Chapter Seventy-Nine: The Four Companions

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Shi Qi and Yuanwu were deeply engrossed in an intense game of Go.

Sun Fanbai quietly sipped his tea, observing the situation on the board in silence.

After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Bai Qiu slowly descended from the sky, landing just outside the pavilion.

He touched down with a curse, "Damn it, you three monsters are way too fast!"

Shi Qi glanced at Bai Qiu, then tossed the piece he held in his left hand back into the box and rose to his feet, saying calmly, "Master Yuanwu, I concede."

Yuanwu stood and returned the courtesy. "Amitabha, Daoist Shi, you are gracious in defeat."

Shi Qi shook his head. "Playing Go is also a way to cultivate one's state of mind. Master, your heart is as calm as still water, but mine is troubled and restless, unable to find peace."

Yuanwu replied, "Daoist, you carry hatred in your heart. Only by resolving it can you reach a higher realm. If you carry such burdens, your cultivation will surely be affected."

Shi Qi bowed. "Thank you for your guidance, Master."

With that, he gathered up the board, took out the cave estate token given to him by Master Egret from his storage pouch, and said to the others, "Come, let's go explore Master Egret's cave estate together."

Shi Qi poured his true energy into the token and immediately sensed a response. The group made their way toward a corner of Egret Beach.

Shi Qi raised the token and tossed it into the air. The black token floated above them, emitting a red glow. In the next instant, a flash of red light appeared before their eyes, and a portal opened in the void.

Sun Fanbai exclaimed, "So this is the entrance to the cave estate? It's so well hidden—there's no sign of any restriction in the area at all. Without the token as a key, I doubt anyone could find it."

Many powerful independent cultivators would seek out a blessed land to establish their own cave estates, using them as places for daily cultivation and residence. These estates were typically situated in splendid locations: nestled among mountains, beside clear waters, brimming with spiritual energy—immortal realms in their own right. A cave estate by the sea, like this one before them, was indeed rare.

Usually, formidable restrictions shielded such cave estates from outsiders. Only those with the owner's token, like Shi Qi and his companions, would be allowed entry. Of course, someone vastly superior in cultivation could force their way in, but only if the gap in power was overwhelming.

Shi Qi recalled the token and led the way forward, the other three close behind, stepping into the portal.

Their vision was swallowed by chaos. When clarity returned, the scene before their eyes came into focus.

They stood before a row of modest farmhouses. Outside the houses lay several vegetable plots, bordered by a simple wooden fence that kept them at bay; besides this, there was nothing else.

Bai Qiu stared in disbelief. "Is... this the cave estate?"

All were taken aback. They had expected ethereal mountains and flowing streams, the air thick with spiritual energy—certainly not something so indistinguishable from an ordinary mortal's dwelling. The disappointment was palpable.

Shi Qi sighed. "My master told me to come and clean up. I thought he was joking, but it seems he truly meant for me to do the chores."

At that moment, Yuanwu spoke up. "Daoist, it seems someone is living here. Look at the vegetable plots—lush and green, not a single weed or withered leaf. It's as if someone tends to them daily."

"Could my master be here?" Shi Qi wondered. Yuanwu's words convinced him this place hadn’t been abandoned for long.

Sun Fanbai said, "Since this is the estate of your master, Master Egret, there shouldn’t be any danger. Shi Qi, let’s go in and see for ourselves."

Shi Qi nodded, stepped forward, and pushed open the simple wooden gate, then entered the garden.

The instant his left foot crossed the threshold, a sharp voice rang in his ears.

"Who dares trespass in this cave estate!"

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Shi Qi tensed. In a flash of white light, a young man appeared before him.

The man was slender, his eyes black as obsidian, hair gleaming with the luster of silk. Though his silver robes were plain, he exuded an air of nobility.

Shi Qi hurriedly raised the token before him.

The man glanced indifferently at the token and murmured, "Her? Boy, how are you related to her?"

Shi Qi thought to himself: It seems this man knows my master. He looks young, but I suspect, like my master, he's an 'old' immortal whose true age is beyond guessing.

He replied, "I am the disciple of Master Egret, named Shi Qi, sent here by my master to... clean the place..."

At this, the man paused, then burst out laughing. "Master Egret? Ha! She calls herself that now? Fascinating... I’ve been here for centuries and she never visited, yet today she sends a group of youngsters? How amusing!"

Shi Qi frowned, not quite understanding the man’s words. Calls herself Master Egret? And he’s been here for centuries? Was this not his master’s estate after all? And yet he clearly knew his master—so why was his speech so puzzling?

After his laughter faded, the man glanced at the vegetable plot and then at Shi Qi, murmuring, "Well, the flowers have bloomed and it’s time to harvest the fruit. You four, follow me."

