Five years had passed since Yong Chang and Yong Sheng were born."Grandpa Mu, is this enough training for today?"Inside a communal living area consisting of several dozen tents, two children were practicing martial arts.One was Yong Sheng.The other was Yong Hua, the granddaughter of Third Elder Yong Mu.Both children were now five years old.Yong Sheng had grown into a handsome little boy with a well-proportioned and sturdy body. He would surely become a handsome young man when he grew up. His posture was tall and straight as he diligently practiced the martial arts techniques.Sweat soaked his slightly tanned skin, just like that of the other clansmen who had lived beneath the desert sun for generations.Yong Hua, on the other hand, was a delicate little girl with round, chubby cheeks and a red ribbon tied in her hair.It was a ribbon her father had given her before he died.She wore clothes made from animal hide, decorated with a few delicate flowers. There was also a flower-shaped birthmark on her head, which was why she had been given the name Yong Hua.Her pretty and adorable face was flushed from the intense training, and sweat covered her forehead.Yet her eyes remained filled with determination.Beside her, Yong Sheng was already panting heavily.He remained in a horse stance, his fists extended forward. Sweat flowed into his eyes, making them sting and blur his vision.Yet his gaze never left the little girl in front of him.There was a similar flame of determination burning within his eyes.Third Elder Yong Mu stood beside them with his hands behind his back, instructing the two children."Sheng'er, lower your center of gravity and raise your fists higher. A true man must train until he is completely exhausted before he is allowed to rest. Our clan has no place for the weak—only those who are willing to work hard. Understand?""Yes!"Yong Mu turned toward Yong Hua."Oh, Yong Hua, you're doing very well. Keep going.""Yes!""Left, right. Left, right. Keep your breathing steady."He continued instructing them:"Although the sunlight in our desert is extremely harsh, it is actually excellent for cultivating young children like you.""The sunlight acts as a catalyst that helps circulate the meridians, break through the seventeen blockages within them, improve the flow of qi and blood, and allow you to absorb spiritual energy.""Most importantly, sunlight can help strengthen the foundation of a cultivator."The training continued for a while.Suddenly—Thump, thump, thump!A short while later, a chubby little boy appeared in front of the communal tents and shouted:"Little Hua! Little Sheng! Let's go play! Hurry!""Those kids with Little Ning found a nest of newly hatched green lizards! Let's go catch them!"Hearing this, both children were immediately tempted.A trace of excitement flashed across their faces before they quickly suppressed it.Yong Mu's expression darkened.He looked extremely annoyed as he walked out and scolded the chubby boy."Yong Chang! Why aren't you cultivating? All you do is play!""Look at you! You've gotten as fat as a pig!""I don't understand how your grandfather spoiled you into becoming like this.""Wouldn't your grandfather be disappointed if he knew?""And Yong Sheng is your own elder brother. You should at least call him Big Brother!"It turned out that this was Yong Chang—the younger twin brother of Yong Sheng.Although the two already knew that they were brothers, Yong Chang followed one simple principle:Whoever was bigger was the older one.Because of this, he called almost every child in the clan "little."His body was round and chubby, almost like a ball.His hair was so short that it was barely half the width of a finger. No one knew who had cut it like that.His belly protruded roundly from his body, and he usually went shirtless.Strangely, almost everyone living in the Coc Xa Desert had dark, sun-tanned skin.Yet Yong Chang was unusually fair-skinned.He only wore a pair of animal-hide shorts.Because he was unusually fair, fat, and round, the other children initially kept their distance from him.But Yong Chang was stubborn, playful, and mischievous, with a natural talent for making people laugh.Eventually, he became part of the group.He was always the leader whenever the children of the clan got into trouble.After hearing Third Elder's words, Yong Chang pouted and puffed out his cheeks."Old Mu, your head is as stiff as a piece of wood, yet you keep preaching to people.""Hmph! Whoever is bigger is the older one. Big Brother? Big Sister? What nonsense!""Hmph!"He turned around."If you won't let Little Sheng and Little Hua play, then I'll go by myself.""You've talked so much that my head is all wet!"With that, he slicked his short hair backward, pouted, and snorted.Before running away, he turned around and deliberately provoked Third Elder."Na-na-na! Old Mu, your face is as stiff as a block of wood, and you talk way too much!"Third Elder Yong Mu was furious.But there was nothing he could do.After all, Yong Chang was still a child.Besides, Fourth Elder Yong Shui spoiled the boy quite a lot.Yong Mu returned to the living quarters of his branch.The two children continued practicing the martial arts techniques he had taught them.Even though their clothes were soaked with sweat, neither