The Fitter Master in the Courtyard: Surrounded by Dead Men

That day he made a bet and won a bicycle ticket.

Yang Ping smiled but didn't reply.

Some things don't need to be said outright; like bait underwater, what's hidden is what truly captivates people's hearts.

As the sun rose higher, a dark shadow suddenly swept across the water, thick and slow, swimming close to the moss on the riverbed.

Yang Ping's wrist suddenly twitched, and the energy between his fingers spread silently along the fishing line, like spider silk binding and a snake locking its throat—the hook tip precisely pierced the fish's lip, and the force immediately enveloped the struggling body. With a pull and a lift, the silver scales leaped out of the water, splashing a string of sparkling water droplets in the sunlight.

"The fish is served."

He loosened the fishing line, speaking in a flat tone as if he were talking about the weather.

Yang Ping flung the still-struggling fish ashore.

The fish, now out of the water, writhed violently on the dry yellow earth, their tails slapping the ground with rapid crackling sounds, as if using their last strength to try and return to the water.

He then released his breath, which he had been holding, and with a flick of his wrist, the fishhook obediently slipped out of the fish's mouth.

"Yang Ping, you're really something!"

Gao Yue, standing to the side, widened her eyes, her face filled with undisguised surprise.

She had never seen anyone fish so effortlessly, as if a single scoop could easily yield a large fish weighing over ten pounds.

"Want to eat fish? I can catch a few for you."

Yang Ping turned his head and asked.

He was still thinking about his task of preparing four fish for Yan Fugui today, and he needed to hurry.

"I want to take two back... but I want to try it myself."

Gao Yue raised her face, a determined look on her lips.

"become.

If I can't catch it, then I'll try again.

Yang Ping replied nonchalantly.

Since Gao Yue wanted to do it herself, he was happy to watch from the sidelines.

"Then it's settled!"

As soon as Gao Yue finished speaking, a clear tremor came from the fishing rod in her hand.

She didn't act immediately, but held her breath and waited.

She knew the creature underwater was still testing the waters, and a real bite often required a bit of patience.

A moment later, a powerful pulling force suddenly came from underwater, almost snatching the fishing rod from her hand.

it's time.

Gao Yue understood; the fish had firmly taken the hook.

She tentatively pulled back a little, feeling the heavy resistance from the other end, and then began to slowly and deliberately deal with it.

She wasn't in a hurry to haul the fish ashore, but instead used the elasticity of the fishing rod to gradually wear down its strength, like performing a silent tug-of-war.

When she felt the time was right, she gently lifted the fish out of the water with a swift and clean motion.

"Yang Ping! Look, I caught one too!"

Gao Yue's voice was filled with barely suppressed joy.

"It's really good."

Yang Ping secretly praised him.

To grasp such a level of understanding after only seeing Deng Gang, the fishing king, demonstrate that this girl's intelligence and comprehension are truly extraordinary.

"It's not bad... but compared to yours, mine is much smaller, weighing at most five pounds."

Gao Yue glanced at the large fish at Yang Ping's feet, whose gills were still twitching slightly, then looked at the one she had caught, her tone carrying a hint of regret.

"It's alright."

Yang Ping waved her hand, "If you like it, just take the bigger one back with you."

Yang Ping didn't care about that; once he caught the fish, that was enough.

Those smaller ones can stay with Yan Fugui; they'll make up four and that'll be enough to get by.

"I'll try my luck again!"

As she spoke, Gao Yue baited the hook with an earthworm and cast it into the water.

Yang Ping continued to guard the pole.

In the following period, he caught six more fish, the larger ones weighing at least ten kilograms and the smaller ones weighing five or six kilograms.

"Wow, Yang Ping, you're really something! I've never seen your fishing method before."

Gao Yue's eyes lit up as she looked on, and she couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

She watched Yang Ping's every move closely, trying to figure out what was going on, but after watching for a long time, she finally realized that she couldn't learn it.

"Gao Yue, this method is something I figured out myself; no one else can learn it."

