"Pathetic imbeciles!" A spirited shout rang throughout the office followed by the sound of glass shattering. "Just how incompetent must you all be to allow fully grown people to escape from right under your noses!!?"
"We tried to stop the—!" A man tried to explain himself but was stopped by a harsh slap.
"You tried, did you!? What a mighty f*cking attempt!! Tell me, what do you want? A f*cking prize!? A certificate saying 'Well Done'!?! Bastards! Say that one more time! I dare you! I double dare you!! Motherf*cker!!!"
The man was scolded to the point that he dared not to even think.
"Look at this paper! Look!" A red-faced middle-aged man waved a paper. "Can you read!? Can you f*cking read what is written on it!? It says, 'Dear Mr Devon, in response to your support of the Heavenly Spirit Empire, I have kidnapped your son. Please retract all support immediately should you wish to see your son's safe return. Sincerely, W.'"
Devon threw the paper with all his fury. "The bastard's not even being subtle about it!! It is a bald-faced threat!! ARRGGHH!!!" He screamed with frustration and desperation.
"Find him! I don't care what you do or who you arrest but find him!! Bring that bastard to me alive!!! My son! Oh, my son!!"
Mr Devon, representative of the Eternal Fire Sect and one of the top leaders of the Hodgepodge faction lifelessly collapsed onto his seat. His face seemed to have aged by a dozen years overnight.
-
At the Divine Lightning Sect's office.
"Aarrggh!! My innocent daughter! Bastard! Find him! FIND HIM NOW!!"
A mature woman screamed like she was possessed by a banshee.
-
At the Apothecary Guild's building.
"How does he know about our secret dealings and smuggling rings!? No! NO!! We cannot allow this information to be leaked! If it does, WE WILL BE FINISHED! Not even our families back home will be let go!!!"
"Find this man! WE NEED TO FIND HIM!!!"
-
Similar situations were being played out in at least a dozen different places. In just a single night, the entire higher-ups' circle of the Hodgepodge faction had been thrown into disarray and panic.
Of the many, many chapters in 'Schemes and Strategies,' there was one called 'Negotiation.' This chapter explained the art of a deal and expounded upon myriad types of negotiation techniques. The chapter and the knowledge contained within it were vast and it had taken Wuzhi an entire two years to fully understand and digest it.
Broadly put, there were four different types of 'deals.'
First, was the Net-Positive; wherein one gained their terms without losing anything.
Second, was the Net-Negative; wherein lost all their terms without gaining anything.
Third, was the Break-Even; wherein an equal amount was exchanged for equal terms.
Finally, there was the No Deal; wherein the deal fell through due to various reasons.
Simply put, negotiations were difficult and it was not easy to make a deal. The foundation of all exchanges was not currency but rather trust. After all, if there was no trust between two parties, no exchange would take place.
In a way, everything in this world could be viewed through the lens of 'negotiation.' For example, a practitioner paid for their power and knowledge with effort and dedication; a mother paid for the birth of her new child with labour and pain; a lover paid for their love with their dedication and affection; and many more.
Stolen novel; please report.
A scheme or a strategy was also, in a way, a negotiation. The involved parties entered an implicit 'deal' and innumerable immaterial items were traded and exchanged. 'Victory' or 'defeat' were not the markers of a successful or unsuccessful deal as the 'terms' of each involved party were intrinsically different.
By creating this chaos, Wuzhi was not aiming to threaten the Hodgepodge faction into rescinding their participation in the war; do so such a thing was wholly impossible. The extent of an individual was limited when an entire faction and a continent's worth of benefits were involved.
Wuzhi's goal in stirring this chaos was to build his 'trust' in the eyes of the other involved parties. He created this situation to make known his status as a 'negotiator' and wanted to make a deal with the others. This was his goal.
And to reach this goal, Wuzhi used his acquired 'blackmail' to threaten the others. Viewed from the perspective of the 'Negotiation' chapter of 'Schemes and Strategies,' this was a Net-Negative deal; Wuzhi was throwing away everything while not really gaining anything.
