1.Before he changed his name to Lu Zhishen and began to pass himself off as a monk, Lu Da was a military instructor with the prefectural office in Weizhou, and was something of a rough-and-ready character. One day he was drinking in a tavern with friends, when he heard the sound of sobbing from next door. The landlord told him it was a sing-song girl in the other room. "That's rum," growled Lu. "Bring her in here!"
2.The girl's name was Jin Cuilian. She had come to Weizhou with her elderly father to live with relations, but had instead been forced to become the concubine of a local butcher named Zhen Guanxi. Within three months the butcher had driven her from his home and she was now required to work as a sing-song girl to pay off her "debt" to him. Lu was angry to hear about this, and said to the girl: "You go straight back to your own village. I'll give you some money for the road."
3.The next morning Lu went to see the girl and her father off from the inn where they were staying, but their way was blocked by the innkeeper, who explained that Zhen Guanxi had said they couldn't leave. Enraged, Lu shoved the man aside, then plumped himself down on a bench outside the inn and remained there for several hours to make sure that the innkeeper didn't try to chase the two down.
4.Lu went to Zhen Guanxi's shop and asked for ten pounds of finely chopped lean meat, which the butcher prepared for him.
5.Then he asked for ten pounds of finely chopped fatty meat, which the butcher, who was now fuming, also made ready. Finally he asked for ten pounds of finely chopped cartilage. "You're having me on, aren't you?" exclaimed the butcher. "I am now!" replied Lu, flinging the two heaps of minced meat into the butcher's face.
6.Maddened, the butcher seized a knife and lunged at Lu, but Lu dodged the thrust and knocked the butcher down with a kick. Then he punched the man in the face, smashing his nose. "Not bad!" scoffed the butcher.
7.With his second punch Lu caught Zhen in the eye, popping the eyeball from its socket, and at this the butcher began to cry for mercy. "I would have spared you if you'd fought back to the end," snarled Lu, "but now I won't!" With his fist, Lu clubbed Zhen in the temple. The butcher let out a final groan, and breathed no more.
8.Lu saw that he'd killed the man and knew that he had to get out of Weizhou immediately. From that day on, Lu lived as a vagabond.