The fire crackled hungrily, consuming the dry branches and heating the iron rods that rested in the coals. The air in the corral was thick with the scent of burning wood and the nervous musk of cattle.
Li Wei pulled the branding iron from the fire. The tip was shaped into a stylized 'W'—simple, bold, and unmistakable. It glowed a fierce, cherry-red.
"Li An, the rope!" Li Wei shouted over the lowing of the herd.
"I... I'm trying!" Li An fumbled with the lasso. His hands were shaking. The cattle, sensing the impending pain, were milling about in a tight knot, hooves kicking up dust.
This was the first test of the ranch as a working entity. They had twenty cows to brand, marking them as property of the Westland Ranch. In a world where theft was common and ownership was often decided by the strength of one's arm, the brand was the only law that mattered.
"Stop hesitating," Old Zhang barked. He sat atop his horse just outside the corral, his posture rigid. He wasn't participating in the branding; he was the lookout. His eyes scanned the distant hills, searching for the dust clouds of bandits or curious travelers. "Pick the red heifer in the corner. She's lagging behind."
Li An swung the rope. It tangled around his own arm.
"Brother," Li Wei said, his voice calm but firm. "Forget the trick shots. Just loop it around her neck and pull. We aren't performing for a crowd."
Li An took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a second. He opened them, tossed the loop, and caught the heifer's horns. The rope snapped taut.
"Got her!" Li An yelled, wrapping the rope around the fence post.
Li Wei moved in. He didn't hesitate. This wasn't cruelty; it was necessity. He pressed the hot iron against the heifer's hip.
*Hiss.* A puff of white smoke rose, carrying the acrid smell of singed hair and burnt skin. The heifer bellowed, a deep, mournful sound, and jerked against the rope.
"Hold it!" Li Wei commanded. He counted to three, then pulled the iron away. A clean, black 'W' marked the hide.
"Release," Li Wei said.
Li An loosened the rope, and the heifer bolted to the other side of the corral, rejoining the herd. She shook her head, glared at Li Wei with a look of betrayal, but quickly settled down to graze on a patch of Napier grass that had sprouted near the trough.
"One down," Li Wei said, wiping sweat from his forehead with the back of his gloved hand. "Nineteen to go."
***
**POV: Old Zhang**
Old Zhang watched the process with a critical eye. The scholar was efficient. He didn't enjoy the branding—that much was clear. He did it because it had to be done. That was the mark of a man who understood responsibility.
But Zhang's mind was elsewhere.
He shifted in his saddle, the leather creaking. The boots Li Wei had given him were holding up well. They gripped the stirrups tightly, giving him a stability he hadn't felt in years. The wide-brimmed hat kept the harsh sun off his neck, preventing the headaches that usually plagued him by midday.
*This gear,* Zhang thought, running a hand over the rough denim of his trousers. *It's made for fighting. It's made for living.*
He looked toward the south pass. The Westland was isolated, a bowl of rocky terrain surrounded by hills. It was a defensible position, but it also meant they were alone. If trouble came, they couldn't rely on the city guards.
"Boss," Zhang called out.
Li Wei looked up from the fire where he was reheating the iron. "What is it?"
"We need more men. Three of us can brand a herd, but we can't guard the perimeter and tend the cattle at the same time. We're blind on the north ridge."
Li Wei nodded, tossing another log onto the fire. "I know. But I don't have the silver to hire trained soldiers. We need to find men who are hungry for work, not just a paycheck."
"Hungry men are desperate men," Zhang warned. "Desperate men steal."
"Not if they're fed well," Li Wei said, his eyes glinting. "And not if they have a roof over their heads. I'm working on it. But first, we finish the herd."
Zhang grunted, turning his gaze back to the hills. He hoped the Boss was right. The wind carried a whisper of trouble, and he was just one man with a wooden leg and a sword.
***
**POV: Su Qing**
The City Market was bustling, but Su Qing was not here for shopping. She walked through the crowded stalls, her maid Xiao Tao trailing behind her, carrying a basket of samples.
Su Qing had decided to take matters into her own hands. The ranch was Li Wei's project, but the *marketing*... that required a woman's touch in this dynasty. She had visited the ranch yesterday and seen the potential, but she had also seen the isolation. They needed allies.
