The chapter opens with a description of the battle between the Mings and the Qu'ans. The Mings have found a word-smith and are trying to get rid of him. The word-sender is a dirty piece of dust, but the Ming master is determined to erase him. He wants to know what's wrong with the man. He's got a sword that has been polished for ten years, and he's been fighting with it for thirty years. He doesn't know why the Ming girl is blocking his sword. He asks her to reveal her words, but she refuses to do so. He says that his words aren't tools for fighting, but that they should be used as weapons. He tells her that he has been fighting on the battlefield since the age of thirty, and that he'll let her go if she can bring him down. He warns her that if she tries to use tricks, she'll be in big trouble. He also says that the Ming troop is a big offense to have a wordsmith in it, and after he gets rid of this guy, he will deal with her. The girl is confused by all of this. She asks him if he knows how powerful his punches are. He replies that he just thinks that some things will never be understood unless they're seen with his own eyes. He explains that fire is what burns the bad things, but he thinks fire is also what drives out the good things. This is the legend of the flame of hope, he says, and it's why he kept the girl in the dark. He apologizes for keeping her out of the dark because of the wordsmith, and says that this is a powerful power that should protect.