Scry: To foretell the future using a crystal ball or other objects with similar characteristics.

The [Scrying Path] is one of the 72 Major Named Paths of the Orthodoxy, and the most ancient of the group. It is said to have originated some millennia ago during the Golden Era of Man. Back then, the 'Diviners,' practitioners of the [Scrying Path], were said to know everything underneath the heavens; no question was left unanswered, and no object was left unfound.

Unfortunately, as with most things after that period, the [Scrying Path] also degenerated with many of its knowledge and secrets lost to the erosion of war and time. Today, the [Scrying Path] is a mere shadow of its previous brilliant glory.

That said, one still mustn't underestimate this Path. As one of the most ancient of Paths, it is filled with much esoteric mystery and obscure workings. In the hands of a true expert, the [Scrying Path] can still exhibit frightening strength.

---

Second Day of the Manhunt.

"Back when I was under my teacher's tutelage, there was this 'game' that we sometimes used to play," said Wuzhi, his hands busy making tea. "I feel that our current situation resembles that game greatly."

"How so?" asked Baixue.

"In the game, there were two roles; one of the criminal and the other, a policeman. It was a simple game. One player will assume the role of the criminal and traverse the board, which was a model of a city, using a variety of methods such as walking, hiring a carriage, hiring a boat, etc."

"The other player or players -for a maximum of four people can assume the other role- will play the policeman. Now, the goal of the policeman was to nab the criminal while for the criminal it was to not get caught. A simple game, isn't it?"

"Here's the catch; the criminal knows exactly where the policemen are present on the board whilst the latter only learn of the criminal's location in every fifth turn. In every turn except for the fifth and its multiples, the criminal remains hidden; his movements unknown and only subject to guesswork."

"Of course, to maintain fairness on both sides, the criminal only had a limited number of moves that he could make whilst the policeman could make an unlimited number of moves. The game would end when either the criminal is caught or he manages to escape after the time limit of five days."

"I see," nodded Baixue. The game that Wuzhi described was very similar to their current situation. She and he were the so-called 'criminals,' whilst the entirety of the Port City of Éclair was the 'policemen.'

Taking a sip from her cup, she added, "And I suppose that the 'diviners' act the role of periodically revealing our location to the policemen?"

Smiling in reply, Wuzhi nodded his head. "Exactly."

"Much like in the game, we cannot stay for too long in a single location should we wish to win. That said, we also cannot move too frequently as that would exhaust our movement cards."

"Now that I've explained the game and its rules to you; how do you think that we can win?" he asked.

Baixue lowered her head in thought. As a cultivator who had managed to cultivate to the very pinnacle of Rank 4, inches away from entering Rank 5, she was a person of great intelligence and nimble mind.

A few minutes of thought later, Baixue commented. "To think that we can stay hidden forever is foolish. The opponents, as long as they have a modicum of intelligence, will be able to somewhat guess our general location from the periodic reveals. With these clues, they will also block routes in hopes of further restricting our movements."

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

Wuzhi kept nodding his head throughout her discourse. He was impressed by her words.

Frowning to herself, she continued. "The policemen are also incomparable in numbers. The net that they can cast is similarly large in size. If run across any of them, or choose to engage them in a fight, the other policemen will be instantly alerted and the net will go smaller and tighter. While we might manage to get away temporarily, it would only be a matter of time before we get caught."

Silence descended in the room. Baixue once again sank into thought while Wuzhi quietly stirred the tea in his hand.

"Wait, I'm looking at this the wrong way!" Baixue suddenly exclaimed. Her eyes flashed with inspiration and wisdom. "The goal of the criminals is not to 'hide' but to not get 'caught.'"

"Bingo!" Wuzhi clapped his hands. He was pleasantly surprised that Baixue had managed to stumble upon the answer.

Excited by his encouragement, Baixue arranged her thoughts and explained. "Having our location exposed does not matter. In fact, it is a matter to be welcomed. To win, we must make it so that the policemen are always a step behind us. We needn't 'outsmart' the opponent but rather 'outlast' them."

Wuzhi clapped once again. Wearing a brilliant smile on his face, he sincerely complimented. "Sister Baixue's intelligence is second to none. You have managed to come up with the solution in mere minutes after I posed the problem."

Baixue blushed deeply at his words. Her eyes looked away from his face while her hands hurriedly waved in denial. "It was by chance that I managed to arrive upon the answer."

Putting down his teacup, Wuzhi leaned back on his seat and explained. "Sister Baixue's solution is perfect. Our goal in this hunt is not to 'outsmart' our opponent but rather to 'outlast' them. We needn't hide; such a thing is impossible to do in the first place. We only need to move in a manner that makes it impossible for them to catch us."

"This city is immense. Even with all the manpower that they have summoned, our opponents can't block every route. And while it is true that the net which they have cast is immense, a net is not without its holes. We simply have to look for these holes and exploit them in our favour."

"The criminal role might not look all that powerful at a glance. However, that one move of head start and the four moves of secrecy are not to be underestimated. It is these two things that are the criminal's strongest weapons!" Wuzhi finished.

Baixue suddenly asked. "So, tell me, how many times have you won against your teacher?"

Her question sent Wuzhi tumbling down into the pits of embarrassment. Scratching the back of his head, he looked away and quietly answered. "Never. I have not won a single time against my teacher."

Policeman or criminal, no matter which role Wuzhi had assumed, he had never once managed to overcome his teacher.

The Heaven Scheming Devil isn't defeated that easily.

---

On the third day of the manhunt, the governor of the Port City of Éclair enforced martial law and prohibited all citizens from leaving their houses. All factories were forced to stop working and all ships were forced to dock. Trade was halted in the Port City of Éclair.

Naturally, such a move was largely unwelcome by the many, many businessmen and companies that operated in the city. They had already been holding back their dissatisfaction over the wonton actions of the higher-ups over the previous few days and the halting of businesses was the metaphorical straw that broke the camel's back.

The governor's office was swamped with complaints. Many businessmen and companies even took to the streets in protest. The governor sought to use his policemen to quell these protests but could not afford to be too harsh as that would severely impact the trust and reputation of the city.

By the fourth day, the discontent amongst the populace reached a new peak as the citizens refused to be treated like criminals any longer. The businessmen and companies also placed an ultimatum before the governor; remove all prohibitions or else we will take our businesses and leave.

When the larger benefits were threatened, the governor gave in to the pressure and retracted his previous orders. The higher-ups, who had their children kidnapped and their secrets exposed, cried at the unfairness of his decision. However, the governor was firm. The Hodgepodge faction was large, but ultimately it was simply a coalition of multiple interests. They were simply not as united as the other factions.

While the higher-ups wielded immense authority and power, they did not speak for all that made up the Hodgepodge faction. In the end, some of the other members even looked forward to the fall of these higher-ups as that would represent a chance for themselves to rise in power and status.

On the fifth day, the manhunt was successfully disbanded and the higher-ups waved a white flag. They publicly admitted their defeat and called the culprits for a negotiation.

Wuzhi's scheme had thus succeeded. He had managed to accrue enough capital and trust to enter a negotiation with these big shots.