This chapter opens with a description of the "rejuvenation elixir," which is a powerful medicine that can revive the dead. The elixir is a gift from the Duke of Gualtieri to the Duke's son, Cai Mingyu. The Duke is impressed by the gift, but he is not willing to give credit for it. He says that he will give the elixir to the son as a "greeting gift" and that he does not know how he will repay the Duke for the gift. He also says that the cost of the elixir is too high for the Duke to repay him for it