With three cows in the barn, the ranch felt different. It smelled of manure, sweet alfalfa, and the earthy scent of livestock. But Li Wei knew a ranch couldn't just be a sanctuary for broken cows; it had to be a production unit.
He stood by the fence, watching Hope, Brave, and Spring grazing on the lush strip of alfalfa near the river.
"We have three females," Li Wei said to Qin Hu, who was leaning on his crutch, watching the perimeter. "But no male. If I want a herd, I need a bull. And I need calves."
Qin Hu nodded. "A good bull costs as much as three cows. Maybe more. Do you have the capital?"
Li Wei kicked a pebble. "No. I'm liquid. The egg money covers feed and wages, but a bull is a capital investment."
He looked at the system interface.
**[Quest: The Herd (3/5).]**
**[Requirement: Expand cattle population to 5 head.]**
"I need two more," Li Wei muttered. "And I need them cheap."
***
**The "Devil" of the East Market**
The next market day, Li Wei didn't go to the main livestock auction. He went to the "fringe"—the area where trouble was sold.
He was looking for the desperate sellers.
He found one near the slaughter pits. A group of butchers was standing in a circle, laughing and shouting.
"Look at that beast! It's got eyes like a demon!"
"It broke Wang's arm yesterday! Just toss it in the pit!"
Li Wei pushed through the crowd.
Inside a makeshift pen of heavy logs was a bull. It wasn't a massive, mature bull, but a young one—barely two years old. It was a scrubby, mix-breed local cattle, jet black with a hide scarred from fights.
It was pacing the pen, snorting, its horns sharp and aimed at anyone who came close. It had a wild, untamed energy that terrified the locals.
"Get back, boy!" a butcher shouted. "That thing is crazy. It's meat now."
The owner, a frantic man with a bandaged arm, was pleading. "Please! He's just young! He's strong! Don't kill him for glue!"
Li Wei looked at the bull.
**[System Scan: Bos taurus (Local Mixed Breed).]**
**[Age: 2 years.]**
**[Health: Excellent (Adrenaline high).]**
**[Temperament: Aggressive (Dominant).]**
**[Genetic Potential: A- (Carrier for muscle density).]**
**[Status: Untamed. Danger Level: High.]**
The system highlighted a specific trait: *Dominant.* This wasn't a sick animal; this was a leader who had been mistreated and cornered. He had spirit.
And he was cheap. Dead meat cheap.
"How much?" Li Wei asked the butcher.
The butcher turned, surprised. "Li Wei? You want this devil? He'll gore your chickens. 500 coins. He's for the knacker."
"I'll give you 400," Li Wei said. "And I take him now."
The owner looked at Li Wei with tears in his eyes. "You... you'll keep him alive?"
"I'll make him work," Li Wei said. "But I need a favor. Throw in that calf in the back. The one with the lame leg."
The butcher looked at the small, weak calf lying in the mud. "That one? It's dying. Take it. Just get this devil out of here before he breaks the fence."
**[Transaction Complete.]**
**[Acquired: 1 Young Bull (Aggressive), 1 Calf (Weak).]**
**[Quest Progress: The Herd (5/5) - Complete!]**
***
**The Lasso**
Getting the bull home was the problem. It wouldn't follow a lead. It wouldn't be driven.
"You're crazy," Da Shan whispered, looking at the black bull from a safe distance. "That thing wants to kill us."
"He's scared," Li Wei said, though his heart was pounding. He reached into his sack. Inside was a length of rope he had bought—thick, rough hemp.
He also had a secret weapon.
**[System Knowledge Unlocked: The Lasso.]**
**[Technique: Honda Knot (Sliding Loop).]**
**[Application: Catching livestock from a distance.]**
Li Wei sat on a rock and tied the rope. He formed a loop, passing the end through a honda knot, creating a running noose. He practiced the motion. *Swing, release, pull.*
He stood up. The bull in the pen locked eyes with him. It pawed the ground, lowering its head.
"Open the back gate of the pen," Li Wei told the owner. "And clear the road. I'm walking him out."
"Walk him? He'll run!"
"Just open it."
Li Wei stepped into the pen. The air was tense. The bull snorted, muscles tensing to charge.
Li Wei didn't charge back. He didn't shout. He stood sideways, not looking the bull in the eye (a direct challenge). He swung the rope casually.
The bull charged.
*ROAR!*
Li Wei didn't flinch. As the bull closed the distance, he side-stepped with the agility of a man who knew exactly where the horns would be.
*Swish.*
The rope flew through the air. The loop settled perfectly over the bull's head and horns.
