The next morning, Bassan tells Huck that he has accepted Mingzhu's love, and that he wants to beat him up for it. Huck tells him that Mingzhu has not called for the signal yet, which means that he and Mingzhu may be blamed for rushing over to the scene of the scuffle. Bassan says that he cannot do anything so dirty as Mingzhu, and he is going to tear him apart. He says that if he does not hit Mingzhu today, he will not forgive himself. He also says that while they were negotiating, he poisoned Mingzhu with wine. Huck wonders if there is a poisonous substance in the wine, but he is sure that it is not.