Chapter 178 - 166: Zuo Xianyun Wants to Cooperate

Chapter 178: Chapter 166: Zuo Xianyun Wants to Cooperate

One guy lands a fish, one guy’s on cloud nine — one guy loses his fish, and the whole pond gets a kick out of it~

When everyone saw Zuo Xianyun’s rod snap and the fish get away, the anglers around him all burst out laughing. Sure, they were shouting "Oh no!" like they felt bad, but every single one of them had a grin plastered on their face.

Schadenfreude?

Not really.

It’s just the kind of joy that only fishermen understand.

"What a shame — a hundred-pound black carp! With the custom gear Boss Chen sourced, that fish was worth six figures easy. You’d never pull that kind of money from a day job."

"You couldn’t save that much in a year of grinding."

"There go the club girls~"

They were supposedly commiserating with Zuo Xianyun, but their voices were dripping with amusement.

Chen Yuan was the only one who was genuinely gutted.

He’d just checked his system reward inventory — no hundred-pound black carp. A fish that got away didn’t count for anything.

"Come on, man. I already handed you the rod. Why’d you have to turn it into a damn competition? You’re out maybe eighty grand. I’m out two hundred thousand."

Chen Yuan was absolutely fuming inside.

It could’ve been a win-win. Instead it was a loss for both of them.

Zhang Hui and the fish dealer were genuinely disappointed too — if that fish had made it to shore, they would’ve turned a nice profit.

"Haha, it’s not every day you get to watch the old master snap a rod~"

Little Fish King laughed out loud.

He’d seen Zuo Xianyun’s skill firsthand — the man was in a league of his own. Watching Chairman Zuo snap a rod and lose a fish was a once-in-a-lifetime sight.

He didn’t keep ribbing him though, because his own fish was almost at the surface — he could already make out the shadow of a black carp beneath the water.

"Holy shit, holy shit~"

The angler Little Fish King was standing in for had been staring at the water the whole time, desperately hoping for a big one. The moment he spotted the shadow below the surface, he was too excited to even form words.

A giant. That was absolutely a giant black carp.

He’d been hoping for something in the dozens of pounds, thought sixty-plus would be a dream — never imagined he’d hook into a monster like this. Happiness hits different when it blindsides you.

"Holy shit, that thing is massive. That’s gotta be a giant black carp."

The anglers nearby who’d just been groaning over the lost fish turned their attention over here, equally stunned.

Same floating dock, spots not far apart, two giant black carp hooked at nearly the same time — were all the monsters in this pond hanging out in the same spot?

"That’s Boss Chen for you. That custom rod is no joke — you can yank and haul on it and it doesn’t make a single creak. This giant’s not getting away."

"Boss Chen-approved, totally reliable. If a 6.3-meter rod can handle a giant black carp, an 8.1-meter one would be an absolute walk in the park."

As the black carp breached the surface and made its final thrashing surge, Little Fish King held steady throughout. The rod bent deep into a massive arc, the line singing loud and clean — not a single worrying sound in the mix.

The quality spoke for itself.

"A custom rod, huh."

Zuo Xianyun heard the comments, watched Little Fish King absorb the explosive power of the fish breaking the surface, then looked down at the broken half of his own rod. His expression was hard to read.

"Hold steady, hold steady."

"Don’t rush the net — it can’t reach the fish yet. Don’t spook it~"

"Go for the head! Net the head~"

The anglers around the dock were electric with excitement as the giant black carp slowly drifted toward the floating platform.

Especially the angler Little Fish King was standing in for — he was gripping the landing net so tight from the excitement that his arms were shaking.

This wasn’t the small pond, where landing a giant only got you a measly thousand-yuan consolation prize. Old Pond was open for business and your catch was yours to keep.

Worth at least six figures.

How could he not be losing his mind?

"Splash~"

Eyes locked on the fish, mind tuned to nothing but Little Fish King’s voice, the moment he heard the signal he thrust the net over the black carp’s head and scooped it clean.

