This disciple is good in every way, except for being a bit of a master-waster

A forcibly suppressed coughing fit interrupted Wu Ming's slumber.

When the youth opened his eyes, what greeted him was a dazzling sunset like red silk, while sharp winds howled in his ears...

"Did I wake you?"

His master Gu Bai's voice pierced through the wind, coming from ahead, tinged with both relief and exhaustion.

Wu Ming shook his head, sat up, and found himself lying on that soft Cloud Carpet, already far from the prefectural city, speeding toward Yan Mountain.

"Master, finished entertaining those mortals? How does it feel to be chased by ten thousand admirers?"

The old man could only smile bitterly and sigh, saying, "Your stunning performance today has earned you far more than just a crowd of admirers. As Daoist Qiu said, Qiongzhou hasn't seen a newcomer who could comprehend a six-layer Human Dao Seal on their first enlightenment in decades... let alone a Desolate Person from the countryside. Bloodline prejudice is the hardest to overcome. Though you have the Mingren Jade in hand and your results are aboveboard, from now on, you'll inevitably become a target for everyone."

Wu Ming laughed. "Just what I want. Making the haters rage is a classic pleasure that's stood the test of the market."

Gu Bai said, "Well, it's good for a young man to have confidence and ambition... Alright, lie down and rest for a while. It'll still take some time to reach Yan Mountain. You've overexerted yourself today, so focus on recuperating your energy. Once you've fully recovered, you can formally begin your cultivation."

Wu Ming nodded but didn't immediately lie down to rest. Instead, he keenly noticed something off.

"Master, when we came here, weren't we flying faster than this?"

Watching the mountains and rivers slowly receding beneath him, Wu Ming estimated their current speed was only half of what it had been on the way there.

And when he looked at the old man ahead, that hunched back seemed even more frail, like a candle flickering in the wind.

"Master, maybe you should lie down and rest instead? If we crash from this height, I'm afraid I'd have to transmigrate back before I even got a chance to repay you."

Gu Bai was a bit surprised, then smiled wryly. "No need to worry, your master can still hold on... It's been a long time since I've ridden the clouds through the stars for so long. It is a bit taxing."

"Then in a few days, once I unlock flight mode, I'll take you for a real ride, Master!"

The old man froze for a moment, then burst into laughter, clutching his stomach. "Hahahaha, just hearing you say that makes me happy enough... cough!"

But his joy turned into uncontrollable coughing, his hunched body curling up like a shrimp, the Cloud Carpet trembling slightly... It took a long while before the old man steadied his breath, though their flying speed inevitably dropped another notch.

"Ah, I'd planned to stay in the prefectural city for a day, show you the bustling sights, introduce you to some fellow cultivators, and head back to the mountain tomorrow. But the cost of crafting that Mingren Jade exceeded expectations, and your master's purse is completely empty now. I can't even afford lodging and meals, so I had to slink back home with you... I'll take you to tour the city another time."

Gu Bai's self-deprecating jest made Wu Ming frown slightly, and then another question occurred to him.

"Master, is it a bit dangerous for us to fly back to Yan Mountain along the same route so openly?"

Gu Bai was taken aback. "What danger?"

"Your disciple stole the spotlight today and unexpectedly acquired a valuable Ranxiang Workshop Dharma Sword. That's a crime just for possessing such treasure. If I were Liu Xi, having failed to challenge me openly, I'd definitely set an ambush along our return path. Outside Wu Prefecture's city, there's nothing but endless wild mountains, and the Liu Family are the local powers here. Murder and robbery would be child's play for them, easily blamed on some demon or monster afterward."

Gu Bai was stunned by this.

But then Wu Ming continued, "But even I can think of this, Master. There's no way you didn't. Your wariness toward Liu Xi is clearly strong, and your countermeasures were thorough... So, Master, this sickly act of yours—are you deliberately fishing? Liu Xi has always been deluded into thinking you're a cripple with strong will, but you've actually kept a few Nascent Soul Realm killing moves in reserve?"

This time, Gu Bai was silent for a long while before sighing. "You child... I was planning to let you rest and relax, not trouble yourself with these annoying matters, but you just won't let yourself be idle."

Wu Ming asked excitedly, "So, Master, you really are fishing? When do you think Liu Xi will come?"

Gu Bai was silent again, then asked back, "What do you think?"

Wu Ming paused, seeing the faint, subtle expression on his master's face. A reasonable yet incredible guess formed in his mind.

"Could it be... he's already come?"

In an instant, everything clicked: no wonder Gu Bai looked so tired and weak—he'd already fought a fierce battle! And that blood-red sunset glow Wu Ming had seen upon waking was most likely the last afterimage Liu Xi had left for the human world!

Though he'd slept through the entire boss fight, missing out on a bit of life experience, Wu Ming still felt genuine joy for his master.

"Master's divine skill is unmatched, unrivaled in the universe! With a flick of your hand, you turned that fully-geared Golden Core into dust! How satisfying!"

Gu Bai shook his head at this. "A dignified Nascent Soul, lying in wait to ambush a petty man who relied on external help to form his Core, and still only succeeded by catching him off guard. This crippled body of mine hardly deserves your praise..."

Wu Ming praised again, "Master, though your body is broken, your will is strong, and your heart is humble. Truly a model for our path!"

