Chapter 10 Fairness

Along the riverbank, willow branches sway gently, their tender green tendrils almost touching the clear water.

A simple dessert shop is set up under the dense shade of several old willow trees.

Several square tables and benches in the natural wood color were almost full of guests taking a break, thanks to the rare warm and sunny weather at the end of spring and the beginning of summer.

The air was filled with a sweet aroma, a mixture of soft, glutinous red bean paste, translucent jelly, and the sweet fragrance of osmanthus-scented rice balls in front of Tang Xiaoning.

Tang Xiaoning used a small porcelain spoon to scoop up a round and cute glutinous rice ball coated with sweet fermented rice wine, and put it into her mouth with satisfaction.

The cool, smooth texture and sweet taste melted instantly on her tongue, making her squint her eyes in enjoyment, like a satisfied cat.

She let out a long sigh of relief, with a touch of coquettish complaint: "Phew—this is what life is all about!"

The water in that bowl at the tea stall was practically horse feed—it was bitter and astringent! Minghua, you should try some of mine too!

As she spoke, she scooped up another glutinous rice ball and naturally handed it to Li Minghua, her eyes sparkling with the joy of sharing.

Sitting opposite her was Li Minghua, in front of her was a bowl of the simplest mung bean soup with a few boiled mung beans floating on top.

She sipped the drink with a small spoon, her posture still bearing the uprightness of a martial arts practitioner.

Compared to her initial aloofness when she first entered the Tang residence, her expression had softened considerably, as if the bustling city and the chatter of those around her had gently smoothed out some of the wrinkles in her heart.

She glanced at the spoon Tang Xiaoning handed her, shook her head slightly, and said indifferently, "Too sweet."

But his gaze immediately fell on Tang Xiaoning's face, which was particularly lively because of the food.

"Minghua," Tang Xiaoning put away her spoon and happily ate the dumpling herself.

Her body leaned forward unconsciously, she lowered her voice, and her almond-shaped eyes shone with an almost worshipful light:

"The way you caught that thief at the tea stall just now was so...so cool!"

She couldn't find a more fitting word, so she could only use the most direct exclamation: "Just like that 'whoosh'! The hand grabbed him so fast that I couldn't even see it, and he was like he was nailed to the spot, unable to move at all."

That was a hundred times more decisive and efficient than the chivalrous heroes in those folk tales who apprehended petty thieves!

Her cheeks flushed with excitement: "This is true chivalry, upholding justice, and eliminating evil, right?"

The proprietress of the dessert shop happened to be passing by with another bowl of dessert. When she heard the words "chivalrous" and "acting on behalf of Heaven," she couldn't help but look at Li Minghua a few more times out of curiosity.

Two young men at the next table, who looked like scholars, also seemed to be drawn to the topic and listened attentively.

Li Minghua put down the small spoon in her hand, and the porcelain spoon made a crisp sound as it touched the rim of the bowl.

Looking at Tang Xiaoning's excitedly glowing face, she paused for a moment, feeling it necessary to correct this young lady's overly romantic perception.

“It’s not exactly chivalrous.” Her voice was not loud, but clear and steady.

"Huh?" Tang Xiaoning's smile froze instantly.

Her spoon froze in mid-air, her large eyes filled with astonishment: "How can it not count? He stole my purse, he's a bad guy! You caught him and got my purse back for me, isn't that acting on behalf of heaven and upholding justice?"

“First of all,” Li Minghua analyzed clearly, as if dissecting a sword move, “he stole your purse.”

"I am employed by you as your bodyguard, and protecting your property and personal safety is my duty as stipulated in the contract."

She looked at Tang Xiaoning with an open and honest gaze: "Secondly,"

She paused, her tone still flat, but the content carried the weight of reality:

"If it was truly a case of intervening in injustice and drawing one's sword to help, according to the rules and ethics of the underworld, one should at least hand him over to the authorities, take his statement, and investigate his accomplices and the place where he sold stolen goods in order to eliminate future troubles, rather than simply telling him to 'get lost' and letting him go."

Tang Xiaoning was completely stunned. She blinked, a little confused: "But...but didn't you tell him to 'get lost'? You even squeezed his wrist until he cried out in pain! Isn't that punishment?"

“Hmm.” Li Minghua nodded, acknowledging the fact that he had let him go, “because if we had turned him over to the authorities, we would both have had to spend time going to the yamen to testify, and the process would have been complicated.”

Her gaze fell on Tang Xiaoning's face, which still held some lingering fear, now replaced by confusion. Her voice seemed to soften slightly:

"You are clearly frightened and unsettled, and you want to leave that place of trouble as soon as possible and have a bowl of sweet soup to calm your nerves."

Meeting Tang Xiaoning's puzzled gaze, she frankly gave the most realistic answer:

"After weighing the options, letting him go is the fastest way to get you out and restore stability."

