Chapter 3

Master Shi Leaves Huayin County at Night

Major Lu Pummels the Lord of the West

"What shall I do?" Shi Jin exclaimed.

Zhu Wu and the other two bandit chieftains knelt before him and said: "Your hands are clean, brother. Don't get involved because of us. It's better to tie us up and claim the reward than have your own good name besmirched."

"Impossible," retorted Shi Jin. "If I did such a thing it would look as if I inveigled you here so that I could get the money. Everyone would laugh at me. We'll live or die together. Stand up and don't worry. There's no need to sacrifice yourselves on my account. Let me see what this is all about."

He mounted the ladder and called: "What do you mean by coming here in the middle of the night and raiding my manor?"

"Don't pretend, Young Master," the constables replied. "Li Ji, who made the accusation, is right here with us."

"Li Ji," Shi Jin shouted, "how could you slander an honest man?"

"I didn't know, at first," the hunter responded. "I picked up a letter Wang the Fourth was carrying in the woods and took it to the county seat to have it read. This is the result."

Shi Jin summoned Wang. "You said there was no reply. Where did that letter come from?"

"I was drunk. I forgot about it."

"Wretch," shouted Shi Jin. "You've got us in a pretty fix."

Afraid of Shi Jin's fighting prowess, the constables didn't dare force their way into the manor. "Better give them an answer," the bandit leaders advised. Shi Jin understood.

"Don't start anything, you constables," he called from the top of the ladder. "Move back from my walls. I'm going to tie the bandits up and turn them over to the officials for the reward."

The constables had no desire to clash with Shi Jin. "We don't want any trouble," they said. "Bring them out and we'll go with you to the magistrate, together."

Shi Jin came down from the ladder and went to the front of the hall. He had Wang the Fourth taken to the rear garden and killed him with one blow of the sword. Next he ordered his vassals to pack all his portable valuables and light thirty or forty torches. He and the bandit chiefs put on their armor and took halberds and swords from the weapons rack. Then they set fire to the thatched buildings in the back of the manor house. Meanwhile, the vassals also packed their own belongings.

When the soldiers outside saw the flames, they rushed around to the rear. Shi Jin set the central hall to the torch, threw open the front gate and charged out with a mighty yell. Followed by Zhu Wu, Yang Chun and Chen Da and their guards, Shi Jin and his men plunged into the fray. They young squire was a formidable warrior. Who could withstand him?

As wild flames enkindled the sky, Shi Jin and his men cut a path through the soldiers. He soon found himself face to face with the two constables and Li Ji. Shi Jin flew into a rage. "When enemies meet, their eyes blaze." The constables could see that things were going badly. They turned and ran. Li Ji also tried to escape, but Shi Jin was quickly upon him. With one sweep of his blade, he cleaved Li Ji in twain. Chen Da and Yang Chun dispatched the constables with one thrust of their halberds each. The county sheriff, terrified, galloped off as fast as his horse would take him. Of course the soldiers dared not advance. They ran for their lives in all directions.

Killing as they went, Shi Jin and his cohorts proceeded directly to the bandits' stronghold on Mount Shaohua. Only then did they sit down and catch their breaths. Zhu Wu and other leaders ordered their men to slaughter steers and horses and prepare a celebration feast. Of this we'll say no more. Shi Jin remained for several days. He thought to himself: "To save three people, I burned down my manor. Although I managed to keep a few small valuables, my larger property is gone completely." He felt uneasy. How could he stay in a place like this? He said to the brigand chief. "Instructor Wang, my arms teacher, is attached to a border garrison west of the Pass. I've been intending to seek him out, but because my father died I was unable to leave. Now that the manor is ruined, there's nothing to keep me here."

"Don't go, brother," the bandit leaders urged. "Stay on a while, and we'll talk it over again. If you don't want to join us, when things have quieted down a bit we'll rebuild your manor and you can become a respectable citizen again."

"Your intentions are good but I don't wish to remain. If I can find my teacher and get some sort of job I can distinguish myself in, I'll be happy the rest of my life."

"Why not stay on and be our chief? Wouldn't that make you happy?" queried Zhu Wu. "Of course our mountain stronghold is too small for a man like you."

"My reputation is spotless. How can I sully the body my parents have given me? There's no use your trying to persuade me to become a bandit."

