Chapter 22: Catching Fish Barehanded, the Fierce Wen Lingyue

“Alright.”

Wen Lingyue took the fishwort from the three of them and soaked it in the stream for a moment, letting a large amount of juice ooze out.

Then she waded downstream. A school of fish swam leisurely nearby. With lightning-fast reflexes, she grabbed one in each hand—two plump fish were caught effortlessly.

Pei Jingli and the others: “……”

The entire audience: ?

Wait, she just caught them like that?

Wen Lingyue slammed the fish onto the ground, bent down, and scooped up four more stunned fish, tossing them down as well.

The scene was silent.

Lin Rui rubbed his eyes, unable to believe what he was seeing, murmuring, “I must be going crazy.”

He wouldn’t even dare dream of such a scene.

The audience was collectively dumbfounded.

[I’m the clown here.]
[A female celebrity catching fish barehanded on a deserted island?! Even a script wouldn’t dare write this.]
[Wen Lingyue isn’t crazy! We just can’t comprehend the boss’s moves.]

“What are you all standing there for?”

Rolling up her sleeves, Wen Lingyue said, “Hand me the knife.”

Pei Jingli handed over the outdoor knife.

With one hand holding the knife and the other holding a fish, Wen Lingyue’s movements were swift. With each precise cut, scales fell like rain.

The entire scene carried an eerie calm.

She carefully slit the fish’s belly and lifted out the entrails in one clean motion. Every movement was skillful and practiced, her knife work exquisite, as if she had spent ten years outdoors, killing fish for ten years.

Countless viewers had their perceptions shattered and reconstructed.

This was Wen Lingyue—the national youth dance champion!

The cold and elegant girl like a frosty moon!

And yet…

Here she was, effortlessly gutting fish!

Pei Jingli watched her and asked, “Have you studied anatomy?”

Her hands were steady, each cut precise.

Wen Lingyue nodded. “A little.”

Her offhand tone left the audience wide-eyed.

[I thought she studied dance and perfumery?! She knows anatomy too?!]
[Wen Lingyue, what other surprises are you hiding?]
[Sis isn’t killing fish, she’s killing me!]

Lin Rui almost dropped to his knees: “Wen Lingyue, you are my—”

“Shut up.”

Wen Lingyue preemptively interrupted.

The audience laughed until tears came.

[She almost couldn’t hold the knife.]
[As always, the island didn’t hurt Wen Lingyue, Lin Rui did.]

After finishing one fish, Pei Jingli reached out: “Let me handle the rest.”

Wen Lingyue handed him the knife, plucked a leaf, and rubbed it in her palm.

Yu Yan, still dazed from shock, asked, “What’s that?”

“Polygonum,” Wen Lingyue said. “It removes the fishy smell.”

After washing her hands, she stood up.

Suddenly, a plump mountain chicken darted out.

“Ah—”

Lin Rui and Yu Yan both instinctively hugged Wen Lingyue.

She froze for a moment, almost thinking she had entered another trap room.

The audience twitched at the corners of their mouths.

[True talents of the sleeping dragon and young phoenix—equally brave.]

Wen Lingyue focused: “It’s a mountain chicken.”

She twisted her wrist: “It’s here to be our dinner.”

Lin Rui and Yu Yan, still trembling, were confused.

The entire audience: ?

Wen Lingyue stepped forward. The chicken flapped its wings, narrowly avoiding her hands.

“Cluck cluck.”

The chicken didn’t leave, instead turning its head toward her, neck raised as if mocking her.

Lin Rui and Yu Yan tried to help, but the mountain chicken was fat and strong, its sharp beak not to be trifled with.

Audience commentary:

[It runs! She chases! Even with wings, they can’t escape!]

Wen Lingyue didn’t chase. She wrung the fishwort fibers, kneading them until a rope formed. She looped one end, aimed at the proud chicken, and tossed it gently.

The rope perfectly landed around the chicken’s neck. Wen Lingyue pulled hard, and as the chicken struggled violently, she caught one wing with a single hand.

“Cluck—”

No matter how it thrashed, it could not escape her grip.

Pei Jingli, mid-fish butchering, was dumbfounded.

Yu Yan and Lin Rui froze in place.

“Hand me the knife.”

Wen Lingyue remained calm.

Pei Jingli passed it over.

One hand with the knife, one hand holding the chicken, she moved toward the riverbank.

The familiar scene returned, and the audience nearly knelt.

[She can’t be going to kill it, can she?]
[Live broadcast of chicken slaughter! What a ruthless woman!]

Wen Lingyue sliced the chicken’s neck with a flourish, as graceful and precise as a swordsman.

Watching from the surveillance monitors, Fu Xin: “……”

He was wrong.

He felt ashamed for doubting himself earlier.

With a big boss like Wen Lingyue around, surviving on a deserted island was nothing!

But—

Fu Xin was puzzled. How had the broadcast reached this stage? He had supplied resources on the island, not planning for the guests to actually handle this themselves.

“Gather some branches to set up a pot and boil water.”

Wen Lingyue looked at Lin Rui and Yu Yan.

They glanced at the fallen chicken and silently nodded.

The ruthless Wen Lingyue.

But also reassuring.

The two collected a pile of dry branches. Suddenly, a question arose: “How do we start a fire?”

Wen Lingyue: “Treat it like friction fire-starting.”

“Let’s try.”

Together, they built a fire. They gathered dry leaves, shaved a wooden drill, inserted it into a groove in the wood, and spun it rapidly with their hands. A wisp of smoke appeared, igniting the leaves.

Success on the first try.

“Not bad,” Wen Lingyue praised.

They smiled—finally useful, not completely useless.

Wen Lingyue plucked and cleaned the mountain chicken, gutted and cut it into pieces, then blanched it.

She then looked around, spotting a row of perilla in the bushes, as well as wild chili peppers and shepherd’s purse nearby. The valley seemed like Wen Lingyue’s own garden—fresh ingredients just a few steps away.

Yu Yan and Lin Rui were nearly numb—Wen Lingyue was a survival expert!

To them, it was just wild weeds.

To Wen Lingyue, it was abundant ingredients!

She returned fully loaded.

Pei Jingli, finishing the fish, casually asked, “Found anything?”

“Bamboo fungus, shepherd’s purse, and a few seasonings.”

They set up the pot over the fire. After blanching, Wen Lingyue put water, wild ginger, grass pepper, polygonum, and bamboo fungus into the chicken, and simmered it slowly. Then she sliced the six cleaned fish, sprinkled them with aromatics, and grilled them over the fire.

Gradually, a delicious aroma filled the air.

The four sat around. Lin Rui inhaled deeply: “Smells amazing.”

“I’m already hungry.”

While waiting, Wen Lingyue made four bamboo containers and four pairs of chopsticks with ease. Her skilled movements left everyone numb with admiration—

Wen Lingyue, the all-around boss!

Nothing was beyond her.

“Dish is ready!”

Lifting the lid, the rich aroma burst forth. The four exchanged glances and grabbed their chopsticks in unison.

Wen Lingyue picked up some bamboo fungus. The tender fungus, soaked in the rich chicken broth, was smooth and succulent, sweet and delicious—pure happiness with every bite.

“So good.”

Everyone ate without lifting their heads.

Lin Rui alternated between chicken and fish, flavors exploding on his tongue. He sighed, “Mountain food is just fresher.”

“The fish is tender too, no fishy smell at all.”

The viewers on camera: “……”

Stop talking!

They were already drooling.

[This isn’t survival—it’s a mukbang broadcast.]
[Mom asked why I’m drooling watching this broadcast.]
[If you want real survival, watch the four over there—that’s true wilderness survival.]