In a place like the Golden Triangle, ordinary people avoid it as if their lives depend on it. Those who come here to eke out a living are either fugitives from the Imperial Court with blood on their hands, or the most ruthless and heartless types.
The people living here, from octogenarians to toddlers barely able to walk, display far more of humanity's vile nature than its good.
For instance, Dong Huiying had once seen a child of about eight years old murder a playmate over a trivial disagreement.
Here, a human life is worth less than grass, and death is nothing extraordinary.
***
Hong Xiangjun could be considered a businesswoman. She owned a gambling den in the Taihang Mountains, serving as a gathering spot for gamblers from villages ten miles around. She was no saint, likely involved in some shady dealings, but at most, she was in a moral gray area.
But compared to the other ruthless characters of the Golden Triangle, Hong Xiangjun seemed somewhat inconsequential.