A few days later, Shi Jin decided to depart. The exhortations of the three chieftains were in vain. He left his servants and most of his money in the fortress and took only some small pieces of silver which he wrapped in a bundle.

A broad-brimmed felt hat topped by a red tassel covered the soft black bandanna which bound his head. Around his neck was a kerchief of bright yellow. He wore a white silk military gown tied at the waist by a plum-colored sash five fingers wide. His legs were wrapped with alternate strips of blue and white. On his feet were looped hemp sandals, good for mountain climbing. A sword hung from his waist.

Shi Jin tied his bundle to his back, took up his halberd and bid farewell to the three chieftains. They and the other bandits saw him to the foot of the mountain. Weeping, they parted from Shi Jin and returned to their stronghold.

Shi Jin followed the road leading to Yanan Prefecture. He ate and drank when hungry and thirsty, he stopped only at night and set out again the next day at dawn. He travelled in this manner, alone, for more than half a month until he arrived in Weizhou.

"This is also a border garrison," he said to himself. "Maybe my teacher, Instructor Wang, is here."

He entered the town. It was a bustling place, with several streets and market-places. On a street corner he saw a small tea-house. He went in and sat down.

A waiter approached him. "What kind of tea would you like, sir?"

"I'll have a cup of steeped."

The waiter brought his order and placed it on the table before him.

"Where is the town's garrison command?" asked Shi Jin.

"It's that place just up ahead."

"Do you know whether they have an arms instructor from the Eastern Capital, a man called Wang Jin?"

"The garrison has many arms instructors. There are three or four named Wang. But I don't know whether any of them is Wang Jin."

While the waiter was talking, a big fellow who looked like an army officer strode in. His head was bound in a bandanna with figured swastikas, buckled in the back with twisted gold rings from Taiyuan. A raven-black plaited sash bound his parrot-green warrior's gown at the waist. On his feet were yellow boots embossed with four welts of brown leather in hawk talon design. He had large ears, a straight nose and a broad mouth. A full beard framed his round face. He was six feet tall and had a girth of ten spans.

When the new-comer had taken a seat, the waiter said to Shi Jin: "That's the major. You can ask him about Wang Jin. He knows all the arms instructors."

Shi Jin rose quickly and bowed. "May I invite you to some tea, sir? Please join me."

The officer saw that Shi Jin was a big stalwart fellow who seemed a man of valor. He walked over and returned his greeting. Then the two sat down together.

"May I be so bold as to ask your name, sir?" Shi Jin queried.

"I'm called Lu Da. I'm a major in this garrison. And who are you, brother?"

"My name is Shi Jin. I'm from Huayin County in Huazhou Prefecture. My teacher, Wang Jin, used to be an arms instructor in the Mighty Imperial Guards in the Eastern Capital. Could you tell me, sir, whether he's here in this garrison?"

"Say, aren't you Young Master Shi from Shi Family Village, the fellow they call Nine Dragons?"

Shi Jin bowed. "I am that humble person."

Lu Da returned his courtesy, '"Meeting a man of fame is better than just hearing his name.' Is your teacher the Wang Jin who got in wrong with Marshal Gao in the Eastern Capital?"

"The same."

"I've heard of him, but he's not here. They say he's with Old General Zhong in the Yanan garrison. Weizhou is a small post. Young General Zhong is our commander. Brother Wang is not with us. So you're Young Master Shi. I've heard a lot of good things about you. Come out and have a few drinks with me."

He took Shi Jin by the hand. As they were leaving the teahouse, Lu Da called over his shoulder: "Charge the tea to me."

"It doesn't matter, Major," replied the waiter. "Just go along."

Lu Da and Shi Jin strolled down the street arm in arm. Before they had gone fifty paces they saw many people gathered around an open plot of ground.

"Let's take a look," Shi Jin suggested.

They pushed through the crowd. There in the center was a man holding a dozen or so staves. Various packets of salves and ointments, with prices marked, were arrayed on a platter on the ground. The man was a medicine pedlar who attracted customers by putting on a show with weapons.

Shi Jin recognized him. It was his first arms instructor, Li Zhong, nicknamed the Tiger-Fighting General.

"Teacher," called Shi Jin. "I haven't seen you in ages."

"What are you doing here, young brother?" Li Zhong cried.

"Since you're Young Master Shi's teacher," said Lu Da, "come and have a few cups with us."

