Stranger Danger

Despite the strangeness that plagued Red Moon River, the people did not shy away from it. On the contrary, it was one of the most popular places of the jianghu. Every day, countless people came to the river either to admire its magnificence or to get lucky.

Besides that, Red Moon River was several hundred kilometers long and spanned three lands and five cities, meaning that it was an extremely important waterway and land transportation route. Various merchant ships and cargo ships crossed it every day and gave life to the great river.

Of course, unlike most rivers, the hustle and bustle of Red Moon River was reserved exclusively for the night.

This was why when nighttime came, and most places had plunged into silence and darkness, Red Moon River was just stirring awake. Fire and lamps lit the place until it looked like daytime, and human sounds were anywhere and everywhere.

This was the picture Ye Qing saw when he arrived at Red Moon River Wharf. The cargo stacked like hills, the traffic was ceaseless, and the noise was unending. On the river, vessels came and went tirelessly like birds, and melodious string and bamboo instruments soothed the ears.

In the sky, the moon hung bright and tall. In the water, it was red as blood and rippling like a dream, impressive and mysterious.

A bright moon and a bloody river should be eerie and anomalous, but the sheer amount of people, vessels, and human noise chased some of that feeling away and replaced it with liveliness. Strangely, this atmosphere did not feel out of place. In fact, it felt harmonious as if this was how Red Moon River should be.

The world boasts countless facades, but none are as good as smoke and fire.

“Greetings, customer. Do you want to tour the river, or do you want to cross it?”

Ye Qing had just set foot on the wharf when several boatmen looking for business went up to him.

Humans often depended on their environment to make a living. Those who worked in the mountains became hunters or foragers, and those who worked in the river became fishermen. Due to its unique characteristics, Red Moon River had no end of young masters and young ladies looking to sightsee or make merry, jianghu warriors searching for an opportunity or a treasure, merchants shipping their goods from one place to another, fishermen and more. Naturally, this gave birth to many needs and occupations such as flower boats and tour ships geared specifically toward entertainment purposes, laborers and porters who carried goods for others, merchants who sold goods or intelligence, boatmen who fetched people back and forth the rivershores and more.