The spring wind carried more than just the scent of blossoming wild apricots this year; it carried the metallic tang of unease.
Li Chen's letter to the Magistrate had been a calculated risk. In the Empire, private armies were strictly forbidden. A peasant owning weapons was often grounds for execution. But a "Village Defense Militia" sanctioned by the local official was a loophole used by wealthy clans to protect their assets.
Three days after the letter was sent, a Yamen runner returned. He didn't bring a rejection. He brought a red-sealed document and a bundle.
Li Wei met the runner at the gate. The man looked tired, his boots dusty from the road.
"Scholar Li," the runner nodded to Chen, acknowledging his new status first. He handed the scroll to Li Wei. "The Magistrate grants the request. Willow Village is recognized as a key grain and livestock production area. You are permitted to form a 'Night Watch'."
He kicked the bundle on the ground. It clattered. "And the Magistrate sends these. 'Confiscated goods from bandit raids.' He says it's better they rust in your hands than rot in the evidence locker."
Li Wei opened the bundle.
Inside were five rusty iron-tipped spears, three worn wooden bows, and a small quiver of arrows. Not army-grade steel, but functional. More importantly, it was legal.
"Thank the Magistrate for his benevolence," Li Wei said, bowing. "We will guard this land well."
As the runner left, Li Wei picked up a spear. The shaft was rough, the iron tip pitted with age, but it felt heavy. Real.
"We have teeth now," Qin Hu said, limping forward. He picked up one of the bows, drawing the string. It creaked, a dry, snapping sound, but held. "Old wood. Needs oiling. But it can kill a man at fifty paces."
"Can you teach us?" Li Wei asked.
"I can teach you to die slower," Qin Hu corrected, a dark glint in his eyes. "Spears are for walls. Bows are for distance. But the true weapon is up here." He tapped his temple. "And up there." He pointed to the highest point of the West Slope.
"The Watchtower."
***
**The Architecture of Vigilance**
Li Wei wasted no time. The System had unlocked the blueprint for a signal fire watchtower, but he adapted it for the terrain.
He didn't want a stone castle; that would take months. He wanted a wooden platform, elevated and defensible.
"We cut the pines from the north ridge," Li Wei instructed Li Jun and Da Niu. "Straight trunks. We need four main pillars, sunk three feet into the ground."
The construction began immediately. The whole family, even the scholars, helped. Li Chen, now a Xiucai, wasn't above hauling wood. In fact, his participation boosted the morale of the workers.
"Roll the log!" Da Niu shouted.
They used the horses to drag the heavy pine trunks up the slope. It was grueling work, the mud sucking at their boots, the rough bark tearing at their hands.
By the third day, the frame was up. It was a simple structure—a raised platform about fifteen feet in the air, accessed by a removable ladder. The floor was made of split bamboo, sturdy enough to hold three men. The roof was thatched to keep off the rain.
From the top, the view was commanding. One could see the entire West Slope, the village below, and the main road winding towards the prefecture.
"A captain on a hill sees the battle before it starts," Li Wei said, standing on the finished platform. He looked down at the ranch. It looked small, vulnerable.
"System, analyze defense rating."
**[Defense Rating: Low.]**
**[Current Structure: Wooden Fence (Weak).]**
**[New Structure: Watchtower (Basic).]**
**[Effect: Early warning radius increased to 5 li. Reaction time +15 minutes.]**
"We need a signal," Li Wei muttered. "Something loud."
"We have the old gong from the village shrine," Li Jun suggested. "The one that cracked? It sounds like a dying cow, but it's loud."
"Perfect. Mount it up here. If you see trouble, you don't just shout. You beat that gong. And light a fire."
***
**The Drill**
That evening, the atmosphere on the ranch shifted. The sun dipped below the horizon, painting the sky in bruises of purple and red.
Qin Hu stood in the center of the courtyard. He wore his old military tunic, which he had patched himself. In his hand, he held a wooden staff.
"Line up!" Qin Hu barked.
Li Wei, Li Jun, Da Niu, and two of the stronger village youths who had signed up for the co-op program stood in a ragged line. Even Li Chen stood at the end, holding a bokken (a wooden practice sword) he had whittled himself.