"Gladly, just as soon as I've sold some of these medicines and earned some money."

"Who's got time to wait? Come on, if you're coming."

"Mince is a hand-to-mouth existence, Major. Go ahead. I'll catch up with you later Young brother, you go

on first with the major."

Lu Da was very irritated. He roughly shoved the spectators aside. "Haul your assholes out of here or I'll beat you to a pulp," he bellowed.

The crowd, recognizing him, hastily scattered. Li Zhong was angry, but he dared not protest. Lu Da was obviously much too fierce. "How impatient you are," Li said with a placating smile. He gathered up his arms and medicines, gave them to a friend for safe-keeping, and set off with Shi Jin and the major.

They turned this way and that through the streets until they came to a famous tavern run by a family named Pan at the foot of a bridge. From a pole sticking out over the tavern door a pennant fluttered in the breeze indicating that liquor was sold on the premises. They went upstairs and selected a clean room. Lu Da took the host's seat, Lin Zhong sat opposite, while Shi Jin seated himself at the side.

The waiter, who knew Lu Da, greeted them respectfully. "How much wine do you want, Major?" he asked.

"We'll start with four measures."

The waiter laid out dishes to go with the wine. "What would you like to eat, sir?"

"Questions, questions," Lu Da exploded. "Bring whatever you've got, add up the bill and I'll pay! Must you gab so?"

That waiter went downstairs. Soon he returned and heated the wine. He covered the table with platters of meat and other food.

Each of the three men downed several cups. They talked of this and that, comparing methods in feats at arms. Just as their conversation was at its liveliest, they heard the sound of sobbing in the next room. The irascible Lu Da immediately became enraged. He snatched plates and dishes and smashed them on the floor. The waiter, alarmed, rushed up the stairs. He found Lu Da fuming.

"If there's anything you want, sir, just give the order and I'll bring it," he said, with a bow.

"Who wants anything? I think you know who I am. Yet you have the brass to allow people to bawl in the next room and disturb us while we dine. I haven't underpaid you, have I?"

"Don't be angry, sir. I would never permit anyone to disturb you. The people weeping are a man and his daughter who sing in the taverns. They didn't know you and your friends were drinking here. They can't help lamenting their bitter fate."

"There's something peculiar going on. Bring them here to me."

In a few minutes the waiter returned with a girl of about eighteen, followed by a man in his late fifties. Both carried wooden clappers. Though not very pretty, the girl was rather appealing. Wiping her eyes, she made three curtsies. The old man also greeted the diners.

"Where are you from?" asked Lu Da. "Why do you weep?"

"I will tell you our story, sir," the girl replied. "We are from the Eastern Capital. My parents and I came to visit a relative, but when we arrived we learned he had left Weizhou for the Southern Capital. My mother fell ill in the inn and died. My father and I were having a hard time. Master Zheng, who is called the Lord of the West, saw me and wanted me for a concubine. He sent people to wheedle and threaten, and finally signed a contract promising my father three thousand strings of cash for me."

"The contract was real but the promise was false. In less than three months his wife, a hard woman, drove me out of the house. What's more, Master Zheng ordered the innkeeper to demand that we 'return' his three thousand strings of cash. We never received a penny of his money. How could we repay him? My father is weak. He couldn't argue with a rich and powerful man like Zheng. We didn't know what to do. My father taught me many ballads when I was a child and we began making rounds of the taverns, singing. We give Zheng most of what little we earned each day, saving a little for our travelling expenses so that we can go home.

"But the last few days the taverns haven't had much business, so we couldn't pay. We're afraid Zheng will come asking for it and abuse us. Ours is a hard lot, and we've no place to seek redress. That's why we've been weeping. We hadn't meant to disturb you, sir. Please forgive us."

"What's your family name?" asked Lu Da. "Which inn are you staying at? Where does Master Zheng, that Lord of the West, live?"

The old man replied: "Our name is Jin. I am the second among my brothers. My daughter is called Jade Lotus. Master Zheng is the butcher who sells meat at the foot of Zhuangyuan Bridge. His nickname is Lord of the West. My daughter and I live in the Lu Family Inn just up ahead inside the town's East Gate."

"Bah," said Lu Da contemptuously. "So Master Zheng is only Zheng the pig-sticker, the dirty rogue who runs a butcher shop under the patronage of Young General Zhong, our garrison commander. And he cheats and bullies too, does he?"

