This chapter's epigraph comes from a conversation between Duan-chao and Dong-yuan, in which the two men discuss the fact that the mole has been found in Shan's house and that they want to kill him. The two men seem to be discussing the same subject, but they are interrupted by the arrival of a third person. The third person, however, is none other than "shan" , and he is the one who wants to kill the mole. He is also the person who is trying to kill "shan," and he wants to do so because he is a member of the same family as "shan." He is angry at the thought that he has been exposed, but he is also afraid that he will be killed if he does not act quickly.