Chapter 143: Fishing Finals (Three)

It's mainly because the magic attack from the neighboring 26th lane wasted my time.

Without delay, Ye Cheng switched bait and cast again; this fish ate so fiercely it finished the whole bait.

"Go check Cui Shuran's side later and see how many they've caught," Ye Cheng whispered to Xiao Hu.

Xiao Hu responded and went.

At this rate, plus the fish I'm reeling, half an hour yields three fish, an hour six, six hours thirty-six; if there's no big fish, I might still not win the championship—time is tight.

Remember last time Cui Shuran caught 98 jin of fish in about three hours; this time he'll likely fish the full time, that's nearly 200 jin.

I myself have only a little over ten jin here.

The float twitched twice, obviously a fish provoking; Ye Cheng steadied himself, waited for it, and when the float sank, he lifted the rod at the same moment.

Got a bite!

This one's small, not strong; Ye Cheng directly struck at a 45‑degree angle, felt the hook set, then pulled to tire it out.

When I felt it loosen, Ye Cheng jerked the rod up and lifted it out of the water in one motion.

All in one smooth motion.

These three days of training weren't wasted.

A fish about 30 cm long, dark green with a white line along its body, dark brown back, and dark green fins.

This is cod, a common seafood with good texture; KFC even has a dedicated cod burger.

But this cod is a bit small, a shame; Ye Cheng put it in the water tank and kept fishing.

Cast the rod, uh…

This cast was a bit off, veered a lot.

"You can't even cast properly, your basics aren't solid—why bother with wild fishing? You'd be better off fishing the farmed fish in a pond." Number 26, true to his trash‑talking player type, can mock anything.

But this guy's skill is actually not bad; he's also landed three fish, giving Ye Cheng a run for his money.

Over here, Xiao Hu also returned, glanced at Ye Cheng's water tank, pursed his lips, then shook his head with a helpless expression.

"Damn, did you come here to do a silent act? Tell me how many they've caught over there."

"Bro, that idiot's already got five up; I see you've got enough nerve."

"Bullshit, I'm definitely stronger than him."

He said that, but Ye Cheng silently cursed: "Born Yu, why also born Liang? I've been given the system, and now you create a Fishing Saint Body—what for?"

This time the hook got no reaction; Ye Cheng stood up and tugged the line, and as soon as he moved he saw the float plunge down.

Fortunately Ye Cheng was quick‑eyed and quick‑handed, grabbing it; otherwise the fish would have eaten the bait and run off.

It feels substantial; Ye Cheng can tell upon lifting whether it's a big fish.

This fish isn't smaller than an eel; I just don't know what it is.

But he soon found out, because a white tail flipped up, slapped the water surface, then went down.

Silvery white, long and slender—it could only be a hairtail.

Hairtails come in black‑eyed and yellow‑eyed types; generally the higher‑latitude ones are black‑eyed, the warmer‑area ones yellow‑eyed, and black‑eyed ones taste better.

Here in Donghai Shi, it's in the middle, so it's hard to say whether it's black‑eyed or yellow‑eyed.

Since hairtails are relatively small overall, they don't make a big splash when they thrash.

After Ye Cheng tugged it for a while it surfaced—over a meter long, ten centimeters wide, a real big catch.

"Bro, this hairtail really looks great," Xiao Hu said, looking delighted.

Hairtails are naturally silvery white, and in sunlight they reflect an even more dazzling shine, looking like a treasure.

"Don't just stare—hand me the net."

Only then did Xiao Hu get up to fetch the net; because the fish was too long, Ye Cheng held the rod high so it could all be slipped in.

He removed the hook, Ye Cheng checked the fish's eye—black‑eyed, not bad.

Steamed or dry‑fried, both are delicious.

Moreover, big fish have few bones, so kids can eat them without worrying about getting stuck.

(Time: 45 minutes, fish: 4)

The neighboring number 26 watched Ye Cheng's steady string of catches and could hardly sit still.

He thought landing three in such a short time was already impressive, but didn't expect that the trash‑talking neighbor would be even better, having landed four.

This killed his interest in magic attacks; he could only turn and start spraying at number 25.

"You've only caught one after all this time—what competition is this? If I were you, I'd go home and eat."

The sea breeze blew number 26's words into Ye Cheng's ears; Ye Cheng's face darkened—this guy really loves to talk; why not do stand‑up comedy, which pays more than fishing?

But this time he seems to have hit a tough spot.

Although far away, Ye Cheng still saw someone stand up over there.

Uh…

A guy over 1.8 meters tall stood up like a mountain, his eyes glaring like bronze bells, pointing at number 26.

"You dare insult me? You're asking to die."

Number 26 stared blankly: "Li Ge, I thought it was someone else—I didn't know it was you; I'm dazed, I made a mistake."

This big guy is a well‑known large figure in the Fishing Association; if Ye Cheng hadn't interrupted his rhythm today, he wouldn't have blurted out like that.

I don't know what Li Ge the big guy said, but all I heard was number 26's miserable scream from nearby.

Accompanying that pleasant sound, Ye Cheng's float moved again.

Diagonal pull, hook the fish—this is the feeling, exactly!

For the first time Ye Cheng felt what Human‑Rod Unity means.

"Save me, Li Ge, Li Ge—we're in a match, go easy, you're too heavy, you'll crush me."

Ye Cheng tilted his head to look—okay, that side had also joined forces, and number 26 was being pressed down by Li Ge, unable to get up.

The referees from both sides rushed over to break up the fight, finally managed to separate them, and then started complaining at number 26.

"You're just talking nonsense—you got beaten, huh?"

Poor number 26 watched helplessly as his float bobbed up and down, but now there's not a hint of movement—what a miserable situation.

So as a mage, you don't have blink, you don't have a fridge—what are you randomly pulling for?

Ye Cheng hooked another fish here—a black seabream over thirty centimeters long, a decent size—and Xiao Hu happily stowed it in the box.

(Time: 55 minutes, 5 fish.)

Realizing he still lagged behind Cui Shuran's side, Ye Cheng didn't dare delay and quickly cast his line again.

This cast was a bit too close, right under the reef; he didn't know the water depth, and Ye Cheng had originally wanted to lift the rod and cast again.

Unexpectedly, at that very moment the float suddenly sank—and when Ye Cheng lifted the rod, he hooked a fish right away.

That's more like it—with a Luck Value of 90, this is exactly how it should be.

The fish isn't big, and the hook isn't lodged deep.

Ye Cheng gave a gentle tug, letting the bait sink a bit deeper, then struck the fish, played it around—after the line traced a big circle on the sea surface, Ye Cheng lifted it out.