Far to the southwest of Xianlong Port, Ye Beizhi and his companions had arrived at the borders of Western Hunan, Xiangxi.1

The rugged mountains and treacherous rivers of Western Hunan matched the lawless and unrestrainable atmosphere of the area; this was a place far removed from imperial oversight. The people were bold and aggressive, and the locals even had a habit of carrying knives.0

During Fang Dingwu’s years as a courier escort, he did his best to avoid missions to Western Hunan. Not only were these trips prone to robberies along the way, they also had a high risk of being ultimately double-crossed by the recipients of the deliveries themselves.0

The trio were sitting down in a roadside tavern for dinner, and Fang Dingwu began passionately recounting the customs and tales of the region to Ye Beizhi and Chi Nanwei.1

"The people of Hunan...0