The street storyteller Hu Bushuo speaks of jianghu secrets under the guise of interpreting dreams. "Wine, Lust, Greed, and Wrath" are four notorious tyrants.
The first is addicted to wine: a ruthless thug at the Hengjiang Wharf, so wild in his drunken rages that none dare cross him. The second is consumed by lust: a lecherous fiend who preys on decent folk by the foulest tricks. The third is driven by greed: running the Golden Toad Manor, a place that bleeds men dry. The fourth is ruled by wrath: his temper so violent that the slightest spark sets him ablaze.
Hu Bushuo claims all this to be a fanciful tale from a dream, but you can't have smoke without fire. The jianghu is a perilous place, and if you do meet these four, watch your back.
Anecdote · Jiangnan State · Hangzhou