Chapter 21: The Ritual (Part 1)

Although Liu Yu was much older than Jiang Ningxue in terms of mental age, when faced with problems, his closest person was still his wife.
It was the first time Liu Yu had seen Jiang Ningxue since they parted on the city walls, and she hadn’t changed at all. Her face remained as delicate as before, her cheeks slightly flushed. When she saw Liu Yu approaching, she lowered her head gently, lost in her thoughts.
“Ningxue,” Liu Yu said, feeling relieved upon seeing her. “Here!”
He removed the two revolvers from his belt and handed them to her. “Not bad.”
These revolvers, which others regarded as treasures, were given away so easily. Jiang Ningxue accepted them with great joy, carefully touching them. They were heavier than she had expected, but she wasn’t averse to such deadly weapons. She knew how precious a revolver was in this land, especially since Liu Yu had given her a pair right away. “It’s wonderful.”
Their fingertips touched, and Liu Yu was delighted. “I’ll teach you how to use them.”
Both revolvers were single-action guns—a term long forgotten—something Liu Yu had learned by chance. A single-action gun didn’t fire a bullet with just one pull of the trigger; two pulls were needed—the first to load the bullet, the second to fire it. In this era, all guns were single-action, and Liu Yu patiently taught Jiang Ningxue how to unlock the safety, load the gun, and fire it.
“Bang!” The air was filled with the pungent smell of gunpowder, and both of their hands tingled slightly, but Jiang Ningxue loved this feeling. Her husband had grown up—now he was a true man.
These guns, with their metallic scent, concealed so much tenderness. She loved the feeling of being close to him. This was happiness.
Liu Yu wanted to continue talking, but Jiang Ningxue smiled brightly, her fingers pressing against his lips. “Silly Yu, you don’t even know what gift to give a girl…”
Though she said that, she still preferred the first gift Liu Yu had given her—dividing the precious pair of revolvers into a male and a female one. “This is the male one; keep it carefully. This is the female one; I’ll keep it.”
Only then did Liu Yu realize that giving a girl two guns might not be the best choice. “Okay! I’ll take good care of it.”
The guns were separated, and Jiang Ningxue whispered, “Yu, I heard you sent my father to check the warehouse. My father is only good at small-scale business; he’s not as shrewd as Sui Yun…”
They were husband and wife, though still unmarried, yet they were the closest and most affectionate couple in the world. Both of them longed for happiness in their words: “…Hmm, do you need to discuss something with me?”
Although he had given away one revolver, Liu Yu still carried four guns on his back. He patted the Winchester on his back. “About this thing, I have an idea…”
He shared his plan, while Jiang Ningxue frowned slightly, thinking as she listened to his ideas. Could this really be something a thirteen-year-old could come up with? If he had truly grown up, was happiness still far away?

The young man speaking before him had already become a husband whom Jiang Ningxue could rely on in her eyes: “Mm, Ayu, I’ll follow your advice. You’ve thought it through very well!”
“The finger that pulls the trigger is more important than the best foreign rifle.”
“I’m your good sister and also your little wife; I support you!”
“Mm.” Liu Yu replied, but then let out a soft groan.
Jiang Ningxue lowered her head and gave his forehead a gentle kiss: “It’s your first time…”
“It’s also the first time in my life…” Liu Yu thought to himself, remembering the gentle kiss on his forehead: “I won’t wash my face tonight.”
Having experienced two lives, he was pure-hearted at this moment.
…
Another dawn arrived.
Zhang Biao paced back and forth, waiting anxiously.
Yesterday, they had received fifty-six breechloaders, fifty-four long rifles, two short rifles, and forty repeating rifles—an enormous amount of ammunition.
Yet none of these weapons had been distributed yet—even within the Liu Army, no distribution had taken place. Only Liu Yu himself had taken one fifteen-shot repeating rifle and a revolver.
This time, upon entering the city, he also got a breechloader and a highly powerful single-shot gun. Its firing rate was a bit slow, but after witnessing the textbook-like performance of the repeating rifle, he wanted one right away.
Nothing was happening. Only Liu Haohao had worked all night, supervising hundreds of Vietnamese prisoners to work through the night.
Those Vietnamese prisoners used to be extremely lazy, but somehow, under Liu Haohao’s influence, they worked with great enthusiasm.
All the key points in the city were under the control of the Liu Army, and notices to calm the people had been posted. Sima Tai led people to inventory the warehouses overnight—everything was under control.
In other words, everything had fallen apart. None of Zhang Biao’s desires for destruction and looting had been fulfilled.
Just as he grew impatient, a flag was suddenly raised, followed by urgent orders: “Emergency assembly! Emergency assembly!”
It was just dawn, and many people had just woken up from sleep, but Zhang Biao was already outside: “I’ll be the first!”
No matter how fast he ran, by the time he reached the square, many people were already there in line, all looking serious.
Zhang Biao glanced around and saw that it was all the older members of the Liu Army: “Damn it! Could it be that this kid wants to favor his own people? That won’t do.”
“Line up and report your numbers!”
The latercomers made the line even more chaotic, but thankfully, everyone could still form rows of ten. Zhang Biao managed to secure a good front-row position.
“At ease!” It was Lian Jincheng, who had been called in temporarily.
Those who hadn’t received any training in formation still caused chaos, but the older members of the Liu Army stood straight, waiting for Liu Yu’s next order.
Almost everyone in the Liu Army, except for those on duty to control the key points in the city, was here. Zhang Biao also kept a close eye on Liu Yu: “How is this kid planning to distribute these foreign rifles? No wonder he wants to back out. Everyone will get a breechloader, but he promised it himself.”

Liu Yu had been a soldier, and even now he stood upright. He saluted the crowd with a military gesture, his gaze sharp as lightning. As his eyes swept over the entire formation, everyone immediately fell silent. Even the newcomers who hadn’t received any drill training stood straight, eager to see Liu Yu’s inspection. Zhang Biao had already spotted the Winchester 15-shot shotgun; Liu Yu had already picked it up. “This is a Winchester 15-shot shotgun—it’s also our best weapon!” In the morning light, Liu Yu said to his soldiers, “He is one of the most outstanding members of the Liu Yu Battalion!”