This chapter's epigraph comes from the opening lines of the novel, in which the narrator laments the fact that he is not strong enough to enter the celestial divison, a place where the most bizarre and extraordinary people gather. The narrator, however, is determined to join the ranks of the "tens," the most powerful people in the world. He is also determined to become the disciple of General Lifeng, a man who leads an army of ten thousand men against fierce generals, and who is known throughout the world as a fierce general. Although the narrator is not sure who Lifeng is, he is certain that it is the young man who has taken down the red pearl. The young man, the narrator tells us, is "immoral" and "loafing around all day." The narrator then tells the girl that she should go with a friend to the festival, which is coming up in a few days. The girl is upset that she did not get to "scam" Lifeng into paying for his meal, but the narrator assures her that there is nothing wrong with him. He also tells her that the red-pearl was destroyed because of rumors that Lifeng's "highness lord" favored the pearl.