of them stopped.When they saw Yong Mu return with an irritated expression, they immediately understood what had happened.Both children almost burst out laughing.But they desperately held it back.Yong Mu didn't even look at them.He simply entered his tent.The two children exchanged glances and quietly listened.Seeing no movement, they quickly wiped away their sweat and exchanged a mischievous look.Yong Hua lightly nudged Yong Sheng."Grandpa has gone inside. Let's sneak away."Yong Sheng nodded.The two carefully tiptoed away, trying not to make a sound.But after only a few steps—Crack!Yong Hua stepped on a dry branch.Both children froze.Their faces turned pale.Then a furious roar came from behind them."YOU TWO! ARE YOU TRYING TO SNEAK AWAY AGAIN?!"The moment they heard that voice, both children ran as fast as they could.The exhaustion from their training disappeared instantly.When they reached the edge of the communal tents, they saw Yong Chang hiding in the distance and waving at them.The two ran toward him, panting heavily.Yong Hua asked:"Fatty, what was it you said we were going to play?""Little Ning and the others found a nest of newly hatched green lizards."Yong Sheng's eyes lit up."Really? Where? Hurry! They'll take them all!"Yong Chang patted his chest confidently."Don't worry. Fatty has already told them to save some for us.""I'm the big boss, after all!"The three children immediately dashed away.After running for a while, they reached a rocky cave in the middle of the desert.Giant cacti grew around it, scattered across the golden sand.The scorching sunlight poured down from above, causing the air itself to appear distorted.At the entrance of the cave stood a group of six- or seven-year-old children—two boys and three girls.They waved excitedly toward the approaching trio.Behind the three children was a huge cloud of dust.It was Yong Chang, Yong Hua, and Yong Sheng.Despite his chubby body, Yong Chang was surprisingly fast.In the blink of an eye, he had already reached the group."Little Ning! Where is it? Where? Where?!"A boy frowned."Fatty, I'm your big brother!"Yong Chang immediately retorted:"You're smaller than me.""Now tell me where it is."Yong Ning looked helpless."There's only one that has hatched so far.""Let's go see it!"Yong Chang laughed mischievously and led the group into the cave.Inside was a nest of lizard eggs.Dozens of pure white eggs rested in the golden sand.One tiny lizard had already hatched.Its head was still covered by a fragment of eggshell.Hearing the children enter, it turned its tiny head toward them.The eggshell finally fell away.Its adorable little face was revealed.Yong Ning's eyes immediately lit up.Behind him stood Yong Chang and the others.The moment the little lizard saw Yong Ning, it chirped and ran toward him, wrapping its tiny body around his leg.The lizard had six different colors running along its tail.Apart from that, it looked no different from an ordinary lizard.Its large, round, sparkling eyes stared innocently at Yong Ning.The girls immediately cried out in excitement."Awww! It's so cute!"Even Yong Ning and Yong Sheng couldn't help but soften at the sight.They wanted to raise it too.But Yong Chang was thinking about something completely different.He was already drooling.He licked his lips.His mind was filled with thoughts of grilled lizard, roasted lizard, stewed lizard…Finally, he said:"I bet it would taste delicious if we grilled it."The moment he finished speaking—Smack!Yong Hua slapped him on the head.The other girls immediately joined in.Even Yong Ning gave him a smack.Yong Ning glared at him."Grilling it would be such a waste, Fatty."Yong Chang rubbed his head."Then we'll raise it?"Yong Ning nodded."Of course."Then Yong Chang's eyes lit up."We'll raise it until it's big.""Then we'll steam half of it, grill some, and stew the rest into soup.""It'll be unbelievably delicious!"The moment he finished speaking—Smack!This time, Yong Ning was the one who got hit by the girls.Yong Hua could only shake her head.Seeing that the two boys only cared about eating, she quickly snatched the little lizard into her arms."I'll raise it!"The little lizard seemed to understand her kindness.It immediately put on an adorable expression, its sparkling eyes becoming even more innocent.The girls nearly melted from cuteness.Even Yong Hua couldn't resist hugging it tightly.Yong Sheng suddenly pointed toward the remaining eggs."Then what about these?"There were still five eggs buried in the sand.Yong Chang immediately answered:"Half for steaming.""Half for grilling.""And we'll leave one to hatch, then grill it."Yong Ning nodded enthusiastically."Good idea."The two boys almost got beaten again.Perhaps sensing danger behind them, they suddenly dodged at exactly the right moment.Yong Hua, the other girls, and another boy all struck at the same time.The attacks missed.Realizing that things were about to go very badly, yet unable to resist their appetite, Yong Chang and Yong Ning exchanged a glance.In perfect synchronization, each rushed forward, grabbed one egg as large as their heads, and ran.Yong Chang shouted:"I'll grill mine!"Yong Ning shouted:"I'll steam mine!"The two boys sprinted into the distance.The others simply stood there in stunned silence.
