That had happened several days earlier—
In the reed marshes by the Eternal Flow River, an old man standing at the bow of his boat called out to several young men on the dock who were dragging nets and feeling around for fish.
"Boys, you can't touch those fish. They've all fed on dead people."
The sun-darkened young men looked up and saw the old man on the boat smiling as he spoke.
"What kind of joke is that, old man? Why can't fish that ate dead people be eaten?"
"Yeah!"
"Everything that flies in the sky, runs on the ground, or falls into the water is fish food. The fatter they get, the better they sell!"
Watching these heedless youngsters, the old man shook his head and sighed.
"You know that everything flying in the sky and running on the ground ends up in the water eventually. But do you know what they ate before they fell in?"
The young men looked at one another, unable to answer.
In the end, the young man hauling the net was still too green to know better and answered with a grin.
"Who cares what snakes, rats, bugs, and birds eat? We catch fish to trade for money, not to put in our own bellies! The fish buyers don't say anything, so why are you?"
The other young men came to their senses and joined in the clamor.
"Exactly!"
"Isn't yours a fishing boat too? Have you never fished?"
"This old man's up to no good. He's probably worried we'll ruin his business!"
Ah...
The old man shook his head and said nothing more, pushing himself away with his long bamboo pole.
It was true that he made his living fishing. He had raised ducks before as well, though that had been