“Never travel by Banzi Shoal at night. Even if you survive, you’ll lose a layer of skin.” The waters here were treacherous, with many dangerous shallows, but even worse, a gang of river pirates had been lurking in the area in recent years. So once dusk fell, no cargo ships could be seen passing Banzi Shoal. Yet the nearby town of Xieyang was remarkably prosperous. That was because the town was protected by Lin Qi, a martial arts expert, whose presence kept its people safe from bandit raids. But one day, a boat sailing along the river shattered the peace.
