abnabooks Chapter 20 Casting a Net to Determine the Fate
Chapter 20 Casting a Net to Determine the Fate
The fishing net unfurled in the air with a mysterious rhythm, accurately predicting the black pomfret's sprinting trajectory.
"Splash!"
With a splash, the ferocious black horned pomfret rammed headfirst into the net, as if it had delivered itself to the net!
"I won!"
Su Yu exerted force with both arms and gripped the net rope tightly.
Unfortunately, this precious fish was incredibly strong, and the waves it stirred up could easily overturn a person, let alone this small fishing net.
Just as the fishing net was about to be lifted and create an opening, Qian Wenhu laughed loudly and swam over in the blink of an eye with the speed of a dragon.
"Where do you think you're going!"
His body spun again, breaking through the surging waves, and the fine iron harpoon in his hand accurately pierced the black pomfret's body.
"Bang!"
Driven mad by pain, the black pomfret ripped through the water with its black horn like lightning, leaping into the air with the fishing net and harpoon on its body, letting out a mournful cry like that of a cow.
In the sunlight, its blood-stained scales gleamed with a chilling, eerie light.
"What a wretched child!"
Qian Wenhu was overjoyed; the harpoon had successfully pierced the treasure fish, making it impossible for it to escape.
He caught the second harpoon thrown from the ship with a flick of his wrist, like a shooting star chasing the moon.
"puff!"
This fork pierced straight into the eye and out of the brain!
The black trout crashed heavily onto the water, creating a spray of water. Large amounts of red blood gushed out like a spring, staining the water red.
On the treasure ship, the old fishermen laughed heartily, and their fishing nets fell to the ground.
Catch the black pomfret that has fallen into the water.
Soon after, the silent black pomfret was caught and brought aboard the boat.
Qian Wenhu swam back to the boat, gently stroking the black horn with his hand. He measured it and found it to be over a foot long. A look of joy spread across his face. "Excellent! A foot-long black horn! This black pomfret must be at least ten years old!"
The horns of a black pomfret typically grow to ten inches in three years, and their value skyrockets once they exceed one foot. This black pomfret is worth at least double the estimated value, exceeding one hundred taels of silver!
We've caught such a treasure fish right at the start of this voyage, how could we not be overjoyed!
He turned his head and looked at Su Yu, who was closing the net, his eyes full of admiration:
"Su Yu, you have done a great service by stopping the black horned pomfret this time. You will certainly be rewarded handsomely when we return!"
Unexpectedly, this expansion of the fishing team has actually yielded some talented individuals!
The way everyone looked at Su Yu changed instantly.
Envy, jealousy, surprise...
Su Yu not only made a name for himself, but he also received a reward upon returning home. He was incredibly lucky.
Bai Shun's eyes were filled with fighting spirit as he looked at Su Yu. He hadn't expected Su Yu's net-casting skills to be so superb that he could even catch such a fast-swimming fish!
However, fishing isn't just about casting nets; you also need to be a good swimmer!
Gao Xiaoshuang snorted coldly, still harboring resentment towards Su Yu for ignoring her earlier. Seeing him make such a show of himself again, she felt extremely annoyed.
Zhou Da immediately moved closer to Gao Xiaoshuang and whispered, "Xiaoshuang, he just got lucky this time. His fishing skills are nowhere near as good as yours. Next time, let's stay closer together, and we brothers will help you out. Maybe you can catch a treasure fish too."
Gao Xiaoshuang felt a surge of disgust at his fat and bloated appearance, but she still nodded, intending to use the two brothers a little longer and then get rid of them when she had new subordinates.
Over the next few days, the three treasure ships fished extensively in the depths of the Blackwater River.
During this time, they discovered another group of red snapper and caught over a hundred kilograms.
This fish has a slender body with a bright red fat line on its back. Its flesh is thick and meaty, and eating it can warm the body and replenish blood. It is at its fattest and most delicious in autumn and winter.
In his excitement, Qian Wenhu immediately had dozens of them cooked. Su Yu also tasted half of one, his mouth greasy with oil. At the same time, his internal energy and limit points increased.
On the seventh day, the lead ship, where Qian Qinghong was located, separated from the other two treasure ships and sailed into deeper waters on its own.
The ship carrying Su Yu and the others, Ship C, began its return voyage.
Fortunately, nothing unexpected happened on the way back, and the treasure ship returned safely to the Heihe ferry dock.
……
The Qian Family Compound.
Qian Wenhu settled everyone's monthly salary on the spot. As usual, each person received one tael of silver. Because of the abundant harvest this time, each person received an additional few hundred coins to several taels.
Su Yu received the most extra reward money, a full five taels!
So this trip yielded a total of six taels of silver.
"Su Yu, your net-casting skills are superb. Would you consider becoming a full member of the Qian family's fishing team?" Qian Wenhu put his arm around Su Yu's shoulder, acting very warmly and affectionately. "If you become a full member, I'll teach you the stance training that complements the Fishbone Kung Fu! Your monthly salary will also increase several times over!"
Su Yu's heart stirred upon hearing this; he was quite envious of the Fishbone Kung Fu's underwater combat prowess. However, he knew this kind of family well enough not to easily bestow benefits upon them.
"Captain Qian, do full members need to sign a life-or-death contract?"
"Yes, but the Qian family is kind and generous, and they are fair in their rewards and punishments. Many people would beg for such a thing."
Su Yu nodded. Judging from the reward the Qian family gave him, it was clear that the Qian family was fair in rewarding and punishing, making it a good place to go.
However, he couldn't get used to being a servant, and besides, his main job was to train at the martial arts school. He was only going out on the ship with the Qian family to make money.
So he shook his head and refused, asking if there were other ways to acquire standing meditation skills.
Qian Wenhu shook his head regretfully, saw him to the door, and finally whispered, "If you go on a few more boat trips and consistently perform well, I'll talk to the Third Miss and have you become an outer retainer. You'll also get the corresponding training! But this requires you to at least become a martial artist!"
"Thank you very much, Captain Qian!"
After leaving the Qian family, Su Yu returned to the martial arts school without any delay.
After informing Senior Brother Xu, I paid another four taels of silver to cover the cost of next month's medicine.
After counting, he found he only had a little over two taels of silver left to tide him over.
"Learning martial arts is a bottomless pit. I still need a stable way to make money!" Su Yu sighed, but for now, practicing martial arts is still his priority.
……
In the blink of an eye, another month has passed.
With the medicine available this month, Su Yu devoted himself entirely to martial arts training, finally pushing the progress of the White Ape Six Transformations to its final stage.
[Su Yu]
[Martial Arts]: White Ape Six Transformations (Beginner 799/800)
"The breakthrough is tonight!"
The bright moon hangs high, casting its gentle light and turning the front yard into a vast expanse of white water.
The apprentices practicing martial arts in the front yard had all rested, leaving only Su Yu still practicing his stances. Looking at the last bit of proficiency on the panel, he knew he couldn't wait until tomorrow.
As the final move, "The Spirit Ape Returns to its Cave," was completed, familiar characters finally flashed before his eyes.
[Proficiency +1]
[The White Ape's Six Transformations have broken through to the Proficient Level]
[Martial Arts]: White Ape Six Transformations (Proficiency 1/1200)
Suddenly, a profound realization flooded into Su Yu's mind, accompanied by a booming change in the blood and qi within his body.
A powerful surge of energy flowed throughout the body, unleashing tremendous power.
There was no difficulty in breaking through the bottleneck of Qi and Blood as some people claimed; Su Yu seemed to break through naturally, without any apparent difficulty!
As expected of my unparalleled talent!