However, this was a necessary exchange as he needed it to build his 'trust,' for, as said earlier, 'Trust is the true foundation for all exchanges.'
The most dangerous night had been passed by hiding deep within the Western District. However, the situation was far from being over. Not only did Wuzhi have to survive and evade capture the next few days but he also had to successfully arrive at the negotiation table to discuss his terms sometime in the future.
Many arrangements were made in preparation for this and he even had the most reliable bodyguard by his side. Alas, the future was distant and fickle while danger was near and certain.
Disguised as a sailor, Wuzhi hid within a ramshackle wooden hut teetering on the edge of collapse. His hands were busy mending the broken fishing net within his hands, a process that he had learnt how to do very recently. Near him, Baixue was also disguised in a similar fashion and had even gone as far as disguising herself as a man; female sailors were simply non-existent in Port Éclair.
As they busied themselves, Baixue suddenly asked in a soft whisper. "Is it just me or is your 'picture' getting clearer?"
"I removed the Path Technique that I use to conceal myself," replied Wuzhi. His concealment technique made his impression, or 'picture,' appear faint and elusive within the minds of others. Wuzhi normally used it to hide his tracks and guard from certain dangers.
Currently, however, he was seeking to make an impression on the hearts of the Hodgepodge faction's higher-ups. Using the concealment technique would be counterproductive to his motives and cause his scheme to fail.
"I see," Baixue simply remarked. She then acted with greater vigilance as this would mean that their danger would multiply explosively at any time.
The two of them put their heads down and quietly continued with their deceit. Occasionally, the distant sounds of screaming, angry cursing, and objects being thrown around were heard.
Sometime later, just when Wuzhi was about to finish patching his first net, a short boy, twelve or thirteen years of age, arrived near the young scholar and quietly whispered, "The inspectors are here."
The meaning was clear; the building that he was in was about to be searched.
Wuzhi asked the boy to go away and exchanged gazes with Baixue. The female heroine neatly put away her net and walked toward a particular set of floorboards. Gripping her finger underneath the stack, she pushed with her knees and raised the objects into the air. A tight hiding spot was revealed beneath the floorboards.
Wuzhi made his way into the hiding spot and quietly sat there. Baixue gazed around to confirm that the scene was clear before entering the hiding spot and lowering the stack of boards. The hiding hole was sealed and darkness came over the duo.
Both of them held their breaths as the sounds of clamour grew more intense. The heavy steps of the boots, the frustrated queries of the officers, the fearful whimpers of the citizens… in the absolute silence of the hiding place, all such sounds were exceptionally clear.
A minute or so later, the sound of somebody getting hit followed by the cries of a woman and child were heard. Baixue recognized these voices belonging to the family that had sheltered them in this house. Her fists tightened as a profound anger overcame her.
Wuzhi placed his hand atop Baixue's clenched fist. He looked into her eyes and slowly shook his head.
Baixue stared into Wuzhi's beautiful argent eyes for a moment before calming down and loosening her fists. While he had not spoken anything, his meaning was quite clear; do not do anything, or they will be in greater danger.
A few more tense minutes passed during which two officers entered the room which they were hiding under to perform a search. Upon finding nothing but spare, rotten wood and unrepaired fishing nets, the two officers cursed out loud and left the room. Having failed to find the wanted criminals, the inspectors left the building and moved to the next.
Wuzhi and Baixue remained within their hiding spot for another hour, just in case the inspectors returned. After an hour, when it was no longer physically possible for them to remain underneath the floorboards, they emerged into the room and were greeted by the warm gazes of their helpers.
Without waiting for them to speak, Wuzhi spoke first. "We will leave tonight and head elsewhere. It is no longer safe for us here."
"Tomorrow, 'diviners' from the [Scrying Path] will arrive. Then, this game of hunting will reach the next level."