Chapter 6 The Pot is Missing.

Chapter 6: The Missing Pot

Seeing Yu Xin's confident demeanor, Qin Shizhen found himself somewhat reassured, as if Yu Xin truly had a foolproof plan for finding food. "Alright, do you really not need our help? I could come with you."

Yu Xin casually selected a bamboo stalk, split off a long, slender strip, and sharpened one end with his dagger. As he worked, he said, "No need, I can manage on my own. You guys probably wouldn't be much help anyway."

Qin Shizhen: ...

*While that might be true, saying it out loud is a bit disrespectful to a senior...*

Ruan Qing asked curiously, "Yu Xin, what are you planning to do with that bamboo?"

Yu Xin worked deftly, quickly shaping the bamboo into a rudimentary tool. He tested it a few times and found it quite effective.

"See that river over there?" Yu Xin said. "I'm going spearfishing."

【Spearfishing?? With that little stick??】

【Yu Xin's really dreaming. Does he actually think he can do it just from watching a few videos?】

【Even so, if it's Yu Xin, he might actually pull it off.】

【? I was gone for a day—what did I miss? Does the fake Yu actually have fans now??】

【Hey, you’re definitely behind. Go catch up on yesterday’s livestream. You’ll change your mind about Yu Xin after watching it.】

【Anyway, I don’t believe Fake Yu can catch any fish. I’ll say it here: if he actually spears a fish, I’ll take back all the bad things I said about him and publicly apologize!】

"But..." Ruan Qing hesitated. With that crude bamboo stick in his hand? Could he really do it?

She didn’t quite believe it but was afraid of discouraging him, her face a mix of doubt and concern.

Yu Xin saw what she was thinking but didn’t elaborate. He just smiled and said, "Just wait and see."

Watching him walk away, Ruan Qing said worriedly, "Teacher Qin, do you think Yu Xin can really catch fish?"

All their hopes were pinned on Yu Xin. If he failed, they'd truly go hungry.

Qin Shizhen wasn’t sure either: "Who knows? If it doesn’t work out, we'll just have to go into the woods later and gather more of the fruit Yu Xin brought back this morning."

"Go get Shen Tong. Let’s look for some usable firewood. Let Sheng Xingyao stay behind and try to get a fire going."

Ruan Qing responded cheerfully and went to find Shen Tong.

A while later.

【Where’s Yu Xin? Why isn’t he back yet?】

【Not sure. The others are gone too. Only Sheng Xingyao is left, trying to start a fire for a whole hour and still hasn't managed it. LOL.】

【Yu Xin probably doesn’t dare come back. He talked big but couldn’t catch any fish—of course he’s too embarrassed to return.】

【Wait, look! Is that Yu Xin? What’s he holding... Holy crap!】

Yu Xin appeared at the edge of the woods. As he got closer, they could see he was holding a bamboo strip loaded with fish!

He had strung the fish onto the bamboo strip he’d taken out—and it was absolutely full!

The livestream comments exploded, flooded with question marks.

【This has to be staged.】

【Yu Xin actually speared fish?? And this many?】

【The props team must’ve stepped in. How much did Yu Xin pay the show to help him clean up his image like this?】

Not just the audience—even the production team was shocked.

The director eyed the staff suspiciously: "Did you release fish into the river?"

"Director, we didn’t! We agreed to let the guests go hungry first, then use their desperation to make them complete tasks. Why would we go out of our way to give them fish!" The staff member looked wronged.

They quickly switched to the footage from Yu Xin’s body camera and replayed the fishing segment. After watching, everyone looked astonished: "He really caught those fish himself..."

The planner muttered, dazed, "Director, I think our original plan might be impossible now."

*What’s up with Yu Xin? He’s just too unreal, ahhh!*

The director rewatched Yu Xin’s fishing segment and suddenly felt this could be the turning point that makes their show a huge hit.

He made a snap decision and declared, "Starting today, set up a dedicated livestream channel for Yu Xin. Remember, record his entire hunting process!"

Back at the camp.

Sheng Xingyao was so shocked to see Yu Xin return with a string of fish that he shot to his feet: "Yu Xin, you—you actually caught fish!"

"Yeah, it was pretty easy." Yu Xin gave him a puzzled look, wondering what the big deal was.

