The story revolves around the struggle between salt lord Shen Sanye and the Cao Gang, Tangmen and salt merchants. Twenty years ago, Mr. Shen massacred twelve water villages on the Yellow River and used silver ingots to control the salt rights. Twenty years later, the old enemies came back with a conspiracy such as "snowflake salt" mixed with arsenic sand and seizing the salt. Master Shen used soft swords and emerald thumbs as weapons, dealing with all forces, and finally died together with Mrs. Tang in the decisive battle in the salt field. The Yellow River floodgates opened, and the blood-stained salt flats were swallowed up. A new generation of masked men with the mark of half snow and half swirl ended the bloody rivers and lakes with "salt dissolved in water".
Purpose: To criticize the inevitability and absurdity of violent rule through the "blood-staining-purification" process of salt