The scene opens in the middle of the night in the city of Zhengzhou, in Henan Province, China. Zhengzhou is the capital of China's central province of Henan. It is also the location of the Temple of the Arrow, which is one of the most important religious sites in the country. The scene begins with the two young men, wuyun and shuoshi, walking towards the Temple. . , . The two men discuss the recent events in their hometown, Zhengzhou. They have just returned from a trip to Zhengzhou where they met with the disciple , who is named jiufang, and , the disciple's older brother, zuoshi. The young men discuss , among other things, whether or not jiu-fang is related to wu-yun, and the young men tease each other about the fact that they have sworn an oath of friendship to each other. They are interrupted by the arrival of a young woman, who introduces herself as "si-mo" , or "wife." .