Just fish the way you're used to, that's fine.

Yang Ping turned to her and said.

There's probably no one else in Houhai Lake, or even in the entire city of Beijing, who fishes like him.

Even the one who taught him "spirit seduction"

Even the legendary Jing Hongfu had to patiently play the fish, only lifting the rod when the fish was tired.

"I know that, so I've never changed my approach."

Gao Yue nodded in agreement.

Yang Ping felt even more admiration for her.

Intelligent people usually know what they can do and what they are good at, and they never rashly try to do things they cannot do or do not understand.

"Gao Yue!"

Suddenly a voice called out from behind.

Gao Yue quickly turned around and saw Zhou Xiaobai pushing a bicycle closer. A look of surprise crossed her face: "Xiaobai? What are you doing here?"

"You said you were going fishing at Houhai today, so I just happened to come and find you."

Look, the bicycle I bought!

As Zhou Xiaobai spoke, he pushed the car forward half a step, his tone conveying a sense of demonstration.

Her gaze swept over Yang Ping, a hint of undisguised smugness lingering in her eyes and brows, as if to say: See, even without you, I can still get a car.

When Zhou Xiaobai arrived at the riverbank on his brand-new bicycle, Gao Yue was sitting next to Yang Ping, guarding her fishing rod.

The sound of wheels rolling over the gravel road startled a few water birds, but Yang Ping didn't even turn his head, keeping his gaze fixed on the slightly trembling float on the water.

"Xiaoyue, I heard you got a new car?"

Gao Yue stood up to greet her, a smile in her eyes.

"That's right, I rode it to you as soon as I got it."

Zhou Xiaobai jumped out of the car, but his gaze drifted to the fish caught in the puddles on the shore. "Wow, you caught quite a few! Can I share a couple with my dad to have with his drinks?"

"These were all caught by Yang Ping; I need to ask him what he thinks."

Gao Yue's tone was somewhat hurried.

Upon hearing that name, Zhou Xiaobai immediately curled his lip: "Never mind then, I'll wait and buy it from the Fishing King."

"Yang Ping's cooking skills are actually quite good; she can serve more fish in a little while."

Gao Yue explained softly.

"Can anything be better than Deng Gang?"

Zhou Xiaobai snorted lightly, his tone full of disdain.

Gao Yue was speechless for a moment, just then she saw a tall, thin figure carrying fishing gear walking along the path in the distance.

Zhou Xiaobai's eyes suddenly lit up, and she tugged at Gao Yue's sleeve: "See, whoever I said would come, came right away!"

She rushed up to Deng Gang, her voice clear and bright: "Fishing King, can you sell me two big fish today? Over twenty pounds!"

Deng Gang simply waved his hand: "No fishing today."

He walked straight past Zhou Xiaobai and went to Yang Ping, who had been sitting with his back turned, a warm smile spreading across his face: "Comrade Yang, we've met again."

That attentive demeanor was a stark contrast to his previous indifference.

Deng Gang, dressed in casual clothes, stood behind Yang Ping and called out.

Yang Ping turned around, recognized him, and looked him up and down—compared to his fully armed appearance last time, his attire today was completely different.

"Is Comrade Deng not planning to fish today?"

Yang Ping asked casually.

Deng Gang shook his head: "I won't go fishing on my days off anymore."

"You're called the 'Fishing King' here, but if I were to use that title, I wouldn't even feel like I belong there."

Yang Ping simply smiled upon hearing this: "Fishing is about enjoying yourself, why let an empty reputation tie your hands and feet? That would only take away a lot of the fun."

He could tell that the last contest had indeed left Deng Gang with a lingering resentment.

As for why Old Jing wasn't so serious, it's probably because he's getting old and his physical strength can't keep up. If they really went all out in a match, Deng Gang would still be the "Fishing King" in everyone's eyes.

.

Deng Gang was silent for a moment, then suddenly spoke up: "Comrade Yang, could you teach me how to fish?"

Gao Yue and Zhou Xiaobai, who were standing to the side, had only vaguely understood what he was hearing, but when he said that, they were both stunned and almost thought they had misheard.

