Cheng Yaojin's Thirty-Six Moves

During the Daye era of the Sui dynasty, a young man in Dong'e County, Shandong, swung an axe as he chopped firewood. He was powerfully built, with thick arms, and every blow sent wood chips flying. No one could have guessed that this seemingly crude youth would use that axe to carve out a legendary path from humble beginnings to becoming a duke in the chaos of the coming age.