A touch of moonlight on the sandbar, the fishing fires on the riverside make me sad, the autumn water sways in half of the river, and the wind blows and the duckweed is rootless.
At night, a young man in blue clothes walked through a village, fanning himself.
There is a pond beside the village. Bubbles are gurgling on the surface of the water, and ripples are spreading everywhere. From time to time, a few fish jump out of the air, and then fall to the bottom of the water with a splash.
Zhang Ling looked at the river from afar, counted on his fingers and frowned, and saw an old man fishing on the shore.
He walked over quickly and asked the old man, "Old man, are you fishing alone on a moonlit night?"
The old man was wearing a straw raincoat. He looked at the young man in blue clothes in front of him and stretched out a finger to his lips to make a "hush" sound!
"Keep your voice down, don't scare away the old man's fish!"
Zhang Ling nodded and said no more. He sat on the ground in the summer evening breeze and quietly watched the old man fishing.
Not long after, the old man noticed some movement underwater. He waited for a moment and immediately reeled in his fishing rod. The fishing line formed an arc and on the hook was a fish weighing about twenty or thirty pounds, flapping its tail.
Zhang Ling quickly stepped forward to help the old man put the fish into the net. "Old man, you are so skilled, could you teach me?"
The old man caught such a big fish, and with the young man whispering in his ear, he couldn't help but feel very happy. He smiled and said, "There are not many young men who like fishing these days."
"Fishing requires careful planning before action, just like marching to war: hook, line, rod, bait, nesting spot, weather, and everything else must be ready."
"One strategy is to fish in shallow waters in spring and autumn, and in deep pools in summer and winter."
"The weather in spring and autumn is warm and sunny, but not cold, so fish come to the shallows to feed. Summer is hot and stuffy, and winter is cold and brutal, so the bottom of the deep pool is where fish like to hang out."
Zhang Ling heard this and nodded without comment.
Although he is now able to calculate and has divine consciousness, and knows exactly where the fish are, how many or how few, big or small they are, he has lost some of the worldly touch. It would be boring to really catch the fish, as it would lose that unique pleasure.
It was an unexpected gain to be able to listen to the old man talk about fishing methods this time.
The old man continued, "The second strategy is to fish on the shore in the morning and evening, and to fish in the shade during the day."
"Dawn and dusk are when fish are breathing and looking for food. They are also the most active, swimming towards the shore or surfacing. Fishing from the shore is always more effective!"
"When the sun is high in the sky, moving from east to west, and there are many people walking along the shore, making a lot of noise, the fish become wary and timid, hiding in the water. This is the first and second reason to fish in accordance with the season."
"The third strategy is to fish in narrow channels in wide waters, in shallow areas in deep waters, and in deep pools in shallow waters."
"The wider the river, the more likely fish will nest in the narrow corners. The deeper the water, the more likely fish will swim back and forth to the shallows. The shallower the water, the more likely fish will crowd into the deepest center. Fishing methods vary depending on the size of the pond or lake. This is known as fishing with the current."
Zhang Ling listened in fascination, thinking to himself that it made sense, it made sense.
Fishing is a simple thing, but it has so much knowledge.
"The fourth strategy is: too many fish will make the water unclear, but too many shrimps will make the water still."
"If there are many fish in a certain area, they will definitely dig up the soil and dig up the bottom to find food. This will make the water turbid and difficult to see clear. On the other hand, shrimps often cling to aquatic plants and prefer to be quiet and motionless, so the water will definitely be calm and clean."
"The fifth strategy is to fish on the sides of fast-flowing streams and in the middle of slow-flowing streams."
"In fast-flowing ponds, fish tend to gather near the shore where the current is gentle, looking for food. Conversely, they tend to gather in the center of the water."
"The fifth strategy is to fish on shallow beaches when the water level rises and in deep pools when the water level recedes."
"When the water level rises, there's plenty of food near the shore, so fish tend to gather there to feed. When the water level recedes, fish gather in deep pools, and their range of movement decreases, so they become cautious and gather together."
"Plot number six: If the water is like a muddy soup, cast your fishing rod and it will be lost!"
"The water is too dirty and turbid, so there are no big fish to inhabit it. It's mostly small fish, which is not suitable for fishing."
"The seventh strategy is to fish for more grass and reap more benefits!"
"Fish prefer to feed around aquatic plants, so you should take this into consideration when fishing."
"The last strategy, number eight, is that it is easy to fish in flowing water, but difficult to fish in still water."
“In flowing water, fish are active and scramble for attention; in still water, there are usually no big fish.”
"Master these eight fishing secrets, cast your rod into the water, and you'll always catch a fish!"
After the old man finished speaking, Zhang Ling listened with great interest, but he also thought about it carefully in his mind and couldn't help but feel that it was very appropriate.
He then asked, "Old man, I see that you have a reserved aura and a profound Confucian background. I'm afraid you are not an ordinary person."
The old fisherman laughed heartily, and seeing the fishing line shaking, he reeled in the rod and took a closer look. It turned out to be a silver carp and bighead carp weighing more than thirty or forty kilograms.
"Young man, you guessed it right. I once served in the capital, but now I am retiring and returning to my hometown to spend my remaining years in this village."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Ling couldn't help but count on his fingers and found that what the old man said was true.
He originally held an important position, and was wholeheartedly concerned about the people. He was incorruptible, fair and honest, but he did not expect to be marginalized in the end. He was upright and unyielding, and refused to follow the crowd. So he submitted his resignation and returned to his hometown, no longer paying attention to the disturbances and intrigues in the court.
All of a sudden, the two of them were chatting happily. An old man and a young man were sitting by the pond talking to each other, but who would have thought that something strange would happen the next second.
The old man saw the fishing line shaking and pulled in the rod, thinking it was another big fish. However, the next scene made him dumbfounded and broke out in a cold sweat.
A dead fish opened its mouth wide and bit the fishing rod tightly, staring at the old man with its eyes rolled back.
“This…this, this…”
The old man looked at the dead fish in horror, his whole body trembling, sweat pouring down his forehead: "Dead fish, dead fish, dead fish!"
"Young man, we shouldn't stay here for long. Let's leave quickly!"
After the old man finished speaking, Zhang Ling looked towards the pond with a sharp gaze, and saw a huge black shadow lurking deep under the water.
"Old man, the dead fish is biting, pack up your rod and leave!"
As soon as Zhang Ling said this, the old man was surprised and asked, "Young man, you actually know such a secret?"
The young man in green opened his folding fan, waved it, and said, "Night fishing consumes a lot of Yang energy. The lake and pond are damp, and the shore is filled with heavy Yin energy. Fishing at night for too long will inevitably lead to a lack of vitality, which can easily lead to evil. You must know that dead fish cannot eat bait, let alone be hooked. Most likely, something at the bottom of the water actively hooked the fish."
"If it's a live fish, it's fine, but if it's a dead fish, it's also a communication!"
The old man hurriedly packed up his fishing rod and caught some fish, saying, "I wonder if there aren't water ghosts here! Young man, get out of here quickly."
After saying that, he excused himself for disturbing her and left in a hurry, disappearing into the night.
When Zhang Ling saw the old fisherman leave, his face showed no expression. He still stood quietly on the shore, motionless.
The evening breeze gently blew across his face, rippling across the pond. The water reflected the face of a handsome young man, and then a dark shadow emerged from the water...
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