At the camp on Fifty-Two Peaks.
Xu Bangzi gathered everyone together beneath an ancient pagoda tree more than five hundred years old to discuss how to avoid the mysterious disappearances.
Little Bad King, who was chairing the meeting, had already thought of a countermeasure. A strangely confident smile spread across his bovine face as he prepared to show off before the assembled New Year's Watchers.
He looked around, cleared his throat, and began like an old political commissar. "Comrades, the situation is grave! Ahead of us, Lushu's army hunts us down without restraint; behind us, the mysterious disappearances pursue us relentlessly. Like homeless dogs, we've been hiding here and there...!"
Little Marquis flapped his rooster wings and interrupted impatiently. "Enough, enough, stop rambling... We really don't have any money left. No matter how much you say, you won't swindle any more out of us. Just get to the point."
"...!" Ren Ye rolled his eyes at him. "For a chicken, why is your emotional intelligence so low?! I've been racking my brains for a way out, and you won't even give me the most basic emotional support?"
Listening to their exchange, Deng Tongqi wore a gentle smile on his monkey face. "Junior brother, have you already thought of a way to avoid the mysterious disappearances?"
Ren Ye turned toward him. Seeing that Deng Tongqi also looked assured, he immediately sensed that the other man might have come up with a countermeasure too. "What's this, Brother Monkey? You've thought of something too?"
"Yes, I have a few tentative ideas myself...!" Deng Tongqi nodded slightly.
At that, all twenty-odd squad members turned toward this genius Sword Immortal of the New Year's Watchers.
"Brother Deng, since you've already thought of something, why didn't you say so earlier?" Little Marquis asked delightedly. "Were you