Chapter 202: Boating on the Lake, the Serene Waters

South Lake was vast—it was essentially a reservoir.

South Lake was situated right up against a massive mountain—the very mountain behind Qingfeng Temple.

Since he was hauling his boat to launch into the water today, Ning Fei had chosen to drive over.

The water quality in South Lake was decent, but the perimeter was overgrown with weeds. It looked like no one had visited in a long time.

Everyone in the village knew you couldn't catch fish in South Lake.

The waters here were strange. There were no fish near the shore, and while you could see some out in the middle of the reservoir, they were incredibly difficult to catch.

Moreover, there were streams and other reservoirs near the village teeming with fish, so no one wanted to come to South Lake. Because of that, it had been left abandoned.

But Ning Fei liked this lake a lot.

Walking down from the back mountain of Qingfeng Temple, one could see South Lake directly.

"The fish in South Lake are really cunning and extremely hard to catch!"

Ning Fei said to everyone as he carried his wooden boat to the edge of the lake.

"That's why very few people come here."

Setting the boat down by the shore, Ning Fei first found a piece of red paper, spread it on the ground, and lit a candle on top of it.

This was called a sacrifice to the water god.

Different regions had different customs for launching a new boat. Fishermen who relied on the water for their livelihood cared deeply about the launching ceremony; they firmly believed in nature's blessing and respected it profoundly.

Lighting a candle was the local tradition here. The candle was made of easily combustible wax. If the candle burned all the way down without going out, it meant today was a good day to launch the boat.

Ning Fei watched the burning candle on the red paper, then looked out over the calm surface of South Lake, feeling completely relaxed.

This was an undisturbed pure land.

"This lake looks so calm!"

The netizens watching the live stream were chatting.

"Yeah, it feels like there's no movement on the surface at all."

"The weeds around it are a bit thick, though."

"Why did Temple Master Ning light a candle? I don't get it."

"That's a sacrifice to the water god. Customs vary from place to place. If it were a large ship, they'd make a huge event of it, offering pig heads, beef, and mutton to the river. For a small wooden boat, just going through the motions is enough."

"I see. It looks pretty fascinating."

The candle burned quietly, the flame steady without the slightest flicker, until it burned all the way to the end and extinguished itself in a puddle of wax.

"Calm winds and quiet waves. A good day,"

Ning Fei said with a smile.

Afterward, Ning Fei buried the red paper in the ground and gently pushed the wooden boat into the lake bit by bit.

The wooden boat floated on the water's surface, its hull swaying slightly.

This was a crucial step.

Ning Fei stepped onto the boat, stood up, and carefully inspected the cabin for any leaks.

"Looks good. Let's take it out on the lake and try it."

There were no signs of leaks in the wooden boat. Ning Fei nodded in satisfaction, placed his fishing gear and a bucket on board, picked up the punt pole, stepped onto the stern, and propelled the boat forward.

It was an incredibly elegant sight.

On the live stream broadcast, South Lake resembled a bright mirror. Upon it, a Daoist wearing a Daoist Robe was punting a small boat off into the distance.

His punting motions were gentle and slow.

Punting a boat with a pole was never meant to be fast. You had to apply force slowly and gradually to push the boat further.

Planting the pole and retracting it, Ning Fei's movements were graceful and steady.

Standing at the stern, Ning Fei steered the wooden boat. It parted the water as it drifted forward across the lake.

The clear reflection of the wooden boat could be seen in the lake water.

Through the drone's lens, the netizens saw the lake's surface act as a dividing line: a Daoist was punting a boat both above and below the surface. For a moment, it was hard to tell which side was the real world.

"So beautiful!"

"I seriously love this scene."

"This ancient aesthetic is just amazing."

"If only there was some melodious ancient-style music playing, it would be perfect."

"I'm screenshotting this for my wallpaper!"

"This vibe absolutely blows me away."

The mist on the lake hadn't dispersed yet. As Ning Fei punted the boat through the haze, it looked even more ethereal, shrouded in an immortal aura.

Drifting along as if isolated from the world, transcending mortality to become an immortal—this was probably exactly what that phrase described.

Meanwhile, the cast members of Mushroom House had also arrived at South Lake.

They were mainly here to play games, experience country life, and find some fun in the mountains.

Truth be told, the first season of Yearning hadn't been this relaxed. Back then, the production crew strictly limited the cast's living expenses. They had to harvest corn and complete tasks to earn their keep, following standard variety show tropes.

