Chapter 4: Save More Money Before Your Sect Collapses

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, a thin mist enveloped the exquisite Tang Mansion courtyard like a veil.

Li Minghua, whose biological clock is so precise it seems to be ingrained in his bones, had already finished practicing a set of Qingfeng Sword Techniques, which flowed smoothly, on the bluestone slabs in the courtyard.

She stood still, her long sword pointing diagonally at the ground, her breath steady and long, blending into the tranquil morning light.

The morning dew dampened her tied-up dark hair and the faded blue cuffs of her outfit, adding to her crisp and refreshing appearance.

Just as she was about to turn around and go back to her room to wipe her beloved sword, a series of hurried yet light footsteps broke the morning's tranquility, approaching from afar.

"Miss Li! Miss Li! Get up quickly! Don't waste this precious time, let's start our special training!" Her voice arrived before she did.

Tang Xiaoning had a head of slightly frizzy hair from sleeping, with a few playful strands sticking up unruly. Her hair was only loosely tied up in a haphazard way. However, she had already changed into a set of... a striking "fitting outfit".

The fabric was top-quality Yun brocade, with an extremely dazzling golden-red base color. It was covered with densely packed butterfly and flower patterns embroidered with colorful silk threads, shimmering in the dim morning light, almost dazzling the eyes.

She was also carrying two equally "magnificent" short swords, their scabbards inlaid with colorful glass and tiny gemstones, so ornate that they looked more like props for dancers at a court banquet than weapons.

She came running over excitedly like a cheerful little bird, her face flushed with excitement and her eyes sparkling with boundless anticipation for the "Jianghu Special Training".

Li Minghua's gaze slowly moved from Tang Xiaoning's fluffy head to the "battle robe" that could almost blind people, and then to the pair of jewel-encrusted short swords that looked like they would struggle to even cut a piece of tofu.

She remained silent for a full three seconds, her usually calm expression momentarily blank, as if she were trying to understand what this extremely impactful scene before her meant.

"Good morning, Miss Tang." She finally found her voice and greeted him calmly.

His gaze lingered on the short sword for a moment, as if he were carefully considering his words, ultimately choosing a relatively subtle approach:

“Your…weapon,” she paused, “is quite unique.”

The tone was neither positive nor negative; it sounded more like an objective statement.

"Right! Pretty, right!" Tang Xiaoning completely missed the hidden meaning and instead proudly brandished the short sword in her hand, the gemstone refracting a fine light.

"I specially had more than a dozen embroiderers in the embroidery workshop work through the night to finish this! Even Xiao Cui's eyes were bloodshot from staying up all night!"

Xiao Cui, standing to the side, held her mistress's discarded outer garment, her eyes swollen with dark circles, and nodded in agreement, her face radiating utter despair.

Tang Xiaoning twirled around, the hem of her outfit swirling open in a dazzling display of gold: "How about it, Lady Li? Do you have the air of a legendary heroine just starting out?"

Looking at Tang Xiaoning, who seemed like a moving lighthouse in the sunlight, Li Minghua answered very honestly and straightforwardly:

"In sunlight, being too conspicuous makes one an easy target for criticism."

She used a more elegant word instead of "target," but the meaning was quite clear.

Tang Xiaoning's bright smile froze instantly, as if a pause button had been pressed: "...Heroine Li,"

She drawled out the last syllable, with a hint of dissatisfaction and a touch of coquettishness: "Can't you... praise me just a little bit?"

Her cheeks puffed out slightly, which could be interpreted as dissatisfaction.

"Telling the truth is one of the duties of a bodyguard," Li Minghua replied with an upright demeanor, as if stating an ironclad rule of the underworld.

Then, her gaze fell on Tang Xiaoning's fluffy, slightly messy hair, and she added, "Moreover, when you're actually doing it, you must tie your long hair up tightly."

She took a step closer and gestured vaguely at Tang Xiaoning's temple: "Otherwise, it's very easy for the opponent to seize the opportunity and become controlled by them."

Her serious tone was entirely out of safety concerns.