Deng Gang is a recognized fishing king, so why would he ask Yang Ping for fishing advice?

Gao Yue was the first to come to her senses—she had witnessed Yang Ping's skills firsthand, and they were indeed extraordinary.

Zhou Xiaobai was still confused and couldn't quite grasp the situation.

Yang Ping simply shook his head calmly: "You can't learn my method."

"Practice your skills to the highest level, and you won't be any worse than me."

That's enough to say.

Whether Deng Gang can listen or not, whether he can understand or not, is ultimately his own business.

Deng Gang's eyes suddenly lit up, and even his form of address changed: "Thank you, Mr. Yang!"

He didn't linger any longer, said goodbye, and turned to leave.

Yang Ping watched the figure disappear into the distance, then sat down again on the shore and picked up his fishing rod.

A crowd gradually gathered around, and low voices could be heard:

"Look, that's the King of Fishing..."

"Fishing King, are you selling these fish?"

Zhou Xiaobai's shouts failed to make the figure stop for even a moment.

Her gaze shifted to Gao Yue, her eyes filled with a silent plea, hoping that her friend could intercede on her behalf and spare two fish from Yang Ping.

Gao Yue immediately understood her meaning and turned to Yang Ping beside her to whisper, "We've caught so many, it'll be difficult to deal with them if we take them back. How about... we give up two of them?"

She carefully avoided mentioning Zhou Xiaobai's name.

"Not for sale."

Yang Ping's answer was crisp and clear, her gaze not even faltering: "Tell her to go find that 'Fishing King'."

This response was exactly what Gao Yue expected; she simply pursed her lips slightly.

"you!"

Zhou Xiaobai's face flushed instantly, a surge of anger rising within him. "Fine, I won't sell! What's so strange about that! I refuse to believe we can't buy fish in such a big place!"

She grabbed the bicycle beside her, jumped on, and sped off without looking back, the wheels kicking up fine dust as they rolled over the dirt road.

Gao Yue watched the stubborn figure disappear into the distance and could only sigh softly.

Her close friend was too straightforward, and her words were often like knives, unknowingly damaging relationships and leaving no room for reconciliation.

Let's call it a day.

Yang Ping's voice interrupted her thoughts.

He glanced at the seven fish still churning the water in the puddle and said, "Too many fish are a burden."

He had already decided in his mind: four for Yan Fugui, two for Gao Yue to take away, and one for himself.

"it is good."

Gao Yue nodded in agreement.

While packing her fishing gear, she suddenly remembered their earlier conversation. She looked up at Yang Ping, her eyes filled with a mixture of curiosity and understanding: "You mentioned meeting the 'Fishing King' and seeing him lose miserably... Could the person who beat him be you?"

"Exactly."

A faint smile appeared on Yang Ping's lips. "I didn't say it outright before because I was afraid you would think I was boasting."

"Yang Ping, you really are..."

Gao Yue didn't finish her sentence, but the undisguised admiration on her face said it all.

In her mind, the "Fishing King"

He was already an extraordinary person, but I never expected that the person in front of me would be even better.

Yang Ping simply smiled and didn't reply.

Deng Gang's mind isn't as sharp as yours.

If you hone your skills, you might surpass him and become the new fishing king in the future.

Deng Gang was fixated on "spiritual seduction" his entire life.

Once you're hooked on that kind of thing, you can't get out.

Gao Yue, however, was different. Knowing that she couldn't learn it, she simply didn't learn it and instead used the techniques she already knew to her fullest extent.

Hearing such high praise, Gao Yue's face immediately broke into a smile.

"Yang Ping, where do we go next?"

"Next... let's find a place to fill our stomachs, and then go home."

Yang Ping glanced at the reeds not far away, thinking to himself that it wasn't the right time yet, and he should wait until the time was right.

Besides, the edges of those reed leaves are very sharp, even more so than on the grass. If you're not careful, you could end up covered in cuts, which wouldn't feel good.