Chapter 33 Showing Off a Little Swallow

The next morning, as dawn broke and a thin mist hung in the air, Li Minghua had already been practicing his swordplay in the courtyard for some time.

The sword pierced the air with a sharp, rustling sound. Every thrust, slash, and parry was clean and swift. His movements were as agile as a dragon, a stark contrast to the Li Minghua who had silently embraced Tang Xiaoning on the rooftop the previous night, exuding a soft and gentle aura.

The chill of the early autumn morning seemed to be dispelled by the heat emanating from her body.

Tang Xiaoning, however, unusually got up very early.

Still half-asleep, with her head of fluffy, cloud-like hair, she quietly pushed open a crack in the door and hid herself in its shadow.

Those bright eyes were now intently fixed on that nimble figure in the hospital.

The morning light outlined the focused profile of Li Minghua's face, his tightly pursed lips revealing his determination.

Tang Xiaoning unconsciously touched her cheek. The brief embrace under the starlight last night, and that low, brief "okay," still seemed to carry warmth, making her ears burn silently again and her heart beat faster.

She was so engrossed in watching that she didn't even notice the chill of the morning breeze brushing against her ankles.

When Li Minghua finished with a beautiful sword flourish, she returned the sword to its original position, and turned around with a long and steady breath. Her gaze then precisely caught the small figure leaning against the door.

Tang Xiaoning was only wearing a thin nightgown, and her bare, tender white feet were directly on the cool, damp stone slab.

He was facing her at that moment, beaming with an incredibly radiant smile.

"Why are you up so early?" Li Minghua's voice was even clearer than the morning breeze. She deftly sheathed her longsword and walked a few steps to Tang Xiaoning.

She lowered her eyes, her gaze lingering for a moment on her bare feet, her brows furrowing almost imperceptibly.

Then, she raised her hand and, with perfect naturalness, brushed across Tang Xiaoning's cheek, gently tucking the stray hair that always mischievously slipped out from her temple behind her delicate ear.

This affectionate little gesture, which has somehow become an unspoken habit between the two of them, has become something they understand each other implicitly.

Tang Xiaoning could clearly feel the gentle touch of those calloused fingertips brushing against her skin, like a feather tickling her heart, warm and sweet.

She suppressed the urge to rub against those fingers, deliberately raising her chin and using a slightly spoiled tone to mask the flutter in her heart:

"Of course I'm here to supervise whether my bodyguards are slacking off! If you slack off, who will protect me?"

A smug smile flickered in Li Minghua's eyes: "I haven't slacked off."

His tone was as calm as ever, but with a touch more gentleness than usual.

"Hmm, not bad!" Tang Xiaoning imitated the young ladies in the plays she had read, and tried her best to stand on tiptoe to barely reach Li Minghua's shoulder, and patted her seriously.

"I'm in a good mood today, so I'll reward you handsomely! My reward is... having breakfast with me! This is an immense favor!"

"Okay." Li Minghua's reply was still concise, but he reached out and gently supported Tang Xiaoning's slightly unsteady body.

His fingertips lingered briefly on the fabric of her nightgown before he withdrew them, making sure she was steady on her feet.

Breakfast was served on the rustic stone table in the courtyard, with warm congee, a few refreshing side dishes, and some delicate pastries.

The atmosphere seemed no different from countless other mornings, yet an unusual warmth flowed through every little detail.

Tang Xiaoning bit her chopsticks, her eyes darting around the table before finally settling on the bright yellow egg yolk in her porridge bowl.

She reached out with her chopsticks with remarkable ease, picked up the egg yolk, and placed it into the porridge bowl in front of Li Minghua with practiced skill.

"Here, take this to replenish your energy. I'm being merciful; you can have whatever you don't like!"

Her tone was sweet and innocent, with a touch of natural intimacy.

Li Minghua glanced at her, said nothing, but picked up the spoon and silently pressed the egg yolk into the porridge.

