Chapter 54

"Daughter, you don't look like a villain, so why did you become an assassin?"

Upon learning Li Rongqing's true identity, Liang Miao, though agreeing with Liang Xiao to tie up Li Rongqing, did not speak harshly to her. She brought food and placed it in front of Li Rongqing. Seeing that she was tied up and unable to move, Liang Miao picked up the bowl and fed Li Rongqing herself.

Li Rongqing initially wanted to refuse, but seeing Liang Miao's sympathetic eyes and gentle tone, and feeling truly hungry, she reluctantly opened her mouth. In no time, she had eaten the entire bowl of rice, leaving not a single grain.

Noticing Li Rongqing's disheveled hair and the sour smell, Liang Miao fetched hot water and began to wash her hair. As she massaged Li Rongqing's scalp, she chatted with her.

Feeling Liang Miao's concerned inquiries and the gentleness of her touch, Li Rongqing's nose tingled, and she began to sob softly. Liang Miao sighed, stopped asking questions, and carefully washed Li Rongqing's hair. She then took a comb and carefully brushed it.

Seeing the situation, Liang Xiao quietly left and went to Huan Yuan's door. "Master, are you asleep?"

"Come in."

Liang Xiao pushed the door open. The room was dark, and Huan Yuan sat on the bed, his single eye gleaming as he stared straight at Liang Xiao. "Why didn't you kill her directly?"

Liang Xiao shrugged and smacked his lips. "I think... it's unnecessary."

"Do you know what 'womanly kindness' means?"

"Yes." Liang Xiao nodded. "I warned her. If she comes again, I will definitely kill her without mercy."

"Once she is on guard, will you have another chance to trick her?"

Liang Xiao took a deep breath, not knowing how to answer Huan Yuan. He knew Huan Yuan was right; letting Li Rongqing go increased his own danger. Li Rongqing was not just a fool; she was an assassin, and her close combat skills were better than his. If she hadn't been half-starved and if he hadn't acted like a rogue, the outcome today would have been uncertain.

"Master, I will be careful and not give her a chance to succeed."

Huan Yuan nodded, his expression unreadable, but he didn't seem angry. "Xiao, do you know why I didn't teach you archery?"

Liang Xiao was taken aback, not quite understanding. After formally becoming a disciple, he had asked Huan Yuan to teach him archery, but Huan Yuan had refused, saying he would teach him later. Now, mentioning this suddenly, Liang Xiao didn't know what he was getting at.

"Ritual is a constraint, a constraint on the strong. Because the strong have the ability to harm others, without constraints, everyone would live in fear. With ritual, everyone stays in their place, and many unnecessary killings can be avoided."

Huan Yuan raised his head, his single eye piercing. "But constraints are constraints, and they limit the instinct to survive. For the strong, these effects are negligible, but for the weak, survival is already difficult, and adhering to ritual is like tying one's own hands."

Liang Xiao frowned. He understood Huan Yuan's meaning. Adhering to ritual requires strength. Without strength, adhering to ritual is like Duke Xiang of Song. He currently lacked strength but had womanly kindness, which was a path to death.

However, he truly couldn't bring himself to kill Li Rongqing now. He killed Hu Lai because Hu Lai was relentless and wanted to kill him, forcing him to fight back. Li Rongqing was different; she was a tool he had used, and she wasn't the type of ruthless assassin. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been captured again.

An assassin who can go hungry is definitely not one who will stop at nothing.

Liang Xiao thought carefully. "Master, I will work hard to become stronger."

Huan Yuan nodded in satisfaction. "Good. Prepare yourself; I will take you hunting."

Liang Xiao was delighted and quickly agreed. Hunting is like real combat, except the opponents are animals. Taking him hunting meant Huan Yuan was very satisfied with his progress and was letting him start practical shooting training. Only through real combat can skills improve rapidly. Besides the descendants of military families who inherit archery, the most likely to become great archers are hunters in the mountains.

"Xiao..." Liang Miao called from outside the door.

Liang Xiao hurriedly greeted Huan Yuan and rushed out. As he closed the door, a smile flickered on Huan Yuan's lips, then vanished, followed by a sigh.

Liang Xiao rushed to the east wing and saw that Li Rongqing had washed her hair. The dirt was gone, and her black hair flowed like a waterfall to her waist. After eating, her complexion had improved. She wore slightly old clothes with patches but was very neat, like a wildflower in the mountains, simple and charming.

"Better this way, more beautiful than in fine clothes." Liang Xiao stood eight feet away from Li Rongqing, arms crossed, legs swinging, looking relaxed, but his eyes kept glancing at his mother, signaling her to stay away from Li Rongqing.

Women are women, too soft-hearted. This is an assassin, not your daughter. Feeding her, washing her hair, and changing her clothes is one thing, but why did you untie her hands? What if she attacks?

"Xiao, I want to keep her here." Liang Miao seemed to ignore Liang Xiao's gaze. "She was originally a good girl from a good family, but became a slave to the Hu family to bury her father. Now, having mistakenly killed Hu Lai, she is homeless. We should take her in."

"Burial of her father?" Liang Xiao glanced at Li Rongqing, thinking this story sounded familiar.

"Don't look at me like that. Whether it's true or not, we can find out tomorrow in Gaoyang Li." Li Rongqing said angrily, "If it weren't for Aunt Liang, I wouldn't want to stay here. I am a good girl, not someone who would share a room with a rogue like you."

Liang Xiao was flustered. "Hey, how can you talk like that? I am a young scholar, not a rogue."

"Young scholar?" Li Rongqing sneered, her eyes full of contempt. "The first time, you could say I was a Hu family servant and you could take liberties. But today, what is this? In a life-or-death situation, you still think about those dirty things. If you're not a rogue, what are you?"

"I..." Liang Xiao thought of the intimate scene earlier and was speechless. He looked at his mother, feeling embarrassed.

Liang Miao smiled and gently patted Li Rongqing's shoulder. "Daughter, I know my son. Though he is a bit mischievous, he is not a bad person. If you come to our Liang family, you will not regret it. If you can't let go of your worries, you can hide here for a while. Once the situation calms down, you can decide whether to stay or leave. What do you think?"

Li Rongqing lowered her head and sniffed. "If that's the case, thank you, Aunt Liang."

"No." Liang Xiao firmly refused. Li Rongqing had killed Hu Lai, and the Hu family would surely hunt him down. He had just managed to get rid of Hu Lai and didn't want to invite more trouble. "Mother, we should give her some money and let her leave far away."

Li Rongqing raised her eyebrows. "Are you afraid I will drag you down? I'm also afraid you will drag me down. You think killing Hu Lai solves everything, but the one who really wants to kill you isn't Hu Lai. He was just following orders."

Liang Xiao was startled, suddenly remembering that harsh, gravel-like voice. Could it be him?

"Who is it?"

"Someone from the Prince's mansion."

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