Unlimited priesthood

Chapter 114 Fisherman
You got a job so quickly?
Shen He turned his gaze and began to examine the scene.

Zhong Chuan (Shenhe)
Occupation: Fisherman (You can gain a small amount of occupational experience through fishing, catching fish, and other means. Each occupational level you increase will slightly increase your physical strength.)
Occupational level: Level 1.

Occupational Talent: Fishing (You are a seasoned fisherman with excellent fishing skills, significantly increasing your catch rate and having a certain probability of attracting rare and high-end fish to bite your bait)
……

The fisherman, a profession that provides a livelihood, is remarkably similar to the beggar in his first life.

Seeing the results of his fishing, Shen He abandoned his plan to cast a net and instead rowed his awning boat toward a small islet.

Eight hundred miles of Dongting Lake, and vast expanses of Yunmeng!
Dongting Lake, formerly known as Yunmengze, stretches for eight hundred miles. Its terrain is strange and its waterways are complex. Not only do fishermen live there, but also some water bandits and powerful outlaws hide in it, occupying various waterways and robbing passing merchants. From time to time, there are also rumors of water ghosts and monsters.

But this has little to do with Shen He. He is now just an ordinary fisherman. Because of his old age and frailty, he doesn't even dare to go to the deep waters where fish are plentiful and resources are abundant. He can only swim and forage in the reeds in the shallow waters.

Actually, this reed marsh is a good place, especially in spring from March to May and autumn from October to November, when a large number of wild ducks and water birds will nest and lay eggs in this reed marsh.

That was the busiest time in the reed marshes, and some fishermen would even fight each other over them.

Unfortunately, it's early autumn now, not the time for wild ducks and water birds to lay eggs. Instead, the fish in the lake are fattening up for winter and are very plump.

Therefore, most of the fishermen in Dongting Lake have moved to the deeper waters, while only the elderly and children like Shen He remain in the shallow waters such as the reed marshes.

But it's good that no one's around.

The saying "bad people come from poor and remote places" is not entirely true, but it is not entirely wrong either. Under the pressure of a life of hardship, many people are forced to distort themselves.

These people living on the water are no exception; they can be kind and simple fishermen or boatmen, or they can transform into ruthless water bandits and robbers, depending entirely on whether the conditions are suitable and whether the benefits are tempting.

Shen He never underestimates the goodness in people's hearts, but he also doesn't belittle the evil in people's hearts.

He sailed his awning boat to a remote island.

There are many small islets and reefs like these in the reed marshes. Because it is autumn now and the tide has receded, they are exposed and have abundant resources, such as wild vegetables and fruits, water birds and wild ducks.

The children of fishermen love to explore these islands and reefs, picking wild fruits and collecting bird eggs. The bolder ones can even catch a few snakes. Although they will be scolded by their parents for bringing them home, they can also enjoy delicious snake soup, which is one of the happiest memories of their childhood.

Zhong Chuan also had a similar childhood, but it's too long ago for him to remember. Now, he has to work hard to make a living.

Based on his experience, Shen He collected some bait on the island before returning to the awning boat and heading to a fixed fishing spot.

It's called a fixed fishing spot, but it's actually just a remote tributary, a place in the reeds where nobody really fights over it.

Why were offspring so important in ancient societies?
Because those who are childless, widowed, or widowed, and living alone can truly be oppressed to death.

The same goes for Lao Zhong. On Dongting Lake, there is no such thing as respecting the elderly and caring for the young. All the fishermen are struggling to make a living, and the elderly, women, and children do not enjoy any special privileges.

At least... I'm not all alone.

Old Zhong had encountered several instances where "a group of children took advantage of my old age and weakness, openly carrying away my thatch into the bamboo grove," so in the end, even when catching small fish and shrimp, he had to try to avoid other fishermen, and even those half-grown children.

I'm having a great day. This secluded fishing spot is deserted. I bet those wretched kids have all been dragged away by their parents to do hard labor, heading to the deeper waters to catch those plump autumn fish.

Shen He moored the awning boat, then sat down at the bow, took out his old bamboo pole that had been with him for many years, tied a bone hook with hemp thread, put a plump earthworm on it, and then cast it into the water to quietly start fishing.

It's only early autumn now, the summer heat hasn't faded, and the fish aren't doing very well.

Fortunately, it was already evening, no longer the time when even a god couldn't catch fish at midday. Shen He also had the advantage of his profession and natural talent, so the fish started to float after only a short while of casting the line.

"middle!!!"

Shen He's eyes narrowed, and he lifted the rod, but he felt no force. He looked down and saw that the hook was clean, the earthworm had been eaten, and the fish had escaped. He had gotten away with nothing.

Shen He was helpless upon seeing this.

These bone hooks are not very effective; they often slip off the hook, so Old Zhong doesn't really like fishing.

However, there is a strange type of soft-shelled turtle in Dongting Lake. They only eat bait and are difficult to catch with harpoons or fishing nets, so anglers can still make a living in Dongting Lake.

Old Zhong had caught several of these turtles before, which is why he kept the habit of fishing.

Shen He isn't hoping to catch any turtles now; he just wants a few big ones to fill his stomach and replenish his nutrition.

After adjusting my mindset, I re-baited the fish and started fishing again.

Soon, the float bobbed up and down again. Shen He took a breath and was unusually nervous, but his movements were very steady. He seized the opportunity to pull up the bamboo rod.

