Feeling as though he had come back to life, Yuankong silently raised his head and looked at Chu Xingchen.
So much time had passed, yet Chu Xingchen's appearance had not changed at all. The gentle smile on his face was just as it had been back then.
But for Yuankong, it had been a very long time since he had last seen Chu Xingchen, and for a moment, he suddenly felt a little estranged.
"Well, if it isn't Lord Yuankong?"
Chu Xingchen spoke with a smile. He had meant to reach out and ruffle Yuankong's head as he used to, but Yuankong now had hair, and it looked as though it had not been washed in quite some time. His half-extended hand stopped, then smoothly changed course to stroke his own chin as he continued,
"Why did you stop being the Buddhist Child and become a little sootball?"
Hearing that familiar teasing, the sense of estrangement in Yuankong's heart instantly faded. Sounding a little aggrieved, he said,
"What do you mean, little sootball? This is a tan. It's not like I'm some almighty powerhouse like you."
Chu Xingchen nodded. "True. Ordinary mortals like you would find it hard to catch up to my level."
"All you ever do is tease me." Yuankong looked aggrieved. "I only did all this because of you."
Chu Xingchen was somewhat surprised to hear this, but after a moment, he understood the gist of it. He sighed softly and said,
"All right, all right, I owe you one. How about I knock five Spirit Stones off what you owe me?"
"I nearly lost my life, and that's only worth five? Didn't you say you'd wipe the whole debt?"
"Wipe the whole debt? Do you take me for some great philanthropist?"
Xu Jin waited a moment,