This chapter's epigraph comes from the opening lines of Chapter 1 , in which the monster is described as a "tree spirit" . It's not clear whether this is a reference to the monster or to the trees themselves, but it's clear that the tree spirit is a kind of spirit that's been bestowed with a special gift by the monster. The monster has yet to fully awaken, so the trees are still in a state of conciousness, but they're now transformed into human-like beings. The narrator explains that he's going to have to see this for himself. He suggests that they go to the Guo family's house, where they'll be able to see the house's aura. They're rich, and they don't need to go through the alley to get to their house. They can just go straight to the house, and the smell of the house will be