The enormous body packed the landing net to bursting, thrashing violently inside — but it wasn’t going anywhere.

"Lift it up, lift it up!"

Little Fish King and the nearby anglers rushed over, grabbed onto the net together, and hauled the giant black carp up onto the floating dock as one.

"That’s even bigger than the Fish King from the small pond. No question — that’s a giant black carp."

"First giant black carp landed at Old Pond."

"Congratulations, brother — you just got rich in a day."

"Getting rich in a day — one of the two great pursuits of my life~"

"Wait, isn’t getting rich in a day just one thing?"

The anglers crowded around the fish burst out laughing.

The lucky angler who owned the catch threw himself over the black carp like he was afraid the money would swim away, then looked up and declared with a wave of his hand that smokes and drinks were on him for the whole pond.

It was a fine tradition from the days of keeping the God of Wealth in the small pond — and now it had carried over to Old Pond.

Then he waved Chen Yikai over, and together they loaded the black carp into a cart. Before heading off, he turned back to Little Fish King.

"Come on, bro, let’s go find the fish dealer together. We split the money fifty-fifty."

"Haha, I was just standing in for you. That giant’s yours — every cent from the sale goes to you."

Little Fish King laughed and waved him off.

He was here as Boss Chen’s hired hand. Whatever happened, the catch wasn’t his to claim.

Getting to land a hundred-plus-pound giant black carp like this — that was a record in itself. He’d gotten his photos, and that was more than enough.

"Without you, I never would’ve landed this fish."

The angler knew that full well. Even though Little Fish King refused to come along, he still had to show his appreciation — but first things first, go sell the fish.

"Here he comes, here he comes — he’s heading our way with the giant~"

The fish dealer was buzzing with excitement.

Zhang Hui was just as worked up.

It was a shame when Zuo Xianyun’s rod snapped and the fish escaped, but then word came that another giant had been landed, and his hopes shot through the roof.

If it were Zuo Xianyun, there was always a chance he’d toss it back in the pond. But most other anglers — especially anyone with a fish over sixty pounds — almost always came straight to him to cash out.

He paid fair prices, after all.

And sure enough, here came the giant.

"Little Fish King came through."

Chen Yuan was just as pumped.

They’d finally gotten a giant black carp to shore. Double rewards — even after restocking one fish, he’d still have one left over, and the system buyback alone had to be worth at least twenty thousand points.

On top of that, Zuo Xianyun had snapped his rod while Little Fish King successfully landed his. The outcome of this one-sided showdown couldn’t be more obvious. Now the only question was whether Zuo Xianyun would come looking for him.

"Haha, first time in my life I actually feel like fishing can make you money."

The fish dealer’s price was more than fair, and the angler agreed to the deal without a second thought. The moment the six-figure sum hit his account, he felt ten feet tall.

He didn’t even bother glancing at the messages from his boss.

Approved my leave or not — doesn’t matter, I skipped work today and what are you gonna do about it.

What sorry excuse for a job pays six figures in a single day?

And then there’s the wife.

Always complaining about cooking every day, huh? Tonight you’re rolling with me — I’m taking you out for a proper feast, we’re going all out.

Hmph. Let’s see who thinks fishing is a waste of time now.

"Smokes for everyone — nobody gets left out."

Riding high on the excitement, the angler called Chen Yikai and Chen Yiheng over to help him raid the vending machines nearby — between the two of them, they just about cleaned both machines out.

Then he generously handed Chen Yikai and Chen Yiheng each two packs of Hua cigarettes, and the two brothers went around distributing drinks and smokes to every angler at Old Pond.

He tracked down Little Fish King and insisted on showing his gratitude.

Little Fish King couldn’t really say no, so he accepted a small token amount, then strolled over to where Zuo Xianyun was standing.

"Pretty solid haul today, old-timer. Six fish if you count the giant, right?"

"You’re the one who had a great day, little bro. From what I saw, you pulled in at least eight, plus you landed that giant — 114 pounds I heard, probably a bit bigger than the one I lost."

