The sun beat down on the Westland with a ruthless intensity unique to late autumn afternoons. There were no trees to offer shade, only the endless, rolling waves of yellow-brown grass.
Li Wei stood on a small rise, wiping the sweat from his brow with a rough linen sleeve. His hands, soft from years of keyboard tapping, were already red and blistered from hauling stones. But his eyes were bright.
"Chen Hu, that post needs to be deeper!" Li Wei called out, his voice raspy but commanding.
The former soldier didn't reply with words. He simply grunted, lifting a heavy stone hammer he had fashioned from a fallen branch and a river rock. With a rhythmic *thud-thud-thud*, he drove the sharpened wooden post into the rocky soil. Despite his limp, his upper body strength was terrifying. He moved with the economy of motion only a soldier or a lifelong laborer possessed.
They were building a corral. It wasn't pretty—it was a jagged circle of stones and rough-hewn timber scavenged from a dried-up creek bed—but it was functional.
Li Sheng, meanwhile, was tasked with gathering dried grass for bedding and feed. The boy dragged a massive bundle of weeds, his face streaked with dirt and tears.
"Brother," Sheng panted, dropping the bundle. "There is so much grass here, but it's all so tough and sharp. The cows won't eat it. They are still hungry."
Indeed, the herd stood huddled in the center of the unfinished corral. The five scrawny cows lowed pitifully, their ribs visible. The Black Bull, 'General', stood apart, chewing on a tuft of grass with a look of disdain, as if offended by the quality of his dining accommodations.
In this era, cattle were raised on carefully cultivated fodder—bean stalks, wheat straw, and bran. The idea of them grazing wild grass was alien. The locals believed wild grass was for goats, not cattle.
Li Wei walked over to the pile of grass Sheng had collected. It was mostly coarse sedge and dry stalks.
"You're right, Sheng. They can't eat this," Li Wei said. He knelt, his eyes activating the [Basic Grass Identification Skill].
The world shifted slightly. The coarse sedge turned a dull grey in his vision—unpalatable. But then, lower down, near the roots, a faint green glow caught his eye. He pushed aside the tall, dead stalks and found a low-growing, broad-leafed plant hiding in the shadows.
**[Species: Wild White Clover (Trifolium repens variant)]**
**[Nutritional Value: High (Protein 18-20%).]**
**[Palatability: Excellent. High digestibility for ruminants.]**
**[Status: Abundant in low-lying moist areas.]**
Li Wei grinned. The Westland wasn't barren; it was just misunderstood. The good grass was hiding underneath the tough, inedible scrub that farmers saw.
"Sheng, bring the sickle," Li Wei ordered. "Don't cut the tall yellow grass. Cut low. Get the small green leaves near the ground."
"Those weeds?" Sheng asked, confused. "The chickens don't even peck at those."
"They aren't weeds, Sheng. They're treasure."
Li Wei moved to the creek bed that cut through the property. He pushed aside the reeds. There, a patch of long, slender green blades grew densely.
**[Species: Native Bentgrass (Agrostis variant)]**
**[Nutritional Value: Medium.]**
**[Trait: Highly resilient. Good for fattening.]**
"Chen Hu!" Li Wei shouted. "Bring the herd to the creek bend! We graze them there."
They moved the animals slowly. The Black Bull snorted, refusing to budge until Chen Hu gave it a hard stare that promised violence if it didn't comply. The beast huffed and moved along.
Once at the creek, the transformation was immediate. The cows, smelling the hidden moisture and the scent of the clover, lowered their heads. They took experimental bites. Then, a change came over them. Their lowing stopped. Their jaws worked furiously. The sound of contented chewing filled the air.
"They're eating," Sheng whispered, amazed. "They're actually eating the wild grass!"
Li Wei leaned against a fence post, watching them. "Cattle are natural grazers, Sheng. They don't need bran and beans if the land provides. We just have to manage the land."
He looked at the 'General'. The massive black bull was tearing into the clover with gusto. It was already shedding its dull coat; under the malnutrition, the muscle was there.
"We need to expand this," Li Wei muttered to himself. "We need to clear the scrub so the clover can breathe. And we need water troughs."
He looked at his limited resources. Thirteen taels of silver remained. It wasn't enough to build a proper barn.
"Boss," Chen Hu approached, wiping his hands on his trousers. "The sun is setting. I found a small cave down by the ridge. It's dry. The boy and I can sleep there. The animals will need guarding at night."
Li Wei looked at the scarred man. "You don't have to sleep in a cave, Chen Hu. We can build a lean-to."
"The cave is defensible," Chen Hu said simply. "Wolves come down from the mountains in the autumn. They smell blood."
Li Wei stiffened. Wolves. Of course. This wasn't a petting zoo. It was the frontier.
"Right. You take the first watch. I'll take the second," Li Wei said.
Chen Hu looked at the scholar's hands, then at his eyes. He nodded, seeing no fear there. "I'll wake you at the hour of the ox."
***
Night fell over the Westland like a heavy curtain. The temperature dropped rapidly, the heat of the day replaced by a biting chill.
Li Wei sat by a small campfire outside the cave entrance, nursing a cup of hot water. He had sent Sheng to sleep in the cave; the boy was exhausted.
The system interface floated in his vision.
**[Current Herd Status:]**
**[1 Black Bull (General) - Health: Improving. Aggression: High.]**
**[5 Cows (Mixed) - Health: Malnourished but stable.]**
**[2 Horses (Old) - Health: Fair.]**
**[Sheep (10) - Health: Good.]**
**[Financial Status: 13 Taels.]**
**[Infrastructure: Primitive Corral (Efficiency: 10%)]**
Li Wei sighed. 10% efficiency. It would take hours just to move the cattle in and out. He needed better fences. He needed a proper barn before winter truly set in. In the Great Liang Dynasty, winters in the border regions were brutal. Without shelter, the weakened cows would freeze to death before spring.