*These clueless interstellar folks.*

He took all the speared fish off the bamboo and laid them on the ground. Just then, the firewood-gathering trio returned. Ruan Qing gasped when she saw the pile of fish: "Yu Xin, did you catch all these??"

*So, so amazing!*

"Yes, I did," Yu Xin said patiently, already used to their exaggerated reactions. "They’re from the river nearby. There are plenty more. Do you want to give it a try?"

"I’m in!" Sheng Xingyao’s eyes lit up. If Yu Xin caught so many, he could too.

"Me too!" Ruan Qing chimed in eagerly.

*Coach! She wanted to learn too!*

Even Shen Tong, who had been avoiding Yu Xin awkwardly all day, nodded firmly.

Yu Xin raised an eyebrow: "Grab a knife and sharpen some bamboo sticks yourselves. Make the ends sharp."

*Since there was still time, he might as well teach these clueless city folks. Maybe there’d be some entertainment in it.*

The younger ones were enthusiastic, each whittling bamboo with vigor. Qin Shizhen smiled and shook his head: "You all go ahead. I’ll organize the firewood we gathered at the camp."

Yu Xin’s fishing spot was at a shallow part of the river not far away. The riverbank was wide, the water only calf-deep, and the current wasn’t strong. It was so clear you could see the aquatic plants at the bottom—a perfect fishing spot.

They rolled up their pants and waded into the river. Ruan Qing exclaimed happily, "Fish! There are so many fish in the river!"

There were indeed plenty of fish. Several swam past their legs in no time. Well-fed and thriving, the fish here were plump but also cunning, darting away too quickly for the eye to follow.

Sheng Xingyao said confidently, "Watch me!"

He took aim at one and thrust his spear down.

Nothing happened—the fish darted swiftly past his bamboo spear.

【Hahahahahahaha!】

【Sheng Xingyao’s dumbfounded expression is hilarious.】

【Did you really think spearing fish was that easy? Seriously, how did Yu Xin manage to catch them?】

Sheng Xingyao cleared his throat. “That didn’t count—I was just warming up! This time, I’m getting serious—”

He aimed for a long time, finally selecting one that seemed to be swimming slightly slower, and thrust down as quickly as he could: “Got it!”

Unfortunately, the fish nimbly turned and slipped right out from under his spear.

Sheng Xingyao stared in disbelief, gripping his bamboo spear. “Why are these fish so fast? That’s not right!”

【Hahahahahahaha—what an idiot, Yao Bao!】

【Can’t catch a single one, yet blames the fish for swimming too fast—Sheng Xingyao’s full of excuses.】

【Hey, if you’re so good, why don’t you try it yourself? Not everyone is Yu Xin, you know. Yao Bao is actually doing pretty well.】

【Yeah, talk is cheap.】

Shen Tong shoved him aside disdainfully with her spear. “You’re scaring all the fish away. Let me try.”

But, unsurprisingly, she came up empty-handed too. This time it was Sheng Xingyao’s turn to laugh at her. “You told me to move aside? You’re even worse than me.”

Shen Tong’s face flushed red, and she glared fiercely at him. “Shut up!”

Ruan Qing also gave it a try. The three of them attempted every angle and posture they could think of, stubbornly trying again and again—but they didn’t even manage to spear a single scale. Instead, they ended up drenched and disheveled, their lower bodies almost completely soaked.

Shen Tong’s temper flared, and she slapped the water angrily. “Stupid fish! Why are they so hard to spear!”

The splash startled the fish, scattering them further and making them even harder to catch. Shen Tong was so furious she could barely contain herself.

【This is too funny—hahahahahahaha!】

【I can’t take it—my stomach hurts from laughing.】

【Hahahaha—Sheng Xingyao was so confident at first, now he’s completely deflated.】

【Three unlucky newbies—didn’t you come with Yu Xin? Hurry up and ask him how he did it!】

Yu Xin stood off to the side, clutching his stomach and thoroughly enjoying the show. He was nearly dying of laughter at their clumsiness.

Ruan Qing turned to him for help. “Yu Xin! We can’t catch anything! How did you do it? Please teach us!”

She looked pitiful, her bangs stuck to her face. The other two weren’t much better off. All three gazed at Yu Xin pleadingly, hoping he would come to their rescue.

Having had his fill of amusement, Yu Xin walked over to help. “Watch closely—I’ll only show you once.”

