True Martial World Chapter 4: Who said I didn’t have any males in my house

Jiang Xiaorou harbored no suspicions and patiently described the many facets of this world to him.

Yi Yun had initially pictured a realm that revered martial arts, yet Jiang Xiaorou's explanations revealed how greatly he had underestimated martial arts' central role here.

To put it more accurately, martial arts equaled survival in this world. Humans stuck to their cities and camps, while wild beasts and desolate beasts dominated the wilderness. Farmers and hunters faced constant peril from assaults by these savage creatures. Such enormous monsters restricted human movements severely, leading to chronic shortages among the common people.

High-level warriors formed the vital lifeline for any camp or city! Absent their defense, desolate beasts could annihilate all inhabitants overnight.

Regrettably, Yi Yun and Jiang Xiaorou belonged to a minor tribe devoid of any high-level warriors. The whole tribe teetered on the brink of destruction at any moment. Lacking power, such small tribes struggled immensely with farming and gathering food. Self-sufficiency proved impossible, so they crafted weapons like arrows and armor for larger tribes and cities, bartering them for meager rations and beast meat to endure.

A larger tribe supplied the raw materials for the arrows Jiang Xiaorou produced; her task was merely to assemble them.

“Yun’er, go back in. Tomorrow I can exchange quite a bit of rations with these arrows. I can even exchange a piece of desolate beast meat. Do you still remember desolate beasts?” The fiercest beasts existed, huntable only by massive tribes. Consuming even a morsel granted tremendous strength!

“If one ate for prolonged periods, one could become a warrior very quickly!” Jiang Xiaorou uttered dreamily, imagining how wonderful it would be if her brother became a warrior.

Sadly, desolate beast meat appeared in their lives only every few months. Dreams of warrior status were fated to remain a distant luxury.

In contrast, large tribes fed their youth with desolate beasts regularly, viewing it as ordinary fare. Though challenging to hunt, a single desolate beast stood over ten meters tall and weighed several tons, ample to nourish ten people for years.

Arrogant elites of those grand tribes dismissed desolate beast meat as food for peasants. They consumed the beasts' bones—known as desolate bones.

Every bit of essence within desolate beasts gathered in their desolate bones. Processing an enormous desolate beast skeleton with special techniques yielded a bean-sized chunk of desolate bone essence.

Desolate bone essence empowered warriors to surpass limits, by unlocking meridians, invigorating bloodlines, and delivering countless other boons. All martial artists coveted it desperately.

To destitute folk in a humble tribe like Jiang Xiaorou and Yi Yun's, desolate bone essence existed only as legend.

Setting aside desolate bone essence, even refining desolate bone demanded intricate processes and hidden techniques. No ordinary person could succeed at it.

“Desolate beast, desolate bone essence...” Yi Yun muttered softly. The knowledge pouring from Jiang Xiaorou's lips stunned him with her vast insight.

After a quiet night, hunger stirred Yi Yun awake at dawn the next day.

Having fasted for days with just a meager taste of porridge, Yi Yun's hunger burned fiercely.

“Sis Xiaorou!”

Yi Yun had grown used to calling Jiang Xiaorou his sister. From yesterday's conversation, he learned he'd always addressed her as “Sis Xiaorou” before.

“Oh...Sis Xiaorou, why are you...”

Yi Yun abruptly noticed Jiang Xiaorou's clothes drenched in heavy dew, her once-sparkling eyes now veined with red, her face etched with utter exhaustion.

The two bundles of arrows clutched in Jiang Xiaorou's arms made it obvious to Yi Yun—she'd stayed up all night without a wink to complete them!

Their poverty barred even a lamp's light. Jiang Xiaorou had labored through the night by the dim shimmer of fireflies and pale moonlight to finish those arrows.

Jiang Xiaorou smiled and said, “Yun’er, when you fell and got hurt before, I was always tending to you. Over the last two days, I handled your funeral rites, leaving no time for the arrows. Today we trade for rations, so without rushing them overnight, we’d both starve. I’ll even get you some desolate beast meat to help you recover!”

With those words, Jiang Xiaorou gazed affectionately at Yi Yun’s forehead.

Yi Yun stood stunned watching Jiang Xiaorou meticulously wrap the two arrow bundles using linoleum. Pure joy and fulfillment shone on her face.

Yi Yun breathed out heavily while clenching his fists hard. He swore to offer his devoted sister a far superior existence.

“Let’s go, it’s time to collect our rations!”

Gripping Yi Yun’s hand and shouldering the hefty arrow bundles, Jiang Xiaorou hurried eagerly to the Sun Valley field for the ration swap.

