The scene opens in the middle of the summer, in the summer court of the lianyun taoist sect. Master Piao Ming, a disciple of Piao Miao, is trying to convince his senior sister, Cai Ming, not to let Cai Ming come to him. He tells her that Cai Ming is a disciple from the peak of the sect and that she should not be afraid of him. She tells him that he is a kind man and that he did not mean to hurt Cai Ming. She then tells Cai Ming that she will marry him in the future. Cai Ming says that he entered the sect at the age of seven and has never left it. He says that if he puts his heart into practice, he can become a leader of the group. He asks Cai Ming how long he has been practicing with him, and Cai Ming replies that it has been 300 years. He then asks him if he has any purpose in life, and he replies that he has always felt bored of life in the past. He compares the scenery of the court to a pear tree and asks if Cai Ming has ever been bored of it. The master says that they cannot forgive Cai Ming at all now.