It was well into the night, crickets chirping in the cold wind clearer than ever. Jin, Shen, and Bao Kun sat in the kitchen. Shen took a sip of water and began to break down the situation.
"About two weeks ago, a grand practitioner at the Void Amalgamation rank wiped out the entire Crimson Flare Sect."

Just hearing the rank of Void Amalgamation made the air chill. At that level, one could obliterate entire mountains without much effort. To think that people of such rank could be after them made Jin's soul tremble.

Shen continued, "We also found out that the escort group that allocated us for the mission has disbanded — along with its parent merchant group."

The way the dots connected left a bitter feeling in his gut. If it were a year ago, Jin would feel only righteous indignation, but now he had a lot to lose. He had a master, a dependent, a friend, and a village with him. He could feel a familiar, unwelcome fear growing.

Shen took a deep breath before letting out the last bit of information.
"The Mount Hua Sect has sent out envoys to find survivors — to 'document' what happened in the dungeon and to 'recompensate' the survivors for the fault of an allied sect."

Bao Kun took a swig of his gourd and spoke in a serious tone.
"They are looking for you."

The tension in the air was taut. Jin felt as though there was a knife pointed at his neck, ready to slash at any moment.

Shen continued, "On the side of good news — from the envoys, we can tell that they know there are survivors, but they don't know who or where."

Jin asked Shen, "If they seized the Still River Freight Group, wouldn’t they also have the delivery manifests — and the victims’ names?"

Shen nodded and replied, "For the first time in my life, I'm grateful to the deacon of the Crimson Flare Sect. Thanks to him burning all the corpses to ash and dying shortly after, the Mount Hua Sect can't identify who the victims and survivors were."

Hearing this, Jin was able to breathe again, but the tension was still sharp.

Shen continued, "However, it's only a matter of time from now. They have our names and a general history; as long as they can filter out the search area, they will be able to zero in on us."

He took another sip of water.
"This time I'm grateful for not having many connections. Considering we don't have any family or friends who can confirm our identities, we should have a bit more leeway."

Jin took a moment to calm down his fear through the second mantra. His breath steadied. The chill of the night air no longer bit so deep. The mantra wasn’t real faith, but it steadied the storm inside.
"What do we do from here?"

Shen seemed confused about the way ahead. However, to their surprise, the one who spoke first was Bao Kun.
"Change your names."

Both Jin and Shen were dumbfounded. Jin thought to himself, As if such a simple method would wor...

Although in theory the idea seemed stupid, in context it was actually brilliant. Thanks to the lack of connection around Jin and Shen up till now, people could only recognize them through identity.

The Crimson Flare Sect's method of taking people no one would miss had backfired on what seemed to be the patrons of their research.

Bao Kun continued, "In matters like this, there are two ways to protect yourself." He took a deep swig from his gourd before speaking again.
"First, find patrons. Having a strong backing would make it hard for the Mount Hua Sect to approach you even if they could find you. However, in this scenario where we don't know who our enemies are, it will be a hard find."

Jin, seeming confused, asked Bao Kun, "Isn't it clear that our enemy is the Mount Hua Sect?"

Bao Kun took an even deeper swig from his gourd. He turned to the sky and spoke, "Heavens, what sin did I commit for you to burden me with such a stupid fucking disciple?"

As Jin looked indignant at Bao Kun's unwarranted insults, Shen cut in,
"In cases like this, we don't know if the Still River Freight Group and the Crimson Flare Sect were the only two groups involved. Nor do we know if the Mount Hua Sect is the only major martial group involved in this matter."

Although the concept itself was a bit confusing, Jin nodded and asked what the second way would be.

"The second way is to be someone that can't just disappear. This works in two ways. Firstly, being a notable public figure means all eyes are on you — in a situation where someone wants to finish you off silently, this is an unfavorable outcome. The second way this works is in forging a new identity. The righteous martial artist Jin is not the same as the beggar Jin. This will most definitely make it hard for the manifestos to tie back to you."

Bao Kun ate a spiced tofu cube before speaking again.
"Finally, more than a method to protect yourself, this is a note of caution. Remember — they are watching. Probe too directly, and you're on their radar. Go to the wrong broker, and you're on their radar. Get too close to the scene of the crime, and you're on their radar. While gathering information is important, if done incorrectly, it could lead them to your doorstep."

Before Jin could ask how they could gather information, Shen spoke up.
"We need friends. Friends in high places. If we can ingratiate ourselves with people who know things, we may be able to hear what we need to without probing directly."

Bao Kun smiled and said to Shen, "Aigoo, it seems unlike my disciple, you are not a fool. If only you had a stronger physique, I'd have made you my disciple as well."

Shen, having seen their master-disciple relationship over the past few months, shuddered at the thought.

After regaining his bearings, Shen came up with a rudimentary plan.
"It seems we need to become charity warriors — the kind that young masters around the Central Plains would want to befriend."

The night passed quickly from then on. A plan for survival was being developed.

As they were about to turn in for the night, Jin asked Bao Kun, "Old man, where did you get those tofu cubes from? Nothing that delicious can be made in this house."

Bao Kun smirked and replied, "That little Mei from the grocery store gave it to me. She said she was worried I'd fall sick if I kept drinking as I did."

Jin laughed and spoke, "It seems there are no good men in this village. To think Aunt Mei would fall for an old drunk like you."

Bao Kun's face turned to a brilliant smile. He spoke with relish,
"Sitting and talking all this time must have made you sore, dear disciple. Come, let us go do some joint training."

Jin spoke hurriedly, with a fear that wasn't there when the shadow of Mount Hua was looming over him.
"Master n... no, I'm sorry, I was just kiddin...!"

After a resounding thud, the joint training began.

So the night ended. Jin fainted on the cold earth near the riverbank, resting for the next day.

Big things were coming soon.