"Whoosh!!!"

With a flick of the bamboo pole, the hemp rope tightened, followed by a pull. A dark shadow emerged from the water, but then plunged downwards. After several struggles, Shen He pulled it out of the water. It was a lotus carp about the size of a palm, weighing about eight ounces.

Shen He's eyebrows curved into a smile as he removed the fishing hook, put the catch into his bamboo basket, and continued baiting and fishing, silently chanting in his heart, "One catch after another!"

Unfortunately, fate was not on his side, and the third fish slipped away from his hook again.

Then came the terrifying period of inactivity, when the float seemed to freeze, remaining motionless on the surface of the water.

Shen He was not surprised by this, after all, fishing is a lot of luck.

Although he has the talent skill of "fishing", fishing only increases the catch rate and the bite rate, and does not guarantee that he will catch any fish. After all, it is a first-tier profession, and you can't expect its effect to be very powerful.

Patience, most importantly, patience! Shen He remained still and continued to wait.

"Hoohoo!"

Before you know it, dusk has passed and the moon is high above the willow branches.

Shen He lit a fishing lamp and hung it on the bow of the awning boat, and then put on a straw raincoat and bamboo hat.

Old and frail, he was afraid of the cold, and even in early autumn, he could not bear it and had to put on a raincoat to keep warm.

In this way, it even has a touch of the artistic conception of "fishing alone in the cold river snow".

Unfortunately, behind this artistic conception lies the coldness and cruelty of reality.

If it weren't for the pressures of life, which elderly person would be willing to brave the wind and snow to fish alone in a cold river?

Do you really think fish are easy to catch in winter?

"Hoohoo!"

As night deepened, the fishing lights dimmed, and the fish oil inside was running low.

But Shen He persisted. He had already cooked and eaten the lotus carp during a break. The eight-ounce fish yielded less than four ounces of meat, and the rice porridge from before had already been digested. Now he was starving.

But he had no choice but to continue waiting.

He did not become impatient because of this, and remained calmly seated at the bow of the boat.

This went on for who knows how long.

"Snapped!"

With a soft thud, the fishing rod, under pressure, struck the edge of the boat.

As night fell, in the darkness, a small fishing lamp obviously could not provide enough visibility. In addition, Shen He's old eyesight was failing, making it even more impossible to see the float. Therefore, he chose the method of fishing with a closed rod, judging whether a fish had taken the bait by the movement of the rod.

Now that the fishing rod was being pulled, it was undoubtedly a big black float, and Shen He immediately lifted the rod with both hands without saying a word.

"Whoosh!!!"

"puff!!!"

As soon as the fishing rod was lifted, the hemp line tightened instantly, cutting through the water's surface. A tremendous force surged through the water, creating waves.

Large shipment!

Shen He's eyes narrowed, his waist strength surged, and he lifted his hands, choosing to deadlift directly.

I have to poop!

Given the quality of this fishing rod and the strength of the fishing line and hook, if the opponent is really a big fish weighing over ten kilograms, the result of the back-and-forth pulling is very likely to be a broken line and a destroyed hook.

Only by exerting all our strength and pulling hard in an instant can we possibly "pull" it out.

Therefore, Shen He did not hesitate at all and immediately exerted all his strength to lift the pole, even using martial arts techniques to generate power.

"puff!!!"

The instantaneous force determined the outcome; a dark shadow was pulled from the water by Shen He and landed with a thud on the bow of the awning boat. Upon closer inspection, it was revealed to be a soft-shelled turtle.

Soft-shelled turtle!

Did they defeat the turtle?
Seeing the giant turtle hanging upside down by him, a glint of light flashed in Shen He's dazed eyes, and he immediately grabbed a kitchen knife.

"puff!!!"

With lightning speed, Shen He cleaved the turtle in two with his cleaver before it could even retract its head. Crimson blood spurted out, making Shen He's body reek of blood.

But Shen He didn't care. He suppressed his hunger, lit the stove, put on the earthenware pot, and then quickly cut the several-pound turtle into pieces and put them into the pot to cook.

The soft-shelled turtle, also known as the water turtle, is a type of turtle and a symbol of longevity. It is a rare fish species in Dongting Lake. A pound of soft-shelled turtle can be sold for 200 coins. If you can get 10 pounds, your wealth will double and you can get 4,000 coins, which is four taels of silver.

It is said that this thing is very nutritious. Restaurants in the prefecture, chefs of major families, and even the leader of the Goldfish Gang who controls the fish market all buy this turtle fish, and the supply can't even meet the demand.

Fishermen who catch this kind of fish usually can't bear to eat it themselves; they only take it to the fish market to sell.

But Shen He was clearly not among them, and soon the turtle and fish began to emit a rich aroma as they were cooked over the stove.

Indeed, it's very fragrant. Even though Shenhe didn't add any seasonings or even clean the blood properly, it still doesn't smell fishy or smelly. Instead, it has a rich aroma that makes your mouth water.

Shen He's eyes narrowed, and he immediately took the earthenware pot off the stove, covered it with layers of straw raincoat, and finally threw some leftover mugwort from the summer into the fire, trying his best to dispel the fragrance.

But this did not completely solve the problem, so despite his hunger, he got up, opened the awning boat, and sailed into the depths of the reeds.

　One more update before midnight.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)