This chapter opens with a conversation between a young man and an old man. The old man tells the young man that he is afraid that the man's cultivation has gone beyond the animal path and that his character is strange. The young man tells him that he should not tell the old man about this because he looks old and he speaks like a man. He also tells him to teach him how to dye his hair white so that he will not be mistaken for a fellow cultivator. He says that his gray hair indicates that he has reached his end of life and that white hair will make him look old. He then tells the older man to sleep with him because there is nothing else to do in the night. He asks the old one why he is starting a fire, and he says that he forgot to ask him what his name is. He goes on to say that he knows he is smart because he has known that since he was a child. The older man asks if he is okay, and the younger man says he has a cough and that he wants to help him. The elder man says that the cough is not appropriate because he is so energetic. The younger man points out that the elder man is clearly more suitable since he is much gentler in his spiritual energy. He looks up and says he cannot cast his spell in time