After killing the local tyrant Zhen Guanxi, Lu Zhishen fled to Mount Wutai to become a monk. For breaking monastic rules by drinking, he was sent to the Monastery of Great Assistance to State to oversee a vegetable garden. The garden was frequently raided by local hooligans whom previous watchmen could not stop.
Upon hearing of the new watchman, the hooligans came to cause trouble. Lu Zhishen soundly defeated them, kicking their two leaders into a manure pit. The rest knelt and begged for mercy.
The next day, the hooligans returned with wine and food to apologize. As they feasted, crows cawed incessantly from a tree. Deeming it a bad omen, the hooligans wanted to destroy the nest. Lu Zhishen stopped them, sized up the tree, and said, "No need for the trouble."
He stripped off his coat, bent down, grasped the trunk, and with a mighty heave, uprooted the entire tree. The hooligans gasped in disbelief, fell to their knees, and begged Lu to teach them martial arts.