Beasts possessed hunger. Men carried conflict.
Yang Lujia sat upon a throne-like boulder woven from stacked tomes that jutted from the cliffside, far above the winding mountain pass. He held the same teacup as before—the steam rising from the hot tea curled into the freezing mountain air and dispersed instantly.
He looked down at the ash-covered gorge below, his eyes tracking the minuscule movements of his disciple.
'In a corporate takeover, acquiring a failing company is a simple matter of leverage,' Yang Lujia mused. His mind drifted back to boardrooms and negotiations. 'They surrender because they are starving. A beast is the exact same. It attacks out of pure desperation. But a hostile merger against an entrenched rival? That requires breaking an opponent who actively plots your ruin. A human enemy possesses spite. They possess greed, pride, and premeditated cruelty. That intent is a much richer currency.'
