In this chapter, we learn that the monk has spent the last six months in a trance. He tells us that he's recovered from his ordeal and that he feels sorry for the monk's friend, the hermit monk. The monk asks the monk how long it has been since he last saw the monk, and the monk tells him that it's been six months. He also tells the monk that he is glad to have met him, because the monk is a "tough teacher" .