Spring in the Westland was not a gentle awakening; it was an explosion.
Two weeks had passed since the planting of the first seeds. The test plot of five mu was now a dense jungle of green, the ryegrass standing knee-high, waving like a verdant ocean in the wind. The system's accelerated growth had turned the barren patch into a sight that drew hawks and eagles to circle overhead, confused by the sudden abundance of life in what had been a dead zone.
Li Shun stood by the fence of the main corral, watching his herd.
The ten cows he had bought—the "rejects" and "old milkers"—were transforming. Fed on the nutrient-dense ryegrass, their ribs were no longer visible. Their coats had taken on a healthy sheen, their eyes were bright, and they moved with a vigor that had been absent the day they arrived.
But it was Hei Bao who drew the eye.
The black bull stood apart from the herd, his massive frame casting a long shadow in the morning sun. The changes in him were no longer subtle. The Vitality Elixir had done its work at a genetic level. His shoulders had broadened, the hump of muscle above his withers thickening into a powerful swell that spoke of immense strength. His hindquarters were rounding out, the meat dense and heavy.
Most notably, his temperament had shifted. The wild, angry fire in his eyes had banked into a steady, intelligent confidence. He no longer charged the fence at every passerby. He patrolled his territory with the calm assurance of a king.
**[SYSTEM SCAN: HEI BAO]**
**[BREED: PRIME BLACK ANGUS (GEN 1 - STABILIZING)]**
**[WEIGHT: 1,450 LBS (INCREASING RAPIDLY)]**
**[MUSCLE DENSITY: EXTREME]**
**[MARBLING SCORE: 3 (SCALE 1-12)]**
**[STATUS: DOMINANT HERD LEADER]**
Li Shun nodded in satisfaction. The marbling score was still low by modern standards, but for an animal in this era, he was already a phenomenon. He was laying down intramuscular fat, the white streaks of flavor that turned tough beef into butter.
"Brother!"
Li Ming's shout broke Li Shun's reverie. The boy came running up from the stream, waving a piece of paper.
"The merchant caravan passed by the lower road! I flagged them down. They had the iron you ordered."
Li Shun took the paper—a receipt from the smithy in the prefecture. "Good. Bring the package to the forge."
---
The "forge" was a far cry from the industrial foundries of Li Shun's past life, but it was functional. Han Qiang had built a proper stone hearth with a clay tuyere, and the bellows roared with a steady rhythm as Old Zhang pumped them.
Li Shun used a pair of heavy tongs to pull a branding iron from the coals. The iron was shaped like a simple horizontal bar with a vertical line through the center—a stylized "T" or perhaps a simplified shield. He had designed it himself.
"It's ready," Li Shun said, examining the glowing red-hot metal.
Han Qiang stood nearby, holding a rope. He looked at the iron with a mixture of curiosity and wariness. "Young Master, I have seen brands on army horses. It is... painful. The animals panic."
"It is necessary," Li Shun replied, his voice firm. "In this world, if a cow wanders into the forest, or if a thief drives it away, how do we prove it is ours? A brand is the law of the land. It is our name, burned into their hide."
He walked toward the corral. "We start with the cows. We leave Hei Bao for last. He is smart. He will understand."
They worked efficiently. Han Qiang used the lasso from horseback to snag a cow, bringing it to the branding chute—a narrow wooden pen Li Shun had designed to hold the animal still.
The first cow, a mottled brown female, bellowed as the hot iron touched her flank. A plume of smoke rose, carrying the acrid scent of burning hair and skin.
*Sizzle.*
Li Shun held the iron steady for exactly three seconds—long enough to burn the hair and mark the skin, but not long enough to cause deep damage.
He pulled the iron away.
"Hold her still," Li Shun commanded.
He quickly poured a mixture of herbal salve and cool water over the fresh brand. The cow shuddered, then relaxed slightly as the cooling relief took hold.
**[SYSTEM ALERT]**
**[LIVESTOCK BRANDED: COW #1]**
**[OWNERSHIP ESTABLISHED: WESTLAND RANCH]**
**[HERD COHESION: IMPROVED]**
"Release," Li Shun said.
Han Qiang opened the chute. The cow trotted out, shaking its head, but otherwise unharmed. It rejoined the herd, the raw, pink brand on its hip standing out starkly against the brown hide.
"One down," Li Shun said, wiping sweat from his brow. "Nine to go."
