The morning sun broke over the horizon, casting long, golden beams across the Westland. But it wasn't the sun that woke Old Zhang; it was the smell.
It was a scent he hadn't encountered in twenty years—not since the campaigns in the fertile southern provinces. It was the smell of wet earth, rich loam, and... sweetness.
Old Zhang sat up on his bedroll, blinking the sleep from his eyes. He reached for his sword—a habit—before remembering it was in the tent. He looked toward the fields they had tilled the previous day.
His jaw dropped.
Where there had been barren, rocky hardpan and tiny, barely visible shoots just twelve hours ago, now stood a sea of green. The Napier grass was already knee-high, swaying gently in the morning breeze. It was thick, vibrant, and impossibly lush. The dew clung to the broad leaves like diamonds.
"Li An," Zhang croaked, kicking the sleeping boy. "Wake up. We're either dead or dreaming."
Li An groaned, rolling over. "Five more minutes, Brother..."
"Look at the grass, boy!"
Li An rubbed his eyes and sat up. His eyes went wide. "What... how? We just planted the seeds yesterday evening! It takes weeks for crops to sprout, let alone grow this tall!"
Li Wei was already awake. He stood waist-deep in the grass, running his hands over the stalks. To anyone else, it would look like a miracle. To Li Wei, it was the beautiful, terrifying efficiency of the System.
**[Napier Grass (Variety: Super Napier) - Growth Cycle Complete.]**
**[Nutritional Value: High. Protein Content: 16-18%.]**
**[Soil Quality: Temporarily Boosted.]**
Li Wei turned to his stunned companions, a serene smile on his face. "Good morning. The soil here is... surprisingly receptive. We got lucky."
"Lucky?" Old Zhang stumbled to his feet, his wooden leg thumping on the ground as he walked to the edge of the grass patch. He knelt, pulling up a stalk. The roots were deep, anchoring into the poor soil with an iron grip. "This isn't luck, Boss. This is... I don't know what this is. Witchcraft?"
"It's good seed stock," Li Wei said firmly, cutting off the speculation. He didn't need rumors of sorcery spreading before he even sold his first steak. "And it's exactly what we need. The herd won't starve."
He clapped his hands together, the sound echoing across the valley. "Enough staring. The grass is here. Now we need the teeth to eat it. Li An, hitch the horse to the cart. Old Zhang, grab your sword. We're going to the livestock market."
***
**POV: Li Wei**
The livestock market on the outskirts of the city was a chaotic tapestry of noise and smell. It was the designated trading post for farmers and merchants, filled with the lowing of oxen, the squealing of pigs, and the shouting of hawkers.
As Li Wei walked through the dusty lanes, the disparity between his vision and reality became painfully clear.
The cattle here were pathetic.
They were the local breed—small, bony, and clearly bred only for endurance and pulling plows. Their ribs showed through their dull coats, and their eyes were dull with exhaustion. They were tools, treated with care only because they were expensive to replace, but they weren't *respected*.
"Fresh oxen! Strong plow animals! Just arrived from the river valley!" a merchant bellowed.
Li Wei walked past them. He wasn't looking for a plow animal.
"Boss," Old Zhang muttered, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword, watching the crowd for pickpockets. "These are the best we have in the county. If you're looking for something else, you're wasting your time."
"I'm not looking for a worker," Li Wei said, scanning the pens. "I'm looking for a king."
They reached the end of the main market, where the "reject" pens were located. This was where injured animals, old horses, and difficult beasts were sold for a pittance, often for slaughter.
And there he was.
In a muddy, isolated pen stood a bull. He was massive compared to the local oxen, though currently underfed. His coat was a deep, dusty black, matted with mud. He had no horns—he was naturally polled—but his sheer bulk and the thickness of his neck gave him an intimidating presence.
The bull stood apart from the other animals, his head held high, ignoring the rotten vegetables thrown at him by some bored children. He looked angry.
"Hey! Get back!" a handler shouted, whacking the bull's rump with a stick.
The bull didn't flinch. It simply turned its massive head and exhaled loudly, a cloud of steam puffing from its nostrils. The handler stumbled back in fear.
"Good for nothing beast!" the handler spat, turning to Li Wei. "You! You look like a scholar. You want some cheap meat? This thing is mad. Won't let anyone near it. Can't plow. Won't breed the local cows. It kills anyone who tries. I'm selling it for the slaughterhouse. Five taels."
