58: Golden Legend

Upon hearing this, Bai Xue quickly put down her rod.

She grabbed a bag of antarctic shrimp bricks, broke them apart, and threw them to the spot Yang Qi indicated.

In Yang Qi's ability vision, the group of Large Yellow Croaker that were about to disperse saw food falling from the sky and immediately swarmed to eat.

"You cast your hook in that spot. I'll pull this fish a bit further away."

Bai Xue quickly reeled in her line and cast her hook again towards the chummed area.

As Yang Qi reeled in, the Large Yellow Croaker, still several meters underwater, shimmered with a golden glow like a flowing piece of gold.

When the Large Yellow Croaker was completely pulled out of the water, its golden body sparkled under the sunlight.

It was like a golden gem leaping on the sea surface, reflecting the sunlight, breathtakingly beautiful.

Bai Xue was also dazzled by the golden wild Large Yellow Croaker, and upon closer inspection, she exclaimed in surprise:

"Golden Legend!"

Even Bai Xue, who grew up by the sea, had never seen a live wild Large Yellow Croaker with her own eyes before!

It was so beautiful when it emerged from the water!

Based on Bai Xue's explanation, Yang Qi learned that Large Yellow Croaker needs to be processed immediately after being taken out of the water, to avoid direct sunlight.

Otherwise, its golden color would quickly fade, becoming dull and lifeless.

Moreover, under normal circumstances, it is extremely difficult to keep them alive after being taken out of the water. They are usually wrapped in opaque cloth and covered with crushed ice to avoid sunlight.

Yang Qi readily complied, first wrapping the Large Yellow Croaker in a towel, carefully removing it from the hook, and trying to avoid it struggling during removal to prevent damage to its scales.

The integrity of the entire fish is very important; accidentally losing a few scales could lead to a discount on the overall price.

He thought for a moment and asked Bai Xue, "I reeled this Large Yellow Croaker in slowly just now, and it still seems quite lively, and its belly hasn't protruded. Can we keep it alive and take it back?"

Bai Xue turned to look, and indeed, it was true: "It's difficult, but it does look very lively, and we're not too far from shore here, so maybe we can try."

"Pour half a box of ice into the live fish tank to lower the seawater temperature, put all the aerators we brought into the live fish tank, and then hurry back."

The two of them always brought one or two foam boxes of ice every time they went out to sea, to keep some unviable fish fresh.

"Then let's go back now!"

Bai Xue said to Yang Qi.

As soon as she finished speaking, a tug came from the fishing rod. She instinctively raised the rod.

"Fish on!"

Bai Xue happily said to Yang Qi.

Yang Qi looked and sure enough, it was another Large Yellow Croaker. "Xiao Xue, reel in slowly, it might also be a Large Yellow Croaker."

Bai Xue thought about it carefully and realized it was possible, after all, it's unlikely for any fish to swim and forage alone. Plus, Large Yellow Croaker are considered a schooling fish species.

There might even be a school of Large Yellow Croaker below.

As Bai Xue slowly reeled in, she really did vaguely see a golden figure.

"Hahaha, it really is! We're rich now!"

Here, Bai Xue had just carefully placed the Large Yellow Croaker into the live fish tank.

Over there, Yang Qi had another fish on his line.

Just like that, the two of them, like a relay race, consecutively caught 8 Large Yellow Croaker. The remaining few finally realized something was wrong and ran away.

Among these, Yang Qi caught 5, and Bai Xue caught 3.

Of these eight, four weighed over 5 catties, two were around 3 catties, and the smallest one was just under 1 catty.

"That's enough, let's go! Full speed ahead back to shore! Time to sell the Large Yellow Croaker!"

Yang Qi called out to Bai Xue.

Bai Xue immediately started the engine and drove at full throttle towards the dock.

Halfway there, Yang Qi called Chen Tianming, informing him that he had caught wild Large Yellow Croaker, likely live ones.

He told him to pick up the goods at the dock in forty minutes.

"Yes! There are a total of eight pure wild Large Yellow Croaker, the largest ones are about 5 catties, and they are all still alive now."

After hanging up the phone, Yang Qi gently half-opened the live fish tank lid to check if any Large Yellow Croaker had encountered any issues. Fortunately, everything was normal, and his biggest fear had not materialized.

Wild Large Yellow Croaker and farmed Large Yellow Croaker have distinct differences in body shape, color, fins, taste, and price.

Wild Large Yellow Croaker:

Its body is slender and well-proportioned, with a long and powerful tail.

Its head is smaller and pointed, and its lips are bright red.

Its color is a natural golden yellow, and its scales are fine and shiny.

Its dorsal fin is serrated, long, and transparent, especially its pectoral fins can cover its eyes.

Moreover, its flesh is firm, delicate, and dense, not easily overcooked, with a fresh and sweet taste.

Wild Large Yellow Croaker have clean internal organs.

In comparison, between the two:

Farmed Large Yellow Croaker:

Due to limited activity space, its body is round and plump, with a shorter tail.

Its head appears slightly swollen, and its lips are pale or bloodless.

Its color is grayish-white or dull yellow, and its scales appear slightly rough.

Its dorsal fin is grayish-white and rough, and its pectoral fins are shorter.

Its flesh is soft and easily falls apart, and it may have a slight muddy or fishy smell.

Farmed Large Yellow Croaker often have black impurities in their abdominal cavity.

The two also differ vastly in price.

When Bai Xue rushed to the dock without stopping, Chen Tianming was already waiting there.

As soon as the boat docked, he eagerly jumped onto the fishing boat.

He impatiently asked:

"How is it? Yang Qi, did you really catch Large Yellow Croaker? Are they still alive now?"

"Come, I'll show you."

Arriving at the live fish tank, Chen Tianming eagerly opened the lid.

He saw no dead fish floating on top. Occasionally, he could even see one or two golden figures.

Chen Tianming was overjoyed, "Yang Qi, they really are still alive and well, and they're all wild, right!"

Seeing the situation in the live fish tank, Yang Qi also felt a weight lifted off his shoulders.

"How could I lie to you about this? Just scoop them out and see for yourself."

Chen Tianming took the landing net placed nearby, scooped up a net full of fish, but didn't catch any Large Yellow Croaker.

"Damn, they're pretty fast! That means they're full of vitality! Good, good."

He tried again, and finally caught one.

Chen Tianming, as an expert, took one look.

He knew this was a genuine wild Large Yellow Croaker.

"Quick, quick! Be careful, everyone, don't bump or bruise them. We must ensure the Large Yellow Croaker's skin and scales are intact."

"Turn the oxygen in the live fish truck to maximum."

Leave professional matters to professionals.

After the workers loaded all the fish onto the live fish truck, everyone headed towards Tianming Seafood Store.

Chen Tianming weighed each Large Yellow Croaker individually, ensuring both parties recorded the weight, then quickly placed them into the store's professional live fish display cabinet.

The other fish were handed over to the staff below to weigh, while Bai Xue followed along and recorded.

Chen Tianming led the two to the tea table, pouring tea for Yang Qi while speaking:

"To be honest, I've never touched a live Large Yellow Croaker before. Today, thanks to you, I've touched eight of them. Hahaha!"

"These live Large Yellow Croaker are truly rare!"

"The legendary Golden Legend!"

"I estimate not many people have even seen these live Large Yellow Croaker!"