Summary
Li Lan finds the thread again and follows it to the end, where she finds it looped around the comb she gave to Tian Bai. At first, she believes that Tian Bai is not there but then looks closer to find he is actually asleep. Using the thread, she enters his dreams.
She finds him in Hong Kong watching a girl of mixed Chinese and European descent named Isabel Souza when he notices her. Assuming he must be dreaming, he divulges that he is aware of Li Lan’s illness, that he does not miss his cousin, that he loves his uncle, and that he was not present for the death of Lim Tian Ching, the last of which brings Li Lan relief.
He also reveals that he has been aware of Li Lan for a while and is not willing to break their betrothal quite yet. He kisses her goodbye. Before she leaves, she asks him to burn a picture of a horse for her, which she tells him is something to carry off her illness. After leaving him, she is melancholy, thinking of all the women Tian Bai must have kissed before her, and goes to walk along the beach. While there, she notices the young rich man who had consulted the medium right before her and suspects that she also saw him outside the Lim mansion the previous evening.
Thinking that he cannot see her, she follows after him, observing that he is wearing Han clothing, an antique form of Chinese clothing, and a bamboo hat. She stays with him a long while and begins to worry about getting back to town, when an ox-headed demon comes and starts talking with the strange man (who has a beautiful voice) about the Lim family, including the fact that they are looking for her.
She is just working up enough courage to come out of the tree when the man tells her that she can come out now. Li Lan is embarrassed to realize that she has been found out, and the stranger reveals that he knew that she was following him the entire time. She asks him for his name, and he says that it’s Er Lang, which she does not recognize, although it means Second Son.
He offers to walk with her and tells her that he is a sort of minor official in the afterlife, causing her to have the sudden impression that he is not human at all. He is in hell investigating Lim Tiang Ching to try to keep violence from escaping hell, and he asks her to help him by gathering information about the Lim family. He cannot guide her through the Plains of the Dead, as it is for human souls, but gives her a large scale that she can use to summon him should she need his help.
Li Lan spends the night on the hillside. She wakes up to find a beautiful horse waiting for her, living and vibrant because it has been carved from wood and then burned by Tian Bai. Deciding to name the horse Chendana, she rides back to Fan to ask her to take her to the Plains of the Dead. At first, Fan resists, but eventually she agrees, leading her to an old doorway that leads to the Plains of the Dead.
Analysis
Following Fan's advice enables Li Lan to go and find Tian Bai, confirming that there are feelings between them, represented by the thread. These feelings are complicated, however, by Tian Bai's obvious preoccupation with another woman named Isabel. It seems that at heart, Tian Bai is still back in Hong Kong, which would fit well with his behavior so far—often he seems reluctant to be back in Malacca.
The fact that they are in a dream makes Tian Bai feel much safer divulging information, so he becomes much more open than he has previously been, telling Li Lan about his real feelings, which are much more complicated than she anticipated. Unlike Lim Tian Ching, Tian Bai is clearly capable of having animosity towards someone without acting on it. He also shows his ability to navigate complex family situations, liking his uncle even though he technically cheated him out of his inheritance.
Even though he kisses her goodbye, Li Lan is now unsure of him because of the women in his life, but still trusts him enough to ask him to burn a horse for her. This suggests that she is not afraid of Tian Bai being disloyal or dishonest, but instead that the women make her worry if she can keep his attention. It is this romantic melancholy that leads her to follow the strange young man she sees, an important foreshadowing since the man turns out to be Er Lang.
Again, Li Lan's curiosity gets her in trouble and she ends up overhearing a conversation about herself (as all eavesdroppers do), then getting found out. Her embarrassment doubles when she realizes that Er Lang has known she's been following him the whole time. Er Lang's amused reaction shows us that he is not only a strategist but also that he is very mischievous. Even as he assigns her a job to investigate the Lim family, he makes trouble by omitting who he really is, as well as the extent of his power.
The news that the Lim family is involved in more than just Li Lan's ghost marriage is a shock to the reader, but it explains a lot. Previously, it was a mystery as to how Lim Tian Ching could curry so much favor from the judges; now the reader realizes that there's a deeper plot going on. There are now multiple strong reasons to go to the Plains of the Dead, which inspires Li Lan to go and get Fan to take her. Tian Bai's choice to burn a beautiful horse of wood to help with this journey speaks to his fondness for Li Lan, considering that he usually disdains what he views as superstitious practices. Meanwhile, Fan's reluctance to go to the Plains hints to the reader that Fan might not be benevolent at all. Overall, the end of the second section leaves the reader anticipating what is sure to be a fast-paced third section.
