Chapter 14 Sword Manuals Are Not Romantic

Tang Hui quickly learned that once one sword cultivator began expressing emotions badly, the others started gaining confidence.

This was deeply concerning for society.

“You mean,” Tang Hui said slowly, “he keeps giving you sword manuals?”

The female disciple sitting across from her nodded weakly.

Around them, the outer market buzzed noisily beneath the afternoon sunlight. Several disciples still lingered near Tang Hui’s stall despite pretending to browse nearby shops.

At this point, nobody even attempted subtlety anymore.

Tang Hui sighed internally before studying the girl more carefully.

She looked young.

Probably newly entered into the inner sect.

Pretty in a soft, delicate way, though currently burdened by visible confusion.

“What’s your name?” Tang Hui asked.

“Xu Yelan.”

“And the sword cultivator?”

Xu Yelan hesitated briefly before answering in a smaller voice.

“…Inner sect disciple Shen Ruijin.”

Several nearby disciples immediately reacted.

“Oh.”

“That explains things.”

“He’s from the Frost Sword Peak.”

Tang Hui narrowed her eyes thoughtfully.

Interesting.

She had heard the name before.

Shen Ruijin was supposedly another talented inner sect sword cultivator, though far less famous than Gu Beichen. Quiet personality. Extremely serious. Rarely interacted with people outside his peak.

Which already sounded dangerous romantically.

Tang Hui folded her arms. “Explain the situation from the beginning.”

Xu Yelan nodded obediently.

“A few months ago, Senior Brother Shen helped me during a sect mission. Afterward…” She hesitated awkwardly. “He started appearing near my courtyard occasionally.”

Tang Hui immediately understood.

Classic cultivation courtship behavior.

Meaning:
silent staring,
awkward lurking,
and emotionally alarming eye contact.

Sword cultivators truly shared one collective brain cell.

Xu Yelan continued softly, “At first, I thought Senior Brother simply passed by coincidentally. But then…” She carefully removed several jade slips from her sleeves and placed them onto Tang Hui’s table.

Tang Hui picked one up curiously.

Then stared.

[Frost River Sword Intent — Third Layer Comprehension Notes]

Another jade slip.

[Advanced Sword Energy Circulation]

Another.

[Annotated Combat Corrections]

Tang Hui slowly looked back up.

“…These are all sword manuals.”

Xu Yelan nodded miserably.

“He gives me one every few days.”

Tang Hui fell silent.

The nearby disciples also fell silent.

Finally, Old Chen muttered from beside the artifact stall:

“…At least this one shares educational materials instead of criticizing bandages.”

Fair.

Tang Hui rubbed her forehead again.

Honestly, Qingyun Sect’s sword cultivators required emotional rehabilitation.

“Have you asked him why he keeps giving these to you?” Tang Hui asked.

Xu Yelan nodded weakly. “He said they would be useful for my future.”

The surrounding disciples collectively groaned.

One girl whispered dramatically, “These men are hopeless.”

Tang Hui almost agreed immediately.

Almost.

But then she remembered something important.

Gu Beichen had also seemed hopeless initially.

Yet beneath all the catastrophic communication attempts, genuine sincerity existed.

Maybe this Shen Ruijin suffered from the same illness.

Tang Hui tapped the jade slips thoughtfully.

“…Do you dislike him?”

Xu Yelan immediately shook her head.

Too quickly.

Tang Hui’s eyes narrowed.

Interesting.

“Then what’s the problem?”

Xu Yelan lowered her gaze slightly. “I just… don’t understand what he wants.”

Ah.

There it was.

Not rejection.

Confusion.

Tang Hui leaned back slowly.

Actually, this problem was becoming familiar.

Cultivators spent so much time training that many genuinely lacked normal emotional communication skills.

Especially sword cultivators.

Apparently they believed giving deadly combat techniques counted as intimacy.

Troubling.

Very troubling.

Before Tang Hui could continue questioning, movement stirred near the market entrance again.

Several disciples instinctively stepped aside.

Tang Hui looked up automatically—

and nearly developed spiritual deviation immediately.

Another sword cultivator.

Tall figure.

Dark robes.

Cold expression.

Tang Hui stared blankly.

Had the heavens decided her matchmaking pavilion specialized exclusively in emotionally constipated swordsmen now?

The approaching man stopped several steps from the stall.

Unlike Gu Beichen, however, this one looked noticeably more uncomfortable being the center of attention.

His posture remained stiff, his gaze colder than necessary.

Yet beneath the calm exterior, Tang Hui caught faint tension in the way his fingers rested near the sword at his waist.

Interesting.

This one was nervous.

Very nervous.

Xu Yelan froze beside the table.

“…Senior Brother Shen.”

Ah.

Perfect timing.

The surrounding disciples instantly became energized.

Another live consultation.

Excellent entertainment.

Tang Hui was beginning to suspect outer sect disciples skipped cultivation practice entirely just to watch romantic disasters unfold.

Shen Ruijin’s gaze briefly landed on Xu Yelan before shifting toward Tang Hui.

“…You are Tang Hui.”

Not a question.

Tang Hui sighed internally.

Her reputation truly had spread everywhere now.

“Yes,” she answered calmly.

Shen Ruijin remained silent for a moment longer before reaching into his sleeve.

Tang Hui suddenly felt deep foreboding.

Please no more spirit stones.

Actually—
no.

Spirit stones were acceptable.

What emerged from his sleeve, however, was another jade slip.

Tang Hui stared at it in horror.

“…Senior Brother.”

“Yes?”

“Are you carrying sword manuals right now?”

Shen Ruijin frowned slightly, clearly confused by her tone. “Naturally.”

The surrounding disciples looked emotionally exhausted already.

Xu Yelan herself lowered her head weakly into her hands.

Tang Hui suddenly understood her suffering deeply.

“Why,” Tang Hui asked carefully, “did you bring another one?”

Shen Ruijin looked toward Xu Yelan briefly before answering.

“She mentioned struggling with spiritual circulation recently.”

Tang Hui blinked.

Then blinked again.

Wait.

That was actually… thoughtful?

Not romantic.

Absolutely not romantic.

But thoughtful.

Tang Hui narrowed her eyes carefully.

Interesting.

Very interesting.

Xu Yelan looked mortified. “I only mentioned it once during training…”

Shen Ruijin answered immediately, “You seemed troubled.”

The market became slightly quieter.

Tang Hui observed the two disciples carefully.

Xu Yelan looked embarrassed, nervous, overwhelmed.

Shen Ruijin looked calm externally, though his attention never strayed far from Xu Yelan even while speaking.

Ah.

Another mutual case.

Of course.

Tang Hui sighed internally.

Apparently heaven refused to send her simple clients anymore.

Still—

this situation differed slightly from Gu Beichen and Lin Qingyue.

Shen Ruijin’s problem was not emotional coldness.

It was priority confusion.

The man clearly believed practical support alone communicated affection.

Unfortunately, romance required slightly more than advanced sword theory.

Tang Hui suddenly smiled slowly.

Excellent.

This case had enormous educational potential.

She pointed firmly toward the chair opposite her stall.

“Senior Brother Shen.”

He paused.

“Yes?”

“We need to discuss why combat manuals are not a valid courtship method.”

The surrounding market immediately exploded with excitement again.