Ember Veins

The city of Linjin resists the bitter winter with its Ember Furnace, but the price is the memories and names of its people. Chi Ye, a deaf youth, can 'hear' the mountains and rivers through vibrations in the earth. When his sister A Mian raises a blade and asks him, 'Who are you?', he realizes the city is erasing him from everyone's memory. To keep his sister from forgetting him entirely, Chi Ye investigates the disappearance of the Lantern Keepers, ventures into the Hanging City and the deleted old roads, only to discover that the entire dynasty is using the names of the living to sustain another world. Dismantle the furnace, and ten thousand cities may freeze; keep it burning, and everyone will eventually lose themselves. A youth who cannot hear human voices must make the forgotten voices of the mountains and rivers heard once more. — Description from novelcodex.org