In this chapter, we are introduced to a new member of the clan of the pill city, and we learn that he is named Xun'er. He is a member of one of the five great clans that once ruled the region, and he has agreed to take part in the annual assessment of the city's population. This assessment will determine whether or not his clan will be allowed to stay in the city as a council of elders, and if they fail, they will lose their right to sit on the council. This is a very important assessment, because if they do not take part, their clan will lose its right to be a council member, and they will also lose their position as a leader of the town's people. The teacher, who has been refining pills in solitude for a long time, is amazed at the amount of time that has passed. He wonders if he is all right.