Can I have all of Chapter 7?
"Xiaoning..."
After once again deftly parrying a powerful "broomstick thrust" that nearly pierced his waist, Li Minghua finally couldn't help but speak up.
Her cool tone carried a hint of helplessness: "When facing an enemy, the priority is still self-preservation and waiting for the right opportunity. If one is fixated on 'tender feelings'..."
She paused, as if searching for the most fitting word to describe the outcome: "...I'm afraid she would have died on the spot before they could even have a chance to be intimate."
This is a lesson learned through countless real-world experiences, learned through blood and tears.
Tang Xiaoning stopped abruptly, pouted, and glared at her with displeasure:
"Miss Li! You're pouring cold water on my enthusiasm again!"
This is tactical! Do you need to understand tactics?
We need to overwhelm the enemy with sheer force of will!
She brandished the broom, trying to emphasize it again.
"That's the truth." Li Minghua sheathed his sword and stood upright like a pine tree.
Her gaze fell on Tang Xiaoning's cheeks, which were slightly flushed from her wild dancing, and her bright eyes were now sparkling with a defiant light.
She stared at it silently for a few seconds, and something seemed to stir slightly deep within her pure eyes.
Just as Tang Xiaoning thought she was going to continue "instructing" her, she suddenly lowered her voice, slowed her speech, and added with a hint of compromise:
“However… if you really like it,” she shifted her gaze slightly to a cluster of roses beside her, “it wouldn’t hurt to practice in private.”
Her posture made it seem as if she were making a promise about something trivial.
Tang Xiaoning was taken aback at first, then her beautiful eyes lit up instantly, as if they were filled with stars.
A big, radiant smile bloomed on her face, like the warm spring sun.
She stopped dwelling on the "tactics" issue and instead affectionately nudged Li Minghua's strong forearm with the broom handle in her hand:
"Hehe, that's more like it! That's more like it!" She announced confidently, her eyes crinkling. "Then it's settled! Tomorrow, let's see the power of our 'Tender Affection Sword'! We'll definitely impress Aunt Zhou!"
The following day, Madam Zhou arrived as scheduled.
Her well-maintained face carried a perfectly measured, dignified smile, and her magnificent brocade robes accentuated her overall air of grandeur, yet her eyes were sharp and shrewd.
After exchanging a few pleasantries about the weather and everyday matters with Tang's mother in the flower hall, his gaze settled steadily on Li Minghua, who stood beside Tang Xiaoning, dressed in a neat blue robe and carrying a long sword.
"This young lady has an extraordinary bearing. She must be the Minghua girl that Wenyuan mentioned, right?" Madam Zhou picked up the blue and white lotus teacup beside her and elegantly skimmed off the foam.
Her smile was polite, but her words were like fine needles coated with sugar: "Truly a handsome and dashing man. Wen Yuan said that you and Xiao Ning... have become quite close recently?"
She deliberately dragged out the last syllable of "非浅" (fei qian), with a curious smile.
Following the script of last night's "special training," Li Minghua took a deep breath, stepped forward, and bowed slightly with his hands clasped in greeting.
She tried to make her voice sound less like she was reciting martial arts incantations, conveying a deliberate calmness:
"Madam Zhou, I am well. It is I, Xiaoning. I and Xiaoning," she paused, then clearly uttered the lines she had practiced many times the night before, "are devoted to each other."
Although the tone was flat, it was still quite fluent.
Tang Xiaoning immediately and naturally stretched out her arm and intimately took Li Minghua's arm, leaning half of her body weight against him.
She smiled brightly, her voice so sweet it could drip honey, and echoed:
"Auntie, it's true! Minghua is so good to me, she always thinks of me and protects me!"
As she spoke, she gently rubbed her cheek against Li Minghua's shoulder, trying to create the illusion of being a "little bird clinging to a woman".
Li Minghua's body stiffened almost imperceptibly the moment she leaned in, then he forced himself to relax.
A glint flashed in Madam Zhou's eyes, but her smile remained unchanged. She slowly sipped her tea and, as if in casual conversation, posed a carefully prepared question:
"Oh? That's very good. But..." She put down her teacup, her gaze fixed on Li Minghua, "May I ask which school of masters Miss Minghua has studied under? Are your parents still healthy? And what are your plans for the future?"
She sighed softly, her tone carrying the "concern" of an elder: "Our Xiaoning has been pampered since childhood, a precious little girl like a golden branch and jade leaf. She can't... continue to drift aimlessly like duckweed, without even a foothold, can she?"
Every word and phrase directly addresses the most realistic foundations of social status and future security, like cold arrows, carrying invisible pressure as they strike the two people in the arena.
When this series of pointed and practical questions came crashing down on her, Tang Xiaoning's heart skipped a beat, and her palms instantly became sweaty.
Her sweet smile almost vanished. She was about to crack a joke, saying something like "people of the martial world don't care about trifles" or "love is stronger than gold and water is enough" to get rid of it, when she suddenly felt Li Minghua's arm muscles tense up. It seemed to silently convey a sense of composure, making the words she was about to utter stuck in her throat.
Li Minghua raised his eyes, and those usually clear and calm eyes met Madam Zhou's scrutinizing and critical gaze.
Her tone remained calm, yet carried an unusually clear certainty: "This junior is a disciple of the Qingfeng Sect."
She frankly admitted without any attempt to hide the predicament of her sect's dissolution: "Although the sect has now disbanded, the skills I have inherited have not been lost and are still here."
When talking about her family, her voice lowered slightly, but she remained frank: "I have no relatives left in my family, and I am all alone."
Finally, when it came to the most crucial future plans, she paused slightly, turned her head, and looked at Tang Xiaoning beside her, who was holding her breath slightly due to nervousness.
