will now learn how these rascals tried to molest Lu Da.
Footnote
56 More like a bandana or a kerchief in the modern parlance.
CHAPTER 6
Lu Da Uproots a Willow Tree; Leopard’s Head Makes a Mistake in Entering the White Tiger Hall
NOW these vagabonds had two leaders; Zhang the Third, nicknamed “The Crossing Road Rat” and the other Li the Fourth, nicknamed “Green Grass Snake,” and they tried to induce Lu Da towards the cesspit, but he noticed that the crowd of men did not move at all. Lu Da invited them all to come into the temple, but as the two leaders had already knelt down they did not want to get up, and waited for him to come forward to assist them to get up when they would seize his legs. As they neither moved nor got up, Lu Da at once suspected some trickery, and thought they were surely waiting to “pull the tiger’s whiskers.” So he decided to go forward, and make them feel the weight of his fist and foot. As he strode up to them the leaders said, “We offer you our congratulations,” so saying, they advanced on their knees, and tried to grab hold of Lu Da’s legs. But the latter was too quick for them, and he kicked Green Grass Snake into the cesspit, and then did the same to Old Rat. This made the crowd of rascals speechless, and they all wanted to sneak off. Lu Da shouted that if any man attempted to go away he would be treated in the same way. No one dared move. In the cesspit the leaders were peeping to see what was happening. The cesspit was so deep that they could not touch the bottom. There was a terrible stench, and their heads were covered with maggots. They called out, “Reverend, please forgive us.”
“You rascals there,” shouted Lu Da, “come and help these men to get out. I forgive the whole lot of you.”
The two leaders were assisted out of the pit, and then they went and stood near a gourd stand some distance away as the stench was so strong.
Lu Da laughed, “You foolish fellows! You had better go to the pool and after a wash there I will talk with you.”
The leaders did this, and their followers handed them a change of clothing to put on.
Lu Da ordered them all to come into the temple, and there sitting in the center of the hall he pointed at the assembled men and said, “You gang of vagabonds need not try to deceive me. Now why did you come here to trifle with me?”
They all knelt down, and the leaders replied, “We live by gambling, and therefore have to depend on your garden for our food. The temple bribed us several times to leave the vegetables alone, but there is no result. Reverend, where do you come from? You are so strong that we must submit to you. We are willing to do whatever you wish.”
“I was a Major in the army,” replied Lu Da, “and because I killed many men I became a monk. My name is Lu Da. You thirty men are of no account to me for even if a thousand soldiers came here I would defeat them.”
The rascals expressed their appreciation of his clemency in letting them off so lightly; they then departed. The next day the rascals got together some money, ten jars of wine, and a roasted pig, and brought them to present to Lu Da. In the temple they took their seats in two rows with Lu Da in the center, and they all drank wine.
Lu Da asked why they had wasted so much money, and they replied, “We are happy because you are with us today, and we ask you to become our chief.”
Lu Da was pleased at this offer. When they had been drinking for some time, some were singing, others talking, applauding, or laughing. While in this state they heard a great noise outside, caused by some crows cawing. Some men showed their teeth to indicate dislike of this interruption and used a saying, “If there is trouble let it go to either heaven or hell.”
“What trouble are you fellows talking about?” asked Lu Da.
The men said, “We are afraid there will be trouble because of the cawing of those crows.”
“Where do you get that idea from?” asked Lu Da.
A servant laughed and replied, “The crows build their nests in a willow tree just outside the garden, and every evening they clamor there.”
Some said they would get a ladder, and destroy the nests. Lu Da was now merry with wine, and they all went outside to look at the nests. The Green Grass Snake said he would climb up the tree, but Lu Da took off his gown, and seizing the tree with both hands he made a mighty heave and uprooted the willow tree. The vagabonds were astounded, and kneeling down they worshiped him. They said, “Reverend, you are not a mortal man, but must be a living Buddha. If you had not the strength to lift ten million jin in weight you could not have done this.”
“That is only a small affair. Wait till tomorrow, when you can see me do some military exercises with my sword.”
It was evening before they all departed. The next day they were quite submissive in spirit due to what they had seen. They brought wine and meat for Lu Da, and watched him at his exercises. After they had done this for some time Lu Da decided to give them a banquet, and ordered his gardeners to go into the town and buy various kinds of fruit and wine, kill a pig and a sheep. At that time the weather was warm it being the end of the fourth lunar month, so Lu Da had mats spread under the ash tree, and there the vagabonds sat down. They were served with big bowls of wine, and large pieces of meat, and were told to eat as much as they wanted. During the feast they said, “Reverend, for several days we have seen you exercising, but we have not noticed you using your staff, and we should like to see you do that now.”
Lu Da agreed, and going indoors, brought out his monk staff, seventy inches in length, and weighed sixty-two jin. When they saw this huge weapon they were startled, and said, “If a man had not the strength of a buffalo in both arms he could not use that.” But Lu Da whirled it round with great ease, making it whistle in the air. On seeing this the men applauded.
Lu Da was quite in high spirit and did this display in good form. He noticed an official watching him through a break in the garden wall, so he ceased his exercises. The official wore blue gauze silk, folded in a knot on his head; round his head was a string of pearls to which were attached two white jade tablets at the back of his head; his military gown was of thin green silk decorated with a flower design; his belt was embroidered like the marks on the back of a tortoise; suspended from it were two otters’ tails, and it had a silver buckle; his black shoes were of court fashion with tips turned up; in his hand he held a fan made of Sichuan paper. His face was like a leopard’s, with big round eyes and a heavy beard. He was nine feet tall and seemed to be thirty-five years of age. He called out, “This is an extraordinary master, and uses his weapon well.”
The vagabonds answered, “As this Drill Instructor approves, Lu Da must be very good.”
“Who is that army officer?” asked Lu Da.
“He is the Drill Inspector of the Imperial Guards, and is named Lin Chong.”
“Why don’t you ask him to come inside?” asked Lu Da. But just then the onlooker jumped over the broken wall, and met Lu Da under the ash tree, where they sat down.
After the usual courtesies as to names, Lu Da said that he had met Lin Chong’s father at the Eastern Capital. Lin Chong was much pleased, and insisted upon making Lu Da his sworn elder brother. He then informed Lu Da that he had come with his wife to worship at the Yue Temple nearby. As he saw Lu Da exercising, so he told his maidservant, Jin Er, to go with his wife to the