He looked at his hands. The blisters were raw.
*I worked my whole life in an office,* he thought. *I thought I knew what hard work was. But this... this is primal.*
He pulled a small, worn notebook from his robe. He had bought it for a few copper coins in town. He began to sketch, his charcoal stick moving swiftly.
He drew a structure. Not a traditional Chinese barn with closed walls and tiled roofs—too expensive. He drew a pole barn. Simple. Vertical posts, a slanted roof, and three walls. Open to the south to let the sun in, blocked from the north wind.
*Wood... I need wood. The Westland has no trees.*
He closed his eyes, thinking. The mountains to the west were forested, but government regulations made logging difficult without a permit. Buying timber from the lumber yard was out of the question; it would eat up all his silver.
"Bamboo," he muttered. "There's a bamboo forest three miles east. It's cheaper than wood, grows fast, and is strong enough for a frame. I can thatch the roof with reeds from the creek."
He scribbled calculations. *50 bundles of bamboo. 200 bundles of reeds. Nails and rope.*
*Cost: 4 taels.*
It was doable.
Suddenly, a low, rumbling growl echoed from the darkness.
Li Wei froze. It wasn't the bull. It was a sound he had only heard in nature documentaries.
A howl pierced the night, answered by another closer by.
*Wolves.*
He stood up, his heart hammering against his ribs. He grabbed the heavy iron fire poker he had brought along.
"Chen Hu?" he whispered.
No answer.
He looked toward the corral. The cattle were restless, shifting nervously. The sheep were huddled together, bleating in terror.
Then he saw them. Green eyes, glowing in the firelight. Three... no, four shapes slinking through the tall grass.
Li Wei felt a primal urge to run, to hide in the cave. But he was the Rancher. If he ran now, he would lose the herd. He would lose everything.
He took a burning branch from the fire.
"GET BACK!" he roared, swinging the torch.
The wolves paused, their eyes glittering with malice. They were large, grey mountain wolves, starving and desperate.
One lunged at the fence.
*CRACK.*
The flimsy wooden post snapped under the wolf's weight. The gap opened.
"PANIC!" Li Wei shouted, though there was no one to hear.
The cows screamed, a terrible sound. The Black Bull, 'General', spun around. The wolf, sensing an easy meal among the cows, darted through the gap.
But 'General' didn't run.
The massive, starving bull lowered his horns. With a speed that belied his condition, he charged.
*THUD.*
The sound of skull meeting ribcage was sickening. The wolf was tossed into the air like a ragdoll, yelping in pain.
Li Wei didn't waste the opportunity. He rushed forward, waving the torch, screaming at the top of his lungs. "YAH! GET OUT! GET OUT!"
Chen Hu appeared like a ghost from the shadows, a makeshift spear in his hand—a branch sharpened and charred in the fire. He moved with terrifying precision, placing himself between the wolves and the sheep.
"Form up!" Chen Hu barked, his voice the steel of a battlefield commander.
Li Wei ran to stand back-to-back with him. The wolves circled, growling. The alpha, seeing one of his pack broken by the bull and two humans standing their ground, snarled in frustration.
With a final bark, the alpha retreated. The shadows melted back into the grass, leaving only the whimpering of the injured wolf.
Silence returned to the Westland.
Li Wei dropped the torch, his chest heaving. His legs were trembling so badly he thought they might give out.
"Boss," Chen Hu said calmly, wiping sweat from his forehead. "You didn't run."
Li Wei let out a shaky laugh. "I was too scared to run."
Chen Hu looked at the bull, 'General', who was sniffing the unconscious wolf with aggressive curiosity. "Good animal. Strong heart."
Li Wei looked at the bull, then at the broken fence, then at the blood on the grass.
"Chen Hu," Li Wei said, his voice finding a new hardness. "Tomorrow, we don't just build a fence. We build a fortress. We dig pits. We set traps. No wolf touches my cattle again."
Chen Hu nodded, a hint of respect finally entering his eyes. "I know how to make pit traps. Learned it on the border."
"Good. Teach me."
Li Wei looked up at the stars. The Mongolian sky was vast and indifferent. He had survived his first night. He had drawn blood, and he had kept his herd.
He walked over to the injured wolf. It was still breathing, its leg crushed by the bull's strike.
"Brother," Li Sheng's terrified voice came from the cave entrance. "Is it over?"
"It's over," Li Wei said.
He looked down at the wolf. In his old life, he would have felt pity. But this was the wild. Resources were life.
"Chen Hu," Li Wei said. "Skin it. The pelt will make a good rug for Sheng. And the meat..."
He looked at the cows.
"...the cows need protein. Chop it up. Mix it with bran if we have any. It's war out here."
Chen Hu grinned, a fierce, wolfish expression. "Understood, Boss."
As he walked back to the fire, the System pinged.
**[Crisis Event Survived: Wolf Attack.]**
**[Herd Loyalty Increased.]**
**[Chen Hu Loyalty: Friendly -> Loyal.]**
**[New Skill Unlocked: Basic Trap Making.]**
Li Wei sat by the fire, watching Chen Hu drag the wolf away. He took a sip of the hot water. It tasted like victory.
"I'm going to need a gun," he whispered to the flames. "Or at least a really big dog."
He looked at the system interface again. He had 13 taels. He had a bull that killed wolves. He had a soldier who made traps.
He opened his notebook and wrote one word in large, bold characters at the top of the page:
**CONQUER.**