"Yuan Cai, the exiled vice-captain. They say he still lives. Some claim he crossed the Qianlong River, others that he commanded the outlaws of the northern steppe."
Li Wuji's smile deepened, the air around him rippling faintly with pressure. "Yuan Cai, the wolf who gnawed off his own leg to escape the trap. A man too proud to die quietly." He chuckled, the sound low and mirthless. "Men like him make fine kindling for the fires of change."
He rose from his seat with a smooth, predatory motion and began pacing along the ridge. "The Wu clan is weak, their merchant-lord clutching his city like a miser holding a broken coin. Mu Zhang seeks recognition. Yuan Cai, revenge. And us—" His eyes gleamed red as he looked back at Yuan Yi. "We seek ascendance. Tell me, which of these ambitions burns brightest?"
"The one that feeds on all the others," she said softly.
Li Wuji's laughter rang across the rocks. "Good. You are learning."