"We are not soldiers," Qin Hu began, his voice gravelly. "Soldiers have armor. Soldiers have comrades on their flanks. You are peasants. If you fight like soldiers, you will die. You must fight like cornered boars."
He tossed a staff to Li Wei.
"Defend yourself."
Li Wei barely raised the staff before Qin Hu's strike came. *Thwack.*
The impact stung Li Wei's palms, the staff vibrating painfully.
"Too slow," Qin Hu said. "You were looking at my eyes. Look at my shoulder. The eyes lie. The shoulder commits."
They drilled for two hours under the fading light. It was brutal. Qin Hu didn't spare them. He knocked Da Niu into the mud, swept Li Jun's legs out from under him, and disarmed Li Chen in seconds.
"Again!" Qin Hu shouted. "You think a bandit will wait for you to catch your breath? He wants your cattle. He wants your women. He wants to burn your house. Are you going to let him?"
"No!" Da Niu gritted his teeth, scrambling up. He wiped mud from his face and took his stance again.
Li Wei watched them. He saw the fear in the youths' eyes turning into anger. He saw the hesitation turning into determination.
*This is how a ranch is forged,* Li Wei thought, rubbing his bruised knuckles. *Not just with grass and money, but with the will to hold it.*
***
**The Co-op Inspection**
The next morning, the mood was lighter, though everyone was sore.
It was the first weekly inspection of the "Co-operative Rearing" program.
Villagers began arriving at the gate early. They led calves, goats, and even a few pigs.
Li Wei stood by the weighing scale—a large wooden balance he had calibrated using rocks of known weight. Beside him sat Li Chen, the ink brush poised, looking every inch the official clerk.
"Next!" Li Wei called out.
Uncle Niu led his calf forward. It was a healthy-looking animal, sired by Hei Feng.
"Step up," Li Wei said.
He ran his hands over the calf's ribs. "Good muscle tone. Clean coat. Open the mouth."
He checked the teeth. "Eating well. No signs of rot."
He looked at the feed bag Uncle Niu had brought. Li Wei scooped a handful. It was the Cloud Hill mix—bran, grass meal, and the mineral powder.
"Approved," Li Wei said. "Weight is recorded. Continue the feed schedule."
Li Chen wrote the entry in the ledger. "Uncle Niu, your account is credited for the feed purchase. The profit will be settled at the end of the season."
Uncle Niu beamed. He wasn't just a farmer anymore; he was a contractor.
Next came a younger farmer, looking nervous. He led a pig that looked lethargic.
Li Wei frowned. He checked the pig's ears. They were cold. He checked the eyes—watery.
"Rejected," Li Wei said instantly.
"What?" the farmer panicked. "But I fed it the mix! I did!"
"You fed it, but you kept it in a damp pit," Li Wei said, wiping his hands. "This pig has lung congestion. Pneumonia. It needs medicine, not grain. Take it to the vet in town. Don't bring it back until it's cured."
"But the contract—"
"The contract says healthy animals," Li Wei said sternly. "We don't buy sick meat. We help you fix it, or we end the deal. Those are the rules."
The farmer looked ready to cry, but Li Wei's tone left no room for argument. This was quality control. If Cloud Hill beef became known for making people sick, the brand was dead.
Li Chen handed the man a slip of paper. "This is a prescription. Go to the herbalist. Tell him Scholar Li sent you. You'll get a discount."
The farmer took the paper, stunned by the mix of harshness and help. "Thank you… Scholar Li. Thank you, Boss Li."
By noon, they had inspected thirty animals. Five were rejected for minor issues (which Li Wei advised on), but twenty-five were thriving.
**[Co-op Status Update.]**
**[Active Partners: 12 Families.]**
**[Total Livestock under Management: 45 Head.]**
**[Projected Autumn Revenue: 3,000 Coins.]**
It was a distribution network. The ranch was expanding without Li Wei having to buy every animal.
***
**The Distant Smoke**
That evening, Li Wei climbed the new watchtower. The wind was cold, biting at his face. Ranger sat at the base of the tower, alert.
Li Wei adjusted the gong. He checked the pile of dry wood and straw in the fire pit, ready to be lit at a moment's notice.
