The Legend of Lu Zhishen, the Lone Star of Heaven, makes an extraordinary impression from the very beginning. When Lu Da is born, a flagpole snaps, and nine blue dragons appear on his body. These omens seem to foretell that he will bravely stand alone against a corrupt age.
As he grows up, he witnesses his neighbors being harassed by foreign invaders and bullied by local tyrants. From an early age, he develops a fierce hatred of evil. He beats up the local gentry who prey on the people, kicks traitors who collude with the enemy, and resists foreign incursions. Whenever he sees injustice, he answers with his fists. At the time, the Northern Song favors civil officials over military officers, its border defenses lie in disrepair, and its officials are corrupt. The people suffer under harsh rule and the strongman's power. He watches helplessly as loyal officials are framed by treacherous factions and worthy ministers are oppressed by bullies. Demons run rampant at court, while wolves rule the martial world. His burning passion eventually turns to bone-deep disillusionment.
When justice within the system proves to be nothing but an illusion, this former military inspector resolutely breaks free of his chains and joins the heroes driven to Mount Liang, raising the banner of “Heaven's Justice.” They make their stronghold in the mountains and declare war on injustice, yet amid the clash of blades they gradually realize that killing was never the goal: their true purpose was to save the people from suffering. At last, on a campaign stained with blood, Lu Zhishen sees through his obsessions and passes into nirvana amid the Qiantang tide. His tragic end earns him the fruition of arhatship, leaving a glimmer of solitary courage in that dark age.
