The Top Fishing
Chapter 526 - 238: Amazon River

Chapter 526: Chapter 238: Amazon River

Next, the two paused their fishing, as the number of catches was identical, not needing a change of fish protectors, merely switching fishing spots to continue angling.

At that moment, Saito felt closer to victory than ever before, but after a few casts, he found the fishing conditions differed from what he had imagined!

After the switch, the float’s direction remained essentially unchanged from before. There were many small movements, but few bites, resulting in a low success rate.

However, as Lin Yang took Saito’s place, he easily caught a fish on his second cast. Soon after stabilizing a few more casts, he found the rhythm and began catching fish frequently again!

Over the next ten minutes, he averaged a fish a minute, ultimately fixing the score at 23:12 when time was up, nearly double the lead.

As the competition progressed, Saito had long since lost any expression, the succession of events today surpassing all his decades of fishing experience in the Amazon. If he started out brimming with confidence, and then lost it midway, by now he felt utterly devastated.

"So, how about it, Mr. Saito, got anything else to say?"

Lin Yang put down his fishing rod, washed his hands in a basin, then stood up while drying his hands with a towel.

Saito’s face was flushed with defeat. He had lost, time and again, not just this competition, but also all confidence in playing Heila.

The crushing sense of defeat, from believing he had been invincible to realizing he was but an outsider, was more damaging to his pride than anything else.

"I... I lost! Lin Yang, can you teach me how to fish? I’d like to ask you to be my teacher!" Saito, in all his pride, was now thoroughly subdued by Lin Yang’s angling skills.

"Ask me to be a teacher? I’m not suited for that, but if you want to become a disciple, I might consider taking you on as my student." Lin Yang thought for a moment, then casually threw out a suggestion that secretly delighted him.

"You really want to take me as your disciple?" Saito seemed not to grasp the difference between a teacher and becoming a disciple. Seeing Lin Yang agree made him quite happy.

Lin Yang smiled and said, "It seems, Mr. Saito, you haven’t quite understood a concept. In our Chinese traditional culture, a master and a teacher are not the same.

Their statuses differ, and the responsibilities and obligations they hold are also significantly different. Are you truly willing to take me on as your master and become my disciple?"

At this point, Yoshino whispered something to Saito, and the smile that had just emerged on Saito’s face became conflicted again.

In Chinese tradition, asking someone to be a teacher still preserves a level of equality.

It’s merely learning a skill in exchange for a certain payment or other compromise, and there is not a huge impact on one’s status. A certain amount of respect in dealings can suffice.

However, becoming a disciple is much more rigorous and formal. "Once a teacher, always a parent" – becoming a disciple is akin to acknowledging someone as a godfather, and it’s not as simple as making a casual statement.

If this were in China, even though Lin Yang’s standing and experience in the fishing community are not negligible now, he still has no intention of taking disciples; after all, he’s young and unmarried. How can he be a master to someone else? It’s neither strict nor solemn enough.

Accepting disciples or initiating discipleship casually, especially among young people, although the person may have significant technical achievements, it’s considered somewhat lacking in traditional cultural acknowledgment.

But it’s different in Japan. When Lin Yang faced the proposal, his intention was to tease. If you’re willing to let me be your father, of course, I won’t refuse!

An advantageous son gained for nothing—once today’s lesson ends, for all I know, we might not meet again for years... this could work.

Just as Lin Yang thought that, after Yoshino’s explanation, Saito would back down, to Lin Yang’s surprise, Saito hesitated briefly and then agreed.

"Yes, as long as I can learn to fish well from Lin Yang, I am willing to formally become a disciple!"

Now, it was Lin Yang’s turn to be dumbfounded.

He had just been rattling off, using the relationship of master and disciple to put Saito on the spot. He hadn’t expected that Saito, even after Yoshino’s clear explanation, would agree to it.

"Are you sure? Regardless of the competition’s outcome, you’ve only lost a set of Heila gear so far; we’re still on equal footing. But if you become my disciple, from now on, you’ll have to regard me as your senior!" Lin Yang deliberately emphasized.

"Yoshino has already explained to me the meaning of master and disciple. I apologize for my earlier arrogance and narrow-mindedness. I believe in ’those who can do, teach,’ and there’s nothing wrong with that. Please take me as your disciple, I want to learn more advanced fishing techniques from you!"

By this point, Saito’s expression and tone became much more solemn, especially the last few sentences, where he clearly spoke with humbleness and respect. Was this a sign of complete acquiescence?

The intense fishing competition had reached this point—not only were the participants feeling awkward about backing down, but the live streaming room also exploded.

"What the heck, this little Japanese guy is going to become a disciple? What kind of international joke is this? The host better think this through before taking a little Japanese as a disciple."

"I don’t recall Master Lin ever speaking of taking disciples. Is he starting his own school now?"

"I would like to become a disciple too. I asked about it in the live stream before, and the host said he didn’t take disciples. Why change his mind now?"

"Uh, why are you all so opposed to the idea of discipleship? I think, ’once a teacher, always a parent,’ if the host accepts a Japanese disciple, he’ll be like a father to the Japanese, that’s awesome, showing our country’s power!"