"Panther Head" Lin, Weapons Instructor to the Imperial Guard

1. Lin Chong was accompanying his wife and a servant girl to temple one day when he ran into Lu Zhishen. The two bravehearts promptly struck up a warm friendship, and went off together for a drink. While they were at the tavern the servant girl burst in, crying: "Master! There's a thug trying to molest the mistress!"

2. Lin charged across to the temple, where he saw his wife in the grip of a young man. He seized the ruffian with one hand and was about to clobber him, when he recognized it was Gao Yanei, adopted heir of the government official Gao Qiu. "Taking liberties with my wife-it's outrageous!" shouted Lin.

3. Lin's fist was suspended in mid-air. Panicked by the realization that the woman was Lin's wife, Gao broke free and dashed away.

4. Gao Yanei couldn't stop thinking about Lin Chong's wife. One of Gao's cronies, a wastrel by the name of Fu An, came up with a scheme. Gao summoned Lu Qian, a subordinate official who had once been close friends with Lin Chong but was now Gao's sidekick.

5. Lu showed up at Lin Chong's home and invited him out to a tavern. Lin's wife urged Lin to be sensible, saying: "Officials should drink little and return home early."

6. After they had been drinking for a while, Lin stepped outside to relieve himself. Suddenly the servant girl rushed up and said: "Someone came to the door with the message that you were terribly sick over at Lu Qian's house, so the mistress and I hurried out to find you, but instead that man from outside the temple was there. I saw him grab the mistress before I managed to get away! You've got to save her!"

7. Gao Yanei was tying up Lin's wife when Lin burst through the door with a roar. Gao fled in terror, straight out of the window.

8. Lin took his wife home then went back to the house to look for Lu Qian.

9. Gao's nerves were so rattled by the incident that he fell ill, while Lu Qian was too frightened to return home and had to hide out at the Gao family villa. Thus ended the plot, hatched by Gao Yanei, Lu Qian and Fu An, to abduct the wife of Lin Chong.