Therefore, this is a comprehensive consideration based on duty, efficiency, and your current situation, not out of pure 'chivalry'.

Tang Xiaoning opened her mouth, feeling her boiling, fervent admiration instantly cooled and solidified as if a bucket of ice-cold water had been poured over her.

Her little face fell, and she unconsciously stirred the glutinous rice balls in her bowl with her spoon, muttering to herself with a hint of resentment and grievance:

"But...but the outcome is always good! I got my purse back, and that bastard got what he deserved; his wrist is probably bruised...isn't that enough?"

"His wrists will be bruised and painful for several days, which is a small price he pays for his actions," Li Minghua commented objectively.

Then, his tone shifted abruptly, becoming almost cruelly calm: "But if he recovers his skills and steals from others again, then the consequences will have nothing to do with you and me who let him go today."

The scholars at the next table exchanged a glance, seemingly finding the woman in blue's words too cold.

These words were like a fine needle, puncturing the bubble of Tang Xiaoning's idealized dream of chivalry and revenge.

She put down her spoon completely, and the sugar water in the bowl no longer seemed so tempting.

She looked up at Li Minghua, her eyes filled with confusion and a hint of disappointment:

"Minghua, are all of you who have truly ventured into the martial world... so... so concerned about gains and losses?"

Shouldn't we be like in the folk tales, where people draw their swords to help those in need?

Does chivalry require calculating the costs before acting?

Li Minghua did not avoid her questioning gaze. In the depths of those clear eyes, something dormant seemed to be touched, and a shadow of sadness crossed over them.

She recalled the heavy, helpless sigh her master uttered in front of the dilapidated mountain gate when he disbanded the sect.

Her voice was lower than before, carrying a weight of experience from having lived through reality:

"Drawing a sword requires sufficient strength."

Helping others always comes at a price.

Time, energy, money, and even...

She didn't say the word, but the meaning was clear: "Back then, the Qingfeng Sect also rescued many people in distress and sheltered the weak who were being hunted down by enemies, regardless of the cost. The sect's reputation was once at its peak."

She paused, and the somber mood seemed to deepen for a moment: "But in the end, we couldn't even preserve the sect's foundation that we had protected for generations."

On the day we parted ways, my master told me that it is good to have kind thoughts and help those in distress.

But before that, the first thing to do is ensure that you can survive in this turbulent world; you need to have the ability…

Her gaze refocused on Tang Xiaoning's face, the sadness replaced by a focused gentleness: "Protect the truly important people around you."

She looked at Tang Xiaoning, who seemed lost in thought after hearing her words, and her voice unconsciously softened:

"For example, today, if there was more than one thief, or if there were accomplices waiting in the shadows at the alley entrance, and you rashly got entangled with them and dragged it out for a long time, you might be dragged into danger without any warning, causing unnecessary trouble or even harm."

Her gaze was fixed on Tang Xiaoning, and every word she spoke carried a heavy weight:

"Compared to your safety, that vague reputation for 'chivalry' is utterly insignificant."

The willow branches swayed gently in the breeze, and the sweet aroma of the syrup still lingered in the air. But as Tang Xiaoning held the bowl, she felt that Li Minghua's words resonated with her even more than the bowl of chilled glutinous rice balls.

That wasn't indifference, but a deeper, more pragmatic protection that placed Tang Xiaoning, the person she was, truly at the very core.

Tang Xiaoning fell silent.

She held the bowl of sweet osmanthus rice balls, which were no longer cold, her spoon resting on the rim of the bowl, her eyes unfocused.

Li Minghua's calm, almost cold, analysis was like an invisible key, unlocking details deep within her memory that had been overlooked.

When Li Minghua mentioned the fleeting sadness in her eyes when the Qingfeng Sect disbanded, her faded and patched old clothes when they first met, and even the tense yet restrained shoulders when she first ate a hot meal in the Tang family kitchen.

The carefree and romantic world of chivalry that she longed for was, in Li Minghua's case, built on a cold foundation of repeated weighing of realities, considerations for survival, and perhaps even hunger and loss.

It turns out that the word "jianghu" (江湖, the martial arts world) carries such a heavy weight in Li Nvxia's world.

Her long eyelashes trembled slightly, and her knuckles unconsciously gripped the rim of the bowl.

“So…” Tang Xiaoning’s voice was so soft, as if she was afraid of disturbing something, carrying a hint of probing and disappointment.

She raised her eyes to look at Li Minghua, who was sitting calmly opposite her: "When you agreed to be my bodyguard, was it because... after weighing the options, you felt it was... the best choice?"

She wanted to know whether, in Li Minghua's "cost theory," she, as an employer, was initially just an option based on pros and cons.

"Yes." Li Minghua's answer was crisp and decisive, without the slightest hesitation, and he met her gaze frankly.

"You need someone to protect you and keep you entertained, I need money and a place to stay. It's fair that we each get what we need."