Shae travels to execute Yun Dorupon (Doru) but finds him dying of liver cancer. Doru claims he fled because Kaul Sen, Shae’s grandfather and No Peak’s original Pillar, insisted. He went to the Mountain to bargain for Shae’s and Anden’s lives, but Ayt refused. He warns Shae she’ll never be safe while Ayt rules and advises exploiting the Mountain’s succession struggle. Before Shae can honorably kill him, Doru dies by suicide. Shae orders Woon to collect Doru’s jade and instructs villagers to bury him as a Green Bone warrior.

A seven-months-pregnant Wen regularly visits the Celestial Radiance Bath and Tea House. There, in her covert work for Shae (which even Hilo doesn’t know about), she meets informant Mila, a Mountain secretary, and hairdresser Mrs. Lonto. Wen gathers intelligence on three families who might be next in line to lead the Mountain clan: the Koben family, the Ven family, and the Iwe family.

At family dinner, Shae shares Doru’s advice, but Wen argues they should reject Doru’s advice since he was a traitor who sought unification. Hilo disagrees and orders Shae to meet with Ven Sandolan.