The next morning, Xinhua reports that the eighth imperial prince has been poisoned. He asks Xinhua to take care of the prince, and Xinhua promises to do so. Xinhua tells Xinhua that the prince's wounds are almost completely healed, and that the poison has killed him in only three days. The two men discuss whether they should separate the prince from the poison, but Xinhua says that they cannot, as it would be dangerous to exchange his soul for the enemy's. They decide to poison the prince with the poison they found in the forest, but they can't do it without a volunteer, because the poison is a "worm poison" that will "torture the allies" but satisfy the enemy.