Seeing her action, Tang Xiaoning scooped up a spoonful of scalding hot porridge and put it in her mouth with satisfaction. She was instantly burned and hissed, sticking out her tongue and her eyes filled with tears.

Almost simultaneously, Li Minghua swiftly and silently pushed the bowl of porridge she had carefully cooled to the perfect temperature in front of Tang Xiaoning, replacing her bowl of piping hot porridge.

The whole process was smooth and natural, as if it had always been this way.

"Phew... I'm saved!" Tang Xiaoning looked at Li Minghua gratefully, then picked up the cold porridge and sipped it.

He had only taken a few sips when he began to describe it with great enthusiasm:

"Minghua, Minghua, I had a wonderful dream last night!"

I dreamt that the two of us suddenly flew up to the moon!

"On the moon, there's a huge, bright palace, and a fragrant osmanthus tree. The Jade Rabbit hops and skips around so much, it's so much fun..."

She gestured excitedly, her eyes sparkling.

Li Minghua quietly ate her porridge, listening to her wildly imaginative description, a smile playing on her lips.

Only when Tang Xiaoning's words became too outrageous did she put down her spoon and, maintaining her usual rigor, objectively correct her:

There is no cassia tree or jade rabbit on the moon.

According to the ancient book *Tiangong Kaiwu* and records from astrologers, the area is covered with craters and thick dust.

Her voice was steady, and her gaze was focused on Tang Xiaoning.

Tang Xiaoning wasn't annoyed at all; instead, she chuckled, her eyes crinkling as she deliberately dragged out the sound:

"I know! Learned Lady Li!"

Can't people even have some beautiful fantasies in their dreams?

Being with you makes me happy no matter where I am!

Her bold words startled Li Minghua slightly. Her fingers, which were holding the spoon, twitched almost imperceptibly. Her gaze drifted elsewhere, but her ears honestly blushed again.

In a corner of the corridor, Yunxiang, a young maid who had gotten up early to clean, secretly saw this scene. She covered her mouth and chuckled to herself, thinking to herself: The way the young lady and Lady Li get along... tsk, it's even more interesting than what's written in the storybooks.

Look how red Li's ears are; he must have been embarrassed by the young lady's words.

She quickly lowered her head, pretending to sweep the floor diligently, afraid of disturbing the picturesque scene, but in reality, she had been listening intently to them the whole time.

After breakfast, Tang Xiaoning suddenly felt inspired and was eager to begin practicing her self-created "Bamboo Broom Sword Technique" again.

She stood still with great seriousness, striking what she thought was a heroic and dashing pose.

This time, Li Minghua did not simply stand a few steps away and give verbal instructions as usual.

She hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward.

Li Minghua's breath approached silently, carrying the slight warmth of his morning exercise.

"Lower your wrist by three points," her deep voice almost brushed against Tang Xiaoning's ear.

At the same time, a warm hand gently covered Tang Xiaoning's wrist as she held the broom handle, slowly adjusting the angle downwards for her.

The sensation was clearly felt through the thin sleeves, and Tang Xiaoning felt her skin begin to burn from the touch.

"Only when the breath is calm and the wrist is steady can the power flow to the fingertips," Li Minghua explained, his tone carrying the usual instructive quality.

But the sudden shortening of the distance between the two added an unusual feel to the air.

Immediately afterwards, another warm hand steadily supported Tang Xiaoning's lower back.

"Tighten your waist and abdomen, don't slack off." Li Minghua's voice was very close, and his warm breath brushed against Tang Xiaoning's sensitive earlobe and neck.

The hand that landed on her lower back, its palm burning hot, carried a clear guiding force, helping her correct her posture.

Tang Xiaoning felt a tingling sensation on her waist where she had been touched, as if countless tiny feathers were scratching her.

Li Minghua's cool aura and warm body temperature enveloped her completely, her heart pounded like a drum in her chest, and all her attention was diverted from the "sword technique".

