Chapter 128: You're Not the Only One Who Knows How to Cheat!
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
"Trap? How would that be possible?" Yun Yang smiled. "What trap would I dare to set after knowing your identity?"
The elder glanced at Yun Yang as he nodded derisively, "You, my child, are not simple, not simple indeed!"
"You paid such a hefty price just to bet with this old man. I just want to ask; how did you confirm that it was me?"
Yun Yang chuckled, knowing that it would only backfire if he played tricks with this person. He opted to be totally honest instead. "It’s really a coincidence how this actually began. I heard that someone was fishing here so I became really curious. To the best of my knowledge, the Thousand Feet Lake’s fish can’t be caught, so there are rarely people fishing here. For this reason alone I sat up and took notice."
"Then when I saw the way you dressed, suspicion rose in my heart."
"At that time, I was only one-tenth certain of my guess. When I got here and saw you, one-tenth became two-tenth. When you suddenly unleashed your aura, despite it being very weak and temporal, seeing as to how you retracted once it came out, it increased my suspicion. My suspicion then became three-tenths of certainty when I saw your wine gourd."
"The sentiment about life I’ve spoken about was actually more of a test as well. Those with much experience would share the sentiment while those with less experience will feel that it’s sensible. However, when you thanked me, my confidence increased."
"Then senior talked about the fish and even spoke of the Seven-Scaled Fairy of this lake. Speaking of such a huge secret so easily obviously shows that you don’t want to be in debt to me so you’re giving back a piece of information that exceeds the value of my wine…"
"There aren’t many people around with such a demeanor."
"That was when I became fifty percent confident about my guess."
Yun Yang continued lightly, "Fifty percent of confidence is already enough to form the basis of my judgment. It doesn’t matter whether you’re who I thought you to be or not. I had already formed an acquaintance. Betting was simply another trick. Whether I won or lost, our acquaintance was already there and wouldn't simply disappear."
"If I won, I could ask you for a favor. If I lost, the acquaintance remains. The martial arts world is vast and the world is huge, we would definitely meet again one day."
Yu Yang smiled. "People like myself will never give up on any chance that could benefit me. People like you, on the other hand, would never place emphasis on the things that I care about."
"Therefore, it wouldn’t matter to you if I recognized you and knew who you were. It would only be an ordinary meeting, wouldn’t it?"
Yun Yang chuckled. "What’s even more of a coincidence is that I’m really free now. Fishing is really good, more so when there’s someone to keep me company. If I won the wager, it would be even better. But even if I didn’t win, I can wait for the next time – it would still be great!"
The elder laughed. "Child, you’re an interesting one. What’s rare is that you’re speaking the truth in front of me. Each word of yours is really what you truly think. This is something good."
Yun Yang smiled helplessly. "If I was confident that I could deceive you, I would have tricked you all the way but any lies and plots are just a joke to you! It’s better to just speak the truth. You’re happy with it and so am I. It simply saves us the additional effort!"
The elder chortled once more.
Then he asked, "Do you really wish to be on fishing with me? Wouldn't it be a little too daring to bet on the Seven-Scaled Fairy with someone who has caught it before?"
Yun Yang replied, "Loss is not definite in a wager. You’ve said it yourself; you’ve only caught one Seven-Scaled Fairy before. What if I’m lucky this time and really caught it?"
The elder laughed out loud then. "How courageous you are! How do we go about the wager then?"
Yun Yang smiled. "Of course the winner would be whoever catches the Seven-Scaled Fairy first or whoever catches the most. The duration of the bet will be over three days. Whoever loses then has to admit his defeat."
"What’s the ante?" The elder asked, his eyes squinted.
"Wager…" Yun Yang considered it for a moment before saying, "If you win, I’ll think of something to get another pot of the Prime of Wine for you. If you are unlucky this time round and lost, I will just need your help with one thing."
The elder snorted.
"You think that pot of wine of yours is that valuable?" He gave Yun Yang a mocking stare.
"Then the elder can decide." Yun Yang acquiesced without hesitation. "What do you want me to do if I lose?"
The old man was stunned when Yun Yang said this.
What can you, an insignificant ant, do for me?
"How about this? If I lose, you can ask for anything." Yun Yang was thinking of ideas for him diligently. "Once you win, I’ll be fine even if you want to be my godfather or my master."
"In your dreams!" The old man rolled his eyes as he said mockingly, "You want to be my godson, want to take me as your master with this physique of yours. That is wishful thinking! How ridiculous can you get?"
Yun Yang smiled faintly. "I am relieved by your refusal."
