The cold wind in the northern desert during winter is sharper than a knife, killing without leaving a trace of blood.
Every winter, a batch of people dies in the wind—after all, not everyone has the privilege of living in a warm grand tent. For two children not yet taller than a wagon wheel, surviving the winter relying only on themselves is nothing but a luxury.
No one is willing to take in these two children; after all, they are not pureblooded prairie people, and the herdsmen feel that taking in hybrids would bring disaster.
Moreover, the tribe's leader recently killed these kids' father with his own hands.
So, these two children can only rely on themselves to survive. The only thing they took was the family axe, which, according to the leader, at least allows them to chop some wood, but everyone could see it was just the leader's excuse.
Killing young children with one's own hands is ultimately inauspicious. Since the cold wind could do the work, the leader naturally preferred not to dirty his own hands.
After all, these two kids couldn't even lift the axe.
To survive, the two children ventured into the mountains. Eating tree bark when they couldn't find food and shoving snow into their mouths when they couldn't find water sources. Yet, despite using all possible means to survive, they were still helpless against the bone-chilling cold wind.
"I'll go figure something out."
Seeing his younger brother's consciousness begin to blur in the cold wind, the slightly taller older brother dragged the axe and went out.
When the younger brother woke up, he found himself in a warm cave, a bonfire burning nearby, and a bloodstained bear hide covering him.
As for his brother, he was squatting beside the fire, greedily devouring half-cooked bear meat, with blood-stained mouth reflected on the wall, like a ferocious demon.
This scene, which could stop a child from crying, strangely brought him a sense of peace.
Big brother is amazing; he can do anything.
In the spring of the following year, the tribe leader who drove these two brothers away was beheaded in his sleep. No one knew who did it, but occasionally herdsmen would say they saw the shadow of a demon on the grand tent at night.
These two brothers left their original tribe and began a life of wandering.
The elder brother was called He Xiqing, named by their father. In the southern people's language, "Qing" is the color of the sky. The younger brother was called He Xixuan, and their father said "Xuan" is the color of the earth. They both remembered their father's advice to become men standing tall and upright.
And they indeed succeeded.
He Xiqing, the elder brother, dares to fight bravely, soon making his name known among the surrounding tribes, while as the younger brother, He Xixuan, his stature grew even taller than He Xiqing's as he aged. Wielding his mighty axe, he was like the rebirth of the War God, unstoppable.
Due to their courage and strength, they quickly gathered a team and were even recruited by the powerful Qingyang tribe, becoming honored guests.
However, becoming leaders of the Qingyang tribe did not come without cost.
According to the Qingyang tribe leader, the Celestial God-like Khan from the royal court hidden deep in the grassland had issued orders. To ensure all prairie people have the privilege to survive the winter, he decided to invade the warm lands of the south. As the tribe closest to Chen Kingdom, Qingyang tribe naturally became the vanguard of this expedition, and the newly joined brothers were expected to prove their true warrior spirit in this conquest.
This left the two brothers somewhat troubled.
"There are too few Wizards among us."
Returning to their tent, the younger brother, He Xixuan, expressed his concerns.
"Attacking south isn't difficult; after all, our warriors have survived the cold winds. But if they are led into excessive slaughter with bloodlust…"
Bloodlust, also known as Evil Qi entering the body, turns a person into a crazed madman who recognizes no one after their eyes turn red from killing. Only Wizards, who supposedly communicate with Heaven, can calm these frantic warriors.
Qingyang tribe can afford their own Wizards, but the brothers cannot. When their warriors go mad, they can only seek help from Qingyang tribe's Wizards.
But this time, with Qingyang tribe going south as well, they naturally wouldn't lend their precious Wizards.
"Yet, this is also an aid to us."
Facing his younger brother's doubts, He Xiqing shook his head.
"You said it yourself, our warriors survived the cold winds like us—I believe they won't be affected by mere bloodlust. Only the weak would be overwhelmed by such slaughter, but we, having crawled out of piles of dead bodies time and again, stand tall and upright. We are true warriors."
Following this, He Xiqing began leading raids, shedding blood and fighting fiercely.
Though initially doubtful, when the fighting began, the younger brother He Xixuan charged the fiercest. Clad in armor, his form and sweeping swings of the mighty axe were like a giant humanoid bear, leaving only dismembered bodies in his wake.
Increasing amounts of Evil Qi clung to the axe, and more bloodlust flooded He Xixuan's mind—yet he paid no heed.
For if it wasn't for his brother risking his life to kill that bear, He Xixuan would have perished in the winter's cold wind long ago. So even if bloodlust overcame him and he became a demon knowing only killing, he was willing to do it for his brother.
After all, big brother was amazing and could do anything.
Reality proved this—their training was effective. Although some warriors indeed fell into madness, more passed the trial, growing more fierce and lethal, their scarlet eyes reminiscent of hungry wolves on the prairie.
The brothers' reputation in Qingyang tribe grew as their warriors showed brutal ferocity.
What big brother said was right—there's nothing to fear, it's merely training, though perhaps their methods were a bit harsh.
Armed with a fierce and brutal force, He Xiqing soon rose in the ranks within the Qingyang tribe, while He Xixuan took over the training duties. Though it's a tough task, He Xixuan had no complaints; as "Xuan" is the color of the earth, he, being the younger brother, should support the sky upheld by his elder brother.
This time, He Xixuan's target was Yang Family Fortress. As his brother explained, this was a tactic to bleed the enemy before the battle began, though He Xixuan couldn't grasp the complexities. He only knew his brother was always right.
So, He Xixuan swung the mighty axe with inhuman strength, shattering the Dock Fortress gates.
As his brother had said, bloodlust or Evil Qi entering the body might be a disaster for the weak, but an award from Heaven for the strong-willed. With a heart as unyielding as steel amid the northern desert's cold wind, they could wield this inhuman power, growing braver as they fought.
Now, a new batch of warriors was to receive this award. Once they slaughter Yang Family Fortress inhabitants, the best among them would cross that threshold to become true Warriors.
"It's merely a training exercise."
After slicing through a spear formation, He Xixuan stood with the mighty axe, letting his soldiers into the fray.
He didn't want excessive slaughter; it would rob his soldiers of the right to endure trials, their chance of transformation. Only after passing through this test would they become true eagles, soaring in the sky His brother He Xiqing held high.
Until he saw that dagger and those blood-red eyes like his own.
Stopping his soldiers, He Xixuan raised the axe and approached. From the first glance at those eyes, he knew it was a monster of the same level.
Ordinary soldiers couldn't stop this monster; they would be beheaded instantly.
But the only thing He Xixuan didn't expect was that he couldn't stop it either.