"You child, sharp-witted and slick-tongued..." Gu Bai shook his head with a helpless smile. "But in this world, being slick and clever isn't a bad thing. You have extraordinary talent and keen intelligence. Your future achievements will far surpass your master's. But if you don't understand the treachery of human hearts or handle worldly affairs properly, you'll inevitably face all kinds of setbacks."

"This Liu Xi is a particularly vicious villain tribulation. Back then, I was careless, and your senior sister Ling Xi suffered a great loss because of him. Now he's gone mad, even daring to attempt murder and robbery... That you could recognize the risk on your own, without prompting, is no small feat. But sometimes, this very cleverness can be your downfall."

Wu Ming blinked, somewhat confused.

Seeing his disciple's curious, attentive expression, Gu Bai sighed as expected.

As a disciple, Gu Bai was already quite satisfied with Wu Ming—though his Spirit Root aptitude might be lacking, his nature was pure and resolute, and he was exceptionally intelligent. Having only formally taken him as a disciple, he'd already stunned everyone at the Dinghuang Prefecture in the prefectural city, far exceeding Gu Bai's expectations.

Yet Wu Ming's cleverness, in Gu Bai's eyes, was a slight flaw in an otherwise perfect jade.

Because overly clever people inevitably become overly confident. Since waking up, Wu Ming had displayed this trait to the fullest—whether treating apprenticeship as repayment for saving his life or declaring he'd win the top prize at Dinghuang Prefecture, his confidence was jaw-dropping. Though every bout of confidence had ended in victory, nothing in this world is ever undefeated. Even the smartest person will have their day of failure!

Gu Bai had felt this pain firsthand, and he didn't want to see Wu Ming repeat his mistakes. So, seizing this opportunity, he resolved to give him a proper lesson.

In the old man's view, no matter how clever this youth before him was, limited by age and experience, there would always be things—especially concerning human relationships—where he'd be fanciful and careless.

This was precisely what he, a crippled Nascent Soul, still had left to teach and enlighten a genius disciple.

With this in mind, Gu Bai gathered his thoughts and spoke earnestly.

"Do you know why Liu Xi dared to ambush us on the road?"

Wu Ming lowered his head in thought, then replied, "First, he's a clan elder, naturally enjoying privileges. Even if he commits crimes, he has enough connections to make big things small and small things nothing. So arrogance and recklessness are his true nature. Killing carries no psychological burden for him."

"Second, though he's clearly a petty man, as an elder of the Liu Family with a full set of fancy gear, he's likely skilled at leveraging those external advantages. His actual combat ability shouldn't be weak among Golden Cores. And in your crippled state, Master, your surface-level hard power might not surpass him by much."

"Third, he has a wide network in Wu Prefecture, clearly a local power here. It's easy for him to call in friends to help, or at least borrow some treasures and talismans. Meanwhile, Master, you have to carry me, a burden, fighting on enemy turf."

"Fourth, his temperament is sharp and he holds grudges over the smallest slights. The grievance with you, Master, has likely festered in his heart for years, so he will certainly keep a constant eye on the situation of our Gujian Sect. You, on the other hand, are open-minded and magnanimous, unlikely to dwell on such a petty man, let alone pay attention to his cultivation techniques. Thus, comparing the two, we find ourselves in a position where the enemy is hidden and we are exposed. At this point, we have lost all advantages of timing, terrain, and unity. Liu Xi truly has no reason not to act."

"Fifth, even if he ultimately fails on the spot, he is still an elder of the Liu Family, and his life touches on the face of a noble clan. You, Master, may not dare to kill him outright. So for him, this matter carries almost no risk or cost. However, this is a case of cleverness leading to folly—if he kills and robs, he will surely not dare to make it public. So if he ends up dead and his bones vanish without a trace... who would know who killed him?"

"Of course, aside from these five points, there is another possibility: that Liu Xi was simply pushed forward by the Liu Family to do the dirty work. The Liu Family cannot afford to lose and is determined to obtain the dharma sword, so no matter how rampant Liu Xi's actions, the family would clean up after him in the end, giving him full confidence. But considering that he is now dead and gone, while we, master and disciple, remain free and unpunished, I believe this matter is most likely Liu Xi acting alone. For now, I will not include this scenario in our considerations."

After finishing, Wu Ming raised his head, looked at Gu Bai, and asked, "That's all I can think of. Master, is there anything you wish to add?"

Gu Bai's lips twitched several times, and his face trembled in waves.

Anything to add? Your summary is even more thorough than mine! And you managed to lay it out in six clear points... What could I possibly add!? Even if there were details still needing polish, I couldn't say them now!

If I kept going, wouldn't I just look like a shrewish mother-in-law tormenting her daughter-in-law!?

Where did a teenage country boy get such insight?!

A lesson meant to be delivered with full confidence had ended up slapping him in the face. No matter how gratified the old man felt, his Dao heart was still somewhat shattered.

After a long daze, the old man finally managed to open his mouth. He thought he ought to offer some praise and encouragement for his disciple's precocious maturity.

But the moment he spoke, his breath hitched, and all that came out was a series of heart-wrenching coughs.

Taking on a disciple in immortal cultivation—truly, it was so difficult...