A large crowd had already assembled there.

The robed man upon the stage seized everyone’s gaze.

Seeming around twenty-five, he perched regally on a chair draped in beast hide. A finely forged sword dangled at his waist.

The robed man cast indolent looks over the wretched masses hustling below him.

These folks hauled arrow bundles and batches of superb leather armor. A treasurer-like figure jotted down each transferred item.

Beside the robed man loomed a yellow-clad elder, grinning broadly with an obsequious expression.

“Are the weapons and armor satisfactory, Lord Tao?” The elder bowed low, his features creasing deeply. The robed man shot him a look and snorted dismissively.

Though brimming with scorn, the elder concealed his feelings and maintained his smile.

Lord Tao served as an envoy from a mighty tribe, tasked with gathering the arms. Sent on this duty precisely because he ranked low in his own tribe, he appeared immensely vital to the yellow-robed elder.

Jiang Xiaorou traded her crafted arrow bundles for two tiny wooden tokens. Clutching the tokens in her damp palms, her cheeks flushed red, for they secured rations for her and her brother.

After roughly fifteen minutes, every weapon and armor piece loaded into the massive cart, which two horned beasts then dragged off.

Lord Tao skimmed the ledgers idly before hurling a heavy wooden chest toward the yellow-robed elder, then departed alongside his followers.

The yellow-robed elder farewelled Lord Tao courteously amid smiles, only then dropping the grin to project stern authority.

The tribespeople brimmed with eager anticipation, clamoring, “Patriarch, please distribute the rations.”

“Right! We haven’t seen it in months!” Several voices erupted; all hungered to claim rations for feeding their families.

“Silence!” The yellow-robed elder silenced the throng with a raised hand. Yi Yun never imagined this cowardly old coot was the Patriarch.

“Since everyone’s so eager, let’s distribute the rations!” At his words, burly men hastened forth, dragging ration sacks from a storehouse and piling them into a meager stack.

“That’s not right, Patriarch. Why is there so little this time?”

“Yeah! There used to be a lot more!” “Also why don’t we see any beasts?”

The crowd erupted in murmurs; they’d surrendered more weapons than in past years, yet received a pitifully smaller share. Rations had shrunk by half, and beasts vanished entirely.

“The Fire Cloud tribe has gone too far, how can they dismiss us with this tiny amount?”

“Patriarch, what’s the meaning of this!”

As the unrest swelled, the yellow-robed elder snorted coldly, “Shut your mouths! You will understand in a while. Distribute the rations now! Hand over your wooden tablets, and whatever you receive is all you will get!”

His authoritative bark instantly muted the grumblers. This yellow-robed elder was a warrior—a lowly Mortal Blood warrior, true, but the tribe’s cornerstone nonetheless, whom none dared oppose.

“Those from the warrior preparation camp are the first to receive the rations!” With a wave from the yellow-robed elder, animal-hide-clad men strode up. Ranging fifteen to forty in age, every one was brawny and ripped from rigorous drills. These warrior preparation camp members represented the tribe’s brightest hopes. Picked young for their superior physiques, they trained relentlessly rather than farm, craft arrows, or forge armor—save for occasional hunts.

Moreover, valuable resources such as food were initially allocated to the warrior preparation camp. The reason was clear: should any of them rise to become a high-class warrior, they could deliver vast wealth to the tribe. Beyond mere protection, high-level warriors boasted incredible productivity, strong enough to venture into the wilderness for hunts. A mere handful of massive wild beasts could sustain the entire tribe for days. To say nothing of exaggeration, one such high-level warrior could single-handedly support a small tribe!

Dozens of individuals filled the warrior preparation camp, and since they had never joined in manufacturing, they lacked wooden tablets entirely; yet each one carried off a hefty sack of rations.

The already meager rations dwindled by another fifth, while the number of people yet to receive any was tens of times greater than those in the warrior preparation camp.

This reality doomed countless to starvation.

Standing beside Yi Yun, Jiang Xiaorou clutched her wooden tablet fiercely. Her face drained of color, for without securing rations, their days were truly counted.

A heavy silence gripped the crowd as the warrior preparation camp took their standard portions, signaling that supplies fell far short for everyone else.

“Households with Tier one males, step up for your rations!” The yellow-robed elder issued the next command. In this martial world where strength defined survival, males outside the warrior preparation camp got shares based on their prowess.

The basic measure was raw strength; lifting 300 lbs marked a Tier one male!

The less weight one could hoist, the lower the tier assigned.

Households boasting Tier one males breathed sighs of relief and hurried ahead to claim their shares. Wooden tablets served only as symbols here. These families obtained far less than usual, but at least they got something.