Li Wei stepped closer to the fence. The bull turned, locking eyes with him.
**[System Scanning...]**
**[Target: Black Bull (Mixed Breed).]**
**[Latent Genetics: Traces of Iberian fighting stock and unknown heavy breed.]**
**[Status: Malnourished, Aggressive, High Testosterone.]**
**[Potential: High. Acceptable foundation for Angus crossbreeding.]**
**[System Suggestion: Purchase immediately.]**
Li Wei smiled. He saw past the mud and the anger. He saw the muscle structure hiding beneath the neglect.
"I'll give you three taels," Li Wei said calmly.
"Three?" the merchant sneered. "Are you trying to rob me? The meat alone is worth four."
"The meat is tough because he's stressed," Li Wei countered, walking to the gate. "And he's dangerous. Who else is going to buy him? The slaughterhouse will charge you a transport fee because he might kill their cart driver. Three taels, and I take him off your hands right now. You save the headache."
The merchant hesitated, looking at the surly beast and then at Li Wei's clean clothes. "Fine! Three taels. Take the demon. But sign a waiver. If he kills you, not my problem."
Li Wei counted out the silver. "Li An, open the gate."
"Brother!" Li An hissed, grabbing Li Wei's sleeve. "Are you insane? That thing will trample you! Look at it!"
"I see a champion," Li Wei said. He pushed Li An back and stepped into the pen alone.
The bull lowered its head, pawing at the mud. It snorted, a clear warning.
Old Zhang drew his sword an inch from the scabbard. "Boss..."
"Stay back," Li Wei commanded softly.
He didn't raise his voice. He didn't wave his arms. He simply walked forward, not directly at the bull, but in an arc, angling himself. In his mind, he recalled the techniques he had only read about or watched in documentaries—pressure and release. The zone of influence.
The bull swung its head, tracking him. It prepared to charge.
Li Wei stopped. He didn't look the bull in the eye—that was a challenge. He looked at its shoulder. He lowered his own posture, making himself smaller, less threatening. He extended a hand, palm open.
"Easy," Li Wei murmured, his voice dropping to a bass rumble that vibrated in his chest. "Easy, boy. I'm not here to whip you. I'm not here to make you pull a plow."
The bull tensed, muscles rippling under the black hide. It took a step forward.
Li Wei stood his ground. His heart hammered against his ribs, adrenaline screaming at him to run. But he knew if he ran, he was dead. He was the apex predator here. He had to be.
"You're a king," Li Wei whispered. "And you've been treated like a slave. I have a field of green grass waiting for you. I have cows that will respect you. But you have to respect me."
He took one more step. He was now within striking distance of those horns—or rather, where horns would be.
The bull snorted, its hot breath washing over Li Wei's face. It jerked its head forward.
Li Wei didn't flinch. He didn't blink.
The bull stopped inches from his chest. It sniffed Li Wei's hand, smelling the lingering scent of the Napier grass and the salt of his sweat. It exhaled, a long, shuddering breath, and the tension left its massive shoulders.
Li Wei slowly reached out and touched the bull's forehead. The skin was hot and rough. He scratched behind the ear.
"Good boy," Li Wei said. "We're going to be rich, you and I."
He grabbed the halter the merchant had left hanging loosely on the bull's face—half broken. He tugged gently.
"Walk."
To the astonishment of the merchant, Old Zhang, and Li An, the massive black bull turned and followed the scholar out of the pen like a puppy.
"Close your mouth, Zhang," Li Wei said without looking back. "We have a bull to transport."
***
**POV: Su Qing**
The City Pavilion was a place for tea and gossip, and today, it was the center of the Su family's social battlefield.
Su Qing sat behind a silk screen, sipping tea with the wives of the city officials. She was here to network, to ensure the Su family's political standing remained stable despite her husband's "madness."
"Did you hear?" Lady Wang, the wife of the Head Scribe, whispered loudly behind her fan. "The Magistrate's son-in-law went to the livestock market today."
Su Qing's grip on her teacup tightened. "Oh?"
"Yes!" Lady Wang giggled. "My carriage driver saw it. He bought a monster! A huge black bull that was destined for the slaughterhouse. They say it killed a man last spring."
"Killed a man?" another lady gasped. "Is he trying to commit suicide?"
"And he went into the pen alone!" Lady Wang added, enjoying the scandal. "Everyone thought he would be gored to death right there. But my driver swears the beast just... obeyed him. Walked right out like a lamb."