He turned and walked toward the farmhouse.

Shi Qi looked back at Sun Fanbai, Bai Qiu, and Yuanwu. All three were utterly bewildered.

Shi Qi shrugged, indicating he was just as confused. "Let’s see what this is about," he said.

The others nodded, and together they filed into the farmhouse.

The interior was simple and tidy: just a wooden bed, a table, and a few chairs.

Once they had entered, they saw the man seated with his back to them.

Suddenly, he spoke. "The four of you remind me of the Four Friends who once shook the Twelve Provinces."

Shi Qi stepped forward and clasped his hands in respect. "Senior, who were these Four Friends?"

The man lowered his head, as if lost in thought. After a pause, he looked up and said, "Many years ago, four unrelated men formed a close bond. One was bold and unrestrained, one steady and reliable, one easygoing and lazy, and the last had the keenest sense of the bigger picture."

"Each possessed their own special abilities, and their friendship ran deep. Together, they made quite a name for themselves across the Twelve Provinces—good deeds, mischief, both. Whenever they gathered, trouble was sure to follow. To their friends, they were the Four Friends; to their enemies, the Four Fiends."

Bai Qiu stepped forward. "If these Four Friends truly existed, why is there no record of them in the Baixiaosheng Chronicles?"

The man turned his head slowly. "What is Baixiaosheng?"

Bai Qiu flushed, a little embarrassed. "Senior, Baixiaosheng is the largest intelligence network in the Twelve Provinces today."

The man shook his head. "Never heard of it. If such an organization existed, why didn’t it help during the Calamity of the Demonfall?"

"The Calamity of the Demonfall?!"

All four were thunderstruck.

Sun Fanbai rushed to ask, "Senior, is the legend of the Calamity of the Demonfall true?!"

The man replied coolly, "Of course. Why, do people now think it’s false? Has everyone in the Twelve Provinces forgotten what happened during the Calamity?"

Bai Qiu coughed. "Senior, the Calamity of the Demonfall was over ten thousand years ago. The main peak of Beiyun Mountain has been sealed by restrictions ever since, so people regard the whole event as a legend now."

Now it was the man's turn to be shocked. "Ten thousand years! Has that much time really passed..."

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Shi Qi pressed on. "Senior, then the tale of the eighteen heroes joining forces against the Calamity of the Demonfall—is that true as well?"

The man did not answer. His head hung low, he simply shook it slowly, lost in his own thoughts, muttering, "Ten thousand years... ten thousand years..."

"Senior!"

After a moment, Shi Qi called out, breaking the man's reverie.

The man patted his head and sighed, "I've only been awake a few centuries, and haven't left this estate in all that time. I had no idea it’s been ten thousand years since the Calamity... Alas..."

Sun Fanbai ventured, "Senior, are you someone from the ancient era—one who lived through the Calamity?"

The man frowned. "So the Calamity of the Demonfall is now known as ancient history..."

He muttered to himself for a while, then suddenly declared, "Enough, enough, my head can’t bear to think about all this."

He turned to Shi Qi. "Yes, the legend of the eighteen heroes is true. And among those eighteen, the Four Friends were counted! In fact, most of them were linked to the Four Friends!"

The four companions were once again stunned. The revelations they heard today defied all belief. Though the legend of the Calamity and the Eighteen Heroes was still told here and there in the Twelve Provinces, most people merely took it as a tale to inspire the young, or as idle gossip over tea.

Many dismissed the story as just another marketing ploy at cultivators’ fairs. Even disciples of major sects, like Bai Qiu and Sun Fanbai, only half-believed it.

Yet today, from the mouth of this mysterious man, they learned that the Calamity of the Demonfall and the tale of the Eighteen Heroes were real!

It was as if a common child had seen a true immortal for the first time—the shock was overwhelming.

Bai Qiu began to ask, "Senior, this—"

"Enough!" the man interrupted with a wave of his hand. "My head aches and I don’t wish to answer any more questions!"

Seeing his attitude, the four fell silent, though they still had countless questions. They wisely held their tongues.

After a brief silence, the man suddenly spoke again. "I almost forgot why I let you come in!"

"When you entered the garden, did you notice the medicinal field by the door?"

Shi Qi replied, "Medicinal field? I thought it was a vegetable patch?"

The man shot Shi Qi a look. "Clearly you have no idea. Are you not curious why your master—Master Egret—sent you here?"

Shi Qi shook his head. "I don’t know, but I’m certain it wasn’t just to clean up!"

The man chuckled, then rose and slowly walked to the window, pushing it open.

The four followed and looked outside, but all they saw was formless chaos.

They were baffled.

The man scratched his head and muttered, "Ah... wrong window. It’s the one opposite."

The four: "..."