He scanned the horizon.
The prefecture road was a grey line in the dusk. The villages to the north were quiet. The mountains to the west were dark silhouettes against the setting sun.
Then, he saw it.
In the valley to the northwest—past the Zhao Family lands—a thin wisp of smoke rose into the sky.
It wasn't a hearth fire. It was too dark, too thick. It was burning grass or thatch. And it wasn't coming from a chimney; it was coming from an open field.
Li Wei frowned. The wind was blowing from the northwest. He sniffed the air. It didn't smell like wood smoke. It smelled… acrid. Burning hair. Burning flesh.
He looked closer, straining his eyes.
He saw a faint orange glow on the horizon. Not the setting sun. Fire.
"Bandits," Li Wei whispered.
He didn't panic. He didn't light the signal fire yet. It was too far away to be an immediate threat to Willow Village. But it was close enough to be a warning.
The Zhao Family Ranch was in that direction.
"They're moving south," Li Wei muttered. "Avoiding the garrison in the city. Hitting the outer villages."
He watched the glow for a long time. It flickered, then seemed to die down, replaced by a plume of black smoke.
He climbed down the ladder.
"Da Niu," Li Wei said, his voice calm but tight. "Double the patrol tonight. Make sure the fence latch is oiled and quiet. Qin Hu, sleep with your sword. Jun, bring the horses into the inner pen."
"Trouble?" Qin Hu asked, his hand instinctively going to his hip.
"Smoke on the horizon," Li Wei said. "Someone is burning the harvest."
He looked back at the darkening hills.
"The world is coming to us. We need to be ready."
***
**Night: The Stranger**
Late into the night, the dogs in the village started barking. Not the random barking at a fox or a stray cat, but a concerted, fearful chorus.
Li Wei was awake. He sat in the bunkhouse, a lantern dimmed to a mere ember.
A knock came at the gate. Soft. Urgent.
"Who goes there?" Da Niu shouted from the wall.
"A traveler," a hoarse voice replied. "My horse is lame. I seek… shelter."
Li Wei motioned for Da Niu to be silent. He crept to the window and peered through a crack.
At the gate stood a man. He was wearing a wide-brimmed hat pulled low, and a dark cloak. He leaned heavily on a staff. Beside him, a horse stood with its head hanging low, one leg lifted. The horse was lathered in sweat, foam drying on its flanks.
But Li Wei's eyes went to the man's cloak. Even in the dim moonlight, he could see a dark stain on the hem.
Blood.
**[System Analysis: Target Detected.]**
**[Status: Injured. Exhausted.]**
**[Threat Level: Medium (Concealed Weapon).]**
"Open the gate," Li Wei whispered to Da Niu. "But keep the spear ready. And wake Qin Hu."
The gate creaked open. The man stumbled in. He looked up, revealing a face that was pale, gaunt, and eyes that darted around like a trapped animal.
"Water…" the man rasped. "Please."
Li Wei stepped forward, blocking the man's path to the inner yard. He kept his hand near the knife at his belt.
"We have water. And a stable. But this is a ranch, not an inn. Who are you?"
The man coughed, a wet, rattling sound. He looked at Li Wei, then at the looming shadow of the watchtower, and the armed figures emerging from the shadows.
"I am… a merchant," the man lied. "Robbed. On the north road."
"The north road is burning," Li Wei said flatly. "You didn't come from the city."
The man stiffened. He realized his lie hadn't held. He slowly straightened his back, the feigned weakness dropping away slightly.
"I have money," the man said, reaching into his cloak.
He didn't pull out a purse. He pulled out a token. A bronze medallion with a tiger engraved on it.
Li Wei froze. He recognized that token. It was a military pass. A symbol of the Imperial Guard or a high-ranking officer's retinue.
"I'm not a merchant, boy," the man said, his voice dropping the rasp, becoming hard and commanding. "I'm a hunter. And the wolves are closer than you think."
He swayed, grabbing the fence for support.
"I need a place to hide. And I think… you need a man who knows how to kill wolves."
He collapsed into the mud.
Li Wei stared at the unconscious man, the bronze token glinting in the moonlight.
The quiet days were over. The storm had arrived at the gate.