Please Guide Me from Here On

Shouyuan froze.

He turned and looked at Shen Hui suspiciously.

"You clearly said just now that you'd wiped out every last remnant of Soul Crossing Temple."

Shen Hui shook his head. "Senior, you're confused. The ones I killed were evildoers, scum, villains who brought chaos to the world—people your own sect ought to have purged. They were not the remnants of Soul Crossing Temple..."

"As long as you remain, senior, Soul Crossing Temple's legacy remains. If its tradition has never been severed, how can you say it's been destroyed?"

Shouyuan stood stunned, unable to answer.

Whether Shen Hui's shamelessness had shocked him into silence or his words had truly persuaded him, no one could say.

He stared at Shen Hui for a long while. Something flickered in his clouded old eyes.

After a moment, he came back to himself and regarded Shen Hui with a complicated look. "In that case... could you return the Soul-Searching Gourd to me?"

"No."

Shen Hui's refusal was crisp, without a moment's hesitation.

Shouyuan's face immediately fell.

But before he could flare up, Shen Hui added, "I can't give you the gourd, but I can rebuild your body for you."

Shouyuan raised an eyebrow.

He narrowed his eyes and looked Shen Hui up and down, suspicion filling his gaze. "You brat, are you trying to wheedle more out of me? Is this another trick?"

Shen Hui protested his innocence.

Then his expression turned serious. "I do have a few questions I'd like to ask you, though."

Shouyuan instantly wore a look that said I knew it. He pointed at Shen Hui. "Ha! I knew you were up to no good. This time you can't even be bothered to pretend?"

Shen Hui shook his head helplessly, his tone sincere.

"Senior, all I want to ask is