The next day, the two men discuss their plan. They're going to try to get through the city without a pass, but they can't because there are so many different kinds of formations. They need a pass from the governor of the city, which is supposed to be made every year. Worried that he's going to be killed if he doesn't get the pass, the patriarch says that he sealed the vitality in his body with a nine-tarp talisman, and that they'll get through. The patriarch tells him to keep quiet, because he'll kill him if he tries to escape. The two men head back to the city hall, where they're supposed to wait for the governor to make the pass. They find that the passes are empty, which means that no one is waiting for them. They realize that the room is full of gold dust, and they've got three days to figure out a way to get out.