Chapter 120: Fishing Qualifying Round (Seven)

Damn, if he gets promoted that would be hilarious—getting promoted on our first try at the Fishing Association, does that mean our skill is terrible? One of the older guys self‑mocked.

Hahaha, if we're all bad together, what's there to fear?

Originally Ye Cheng wanted to wait for the crowd to disperse, then quietly call the referee over to have a look; he thought he could make it, but he didn't want to draw too much attention.

But seeing how genuine this bunch of anglers were, Ye Cheng felt bad about shooing them away, so he got someone to help lift the water tank over to the referee.

Referee! Referee! Come weigh it!

Right, hurry up, everyone's waiting.

The referee scooped out all the fish from the water tank, threw them into the basket, adjusted the counterweight, and shouted loudly,

21 catties 4 taels!

When the result was announced, Ye Cheng's face lit up—over 21 catties, a good score.

Come, look—28th place, 28th place, damn, I actually made the cut!

The fishing results were written on a big blackboard; first place was Cui Shuran—no way around it, she's just that strong.

Ye Cheng's score was 28th; the top 30 advance, and Ye Cheng actually made it.

Ye Cheng himself could hardly believe it—his luck value today actually got him through!

Unbelievable!

Ye Cheng excitedly waved his fist—having advanced this time, he definitely wouldn't have only 30 luck points in the next final.

Then it would be time to show his true skill—oh, no, time for the true system.

Then I will stand on the highest position and fiercely raise the Hercules Cup.

As Ye Cheng's daydream was getting carried away, a series of announcement sounds rang out, shattering his fantasy bubble.

"Number 89, 22 catties."

"Number 100, 21.8 catties."

"Number 43, 26 catties."

Three consecutive entries higher than his left Ye Cheng stunned.

He looked at the scoreboard—holy shit!

He had fallen to 31st place—damn, he dropped out of the qualifying list in an instant.

And he was only half a catty behind number 100, Old Chen—this feels like they're just trying to piss him off.

"Hehe, sorry about bumping you out of your spot." Old Chen chuckled and patted Ye Cheng on the shoulder.

He caught fewer fish than Ye Cheng, but his total weight was greater.

Da Fu Ge: "I thought a newcomer could really pull off a miracle, but Heaven is still fair."

"Our club really is full of hidden talents, hahaha."

"This kid should fish a bit longer—maybe another catch would get him into 30th."

Ye Cheng also felt a bit annoyed; he admitted he'd been a little careless, and when the crowd gathered around him he felt irritable, so he stopped fishing.

If he switched bait and kept fishing for another twenty minutes, he might actually pick up a bit more.

But it's already a done deal, so Ye Cheng didn't dwell on it.

Coming to compete this time he also learned a lot—it was worth it.

After the match ended, the qualifiers chatted among themselves, making plans to meet again.

As for the fish caught today, the Association had arranged a buyer on the side.

The caught fish can either be taken home or sold to the buyer.

Ye Cheng glanced at his twenty‑plus‑catty catch, didn't think twice, sold it straight to the buyer, and got over a hundred bucks.

Looking at the hundred‑odd dollars in his hand, Ye Cheng could only laugh and cry.

All day long, without mentioning how many points he lost, he hadn't even made any money.

The only upside was getting a free lunch.

Not thinking further, Ye Cheng packed his belongings onto his motorcycle and rode home.

On the way back he detoured to the bank, withdrew ten thousand dollars for Duan Chunsheng, which he had promised to lend.

Anyway, it was getting late, so Ye Cheng just ate a bowl of noodles in town before heading home.

Before eating, he called Zhao Zhiming and gave him a rundown of the match results.

Zhao Zhiming already knew, comforted Ye Cheng with a couple of remarks, and though he had said he'd come over to eat together, something came up at night and he couldn't leave.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Ye Cheng had a light bite, then bought some duck necks, wings and similar braised dishes, and set off for home.

Today was exhausting—eating some braised food isn't over the top, right?

Adding a beer to go with it also makes sense.

Having prepared to enjoy the evening properly, Ye Cheng had just ridden to his gate when he saw the courtyard door wide open.

Was it the older brother or the older sister‑in‑law who came?

He parked his bike doubtfully, walked in, and as soon as he entered the house he heard the sounds 'heng heng' and 'uh uh'.

Ye Cheng's face darkened—'Damn, this is Big Pineapple 2.'

Upon entering his room, sure enough, Xiao Hu that numbskull was squatting in front of his computer, having spawned a barbarian that was hacking away, not noticing anyone had come in at all.

Ye Cheng sneaked up from behind, stood at his back, and shouted loudly, 'What the hell are you doing?'

Poor Xiao Hu was in the middle of hacking an elite skeleton when Ye Cheng's shout startled him so much he jumped straight up.

"Who?"

"Damn, bro, it's you—you scared the hell out of me."

After Xiao Hu saw clearly who it was, he muttered a few complaints, then quickly sat down.

In just those few seconds, the screen went dark and his barbarian collapsed to the ground.

"Brother, look, you got all my barbarians killed." Xiao Hu looked unhappy.

"You died because your skill is lacking; just go back and retrieve your gear—it won't disappear."

"If you can't beat them yourself, just hire a mercenary."

"What? You can still hire another mercenary? Where? Where?" Xiao Hu, as if he'd discovered a new continent, pulled Ye Cheng and pointed, having hired himself an ice-system archer.

"After this guy got a mercenary, Xiao Hu was full of confidence, taking the little archer out to kill again."

"Wait a bit before heading out—today's money from selling things?" Ye Cheng grabbed Xiao Hu and asked, today he had him go find Boss Qian to sell seafood.

"Here, it's a total of 4500 dollars." Xiao Hu took out a wad of bills from his pants pocket and casually threw them to Ye Cheng.

"At this point, money is trivial; slaying monsters is the true way."

"With a mercenary, you, Tiger Lord, ought to show some might."

"4500—Ye Cheng silently estimated: about right; maybe coconut snails are a bit pricier, pipa shrimp are fine, hermit crabs don't fetch a good price."

"He pointed out 1500 to Xiao Hu; this guy couldn't even be bothered to glance at it."

"After accounting for that, subtracting the 10,000 I lent to Duan Chunsheng, my savings are only 5000 left."

"Sigh, I originally wanted to enter the finals to win prize money, but this time I really lost—lost the wife and lost the troops."

"He looked up and saw Xiao Hu's barbarians lying on the ground again; he couldn't help but give a few pointers."

"You let your archer go up and shoot him first; after the ice arrow takes effect, then you go up and chop."

"They're just called barbarians; you're not supposed to go up so crude and just chop them—use your brain."