Chapter 5: The Merit Pagoda, First Heaven

Upon seeing Xie Min's body for the first time, Yue Weihua suddenly felt a sharp pain in his heart, as if it were being pricked by a needle. An unusual sensation and a different kind of emotion surged into his heart in an instant. Yue Weihua understood that this was the mark left by his great-grandfather, which also made him realize just how deeply infatuated his great-grandfather had been.

" ? ''

Is there a specific evaluation criterion?

Elder, did you recover any bodies of the victims yesterday?

"Brother Hai, but the body of our adoptive father has not yet been found," Yue Hu said somewhat unwillingly.

Yue Weihua was pushed by Yue Hai and, upon hearing his words, finally emerged from his deep sorrow. He then released Xie Min's body, stood up, and with a bitter smile said: "Xiao Hai, Xiao Hu, you are worried again. Don't worry, I am fine, I know my limits"

Although it is somewhat excessive, Yue Weihua understands that he has little room for negotiation. However, since he has acquired merit points, it is only natural to exchange them for some weapons for self-defense. In these times, having a gun in hand certainly provides a greater sense of confidence. As the saying goes, with a gun in hand, the world is mine.

Soon, everyone began to act according to Yue Weihua's plan. Yue Weihua also rented some fishing boats from the fishermen, a total of more than 10 small fishing boats, which swiftly set out downstream, while Yue Xiang personally led a team to search along the riverbank

10,000 merit points

Knock knock knock

Although Yue Weihua did not know how many Chinese lives were lost in the Black Water River on the first day of the Hailanpao tragedy, it was certainly far more than the current number of hundreds of bodies. Moreover, since even Yue Weiyun and others were able to be rescued, it stands to reason that these fishermen would also recover the bodies and conduct burials.

Alright, let's proceed with this

With the deployment of the fleet, more than ten small boats quickly transformed into a recovery team for the bodies. Following the current, they moved downstream along the shore, continuously discovering the bodies of the victims, among which were several members of the Yue family. Additionally, the body of Yue Weihua's wife, Xie Min, was also found

Brother Hua

Only 102

Good

The Type 38 rifle features a simple and reliable structure. Its bolt mechanism is based on the front locking bolt of the Mauser rifle, but it has been further improved with a locking compression pin that overcomes the shortcomings of the Mauser rifle while retaining its advantages. Notably, its bolt mechanism is exceptionally robust; in the event of a chamber explosion, it is almost always the barrel that ruptures, with very few instances of the bolt handle breaking.

A comparison of the two sets of data clearly shows that the Type 38 rifle is somewhat superior. However, the Type 38 rifle has a significant drawback, which is that its caliber is 6.5 millimeters, differing from the internationally standard 7.92 millimeters. This results in the ammunition being exclusively reliant on the exchange with Yue Weihua, as it is unlikely that Yue Weihua could establish an advanced arms factory in a short period of time

The Mosin-Nagant rifle is a manually operated rifle with a rotating bolt and a magazine-fed system. Its drawbacks include a relatively complex design, as well as being rough and outdated, resulting in an overall operation that feels somewhat clumsy. Of course, this assessment is made from the perspective of later generations

Elder brother

That is good. Yue Hai nodded and then continued, "Elder brother, we have searched more than 10 miles downstream, and we have passed several shallows along the way. Now, the number of bodies we encounter is decreasing, and the sun has already risen. The boat captains seem to think that our search mission should come to an end.

Conversely, if the M1907 carbine is chosen, the ammunition can be interchangeable with that of the Russian Empire. It is no exaggeration to say that there will certainly be a large quantity of captured Russian weapons and ammunition in the future. If they are not compatible, it would be a waste.

At the very moment the fleet docked, a series of thumping sounds echoed in Yue Weihua's mind, followed by a convulsion of all his muscles, and then he collapsed onto the ship, losing consciousness.

"Young Master Yue, indeed, before dark yesterday, the villagers recovered quite a number of bodies. However, due to the hot weather and the fear of an outbreak of plague, they all took the opportunity of the night to bury them on a hill over there," the old man replied, pointing to a hill about one hundred meters away.

No

It is indeed difficult to make a decision. Well, I will think it over some more, as there is no rush for the time being. For now, I should focus on earning more merit points. After all, a single water bead requires 5 merit points, and with the few merit points I currently have, I cannot arm many people. Oh no, I guess Yue Hai and Yue Hu outside will be anxious again. I should return to my original form first...

102

However, if one were to choose the Mosin-Nagant rifle, it would certainly be the improved version, such as the M1907 carbine, as it was finalized in 1910, which falls within the selection range. The overall length of the M1907 is 1,015 millimeters, the empty weight is 3.3 kilograms, the barrel length is 508 millimeters, the muzzle velocity is 560 meters per second, and the magazine capacity is 5 rounds

However, after consulting for half a day, Yue Weiyun still found it difficult to decide which rifle to exchange for. In the end, after eliminating options one by one, he was left hesitating between two models of rifles.

"Brother Hai, the elder brother has been holding the sister-in-law's body for almost half an hour now. Why don't you go and persuade him? We can't let him seek death again." Yue Hu reminded with concern.

After a long search, at least hundreds of bodies have been recovered. These small fishing boats cannot carry them all at once; instead, they stop at villages along the way and pay local residents to bury the bodies on the spot. Of course, for the bodies of the Yue family members, they spend a significant amount of money to hire villagers or entrust them to Yue Xiang and others who are searching on the shore, asking them to transport the bodies to the first fishing village. When the time comes for burial, it will likely require further discussion.

