Chapter 5206: Old Acquaintances from years past Editor: Misty Cloud Translations Inside an inn, several men were drinking and chatting. "Come to think of it, it’s been years since we last met, hasn’t it?" One man looked at the other three. "It has been several years. Never imagined that when the clan sent me out on this mission, I’d run into all of you." Shen Shiqi shook his head, smiling as he turned to them. "How have you all been these past years? Still within the clan?" "Ah! It’s nothing but a bitter tale." Another man said, "After I was called back, guess what happened? The elders actually threw me into the training camp. Ugh, I spent a whole year in there—a year! They practically skinned me alive." "After I returned, they assigned me to manage the family business. Staring at stacks of ledgers all day? Utterly tedious." The other man glanced at Shen Shiqi. "And you? Haven’t heard much about you these years!" Shen Shiqi glanced at them. "You’ve all been busy with your own lives. Who’s been keeping tabs on me? Besides, when you came here, you didn’t expect to run into me either, did you?" "Heh heh..." The three exchanged glances and laughed awkwardly. One of them explained, "Back in the day, following you around on your travels, I got into plenty of trouble. So when I returned, the elders ordered me to cut ties with my rowdy friends. They threatened to lock me up if I didn’t. I had no choice—my family keeps a tight leash on me." "Same story." Another chimed in, "My family gave me the same order. They don’t know your true identities—they just think I’m hanging out with some random wandering cultivators. But I figured, if we can’t keep in touch, we can’t keep in touch. We’d probably all end up in similar situations if we got dragged back anyway. Besides, we’d meet again someday. See? Today we bumped into each other by pure accident!" He laughed to himself. "But let me make one thing clear! Friendship is friendship, but when it comes to the treasures inside this secret realm, none of us will give an inch." The other man said, glancing at the three of them. "Heh heh, that’s exactly what I had in mind." Another one chimed in. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮 Shen Shiqi glanced at the trio, a lazy smile playing on his lips. "Naturally. It’s been years since we last met, brothers. This is the perfect chance to test our skills. What do you say?" "Test our skills? Who’s afraid of who?" "Exactly. Back in the day, our abilities were neck and neck. Now? Heh, Old Shen, I reckon I’ve got the edge on you." "Talk is cheap. We’ll see who’s got the real skills." Shen Shiqi said, his gaze drifting casually before his eyebrow arched. "Look, it’s that Xiao family heir, Xiao Junyan." "Huh? It really is him! And he’s got a young lady with him! Did he bring her out to see the lanterns?" The four men fixed their gaze on Xiao Junyan and Yun Qi. They’d seen Xiao Junyan today, but the girl was unfamiliar. "If we have rivals, Xiao Junyan is definitely one to watch. He’s the most promising young talent in the Xiao family, especially with his growing reputation these past few years. He’s riding high right now." Shen Shiqi spoke, shifting his gaze from Xiao Junyan to the young girl. Spotting the fox mask on her face, he stroked his chin thoughtfully. "A little fox, huh! Come to think of it, that little fox from back then—we never actually met her again, did we?"