After killing¹ the local tyrant² Zhen Guanxi, for fear of being jailed, Lu Zhishen fled to Mount Wutai where he stayed in a temple as a monk³. After breaking the temple rules by drinking, he was sent by the abbot（大寺院男住持） to the Monastery⁴ of Great Assistance to State, where he was put in charge of a vegetable garden. The property had been plagued（困扰，折磨） by a band of local hooligans（小流氓） who frequently came to steal. None of the previous watchmen could stop the theft. Now, on hearing that a new watchman had been employed, the hooligans came again, only to be welcomed by a good beating: the two leaders were kicked into a manure⁵（肥料，粪池） pit and the rest dropped to their knees and kowtowed（叩头） for mercy.

The next day they came again, but this time to apologize with wine and food. While they were enjoying the food, crows up in a tree cackled（咯咯叫） nonstop. A bad omen⁶（预兆） , to destroy the bird nest, when Lu Zhishen stopped them. He sized up the tree and said, "No need for the trouble." He stripped off his coat, bent⁷ down and grasped the trunk. Then he yanked（猛地一拉） the tree right out of the ground. The hooligans gasped⁸ in disbelief and went down on their knees and begged Lu to teach them martial⁹ arts.