Well Met Again

"I don't eat beef."

Immediately after, the shred of meat that had just been stuffed inside was pushed back out intact, damply clinging to the gourd's inner wall.

Lu Huan froze for a moment, pinched the shred of meat off, muttered, "Beef is so delicious," and popped it into her own mouth.

Shen Hui opened his eyes and glanced her way before closing them again and returning to meditation.

He turned his inner sight upon his dantian. His golden core rested safely at the center of his sea of qi, its radiance smooth and full, its color clear and pure, its surface polished like a mirror without the slightest crack.

He circulated spiritual qi through the meridians across his body, confirming that every insect egg had been forced out.

But after a turn of thought, he added another ten thousand cultivation points to his realm.

The glow over his golden core became several degrees more solid, and only then did he feel at ease.

Once he had finished, he opened his eyes again, removed the Soul-Searching Gourd from his waist, and carefully wrote Liu Mengshu's birth date and eight characters upon it.

As the final stroke fell, the gourd's stopper popped open by itself. A wisp of faint green smoke curled upward, circling several times in the air before gradually condensing into a translucent human figure.

"Director Liu, I trust you've been well," Shen Hui said evenly.

Liu Mengshu's soul had barely stabilized when he caught sight of Shen Hui. He jolted, then hastily piled a smile onto his face.

"Daoist Qingxuan, it has been a long time..."

Shen Hui waved a hand. "Surprised to see that I'm still alive?"

Liu Mengshu hurriedly shook his head and waved his hands. "How would I dare? Daoist, your divine powers are vast.