Chapter 139: Preparing for the Final

After leaving the police station, it was already past 3 a. m.

Ye Cheng recalled a saying: Have you ever seen Los Angeles at 3 a. m.?

It's a pity that person is already dead in his previous life, which is a bit regrettable.

Ye Cheng only has one motorcycle; four people definitely can't fit on it, and he doesn't have Third Brother's skill.

Originally Ye Cheng meant for Duan Chunsheng and the others to find a guesthouse to spend the night before returning, but Duan Chunsheng absolutely refused, fearing the old woman at home would overthink.

There was no choice; the four could only wait a long time by the roadside for a taxi, first go to where Ye Cheng had parked his motorcycle, then Ye Cheng got off to ride it, while the other three took the taxi back to the village.

Back in the village, the dogs were awake and barked a few times.

Ye Cheng didn't want to think about anything; he just flung himself onto the bed, still greasy and dirty, to catch up on sleep.

That sleep was very restless; during the day people kept coming and going in the village, and there were the sounds of chickens, ducks, and geese, and he slept until he woke from the heat. When Ye Cheng opened his eyes, it was already noon 12.

Damn it, youth is great; when you're in your forties, you can't even sleep.

Yawning, Ye Cheng stripped off and took a hot shower, at least washing away all the grease on his body.

He opened the fridge, took out a chilled happy drink, gulped it down—this refreshing feeling could be used in an advertisement.

However, the happy drink doesn't stave off hunger; after just a couple of sips, Ye Cheng's stomach started growling.

After throwing on some clothes, Ye Cheng intended to go look for something to eat, when he heard someone outside poking their head around.

Ye Cheng looked and saw it was Duan Yong.

He went out; the meeting was a bit awkward, and Duan Yong said with an embarrassed grin, "My dad said to see if you're free at noon to come over for a meal."

"Sure, wait for me, I'm starving."

After giving it his all last night just to scrounge a meal, Ye Cheng felt no psychological burden.

Xiao Hu also woke up; fortunately his parents don't know what they did last night, or they'd nag him to death.

The two followed Duan Yong to the Duan family home; Duan Chunsheng and his wife were so enthusiastic it was practically like seeing relatives, only even more so.

It's clear that Aunt Duan also prepared carefully; many of the dishes must have been bought at the town early that morning.

For what happened last night, Duan Chunsheng had Duan Yong raise three consecutive cups of wine to express thanks.

After downing the three cups of wine, their relationship improved as well.

This meal lasted until 2 p. m.; that's how the village is—if there's nothing going on, you can eat as late as you like, more relaxed than office workers, and without a boss's soul‑reaping calls.

If Ye Cheng hadn't kept insisting he had something to do in the afternoon, they probably would have kept eating until evening.

After leaving the Duan family home, Ye Cheng finally had a moment to check the system:

Luck Value: 20+20

Points: 990

Savings: 230,000, loan 100,000.

This luck value made Ye Cheng unconsciously purse his lips; having been this lucky for several days straight, he hardly felt like moving.

But thinking that he still had to compete in the finals in a few days, Ye Cheng decided to go practice fishing.

As for Xiao Hu, he'd drunk too much and went back to sleep.

He figured that after waking up, he'd go back to chopping skeletons.

Ye Cheng, with one rod each, carrying a water tank, left the village and casually walked along the seaside.

He didn't deliberately pick a spot; Ye Cheng just found a relatively open place and began today's fishing.

The main goal was just one: practice technique; as for what he might catch, we'll see later.

During the last preliminary round, Ye Cheng used quite a bit of bait; bait is exchanged for points, so he needed to conserve it, thus he first took his fishing rod to practice casting.

To catch a fish, this casting is a mandatory hurdle.

Actually, casting isn't that hard; it's just a matter of proficiency.

Only practice makes perfect.

Ye Cheng remembered studying the text "The Oil Seller" in school; these few words are the oil seller's self‑evaluation.

Now Ye Cheng feels the same way; after swinging the rod for nearly two hours, he can't hit a specific target, but casting far is no problem.

Moreover, the most important point is that now he won't accidentally hurt anyone.

Looking at the fresh scratches and small pits on the surrounding stones, Xiao Hu should be glad he didn't come along.

Once the practice was about done, Ye Cheng finally started fishing.

With waist, legs, and arms united, he swung his arm stylishly outward; the fishing line flashed with specks of reflection in the air and landed smoothly four or five meters out in the sea.

"Awesome!" Ye Cheng clenched his fist, feeling the fulfillment of his divine skill.

A colorful bobber stood upright in the seawater; this patch of sea is relatively calm, yet the bobber still moves slightly up and down with the water.

A strange vibration came through the fishing line; although faint, the sensation was odd.

Ye Cheng felt it; there was a fish below testing the bait.

One tap, two taps—both light nibbles.

On the third dip, the bobber sank straight down; Ye Cheng decisively lifted the rod and gave a sharp pull!

He'd hooked a fish.

As soon as the fish surfaced, Ye Cheng felt a tremendous force transmitted through the rod; the tip bent into a near‑90‑degree right‑angle arc.

It was still a big one.

The fishing line was rapidly pulled out; the water here isn't deep, so Ye Cheng didn't dare keep letting line out—he clamped it down, the line went taut, and began slicing through the water at the surface.

This time Ye Cheng's timing for lifting the rod was good; the fish had hooked deep, so no matter how it struggled, it couldn't shake free.

After a futile struggle, he had expended about half of its strength; Ye Cheng seized the moment and gave three sharp jerks, pulling its backbone out of the water.

A fish nearly fifty centimeters long, with a dark, shiny back and a slender build, looked like a horse pomfret.

He hadn't expected that with a luck value of 40 he could still hook such a big fish; Ye Cheng felt a bit excited.

He held the fishing rod, trying to find a chance to lift the fish, but this guy still had strength left; Ye Cheng pulled three times in a row and still couldn't lift it.

After giving it his all and then tiring out, Ye Cheng was also exhausted, his arms a little sore; helplessly, the fish pulled the line and dragged him back down into the seawater.

As soon as it went below the surface, the fish instantly regained its strength—perhaps being exposed to the surface just now had frightened it, and it knew that if it didn't exert force it would die.

After going under, the fish struggled even more wildly, forcing Ye Cheng to brace the fishing rod against his waist in an attempt to hold the situation.

But the fish, already frightened, had truly extraordinary strength; Ye Cheng hadn't even steadied for half a minute before he felt his grip loosen, and the fish hook and line were flung back into the air.

It came unhooked.

"Damn!" Ye Cheng swore; even after pulling it out to the sea surface it still came unhooked—what a world.

He remembered Chen Jinshui once telling him that fish can be frightened, especially big ones; once they surface, you should try as much as possible not to let them go back.

Because on the surface it recovers more slowly; once it returns to the water, it regains strength, making it very likely to come unhooked.

Also, Ye Cheng today lacked spirit, his body feeling a bit weak; if he had enough stamina, he estimates he wouldn't have let the fish go so easily.