"Hesitation is defeat."-Isshin Ashina
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In battle, there's little time for thought or hesitation. Often, one must act on fleeting instincts. A moment's doubt creates an opening for the enemy.
Therefore, hesitation is forbidden!
Qin Yu's eyes snapped open. She drew her revolver, placed it at her waist, and with one hand pressed the hammer while the other pulled the trigger.
A bang echoed as light flashed.
But it wasn't over yet. She struck the hammer again and pulled the trigger!
Five consecutive shots fired, five bullets hurtling toward the target. Three found their mark in the wooden block, while two chose freedom, disappearing into the unknown beyond.
About 60% accuracy, she thought. Not bad, I suppose.
Qin Yu had hoped to achieve the divine marksmanship of video game protagonists, but reality proved less forgiving.
Even with skill upgrades, the results fell short of perfection, though still serviceable.
[ Gun Iaido 1 ] - This was one of the new skills she'd acquired yesterday. For ten seconds after drawing her weapon, accuracy, firing speed, and stability all improved. The revolver also unlocked a special effect called "Quick Fire."
That's what had just enabled her five-shot barrage.
Though she didn't know the bullet caliber, based on her limited game knowledge of revolvers, calling it .44 Iaido seemed reasonable for now.
She'd also upgraded another skill:
[ Fast Reload 1 ] - A straightforward effect that increased reload speed for any weapon.
If she ever switched to crossbows or bows instead of guns, this skill would work just as well.
Qin Yu pulled out bullets and loaded them into the cylinder with mechanical precision and speed. She placed the revolver in her waist holster, then drew it again and fired five rounds in quick succession.
Two out of five hits—40% accuracy... Why did it decrease?! Qin Yu sighed.
Without the bonus from Iaido, she might have only hit once, or even missed completely.
"So this means I can only use it at very close range... No, I need more practice."
Upon further consideration, there was no need to obsess over the five-round burst. If drawing the gun increased accuracy and stability, then...
Qin Yu drew her pistol and fired. One shot, one hit.
Success! As expected, normal shooting proved more accurate than the five-round burst. Though lacking in suppressive power, this rapid deployment made it ideal for seizing initiative.
Heh heh, my combat capabilities are rising steadily.
But relying solely on a pistol still left her firepower lacking. She needed to save up points for new weapons... Qin Yu's thoughts quickly drifted to the social media platform.
Decision made—I'll visit Shenhe today too!
Any battle requires thorough preparation beforehand. As previously mentioned, "A craftsman must first sharpen his tools to do good work." This time, Qin Yu decided to bridge the gap between them even further.
To achieve this, she specifically purchased a book said to be particularly useful:
[Hand-Holding Guide to Closing the Distance Between Same-Sex Individuals!]
...Though she'd bought it, the title seemed excessively cringeworthy. Could the entire book really be filled with common-sense advice everyone already knows?
She found it utterly unbelievable.
But since she'd already bought it, there was no harm in taking a look.
Learning how to distinguish useful information from nonsense was part of the process, after all.
Or so she thought.
Qin Yu opened the book and began reading carefully. As expected, the book was full of empty clichés like "Start with what they're interested in" and other such drivel.
Well, social interactions were always like that anyway.
"Tsk, I've been tricked."
This book was more expensive than others, and now she realized why - the price came from the thick paper and the sheer amount of pointless content.
Whether she could resell it second-hand was questionable, but at worst, it could always be used as firewood. Toilet paper was out of the question—though thick, its quality was poor. Using it might give young people with hemorrhoids a hard time.
However, one point mentioned in the book sparked an idea.
She could cook for Shenhe.
Generally speaking, treating someone to a meal could strengthen friendship (if they got along well). But would Shenhe agree to go down the mountain with her to a restaurant or food stall?
Hmm... She probably would. Though Shenhe's expressions were limited, she clearly valued this friendship.
No, precisely because she cherishes this friendship, this is the perfect approach. I should use homemade dishes to touch her heart!
"Shenhe, this is a meal I prepared. Please enjoy!"
"Mm, delicious. Thank you. You're my best friend."
It might very well develop like this.
Perfect! This is a flawless plan!
This is it—today I'll win Shenhe's heart with cooking. With the "Cooking Skill 1" bonus, even as a mountain forest lady, how could I possibly fail?
I'm truly a genius, just as expected.
But even so, what to make is still a dilemma.
I remember Shenhe mentioned she usually eats medicinal herbs without any seasoning, resulting in bitter flavors. If that's the case, perhaps anything I make will be an improvement.
Since I'm visiting her, I need to consider keeping the food warm.
Making some dishes sounds good. If they have a pot there, I can reheat everything. Besides main dishes, I should also prepare soup. Immortal descendants probably don't have dietary restrictions, so perhaps an egg soup?
"In any case, I should go buy ingredients first."
If I'm going to make something, I'll make it the best!
I head to the market to purchase ingredients.
"How much for this chicken?"
"Oh, this one? That price."
"Hmm~ Big brother, can you make it a bit cheaper?"
"Th-then this price..."
I've managed to cut the price by a fifth. Ah, the face of a young girl really is useful. Especially for these burly men - just call them "brother" with a delicate voice, and their attitude softens immediately.
Heh heh, men really are predictable.
"Sister, how much for these potatoes in Mora?"
"Chuckles, I'll give you this price."
It's the same with women. If they're slightly older, I call them "sister" and compliment their beauty. That softens their attitude too.
Hmph, women.
When dealing with elderly people, I tell them I'm making delicious food for friends and chat with them a bit. If I throw in some flattery now and then, I can usually get a good price.
Hmph, old people.
Heh, everyone's been deceived by my perfect act. I'm in a great mood!
Back at home, Qin Yu immediately set about preparing the dishes.
Since she'd decided to make them carefully, she couldn't afford to be sloppy. The meat needed to be flavorful, and her knife skills had to be precise. Fortunately, she didn't need to worry about presentation, which saved her some effort.
Qin Yu wiped the sweat from her forehead and transferred the cooked dishes into the lunch box.
The box had two layers - the bottom one for rice, the top one for the dishes. The soup went directly into a bottle. Wait, did they have utensils over there? If not, she'd have to bring... bring a set over.
Everything was ready. Time to set out.
What would she say when the time came? Just thinking about it made her a bit excited... No, it wasn't that she needed to praise herself, but this way she'd earn more points.