Infinite Professions-Chapter 125 - 48: Fisherman

"Obtained a profession so quickly?"

Shen Hex glanced around and started checking the surroundings.

Zhong Chuan (Shen Hex)

Profession: Fisherman (Can gain a small amount of professional experience through fishing, catching, or obtaining fish; with each increase in professional level, one’s physical strength is slightly enhanced)

Professional Rank: Tier One Level One.

Professional Talent: Fishing (You are a seasoned fisherman with outstanding fishing skills, significantly increasing the rate of catching fish, with a certain probability of attracting rare and advanced species to bite)

...

Fisherman, a livelihood profession, much like a beggar in a past life with similar overtones.

Seeing the results of fishing, Shen Hex abandoned the idea of casting nets and steered the black sail boat toward a small island reef.

Eight hundred lovely lakes of Dongting, vast Yunmeng Marsh!

Dongting Lake, historically known as Yunmeng Marsh, spans eight hundred miles, with peculiar terrain and complex waterways. Not only do fishermen survive here, but some water bandits also hide among the waterways, robbing passing merchants, with occasional rumors of Water Ghosts and Spirit Monsters emerging.

But this had little to do with Shen Hex; he was just an ordinary fisherman now, too old and weak to venture into the deep waters teeming with fish and rich resources, only able to roam and forage among the reed beds in the shallow waters.

In fact, the reed beds were also good places, especially from March to May in spring and from October to November in autumn, when wild ducks and water birds would nest and lay eggs among the reeds.

At that time, the reed beds would be at their liveliest, with some fishermen even fighting over these patches of reeds.

Unfortunately, it was early autumn now, not yet the season for wild ducks and water birds to lay eggs. Instead, the fish in the lake were fattening up for the autumn, plump and lustrous.

So, most fishermen on Dongting Lake went to the deep waters, leaving only the likes of Shen Hex, the old and young, in the shallow reed beds.

However, the absence of people was also a good thing.

"Rough and inhospitable places breed mischievous folks," though not entirely correct, this saying is not entirely wrong either. Under the pressure of difficult living conditions, many people have no choice but to distort themselves.

The families living on the water were no exception. They could be kind and unpretentious fishing families or turn into ruthless and merciless water bandits and robbers, all depending on whether the conditions were right, whether the benefits were enticing enough.

Shen Hex never underestimated the goodness in people’s hearts but equally never overlooked the evil.

He steered the black sail boat to a secluded island reef.

There were many such small island reefs among the reeds, and because it was autumn now, the tides had receded, leaving them exposed, with plentiful resources like wild vegetables, wild fruits, water birds, and wild ducks.

Children from fishing families loved to explore these island reefs, picking some wild fruits, foraging for bird eggs, and the bolder ones even catching a few snakes. Though they would be scolded by their parents, they could enjoy delicious snake soup, marking the happiest memories of childhood.

Zhong Chuan also had such a childhood, but it had become so distant that he could barely remember it, now having to toil for a living.

With his experience, Shen Hex gathered some bait on the island and then returned to the black sail boat, heading to a designated fishing spot.

Calling it a designated fishing spot was just an isolated tributary, a place among the reeds that few people vied for.

In ancient society, why were offspring so important?

Because without offspring, the childless and the widow, living alone, could genuinely be bullied to death.

Old Zhong was no different; there was no such concept as respecting the old and caring for the young on Dongting Lake. All fishing families lived vigorously, with the old, young, women, and children enjoying no special privileges.

At least... not the solitary.

Old Zhong had faced several instances of "a gang of kids bullying me in my old frailty, openly carrying brushwood into the bamboo grove," so even catching small fish and shrimp now required avoiding other fishermen and even those half-grown little devils if possible.

Today, luck was on his side; there was not a single person at the remote fishing spot, presumably because those pesky brats were being used as labor by their families to catch the plump fall fish in the deep waters.

Shen Hex stopped the black sail boat, then sat at the bow, taking out the old bamboo rod he had used for many years. He tied a bone fishhook with hemp string, threaded a plump earthworm on it, and cast it into the water, quietly starting to fish.

It was only early autumn now; summer heat lingered, the intense heat still present, and the fish activity was not great.

Fortunately, it was already evening, beyond "even deities find it hard to catch noon fish," and Shen Hex had professional enhancement and the advantage of talent, so it wasn’t long before the bobber started moving.

"Got one!!!"

Shen Hex’s eyes sharpened, and he immediately lifted the rod, but felt no resistance, only to see the fishhook clean with the earthworm gone, the fish also escaping, leaving him empty-handed.

Shen Hex could only sigh helplessly.

This bone fishhook was not very effective, and slip-ups like this often occurred, which is why Old Zhong didn’t particularly enjoy fishing.

But there was a peculiar type of turtle-fish in Dongting Lake that only bit the hook and was hard to catch with a harpoon or net, so fishing had its place here.

Old Zhong had once caught a few such turtle-fish, which was why he kept the habit of fishing.

Shen Hex didn’t expect to catch any turtle-fish now, just hoping for a few big ones to fill his belly and replenish some nutrients.

Adjusting his mindset, he baited the hook again and resumed fishing.

Soon, the bobber bobbed up and down again. Shen Hex took a deep breath, surprisingly nervous, but his hands were steady, lifting the bamboo rod at the right moment.

