Who Says There Are No Men in the Family

Jiang Xiaorou had no reason to doubt him, and she told Yi Yun many things about this strange world.

Yi Yun had originally thought this might be a world where martial might reigned supreme, but after hearing Jiang Xiaorou's description, he realized he had still underestimated the status of martial power here.

To be precise, it was a world where martial might meant life itself.

In this world, humans had their own cities and camps, while the wilderness was the domain of beasts and savage beasts.

Whether humans went out to farm or hunt, they could be attacked by beasts or savage beasts. Because these terrifying monsters compressed the range of human activity, resources were extremely scarce for the common folk.

For a camp or a city, high-level warriors were the lifeline!

Without the protection of high-level warriors, the residents of a camp or city could be slaughtered clean by savage beasts overnight.

And the tribe Yi Yun and Jiang Xiaorou belonged to was, unfortunately, a small tribe without any high-level warriors.

The entire tribe was precarious, on the verge of collapse at any moment.

Because they were so weak, this small tribe could only produce and gather very limited food. They couldn't even support themselves and had to survive by processing weapons for the tribes of larger cities—things like arrows and armor—in exchange for some grain and beast meat.

The arrows Jiang Xiaorou made were crafted from materials shipped in by the larger tribes; she was only responsible for the processing.

"Yun'er, go inside and sleep. Tomorrow, I can trade these arrows for a good amount of grain, and even a piece of savage beast meat. Do you still remember savage beasts? They're the most fearsome kind of beast—only the biggest tribes can hunt them. Eating a piece of their meat can make you much stronger! If you eat it regularly, you can become a warrior in no time!"

As Jiang Xiaorou spoke, a look of longing crossed her face. If only her little brother could become a warrior too—how wonderful that would be.

Unfortunately, they only got the chance to eat savage beast meat once every few months. Becoming a warrior was nothing but a distant dream.

In the larger tribes, though, the young people ate savage beast meat like it was ordinary food. In fact, savage beast meat wasn't even considered precious in those tribes. While savage beasts were hard to kill, a single large one could be over ten meters long and weigh tens of thousands of jin. Its meat alone could feed ten people for years.

To the favored sons of the great tribes, savage beast meat was food for the lower classes. What they ate was savage beast bones—savage bones.

The essence of a savage beast was all contained in its bones. A massive savage beast skeleton, refined through special techniques, could yield a soybean-sized piece of Savage Bone Essence.

This Savage Bone Essence could help warriors break through to higher realms, open meridians, and awaken bloodlines—countless benefits that warriors dreamed of.

Of course, to poor folk like Jiang Xiaorou and Yi Yun from the lower tribes, Savage Bone Essence was practically a legend.

Not only were savage bones hard to come by, but even if you obtained one, refining it into essence required many techniques and secret methods that ordinary people could hardly master.

"Savage Beast Meat... Savage Bone Essence..."

Yi Yun murmured the words to himself. Hearing these terms from Jiang Xiaorou, he was a little surprised that her knowledge was so broad.

The night passed without incident. The next morning, Yi Yun got up early—not because he had slept enough, but because he had woken up hungry.

Having eaten nothing for days except a bit of porridge, Yi Yun's hunger was easy to imagine.

"Sister Xiaorou!"

By now, Yi Yun had gotten used to calling her that. From their chat the night before, he had learned that his old habit was to call Jiang Xiaorou "Sister Xiaorou."

"Mm... Sister Xiaorou, what's wrong with you..."

Yi Yun's heart tightened. He saw that Jiang Xiaorou's clothes were heavy with dew, and her once bright eyes were bloodshot, her expression utterly exhausted.

Looking at the two large bundles of arrows in her arms, Yi Yun could tell at once that Jiang Xiaorou hadn't slept at all—she had been working all night making arrows!

Their home was too poor to afford an oil lamp. Jiang Xiaorou had made the arrows by the faint light of fireflies drawn by an Insect Luring Grass, and by the moonlight. Working through the night under such harsh conditions—the toll on her body was obvious.

