Mo Dao Zu Shi: Astray

The Path of Cultivation, Part Five

Everything was in doubles. The room spun. His head pounded.

Pan Heng rolled over in his bed and clutched his head, groaning. He grabbed the cup of water set on his bedside table and gulped it down. - Of course, Pan Chun cared for him. But he shouldn't have shoved such responsibility on her in the first place.

Hearing Pan Heng stir awake, Pan Chun headed over to his room, bringing him a tray of breakfast. "So how are you feeling, A-ge?"

"As great as I can be with a hangover." Pan Heng took a few bites of his meal, then he sighed and faced Pan Chun with a shameful expression. "I'm sorry about giving you such trouble last night. I'm your older brother. I should be the one taking care of you, not the other way around..."

Pan Chun sighed. "We're siblings. We look out for each other. Just try not to get drunk like that again, please."

"I won't," Pan Heng said. He massaged his forehead. "I didn't do anything embarrassing last night, did I?"

Pan Chun gave him a strained smile.

Pan Heng covered his face with his hands and groaned. "Wonderful. Just wonderful."

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Pan Chun stared intently at her sword, a hand placed to her chin in deep thought. "Hmmm." She tilted her head. "Hmmmmm."

Her sword lay atop a tree stump, displayed in all its glory. "Should I call you 'Master Sword'? I mean, you look so much like it and it's such an easy and obvious name too. - 'The Blade of Evil's Bane', how fitting. - Wait...That might not be such a good idea."

- "Oh? You think your sword is the master of all swords?" -

- "Oh? You think you're a master cultivator?" -

- "Such arrogance!" -

- "We'll show you where your true skills lay! Let's battle!" -

Yeah...That name was going to give her unwanted attention.

"Nah. 'Master Sword' isn't it. Scratching it off the list - well, if I had a list. I'm still having trouble thinking of another name for you."

"Are you going to stand there staring at your sword and mumbling to yourself all day?" Pan Heng sat outside with a cup of water in hand, recovering from his hangover with fresh air and rehydration.

Huh. Pan Heng had a point. Standing around wasn't going to help her out here.

Pan Chun unsheathed her sword and placed it on the ground.

Pan Heng raised an eyebrow. "You haven't even named your sword yet. But you want to try flying it now?"

"It'll probably help me out, becoming more familiar with my sword by flying it in the sky. Different environment, different thought process," Pan Chun said.

Pan Chun stepped onto her sword, channeling her spiritual energy into it. - Up!

Her sword shot up into the air, at a speed at which Pan Chun could balance herself on it properly. Good, she'd managed to use the right amount of spiritual energy during launch.

The birds flying near Pan Chun weren't startled, used to her presence from her years of practice flying Weifeng.

Practicing sword flight on Weifeng was all right, but flying on her own sword felt different - natural.

The breeze blew through Pan Chun's hair. She gazed around the sky in wonder. This was way cooler than enjoying the view through an airplane window. - Whoa. So this is what it feels like to fly.