Lu Zhishen — formerly known as Lu Da — was a man of enormous appetite and even larger temper. A former military officer turned fugitive, he had found refuge in a Buddhist monastery as "The Preceptor of Virtue."

But virtue, for Lu Zhishen, was an elastic concept.

He drank when he wanted. He fought when provoked. He prayed only when the abbot was watching. The other monks feared him. The abbot despaired of him.

"You are the worst monk in the history of Buddhism," the abbot groaned.

Lu Zhishen burped. "Probably."

His path to Liangshan began when he defended a village against a corrupt magistrate and his hired thugs. Armed with nothing but his iron staff and righteous fury, he routed twenty armed men single-handedly.

The villagers called him a holy man. The government called him a criminal. Both were, in their own way, correct.

When he arrived at Liangshan Marsh, the outlaws embraced him as one of their own. A monk who fought like a demon — what could better represent the spirit of the 108 Stars?