Jiang Xiaorou smiled. "Yun'er, before, when you were injured from the fall, I was taking care of you. The past couple of days, I was busy with your burial and the memorial rites, so I didn't have much time to make arrows. Today is the day we trade for grain. If I didn't work extra to make more, the two of us wouldn't have anything to eat. And today, I'm going to stew some savage beast meat to help you recover!"

As she spoke, Jiang Xiaorou affectionately patted Yi Yun on the head.

Yi Yun's expression darkened. He didn't know what to say. He watched as Jiang Xiaorou carefully wrapped the two bundles of arrows in oilcloth, her eyes full of joy and satisfaction.

Yi Yun let out a heavy breath. He clenched his fist slightly and silently resolved that no matter what, he would make sure this sister who cared for him could live a good life.

"Come on, let's go trade for grain!"

Jiang Xiaorou took Yi Yun's hand, hugged the two heavy bundles of arrows, and walked full of anticipation to the threshing ground where the trade was held.

Quite a few people had already gathered there.

The most eye-catching figure was a man in a brocade robe sitting on a high platform.

He looked to be about twenty-four or twenty-five years old, sitting arrogantly in a wide beast-hide chair with a finely crafted sword hanging at his waist.

At that moment, the brocade-robed man was lazily scanning the suffering commoners toiling below him.

These people were hauling bundles of arrows and finely made leather armor, while a man who looked like a scribe beside them recorded each item.

Standing next to the brocade-robed man was a well-dressed Yellow-robed Elder, his face plastered with a fawning smile.

"Lord Tao, are you satisfied with this batch of weapons and soft armor?"

The old man bowed and scraped, the wrinkles on his face all squeezed together.

The brocade-robed man glanced at him and gave a grunt in response.

Despite the brocade-robed man's arrogant demeanor, the old man dared not show the slightest displeasure and kept his ingratiating smile.

This Lord Tao was an envoy from a major tribe, responsible for collecting weapons. Although Lord Tao might not be doing all that well in his own tribe—otherwise he wouldn't have been sent on such an errand—to the Yellow-robed Elder, he was still a big shot.

Jiang Xiaorou handed over the two bundles of arrows she had made and received two small wooden tokens in return.

Clutching the two tokens, Jiang Xiaorou's pretty face flushed slightly. Her small hands were clenched tight, and her palms were slightly damp with sweat. These tokens were the food rations for her and her little brother.

After a quarter of an hour, all the weapons and soft armor were loaded onto a large cart, and two horses with horns on their heads pulled it away.

Lord Tao lazily glanced over the ledger, had a large wooden chest brought down from the cart, and tossed it in front of the Yellow-robed Elder before leaving with his attendants.

The Yellow-robed Elder, his face full of flattering smiles, saw Lord Tao off, then straightened up, his smile fading into an expression of authority.

The tribe's people had been waiting eagerly. "Tribe Leader, hand out the grain already!"

"That's right, we haven't seen meat in months!"

Some half-grown lads had already started shouting, all of them waiting to collect their grain and meat to fill their stomachs at home.

"Quiet down!" The Yellow-robed Elder pressed his hands down, signaling everyone to settle. Yi Yun hadn't expected that this old man, who seemed utterly spineless, was actually the tribe's leader.

"Since everyone's so impatient, let's start with the grain!"

As soon as he spoke, a few agile men stepped forward eagerly, driving oxcarts to haul the grain out of the storehouse. Sack after sack of grain quickly piled up into small heaps.

"Something's wrong, Tribe Leader—why is there so little grain this time?"

"Yeah, it's usually a lot more than this! And where's the beast meat?"

Many people started shouting. They had handed in more weapons than in previous years, yet what they got in return was pitifully meager—not only was the grain less than half the usual amount, but the long-awaited beast meat was also missing.

"The Huoyun Tribe is going too far—they're fobbing us off with this?"