All that remained in my mind was the solid presence of the person behind me and the warm breath brushing against my ear.

"Ming...Minghua..." Her voice trembled slightly, like a string ruffled by the wind, "You...would you consider this 'personalized' instruction?"

She recalled how she had been so vigilant in preventing Liu Yiyi from "serving her closely" before, and now her face was burning hot, even her small earlobes were red, and her voice carried a hint of shyness and probing.

Li Minghua suddenly stopped, as if she had just realized that the distance between the two of them had far exceeded the boundaries of ordinary teachers.

Her chest was almost touching Tang Xiaoning's back.

As if burned, she instantly let go of her hand, quickly took half a step back, and restored a safe distance.

Her expression remained calm and unwavering, as if the inappropriate intimate contact had never happened.

“It’s for teaching purposes,” her voice sounded lower than usual, with a deliberately maintained composure, “naturally different from ‘personal’ service.”

Her earnest explanation, however, revealed the turmoil in her heart.

Tang Xiaoning turned around and keenly noticed the faint blush that had crept up Li Minghua's ears, which was completely at odds with her calm demeanor.

She deliberately blinked her big eyes, mimicking Li Minghua's serious demeanor, but drew out the words, asking with a sly smile:

"Oh—it's necessary for teaching—so, Mr. Li, will we need to 'require' this for all our future teaching? Hmm?"

She tilted her head slightly and pressed closer step by step.

Li Minghua was taken aback by her blunt and teasing question. His eyes flickered, as if he felt that saying anything would be inappropriate.

She turned around decisively, picked up the sword from the stone bench, drew out the gleaming blade, and began to wipe it with focused attention, clearly indicating through her actions that she refused to answer the question.

However, the wiping motion was more hurried and stiff than usual.

Tang Xiaoning watched her retreating figure, which seemed somewhat hurried and even fleeing, and couldn't help but burst out with a crisp laugh.

The sunlight fell on her radiant smiling face, dazzlingly bright.

Oh my, how come her shy and awkward demeanor is so...heart-fluttering?

This cuteness, which only she could glimpse, made her feel so happy that she could fly to the sky.

Hearing the laughter from under the eaves, Yunxiang secretly peeked out and saw the young lady laughing so hard she was shaking. Meanwhile, Li, the guard with his back to her, seemed to be wiping his sword with even more force, and the knuckles of his fingers gripping the hilt were turning slightly white.

The young maidservant quickly lowered her head, but couldn't hide the smile on her lips.

After laughing, Tang Xiaoning's mischievous smugness had not completely dissipated. With a warm and sunny aura, she lightly moved to Li Minghua's side.

She sat down next to Li Minghua, her shoulder intentionally or unintentionally brushing against his strong arm.

Tang Xiaoning felt a slight, almost imperceptible pause in Li Minghua's wiping motion, and her heart felt ticklish, as if scratched by a kitten's paw.

She turned her head to the side, her voice light and cheerful like a bird hopping in the woods: "Minghua, shall we go for a stroll in the streets this afternoon?"

She shook Li Minghua's arm, her voice tinged with a hint of coquetry: "I want to buy some new silk thread!"

Li Minghua stopped wiping and turned to look at her. The morning light cast shimmering gold in her deep eyes: "Buying silk thread?"

Her gaze fell on Tang Xiaoning's slightly flushed cheeks.

“Yes!” Tang Xiaoning immediately perked up.

She stretched out her finger and gently touched the worn, faded, and white old tassel on Li Minghua's sword:

"Look at your old one, it's almost worn down! How shabby!"

Her tone held a hint of concern, but then she smiled brightly, her eyes sparkling with a mischievous and expectant light:

“I’ll embroider a new one for you! One of a kind! It’ll be embroidered with… um…”

She tilted her head, her bright eyes darting around, and suddenly pointed to herself, saying excitedly, "I'll embroider a little swallow! Just like me, lively, cute, and carefree!"