"Whizz!!!"

The bamboo rod was lifted, the hemp string pulled taut, then a tugging force came, a shadow emerging from the water but diving down again, struggling several times before Shen Hex pulled it out—a lotus carp the size of a palm, weighing about eight ounces.

Shen Hex let out a smile, unhooked the fish, placed it in the bamboo basket, and then continued baiting the hook, silently cheering: "Keep them coming, one after another!"

But fate did not favor him; the third fish slipped off the hook again.

Afterwards, there was a terrifying lull, the fishing float seemed to be frozen, staying still on the water’s surface.

Shen Hex wasn’t surprised by this; after all, fishing is inherently a luck-based endeavor.

Although he had the skill "Fishing," which increased the fish-on rate and bite rate, it didn’t guarantee a catch. After all, it’s a Tier One Profession, so its effectiveness couldn’t be expected to be particularly powerful.

Patience, the most important thing is patience!

Shen Hex settled his body and continued waiting.

"Whoosh!"

In the blink of an eye, after dusk passed, the moon hung over the willow tree.

Shen Hex lit a fishing lantern, hanging it at the bow of the dark canopy boat, and donned a straw rain cape and bamboo hat.

Old and frail, fearing the cold, even the early autumn chill was hard for him to endure, forcing him to put on the rain cape for warmth.

In doing so, he seemed to embody the ambiance of "fishing alone by the cold river in the snow."

Regrettably, behind this ambiance was the cold and harsh reality.

If life didn’t compel him, which elder would willingly brave the wind and snow to fish the cold river alone?

Do you really think winter fish are easy to catch?

"Whoosh!"

As the night deepened, the fishing lantern dimmed, with little fish oil left inside.

Yet Shen Hex persisted, having already cooked and eaten the lotus carp he caught earlier; eight ounces of fish produced less than four ounces of meat, and alongside the previous pot of rice porridge, it had long been digested, leaving him feeling famished.

But he had no choice, he could only continue waiting.

Yet he did not rush, remaining composed at the bow of the boat.

How long passed, he wasn’t sure.

"Pop!"

A soft sound rang out, the fishing rod bearing force, directly striking the side of the boat.

Into the night, the little fishing lantern couldn’t provide enough visibility, compounded by Shen Hex’s aging eyesight, making it impossible for him to watch the float closely; hence he chose the blind-pole fishing method, judging bites by the movement of the rod.

Now the rod had been tugged; without a doubt, it must be a big sinker, Shen Hex immediately raised the rod with both hands.

"Whoosh!!!"

"Poooom!!!"

With a lift of the rod, the fishing line instantly went taut, slicing through the water, a strong force from beneath stirring waves.

A big catch!

With a sharp gaze, Shen Hex rallied his core strength, pulling with both hands, opting for a forceful lift.

No other choice!

Considering the rod’s quality, and the line and hook strength, if this truly was a fish weighing several dozen pounds, a tug of war would likely end with broken lines and ruined hooks.

Only by exerting all his might, instantly pulling hard, could he "extract" it.

So, without a moment’s hesitation, Shen Hex exerted all his strength, even employing martial arts Force Application Techniques.

"Poooom!!!"

The sudden exertion of force directly determined the outcome, a dark shape being forcibly lifted from the water by Shen Hex, crashing onto the dark canopy boat’s bow, revealing a turtle fish with a soft armor shell.

Turtle fish!

Beaten it?

Seeing the big turtle fish he had lifted, laid spread out and belly-up, a gleam flashed in Shen Hex’s blurry eyes as he grabbed a kitchen knife.

"Poooom!!!"

With rapid eyes and swift hands, he struck with a single slice, the turtle fish’s head hadn’t even retracted before it was severed by Shen Hex’s knife, spilling crimson blood that soaked him with a fishy stench.

But Shen Hex didn’t care; enduring the hunger in his belly, he lit a stove, placed a crock pot on top, then swiftly chopped the turtle fish weighing several pounds, placing it in the pot to cook.

Turtle fish, also known as water fish, is a type of turtle, a symbol of longevity, and considered a rare fish species in Dongting Lake. A pound of turtle fish could sell for two hundred cents. If it reached ten pounds, one’s wealth would double, equating to four thousand cents, or four ounces of silver.

It’s said that this creature is greatly nourishing; the taverns of Prefecture City, the kitchens of major families, and even the leaders of the Golden Fish Gang who monopolize the fish market, would purchase turtle fish, often in short supply.

Fishermen catching such fish usually wouldn’t eat it themselves, opting instead to sell it at the fish market.

But Shen Hex was evidently not in that group, for soon the turtle fish emitted a rich aroma under the stove’s heat.

Indeed, a rich aroma, though Shen Hex added no seasoning, hadn’t even cleaned the blood properly, yet it didn’t smell fishy, rather it emitted an enticing fragrance, provoking a great appetite.

His gaze sharpened immediately, taking the crock off the stove, then covering it layer upon layer with the straw rain cape, before throwing some leftover summer mugwort into the fire, seeking to disperse the aroma.

But this couldn’t entirely solve the issue, so despite his hunger, he stood up to sail the dark canopy boat into the depths of the reed marsh.