She stopped in front of a high-class restaurant, *The Golden Pavilion*. It was the most expensive establishment in the city, frequented by nobles and wealthy merchants.
"Stay here," she told Xiao Tao.
Su Qing walked inside. The proprietor, a stout man named Liu, recognized her immediately.
"Lady Su! What an honor! Are you here to inspect the place?" He bowed low.
"I am here to discuss a business proposition," Su Qing said, bypassing the pleasantries. "I represent the Westland Ranch."
Liu blinked. "Westland... the barren land? I heard your husband bought it. Is it true he's raising cattle?"
"He is," Su Qing said. "And soon, he will have meat like nothing you have ever served here. But for now, I have a question. What do you serve to nobles who tire of pork and chicken?"
Liu looked confused. "We serve... pork. And chicken. Sometimes lamb, but it is gamey and tough."
"Precisely," Su Qing said. "There is a gap in your menu. A void for red meat. Rich, tender, satisfying meat. When my husband's cattle are ready, *The Golden Pavilion* will be the first place to serve it. I want a verbal agreement from you today. Exclusive rights to the first slaughter."
Liu hesitated. Cattle meat was taboo for the common folk. Only the lowest classes ate the meat of old, dying oxen. But Lady Su was the Magistrate's daughter. And nobles *did* love novelty.
"If... if the meat is as good as you say," Liu said cautiously, "we can discuss it. But I would need to taste it first."
"You will," Su Qing promised. "Prepare your kitchen. In one month's time, you will receive an invitation to the Westland."
As she walked out, her heart raced. She had just staked her family's reputation on a piece of meat she hadn't even tasted yet.
*I must be mad,* she thought. *Mad like him.*
***
**POV: Li Wei**
By late afternoon, the last cow was branded. The herd now bore the 'W' with pride, or perhaps resentment. Li Wei sat on the fence railing, exhausted. His arms felt like lead.
"Good work," Li Wei said, handing a waterskin to Li An.
Li An took it, drinking deeply. "Brother, look at them."
Li Wei looked. The cows were grazing again. The tension of the branding was already forgotten. They were moving with a synchronization now, following Blackjack, who led them to the freshest patches of grass.
"They look like a herd," Li An said, wonder in his voice. "Not just a bunch of random cows. A unit."
"That's the bull's doing," Li Wei said. "He's leading them. That's why we need him."
Suddenly, the System chimed in Li Wei's mind.
**[Quest Complete: Brand the Foundation Herd.]**
**[Reward: 5 Basic Cattle Health Potions.]**
**[New Quest: The First Feeder.]**
**[Description: Purchase a non-breeding steer for meat processing to generate initial cash flow.]**
**[Note: Selective breeding takes time. You need capital now.]**
Li Wei sighed. The System was always pushing him. It was right, of course. The cows wouldn't calve for months. The calves wouldn't be ready for slaughter for over a year. He needed money *now* to pay for the windmill and the workers.
He hopped off the fence. "Zhang, watch the herd. Li An, hitch the cart. We're going back to the market."
"Now?" Li An groaned. "I'm sore everywhere."
"We're not buying cows," Li Wei said. "We're buying a future. I need to find a steer. A big, ugly, unwanted steer that no one wants."
Li An stared at him. "You want an ugly cow?"
"I want a project," Li Wei grinned. "We're going to fatten him up, treat him like a king for two weeks, and then... we're going to introduce the city to a steak."
He walked toward the cabin to wash up, but stopped as he reached the door.
Lying on the porch step was a rock. A strange, grey rock that looked out of place. It was jagged, with a vein of purple running through it.
Li Wei frowned. He hadn't seen that before.
He picked it up.
**[System Alert: Unknown Mineral Detected.]**
**[Analysis: High-Grade Iron Ore with traces of Manganese.]**
**[Source: North Ridge.]**
Li Wei looked up at the north ridge, the direction Old Zhang had been worried about. The rocky cliffs there were barren, or so everyone thought.
"Iron," Li Wei whispered. "We have iron on the land."
He tucked the rock into his pocket. Iron meant tools. It meant horseshoes. It meant weapons.
"Li An!" he shouted, his voice energized. "Change of plans. We're going to the market, but on the way back, we're stopping by the blacksmith. I have a sample to show him."
The Westland was full of surprises. And Li Wei was just starting to dig them up.