Su Qing felt a strange flutter in her chest. *He tamed a killer bull?*
"He must be using some sort of trick," Lady Wang concluded. "Or perhaps he has a death wish. Taking a loan of one hundred taels to buy a rock farm and a demon bull... the Magistrate's family is truly finished."
Su Qing set her cup down with a sharp *clack*. The noise silenced the table.
"Lady Wang," Su Qing said, her voice cutting through the chatter like ice. "My husband... may have his quirks. But he is not a fool. If he bought a bull, he has a reason."
"Surely you jest, Lady Su," Lady Wang scoffed. "Everyone knows he failed the exams three times."
"Exams test memory," Su Qing replied, standing up. "They do not test a man's ability to command beasts or build wealth. I wager that 'demon bull' will be worth more than this entire tea house in a few years."
She bowed stiffly and left the pavilion, ignoring the shocked stares.
Once inside her carriage, she let out a long breath. Why had she defended him? She didn't know. But the image of Li Wei—the man who usually looked at the ground—standing in front of a raging bull and making it kneel... it stirred something in her she hadn't felt in a long time.
Pride? No, not yet.
Curiosity.
"Driver," she commanded. "Pass by the Westland. I want to see... how the grass is growing."
***
**POV: Li Wei**
The bull—whom Li Wei had mentally named "Blackjack"—was currently munching happily on the Napier grass in the makeshift corral they had built. The change in the animal was instant. The high-protein grass seemed to revitalize him immediately. His coat was already gaining a sheen in the afternoon sun.
"Unbelievable," Old Zhang said, sitting on the fence, whittting a piece of wood. "He hasn't tried to kill anyone since you fed him that grass. It's like he's drugged."
"He's happy," Li Wei said, wiping sweat from his brow. He was digging post-holes for a more permanent shelter. "Animals aren't stupid, Zhang. They know when they are treated well."
"Boss," Li An called out, running up the hill from the road. "Someone is coming! A carriage!"
Li Wei leaned on his shovel. "Is it the tax collector already?"
"No... it looks like... Sister Qing's carriage!"
Li Wei blinked. He looked down at himself. He was covered in mud, his shirt was torn, and he smelled like manure and hard work.
"She's early for the collection," Li Wei muttered, though he knew that wasn't true. The loan wasn't due for months.
He walked towards the gate as the carriage rolled to a stop. The door opened, and Su Qing stepped out. She was dressed in elegant silk robes that contrasted sharply with the dusty, rocky terrain. She looked out of place, like a lotus flower growing in a gravel pit.
She looked at the fence, the newly constructed bunkhouse, and then at the field of impossibly tall green grass.
Her eyes widened.
"This... this is the Westland?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly. "Where did this grass come from? It's taller than the wheat in the valley!"
Li Wei smiled, leaning on his shovel. "Welcome to the ranch, wife. I told you. I see potential where others see rocks."
Su Qing walked towards the fence. She reached out to touch the grass, then stopped, looking at the black bull in the corner. Blackjack raised his head, chewed slowly, and stared at her.
"That beast..." she whispered. "Is that the bull from the market? The one they say is a killer?"
"He's a breeder," Li Wei corrected, walking up to stand beside her. "And the foundation of our fortune. He's going to sire a line of cattle that will change the way this empire eats."
Su Qing looked at Li Wei. She saw the dirt on his cheek, the blisters on his hands, and the fire in his eyes. He looked nothing like the weak scholar she had married. He looked like a man who had carved his own destiny out of the stone.
"You are serious," she said, her voice soft, losing its official edge. "You really believe you can do this."
Li Wei looked her in the eye. "I don't believe it, Qing. I know it. And I want you to be part of it. Not just as the creditor. But as my partner."
He gestured to the landscape. "It's ugly now. But give me a year. Give me a year, and I will give you the finest estate in the province."
Su Qing stared at him, the wind whipping a strand of hair loose from her elaborate bun. For a moment, the mask of the 'Iron Abacus' slipped, revealing the young woman beneath.
"One year," she repeated softly. "I will hold you to that, Li Wei."
She turned to leave, but paused by the carriage door.
"And... wash your face," she added, a hint of a smile playing on her lips. "You look like a beggar."
Li Wei watched the carriage drive away. He touched his dirty face and grinned.
"She cares," he whispered to Blackjack.
The bull snorted and went back to eating.