At that very moment, Tang Xiaoning clearly noticed that the aloofness in Li Minghua's eyes, which seemed to keep people at arm's length, melted away a little, like the thin ice on a river in early spring meeting the warm sun, revealing a kind of almost... gentle warmth.
She continued speaking, her voice not loud, but clearly echoing in the quiet flower hall:
As for the future...
"Wherever Xiaoning is, that is where I belong."
"I will protect her and do everything in my power to ensure she doesn't suffer the slightest injustice."
There were no flowery words, no mushy "tender feelings," and not even the two words "Ning'er" that were practiced last night were uttered.
It was just a simple statement, but because of the heartfelt determination and sense of responsibility, every word struck the hearts of the listeners with great weight.
The flower hall fell silent instantly.
The occasional chirping of birds outside the window only made the room feel even quieter, as if a pin drop could be heard.
Even the maid who brought in the tea instinctively held her breath, standing by her side with her hands at her sides, not daring to move.
Tang's mother, who was standing to the side, also put down the Buddhist prayer beads in her hand, and her gaze swept over Li Minghua and her own daughter with mixed feelings.
Tang Xiaoning was completely stunned.
She forgot to tighten her grip on Li Minghua's arm, and simply tilted her head slightly, staring blankly at his clear and smooth profile.
Even though she clearly knew that this was just a performance to appease Aunt Zhou, and these few lines were not in the lines she had rehearsed beforehand!
But these words, coupled with Li Minghua's eyes that were filled with seriousness, focus, and even a hint of devout protection, stirred up huge ripples in her heart.
For a fleeting moment, her heart skipped a beat before pounding violently against her chest.
A mixture of shock, excitement, and a hint of panic gripped her, leaving her momentarily dazed.
It was as if... as if the sunlight overhead pierced through the fog of jest and revealed something... something so real that it made her heart flutter?
Mrs. Zhou was clearly not expecting such an answer.
Her prepared arguments about social inequality, poverty, and a bleak future were like a punch thrown with full force, but they landed squarely on a solid stone wall, having no effect whatsoever and instead leaving her hands numb from the shock.
For the first time, the dignified smile on her face froze briefly, and her fingers unconsciously tightened around the teacup.
Her shrewd eyes scrutinized Li Minghua's face several times.
Unexpectedly, the other party's eyes were clear and open, without the slightest hint of guilt or evasion. Their calm demeanor and the sense of responsibility conveyed in their words did not seem fake.
This caused her to miscalculate for a moment.
"Hehe..." Madam Zhou picked up her teacup, took a sip, concealed her brief lapse in composure, chuckled twice, and ultimately did not press the matter further. "Young man, it's good that you have this intention."
She skillfully changed the subject, talking about the latest silk shops and jewelry designs in the city, which eased the tense atmosphere in the hall slightly.
After finally getting rid of Madam Zhou, Tang Xiaoning collapsed into a rosewood armchair in the flower hall, letting out a long sigh of relief: "Phew—my God, I'm finally done!"
She patted her chest with her small hand, still shaken.
Then, she looked up at Li Minghua, who was still standing ramrod straight, her eyes sparkling with undisguised admiration:
"Miss Li! What you said at the end was simply... amazing! It was more effective than a hundred 'tender feelings'!"
You don't know, I heard it... I almost believed it to be true!
Her words were tinged with exaggerated excitement, but her eyes were unconsciously fixed on Li Minghua's face, carrying a hint of...expectation that even she herself didn't realize?
Li Minghua looked at her, as if she had survived a disaster, and fell silent.
She lowered her eyes slightly, and when she looked up again, her gaze had regained its usual clarity and calmness, but her voice was lower and slower than usual: "Although it is a temporary measure to get out of the predicament."
She paused, then said solemnly, "But since I have already promised to protect you, then the words 'protect you and not let you suffer any injustice' are not empty promises."
She emphasized the authenticity of responsibilities and commitments, but cleverly left the most crucial word, "final destination," outside that ambiguous boundary.
Tang Xiaoning's bright smile faltered almost imperceptibly for a moment.
She keenly sensed the clear boundaries of responsibility in Li Minghua's words, as well as his swift return to his usual cold demeanor, as if the person who had solemnly uttered the word "home" in front of everyone was merely a fleeting illusion.
She forcefully suppressed the strange ripples in her heart that the declaration had stirred up in her.
"Okay, okay!" She smiled again, her tone feigning ease.
She jumped up and naturally took Li Minghua's arm again, the movement much lighter and more casual than before.
"Our heroine Li values promises above all else and is extremely trustworthy! A promise is a promise!"
She pulled Li Minghua out, her voice light and cheerful:
"To celebrate our successful defeat of the enemy once again, let's go, I'll have the kitchen add two more delicious dishes!"
What do you want to eat today? Braised pork knuckle or eight-treasure duck? Plenty to go!
The allure of the delicious food instantly diverted Li Minghua's attention.
Her eyes lit up noticeably, and her pure, undisguised longing for food instantly diluted the solemn atmosphere from before.
She slightly furrowed her spirited brows, seemingly carefully weighing this important decision concerning people's livelihoods.
Then he looked up at Tang Xiaoning and asked with a matter-of-fact seriousness, "...Can I have both?"
Looking at her childlike expression, which came alive with the food, and recalling her rock-solid composure in front of Madam Zhou, Tang Xiaoning felt a huge contrast that instantly dispelled the strange feeling that had been suppressed in her heart.
She couldn't help but burst out laughing again, her clear, bell-like laughter echoing through the corridor.
"Alright!" she waved her hand generously, her eyes brimming with laughter. "Whatever you say! Miss Li has done a great service today, you can eat whatever you want!"
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