He turned to Li Zhong and Shi Jin. "You two wait here while I beat the varlet to death. I'll be right back."

They grabbed him. "Calm yourself, brother," they pleaded. "Let's talk this over again later." They finally managed to restrain him.

"Come here, old man," Lu Da said to the father. "I'll give you some money. Tomorrow you can go back to the Eastern Capital. How about it?"

"If you can help us return home you'll be giving us a new lease on life," said father and daughter. "But we're afraid the innkeeper won't let us go. Master Zheng has ordered him to collect our payments."

"Don't worry about that," said Lu Da. "I'll take care of the innkeeper." He pulled out five ounces of silver and placed them on the table. To Shi Jin he said: "This is all I've brought today. If you have any silver, lend it to me. I'll give it back tomorrow."

"It doesn't matter, brother. No need to repay." Shi Jin extracted a silver bar weighing ten ounces from his bundle and put it down beside Lu Da's money.

The major looked at Li Zhong. "You lend me some too."

Li Zhong produced two ounces of silver.

Lu Da was annoyed at the smallness of the offering. "Big-hearted, aren't you?" he snorted. He handed the fifteen ounces of silver to the old man. "This will cover your travelling expenses for you and your daughter. Go to the inn and pack your things," he directed. "Tomorrow at dawn I'll come and see you off. Just let that innkeeper try and stop you!"

Old Jin and his daughter thanked him and departed. Lu Da returned the two ounces to Li Zhong.

After the three men finished two more measures of wine they went down the stairs. "I'll pay you tomorrow, host," called Lu Da.

"Just go along," the owner of the tavern said. "You can drink here on credit any time, sir. Our only fear is you won't come."

The three left the Pan Family Tavern. On the street they separated. Shi Jin and Li Zhong went to their respective inns.

Lu Da returned to his quarters near the garrison and angrily went to bed without any supper. His landlord didn't dare ask what was wrong.

Old Jin returned to his inn with the fifteen ounces of silver. He settled his daughter down, went to a place far outside the town and hired a cart. Then he returned to the inn, packed their belongings and paid their rent, fuel and rice bills. After that they could only wait for the morrow.

The night passed without incident. Father and daughter rose at dawn, lit a fire and cooked breakfast. When they finished eating, they collected their utensils. The sky was just turning light. Lu Da strode into the inn.

"Boy," he called, "which room is Old Jin's?"

"Uncle Jin," the attendant shouted, "Major Lu Da is here to see you." The old man opened his door. "Ah, Major, please come in and sit a while."

"Sit, nothing," retorted Lu Da. "If you're going, go. What are you waiting for?"

Old Jin summoned his daughter and raised his carrying-pole to his shoulder. He thanked Lu Da and started for the inn gate. The attendant stopped him.

"Where are you going, Uncle Jin?"

"Does he owe you any rent?" Lu Da demanded.

"He paid up last night. But Master Zheng has ordered me to collect the money he laid out for Jin's daughter."

"I'll return the butcher's money in person. Let the old man go."

The attendant refused. Lu Da slapped him across the face with such force that blood gushed from his mouth. The punch that followed knocked out two of his front teeth. Crawling to his feet, the attendant scuttled to the interior of the inn and hid himself.

Of course the innkeeper dared not intervene.

Jin and his daughter quickly departed from the inn, then left the town to get the cart the old man had hired the day before.

Lu Da, afraid the attendant might still try to stop them, sat himself down on a stool in the inn and remained there for four hours. Only when he was confident that the old man was far away did he leave the inn. He went directly to the Zhuangyuan Bridge.

There Zheng had a two-room butcher shop with two chopping blocks. Four or five sides of pork were hanging on display. Zheng sat behind a counter by the door, keeping an eye on his ten or so assistants as they cut and sold meat.

Lu Da came to the door. "Butcher Zheng," he shouted.

Zheng recognized him. He came out rapidly from behind the counter and greeted him with respect. "Major, a pleasure." He directed an assistant to bring a bench. "Please be seated, sir."

Lu Da sat down. "The garrison commander has ordered me to buy ten catties of lean meat, chopped fine, to be used for filling. There mustn't be a speck of fat in it."