*SNAP.*
Li Wei pulled tight. The loop locked around the bull's neck.
But a bull is strong. The impact yanked Li Wei off his feet. He held onto the rope, digging his heels into the dirt, plowing a furrow through the mud.
"Whoa!" Li Wei shouted, wrapping the rope around a nearby fence post (which groaned under the strain).
The bull hit the end of the rope. *THWACK.* It was jerked back, spinning around.
Li Wei was up in a flash. He ran to the bull's side, not the front. He grabbed the rope right behind the head and pulled *up*.
"Head up! Head up!" Li Wei grunted, using the leverage to force the bull's nose toward the sky. A bull can't charge if its head is up.
The bull struggled, tossing his head, but Li Wei held on with a grip forged by months of farm labor. He spoke low, right into the bull's ear.
"Easy... easy... I'm not going to hurt you. We're going home."
The bull blew snot into Li Wei's face, its chest heaving. But the fight was leaving its eyes. It was confused. This human wasn't running, and he wasn't hitting. He was controlling.
"Walk," Li Wei commanded, tapping the bull's flank.
He led the bull out of the pen. It was a tense, 10-li walk. Li Wei kept the rope short, walking right next to the bull's shoulder, constantly talking to it.
Ox followed behind with the weak calf on the cart, eyes wide with terror.
***
**The Branding**
When they arrived at the ranch, the sun was low. The three cows in the pasture lifted their heads and mooed at the sight of the male.
"Get the corral ready!" Li Wei shouted.
They led the bull into the sturdy wooden pen Li Wei had reinforced. The bull ran to the corner, pacing.
"He needs to know he belongs here," Qin Hu said, watching from the gate. "And he needs to know who the master is."
Li Wei nodded. He took a red-hot iron from the small forge Qin Hu had built for the lime kiln.
It wasn't a brand of ownership. It was a symbol he had designed. A stylized mountain with a sun rising over it. The symbol of his ranch.
"He's wild," Da Shan said. "You'll kill yourself trying to brand him."
"Not with force," Li Wei said. "With technique."
He lassoed the bull again from outside the pen, looping the neck. Then, with Da Shan and Ox pulling a second rope from the other side, they created tension.
"Pull! Choke him down!"
The bull thrashed, but the ropes tightened. It fell to its knees, then its side in the dust.
"Quick!"
Li Wei ran in. He didn't brand the face or the side where the hide was valuable. He went for the rump.
*HISSSSS.*
The smell of burning hair and skin filled the air. The bull bellowed, a sound that shook the leaves.
"Done! Release!"
They let go. The bull scrambled up, turning to charge. But Li Wei was already out of the pen, locking the heavy gate.
The bull slammed into the wood. *BAM.* The gate held.
Li Wei stood there, breathing hard, sweat pouring down his face. He looked at the bull through the bars.
"Your name is 'Black Wind'," Li Wei gasped. "And you belong to the Li Family now."
***
**The Celebration**
That night, the bunkhouse was lively.
They had done the impossible. They had acquired a bull and a calf for 400 coins.
The calf, a little male, was in the barn with Hope. He was weak, but Li Wei had tube-fed him some colostrum substitute (goat milk from a neighbor) mixed with egg yolk.
The bull, Black Wind, was in the corral, glaring at them.
"We have five," Li Wei said, sitting on a stool, eating a bowl of rice. "Hope, Brave, Spring, Black Wind, and the calf."
He looked at the system.
**[Quest Completed: The Herd.]**
**[Reward: Basic Veterinary Kit Blueprint.]**
A blueprint for medical tools appeared in his mind. Scalpels, forceps, syringes (glass and brass). He could give these to the town blacksmith to make.
But more importantly, the notification chimed again.
**[Milestone Reached: Ranch Level 2.]**
**[New Function Unlocked: Breeding Simulation.]**
**[System can now predict offspring traits based on pairings.]**
Li Wei smiled. He looked at Qin Hu. "Big Qin, tomorrow, we start training the horses."
"Horses?" Qin Hu raised an eyebrow. "We have cows. And a devil bull."
"A cowboy needs a horse," Li Wei said, washing his face. "We can't herd cattle on foot forever. We're not just farmers anymore. We're ranchers."
He looked out the window at the dark corral.
"And Black Wind... he's going to be the father of the best cattle this Empire has ever seen."
**[Upcoming Quest: The Cowboy Way.]**
**[Objective: Acquire and train 2 riding horses.]**
Li Wei lay down on his mat. His body ached from the wrestling match with the bull. His hands were raw from the rope.
But he slept soundly.
The herd was complete. The foundation was set. The empire of grass had begun.