Chapter 28

In the aftermath of the failed assault at Xuzhou, Rin admits to her generals that Nezha wields the Dragon of Arlong and that fire cannot overcome his water shield. With morale wavering, she and Kitay conclude they must follow Chaghan’s original advice: bypass Nezha’s strengths and strike the Dragon’s source at the Nine Curves Grotto near Arlong.

Recognizing spies and the river’s dominance, Rin and Kitay devise a deception plan: split the Southern Army into seven squadrons, each attempting separate crossings with minimal shared knowledge. Venka will lead the most obvious attempt at Sage’s Ford while other groups target bridges or fords, with decoy lumber work to mislead scouts. Their own goal is not to seize Arlong but to poison the grotto; only one squadron must succeed.

Rin selects the narrow crossing at Nüwa’s Waist as cover, but she and a small team—Kitay, Dulin, Pipaji, and a few soldiers—secretly continue farther south to attempt an aerial river crossing using Kitay’s patched dirigible. Despite doubts about the battered balloon, they launch under time pressure.

Republican troops quickly spot the airship and open fire, tearing ropes and puncturing the balloon. Rin mans the mounted cannons with shamanic flame, scattering the ambush below, but the balloon fails and the carriage crashes across the river. The team survives with minor injuries and disorientation.

On the ground, Rin unleashes a searing arc of fire to finish any surviving ambushers. Amid the wreckage, she finds a Southern soldier crushed beyond saving and swiftly slits his throat to end his suffering. Regrouping with Kitay, Dulin, and Pipaji, Rin drives the team onward toward Arlong, committed to killing the Dragon and breaking Nezha’s power at its source.