1838: Tensions grow between the Chinese and British government as British merchants continue to smuggle opioids through the Chinese borders. The Qing dynasty has outlawed use and possession of all opioids, but people are beginning to think that it wonât be enough to prevent violence. Meanwhile, a juvenile dragon sits outside of her temple in the Hua Shan mountains, uncaring of the conflict between two governments, or that her fellow monks disapprove of her antics. They see a leader and a sage inside of her, because she is a dragon, and someday she will be old. They say that sages donât fall prey to the feeling of smoke in their lungs and in their brain. But her heart beats painfully mortal, and she can barely understand how the world works, let alone her place in it. In that moment, she is unconcerned, and she is at peace. Smoke cannot kill a dragon, after all.