When audiences watched it, they felt it was hardly a life of yearning. The cast members were dead tired, stripping away all the fun.

The directors eventually caught on. They stopped setting those demands and simply let the cast naturally enjoy genuine rural life.

Especially since they had one of Huaxia's best hosts, along with Huang Sanshi—who was highly emotionally intelligent, a great cook, and very eloquent—it was completely unnecessary for the production crew to bother with gimmicks.

Once they handed the pacing of the shoot over to those two to manage together, the show's ratings steadily climbed.

Back at South Lake, a team of staff members arrived first. They had prepared three wooden boats, carrying them down to the lake in pairs and setting them by the water.

These wooden boats were bought online and looked brand new. Each boat was equipped with two oars.

Before long, the cast members arrived.

For this episode, aside from the four regulars, the three guest stars were Zhang Ruoyun, Tang Yixin, and Li Xiaoqin.

Zhang Ruoyun and Tang Yixin were a married couple, Tang Yixin and Li Xiaoqin were best friends, and Zhang Ruoyun and Li Xiaoqin had just starred as the male and female leads in Joy of Life.

However, because a lot of people gossiped, Zhang Ruoyun and Li Xiaoqin kept their distance to avoid suspicion and rarely interacted.

The seven of them got out of the car and walked toward the edge of the lake.

They were all dressed in ordinary casual clothes, looking very down-to-earth, completely lacking the distant aura they usually wore at commercial events.

"Teacher He, look at that!"

Right then, Zhang Xiaofeng suddenly let out a gasp of awe, pointing ahead as she spoke to He Rihuo.

Everyone followed her gaze.

And everyone let out a synchronized gasp of amazement.

Floating on the lake not too far away was a small skiff. Perhaps it had been drifting there for a long time, because there wasn't a single ripple in the water around it. The lake was as calm as a mirror.

Ning Fei was sitting inside the boat, holding a fishing rod, quietly angling.

The fishing line dropped straight down. Fishing in the middle of a lake like this often carried a more poetic aesthetic.

This sight truly stunned the production crew.

Such a scene truly made him look like an immortal.

Looking closer, they noticed Ning Fei had a cloak draped over his shoulders. It resembled the cloak worn by Mei Changsu in Nirvana in Fire—quite thick, with a layer of fur around the outer edge.

The cloak was meant for warmth. Its overall dark tone complemented his Daoist Robe perfectly, bringing out an even deeper charm.

"Are there immortals on this mountain?"

The netizens watching Yearning 6 exclaimed when they saw this.

"That looks like Temple Master Ning!"

"Right! Didn't Temple Master Ning say the day before yesterday that the boat he built would be launching today? What perfect timing!"

"Good heavens, that's just way too handsome."

"At first glance, I honestly thought it was a deity!"

"This is the first time I've ever felt the phrase 'ethereal and immortal' through a live stream."

"I came over from Temple Master Ning's stream. We were all just as surprised a minute ago."

"Hahaha, same here! I came from his stream just to see how these people react like they've never seen the world."

"Who could possibly resist a scene like this!"

Peng Xiaochang also spotted the wooden boat in the distance. He immediately stepped forward, waved his hand, and yelled, "Temple Master, what a coincidence!"

The netizens felt deeply exasperated watching Peng Xiaochang's actions.

The previously ethereal, fairy-like atmosphere was completely shattered by his shout.

At this very moment, aboard the fishing boat in the middle of the lake, Ning Fei had his head lowered and his eyes closed. He was actually sleeping!

Earlier, while he was fishing, putting on the cloak had made his body so warm and toasty that a wave of drowsiness washed over him, prompting him to take a quick nap on the lake.

His viewers had noticed this quite a while ago.

"Did Temple Master Ning fall asleep?" someone had asked at the time.

"Shocking! The number one outdoor streamer broadcasts himself sleeping in the wild."

"This is too impressive. He can actually fall asleep while fishing on a lake."

"Looks so relaxing."

"I really envy this kind of carefree life."

Peng Xiaochang's shout woke Ning Fei up. He turned his head, saw the production crew, gave them a little wave, and then went back to fishing.

The fish in South Lake truly were hard to catch. Even though he had already mastered his angling skill, he hadn't caught a single one after all this time.

As for the production crew on the shore, Ning Fei didn't pay them much mind.