This chapter's epigraph comes from the opening lines of Act IV, Scene 1 of the novel: "In case of fire / It should be too late / So ... . . so." This is a reference to the ring that Luo Lan is wearing, which is supposed to form a shield in case of attack. The ring has been placed in the village because the enemy wants to use it as bait to attack the village. When the scene opens, the villagers are discussing the impending attack on the village, and one of the villagers tells the others that he has just