To be fair, from the perspective of craftsmen's usual way of thinking, Ji Jue did not count as a good student.
Even if he was clever, diligent, quick-witted, and never dawdled, he lacked the one quality a good student truly needed—obedience.
Tell him something and he would not change; advise him and he would not listen; explain it and he would understand it all wrong; once he understood, he would start messing around.
The slightest lapse in attention and he would grow wild beyond recognition, leaving behind a mountain of messes. Whoever got hold of such prime material had truly picked up a ghost.
Yet Ye Xian found teaching this sort of seedling effortless, and did not care in the slightest about any of his flaws.
She even enjoyed it herself, though she was unwilling to admit it.
But now, she had finally realized just how troublesome such a student could be.
He always liked digging and prying at random, always liked making decisions on his own. He always liked dragging the things you did not wish to remember back before you, tail wagging, yearning for an answer.
She let out a silent sigh.
After a long silence, she finally gave her answer:
"Yes."
And so, Ji Jue fell silent as well.
He had clearly received his answer, yet the ease he had felt was gone.
Instead, Ye Xian was even calmer than he had imagined.
"Ask whatever you want to know." Ye Xian gathered up the books on the table and tossed them back into the drawer. "Better than letting your imagination run wild and doing as you please."
"Actually..."
Ji Jue hesitated for a moment. "I asked Teacher from twenty years ago, but Teacher did not answer me."
"As expected."
Hearing that, Ye Xian gave a mocking laugh,