Chapter 11 Please help her, I beg you.

Li Minghua stated an objective fact in his tone, as calmly as he described the weather today.

As soon as she finished speaking, she looked at Tang Xiaoning's eyes, which had dimmed instantly as if their starlight had been extinguished, and her heart clenched inexplicably. A strange impulse drove her forward.

She lowered her eyelashes and gently stirred the remaining mung bean soup in the bowl with a spoon, the pale green liquid swirling around.

She paused for a moment, and just when Tang Xiaoning thought the conversation was over, Li Minghua's voice rang out again, lower than before, carrying an uncertainty she hadn't expected: "However..."

She paused, seemingly considering her words, but ultimately followed her heart:

"Now I think this job is more...interesting than I expected."

She spoke the last word very softly, with a hint of awkwardness.

Tang Xiaoning suddenly raised her head, and her eyes, which had just dimmed, suddenly shone brightly again, like dry grass thrown into a flint.

"real?"

Her voice was filled with disbelief and surprise. She leaned forward unconsciously, staring intently at Li Minghua's face, afraid of missing even the slightest change in her expression.

"Mmm." Li Minghua didn't look up at her overly intense gaze, but simply responded softly.

Her gaze remained fixed on the bowl of mung bean soup, and she stirred the bottom of the bowl with her spoon as if studying some profound pattern, her voice so soft it was almost carried away by the wind.

"The sweet soup is also very delicious."

Her earlobes seemed to have been subtly tinged with a light red.

A warm current, like spring water thawing, washed away the little knot of disappointment swirling in Tang Xiaoning's heart.

She suddenly understood.

Li Minghua's "calculations" and "weighing" are never cold-hearted, but rather a profound pragmatism rooted in reality and imbued with a sense of responsibility.

That heart was not devoid of chivalrous passion; it was just that her "chivalry," after experiencing the storms of life, first manifested in her comprehensive protection of the person she had promised to protect.

A light of understanding shone in her eyes.

"I understand!" Tang Xiaoning's voice regained its usual clear and cheerful tone, the gloom on her face vanished, and she radiated a bright new glow.

She immediately picked up her small spoon and, without hesitation, scooped a plump, round glutinous rice ball, coated with glistening fermented rice and golden osmanthus blossoms, from her own bowl. She generously offered it to Li Minghua, almost touching her spoon, her smile dazzlingly bright.

"Come on, Minghua, try mine! It's made with osmanthus wine, so sweet!"

Well... thank you for your 'duty' and 'efficiency assessment' today!

Her tone was playful and teasing, but her eyes were incredibly sincere and earnest.

Li Minghua was stunned.

Looking at the spoon that was suddenly extended in front of her, so close, and Tang Xiaoning's eyes, which were smiling like crescent moons and full of expectation.

Sharing food, especially feeding someone directly to your mouth like this...

In her past life of hardship, self-discipline, and constant vigilance in the underworld, this intimate behavior was extremely unfamiliar and even somewhat transgressive.

She subconsciously tensed up, her gaze shifting for a moment between the round, sweet-smelling dumpling and Tang Xiaoning's expectant smile.

Li Minghua ultimately succumbed to those bright, sparkling eyes.

She took a barely perceptible breath, leaned forward slightly, and awkwardly opened her mouth to take the dumpling into her mouth with Tang Xiaoning's firm hand.

The soft glutinous rice melted on her tongue, and the rich aroma of fermented rice wine and the sweet fragrance of osmanthus instantly filled her mouth. It was a taste completely different from the austere food she was used to, so sweet that it was even a little cloying.

"...Very sweet." She swallowed the glutinous rice ball and commented briefly.

She tried her best to maintain her usual calm expression, but her fair and delicate earlobes were now so red they looked like they were about to bleed.

"Right!" Tang Xiaoning said triumphantly, as if she had won a battle, and put the spoon away.

She scooped up a large spoonful and put it in her mouth, her cheeks puffed out, and she smiled like a cat that had finally stolen its beloved dried fish, her eyes curving into two crescent moons.

"So, Minghua," she said, her voice slightly muffled but full of energy, "besides protecting me, catching thieves, and analyzing cases, you'll also have to occasionally have something sweet with me."

"Try to savor the good things in this authentic world; it's your hidden duty as a martial arts advisor! It's very important!"

As she spoke, she nodded seriously.

Li Minghua watched as she instantly regained her composure, chattering away nonstop, with not a trace of gloom in her eyes.

The slight worry that arose in my heart due to differing beliefs also dissipated quietly, like a thin mist driven away by the sunlight.

She lowered her head and silently took a sip of the bland, slightly bitter mung bean soup in her bowl, trying to dilute the overly sweet taste in her mouth.

The thick, sweet flavor lingered stubbornly on the tip of the tongue, assertively proclaiming its presence.

It seems... not so hard to accept?

Sunlight filtered through the swaying willow leaves, casting dappled patterns of light on the small wooden table, gently enveloping the two people sitting at it.

One still yearns for the romantic legend of poetry, wine, and the world of heroes; the other is accustomed to measuring the road ahead with the yardstick of reality and survival.

Two girls with completely different personalities and conflicting ideas unexpectedly found a comforting balance in the sweetness they shared.

