The journey back to Clearwater County was an exercise in patience, endurance, and sheer stubbornness.
The convoy—if three carts and two riders could be called such—moved at the pace of the slowest animal. The carts carrying the mixed herd of cows and the sulking sheep plodded along steadily enough, but the reinforced wagon carrying the black bull, Hei Bao, was a constant battle.
The bull hated the cart. He hated the noise of the wooden wheels. He hated the smell of the city fading into the smell of the countryside. Every mile, he would ram his massive shoulder against the side rails, threatening to splinter the wood.
"Keep the line tight!" Han Qiang shouted, riding his newly acquired gelding alongside the bull cart. The ex-soldier sat tall in the saddle, his one good eye scanning the animal's movements with predatory focus. He held a long prod pole, not to strike the beast, but to tap its flank and redirect its attention whenever it geared up for a charge.
Li Shun rode ahead on the second horse, checking the road and scouting for resting spots. The system had given him basic knowledge, but practical application was a different beast entirely.
*Who knew moving cattle was this stressful?*
Actually, he had known. In his past life, he had watched enough documentaries on cattle drives to understand the chaos. But watching a screen and sitting on a horse while a two-thousand-pound animal tried to murder a wooden cart were two very different experiences.
"Young Master," Old Zhang called out from the driver's seat of the lead cart. His voice was strained. "The sun will set in two hours. We need to find a place to camp. The animals need water."
Li Shun pulled his horse to a stop, looking around. They were currently in a stretch of no-man's-land between the prefecture city and the outlying villages. The terrain was scrubland, dotted with hardy trees and dry gullies.
"There's a stream ahead," Li Ming said, consulting a crude hand-drawn map. "About half a li. It's marked as a seasonal tributary."
"We'll make camp there," Li Shun decided. "Han Qiang, once we stop, we need to unload the bull. He needs to stretch his legs, or he'll injure himself."
Han Qiang nodded grimly. "It will be a risk. He's wild."
"I know," Li Shun said. "But I have a plan."
---
The stream was a thin ribbon of silver water cutting through the brown earth. It wasn't much, but it was clean.
The process of setting up camp was chaotic. The cows were led to a grassy patch and hobbled to prevent them from wandering. The horses were watered and tied to a long line between two trees. The sheep—ignoring the chaos around it—began grazing immediately, tearing at the scrub grass with single-minded determination.
But the main event was the bull.
Han Qiang and Li Shun worked together to back the cart up against a natural hollow formed by a collapsed embankment. It created a semi-enclosed space with only one exit.
"Ready?" Li Shun asked, gripping a rope.
"Ready," Han Qiang replied, dismounting. He held a heavy iron pry bar, ready to wedge the cart gate open.
Li Shun took a deep breath. Inside his robe, the small glass vial of the Vitality Elixir pressed against his chest. He had a theory. In his past life, studies showed that stressed animals produced poor quality meat (toughness due to cortisol and lactic acid). But more importantly, in this magical world, he suspected the Elixir wouldn't just work on genes—it would work on trust.
He needed to establish dominance, yes, but also a connection.
"Open it," Li Shun commanded.
Han Qiang levered the gate open. For a second, nothing happened. Then, a massive black head emerged, sniffing the air.
Hei Bao stepped out, his hooves clopping on the hard earth. He looked around, saw the open space, and tensed, preparing to bolt.
"Hei Bao!" Li Shun shouted, stepping into the animal's line of sight.
The bull froze, turning its head. Its dark eyes locked onto Li Shun.
"Easy," Li Shun said, dropping his voice to a low rumble. He didn't look away. He didn't blink. "You're not in a cage anymore. Look around."
He slowly reached into his pocket—not for a weapon, but for the apple he had bought at the market earlier. He tossed it gently. It landed a few feet in front of the bull.
Hei Bao sniffed it. Then, with surprising delicacy, he ate it.
"Good," Li Shun murmured. He took a step forward. The bull huffed, a warning rumble in its chest.
Li Shun stopped. He waited. Minutes ticked by. The sun dipped lower, painting the sky in bruises of purple and orange.
Slowly, the bull lowered its head. It wasn't submission, not yet. It was a truce. The animal began to graze on the patch of weeds near the stream, ignoring the humans.
