"What… is this?" Xue Wen's voice trembled as he stared at the secret compartment hidden beneath the floorboards of his father's room.
Dust had gathered in the crevices, the faint smell of aged wood and ink lingering in the air, but what truly caught his attention was the strange sight within.
Inside the compartment lay four peculiar dentures, each one resembling the elongated canines of a beast.
At first glance, they looked like wolf fangs, sharp, curved, and exuding a faintly sinister aura.
A cold shiver ran down Xue Wen's spine as he crouched lower to get a better look.
"Maybe… a wolf?" he muttered under his breath, brows furrowed in confusion.
His hand, hesitant at first, slowly reached out to touch one of the black-colored teeth.
But just as his fingers brushed against it, something impossible occurred.
The four teeth suddenly floated upward, as if defying gravity.
They hovered in front of his wide eyes, gleaming with an eerie darkness that seemed to pulse like a living heart.
"W-Waaa—!" Xue Wen gasped, but before he could even finish his exclamation, the teeth shot forward.
They pierced into his mouth, embedding themselves where his own canines had been.
A sharp, searing pain erupted through his body.
A black beam of light burst forth, engulfing him completely.
His limbs stiffened, his mind blanked, and in the next instant, he lost all consciousness.
When Xue Wen next opened his eyes, his head was pounding as though a thousand drums were beating inside his skull.
Strange and fragmented images swirled around in his mind, foreign faces, ancient voices, and memories that did not belong to him.
He groaned softly, his body drenched in cold sweat.
"Xue Wen… please… please wake up…" A gentle, tear-stricken voice called to him.
He could hear muffled sobs, the sound of a young woman desperately trying to hold back her sorrow.
The storm of memories slowly began to settle, like sand drifting to the bottom of a river.
His mind cleared enough for him to force his eyes open.
What he saw immediately stole his breath.
Beside him sat a young woman, her delicate figure trembling as she wiped at her swollen eyes.
Her robe was ragged and worn, clearly patched many times over, yet no amount of rough fabric could hide the sheer beauty of her features.
Her pale white skin almost glowed in the dim light, her sapphire-blue eyes shimmered like clear lakes, and her long dark hair cascaded down her shoulders like a silken waterfall.
His lips parted before his mind could stop them. "Wife…" Xue Wen murmured unconsciously, his hand reaching out toward her fragile figure.
The girl's eyes widened as his voice reached her ears. Her tears, which had been flowing endlessly, suddenly paused.
A radiant smile, weak yet filled with relief, blossomed on her face. Without hesitation, she grabbed his hand tightly.
"Thank the heavens…" she whispered shakily before throwing herself into his arms. Her embrace was desperate, warm, and trembling all at once.
She buried her face against his chest, clutching him as though terrified he would vanish again.
A faint floral fragrance enveloped Xue Wen's senses, soft and intoxicating.
His body stiffened for a moment, but the warmth of her hug melted his hesitation, leaving him with an indescribable sensation of peace.
'I… I am Xue Wen…' he repeated inwardly, trying to anchor himself.
Yet the memories clashing within him made it difficult to separate who he was from who he had become.
An hour later, Xue Wen sat cross-legged on the ground, his expression blank as he organized his chaotic thoughts.
The girl, his supposed wife, was in the small kitchen nearby, clattering utensils together as she prepared a simple meal.
The faint aroma of cooked rice and vegetables drifted into the room, grounding him further into this new reality.
Finally, his thoughts grew clear enough to string together. 'So… I have transmigrated to another world.'
The realization struck him like lightning. He wasn't on Earth anymore.
His fragmented memories told him the truth, this was a different realm altogether, one ruled by beings known as Bonebearers.
Bonebearers were not ordinary humans.
They possessed the ability to merge with the bones of ancient beasts, unlocking tremendous power.
At the highest levels, they could topple mountains with their fists, soar through the skies like birds, and wage battles that could shake entire cities.
"It's like… they have superpowers," Xue Wen muttered under his breath, his heart racing as excitement and dread intertwined within him.
He looked down at his hands.
They seemed the same, slender, pale, unremarkable, but he could feel something thrumming inside them, something dangerous and alive.
From the kitchen, the girl's voice drifted out softly. "Husband, the food is ready."
Xue Wen froze. His heart skipped a beat.
'Husband…'
He glanced toward her.
She stood there, holding a wooden bowl of steaming rice, her clear blue eyes watching him with a mixture of nervousness and tenderness.
The word echoed in his mind. This girl… this beautiful stranger…she truly was his wife.
Seeing the steaming bowl of food placed before him, Xue Wen instinctively gulped down his saliva.
His eyes lingered on the wooden bowl for a moment before shifting toward the girl standing nearby.
Her delicate hands still trembled faintly from carrying the hot dish, yet her sapphire-blue eyes gazed at him with quiet expectation.
"Thanks, Mei'er," he said softly, forcing a smile onto his face.
The name had surfaced naturally from the foreign memories now embedded in his mind, and though it felt strange on his tongue, he repeated it with sincerity.
Without waiting further, Xue Wen lifted the bowl, scooping a large portion of rice and vegetable soup into his mouth.
The flavors were simple, fresh greens boiled with a faint hint of salt, but to his starved body, it was more heavenly than any delicacy.
He ate with desperate haste, swallowing mouthful after mouthful as though he had been deprived of food for years.
Ding Mei blinked at the sight, her lips curving into a soft, amused smile.
She set aside her own bowl, leaned closer, and gently placed her hand on his. "Eat slowly, or you will choke," she said in a tender, almost scolding tone.
Xue Wen froze mid-bite, his chopsticks suspended in the air.
He looked at her, startled not by her words but by the warmth of her palm pressing against the back of his hand.
The sincerity in her eyes, so gentle, so unyielding, seemed to melt the cold emptiness that had weighed on his heart for years.
A smile tugged at his lips, faint at first, then genuine.
In his previous life, he had been utterly alone.
He had never experienced the touch of a woman, never shared meals at the same table with someone who cared for him, never been held by eyes brimming with affection.
Now, with this simple gesture, this simple care, something long-buried within him stirred awake.
'So this is… love?' Xue Wen thought. The warmth in his chest spread slowly, comforting, as though her touch had lit a small flame in the darkness of his soul.