Thunder Venerable's Invitation

Xuan Yi was a conscientious master.

Although she had only taken Lu Yuan as her disciple out of consideration for Yao Chen.

Still, no matter what, being willing to spare no effort to help someone over a single word from another was worthy of admiration—at the very least, worthy of Lu Yuan's own admiration.

If it were him, he might not have been able to do the same.

Of course.

It was also possible that, throughout his life so far, he had never had a brother he could truly trust with his life. Even his support for Xiao Yan was merely an investment in a fellow townsman; he had never truly regarded Xiao Yan as his brother.

Brothers were supposed to trust each other with their lives.

Xiao Yan trusted him with his life.

Yet he could not guarantee that he would trust Xiao Yan with his life under all circumstances.

Still, saying Xiao Yan did not know would be a lie meant to fool ghosts. Perhaps Xiao Yan did not know the full truth, but he should have sensed something along those lines.

But, just like that famous line from the television drama Bright Sword—even a stone should have warmed up after being held for so long, shouldn't it?

Debts of affection were the hardest to repay.

Money, on the other hand, was the easiest to repay.

From an absolutely rational perspective, it was nothing more than you owing me a favor this time, and me repaying you a favor next time. If you owed too much, or if I had not fully repaid it yet, it could be carried over to the next matter and settled then.

Put bluntly, it was merely a complicated transaction.

But from an emotional perspective, without these exchanges of favors, two strangers would