Qian Renxue: How Can You Be So Irresponsible?! An Yi: You're the One Who Failed to Live Up to Expectations

"I guessed."

An Yi walked over to the table and poured himself a cup of water.

"But I have to warn you: you'd better not think like that."

Qian Renxue froze. "Why?"

"Some things aren't yours to worry about."

"But..."

"Don't ask what you shouldn't."

An Yi picked up the teacup and took a small sip.

Qian Renxue immediately puffed out her cheeks and turned her head away in a huff.

"Again! You only ever tell me half of anything!"

She really hated this feeling. An Yi clearly knew a great deal, and could even guess what she was thinking, yet he refused to explain himself.

Being kept in the dark made her deeply uncomfortable.

An Yi set down his teacup and glanced at her. "I'll naturally tell you what you should know. As for what you shouldn't know, asking a hundred times won't help."

"You..."

Qian Renxue stamped her foot in anger, but there was nothing she could do.

An Yi had no intention of teasing her further. He raised a hand and rubbed her head.

"All right, you've hugged your mother, so it's time to get down to business."

Qian Renxue instinctively covered her head. "Don't rub my head!"

"All right, I won't." An Yi withdrew his hand. "How did your cultivation go this morning?"

The expression on Qian Renxue's face froze.

"It... it was fine."

An Yi gave her a look. "You really were happy today, it seems. You even forgot to cultivate."

Qian Renxue's face immediately turned red. She opened her mouth to defend herself, but when the words reached her lips, she guiltily swallowed them back down.

"I... I was wrong."

An Yi wasn't angry. He simply pulled out a chair and sat down.

"Actually, I know what you're thinking."

"You're exceptionally gifted. There's no one your age who can match you, and you've grown up in the Worship Hall without any friends. Every day, all you do is cultivate."

"To you, cultivation is as ordinary as eating and drinking."

"But precisely because it's so ordinary, you don't feel any pressure."

Qian Renxue lowered her head and protested quietly, "That's not true..."

An Yi continued, "It's perfectly normal. There's no need to feel ashamed."

"There are many geniuses in this world, but those who truly make it to the end aren't necessarily the most gifted."

"Why?"

"Because some people get used to being ahead too early."

An Yi picked up the teapot and poured himself some more tea.

"You've cultivated since childhood, yet no one around you can catch up. Whether you work hard or slack off, as long as you have your talent, you'll still stand above your peers."

"After a while, you'll naturally come to feel that cultivation doesn't seem all that important."

"But when you grow up and suddenly discover that those less gifted than you have caught up, step by step, only then will you realize you've fallen behind."

"By then, you might resolve to work harder, or you might be unable to accept reality and never recover from the setback."

At that, An Yi set down his teacup and looked at Qian Renxue.

"So while there's still time, it won't hurt you to develop good habits."

Qian Renxue pressed her lips together and looked up at An Yi.

"Then... you're not angry?"

An Yi looked utterly puzzled. "Why would I be angry?"

"You're my teacher!" Qian Renxue raised her voice.

"A teacher should discipline their student! If I don't cultivate properly, shouldn't you be urging me on?"

An Yi almost laughed. "Your grandfather did ask me to be your teacher, but he never specified what I had to teach you."

"So if you ask me something and I know the answer, I'll teach you."

"As for Martial Soul cultivation, your family has an inherited Martial Soul, and your grandfather is a rank ninety-nine Peerless Douluo. I don't think there's much I need to say about that."

"Besides, he hasn't said anything, so why should I take it upon myself to worry?"

Qian Renxue's eyes widened. "You're my teacher! How can you be so irresponsible?!"

An Yi unhurriedly picked up his teacup. "How am I being irresponsible?"

"Do you remember what I told you on the first day you called me teacher?"

Qian Renxue nodded hesitantly. "A day's plans begin in the morning..."

"That's right." An Yi held up one finger.

"Cultivation requires a balance between work and rest. You don't need to spend too much time meditating every day, but there's one thing you must do."

"Get up at daybreak every morning and complete your basic cultivation for the day. That's what I require of you."

"As for the afternoon, you can go play or do whatever you enjoy. Only when you're in good spirits and have a relaxed state of mind can your cultivation progress step by step."

"After all, haste makes waste."

"But you don't seem to have taken my words to heart."

Qian Renxue's head sank lower and lower.

An Yi looked at her, his tone still calm. "You say I'm irresponsible. A teacher does have a responsibility to instruct their student, but a student also has a responsibility to listen."

"I've already told you what I expect. You're the one who won't do it, so what can I do?"

"Should I hold a knife to your throat and force you to cultivate?"

Qian Renxue opened her mouth. "That's not what I meant..."

"Then what did you mean?" An Yi deliberately put on a stern face.

"If I actually laid a hand on you today, you'd turn right around and run crying to your grandfather. I can't beat him."

Qian Renxue couldn't help raising her head. "I would not!"

"Oh?" An Yi raised an eyebrow.

"Then can you promise that no matter what grievances you suffer in the future, you won't go complaining to your grandfather?"

Qian Renxue's confidence immediately faltered. "Th-that's not the same..."

"How is it different?" An Yi spread his hands.

"When all's said and done, your grandfather was the one who asked me to be your teacher. It's not as if I came running here on my own."

"So why should I make trouble for myself?"

Qian Renxue looked at him, feeling more and more aggrieved the longer she thought about it.

"So... if I don't cultivate, you won't do anything about it?"

An Yi looked at her and fell silent for a moment.

"I'll remind you and tell you what to do, but what you ultimately choose is your business."

He pointed at the teacup on the table.

"If you want water, I can pour it for you. But if you won't drink it, I can't very well pry your mouth open and pour it down your throat."

"Cultivation is the same."

"If even you don't care, why should I worry on your behalf?"

Qian Renxue was stunned.

An Yi picked up his teacup again and leisurely added:

"Of course, it's not too late to change your mind."

"Get up at daybreak tomorrow and finish your cultivation on time. If you can do that, I'll keep teaching you."

"If you can't, then you can go on being your genius young lady, and I'll be happy to have the leisure."

Qian Renxue fell silent.

After a long while, she clenched her fists and said earnestly:

"All right! Tomorrow morning, I'll definitely get up on time!"

An Yi nodded. "All right, I'll be waiting to see."

Qian Renxue had thought he would at least praise her, but she waited and waited, and nothing more came.

She couldn't help asking, "Aren't you going to say something?"

"Say what?"

"Like... that you believe in me!"

An Yi thought for a moment, then said with a perfectly serious expression, "I believe you'll get up tomorrow morning."

Qian Renxue's eyes lit up.

However, An Yi immediately added another sentence.

"As for whether you can keep it up, that'll depend on you."

Qian Renxue: "..."

She took a deep breath, turned around, and headed out of the courtyard.

"I'm not talking to you anymore!"

Watching her storm away, An Yi smiled and shook his head.

If he put on the stern, solemn air of a strict teacher with a favored daughter of heaven who had been pampered since childhood, not only would she refuse to listen, she would defy him instead.

So the right approach was to make use of that rebellious streak.

Of course, the main reason was that he had given the girl a taste of sweetness last night by letting her hug Bibi Dong.

Otherwise, this young lady wouldn't have cared what he said at all.