They knew each other well, had fished tournaments together, and had both been quietly keeping tabs on each other all day. It was like an invisible competition between them.

"Haha, you were locked into one spot the whole time, I was moving around the whole pond — location alone gave me a huge edge. And I had Boss Chen’s bait and gear on top of that. Without all that, I’d never have been able to keep up with you."

Little Fish King wasn’t being modest. In the Master’s Tournament, Zuo Xianyun had taken the top prize while Little Fish King hadn’t even placed. The gap between them was real.

Today he’d come out ahead thanks to the positional advantage and the boost from Boss Chen’s bait and equipment.

"The bait really does work well. I didn’t use it myself, but you could see it in how everyone around us was catching."

Zuo Xianyun nodded.

Even setting aside the regular anglers, the stand-in anglers were keeping pace with him — and Little Fish King, who he’d been watching closely, was the clearest proof of all.

Both in sheer catch count and in landing that final giant, the other side had outperformed him and his own gear.

"I heard a 6.3-meter rod can actually handle a giant black carp here?"

Zuo Xianyun was genuinely curious.

If rods like that could be mass-produced, the heavy-duty big-fish rod market would take a serious hit.

They always say every angler should have a heavy carp rod in the bag — but if a lightweight rod could genuinely handle giant fish, who’d bother lugging around those heavy-duty beasts?

Casting took more skill with them, they were heavier, and a long session left you exhausted.

A 6.3-meter rod landing a giant black carp — if the cost could be kept under control, the ripple effects on the tackle industry would be enormous.

"It’s custom-made, probably not cheap — but the bait is a whole different story."

Little Fish King didn’t stick around to chat much longer. He was on the clock as a hired stand-in, and once he’d finished his smoke and said his goodbyes, he was back to work.

That left Zuo Xianyun alone with his thoughts.

He understood exactly what Little Fish King meant.

Anglers might be willing to make do with their rods for a while. If these custom rods were too expensive, the average weekend fisherman wouldn’t shell out for them — it would only work as a premium, high-end product.

But bait? Nobody compromises on bait.

Every angler wants a great bite day. If the bait costs a little more but delivers results, they’ll pay for it without blinking.

He’d seen Chen Yuan Fishing Ground’s custom bait in action firsthand. Even ordinary anglers were pulling in fish at a rate that wasn’t far behind him. He had a feeling that his own brands — Jin Long Yu and Diao Yu Ren — were about to face a challenge unlike anything they’d seen before.

Then again, maybe it was also an opportunity.

"Phew~"

He finished his cigarette, gathered up his snapped rod and gear, and walked over toward Chen Yuan.

"Calling it a day already? It’s not even half past one — you’re welcome to keep fishing with one of the rods we have here. Bait and rod are both on the house."

Chen Yuan was leaning against the car door when he spotted Zuo Xianyun heading his way. He pulled out a cigarette and offered him one.

"Haha, I’ve had my fill."

Zuo Xianyun took the cigarette but didn’t put his gear down.

"Glad to hear it. Let me walk you to the car park."

Chen Yuan had the cigarette dangling unlit from his lips. Zuo Xianyun still hadn’t set down his tackle box — the message was pretty clear. He’d also glanced over at Zhang Hui and the fish dealer, obviously not wanting to talk out in the open.

Besides, the sun was brutal.

"Got a few minutes, Boss Chen?"

Once they reached the car park, Chen Yuan helped load the gear into the boot. Zuo Xianyun switched on the AC, offered Chen Yuan a cigarette, and smiled.

"What can I do for you?"

Chen Yuan grinned and took the cigarette, tucking it behind his ear — he still had the other one hanging from his mouth.

Zuo Xianyun paused for a second, then let out a laugh.

The atmosphere relaxed considerably.

"You really are something else, Boss Chen."

Zuo Xianyun lit his cigarette and took a long drag, then looked at Chen Yuan with a smile.

"How do you feel about a partnership?"

Chen Yuan was still bent over lighting his cigarette. That caught him off guard.

Zuo Xianyun really didn’t waste time — straight to the point, cards right on the table.