like that basket, with the water, must weigh forty or fifty pounds.]

[More than that. I was staring at the screen counting the fish; Shen Jinfeng is too fast, so I might be slightly off, but it’s only going to be more, not less. He caught over eighty fish just now! Do you have any idea what that means? My dad sells fish, I’ve been around it since I was a kid—that basket in his arms has to be at least 130 pounds, minimum. It’s hard to say exactly how much, but it’s definitely heavier than he is.]

[H-how much? I’m watching him carry it like it’s nothing? I weigh ninety-something pounds, and my boyfriend struggles to carry me! He says all normal guys are like that.]

[Pfft, sister, your boyfriend is the one who isn't normal.]

[No, is this for real? How did he fit so many fish in that basket?]

[Oh my god, is that basket an optical illusion? Is it actually a storage basket? You know, like those storage rings in cultivation novels—limitless and inexhaustible.]

[We don't need cultivation novels, this is straight-up mythology. It’s one of the ten great divine artifacts of antiquity—the Qiankun Bag!]

#Shen Jinfeng’s Qiankun Basket# surged onto the trending list.

Deep in the mountains of Guizhou, a young girl who stumbled upon this trending topic widened her eyes.

She zoomed in on the "Qiankun Basket" to look at it closely again and again. After watching for a full ten minutes, she hurriedly put down her phone, ran a few steps, then abruptly rushed back to grab it.

"Grandpa! Grandpa—" The girl held up her phone, her eyes shining as she showed it to the old man.

The old man was wearing a simple, faded undershirt. His hair was snow-white, but he was still wearing reading glasses, fully focused on weaving bamboo strips.

"What’s all the fuss about?" he asked his granddaughter, setting down the bamboo strips helplessly.

The girl zoomed in on the photo on her phone to show him: "Grandpa, is this what you called the Qiankun Basket?"

The old man’s hands paused slightly, and he subconsciously retorted: "The Qiankun Basket was lost ages ago. I’ve never even seen one. Where did you dig up this picture to fool me?"

"No! Grandpa, I’ll show you the video!" The girl jumped around, somewhat urgently. "You showed me the records before, it really looks like it!"

The old man skeptically leaned in to take a look, and then, he never moved his gaze away again.

"Girl, play it again!" Once the video ended, he urged his granddaughter to replay it.

He watched it for several times longer than the girl had.

After nearly half an hour, he said with a trembling voice: "Light in weight but heavy in load, inexhaustible and limitless—it really is a Qiankun Basket."

"Girl, help me contact this young man in the video!"

"Uh..." The girl stood there, hesitating, "That’s a bit difficult..."

The old man stood up in a rush. "How can I contact him? Would it be any use if I went to see Old Yuan and the others?"

The "Old Yuan" the old man mentioned was the current curator of the Guizhou Museum.

The girl answered uncertainly: "Maybe?"

As for Shen Jinfeng, who had accidentally created a legendary ancient "artifact," he didn't give the random little basket a second thought.

He brought the fish back to the shore. Perhaps because he had returned so quickly, the progress on the wood needed for the cabin was clearly just over half finished.

That was already better than he had expected.

Shen Jinfeng set down the Qiankun basket, picked up a military knife from the ground, and walked to the other side of Qin Ye.

It was almost noon; better to start early and finish early.

Thus, just as He Erwang and the others spotted him and wanted to say hello, they saw him raise his knife and bring it down. A tree crashed to the ground in response.

If it were just that, Qin Ye could do it too.

But Shen Jinfeng was too fast—so fast that he had felled over a dozen trees in three minutes.

And, as he did so, he casually picked up the fallen trees with one hand and tossed them into the open space not far away.

[!!!]

[? Good grief, if a TV show were filmed like this, I’d have to call it preposterous!]

[Sun, you old dog, come out and explain! Is that tree actually solid?]

Clearly, the rest of the team on-site was shocked too.

He Erwang swallowed a mouthful of saliva, staring blankly at his movements.

The purple-haired young man’s eyes seemed to be filled with stars, flickering with pure admiration.

After watching him blankly for over ten minutes, he suddenly made a request that seemed unreasonable and, in reality, was also a bit strange.

"Boss." He spoke with a tone of astonishment.

Shen Jinfeng continued chopping trees, not even stopping his movements. "Something up?"

He Erwang leaned in, his eyes glowing as he asked, "Can I see your abs?"