Chapter 3

Rin leads her detachment back through Monkey Province to the hidden Southern Coalition camp at Ruijin. Along the arduous approach, Yang Souji criticizes the coalition’s mountain hiding and predation on villages, confirming Rin’s own frustration with the leadership’s survival-first strategy. At camp, signs of hardship and scarcity underscore how precarious their position has become.

Rin meets Du Zhuden in secret; they agree the coalition is dying in place and must go on the offensive. With Ma Lien gravely ill, Zhuden provides a vial of scorpion venom, hinting that removing the obstructive bandit chief could tip the balance. Rin first attempts one last appeal to the Monkey Warlord, Liu Gurubai, but he condescends, refuses to grant her broader command, and prioritizes staying hidden while the Republic fights in the north.

After dinner, Rin goes alone to Ma Lien’s cave. Faced with his near-death state from bloody lung fever and recalling his insults and obstruction, she administers the venom, calmly explaining the paralysis to come. The deliberate, premeditated act exhilarates her; she leaves as his death becomes inevitable.

At the subsequent council, Rin argues to strike south into Rooster Province to secure manpower, supplies, and routes before the Republic turns on them. Gurubai and his ally Liu Dai resist, preferring to survive in the mountains and revealing they had long known Rooster Province was overrun. As tempers rise, news arrives that Ma Lien has died, creating a vacancy.

Zhuden publicly backs Rin, threatening to follow her if Gurubai refuses to act. Souji adds the Iron Wolves to her side. Outmaneuvered, Gurubai cannot prevent the shift. Rin claims leadership over the Third Division and, with the Iron Wolves, announces a dawn march south into Rooster Province.