"Phew, that's about enough!"
Watching the sun slowly sink, just past the treetops, Xiang Ye couldn't help but stand up and stretch, a satisfied smile spreading across his face.
Today had been quite a day for him!
Besides the handful of Topmouth Culters caught early on, he'd managed to catch quite a few Grass Carp later—the biggest weighing fifty-two Jin (about 26 kg), the second twenty-one Jin, then seventeen, twenty-two, fourteen, eighteen…
Yes, six Grass Carp in total today. Although the bite rate wasn't nearly as high as with the Topmouth Culters, the feeling of hooking big fish and the satisfaction afterward were incomparable. Xiang Ye really enjoyed it.
"Alright, it's just past three. Let's start packing up. We need to be out of the park before five," Huang Kai said, checking the time.
"Got it, let's get ready," Xiang Ye smiled and began packing his gear.
Zhao Lei and Zhang Tianyu, however, weren't quite ready to leave. Just watching Xiang Ye reel in fish all day had been frustrating. Huang Kai, who sat closer to Xiang Ye's fishing spot, had also caught two fish—a Topmouth Culter and a Grass Carp—both weighing a little over two Jin. That was already a pretty good haul thanks to Xiang Ye's baiting technique.
But Zhao Lei and Zhang Tianyu could only resign themselves to a blank day of fishing.
"Next time, I'm sitting right next to Xiang Ye!"
"Heh, only two spots on either side. First come, first served," Zhang Tianyu joked while packing up.
Once everyone finished, they turned their attention to the fish. Xiang Ye pulled all of today's catch from the keepnets with ease.
In total, Xiang Ye caught 206 Jin 7 liang 6 qian (roughly 103 kg), earning 206,800 yuan—a huge haul. Though the car and house prizes he'd gotten earlier were worth more in total, cash was easier to spend quickly. He was already thinking about sending 100,000 yuan home to his parents. After all, with the house and car taken care of, and his daily expenses low, the money was more useful now.
"What should we do with all these fish? Let's divide them up."
Looking at the pile of fish flopping on the grass, Zhao Lei, Zhang Tianyu, and Huang Kai suddenly faced a new problem: too many fish to handle.
"Here's the plan: one Topmouth Culter per family. I'll take one for my buddy, and the rest, maybe we cook them? For the Grass Carp, one small one each if you want. Let's release the biggest one."
Xiang Ye was no longer interested in selling fish for cash. Even though fish in YueJing Lake fetched a high price (the fifty-two-Jin Grass Carp could sell for at least 100 yuan per Jin, so about 5,200 yuan), he'd already earned over 200,000 today. Letting a big fish go was a better choice since it wasn't easy to grow a fish that big. Killing it for money seemed pointless.
"No wonder you can catch the big ones! That bait is really something. I'll take one big Topmouth Culter and one big Grass Carp. Let's release the biggest one!" Zhang Tianyu said first.
"I want your fish too. The ones I caught can go back and grow," Huang Kai added with a laugh. Zhao Lei had no objections.
As for the others watching online, well, if they wanted to tag along next time, they could try to catch up to Xiang Ye!
After dividing up the fish, Xiang Ye released the biggest Grass Carp back into the lake. Huang Kai released his two as well. Then the three men each took two fish, Xiang Ye carried six, and they prepared to leave. They planned to eat the fourteen-Jin Grass Carp for dinner.
"Hey, young man, don't rush off!"
Just as they were leaving, a fisherman who had already released his fish turned off his livestream and called out to Xiang Ye, who was walking last.
"Yes? What's up?" Xiang Ye asked curiously as the man hurried over.
"Let me introduce myself—I'm Zhou Chen. May I ask your name?"
"Xiang Ye," he replied, shaking Zhou Chen's hand.
"I'm a professional angler. I've been watching you fish—you're really impressive. There's a competition tomorrow at Panshan Reservoir in the neighboring city. Would you be interested in joining?" Zhou Chen got straight to the point.
"A competition? Um… I don't have much experience. And competing isn't that easy," Xiang Ye said hesitantly. He'd heard about fishing tournaments but never participated—he was just a hobbyist.
"No worries. The event is a small team competition, five anglers per group. The match runs from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., and the total score counts. One of our teammates can't make it—his wife's about to have a baby—so we're looking for a replacement. Just come and have fun. If we win, the prize will be split," Zhou Chen explained, smiling.
Seeing the doubt in Xiang Ye's eyes, Zhou Chen reassured him with a laugh.
Hearing this, Xiang Ye nodded, but honestly, he wasn't keen on competing—usually, tournament fish are farmed and not worth much.
Before he could say anything, a voice suddenly echoed in his mind:
"Ding! Temporary mission triggered: Professional Aspiration. As the host of the Angling System, you may skip competitions, but you cannot let others think you're unable to compete. Accept the invitation and attend the pro tournament. Rewards will relate to your final ranking."
Hearing the system prompt, Xiang Ye knew he couldn't refuse this time.
With a reluctant grin, he looked back at Zhou Chen.
"Alright, Brother Zhou, I'll give it a shot. But if I lose, don't blame me."
"Hahaha, no worries! You're the one I invited. Losing's not an option!" Zhou Chen laughed heartily as Xiang Ye agreed.
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。