Around the Ding Clan spread a vast territory, its heart being a sprawling town known as Dead Crow Town.
Every street, market, and alley within the town was under the Ding Clan's iron grip.
The people lived under their rule, some in fear, some in grudging respect, but none dared openly defy them.
Beyond the town's stone walls stretched the Esther Wilderness, an endless expanse of mountains and valleys that spanned tens of thousands of miles.
Fierce beasts roamed freely there, and countless secrets of heaven and earth lay hidden in its depths.
On one of the rugged peaks that loomed over Dead Crow Town, a chilling scream suddenly echoed, so sharp and filled with despair that even the birds took flight in alarm.
Interwoven with that scream was the broken sobbing of a man, his cries full of helplessness.
At the summit, four figures were present.
One of them, a man dressed in simple coarse clothes, was tightly bound to a tree with thick ropes that dug into his skin.
His face was streaked with tears, his eyes bloodshot from endless weeping.
Before him lay a woman in her thirties, stripped of her dignity, her body exposed to the cold mountain air.
She was unconscious, her chest rising and falling faintly as if clinging to life.
Her pale skin was marred with bruises and cuts, her lips were torn and swollen as though she had been forced to endure unimaginable pain.
Her once-fine clothes were ripped to shreds and tossed aside like garbage.
Not far from her, Ding Chao was fastening his robes, his breath ragged, his eyes bloodshot and wild, like a beast that had just fed.
Beside him, leaning casually against a tree, was Ding Jing, his expression distant and detached.
He seemed as if he stood outside of the moment, unconcerned by the cruelty unfolding at his feet.
Ding Chao's gaze snapped to the bound man.
His lips curled into a mocking grin as he walked forward, grabbing the man's hair roughly and yanking his head upward.
"Your wife was good," he sneered. "If she happens to get pregnant, make sure you raise my child well." With that, he drew his blade and slashed through the ropes binding the man.
The moment his bonds loosened, the man stumbled forward, nearly falling to his knees.
He ignored his own pain, rushing straight to the woman's side.
With trembling hands, he stripped off his own robe and draped it over her naked body, covering her as best as he could. His tears fell like rain as he whispered her name again and again.
Gathering her frail form into his arms, he staggered down the mountain path, his sobs echoing long after his figure disappeared from sight.
When silence finally returned to the peak, Ding Jing let out a faint sigh and walked toward his younger brother.
"You almost killed her," he said quietly, his tone carrying a hint of reproach.
Ding Chao snorted, his expression twisted with disdain. "You're my elder brother, yet you can't even protect my dignity! Even that pathetic worm dared to mock me! If I don't crush them beneath my feet, am I still a son of the Ding Clan?"
Ding Jing fell silent for a long moment, his eyes narrowing as hatred flickered within. "That Xue Wen… he has the patriarch's support. We can't touch him openly inside the clan." He drew in a deep breath, his voice low and calculating. "But Father will soon break through to the Marrow Induction Realm. Though he will still be weaker than the patriarch, if we ruin the patriarch's daughter, his prestige will falter. At that moment, Father can strike, kill him, and take control of the Ding Clan."
"Hmph. Father will do it." Ding Chao spat coldly, his figure already storming down the mountain path.
Watching him leave, Ding Jing remained for a while, his face shadowed.
He recalled the sting of Xue Wen's mocking words and clenched his jaw until his teeth creaked.
A venomous light burned in his eyes as he muttered, "I'll make sure to ruin that Ding Mei. And you, Xue Wen, you will watch, powerless, as us brothers enjoy her before your very eyes." His expression twisted with determination before he finally turned and followed his brother.
---
Elsewhere, in a modest wooden house at the edge of Dead Crow Town, Xue Wen returned from the market with his arms laden with food.
Baskets of vegetables, fruits, and cuts of fresh meat filled his hands.
Ding Mei, who sat quietly inside, glanced up at the sight.
Her brows rose in surprise at the sheer quantity he had brought back, but her lips remained sealed.
Shame from the awkward events of that morning still weighed on her heart, and she was too shy to speak.
Xue Wen offered her a warm smile, his gaze gentle. "Mei'er, I will cultivate now," he said before stepping into his room and closing the door.
Ding Mei tilted her head, her delicate brows furrowing slightly. Cultivate? With so much food? She was baffled, but curiosity held her tongue.
Inside, Xue Wen wasted no time. He sat at the low wooden table and began eating with a strange focus.
First came fresh vegetables, crisp and green; then fruits, bursting with sweetness and juice.
He moved on to wild fungi with earthy flavors, then tore into the rich meats he had brought, tasting poultry, pork, and venison alike.
He even drank down milk and sampled dairy, determined to test everything.
An hour later, his belly was full, yet instead of sluggishness, he felt more alive than ever before.
Sitting cross-legged on his bed, he pressed his palm to his chest, his face glowing with excitement.
"It seems… anything that enters my stomach transforms into Marrow Essence." His veins throbbed with vitality, his muscles felt denser, stronger.
Power surged through every corner of his body as though his very bones were being reforged.
"This… is amazing." His lips curled into an irrepressible grin. He wanted to throw his head back and laugh aloud at the heavens.