Mo Dao Zu Shi: Astray

The Pursuit of Knowledge, Part Five

"Agh! I almost had it!"

Pan Wukun heard Wei Wuxian's frustrated shout from where she was strolling. Curious, she peeked out from behind a stone wall to see what he was doing.

Wei Wuxian stumbled and fell into the water as a fish slipped out of his hands.

Nie Huaisang wasn't doing much better either.

Pan Wukun watched them in amusement.

These poor rich kids had no idea how to catch fish with their bare hands. Awwwww. How adorable.

"Having trouble fishing, boys?"

Wei Wuxian's back straightened. "Chun-ge!"

"Pan-xiong!"

Pan Wukun crossed her arms. "Isn't there a rule that you can't kill animals within the Cloud Recesses?"

Wei Wuxian rushed out of the water and placed a finger on Pan Wukun's lips. "Shh! What the old stick-in-the-mud doesn't know won't hurt him! What the GusuLan sect's kitchens serve us is too bland! Jiang Cheng and my shijie need a real meal!"

Pan Wukun used her finger to push Wei Wuxian's finger away.

His finger smelled like fish. Gross.

She wiped her mouth clean with her sleeve. "Right...So how's that working out for you?"

"The fish are so slippery! They thrash around so much!" Nie Huaisang exclaimed.

Pan Wukun nodded. "Yeah. They're like that. That's why you gotta grab them quickly by their middle or their gills."

Wei Wuxian leaned closer to Pan Wukun. "Eeeeh? How would you know that, Chun-ge?"

"Farmers eat food other than the crops we grow, Wei Ying." Pan Wukun rolled up her coat sleeves above her elbows and pants up to her knees. "Watch and learn. I'll show you how a real pro does it."

Wei Wuxian and Nie Huaisang stepped out of the water. They stood to the side, watching Pan Wukun closely.

She crouched down over the water, her eyes focusing on the fish.

Back then, Pan Heng had shown Pan Wukun how to catch fish with her bare hands, saying, "Sometimes you won't have a knife to attach to your staff for a makeshift spear. And your fishing rod might break. So your last option is your bare hands."

Pan Heng had bent over the water and scooped up the fish with ease.

"Haha. It's like that scene in Mulan," Pan Wukun remarked.

This puzzled Pan Heng. "...What? What does this have to do with Mulan?"

"Never mind, A-ge. I'll explain later."

Pan Wukun had tripped in the water a lot. It took her several weeks to become good at catching fish with her bare hands.

But now all those days of wet clothing paid off.

Pan Wukun's hands plunged into the water swiftly. She caught the fish in quick succession, tossing them into a basket.

She wiped her hands. "There! All done!"

She turned to Wei Wuxian to see him staring at her in awe. Once he noticed that she was looking back at him, he quickly turned his head away.

Pan Wukun rolled her eyes in amusement. Wei Wuxian must be feeling embarrassed. "Sorry, Wei Ying. You may be great at catching pheasants, but there's no doubt you just got bested by fish."

Wei Wuxian pouted. "Pheasants and fish are two very different creatures on completely different terrains!"

Growing up in Lotus Pier, Wei Wuxian was talented at any activity that involved water, even catching water ghouls. So this was a blow to his pride.