"Tribe Leader, what's going on!"

Seeing the crowd growing more agitated, the Yellow-robed Elder snorted coldly. "All of you, shut up! I'll explain this later. For now, distribute the grain! Hand over your wooden tokens, and take whatever grain you get!"

As the Yellow-robed Elder spoke, an aura faintly emanated from him, silencing many of the dissatisfied.

This Yellow-robed Elder was a warrior.

Though he was only a low-level Mortal Blood Warrior, he was undeniably the tribe's pillar, and few dared to defy him.

"Warrior Reserve Camp, collect your grain first!"

With a wave of his hand, a group of men clad in beast hides stepped forward. These men ranged from fifteen or sixteen to thirty or forty years old, and without exception, they were powerfully built, with clearly defined muscles—clearly trained fighters.

These were the members of the Warrior Reserve Camp, the tribe's hope. The warriors in the reserve camp were selected from youths with good physiques and trained from a young age. Aside from occasional hunting, they neither farmed nor engaged in production activities like making arrows or soft armor.

But the tribe always gave the best meat and grain to the Warrior Reserve Camp first, because if even one of them became a high-level warrior, it would be an immense boon for the tribe.

Not to mention the protection a high-level warrior could provide, but just their productivity—a high-level warrior was strong enough to venture into the wilderness alone to hunt. If they brought down a few large Beasts, it would be enough to feed the entire tribe for several days!

It was no exaggeration to say that a single high-level warrior could sustain a small tribe!

The Warrior Reserve Camp had several dozen people. Since they didn't engage in production, they naturally had no wooden tokens, yet each one carried away a full large sack of grain.

The already scarce grain piles shrank by a fifth in an instant, and the tribespeople who hadn't received any grain outnumbered the Warrior Reserve Camp members by dozens of times.

This meant that many were destined to go hungry.

Beside Yi Yun, Jiang Xiaorou tightened her grip on the wooden token in her hand, her face turning pale. If they couldn't get any grain, how would they survive?

The tribespeople fell silent. The grain the Warrior Reserve Camp members received wasn't much less than usual, but if this continued, there wouldn't be enough to go around.

"Families with a First-class Male, come collect your grain!"

The Yellow-robed Elder issued another order. In this world, martial strength was everything. Beyond the Warrior Reserve Camp, other men were also ranked into three classes.

The simple test was strength: a man who could lift a three-hundred-jin stone lock was a First-class Male!

Below that, the lighter the stone lock a man could lift, the lower his rank.

Families with a First-class Male breathed a slight sigh of relief and hurried forward to collect their grain. The wooden tokens were now just a reference; these families received far less grain than usual, but at least they got something.

These families were already better off, with some surplus grain at home, so while the coming days would be tight, they wouldn't starve.

"Families with a Second-class Male, come collect your grain!"

The Yellow-robed Elder spoke again. Compared to his groveling before that "Lord Tao," the stern-faced Yellow-robed Elder now seemed like a completely different person.

Second-class Males could lift a two-hundred-fifty-jin stone lock. The grain they received was even less.

The grain sacks dwindled rapidly. With every sack that disappeared, Jiang Xiaorou's face grew paler. She clutched the wooden token tightly, her palms slick with cold sweat.

This wasn't just about a few missing sacks of grain—it was a matter of life and death. Without grain, they would starve!

She had held high hopes for this grain distribution, not only to get food but also to get a piece of beast meat to stew for Yi Yun to build up his strength. But now, even plain grain was gone.

"Families with a Third-class Male, come collect your grain!"

The grain kept shrinking. Jiang Xiaorou held her breath.

The Yellow-robed Elder frowned as well. There was far too little grain; many would get nothing, and in the coming months, some were bound to starve to death.

But for the tribe's benefit, to gamble on that one chance to leap over the dragon gate, the Yellow-robed Elder had to harden his heart and sacrifice the weak.

In the tribe, people starving or dying of illness was common. The harsh living conditions made the average lifespan terrifyingly short.

