Afterwards, he used a regular bait mixing basin to get water from the pond, simply diluted the medicine, and poured it directly into the yellow basin. No measuring cups, just relying on feel and estimation, and began to mix!

Fortunately, the large plastic washing basin was big enough, and Zhang Yang exerted his arms and stirred the yellow mixture vigorously.

Zhang Yang was crouched, mixing bait and smoothing out lumps in the yellow mixture when Zhu Wentao and his group of three arrived at the fishing venue.

As soon as they entered the gate of the fishing venue, they saw a huge washing basin on the north shore, with a handsome, somewhat unfamiliar face bustling around, preparing bait.

"What the heck, crazy? Preparing bait in a washing basin?" Zhu Wentao couldn't help but lower his voice to complain.

Wu Dong and Liu Yingxiong exchanged a glance and saw a hint of unease in each other's eyes.

The two were well-versed in aggressive fishing techniques for new spots, naturally requiring a lot of bait.

You could say bait to an angler is like bullets to a soldier; with three people fishing, starting with such a large washing basin of bait would make today's battle quite tough.

What was more despairing was yet to come. They walked dozens of meters along the stone road inside the venue and could already smell the pungent scent of the medicine from afar.

The concentration of the medicine from MingYang 天下钓具 was already much higher than market products, and Zhang Yang, without caring for costs, mixed bait with such potency that anyone sensitive to smells would find it overbearing.

As the trio reached the board house to greet, Zhang Yang was finishing up his yellow bait preparation.

With no basin large enough to contain all the bait, Zhang Yang had Wang Yan get several convenience bags from Brother Meng to pack it.

Goodness, a total of six large bags were packed before the fishing started, showing control over the competition merely by the bait preparation ambiance.

"Mr. Wang Yan! Who's this?" Wu Dong stepped forward to greet and glanced enquiringly at Zhang Yang.

Wang Yan grinned: "Let me introduce you to our company president, our team leader! Zhang Yang! I learned black pit fishing from him!

The live broadcast requires communal explanation in the chat and attention to fans who came to watch live, so I cannot participate in person. Our leader is filling in to have some fun with you!"

Zhang Yang raised his head and smiled, showing white teeth, "Hello, I represent my company, welcoming you warmly to W City!!"

The trio became aware of black pit fishing when Zhang Yang had stepped down from direct involvement, so they had no impression of this young-looking angler.

"Hello, hello! Your bait has quite a strong smell!" Liu Yingxiong laughed in response.

At this point, Zhu Wentao spoke.

"What's this about? You challenged us to fish, but now you're backing down!"

Zhu Wentao felt uneasy about Wang Yan's explanation. They initiated the matter, but Wang Yan wasn't participating in person, which seemed unreasonable.

"I really had arrangements!" Wang Yan scratched his head, feeling slightly guilty.

Zhang Yang laughed, enjoying the show, "If necessary, let Zhou or Han Qiang do the live explanation, and you can participate!

The guys came all the way for you, so show them some skills; treat it like a friendly competition!"

"Alright, let Han Qiang take over the live commentary!" Wang Yan wasn't one to shy away, so he agreed resolutely.

"It's almost time; how are we setting the rules for our fishing competition? Shall we discuss beforehand?" Zhu Wentao saw Wang Yan's readiness and became more cheerful.

Zhang Yang said, "Since you've traveled far, you set the rules! We have a ton of fish today, six of us get the venue to ourselves, whatever works for you as long as it's fair and reasonable, we're good!"

"Then... How about choosing fishing spots around the aerators in the middle, three on the south bank, three on the north bank? Interspersed?" Zhu Wentao suggested.

The suggestion was fairly equitable; the middle around aerators had the most stable fish conditions, with opposing sides minimizing influence on fish yield.

Interspersed ensures team members aren't adjacent, demonstrating some fishing competition skill.

"We have no objection! Let's go with that! Draw lots or arrange our seating?" Zhang Yang continued asking.

"Draw lots! Draw order, choose fishing spots according to drawn sequence!" Wu Dong expressed.

"Got it! Wang Yan, have Brother Meng set up some playing cards for the draw!"

Quickly, the playing cards, numbered from one to six were shuffled, and everyone drew cards.

Choosing seats by order wasn't entirely free, considering the opposing banks and not having teammates close.

The influential draw was mainly the first and second numbers, with other seats holding lesser significance.

Zhang Yang's luck shone, drawing last, leaving him with a heart A after the first five drew. He got to choose first.

"Ah, not bad luck, I choose first! No plain glasses for float visibility, so a southern middle position suits me!" Zhang Yang looked at his heart A, candidly choosing the southern middle position.

The middle position is a double-edged sword under competition rules, both good and not good.

It's good for directly being on aerators, with lively fish action, slightly advantaged geographically.

However, not good because of seating pressure; sandwiched between opponents on both sides, putting substantial strain on the central angler, risking pressure from both sides.

Zhang Yang's choice was like a stabilizing force, accepting the bulk of the team's pressure onto himself,

While two teammates on the north side flanked one opponent, even if not pervasive, they could maintain equilibrium.

Seeing Zhang Yang boldly select a middle position, Zhu Wentao and the others exchanged looks, "I and old Liu choose the south bank, Dong goes north!"

"Settled!"

After a simple discussion, the final seat arrangement quickly finalized.

Zhang Yang in the middle of the south bank, Zhu Wentao on the left, Liu Yingxiong on the right.

Sitting across was Wu Dong, Buddha-like, with Wang Yan to his left, and Zhou Chu on the right.

"Though seating is done, one rule's left unclear! Is the victory by the team's total weight?" Zhang Yang suddenly added a detail.

Zhu Wentao nodded: "Correct! The sum of all three members' weights!"

"Alright! We're clear on this side! Spectators attending in person from the fan group are arriving, let's get to our positions for setup!

Old Han, beside starting the live stream on time, keep an eye on the venue status, and coordinate welcoming our external brothers with Brother Meng!"

Han Qiang: "No problem, I'll ensure everything's handled!"

With miscellaneous issues settled, Zhang Yang carried two big bags of prepared yellow bait right to the south middle position.

He calmly sat down and started preparing for the fishing. With less than half an hour to go before the battle began, Zhang Yang hadn't even calibrated his float, embodying ease rather surprisingly. It felt less like a face-off but rather a relaxed fishing on the Wen River.

Zhu Wentao, perceiving others' attitudes towards Zhang Yang, sensed something was off. Noticing the fishing rod Zhang Yang was removing from the rod bag, his heart skipped.

Goodness, in a pit limited to 4.5 meters, Zhang Yang was using a noticeably shorter rod, at most estimated around 3.9 meters.

Length wasn't crucial, as was Zhang Yang's rod tip being significantly thicker than normal eight or nine number rods, resembling a hefty stick rather than being flexible.

Regarding carp flying copy technique, Zhu Wentao and his trio were proficient, having been among the earliest learners. They understood exact rod characteristics for lifting carp out elegantly.

Assessing past experiences, the rod Zhang Yang wielded seemed excessive for flying copy two-pound carp.

Something's peculiar!

This strange notion developed when Zhang Yang, after calibration and depth-finding, leisurely opened his tackle box and retrieved a modified, thickened blocking needle.