This chapter opens with a description of a mural on the walls of the underground palace. It is a mural depicting the younger sister, who has been chosen to be the queen of the palace. The mural also depicts the brother, who is already a general and commanding the soldiers on the battlefield. The younger sister is also depicted in the mural. The narrator wonders why the brother is hiding underground. He wonders if there is a secret road that leads to other places. He also wonders if the mural depicts the two people in it, who he thinks are the brothers and the sister. He speculates that the trail that leads from the mural to the other places might be under the water. When the narrator returns to the palace, he wonders why Dong is so indifferent to him. When he returns, he feels that Dong's feelings for him are more intimate. He asks the narrator how long it will take to revive Dong after he has drowned.