Of course, the old man would not know that his refusal today would taint him with remorse for his entire life…
"Wait, what if we came to a draw? You wouldn't be thinking to exchange the wager so this old man would help you with a favor and you would take me as your godfather or master, would you?" The elder paused for a moment. It would be a tie if both of them could not catch the said fish.
Yun Yang was taken aback listening to him too because he had never thought of coming to a draw. He paused and said, "You are really thinking too much. If we come to a draw, our bet will be canceled. If you have so much reservation or if you’re afraid to lose, we can just forget about this wager!"
"Child, you don’t have to provoke me. This old man will agree!" The elder’s beard had almost twisted itself from his anger.
"What then is the wager you’d like junior to place?" Yun Yang persisted in his questioning.
"Forget it. A pot of the Prime of Wine it is." The elder looked like he was already regretting his decision as he said rather grudgingly, "This old man will be willing to suffer some loss."
Yet in his heart, he was thinking, "If I have another pot, perhaps I could really break through the barrier now by borrowing the Dao state in the wine… By then, that’d really be perfect…"
"It’s really unimaginable that this child wants to challenge me in fishing."
"This old man has honed his fishing skills for so many years just for this Kirin1 Fish and meditated unceasingly…"
"Besides, it’s still unknown how many Kirin Fish there are in this Thousand Feet Lake. We will likely end up in a draw after three days. By then, this old one shall leave without a burden."
"How would this Yun know that the Kirin Fish is the smartest fish in this world? Once one of them has been caught, the other Kirin Fish will sense it and turn into flowing water. They will not be caught again and won’t even feed for at least a year."
"Old sir, what bait are you using?" Yun Yang stuck his head over.
The old man shrunk back immediately, hiding all his bait behind his back as his eyes stared wide at Yun Yang. "You’re competing against me to fish and you’re asking what bait I’m using? This old one has never seen someone as shameless as you!"
Yun Yang rubbed his nose, slightly abashed. "Knowing oneself and the enemy well is the way to be ever victorious…"
He then sheepishly returned to his spot.
He retrieved his bait that he had already kneaded together and hooked some of it onto the fishing hook. Standing up, he swung the fishing rod out abruptly.
The fishing rod Yun Yang was holding was impressive; it was made of Feather Bamboo, light and adequately long, reaching thirty feet in length.
The fishing line was also of top notch quality.
However, his casting skill was a little devastating to be watched. Just that one action had the old man almost laughing out loud.
He was a complete amateur!
The fact that he had actually cast away the bait absolutely gave him away.
Do you wish to fish with an empty hook?
Amazingly, you had the steel to bet with me? With those skills?
Was this child planning to lose to me on purpose and bribe me with wine?
This old one would not be accepting it!
Once I have won, there will be no place for negotiation!
Yun Yang at least had some form of self-awareness and quickly realized that he had made a mistake. He retracted his fishing rod briskly and hooked the bait again before casting the rod once more.
This time was much better than the last.
An hour later, the elder began catching fish. Although they were only ordinary fish, they came one after another in an endless stream.
The speed was brisk, the fish pile growing in size.
At first, they were only palm-sized. Then, they became more than a catty, more than two catties, five catties… Now, fish of a dozen catties, approximately twenty catties, some thirty to forty catties were being caught...
He caught them all but the elder did not keep any of them. He snapped his finger against each fish caught on the hook, rendering them unconscious before returning them back to the water. The fish would float upside down for a bit before fleeing once it gained consciousness.
The biggest advantage of doing so was that the fish would dare not bite onto hooks anymore for at least several days.
As for success rate, the old man had already caught at least a hundred fish yet Yun Yang’s buoy remained still.
"The Thousand Feet Lake’s fish are the hardest to fish. There must be a problem with his bait for this old man to continuously fish so many of them!" Yun Yang grew increasingly agitated.
"This old man must be cheating!"
Yun Yang finally lost his calm demeanor after failing to catch any fish for so long. The old man, on the other hand, was catching them easily with the next one being larger than the last.
"You're not the only one who knows how to cheat!"
Yun Yang had only intended to cheat tomorrow, but looking at the situation, he would definitely lose if he did not do something right now.
The old man had said it himself; he had caught a Seven-Scaled Fairy before, after all!
Once he had caught one and all the others had turned into streams of water… it would be too late for him to cheat.
He called out in his subconscious.
"Emmie! Come out quickly."
"Aye, aye!"
Emmie was contentedly waving its tendrils around in the subconscious space but happily kept them upon hearing Yun Yang's call. It sent out a surprised response, "What? What? What is it?"
"Give me some energy. I’m fishing!"
1Kirin (麒麟qí lín): a mythical hooved chimerical creature known in Chinese culture; it is a good omen thought to occasion prosperity or serenity.