"Oh! I see! That makes sense!" Tang Xiaoning suddenly realized and immediately shoved the pair of gorgeous "decorations" in her hand into Xiao Cui's hands, who almost couldn't hold them.

Tang Xiaoning hurriedly began to tidy up her messy hair, trying to gather it into a neat ponytail.

"Then, Miss Li, what should we learn first?" she asked excitedly, her eyes sparkling as she struggled with her hair. "Is it the light-footed skill of 'walking on snow without leaving a trace'? Or the miraculous acupoint striking technique? Or... a cool set of swordsmanship? The kind that moves like the wind!"

She imitated Li Minghua's sword-sheathing movements, her posture clumsy yet full of enthusiasm.

Looking at Tang Xiaoning's expectant expression, Li Minghua thought for a moment and decided to start with the most basic and necessary steps.

She glanced around the neat and elegant courtyard, her gaze sweeping over the flowerbeds and rockery before finally settling on the corner of the wall.

There, leaning quietly, was a very ordinary bamboo broom, the kind servants used to sweep up fallen leaves.

She walked over, picked it up, shook off non-existent dust, then turned around and steadily handed it to Tang Xiaoning.

"Give."

Tang Xiaoning was completely dumbfounded when she saw the bamboo broom, which was of moderate length, with clearly defined bamboo branches, and which formed a stark contrast to her expensive, shimmering "butterfly battle robe."

She blinked her big eyes, her long eyelashes fluttering, her gaze full of confusion: "...Miss Li, what...what is this?"

She had a vague sense of foreboding.

"Your sword." Li Minghua said succinctly, his tone calm and even, as if he were handing over a peerless sword.

"First, use this to practice the basic posture and power generation."

She glanced at Tang Xiaoning's fair and slender wrists, which looked like they had never done heavy work: "A real sword is sharp and heavy, and beginners can easily injure themselves."

The reasons are sound and irrefutable.

Tang Xiaoning's delicate face instantly fell, like a wilted cabbage after being hit by frost.

She pouted, muttering softly, her voice filled with disappointment and accusation: "But...but that's not how it's portrayed in the stories...When great heroes start out, they at least use exquisite wooden swords, or...or even bamboo strips..."

She lightly kicked at the pebbles on the ground with her toe: "Who goes straight for a broom like that..."

Looking at Tang Xiaoning's aggrieved expression, Li Minghua's handsome brows twitched almost imperceptibly.

She thought for a moment, trying to find good points about the broom, attempting to convince her employer:

“Bamboo brooms are easy to make and lightweight,” she said, weighing the broom handle in her hand. “...They’re fairly easy to use.”

Finally, she seemed to have thought of the most convincing point, and her eyes lit up a little:

“And—” she paused, then clearly uttered two words, “It doesn’t cost any money.”

Tang Xiaoning: "..."

She opened her mouth, but looking at Li Minghua's sincere face, which was filled with the message that "this is the most pragmatic choice," and the powerful impact of the words "it doesn't cost any money," all her words of protest were stuck in her throat.

She recalled the heroine's empty purse and the past of the sect's collapse, and looking at the simple broom in her hand, she was speechless.

Helpless, she had no choice but to accept the worthless bamboo broom.

It was rougher than she had imagined, with the resilience and slight coolness of bamboo.

She clumsily imitated the pose from the storybook illustrations in her memory, striking what she thought was a dashing and unrestrained starting stance, chin slightly raised: "Like this? Doesn't it look like someone about to challenge the leader of the martial arts world?"

Li Minghua walked to her side, and without saying a word, simply extended his hand.

Her fingers, calloused from years of wielding a sword, felt cool yet strong.

She first gently supported Tang Xiaoning's wrist as she gripped the broom handle, pressing it down slightly: "Sink your wrist, keep it steady. The power comes from the ground."

Then, the fingers of the other hand casually brushed across the smooth outer side of Tang Xiaoning's elbow joint: "Slightly bend your elbow, don't straighten it."

With just the right amount of pressure, she adjusted Tang Xiaoning's posture with her fingertips.

“Your lower body,” Li Minghua’s voice rang in Tang Xiaoning’s ear, “must be as stable as a rock. Spread your feet apart,” she said, her toes lightly touching the inside of Tang Xiaoning’s embroidered shoes, “to shoulder width.”

