Drawing lots was an extremely primitive solution. Thankfully, there were more than enough here to pull it off.

Xiahou Jing nodded after a head count. “We’re missing a few, including Protector King Gentlewind. Has anyone seen him?”

Everyone shook their heads. They’d been set on escaping the chaos prior; what energy did they have spare to keep an eye out for others?

“Never mind that. If no one’s seen him, he is probably dead.” Xiahou Jing couldn’t care much more than that. “There are twenty-four of us here. Aside from Daoist Shu and I, there are twenty-two of you. You will be numbered from one to twenty-two. Numbers one and two will be up first, three and four close behind, and so on. If nothing unexpected happens, one and two will protect us until we’re done. Of course, the later numbers can help us mitigate any dangers noticed! Does that sound fair?”

This makeshift method was reasonably fair. These Order executives discussed it among themselves for a few moments before...