Yue Weihua's collapse into unconsciousness caused Yue Hai and Yue Hu to shout in panic, even screaming hysterically. Of course, Yue Weihua was unaware of this. At this moment, Yue Weihua's consciousness once again arrived in that void, standing before that dilapidated temple, oh no, it was before the Ninefold Heaven Merit Tower.

One model is the Mosin-Nagant rifle from Tsarist Russia, which began to be adopted by the Tsarist army around 1890. The Mosin-Nagant rifle is one of the earliest military rifles to use smokeless powder. Due to its crisp sound, reminiscent of water droplets falling, it earned the nickname "Water Droplet Pearl." By 1900, the Water Droplet Pearl was undoubtedly a high-quality rifle, and only the elite troops of the Qing Dynasty's new army were equipped with a few. Even fewer were found in civilian circulation, although the Yue Family Escort Agency did possess a few.

Yue Weihua suppressed a surge of joy and cautiously inquired, "So, how many merit points will I receive for that?"

The appearance of the merit pagoda has not changed much; it remains a single-layered slanted tower, square in shape with distinct angles. However, the originally dilapidated windows and doors, as well as the decorative elements such as the glazed tiles and wind chimes, seem to have undergone some restoration, and it appears to have become more solemn and dignified.

Brother Ta, if you are to advance to the Second Heaven, how many merit points will I need to accumulate?

Another model, which we are all very familiar with, is the Japanese Type 38 rifle, developed successfully in 1905, and it served as a main battle rifle during World War II. Our militia even used it until 1970

With this explanation, Yue Weihua understood much more. Firstly, actions must be led and decided by oneself. If the people being led are all subordinates, then the merits and fortune can be greater, and the rewards one receives will also be more. Secondly, saving a life yields a relatively fixed merit point, which is 1 merit point.

As Yue Weihua's thoughts stirred, his ethereal form directly appeared within the tower. The interior space of the tower had not changed much, but the lighting seemed to have improved significantly, becoming much brighter. Upon looking around, he was surprised to find an additional statue of a Bodhisattva, the identity of which he could not discern. Moreover, formless clouds of energy swirled around the statue, appearing enigmatic and elusive.

What is going on?" Yue Weihua asked as he quickly approached the light screen.

"Come on, isn't it up to you to decide how much to give?" Yue Weihua said, somewhat exasperated.

Perhaps it was due to observing Yue Weihua's sincere attitude that this time the light screen did not quickly refuse, but instead paused for a moment before displaying the answer: "In accordance with the current situation, the following suggestions can be made: First, although this charitable act was proposed by you, you are not the highest or sole leader and decision-maker, and the individuals leading the effort are not your subordinates, thus the merit and fortune are relatively limited, and you can only receive a reward of 100 points; second, for saving two lives, a reward of 2 points will be granted"

Ah. Yue Hai shook his head helplessly, then walked over to Yue Weihua's side and reminded him: "Elder brother, a person cannot be brought back to life after death. I hope you can find solace in this, so that sister-in-law's spirit in heaven may also be comforted"

Basic information of the Type 38 rifle: caliber 6.5 mm, ammunition 6.5x50mmSR rifle cartridge, magazine capacity 5 rounds, overall length 1280 mm, barrel length 797 mm, weight 3.95 kg, muzzle velocity 765 meters per second, effective range 460 meters

Alright

Oh, this dilapidated temple seems to have undergone some changes

The merit tower has successfully advanced to the first level. Therefore, if one were to exchange for the weapon that Yue Weihua personally uses, one can choose a good one, selecting something familiar, provided that there are enough merit points. However, it is evident that Yue Weihua intends to establish his own power, so the focus will certainly be on exchanging for products that are widely available. Thus, one can only exchange for weapons that have already appeared or those that will emerge in the next ten years in history.

The merit tower has been activated, successfully advancing to the first heaven

Indeed, that is also true. Uncle Xiang, I think we should take advantage of the fact that it is not yet fully light and that the Russian warships have not yet appeared on the river. Let us divide our manpower: one group can row along the riverbank to search, while another group can search downstream on the shore. Additionally, we should leave some people behind to ask the villagers for help in quickly burying the bodies of the others. As for the bodies of our Yue family members, we will temporarily assign someone to keep watch over them and discuss further arrangements after the search is concluded.

A very simple answer, yet it brought great joy to Yue Weihua. The merit tower successfully advanced to the first level, which means that Yue Weihua can now exchange items. Furthermore, this space with a radius of three zhang will become his mobile storage space.

Upon seeing this response, Yue Weihua felt somewhat relieved, yet still harbored some reluctance, as this could potentially affect his future choices. Therefore, he patiently inquired once more: "Well, Brother Ta, could you perhaps provide a slight hint this time, so that I may have some understanding in my heart."

Forget it, let's go in and take a look first

Then I will have the captains find the next village and dock there said Yue Hai

No, the Merit Tower rewards you with merit points in proportion to the amount of accumulated merit and fortune, and it absolutely will not engage in any form of embezzlement.

"Xiao Hu, Hai Ge is right, it is already getting late, and I fear that the ships of the Tsarist Russia are about to set out on their patrols. Moreover, it seems there is nothing further down, and we have not found anything here. However, perhaps Uncle Xiang has found something on his side." Yue Weihua said softly

"Young clan leader, I believe the remains of the clan leader and the others should not be among those buried by the villagers, as we only drifted here very late last night, and the villagers did not attempt to recover any bodies after dark" Yue Weiyun quickly explained