"Right," said Zheng. He turned to his assistants. "Pick out a good cut and chop up ten catties."

"I don't want those dirty oafs touching it," said Lu Da. "You do it yourself."

"Certainly," said Zheng. "Glad to." He selected a cut of ten catties of lean meat and started mincing.

The attendant from the inn, his head bound in a white handkerchief, arrived to tell Zheng about Old Jin. But when he saw Lu Da seated at the door, he was afraid to come any closer. He stood under the eaves of a house, observing the proceedings cautiously from a distance.

After chopping for an hour, Zheng wrapped the minced meat in a lotus leaf. "Shall I have it delivered, sir?" he asked.

"Delivered, nothing. What's your hurry? Now cut up ten catties of fat meat. There mustn't be a speck of lean in it. This is also for filling."

"The lean can be put in dumplings, but what good is the fat?"

Lu Da glared. "When the commander gives an order, who dares question him?"

"As long as you can use it I'll chop it for you." Zheng selected a cut of ten catties of fat meat and began mincing. By the time he wrapped it in a lotus leaf the morning had gone and it was the hour for lunch.

The inn attendant dared not approach. Even other customers were afraid to draw near.

"Shall I have this delivered to the garrison command for you, sir?" asked Zheng.

"Now I want ten catties of gristle, chopped fine, also to be used for filling, and I don't want to see any meat in it."

Zheng laughed awkwardly. "Are you making fun of me?"

Lu Da leaped up, one package of chopped meat in each hand, and scowled at the butcher. "That's exactly what I'm doing—making fun of you." He flung the contents of the packages full in Zheng's face.

The shower of meat stung the butcher into a rage. From the soles of his feet, fury surged into his forehead. An irrepressible flame blazed in his heart. He grabbed a paring knife from the butcher's block and jumped down from the shop steps. Lu Da was waiting for him in the middle of the street.

None of the dozen or so clerks from the neighboring shops dared to mediate. Passers-by stood frozen in their tracks on both sides of the street. The attendant from the inn was struck dumb.

The knife in his right hand, Zheng reached for Lu Da with his left. Lu Da seized the outstretched hand, closed in and sent the butcher sprawling with a swift kick in the groin. Another step forward and he put his foot on Zheng's chest. Raising a fist like a vinegar keg, Lu Da thundered: "I was roving inspector of five western military districts under Old General Zhong. People might very well call me Lord of the West. But you're just a meat slicing butcher, a low cur. Where do you come off giving yourself such a title? And who gave you the right to force and cheat Jin's daughter Jade Lotus?"

He landed a punch on Zheng's nose that flattened it to one side and brought the blood flowing like the sauces in a condiments shop— salty, sour and spicy. Zheng struggled vainly to rise. The knife fell from his hand. "A good blow," he cried.

"Mother-raping thief," said the major. "How dare you talk back?" He punched the butcher on the eyebrow, splitting the lid so that the eyeball protruded. Red, black and purple gore flowed like swatches of cloth in a draper's shop.

The spectators were all afraid of Lu Da. None of them ventured to intervene.

Vanquished, Zheng begged to be spared.

"You scurvy knave," the major exclaimed scornfully. "If you had shown any guts I might have let you off. But since you're so lily-livered, I won't." He struck the butcher a heavy blow on the temple. Zheng's head rang like the clanging of gongs, bells and cymbals in a big memorial service. The butcher lay stretched on the ground. Breath was coming out of his mouth, but none was going in. He didn't move.

Lu Da pretended to he incensed. "Playing dead, eh? I'll hit you a few more!" He had observed that Zheng's face was changing color. "I only wanted to give the varlet a beating," he said to himself. "Who would have thought that three blows would kill him? They're sure to hold me for trial, and I've nobody to bring me food in prison. I'd better get out of here."

He rose and strode away, pausing briefly to look back, shake his finger at Zheng's corpse and shout: "Go on playing dead. I'll settle with you later."

Neither the butcher's assistants nor the clerks in the neighboring shops had the courage to stop him.

Lu Da returned to his quarters and hastily packed. He took only some travelling clothes and a bit of silver. His old garments and heavier things he left behind. Carrying a staff as a weapon, he sped out of the South Gate like a wisp of smoke.

Although Zheng's family and the inn attendant worked on the butcher a long time, they couldn't bring him back to life. He was quite dead. His wife and neighbors went to the prefecture and filed a charge of murder. Court was called into session, and the prefect took his place and read the document of accusation.

