The Four Friends of Jiangnan (simplified: 江南四友, traditional: 江南四友, pinyin: Jiāngnán Sì Yǒu, jyutping: gong1 naam4 sei3 jau5) were four martial artists in Laughing in the Wind who had retired from the Sun Moon Holy Order to Meizhuang (梅庄), the Plum Manor near West Lake in Hangzhou. Each specialised in one of the four traditional arts: qin (琴, music), qi (棋, weiqi), shu (書, calligraphy), and hua (畫, painting).
Overview
The four were Huangzhonggong (黄钟公), Heibaizi (黑白子), Tubiweng (秃笔翁), and Danqingsheng (丹青生). Secretly, they guarded the prison where Dongfang Bubai had imprisoned the former leader Ren Woxing beneath West Lake.
Xiang Wentian engineered Linghu Chong’s visit to Meizhuang, using rare art and musical treasures as bait to lure the four into combat. Linghu Chong’s victory in the contests led to Ren Woxing’s escape. Huangzhonggong committed suicide rather than submit to Ren Woxing again; Tubiweng and Danqingsheng took the Three Corpses Brain Spirit Pill and returned to the Order. Heibaizi had his neili drained by Linghu Chong’s inadvertent use of the Greater Star-Absorbing Technique and was left without martial ability.