The deadline was set. The spring thaw was the judge, and the executioner's axe hovered over the Li family's neck. But for Li Wei, pressure was merely fuel.
The morning after the inspection, Li Wei stood in the yard of the Barren Slope, a piece of charcoal in his hand. He was sketching on a flat, whitewashed board.
Zhao Feng sat nearby, running a whetstone along the blade of a rusted iron bar they had salvaged from the scrap pile. The sound was rhythmic, grounding.
"What are you drawing, Boss?" Zhao Feng asked, pausing to inspect the edge.
"A symbol," Li Wei said, stepping back.
On the board was a design: a stylized bull's skull, curved and imposing. But it wasn't just a skull. The horns curved inward to form a rough circle, and inside, a single, sharp vertical line ran from the forehead to the nose.
It looked ancient, powerful, and distinct.
"In the world I dream of," Li Wei said, tapping the drawing, "this is everything. This is proof of ownership. Proof of quality. When people see this mark on a cow, they know it belongs to the Li Family Ranch. They know it's the best."
"A brand?" Zhao Feng asked, raising an eyebrow. "Like the army marks horses?"
"Exactly. But deeper. We aren't just marking property. We're marking *legacy*." Li Wei handed the drawing to Zhao Feng. "Can you forge this?"
Zhao Feng looked at the complexity of the curves. He grinned. "Give me a day. I'll need to bend the iron in the fire. It'll be ugly, but it'll hold."
"Make it thick," Li Wei instructed. "It needs to hold heat. We brand the calf and the bull today. And from now on, every animal on this slope carries this mark."
***
While Zhao Feng worked the forge—a makeshift pit of rocks and bellows near the shed—Li Wei turned his attention to business.
He had a King, but the King needed a harem.
The calf, "One," was too young. The old cow was past her prime. The King was virile, strong, and genetically superior. To make money *now*, they had to rent him out.
Li Wei mounted Red Wind—the mare was calmer now, though still touchy—and rode down to the village.
He didn't go to the poor farmers. They had no money. He went to the wealthier landowners on the outskirts, the ones who owned ten or twenty *mu* of good land and kept a few draft oxen.
The reception was mixed.
"Three taels for a breeding?" scoffed Old Man Zhang, a landowner with a fine team of yellow oxen. "My oxen work the fields! I don't need some monster bull for that. I have my own bull."
"Your bull is good for plowing," Li Wei argued, sitting tall on his horse. "But look at his calves. Scrawny. Weak. My bull adds muscle. Adds weight. Your oxen work hard; don't you want the next generation to be stronger? To pull heavier loads?"
Old Man Zhang spat on the ground. "Show me the proof. I ain't paying three taels for a hope."
Li Wei realized the problem. He was selling a dream, but the customers were buying reality. And reality was a scary bull locked in a shed.
He needed a gimmick. He needed a spectacle.
He rode back up the slope, thinking hard.
When he arrived, smoke was billowing from the forge. Zhao Feng was holding a glowing piece of iron with a long wooden handle. The iron glowed cherry-red in the shape of the Bull Skull.
"It's done," Zhao Feng said, quenching the iron in a bucket of water. Steam hissed into the air.
"Good," Li Wei said. "Gather the family. And bring the bull out. We're holding a ceremony."
***
By noon, the entire Li family was assembled on the slope. Even Mother Zhao had hiked up the hill, curious about the smoke and the summons.
"Son," she asked, eyeing the glowing iron brazier Zhao Feng had set up. "What is this? More nonsense?"
"No, Mother. This is history."
Li Wei walked into the shed. He led the King out. The bull was calm today, having eaten well on the Brachiaria.
"Father," Li Wei called out. "Hold the lead rope. Steady him."
Li Dazhuang took the rope, looking nervous but determined.
Li Wei picked up the branding iron. It was heavy, radiating intense heat. He walked to the bull's left flank.
"Easy, boy," Li Wei murmured. He placed his hand on the bull's side, feeling the heartbeat.
*Hiss.*
The smell of singed hair and burnt skin filled the air. The bull flinched, letting out a low bellow of surprise and pain.
"Hold him!" Li Wei commanded.
Li Dazhuang leaned back, using his weight to keep the bull from spinning. Li Wei held the iron firm for three seconds—long enough to leave a permanent scar, short enough to minimize suffering.
He pulled the iron away.
There, on the black hide of the massive bull, was the brand. The Circle and the Line. The Li Ranch Mark.