At least, in Li Minghua's tranquil heart at this moment, that sweet feeling quietly melted away, giving rise to an incredibly clear thought:

To allow the person she promised to protect to continue smiling carefree, savoring the sweetness of life, and living peacefully within the protective circle she built with "calculations" and "weighing"—

This is perhaps the most concrete and subtle form of "chivalry" that she, Li Minghua, understands and practices in this chaotic and turbulent world.

**

Emerging from the fragrant dessert shop, the gentle breeze from the riverbank, carrying moisture, felt exceptionally refreshing.

Tang Xiaoning was in a great mood, as if the bowl of sweet and sticky glutinous rice balls had washed away all her troubles.

She still affectionately linked arms with Li Minghua, leaning almost half her body against her, and slowly strolled back along the bluestone-paved riverbank.

He was humming a tuneless but cheerful little melody.

“Minghua,” she swayed the arm she was holding, looked up, and smiled brightly, “Shall we go out again next time?”

I think the bustling, lively atmosphere of the city is much more interesting than staying cooped up at home all day waving around that heavy bamboo broom!

This is what a real, vibrant martial arts world should be like!

"Mm," Li Minghua responded, her voice a little softer than usual.

Her gaze habitually swept over the surrounding pedestrians and environment, making sure everything was under control.

This relaxation didn't last long. When her gaze swept over a slightly dark and secluded alleyway not far ahead, her steps paused almost imperceptibly.

From the alley, the faint sounds of suppressed arguing and low sobbing could be heard.

"Huh?" Tang Xiaoning also heard the noise, and her curiosity was like a small flame that had been ignited, "whoosh" and it shot up very high.

She immediately stopped humming, grabbed Li Minghua's arm, and pulled him towards the alley entrance with considerable force.

"Minghua, Minghua! Listen! What's going on over there? Is there some excitement to watch? Is it some kind of feud between martial arts masters?"

She stood on tiptoe, trying to peek out.

As the two approached the alley entrance, the sounds inside became clearer.

A young woman pleaded intermittently, her voice trembling with tears:

"Gentlemen, please have mercy... This money... This money is the last bit of savings I have to pay for my mother's medicine."

Please... please give it back to me..."

Then came several sleazy, menacing male voices:

"Hmph! Paying back debts is a matter of course!"

Your father borrowed money from our Master Wang back then, and it was all in black and white, with his signature on a written agreement!

Now that someone's dead, you think you can renege on your debts? No way!

"No! I'm innocent!" The woman's voice was even more pitiful. "The money my father borrowed, we've been saving every penny to pay back all these years, and the interest has never stopped..."

It's you guys... it's you guys who compound interest, making it bigger and bigger, it's a bottomless pit that can never be filled!

We really can't afford to pay back!"

"Stop your damn nonsense!" another voice rudely interrupted her. "Either hand over the money now and pay the interest, or come back with us to see Master Wang!"

Let him personally settle the score with you!

Can't come up with the money? Hmph, you're quite presentable-looking; Master Wang's household is in dire need of a foot-washing maid!

Tang Xiaoning pulled Li Minghua along and carefully peeked out to see what was happening in the alley.

Three men dressed in servants' short clothes and with unfriendly faces were seen forming a semi-circle, cornering a thin, frail young woman in a faded coarse cloth dress against the wall.

The woman had delicate features, but now she was in tears, her face pale, and she was clutching a tattered purse tightly to her chest, as if it were her only lifeline.

"In broad daylight, under the clear sky! Abducting a woman... no, a woman's life-saving money!"

Tang Xiaoning's sense of justice erupted like a volcano. She excitedly tugged at Li Minghua's sleeve, so hard that she almost tore it off, her voice filled with urgency.

"Minghua! How can you tolerate this? This absolutely has to be addressed!"

This is true chivalry! You must help her!

Seeing the woman trembling and helpless, she was overwhelmed with sympathy and immediately reached for the purse in her arms.

"At worst... at worst, we can pay her back the money for her? That will solve our immediate problem!" she said, and actually reached for her money.

Li Minghua's brows furrowed slightly.

She quickly assessed the situation: the three servants had weak lower bodies and cloudy eyes; they were nothing but good-for-nothings relying on their master's power and acting like bullies, with no real skills whatsoever.

However, the other party has many people and is involved in complicated debt disputes and usury. If we rashly intervene, the subsequent troubles may be like a persistent leech, entangled and difficult to resolve.

"Wait a minute." Li Minghua firmly pressed down on Tang Xiaoning's wrist as she reached for her money pouch.

She felt a slight warmth in her palm, her voice low and calm:

"The details of this matter are complex and involve private debts."

Intervening rashly could attract the entanglement of the forces behind the other party, leading to endless troubles.

She tried to calm Tang Xiaoning's impulsive emotions with reason.

"No matter what the inside story is, you can't bully a weak woman like this!" Tang Xiaoning's heart clenched as she looked at the woman's desperate eyes.

She completely ignored Li Minghua's risk analysis, instead gripping her arm even tighter as if it were her only support, her voice pleading:

"Look how pitiful she is! That's money for her mother's life-saving medicine!"

Minghua, please, please help her! I know you're the best!