Chapter 383: Chapter 232: Enemies on a Narrow Road, Encountering Liu Xiaoyun Again
"Jelly bait?" Meng Fan and Liu Zi looked puzzled after hearing the bait name Zhang Yang mentioned; it was completely unfamiliar to them.
They have both eaten jelly, but using jelly as fishing bait was something they heard for the first time.
"Yes! This stuff works better on fish in poor condition, reluctant to open their mouth or picky about bait, especially slippery or sub-healthy fish!
For the bait I’m mixing now, it performs well with regular pulled bait techniques, and it can work with kneaded bait if there’s mixed fish."
As Zhang Yang explained, he casually took out a length of leader wire to demonstrate to the duo the state of the bait after being hooked.
To be honest, the bait mixed with jelly powder has a fundamentally different texture compared to the conventional kneaded or pulled bait,
it looks wobbly and soft, quite like jelly, and the size pulled from the bait is relatively consistent; if you really want to nitpick, it’s difficult to knead larger bait balls through technique.
"Tsk tsk, what a miraculous texture! If a fish bites, it can swallow it to the throat in one go."
Liu Zi took the leader wire from Zhang Yang’s hand and observed it in a water basin; except for minor shedding, there was almost no noticeable scattering, as it swelled into a round, fluffy bait ball upon absorbing water, resembling a jellyfish.
"Keep it low-key; this stuff isn’t available in the market now, don’t make it too conspicuous!" Zhang Yang quietly reminded them.
"Oh, what secret weapon are you guys working on? Let me take a look?"
At that moment, a person walked over and grinned at Zhang Yang and his companions.
The visitor was none other than Liu Xiaoyun, who had lost three carp to Zhang Yang.
Upon seeing Liu Xiaoyun looking to probe for information, Meng Fan and Liu Zi instantly became vigilant.
In contrast, Zhang Yang remained calm and stood up with a cheerful smile, saying, "Just a little trick, Master Liu wouldn’t care!"
"Look at what you’re saying, not treating me as a friend, are you? Let me look!"
Liu Xiaoyun didn’t buy it at all and leaned forward to grab a bit of the jelly powder mixed bait.
This was also the first time Liu Xiaoyun saw such bait, looking thoughtfully at the shiny, swelling powder particles and the soft texture without speaking immediately.
"Hey hey hey, what are you doing, Master Liu! How can you just grab it directly?"
By then, Meng Fan had reacted and signaled to Liu Zi, who promptly stuffed the bait into the fishing box.
"How does this stuff work? The texture is quite unique! Selling? Give me some to try?" Liu Xiaoyun’s smile faded as he asked seriously.
Zhang Yang shook his head with a smile, "Exclusive secret recipe, not for sale!"
"Us buddies..."
"Except for the anglers signed with our Famous Fishing Tackle Company, no one else, please don’t make it hard for me!" Zhang Yang promptly blocked this suggestion.
"You fellow, not willing to yield, huh?" Liu Xiaoyun still tried to negotiate, but upon seeing Zhang Yang remain firm, he frowned slightly.
"Friendship is friendship, competition is competition! If you really want to use it, sign with our company, then use it freely after signing, without any restrictions!"
Zhang Yang spread his hands, retreating to advance, offering an improbable solution.
After saying this, Liu Xiaoyun couldn’t continue to argue for it.
Deep down, he knew that his connection with Zhang Yang’s team was just a casual acquaintance, not any real friendship.
And for a new bait like this, old Liu certainly wouldn’t sign up with the company.
Even hypothetically, if old Liu wanted to sign, Zhang Yang wouldn’t accept him; his character and personality didn’t meet the standards, Zhang Yang wouldn’t let the signing proceed normally.
"Forget it, just pretend I didn’t ask!"
Liu Xiaoyun shook his head and left Zhang Yang with a finger-sized ball of bait.
After Liu Xiaoyun left, Liu Zi asked worriedly, "The competition hasn’t started yet, but the secret is already leaked! Brother Yang, will it be a problem?"
Zhang Yang shook his head, "No problem, just stay calm and prepare, it’s time to draw lots and get ready!"
...
A few minutes later, a loudspeaker announced the call for drawing lots, and Zhang Yang and his two companions walked to the drawing station.
The same drawing process as in the morning, after waiting for a while, Zhang Yang was called first.
Casually picking a slip from the box, Zhang Yang opened it decisively and took a quick look.
Mixed breeding area D14
Seeing this number, Zhang Yang breathed a solid sigh of relief.
South bank of Dock No. 2, 14th position, at least it wasn’t the frustrating entry spot.
Zhang Yang’s requirements were actually quite low; as long as it wasn’t the worst spot with slim chances, he was confident in securing a good result with his skills,
and as for tricky entry spots like No. 01, Zhang Yang could only make the best out of a bad situation and try to grasp any chance he could.
After the drawing was completed, Zhang Yang leisurely stepped off the stage and headed towards the entrance of the mixed breeding area. As he walked, he pondered how to fish in this tournament.
After one in the afternoon, the hottest time of the day arrived, with the autumn heat raging, significantly affecting the fish’s response,
but after seeing the pond owner, Ge Xiufeng scatter quite a bit of fish opening-promoting medicine in the morning and continuously running the oxygen machine, for the sake of the tournament, the fish’s response should be reasonably fair.
Once the drawing ended, and the entrance was opened, Zhang Yang, carrying his fishing box, leisurely made his way to his fishing spot.
As he walked, Zhang Yang’s gaze scanned the water along the south bank of the pond, the water quality was decent, with no sign of fish gasping for air due to lack of oxygen.
Upon reaching his spot at position 14, Zhang Yang pressed the fishing box line and began his preparations.
In the mixed breeding pond, re-baiting is allowed, meaning scatter bait can be used. After two rounds of competition in the morning, it’s expected the fish’s response won’t be great, Zhang Yang’s scatter bait water ratio was very high too, almost 1:0.5 of wet scatter.
Just as Zhang Yang was engaged in various pre-competition preparations, Liu Xiaoyun, carrying his fishing box, strolled over too and plopped down onto position 13 next to Zhang Yang.
"Oh, what a coincidence!" Liu Xiaoyun was slightly startled when he saw Zhang Yang sitting at position 14.
Zhang Yang grinned and said with a slightly exaggerated tone, "Oh dear, this round is going to be tricky!"
"Just listen to that, you beat me with three carp, and now using words to embarrass me?" Liu Xiaoyun pretended to be displeased, hearing Zhang Yang’s remark.
"Haha, just joking, Brother Liu, don’t mind! Catching target fish well doesn’t count as skill, everyone knows mixed breeding requires more capability!
Besides, your skill in catching mixed breeding is famously known, if it’s about mixed breeding competition, I wouldn’t dare to challenge you!" Zhang Yang unhesitatingly flattered Liu Xiaoyun.
"You... Despite your young age, your style is as slick as an eel, even slicker than those seasoned ones!" Liu Xiaoyun shook his head.
"I’ll take that as a compliment then! How about we put some stakes on this round?"
"Forget it, don’t tease me! Let’s each fish our own way! Relying on our own skills!" Liu Xiaoyun waved his hand.
Liu Xiaoyun is someone who acts based on circumstances; having lost in fish competitions and seeing Zhang Yang with a secret weapon before entering, he wouldn’t give Zhang Yang another chance.
Both having their own thoughts exchanged a few words before quickly getting busy with their tasks.
Competing in fish wasn’t possible, but adjacent in the competition, after losing before, he was determined to make up for it, old Liu held his breath to avenge his previous loss.