Tilling the Land and Cultivating

Son Gohan thought for a moment, then said, "But as your big brother, what should I call you?"

Sun Mo was already over a year old, and he could talk.

But because his body hadn't fully developed yet, his words weren't very clear.

He tried to say, "My name is Sun Mo!"

"Oh, you can already talk? That's amazing! But Grandpa didn't catch that. Say it again, okay..."

Son Gohan leaned in close, listening carefully.

"Sun... Mo!!" Sun Mo repeated.

Son Gohan's face lit up with joy.

"Sun Mo?"

Sun Mo nodded, his big eyes blinking in response.

Gohan saw that he was only a little bigger than Goku, yet so full of spirit, and a smile bloomed on his face like a flower.

"That's wonderful. You even share my surname. Now I don't even have to come up with a name for you."

Right at that moment, Goku started crying again with a "Wah!"

Son Gohan quickly soothed him. "Oh dear, is Goku hungry again? Don't cry, don't cry. Grandpa will take you both back to eat!"

With that, he held one child in each arm and bounded back to the mountaintop in a few leaps.

Gohan was about to heat water for formula, but as soon as he set Goku down, the boy started wailing.

"Almost ready, almost there..."

Goku seemed to sense that Sun Mo was stealing his spotlight. He cried his heart out, thrashing around like a fish, and old Gohan grew anxious.

Afraid he'd fall off the bed, Gohan kept his eyes on him even while mixing the formula.

Just then, Sun Mo slapped Goku on the bottom.

"Smack!"

The crying stopped instantly.

Tears still clinging to his eyes, Goku stared blankly at Sun Mo. Old Gohan also looked at Sun Mo.

Sun Mo's chubby little face was stern as he glared at Goku. In a harsh tone, he said, "Stop fussing. It'll be ready soon!"

"Wahhh..."

Goku started bawling again.

Sun Mo immediately raised his hand, pretending to strike, but didn't bring it down.

Goku instantly fell silent. No more crying, no more squirming. He just stared wide-eyed at Sun Mo... at his palm.

He seemed to understand: if he cried, Grandpa would comfort him, but this new kid would actually hit him.

Seeing Goku behave, Sun Mo lowered his hand and looked at old Gohan.

"Grandpa, I'll watch him. Go make the formula..."

A hint of amusement flickered in Gohan's eyes.

"This little one, just a bit bigger, and he's already acting like a little adult who can keep his little brother in line. Not bad at all."

In the days that followed, Sun Mo told Gohan the secret that he and Goku could transform into Great Apes, so Son Gohan was prepared.

And so, Son Gohan raised the two children, living on Mount Paozu just as before.

Time flowed like water, years passing in the blink of an eye.

Seven years had gone by.

The morning mist had yet to clear when the roar of a beast echoed from deep within Mount Paozu.

A Hammerhead Boar, bulkier than a full-grown bull, glared with bloodshot eyes, pawed the ground with its hind hooves, and charged straight at Goku.

Just as the boar was about to ram into him, Goku leaped up and stomped one foot on its head.

The boar's snout slammed into the dirt, its thick front legs buckling from the momentum, carving two deep furrows.

"Nice one!"

The next second, Sun Mo raised the Power Pole and swung it down hard at the still-sliding boar.

A fierce wind howled as the brutal force smashed into the boar's skull.

"Crack!"

The boar's skull shattered, blood gushed out, and the ground beneath it cracked into pieces.

Goku walked over, grinning smugly. "Heh heh! I drove it right to you!"

Sun Mo dusted off his hands, a smile in his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, you did the most. The head and tail are yours."

"Yay!" Goku cheered, flashing a peace sign.

"Let's go!"

The two of them, one in front and one behind, carried the massive wild boar on the Power Pole and headed toward home.

Soon, sunlight scattered the morning mist, and wisps of cooking smoke had already begun to rise from the chimney of the mountain hut.

"Grandpa! Look what we caught!"

Before they even reached the mountaintop, Wukong couldn't help shouting out.

Son Gohan came out of the kitchen and spotted the huge wild boar they'd hunted at a glance, his surprise and joy plain to see.

"Wow, you two actually caught a boar this big. Now you can both eat your fill."

Son Goku grinned, flashing his white teeth.

Sun Mo set down the boar and rolled up his sleeves.

"Grandpa, let me help you handle it..."

Son Gohan shook his head with a smile. "No need. Leave the cooking to your grandpa.

Save your strength—today's training is still heavy, and it's something new..."

Hearing about the new training task, both Wukong and Sun Mo showed eager anticipation.

Soon, Son Gohan took out a knife from the kitchen and skillfully skinned, debristled, and carved the boar...

Before long, the cold carcass had turned into delicious roasted meat.

Sunlight flooded the little courtyard, warm and cozy.

Son Gohan watched the two children wolfing down their food, a kind smile spreading across his face.

A moment later, Wukong let out a satisfied, loud burp, his round little belly visibly bulging.

Sun Mo also set down the gnawed-clean bone and leaned lazily against a tree trunk.

Though he didn't say a word, it was clear he was stuffed too.

Son Gohan slowly wiped his hands, his gaze sweeping over the two sluggish little ones.

"Full?"

Wukong and Sun Mo answered in unison: "Full!"

Son Gohan smiled. "Good. Then today's training can begin."

Wukong's eyes lit up at once. "What kind of training, Grandpa?"

Son Gohan pointed to the overgrown open slope behind the house. "Today's training is clearing land—plowing fields."

"Plowing fields?" Both Wukong and Sun Mo were taken aback.

Wukong wondered—how was plowing fields considered training?

But Sun Mo understood. Plowing fields was a method of the Turtle School, greatly beneficial to cultivation.

He had been looking forward to this day for a while.

Earlier, Sun Mo had taken the initiative to suggest weighted training, but Gohan said they were too young, and that heavy loads or hard labor too early might stunt their height.

Sun Mo thought that made some sense.

Whether it affected height or not, with future combat power skyrocketing to astronomical numbers, today's little gains didn't matter.

For now, he just needed to lay a solid foundation.

Son Goku asked, puzzled, "Grandpa, is plowing fields really training?"

Son Gohan laughed. "Of course. Back in the day, my master and I trained by plowing fields—except we did it by hand."

"By hand?" Wukong looked at his own hands in confusion.

"That's right. Follow me!"

Soon, Gohan led them to the slope.

After teaching them the essentials, he lit his pipe and watched from the side.

"Alright, you can start."

Wukong tried smashing down with brute force. A shallow pit appeared in the ground, clods of dirt flying everywhere.

Son Gohan reminded him gently from the side, "Wukong, plowing isn't about destruction. It's about turning over the soil. The dirt needs to be soft so seeds can breathe and grow."

Wukong nodded. "Okay, I get it!"

Even as he said that, he was still trying to figure out what exactly counted as plowing.

Just then, Sun Mo pressed his fingers together like a blade, gently inserted them into the earth, then twisted his wrist.

A large, solid clod of dirt was pried up intact, then crumbled, revealing the moist, dark soil beneath.

Sun Mo looked at Son Gohan and asked, "Like this, Grandpa?"

Gohan nodded with a cheerful smile. "That's right. As expected of Sun Mo—smart since you were little."