“Shall we go take a look together?” An Jiu turned and asked Chu Dijiang.

Lou Xiaowu only then noticed the handsome man sitting opposite. She shyly greeted him, “Elder, I’m from the Lou family. My name is Xiaowu.”

Chu Dijiang nodded slightly.

Most men Lou Xiaowu knew were refined and scholarly types. Seeing such a rugged man made her nervous. She leaned close to An Jiu and whispered, “I didn’t expect your father to be so young.”

An Jiu sensed Chu Dijiang’s mood instantly sour.

Although the Mei and Lou families had intermarried in the past, they hadn’t associated for many years. Lou Xiaowu knew little about the Mei family affairs and was unaware that Mei Jiu’s father had passed away over a decade ago.

“Elder, would you like to come along?” An Jiu asked, the corners of her mouth curving upward.

Chu Dijiang stood up and calmly said, “Let’s go.”

Lou Xiaowu looked up at Chu Dijiang and exclaimed, “Elder, you’re so tall!”

She then turned to An Jiu and said, “Fourteen, you don’t take after your parents at all. I’m almost taller than you now!”

An Jiu didn’t explain on Chu Dijiang’s behalf, instead pulling Lou Xiaowu out the door.

Lou Xiaowu chattered incessantly about the handgun along the way, completely ignoring the displeased figure behind them.

Soon, the three arrived at a dilapidated dwelling.

An Jiu looked around, noticing that not only was the house in ruins, but the surrounding area within ten Zhang was barren, with only some charred tree trunks remaining.

Lou Xiaowu led An Jiu into a surviving stone house, enthusiastically saying, “Make yourselves at home!”

The tables and chairs were covered in thick dust, and the air was heavy with the smell of sulfur and saltpeter. One corner was piled with various metal scraps. Lou Xiaowu quickly assembled some parts into a gun about ten cun long.

“This is a bit larger than what you described, but it’s the best I’ve managed after repeated adjustments,” Lou Xiaowu said, slightly disappointed but quickly becoming excited again. “Let’s go outside and try it.”

Suddenly, the light in the room dimmed.

Both girls looked up to see Chu Dijiang ducking to enter, his tall frame almost completely blocking the small doorway.

“Elder…” Lou Xiaowu wanted to ask him not to block the way, but seeing the gloomy expression on his face highlighted by the light from behind, she shrank back and nudged An Jiu with her elbow.

“Elder, please don’t block the way,” An Jiu said on her behalf.

Chu Dijiang gave An Jiu a long look before stepping aside.

The two girls went outside to test the handgun in the open space by the door.

Chu Dijiang leaned against the doorframe with his arms crossed, watching An Jiu’s profile. His earlier slight displeasure stemmed from An Jiu’s apparent unwillingness to acknowledge what had happened that night, and in the days they’d spent together, she hadn’t shown any shyness or unusual behavior, leaving him unable to discern her thoughts.

The glaring snow reflected off An Jiu’s focused and pretty face.

Chu Dijiang suddenly smiled, realizing he was overthinking things. An Jiu had always been direct and sharp in her words and actions. There was nothing to ponder.

Bang!

A gunshot rang out, startling birds foraging in the snow.

It didn’t seem to cause any visible damage, but with Chu Dijiang’s spiritual power, he could sense the impact the bullet had made on a tree about a hundred paces away.

An Jiu watched the wisp of smoke rising from the gun barrel and slowly exhaled, “Not bad.”

However, her expectations had been too high. The gun Lou Xiaowu had made had excellent range and accuracy, but also many flaws. For instance, due to the materials used for the bullets and barrel, firing produced a lot of heat, meaning the gun couldn’t be fired rapidly in succession without risking the body exploding.

But for the Song Dynasty, this handgun was already very advanced.

“How much does it cost to make one handgun?” Chu Dijiang suddenly asked.

“Well…” Lou Xiaowu scratched her head. “I don’t know. You’d have to ask Sister Zhu.”

All the materials were provided by Zhu Pianpian, and Lou Xiaowu never inquired about the costs.

An Jiu asked, “Are you thinking of introducing it to the army?”

Chu Dijiang shook his head. “No, but I think General Ling would be very interested in this.”

Ling Ziyue was so close to yet so far from Bianjing, confined on an island. All his pain was magnified there, eroding his will day by day. He needed something to keep him busy, to forget his feelings.

“Let’s have a competition,” An Jiu suggested.

“What kind of competition?” Lou Xiaowu asked.

An Jiu raised the gun in her hand. It still had three bullets. They would each use one bullet to see who could shoot more birds.

Lou Xiaowu could make guns, but she wasn’t necessarily skilled at using them. Judging from her previous test shots, hitting even one bird with ten bullets would be an exceptional performance for her.

“Alright!” Chu Dijiang walked over.

“I need to prepare first.” An Jiu shoved the gun into his hands and darted back into the house.

Lou Xiaowu, not daring to face Chu Dijiang alone, quickly followed, “Fourteen, wait for me.”

The two tinkered inside for a while before coming out.

Chu Dijiang removed the magazine to check it, then reinserted it.

By now, the startled birds had begun to settle back onto the snowy ground in small groups.

“When do we start?” Chu Dijiang was quite confident in his aim.

“Let’s wait for more birds to gather,” An Jiu said, her eyes gleaming as if she already saw a plate of roasted quail before her.