"The rest of you, come collect your grain."

As soon as the Yellow-robed Elder finished speaking, a crowd rushed forward in a frenzy. Jiang Xiaorou let out a startled cry and was knocked to the ground by the surging tide of people.

She landed with bruises all over her body, but she still clung tightly to the wooden token in her hand, as if it were her only hope, the thing that could bring her salvation.

"Sister Xiaorou."

Seeing Jiang Xiaorun helplessly fall to the ground, Yi Yun somehow found the strength to push through the crowd and pull her up.

"Sister Xiaorou, are you alright?"

Yi Yun's heart was tense—being knocked down and trampled in a crowd could easily kill someone.

Jiang Xiaorou held Yi Yun's hand, her heart filled with helplessness...

"What's all the shoving? Everyone, stay in line!"

The Yellow-robed Elder bellowed, his voice seeming infused with some kind of energy, instantly quieting the surging tribespeople.

"Line up properly, one by one!"

The Yellow-robed Elder's tone was harsh and stern; no one present dared defy him. After all, he held absolute power and oversaw the tribe's laws. If anyone disobeyed his orders, he might even kill them on the spot.

The people began to queue for their rations. Even though the grain allotted to each family was pitifully small, there were many mouths to feed, and soon the supplies ran out.

Jiang Xiaorou's heart sank. Without food, they simply couldn't survive.

"Wang Long, take a few men and bring out the reserve grain from the tribe's storehouse," the Yellow-robed Elder said to a burly man beside him.

This burly man, named Wang Long, was a servant of the Yellow-robed Elder.

"Yes, Tribe Leader."

Wang Long strode off and soon returned pushing a small cart. He unloaded several sacks of grain—these were the tribe's reserves, but all of it was coarse grain.

On Earth, eating coarse grain meant plenty of vitamins and good health.

But in this other world, it was entirely different.

Coarse grain was what remained after the last milling, mixed with wheat bran. Food made from it was rough and barely swallowable.

Moreover, coarse grain meant low calories—not only hard to digest but also providing little energy. One jin of fine grain was worth two jin of coarse grain.

Even so, coarse grain was better than nothing. The people resigned themselves to lining up for it, but each person received very little. Jiang Xiaorou was at the very end of the line, and by the time her turn came, even the coarse grain was nearly gone.

She handed over two sweat-stained wooden tokens but received only two palm-sized sacks of coarse grain. Even if she and Yi Yun ate wheat bran porridge every day, it would last them no more than ten days.

Jiang Xiaorou stood frozen, clutching the light grain sack in her hands, unable to accept this outcome.

Her younger brother had just come back to life—were they going to starve to death together?

"What are you standing around for? Don't block the way!"

The man in charge of distributing grain said impatiently, motioning for Jiang Xiaorou to leave quickly.

Jiang Xiaorou felt a surge of anger. She had worked all night making arrows, only to receive this pittance. Though she was just a weak young woman, she gritted her teeth and faced the group of burly men who represented the tribe's authority.

"Why is it so little? I handed in two bundles of arrows, but I didn't get any fine grain at all, and even the coarse grain is far less than a tenth of the usual amount!"

The grain distributor was taken aback, apparently not expecting this young girl to have the nerve to question him.

"Don't you know the rules? You're just a child, and a girl at that—your family doesn't even have a man. What use do you have for so much grain? Eating more would just be a waste!"

In this world, small tribes valued men over women.

In large tribes, there were all kinds of Savage Beast Meat and even Savage Bone Essence to supplement, so the natural physical gap between men and women didn't matter much—female experts were just as numerous as males.

But in small tribes, men's innate physical advantage was an insurmountable gap, and few women could match men in strength.

Insulted like this, Jiang Xiaorou's anger flared. "Who says my family has no man! In Jiang Xiaorou's home, there is a man too!"

With that, Jiang Xiaorou grabbed Yi Yun's hand and stood together with him.