153: Super Yellow Croaker

Yang Qi first set his sights on the two Groupers; one was a Sesame Grouper, which was quite good, while the other was an ordinary Pearl Grouper.

Since the water level had dropped significantly, several larger fish were easy to catch, like the Sea Bass whose backs were half exposed, making them conspicuously visible.

While catching several large Black Seabream, Yang Qi unexpectedly discovered two large Black Fish. He hadn't noticed them earlier; their dark bodies clung tightly to the reef, and if he wasn't careful, he might have mistaken them for black rocks.

Since they were discovered, he might as well take them.

Some of the Rockfish were quite good, so he took them too, along with the Black Seabream.

The most dangerous was the Sea Eel; he nearly got bitten. Yang Qi used his tide-pooling tongs to forcefully clamp it into the bag meant for Crabs, leaving its survival up to its own luck.

Soon, most of the fish in this tide pool had been caught. The two large Black Fish also received special treatment, sharing a clean tide pool with the East Star Grouper and dog sharks.

“Bai Xue, you stay here and watch these catches, waiting for your dad and the others. I’ll go further ahead and see if there’s anything good.”

Yang Qi was afraid Bai Xue would get tired, so he had her stay there.

“Alright, help me bring these snakeskin bags over and keep them in the seawater for now.”

Bai Xue also knew that their valuable catches needed to be watched; it would be ridiculous if someone took them.

Yang Qi held a bucket in his hand and had a snakeskin bag tucked at his waist as he walked further ahead.

Along the way, he found many Sea Cucumbers and Crabs. He didn't pick up any low-priced fish or snails, only aiming for premium items.

He walked and stopped along the way, losing track of time. The prolonged bending made his back ache.

“That’s enough, I’ll head back now. Bai Xue is alone there; I don’t want her to get scared.”

Yang Qi muttered to himself, straightened his back, and looked at the reef area that was about to emerge. Finding nothing good there, he decided not to go.

Just as he was about to turn back, a yellow object seemed to appear in his ability’s vision.

Yang Qi stood up straight and carefully observed the sea surface where the yellow object appeared. Under the waves, a yellow figure bobbed up and down in the spray.

It was clearly a large yellow fish.

“Holy cow, no way!”

“A golden legend!”

It was clearly a Large Yellow Croaker, stunned or killed by the waves.

Yang Qi quickly ran to shore, put down the snakeskin bag and bucket, and swiftly took off his clothes and pants. In the reef area, he certainly couldn't take off his shoes.

He ran in strides, quickly heading towards it, crossing the reef area, and diving into the seawater.

The waves were quite large, but Yang Qi had his ability; he was immune to water pressure, could breathe freely underwater, and had night vision.

Yang Qi swiftly swam towards the Large Yellow Croaker. Closer, even closer, he grabbed the Large Yellow Croaker's tail.

This Large Yellow Croaker was enormous, estimated to weigh about eighteen jin. Yang Qi exerted a lot of effort to drag it towards the shore.

Just as he was about to reach the shore, a large wave suddenly crashed, and his hand slipped, almost washing away the Large Yellow Croaker he was holding. Yang Qi held onto the Large Yellow Croaker tightly, and he himself stumbled as the wave swept over him.

Once he finally made it to shore, he gasped for breath, looking at the Large Yellow Croaker. His heart was filled with joy; such a large Large Yellow Croaker would be worth a lot of money.

Yang Qi had a feeling that this Large Yellow Croaker had been stunned by the waves, because he had just noticed its tail moving a few times.

He wrapped the Large Yellow Croaker in the clothes he had just taken off, carefully placed it into the snakeskin bag containing Sea Cucumbers, and checked his other catches. Only then did he happily walk back.

Back with Bai Xue, she saw him carrying the snakeskin bag and asked curiously, “Yang Qi, where are your clothes? Why are you carrying that bag?”

Yang Qi smiled as he put down the bucket containing Crabs. Then, he mysteriously told Bai Xue:

“My clothes are in the bag. Come, come, let me show you something good.”

After speaking, he put down the snakeskin bag and carefully pulled out the clothes wrapped around the large fish. He opened a corner of the clothes to show Bai Xue.

“Such a big Large Yellow Croaker! You’re so lucky! Did you check if it’s wild?” Bai Xue exclaimed excitedly.

“It’s a wild Large Yellow Croaker. I checked when I caught it; it must have been washed ashore by the waves. It was still alive then!” Yang Qi said.

Wrapping the Large Yellow Croaker in clothes served two purposes: one was to protect its scales from bumps.

The other was that after a Large Yellow Croaker dies, it shouldn't be exposed to too much light, or it will quickly discolor and lose its golden luster, which affects its market appeal.

At this moment, Bai Dahai and Uncle also arrived, carrying a live fish tank. Bai Xue must have called them, letting them know they had caught good stuff like East Star Grouper here.

“Yang Qi, Bai Xue, you caught an East Star Grouper? That’s amazing! How big is it?”

Bai Dahai asked loudly before he even got close. It wasn't that one East Star Grouper would make them rich, but catching it in shallow waters was rare. Increasing their income was certainly a joyous occasion.

“It’s a little over 3 jin, I think!” Yang Qi said.

“Come, Uncle Bai, Uncle, let me show you something good.”

By now, Bai Dahai and Uncle had come closer, looking at the shirtless Yang Qi, and then at the object wrapped in Yang Qi’s clothes inside the snakeskin bag on the ground.

“What good thing? It needs to be wrapped in clothes!” Uncle asked.

“Could it be…” Bai Dahai, being more experienced, asked with some excitement.

“Hehehe, you guys take a look first, ta-da!” Yang Qi said as he opened the wrapped clothes.

“A golden legend, and so big!” Bai Dahai’s eyes widened as he looked at the enormous Large Yellow Croaker.

“Holy cow, Yang Qi, you’re incredible! Such a huge Large Yellow Croaker!” Bai Dahai shouted excitedly.

Yang Qi smiled and said, “Good luck, I just happened to stumble upon it.”

Uncle had, of course, heard of Large Yellow Croaker and knew it was expensive, but he had no concept of its value.

Looking at the expressions of the people present, he knew it might be beyond his understanding. So, he timidly asked, “This, that, how much is this Large Yellow Croaker worth?”

Yang Qi and Bai Xue had certainly sold many Large Yellow Croakers, but they had never sold one this large.

The price of Large Yellow Croaker could vary greatly with just a few liang difference in weight. A Large Yellow Croaker over ten jin was a rare find and would definitely fetch a high price, but they didn't know how high.

“For a Large Yellow Croaker this big, I really don’t know the exact price. As long as its scales are good, I estimate it should be around three to four hundred thousand, right?” Bai Dahai didn’t give a definitive answer, as he wasn’t entirely sure either.

“What? How much?” Uncle was stunned speechless upon hearing that number; it was completely beyond his comprehension.