Chapter 54
Chapter 54
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Translator: TrueDetective
Chapter: 54
Chapter Title: 16. Searching for the Exiled Disciples (2)
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Namgung Mu had stolen... and brought back the Sovereign Sword Form.
It was an old manual.
The Heavenly Demon flipped through it once and declared it the real deal.
"Could we actually learn the Sovereign Sword Form?"
I asked anxiously, and the Heavenly Demon smirked as if I were fretting over something utterly trivial.
"What are you worried about? This seat has even taught the secrets of Mount Hua."
In that case, no reason to hesitate.
We decided to learn the manual alongside the exiled disciples and stand against the representative.
But to do that, we first needed to get in touch with the exiled disciples.
We all put our heads together to brainstorm ways to contact them.
And this is what came up.
First suggestion: Do it like with *Martial World Bounty*.
This was the Heavenly Demon's idea—call out to Shin Tae-eul on the *Martial World Bounty* stage, so use a public broadcast to send a message to the exiled disciples.
But back then, the representative had let his guard down.
After the *Martial World Bounty* showcase, he'd been radiating murderous intent.
Would he really sit idly by this time if we tried something so blatant?
Plus, this method had the drawback of taking too long.
With Shin Tae-eul in that state, there was no guarantee the other exiled disciples were safe.
We needed to find them as quickly as possible.
The second idea came from Ja-ha.
Go to the spot where Han River's body was found.
It was a reasonable guess that the exiled disciples might approach there to verify if it was really Shin Tae-eul.
But we're celebrities.
Top-tier idols, at that.
Dang Sa-cheon was the least recognizable, but he'd gained fame recently from the Lion6 ad.
If famous people like us were spotted near a murder scene, we could get dragged into some weird scandal.
For the sake of our future, we had to manage our image—no go.
And the third idea was utterly absurd...
"Let's go to an amusement park."
Of course, this was Dang Sa-cheon's suggestion.
He said it with a dead-serious face.
"It might sound ridiculous at first."
"You do realize that, huh?"
"There's a saying: To hide a tree, hide it in the forest. Amusement parks are full of people. If we announce in advance that we're filming there, the exiled disciples can blend into the crowd and approach us naturally."
Dang Sa-cheon might be eccentric, but among us, he's the one sharpest with schemes.
It was more realistic than messaging via broadcast or going to the crime scene ourselves.
But this plan had a big flaw.
Sure enough, Ja-ha pointed it out.
"Hey, if we go to an amusement park, we'll just be a nuisance! What if some fans come to see us and get hurt? You gonna take responsibility?"
"What about renting it out at night?"
Tae-geuk piped up, but Dang Sa-cheon shook his head.
"Renting it at night defeats the purpose. We need enough people that standing next to strangers doesn't look suspicious."
"Then... how about a quiet, rundown amusement park?"
Namgung Mu ventured cautiously.
"You know, one that's about to close down."
"Oh, I know the place. South... Romantic Cats? Something like that?"
Ja-ha tilted his head, unable to recall the name exactly, and Tae-geuk, sitting beside him, spat it out curtly.
"Southern Barbarian Beast Palace."
"Right, Southern Barbarian Beast Palace~!"
Ja-ha remembering Southern Barbarian Beast Palace as Romantic Cats was some next-level brain filtering.
"The amusement park's called... Southern Barbarian Beast Palace?"
Southern Barbarian Beast Palace was a southern frontier martial arts sect from wuxia novels.
Deep in the jungle, they commanded fierce beasts or used martial arts mimicking animal movements, depending on the story...
Why the hell was an amusement park named that?
I furrowed my brow in confusion, and Namgung Mu elaborated.
"It's only been open three or four years. Probably one of those wuxia-themed businesses that popped up like mushrooms after the Nine Great Clans hit it big."
Fair enough. After the Nine Great Clans' success, there'd been a wuxia boom.
Even that Zhu Zahegil building fusing modern and wuxia architecture dated from then.
Dang Sa-cheon thought for a moment, then nodded.
"Not a bad idea. A failing park won't charge much for a rental, and since it's out in the sticks, a guerrilla announcement won't draw tons of fans. But the exiled disciples know lightness skill, so they'll make it on time without issue."
It hinged on them knowing lightness skill?
Still, it seemed worth a shot.
We had to film the final, tenth episode of *Righteous-Demonic Camp Chaos* anyway.
Being the last shoot, they were considering an outdoor location.
And the rental fee? Kichi had money to burn.
Ja-ha, who'd been listening quietly, suddenly stuck his head in.
"But they probably aren't running the rides anymore. What kinda content are we shooting?"
"We just need a big space to hold lots of people and move freely. We can run our own event."
"An event?"
If it was the usual format of the Nine Great Clans riding attractions like normal folks...
The cameras would mostly capture us keeping distance from fans.
In that setup, exiled disciples would have a hard time approaching, and they'd stick out if they did.
With Shin Tae-eul vanishing after a fanmeet as precedent, we had to be careful.
"How about a masquerade ball concept?"
"A masquerade?"
Ja-ha blinked, but the Heavenly Demon lit up.
"A tournament to compete in the greatest martial way?"
"Not that kind of masquerade."
Unlike the Heavenly Demon's nonsense, Dang Sa-cheon got it right away and nodded with interest.
"Indeed, Brother So. If everyone's in costume—masquerade style—we can blend in naturally. We can gauge each other's internal energy levels, so even masked, we'll recognize one another. Worst case, Heavenly Demon-nim can send a transmission. Perfect conditions for a secret meet with quasi-martial artists."
This guy always catches me off guard like this.
Dang Sa-cheon pulls so many stunts that I keep forgetting he's actually the smart one.
I pressed on.
