The setting sun cast its dying glow, turning the river crimson.
Jagged reefs pierced the water's surface, and the current became exceptionally violent here.
This was Black Flood Dragon Shoals, a place that struck terror into the hearts of passing merchants and travelers.
A large cargo ship flying the Wu Family banner had been forced to stop in a relatively open eddy at the center of the river by several fast boats. Thick mooring ropes were roughly tied to several crooked trees on the shore.
The sailors and Wu Family guards aboard had been driven into one corner of the deck. Every face was filled with terror, and quite a few were injured.
The air reeked of blood, sweat, and fish.
Onshore, a blazing bonfire burned before a crude water stockade built against the cliff face.
Five bare-chested men sat around the fire, drinking wine from large bowls and tearing into freshly roasted meat.
The water had not yet dried from their bodies. Clearly, they had only just returned from plundering a ship, and were now savoring the wild joy of victory.
"Hahaha! Big Brother, this time we really caught a fat sheep! More than twenty Treasure Fish, plus all those medicinal herbs and bolts of silk—enough for us brothers to live it up for years!" the Fourth Brother laughed broadly.
"Hmph, the Wu Family has made quite a fortune lately. They don't want to pay so much as a single tael in tolls? Do they think any random kid can hold down Qianchuan Marsh?" The Second Brother took a swig of wine, his face full of disdain.
The leader, Jiang Baoqing, nicknamed the Sea-Raging Flood Dragon, was the most heavily built of them all. A saber scar ran from his brow ridge to the corner of his mouth, making