These households had been better off originally, with food reserves to spare. Thus, though thrift lay ahead, desperation did not loom.

“Households with Tier two males, step up for your rations!” The yellow-robed elder spoke once more. Unlike the figure who groveled before “Lord Tao,” this elder exuded icy authority.

A Tier two male managed about 250 lbs. of stone. Their rations came sharply reduced.

Ration sacks vanished swiftly. With each one gone, Jiang Xiaorou's complexion grew whiter. Her sweaty palms squeezed the wooden tablet unyieldingly.

The issue transcended mere scarcity; it was life or death. Lacking rations meant starving to death!

She had brimmed with optimism for this distribution round. Beyond rations, she yearned for beast meat to nourish Yi Yun. Yet even basic rations had evaporated.

“Households with Tier three males, step up for your rations!”

As rations shrank further, Jiang Xiaorou held her breath in suspense.

The yellow-robed elder's brow furrowed; supplies were disastrously low, leaving masses empty-handed. In the coming months, starvation would claim many lives.

Yet for the tribe's greater good, to seize that golden chance, the elder steeled himself to cull the weak.

Hunger and illness routinely felled tribesfolk. Harsh conditions slashed average lifespans to a terrifying brevity.

“The rest of you, come claim your rations.”

At those words, a frantic throng surged forward. Jiang Xiaorou cried out as the press knocked her to the ground.

Bruised from the tumble, she clung desperately to her wooden tablet, as if it embodied her last flicker of hope.

“Sis Xiaorou.” Spotting her fall, Yi Yun shoved through the crowd and hauled her upright.

“You okay, Sis Xiaorou?” Yi Yun fretted; trampling by this horde spelled doom. Helplessly, Jiang Xiaorou gripped his hand.

“Cease the shoving! Form lines properly!” The yellow-robed elder bellowed. His voice carried a potent force, stilling the chaotic rush instantly.

“Queue up, single file!” The elder commanded with unyielding might. None dared resist, knowing his authority ruled the tribe—he'd slay defiers without hesitation.

Folk queued for whatever pitiful scraps remained. Soon enough, rations exhausted, stranding many with nothing.

Jiang Xiaorou's heart plummeted. Rations absent meant no survival.

“Wang Long, fetch some reserve rations,” the yellow-robed elder directed a burly man. Wang Long belonged to the elder's own kin.

“Yes, Patriarch.” Wang Long departed briefly, returning with a small cart laden with rations—pure grain stores.

Back on Earth, grains supplied vital vitamins that kept people healthy. But in this otherworldly realm, the situation was entirely reversed. Here, grain consisted of the scraps left from processing, blended with wheat bran to serve as food. Its taste was utterly foul and nearly impossible to swallow.

Grain here offered scant nutrients and was tough to digest. Truthfully, it yielded only minimal energy—roughly half that of standard rations. Though it was still grain, it beat having nothing at all. The people had no choice but to accept their lot and gather the meager portions available. Jiang Xiaorou lingered at the tail end of the line, and by the time her turn arrived, barely any grain remained.

She handed over the two sweat-soaked wooden tablets and took back two bags of grain, each no bigger than her palm. Even if she and Yi Yun turned it all into porridge, it wouldn't sustain them for more than ten days.

Jiang Xiaorou stood frozen, clutching the featherweight bags of grain, unable to accept this cruel reality.

Her brother had only just clawed his way back from death's door—were they destined to starve side by side now?

“What are you standing around for? Get out of the way!” the grain distributor snapped irritably, eager to shoo Jiang Xiaorou away quickly.

A surge of anger flared in Jiang Xiaorou. She'd toiled through the night crafting those arrows, yet this paltry amount was all she received. Though just a fragile girl, she boldly confronted the men wielding the tribe's power. “Why is there so little? I delivered two bundles of arrows. Not only did I miss out on rations, but this grain falls way short of the usual portion!”

The grain distributor was taken aback. He hadn't anticipated this young girl summoning the guts to challenge him.

“Do you even understand the rules? You're nothing but a child, and a girl to boot. With no men in your household, what's the use of extra food? It'd only go to waste!”

In this world, smaller tribes heavily favored males. Larger tribes faced diverse desolate beasts and even desolate bones, making gender differences less pronounced.

However, in a small tribe like this, a man's superior strength created an insurmountable gap. Rarely did any girl possess power rivaling that of men.

Feeling belittled, Jiang Xiaorou cried out in rage, “Who says there's no man in my home? Right here is one!” With those words, Jiang Xiaorou seized Yi Yun's hand and positioned herself next to him.