Chapter 18

Rin and Kitay burn the remains of Gurubai and Souji, then resume the northward march along the Baolei foothills. Rin tells the army they will join the Dog Warlord but withholds from all but Kitay the true aim: climb Mount Tianshan to wake the Dragon Emperor. To reduce exposure to spies and preserve morale, she maintains the fiction that soldiers, not gods, will decide the war.

Relentless rain turns roads to mud, forcing the army to dump clothing, weapons, and gear, keeping only food and medicine. Progress slows and spirits sink. In pest-ridden caves, Venka saves Rin from a scorpion and demands honesty; Rin confirms the plan to wake Riga in the Wudang Mountains. Venka, hardened by war, accepts the insanity and only hopes Rin knows what she’s doing.

As altitude rises, ice overwhelms the path. Rin uses flame to clear roads and heat camps, but exhaustion and Kitay’s pain force her to limit it. Frostbite and hypothermia take a toll. Meanwhile Jiang deteriorates—often sedated under Daji’s guidance to prevent dangerous outbursts.

One night Jiang wakes screaming and, briefly lucid, warns Rin not to climb the mountain, calling Riga “evil incarnate,” and raving about Hanelai. Possessed by another presence, he claims Riga will kill them all because of Hanelai. He turns threatening until Daji arrives and sedates him. Outside, Daji, shaking with cold and emotion, admits she Sealed Jiang long ago and insists they cannot turn back; she needs the real Jiang to return, despite his terror.

The next morning Jiang feigns ignorance, brushing off his pleas for death and the name “Altan.” With airships absent—whether from fuel, damage, or fear—the army pushes onward through thinning air and refreezing paths. Rin, weighed by doubt and pity for Jiang, nonetheless continues the march toward Mount Tianshan under the constant threat of annihilation.