It was actually quite simple.

He found a shallow spot near the shore and used rocks, branches, and driftwood to form an oval shape resembling a broad bean. One side was fenced with branches, allowing water to flow through but preventing fish from escaping. The other side was built with stones, leaving two gaps for fish to enter. A sturdy piece of driftwood was placed in the middle, extending all the way to the shore, dividing the current into two parts and ensuring water could only flow inward. This created an ingenious trap—once fish swam in, it was nearly impossible for them to get out.

Soon, the pit was teeming with river fish swimming around confusedly, unable to find an exit.

With the fish now confined to such a limited space, they didn’t even need bamboo spears—they could simply scoop them up by hand.

The live audience was stunned:

【?? You can do it like that??】

【Whoa—that makes it so much easier. Why didn’t I think of that?】

【Yu Xin is incredible—he actually came up with this method!】

【Noted, noted. I’ll try it out by a river someday.】

The other three were equally dumbfounded. They watched as Yu Xin arranged rocks and branches—and just like that, the fish were trapped inside.

Shen Tong tried again and this time easily speared one.

It was the first fish she’d caught all morning! Shen Tong was ecstatic, her eyes shining brightly as she looked at Yu Xin. “Yu Xin, you’re amazing!”

She’d finally speared a fish!

The group excitedly got to work, and soon they had speared several more. Yu Xin spoke up to stop them: “That’s enough for us to eat. It’s too hot here—if we catch too many, they’ll spoil before we can finish them.”

These small fish were only about the length from a fingertip to the base of an adult’s palm, but between Sheng Xingyao’s trio and the ones Yu Xin had caught earlier, they had around a dozen—more than enough for a meal for the five of them.

Although they hadn’t had their fill of fun, Sheng Xingyao and the others reluctantly left the river and returned to shore. Yu Xin removed the branches and rocks blocking the fish, and the lucky ones that remained scattered in all directions, fleeing in panic.

Yu Xin and the others returned triumphantly, carrying their bamboo spears and the small fish.

As they walked, Ruan Qing excitedly shouted, “Teacher Qin! We caught some fish!”

Qin Shizhen emerged from the bamboo shelter and was astonished to see them actually carrying several fish. “You really managed to catch them? How did you do it?”

“It’s all thanks to Yu Xin—his method worked perfectly!”

“Alright, now we don’t have to worry about what to eat,” Qin Shizhen said with a smile. “Let’s hurry up and prepare the meal. I’m starving.”

“Shen Tong and Ruan Qing, you two go boil some water. Xiao Sheng, you keep the fire going. As for who’s going to cook…”

“Leave it to me,” Yu Xin volunteered.

“None of us can cook except Xiao Yu—haha. Okay, Yu Xin will handle the cooking. I’ll assist you. Oh, by the way, has anyone seen our pot?”

“It should be in that pile of stuff we brought. We’ll just have to look for it…”

Ten minutes later, they had turned the entire campsite upside down.

“Where’s our pot?!”

*Where did our big pot go?!*

***

The pot was missing.

“How could this be…” Qin Shizhen muttered to himself. “I clearly remember the pot was there when we set out. How could it just disappear?”

“Who was in charge of the pot yesterday?”

The young people looked at each other and shook their heads.

“I don’t know…”

Their initial excitement from catching the fish had now turned into dejection as they desperately tried to recall where that sizable iron pot had gone.

"How did this happen?!"

【Hahahaha I'm dying of laughter】

【We caught the fish but lost the pot, hahahaha!】

【That's so rough, but why can't I stop laughing?】

As everyone was deep in thought, Yu Xin suddenly spoke up: "Sheng Xingyao, where did that red bag you were carrying yesterday go?"

"The red bag in my hand..." Sheng Xingyao was blank, furrowing his brows as he desperately tried to recall. "I had it at first—it was super heavy, I remember that..."

The bag contained something large and heavy, round in shape. He had taken a few breaks along the way and just put it down beside him. But then at some point, it wasn't in his hand anymore.

Sheng Xingyao's expression shifted from confusion to horror: "I... I think I..."

"Lost our pot........"

Author's Note:

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This chapter is a little nod to the classic 'hunter loses the pot' moment from Wild Chef.

Next chapter, our Yu Xin will win over the whole galaxy with his cooking!

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