Tang Xiaoning was being manipulated by her, like a delicate marionette.

The scent emanating from the other person was as fresh and clean as grass after rain, mixed with the coolness of morning dew.

Li Minghua was standing very close, close enough for Tang Xiaoning to see her lowered eyelashes and focused profile.

The touch of those cool, calloused fingers on my wrists and elbows felt like being gently scratched by feathers, sending a strange, tingling sensation straight to my heart.

Her heart skipped a beat for no apparent reason, then pounded rapidly a few times, and her cheeks felt slightly warm.

"Oh...okay, okay." She replied somewhat flusteredly, her voice softer than usual. "Is...is that so?"

She struggled to steady herself, feeling extremely awkward in her posture.

"Hmm." Li Minghua examined the situation for a moment, then finally stepped back, restoring the normal distance between them.

Holding her ancient longsword, she stood there, her posture upright and her eyes sharp, instantly reverting to the demeanor of the strictest instructor: "Maintain this posture."

Her voice was calm and even as she gave the first instruction: "One stick of incense."

"An incense stick's time?!" Tang Xiaoning was instantly jolted awake from that subtle flutter in her heart. Her almond-shaped eyes widened, and she let out a wail, her shoulders slumping.

"Just hold it up like this? Miss Li, this is more tiring than embroidering flowers all day long!" She felt her arms starting to ache, and the simple broom became increasingly heavy.

“If the foundation is not solid,” Li Minghua looked at her calmly and slowly uttered the words his master often said, “the earth will shake and the mountains will tremble.”

She paused, then added a more brutally realistic reason, her tone flat yet carrying the truth of the martial world: "The martial world is treacherous; enemies will not show mercy just because you are tired or weak."

This is a lesson learned through blood and tears.

Tang Xiaoning wore a pained expression, resignedly holding the broom, feeling that time was passing exceptionally slowly.

The tingling and numbness in her arm became increasingly pronounced. She tried to find something to distract herself and also to inquire about the mysterious female warrior's past: "Female Warrior Li..."

Her voice trembled with a hint of grievance: "When you first started learning swordsmanship, did you have to work this hard? Did you... had to lift a broom too?"

She simply couldn't imagine what the female swordsman with such exquisite swordsmanship would look like wielding a broom.

"Hmm." Li Minghua responded briefly, his gaze seemingly drifting to the distant past, his voice lowered, "Upon entering the mountain gate, one must practice standing meditation for two hours every day to solidify one's foundation."

She paused, then continued, "Then, she swung her sword..." She seemed to be recalling that astonishing number, "...a thousand times."

"Two hours?! And... a thousand sword swings?!" Tang Xiaoning was so shocked she almost dropped the broom, her mouth slightly agape, her face full of disbelief.

"My God...aren't you Qingfeng Sect...aren't you a little too...too strict? You're practically treating people like they're made of iron!" Just thinking about it made her arms ache even more.

Li Minghua's gaze flickered for a moment, as if he remembered a stern yet... calculating figure.

She lowered her eyes slightly, her voice even softer: "Master said... only through such arduous practice, day and night without ceasing..."

She paused for a moment, as if repeating a proverb steeped in bitterness and helplessness: "...so that before the sect collapses, one can accumulate more capital to make a living."

These words, spoken lightly, felt like a heavy stone falling into the cool morning air.

Tang Xiaoning: "..." She was completely speechless.

All the complaints and grievances were silenced by this overly truthful, darkly humorous, and deeply helpless statement.

She looked at Li Minghua's profile, which remained calm but seemed to be shrouded in a faint layer of memories, and then looked at the rough but "free" bamboo broom in her hand. Suddenly, an indescribable feeling welled up in her heart.

I feel a little sorry for this heroine's plight, I think she's so pitiful; but for some reason, I also find the reason she gave, coupled with her serious face... kind of funny!

She pressed her lips tightly together, afraid that she might accidentally burst out laughing and seem too unkind.

The soreness in my arms seemed to become less unbearable because of this bizarre reason.