In the mist-laden Yangste River, an ancient covenant binds souls to a brutal reckoning: the ninth day after being marked by the Society of Ancestral Loss, a man must pay with his life. When a seasoned naval officer's ship drifts into this treacherous waterway, he encounters a secretive banking magnate who wields a darker power than any navy gun-an unseen current that drags men into oblivion. As whispers of betrayal ripple through the crowded docks of Shanghai and the steaming decks of a gunboat, the officer must decide whether to heed the old law or confront the new, invisible tyrant that threatens to swallow not only his crew but his own conscience.

In a world where commerce, superstition, and imperial ambition collide, the Yangste Horde is a haunting meditation on what we barter for and what finally claims us. A tense, atmospheric thriller that will keep readers turning until the last, echoing tide.