Reborn As Super Heiress

Chapter 217: Chapter 214: Who Made the Rules? Chapter 217: Chapter 214: Who Made the Rules? Ouyang Jun had a penchant for the exotic, and his visit to the Fish Fighting Tournament was not to compete, but to seek new peculiarities. If he spotted any fish with an unusual appearance that caught his eye, he was ready to make a purchase.

The whims of the wealthy were something Huo Sining had no understanding of, but she wasn’t concerned with that. Even though Ouyang Jun and Gu Xu followed her around, they each focused on their fish, without disturbing each other.

They had not walked far when they ran into two acquaintances, Qin Shaoyou and Tian Yuan.

These two were also attending the Fish Fighting Tournament; Huo Sining remembered Qin Shaoyou playing coy before, unwilling to reveal the type of fish he would enter into the competition.

Taking advantage of a moment when they were not paying attention, Huo Sining sneaked up to Qin Shaoyou’s exhibition space and was instantly stunned by what she saw.

In Qin Shaoyou’s display, there was a transparent glass tank housing four arowana with a mix of exotic colors like red, white, yellow, blue, purple, gold, and silver.

As these Koi appeared before Huo Sining’s eyes, she suddenly felt a sense of crisis.

Old Fish had once told her that the criteria of the Fish Fighting Tournament were not based on the rarity of the fish species, but rather their exotic traits.

For fish enthusiasts, ordinary species didn’t resonate; instead, they admired fish with bizarre appearances or those with mutations divergent from the mundane, resulting in unexpected outcomes at the tournaments where premium fish lost out, and mutant varieties surged forward as dark horses.

“What do you think? My fish should catch your eye, right?”

Qin Shaoyou glanced back unintentionally and noticed Huo Sining in the crowd. With a sly smile, he approached and teased.

Even if Huo Sining was reluctant to admit it, she knew that although her Koi were beautiful and well-proportioned, they were outclassed in terms of novelty when compared to Qin Shaoyou’s ornately colored arowana.

She wasn’t the type to be petty-hearted; her advantage was relying solely on the “Water-Repelling Pearl” as a cheat device, but Qin Shaoyou had real skill. Being able to raise such beautiful arowana, Huo Sining was genuinely impressed, her gaze towards Qin Shaoyou filled with admiration and respect:

“I concede defeat!”

Qin Shaoyou had intended to outshine Huo Sining, but seeing her so gracious and candid, he felt slightly embarrassed and laughed:

“Every year, the Fish Fighting Tournament sees unexpected surprises. Until the results are out, nobody can be certain of who will lose or win. Your Koi are not inferior to mine, it all depends on the judges’ decision. Plus, this club is owned by a Dongyang person who has a preference for Koi; whether the organizers also share this inclination or not, nobody knows.”

After hearing this, Huo Sining couldn’t help but laugh, “If it’s for the sake of the club owner’s face, then winning would be somewhat undeserved on my part. Indeed, my Koi are no match for Teacher Qin, and as a student, there’s no shame in losing to a teacher. Even if I’m not chosen, it’s not a big deal; there will be plenty of opportunities in the future.”

As the two were chatting, a familiar voice came from nearby.

“Among the hot contenders for this year’s Fish King, there are two Jin-red-and-white Koi reported to be rare gems that come around only once in decades. Would you care to take a look?”

Huo Sining turned around and saw Zhou Zhen and another middle-aged man, with Zhou Zhen introducing the man with a smile on his face.

“Red and white Koi? Haha, isn’t that your Huaxia’s fighting fish event? Since when did our Dongyang Koi become the type of fish you all eagerly pursue? But you seem to understand quite well, as the red and white Koi are indeed living fossils from Dongyang, and it’s right that they’re valued here!”

Hearing this, Huo Sining couldn’t help but frown.

The middle-aged man who was speaking had a strange accent, clearly not local, and with his self-identification as a person from Dongyang, Huo Sining immediately understood that this man was likely from the Island Country.

Huo Sining had no ill feelings towards people from Dongyang, but that didn’t mean she was particularly impressed by them. The Dongyang man’s previous words were excessively arrogant, as if claiming the red and white Koi exclusively for Dongyang, acting as if there were no authentic red and white Koi within Huaxia Country, which was a level of arrogance that made Huo Sining uncomfortable.

In fact, the red and white Koi were originally discovered during the Tang Dynasty within Huaxia Country. They came about due to a mutation in True Carps that resulted in red-faced carps with entirely red heads. These then mated with white and scarlet carps leading to the gradual breeding of Koi with red spots on their backs.

However, these carps were not valued by the people within the country at that time, until later when the red and white strains spread into Dongyang, where they were widely bred, improved, and became popular.

The people of Dongyang fixed the genetics of Koi, successfully creating a heritable “modern red and white” breed and classified the red and white Koi as their national fish, claiming they had created it.

It’s true that people from Dongyang valued Koi more than the Huaxia people, but such an attitude of wiping out the fish’s origins, taking pride in the superior breed, and disregarding the Huaxia Koi was indeed detestable.

It was not just Huo Sining who seemed put off; the other fish enthusiasts nearby who heard the Dongyang man also looked displeased. Only Zhou Zhen, oblivious, smiled subserviently at the Dongyang man, “You’re right, the red and white Koi are indeed the most authentic from Dongyang.”

Huo Sining felt nauseous observing Zhou Zhen’s obsequiousness, barely refraining from nodding and bowing, and couldn’t help but sneer at such shameless behavior. The Zhou Family had truly fallen, to the point of becoming lackeys for a Dongyang devil!

Qin Shaoyou saw Huo Sining’s frowning expression and sighed, a hint of mockery in his gaze as he said,

“Although that man’s words were arrogant, what he said is indeed true. The domestically sought-after red and white segment Koi are all imported from Dongyang. In the Koi market, Dongyang Koi are considered authentic and hold an absolute advantage.”

At these words, Huo Sining let out a cold laugh, “That’s true, but who says only Dongyang people can breed authentic red and white Koi?”

Others might not be aware, but Huo Sining was crystal clear that her Koi were just local Koi and had nothing to do with the Dongyang variant.

Moreover, after her Spiritual Energy grooming, those red and white Koi had become purebreds, more authentic and traditional than Dongyang’s second, third, or fourth generations. Even if she were to breed the next generation, it absolutely would not compare to ordinary Japanese Koi.

With that thought, Huo Sining settled in her heart, and her presence grew more imposing.

What good was being slick with words? Since that Dongyang person thought so highly of their Koi, she felt the need to crush their arrogance!

The bustling hall was filled with noise, seemingly harmonious, but it wouldn’t be long until the undercurrents surged. With Huo Sining’s two red and white Koi, the hidden tensions were ready to explode.