Chapter 1: Xia Ya Lei Ming

The reason is that the old man always boasted about being a formidable swordsman on the continent, yet Xia Yaleming had never seen the old man wield a sword in his entire life. In fact, there was no sword in their home; among all the items they owned, the one that resembled a sword the most was the blackened fire fork that was thrown into the furnace.

In fact, Shaya Leiming has always harbored some doubts about the axe techniques taught to him by the old man, as the entirety of his daily training consists of: chopping firewood, cutting tofu, and additionally, gutting the game he brings back, separating the sinews from the meat and chopping the bones.

As boys grow slightly older, they often develop a fondness for dancing and handling weapons. Consequently, Shaya Leiming, influenced by the boastful claims of an old man, expressed a desire to learn martial arts from him. Initially, the old man put on airs, but ultimately, unable to withstand Shaya Leiming's persistent persuasion, he reluctantly agreed, thus commencing a painful journey that would last over ten years

By the way, the old man is a heavy drinker, while Xia Ya Le Ming is a little drunkard. The reason for this phenomenon is that when Xia Ya Le Ming was very young, he once cried out of extreme hunger. This shameless old man, in order to take a shortcut, actually gave the little one alcohol to drink. As a result, before the little one was weaned, the old man had already started his training program and guidebook for cultivating a drunkard. This led to the little one's alcohol tolerance increasing to a terrifying level; by the age of thirteen, the old man could no longer drink him under the table. Consequently, two years ago, when this impoverished family could no longer afford to support two heavy drinkers, the old man shamelessly announced a prohibition on alcohol for Xia Ya Le Ming.

At the same time, Shaya Leiming's coarseness is also reflected in his belief that coarse linen is better, sturdier, and more durable than silk—of course, an important reason for this is that Shaya Leiming is extremely poor and can hardly afford silk. This mindset can be understood as a sour grapes mentality, akin to the saying about not being able to reach the grapes and thus deeming them sour.

The old man claims to be a master of the swordsmanship, yet the only weapon he taught Xia Ya Lei Ming to use is the axe

Do not misunderstand; it is not the battle axes or halberds used by those legendary masters.

As for how the axe technique is truly practiced, Shaya Leiming himself does not know. The old man once said that the set of axe techniques he taught Shaya Leiming actually follows the principle of returning to simplicity and authenticity. Generally, those who use axes emphasize precision and ferocity, while the old man told Shaya Leiming: "When you can practice the axe to embody the character 'skill', then you will have truly arrived."

Well, the old man said this before he passed away

At that moment, he looked at his adopted son with a complex expression and sighed

The way you have trained this "Breaking the Thousand Armies" technique is quite creative, to say the least—after my death, you are not allowed to touch the axe; any other weapon, be it a sword, spear, or staff, is permissible, but you must not touch the axe, lest I die with my eyes unclosed.

It is the type sold at the blacksmith's shop in the town, priced at six copper coins each, a standard tool for the local villagers who go up the mountains to chop firewood.

Therefore, after the age of eight, he refused to call the old man "father" again

It is one thing to endure standing still, fetching water, and toughening the muscles and bones, but as for taking daily baths in a type of herb so foul that it could knock a person unconscious, Shaya Leiming has managed to endure that as well

What he despised the most was that the old man, who claimed to be a master of swordsmanship, refused to teach him how to wield a sword

However, what exactly constitutes mastering the "skill" is a matter of personal interpretation. At the very least, according to the old man, one must hold a twenty-plus-pound axe and carve a chrysanthemum into tofu—this is clearly just a way to make things difficult for others

Every time this topic comes up, the old man would deliberately shake his head a couple of times and then look at Xia Yaleming with disdain, saying: "What I think is... you little brat, at such a young age you can eat so much, you will definitely make me poor in the future"

However, this is also an important reason for his disdain towards the old man

Overall, Shaya Leiming can be considered a typical "country bumpkin"

Precision and ruthlessness, Char Aznable understood what they meant. At the age of thirteen, he could throw an axe from fifty paces away and sever the tail of a running rabbit.

The term "土鳖" refers to someone who comes from humble beginnings, or more straightforwardly, it describes a person who is a rustic and unsophisticated individual born in the mountains and fields

Certainly, one of the most important reasons for his poverty is that a large portion of his hunting income is consumed in exchange for alcohol for the old man—the old man being Xia Ya Lei Ming's father. However, by the age of eight, Xia Ya Lei Ming already knew that this old man was not his biological father. Although eight years old is not considered very old, it is certainly enough to understand some common knowledge. At the very least, from a genetic standpoint, this old man with blue eyes could not possibly have a son with black eyes. Xia Ya Lei Ming knew that this old man was not his biological father: although eight years old is not considered very old, it is certainly enough to understand some common knowledge. At the very least, from a genetic standpoint, this old man with blue eyes could not possibly have a son with black eyes.

As for the origins of Shaya Leiming, the old man could not clarify. In his words: "Many years ago, on a dark and stormy night, I was barbecuing in the wild. I had just finished roasting a wild chicken and had turned behind a big tree to relieve myself. When I returned, I saw you, a little rascal, crouched by my campfire, with only half of a roasted chicken leg left. Do you know what the first thought that crossed my mind was when I saw that tiny little fellow gnawing on the half-eaten chicken leg?"

Perhaps this has provoked the old man's indignation

In the tavern of the town, a down-and-out wandering poet once recounted the legendary tales of several famous swordsmen from the continent. At that time, the young Shaya Leiming listened with rapt attention, dreaming of becoming like those proud and noble swordsmen in the stories, dressed in white as snow, in black as iron, wielding a sharp longsword, avenging grievances with great pleasure. How magnificent that was! He dreamed of being like those proud and noble swordsmen in the stories, dressed in white as snow, in black as iron, wielding a sharp longsword, avenging grievances with great pleasure. How magnificent that was!

Although he had his doubts, Shaya Leiming practiced this set of "Axe Techniques" diligently for a full ten years. He trained hard, but every time he practiced, the old man never offered any comments. At most, he would squat beside him with a bottle of wine, drinking while watching, his gaze always clouded, devoid of either praise or discontent.

For example, he could not enjoy a meal without meat, his greatest skills were chopping wood and hunting, and even until he was sixteen, he believed that the most beautiful woman in the world was Aunt Sofia, the vegetable seller in the town, who held a doll and had a waist as thick as a barrel, despite already being the mother of two children

Until more than a year ago, before the old man passed away, he finally agreed to comment on the martial arts skills of his adopted son. However, what he said at that time left Xia Yaleming puzzled for three days, unable to determine whether the old man was praising himself or subtly criticizing him—he himself suspected the latter. This was because during the old man's final days in bed, he expressed a desire to drink, but Xia Yaleming, considering the old man's health, refused this request—also because the family was truly too poor to afford it.

His name is: Shaya Leiming

From this, one can imagine how irresponsible this father is. Fortunately, it was only thunder on the day of naming; if it had been hail or a sandstorm... who knows, he might have had to live a life of shame in some cave with names like "Spring Sandstorm" or "Winter Hail".

This name seems to carry a hint of Eastern mystique, but in reality, it was when Xia Ya Lei Ming was three years old and still unnamed that one day, his father, after getting drunk, had a sudden inspiration. He looked up at the sky, and it just so happened to be summer, with thunder rumbling overhead. Thus, Xia Ya Lei Ming received his name

By the way, one of Char Aznable's proudest skills is chopping wood