"Keep a perimeter," Li Shun told Han Qiang quietly. "But don't crowd him. Let him relax."
Han Qiang looked at the bull, then at Li Shun, with newfound respect. "You have a way with beasts, Young Master."
*I have a system,* Li Shun thought. *But I also have patience.*
---
Later that night, under a canopy of brilliant stars, Li Shun made his move.
The camp was quiet. Old Zhang and Li Ming were asleep by the fire. Han Qiang sat on a rock a dozen yards away, maintaining a silent vigil, his sword resting across his knees.
Li Shun approached the bull again. Hei Bao was lying down, chewing his cud. The animal watched Li Shun approach but didn't rise.
Li Shun pulled out the vial. The green liquid swirled with an inner light.
*I have to do this right.*
He had mixed the elixir with a mash of bran and molasses—a high-energy treat that would mask the taste. He placed the wooden bowl near the bull's nose.
Hei Bao sniffed. The scent of molasses was irresistible. The bull's tongue shot out, lapping up the mash in seconds.
Li Shun held his breath.
**[SYSTEM ALERT]**
**[LIVESTOCK VITALITY ELIXIR ADMINISTERED]**
**[TARGET: HEI BAO (BLACK BULL)]**
**[PROCESSING GENETIC MODIFICATION...]**
**[ENHANCING MUSCULAR DENSITY...]**
**[ACTIVATING DORMANT MARBLING GENES...]**
**[HEALTH RESTORED: 100%]**
**[NEW TRAIT UNLOCKED: HERD LEADER (CHARISMA +10)]**
**[SPECIES UPGRADE: LOCAL VARIETY -> PRIME BLACK ANGUS (GEN 1)]**
Li Shun watched in amazement.
It wasn't a magical transformation with smoke and lights. It was subtle. The bull's coat, previously matted and dull, suddenly seemed to ripple. The dust fell away as if brushed by an invisible hand. The muscles beneath the skin seemed to shift, becoming more defined, denser. The scar above the bull's eye faded slightly.
Hei Bao stood up. He didn't look angry anymore. He looked... magnificent. He shook his massive head, his black coat gleaming like polished obsidian in the firelight.
He turned to Li Shun. Instead of huffing, the bull stepped forward and lowered its massive head, pressing its wet nose against Li Shun's chest.
A warmth spread through Li Shun's chest. It wasn't just the cold night air; it was a feeling of connection. He could sense the bull's contentment, a vague impression in the back of his mind.
*He knows I helped him.*
"Welcome to the family, Hei Bao," Li Shun whispered, patting the thick neck. "Tomorrow, we build your kingdom."
---
The next day, they reached the Westland.
The contrast between his vision and the reality was stark. The land was overgrown, wild, and desolate. The so-called 'pasture' was a patchwork of thorny bushes, wild fescue, and rocks.
As the carts rolled to a stop at the ridge where Li Shun planned to build his house, the mood among his little group was somber.
"Young Master," Old Zhang said, looking around with a sigh. "This is... rough land. Hard land. Are we truly staying here?"
"We are," Li Shun said, climbing off his horse. He walked to the center of the clearing. He closed his eyes for a moment, accessing the system map.
**[LAND DEED ACTIVATED: WESTLAND RANCH (LEVEL 0)]**
**[CURRENT STATUS: WILDERNESS]**
**[INITIATING TERRAIN SCAN...]**
* **Area:** 100 mu (Purchased)
* **Soil pH:** 6.2 (Suitable for grass)
* **Water Table:** High.
**[SUGGESTED IMMEDIATE ACTIONS:]**
1. Clear debris for main corral.
2. Plant Perennial Ryegrass seeds (Small Area Trial).
3. Construct temporary shelter for livestock.
Li Shun opened his eyes. He turned to his weary team. Li Ming looked exhausted. Han Qiang looked indifferent—the man had nowhere else to go, so he would endure anything. Old Zhang looked like he wanted to cry.
"I know it doesn't look like much," Li Shun said, his voice carrying across the wind. "Right now, it's rocks and weeds. But look at this."
He pointed to the valley below, where a natural dip in the terrain created a windbreak.
