Chapter 1: Troubled Times
The endless reed marshes of Mute Bay rustled in the wind.
Deep within the marshes, on a shallow sandbank far from the main waterway, several clusters of particularly tall and dense reeds had been bent down and woven together. A dilapidated old boat was stranded here, and under its canopy, several young but care-worn faces bore the deep imprint of life's heavy burdens.
"The Dragon King's incense offerings... have gone up by thirty percent again!" Liang Badou sighed deeply, his voice carrying a note of helplessness, "The Golden River Gang is clearly trying to suck the marrow from our bones."
"My father coughed all night," Li Hu's voice was low and hoarse, "We still haven't found money for medicine, and most of the fish and shrimp we caught this morning went to fill the Dragon King's incense hole... How are we supposed to live?"
As he spoke, his eyes reddened.
Hearing this, the others' faces showed traces of desolation.
The government's harsh taxes and levies had already bent their backs, and the local Golden River Gang still forced them to pay "Dragon King's incense offerings."
Though called Dragon King's incense, it was actually water lantern fees.
Every month at the beginning, gang members would carry tin lanterns from house to house along the river demanding payment. The lanterns were painted with blood-red characters for "canal," and their wicks were soaked in fish oil, producing a foul stench when lit.