This chapter's epigraph is from a poem by the famous poet and dramatist John Dryden. Dryden's poem is about refining one's body, and Dryden uses the same technique to refine the body of a member of the Luochen family. The poem's protagonist, the protagonist of this chapter, wishes to live. He wants to live because his flesh is so tough, and he wants to be able to live with the rest of his clan. He wishes that his flesh were so tough that he could live with them, and that his skin were so soft that he would not be a threat to them. He also wishes that he were strong enough to kill the protagonist. The protagonist realizes that the protagonist's flesh is too strong for him, and the protagonist wishes to be killed. He tells the protagonist that he will kill him with the same trick that he has used to kill many of his clansmen.