"That Lu Da is a major of the garrison," thought the prefect. Instead of issuing an order for his arrest forthwith, he mounted his sedan-chair and went to the headquarters of the garrison commander. He stepped down from his chair and had the soldier at the gate announce him. He was ushered into the main hall where he was received by the commander. The two men exchanged courtesies.

"What brings you here?" asked the commander.

"I've come to inform Your Excellency that Major Lu Da has, without cause, beaten to death on the street a butcher named Zheng. I wouldn't presume to arrest him without reporting to Your Excellency first."

The commander was startled. "That Lu Da is a skilled military man," he thought, "but he's rough and crude. Today he's committed a murder. How can I cover up for him? I must let him be taken and questioned." To the prefect he said: "Lu Da originally was an officer of my father, the Old General. I had no proper aide, and he was sent here as a major. Since he's committed a capital offence you may arrest and interrogate him according to law. If you get a confession and the crime is proved, you must inform my father before passing sentence. Otherwise it might be very embarrassing if, at some future date, my father should ask for him back."

"I'll get to the bottom of this and send a formal report to the Old General before any sentence is passed," the prefect promised.

He said farewell to the commander, left the garrison headquarters, got into his sedan-chair and returned to the prefecture. There he resumed court and issued an order to the police inspector on duty for Lu Da's arrest. The officer, with twenty men, set out immediately for Lu Da's lodging.

"He left only a little while ago with a few bundles and a staff," the landlord told them. "I assumed the major was going on official business, so I didn't dare ask."

The police inspector directed that Lu Da's room be opened and searched. All that could be found was some old clothes and bedding. Taking the landlord with them, the officer and his men searched the town from south to north. There was no trace of Lu Da. The police inspector returned to the prefect with the landlord and two neighbors in custody, and reported.

"Major Lu Da has fled to escape punishment, no one knows where. I've arrested these neighbors and his landlord."

The prefect ordered that they be held and that Zheng's family and close neighbors be summoned. Along with forensic experts, local officials and the ward chief, he made a careful examination of the victim. The butcher's family encoffined the body and stored it temporarily in a monastery.

Appropriate documents were filed, and the prefect ordered his police to apprehend Lu Da within a specified time, on pain of being beaten. The complainant was allowed to go home, after filing a surety bond. The close neighbors who had witnessed the crime were beaten for failing to rescue Zheng. Lu Da's landlord and neighbors were not charged. An urgent proclamation, offering a thousand strings of cash for Lu Da's capture and giving his age, birthplace and description, was posted everywhere. All concerned were then released and told to await further notice. Zheng's family went into mourning. Of this we'll say no more.

To return to Lu Da: after leaving Weizhou, he hurried pell-mell east and west, passing through several prefectural towns. With him it was a case of:

Any food when you're hungry, When you're cold rags save life;

Any road when you're frightened,

When you're poor any wife. 

PHe dashed about in a panic, with no idea where to go.

After many days of wandering, he arrived in Yanmen, a county seat in the prefecture of Daizhou. It was a bustling town with many people and thriving markets. Carts and horses filled the streets, which were lined by shops conducting trade and commerce of every type. Although only a county seat, it was more prosperous than a prefectural capital.

On a street corner he saw a crowd gathered in front of a proclamation. Someone was reading it aloud. Illiterate himself, he pushed forward to listen. This is what he heard:

By order of the military commander of Taiyuan, this county hereby publishes the following notice from Weizhou: Wanted—the killer of Butcher Zheng. Name—Lu Da, former major in the Weizhou garrison command. Any man who conceals him or gives him food and shelter shall be deemed equally guilty. Whoever arrests and brings him forward, or offers information leading to his arrest, shall receive a reward of one thousand strings of cash

As Lu Da stood listening, someone threw his arms around him from behind and cried: "What are you doing here, brother Zhang?" He pulled Lu Da away from the street corner.

If this man hadn't seen him and dragged him away, Lu Da would never have shaved off his hair and beard, changed the name which identified him as a murderer, and wrecked the idols in the temple.

And as a result: His Buddhist staff smashed open a dangerous road; his monk's knife slaughtered unjust men.

Who, after all, was the person who grabbed Lu Da? Read our next chapter if you would know.