In this chapter, we learn that the peony fairy, chaolu, is still alive and well, but that the Lap Master is no longer her lover. The Lap Master tells the story of how, in the middle of the night, a plague struck the small village in which he was born. The plague was caused by a human error, and Lap Master was the one who made the error. Lap Master explains that he was just washing his hands by the river when the plague struck, and that he had no idea that human being were so fragile.