"And since we need cosplay outfits prepared in advance, better to take applications ahead of time and screen for the right number, instead of guerrilla style."
If random crowds flooded the park...
The representative's people might slip in.
Safer to vet them first.
But Dang Sa-cheon tilted his head, seeming unconvinced.
"Won't that risk missing the exiled disciples in the approved group?"
"No chance. We'll ask for cosplay photos too."
"They won't send face-revealing pics."
"I'm not checking faces in the photos."
"Then...?"
"...I'll explain later. What do you all think? Go with this?"
The first to answer was the Heavenly Demon.
"This seat approves. I like the martial tournament angle."
"Not that kind of—"
"I love it! It's for meeting the exiled disciples, sure, but... last shoot should be special, and getting time with fans is the best part!"
"No objections here."
"O-Of course, none from me!"
Ja-ha, Tae-geuk, and Namgung Mu answered in turn.
"Alright. Let's prep right away. Everyone, think about what cosplay you'll wear."
At my words, Ja-ha muttered worriedly.
"I've never done cosplay before."
...Had he forgotten he was a concept-obsessed idol?
"Don't worry, Senior Ja-ha."
Dang Sa-cheon flashed his signature soulless smile and clapped Ja-ha on the shoulder.
"This Dang Sa-cheon has ten years of cosplay experience. I'll pick perfect outfits for everyone."
...Come to think of it, when we first met this guy, he was in Heavenly Demon cosplay.
Suddenly feeling uneasy.
* * *
The next day.
The new announcement on the Nine Great Clans' WeVerse sent the Beggar Clan disciples into a frenzy.
-World Rank 0 No.1 Sword: [Southern Barbarian Beast Palace Masquerade] What the hell is this? lolololol
└NoCrotchHere: Promo copy is hilarious af? 'Nine Great Clans and Beggar Clan Disciples' First Cosplay Party' lolololololol
└PrettiestSword: Why bother with a cosplay party? They're in wuxia cosplay 365 days a year already lololol
└FiveFactionsGang: Our boys are real martial artists fr, totally legit lolololol
JaHaMarryMe: Can't wait to see what cosplay Plum Blossom Queen does, going insane
└WuxiaIdolWTF10VirtuesFan: Odd eyes = perfect chuuni cosplay lmao my inner Black Flame Dragon awakens
└JaHaMarryMe: lololol then Namgung Jun has to do folding screen cosplay lmao my inner bore instinct awakens
└108Arhats: These two fighting again ; ;
└WuxiaIdolWTF10VirtuesFan: Jun-ie cute even in folding screen cosplay tbh, love it—big screen means more full shots on cam
└JaHaMarryMe: Fuck, jealous. Then our Ja-ha needs something huge too, like Kichi HQ
└WuxiaIdolWTF10VirtuesFan: Jun-ie gets Nine Great Clans dorm
└JaHaMarryMe: Not dorm, Namgung family mansion lolololol
└World Rank 0 No.1 Sword: ? Why are these two suddenly buddy-buddy?
FiveFactionsGang: Y'all applying? Gotta send cosplay pics? lolololol
└ShamanNoChoice: Bet tons of Beggar Clan cosplayers out there?
└OldManOldManLookOldMan: Check Zhu Zahegil, half are Heavenly Demons lololol
└GrandAwakening: But Heavenly Demon cosplay so common, might not get picked ㅠㅠ
-JinJinJaHaJinJinJa: Love a fan event after so long, but Southern Barbarian Beast Palace? Unexpected. Kichi ain't broke, why there?
└ThreeGreatSouthernFactionsRekt: Cuz it's empty? Big parks are packed
└JinJinJaHaJinJinJa: Duh it's empty, built in some remote mountain nowhere, hard af to even get to ; ;
└NotBaldPlz: Rides shut down too, what we doing there?
└108Arhats: Says surprise event, details secret. But wear sneakers? Prob running around? Like treasure hunt?
└MyLimeTreeAmitabha: Omg sounds fun, hyped. Missed fanmeet, hope I get picked this time ㅠㅠ
* * *
Naturally, applications for the [Southern Barbarian Beast Palace Masquerade] poured in.
Hundreds of photos flooded in from online and offline, but...
We had the Heavenly Demon.
With his insane dynamic vision, he scanned every photo and picked out the ones matching the criteria I gave him.
The selection criteria were as follows.
First: Beggar Clan disciples with faces fully covered or unrecognizable disguises.
Obvious.
Exiled disciples would likely cover their faces completely.
Second: Beggar Clan disciples radiating internal energy.
Photos taken in poses or angles impossible without internal energy.
I'd seen Ami use Ice Arts, so I figured the exiled disciples could pull off something similar.
Among the submissions, some fit.
Most were obvious Photoshop jobs, but plenty looked indistinguishable from reality.
Could be killer Photoshop skills... or maybe fans with real high-level internal energy.
Or perhaps plants from the representative's side.
Either way, mark those Beggar Clan disciples as persons of interest.
And finally, the third criterion...
This one I only told the Heavenly Demon.
It involved the exiled disciples' physical defects.
No guarantee they'd reveal such a weakness in a photo...
But if they did, we'd spot them for sure.
We prioritized Beggar Clan disciples meeting all three, filling the rest with member picks.
The Heavenly Demon handed me photos of those dressed as characters missing body parts.
More one-armed cosplayers than expected.
But not over ten.
Some did noseless British wizards.
Flipping through the photos the Heavenly Demon gave me, I froze at one shot from below the eyes.
The hyper-realistic noseless makeup.
It had a clean jawline.
And on the left jaw, a familiar blue dot.
'This is...'
I knew instinctively it wasn't cosplay.
It was definitely the face of the Nine Great Clans' former member.
The Demon Horse Sword.