**[System Notification: Livestock Registered.]**
**[Target: 'King'. Status: Branded.]**
**[Trait: Fear Resistance increased due to calm handling.]**
Li Wei quickly applied a salve of lard and herbs from the Veterinary Kit he had received from the system. It would soothe the burn and prevent infection.
"Bring the calf," Li Wei said.
They branded "One" as well. The calf kicked and struggled, but Zhao Feng held him down with ease.
When it was done, Li Wei stood back.
"Now they are ours," Li Wei announced to his family. "Officially."
Mother Zhao looked at the smoking brands, then at the massive bull. She didn't understand the nuance, but she understood the symbolism. It looked professional. It looked like an army.
"It looks... fierce," she admitted. "But why show us this?"
"Because tomorrow," Li Wei said, "we are going to prove this bull's worth. Not by talking, but by eating."
He looked at his Second Brother, Li Er. "Brother, I need you to go to the county market. Buy the cheapest, toughest piece of beef you can find. Old cow meat. Something people usually throw to the dogs."
"Old meat?" Li Er frowned. "Why? We have no money to waste on bad food."
"We're not eating it alone," Li Wei grinned. "We're going to cook it. And we're going to sell the smell."
***
The next day, a strange sight appeared at the entrance of the Barren Slope.
Li Wei had set up a large iron grate over an open pit fire. He had dug a pit in the ground, lined it with stones, and filled it with hot coals.
On the grate lay the slab of tough, cheap beef Li Er had bought.
But Li Wei wasn't roasting it plain. He had raided the kitchen. He had made a paste of crushed garlic (a luxury), wild chili peppers he'd found dried in the pantry, salt, and a bit of the rendered fat from the wolf.
He slapped the paste onto the meat.
The fire flared. The fat dripped onto the coals.
*Sizzle. Flare. Pop.*
The wind was blowing north, straight down toward the village and the main road.
Within minutes, a scent that had never before been smelled in Stone Roll Village began to spread. It wasn't the smell of boiling cabbage or burnt porridge. It was the smell of roasting fat, caramelized meat, and spice. It was primal. It was seductive. It smelled like wealth.
Li Wei stood by the fire, wearing his coat open, looking like a barbarian king. Zhao Feng stood by the bull, holding the lead rope.
"Headman Wang says this land is useless!" Li Wei shouted, his voice carrying down the hill. "But I say, come smell the beef! Come see the King!"
A few villagers walking by on the road stopped. They sniffed the air. Their stomachs growled.
"Is that... meat?"
"Spiced meat?"
"Just a look won't hurt," a farmer muttered, stepping off the road and climbing the slope.
Soon, a small crowd had gathered. Not the rich landowners, but the common folk. The hungry folk.
Li Wei sliced a tiny piece of the outer crust—the best part—and popped it into his mouth, chewing loudly. "Delicious."
He looked at the crowd.
"This is the Cowboy BBQ," Li Wei announced. "The food of the plains. And this..." He pointed to the bull. "This is the provider. The King. You want your cows to produce meat like this? You want strong calves?"
He gestured to Zhao Feng. Zhao Feng led the bull forward. The King gleamed in the sun, the brand on his flank visible for all to see.
"Breeding fee is three taels," Li Wei said. "But for the first three customers today... one tael and fifty copper coins. And a slice of this beef."
The crowd stared.
"One tael fifty?"
"That's half price!"
A burly man in the front, a blacksmith from a neighboring hamlet, stepped forward. He had seen the bull earlier. He knew quality.
"I have a cow," the blacksmith said. "Good hips. She's in heat now. You take one tael fifty?"
Li Wei smiled. "Done. Zhao Feng, take the customer's details. Bring the cow tomorrow at dawn."
As the blacksmith counted out his coins, the ice broke. Another farmer stepped up. "I have a yellow cow... will he hurt her?"
"He's a gentleman," Li Wei lied smoothly. "We will supervise."
Within an hour, Li Wei had sold three breeding slots. He had four taels and fifty coppers in his pocket. More importantly, he had established the brand.
As the sun began to set, Li Wei sat by the dying fire, eating a piece of the tough beef. It was chewy, overcooked, and spicy.
It tasted like victory.
"Boss," Zhao Feng said, counting the coins. "We have money. And we have customers coming tomorrow."
"Good," Li Wei said, looking at the darkening hills. "The ranch is alive. Now, we just have to keep it that way."
He looked toward the village, where Headman Wang's house sat. He knew the old fox would hear about this. The game was just getting started.