Just as Song Yuanyou sighed inwardly, a Sumeru Ring fell into his palm. He sent his thoughts into it and was startled to find a full two thousand Profound Yellow Pills inside. He stared at Xu Yi in astonishment.
Xu Yi said, "I already paid you back over a thousand earlier. Now I'm returning another two thousand, so we're just about even. We agreed on five percent interest, and five percent it is. Elder Song, please take them." When he'd borrowed the Profound Yellow Pills, he really had considered skipping out on the debt, but he'd never intended to welsh on this one.
Now that he was flush with resources, there was no need to dodge repayment. Song Yuanyou was so moved he hardly knew what to say. After praising Xu Yi at length, he finally returned to the main topic: the Sect Master had ordered Xu Yi to attend the reception, as it was an unshirkable duty for a Southern Pole Sect disciple.
After delivering the order, Song Yuanyou carefully laid out the pros and cons for Xu Yi. The gist was that Xu Yi was too popular now—the foremost disciple among the three sects. If he refused to attend, the Southern Pole Sect would seem insincere, and he would make the Sect Master lose face.
With things put so plainly, Xu Yi thought it over. This really wasn't the time to indulge his individuality, so he went with Song Yuanyou. This time, he changed his approach. He dropped his aloof demeanor and warmly mingled with the crowd, engaging with disciples from both Qingxing Sect and Tianhai Sect.
He was the most famous of them all, and plenty of people wanted to befriend him. He was constantly exchanging pleasantries, and he was socially adept and generous. When he truly