"The wind can't hit the animals there. The stream runs right through the middle. And look at the sun."
He gestured to the southern exposure.
"This land gets more sun than the rice paddies down in the valley. That means the grass will grow longer into the winter."
He walked over to the cart and pulled out the pouch of seeds from his hidden inventory—the Perennial Ryegrass from the beginner pack.
"We start today. Uncle Zhang, you and Ming'er unload the tools. We need to clear a circle for the corral. Han Qiang, take the horses and scout the perimeter. Look for wolves or wild dogs. If we have predators, we need to know now."
"And the cattle, Young Master?" Han Qiang asked.
"Tether them in the best patch of grass you can find. But keep Hei Bao separate. He's the priority."
---
The afternoon was a blur of sweat and labor.
Li Shun didn't stand by and watch. He stripped off his outer scholar's robe, leaving only his undershirt and trousers. He grabbed a machete and joined the work of hacking away the thorny underbrush.
His hands, soft from the scholar's life he had inherited, blistered and bled within the hour. But he didn't stop. He remembered his old life—remembered the gym memberships he never used, the lethargy of office work.
*I have a second chance. I will not be weak.*
Han Qiang watched from the edge of the clearing, impressed. He had expected a soft noble son who would supervise from a chair. Seeing Li Shun hacking at thorns with a bleeding hand changed his perception.
"Young Master," Han Qiang said, walking over. He held a pair of heavy leather work gloves he had brought from his own gear. "You will lose your fingers to infection if you keep that up. A general does not fight on the front lines without armor."
Li Shun paused, wiping sweat from his forehead. He looked at his blistered palms, then at Han Qiang's scarred hands.
"I appreciate the advice, Sergeant Han. But right now, I am not a general. I am just a rancher. And this brush won't clear itself."
Han Qiang stared at him for a long second. Then, a rare, lopsided grin cracked his stoic face.
"Then teach me how to hold a machete properly, Rancher Li. I only know how to hold a sword."
Li Shun laughed—a genuine, hearty sound that felt foreign in his throat. He handed the machete to the big man.
"Swing with your hips, not your arms. Let's see what you've got."
---
By sunset, they had cleared a small area for a temporary pen. They had dug post holes using fallen branches and packed the earth tight.
The cows were lowing, restless in the new environment. The sheep was still grazing, oblivious to the world.
But the centerpiece was Hei Bao. The bull stood in his own enclosure, looking out over the valley. He looked like a king surveying his domain.
Li Shun sat by the fire, eating a simple meal of hard bread and dried meat. Li Ming was already asleep, curled up in a blanket. Old Zhang was tending to the horses.
Han Qiang sat across from Li Shun, sharpening a knife.
"You handled that bull well," Han Qiang said quietly. "Better than the handlers at the market. He listens to you."
"He knows I see him," Li Shun said. "He's not a tool, Han Qiang. He's a partner. That's the secret."
"A partner," Han Qiang mused. "I have never heard a master speak of livestock as a partner."
Li Shun looked into the fire. "In the lands I read about... the vast plains of the West... men and horses and cattle share a bond. They ride together for weeks, living under the sky. It's a hard life, but a free one."
He looked up at the stars, brighter here than in the city.
"That's what I want to build here. A place where a man can look at the horizon and feel free. Where hard work means something more than just surviving."
Han Qiang stopped sharpening his knife. He looked at Li Shun, really looked at him.
"I was a soldier for ten years," Han Qiang said softly. "I fought in border skirmishes. I killed men. I watched friends die. When I lost my eye and was discharged, I thought my life was over. I was broken. Useless."
He gestured to the darkness around them.
"But this... clearing brush, watching the herd, listening to the wind... this feels different. It feels... peaceful."
"It's going to be a lot of work," Li Shun warned. "And I don't have much money. I can't promise you luxury."
Han Qiang sheathed his knife. "I don't want luxury. I want purpose. And right now, I think this black bull of yours needs a guardian. I accept the job, Rancher Li."
Li Shun extended his hand again, this time with more confidence.
"Then welcome to the Westland Ranch, Han Qiang."
Han Qiang gripped it firmly. "Westland Ranch. Has a ring to it."