---
By midday, all ten cows bore the mark of the Westland. They huddled together in a corner of the pasture, licking their wounds and casting nervous glances toward the humans.
"Now the bull," Han Qiang said, his hand tightening on his rope. "He won't like this, Li Shun. He is not like the others."
Li Shun looked at Hei Bao. The bull was watching them from the far side of the pen. He hadn't taken his eyes off the branding chute. He knew something was happening.
"I know," Li Shun said. "We do it differently."
He walked to the fence and climbed up, sitting on the top rail. He didn't enter the pen. He didn't bring a rope.
"Hei Bao," he called out.
The bull turned his massive head. He snorted, pawing the ground. He was agitated. He could smell the fear and the burnt hair from the cows.
Li Shun held up the branding iron. It was still hot, glowing faintly in the daylight.
"This is the deal," Li Shun said, his voice carrying across the yard. "You are mine. I protect you. I feed you the best grass in the world. I give you a herd."
He pointed to the iron.
"And in return, you wear my mark. You belong to the Westland."
Hei Bao stared at him. The tension in the air was thick enough to cut. Old Zhang and Li Ming held their breath.
Li Shun climbed down into the pen.
"Are you insane?" Han Qiang hissed, his hand flying to his sword. "Use the chute!"
"No," Li Shun said. "He is the Alpha. We treat him with respect."
He walked slowly toward the bull. Hei Bao lowered his head, his horns glinting. He let out a low, rumbling threat.
Li Shun stopped five feet away. He knelt on one knee, bringing himself below the bull's eye level. He set the branding iron down on a flat rock between them.
"I'm not going to chase you," Li Shun said softly. "I'm not going to wrestle you. But this iron is going on your hip. It's your choice. You can fight me, and we can do it the hard way with ropes and pain. Or you can trust me."
He looked the bull in the eye. Not a challenge. A negotiation.
*Come on. You're smarter than a normal beast. The Elixir made you more than that.*
For a long moment, nothing happened. The wind whistled through the pines.
Then, slowly, Hei Bao raised his head. The hostility in his posture faded, replaced by a grudging acceptance. He took a step forward.
He turned his body, exposing his left flank to Li Shun.
Li Shun didn't hesitate. He grabbed the iron, which was cooling but still hot enough to mark, and pressed it firmly against the bull's hip.
*Sizzle.*
Hei Bao flinched. A tremor ran through his massive muscles. But he didn't kick. He didn't run. He stood like a statue of black stone.
Li Shun counted to three and pulled the iron away. He immediately slapped a handful of the herbal salve onto the burn.
Hei Bao let out a long, shuddering breath. He turned his head and sniffed Li Shun's hair.
Li Shun reached up and patted the bull's nose.
"Good man," Li Shun whispered. "Now we're official."
**[SYSTEM ALERT]**
**[ALPHA SPECIMEN BRANDED: HEI BAO]**
**[LOYALTY BOND: UNBREAKABLE]**
**[RANCH PRESTIGE: +5]**
Li Shun stood up, his legs slightly shaky. He turned to Han Qiang and the others, who were staring with their jaws slack.
"He... he let you do it?" Han Qiang asked in disbelief. "He understood?"
"He understood that fighting isn't always the way to power," Li Shun said, though he knew it was likely the system's loyalty bond at work. "He's a partner."
---
That afternoon, Li Shun sat in the cabin, sketching. The adrenaline of the branding had faded, replaced by the steady hum of planning.
The herd was marked. The pasture was growing. The shelter was built.
Now, he needed to think about the future.
*Angus beef is great,* Li Shun thought, tapping his charcoal stick against the paper. *But diversity is safety.*
He drew a rectangle. Then a line through it.
*The Hereford.*
He remembered the texts from his past life. Herefords were the compliment to Angus. Where Angus were known for marbling and maternal traits, Herefords were known for size, hardiness, and docility. They were the workhorses of the beef world, often crossbred to create superior calves.
*If I can find a breed that resembles the Hereford, I can crossbreed. The 'Black Baldie'—a cross between Angus and Hereford—is one of the most profitable beef animals in existence.*
But where would he find such a breed in the Great Liang Dynasty?
His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of hooves outside. Not the heavy gallop of a military horse, but the light, quick step of a riding horse.
Han Qiang opened the door. "Young Master. We have a visitor. And... he has cattle."
Li Shun frowned. "Cattle?"
He stepped outside.
A man stood by the gate, leading a cart. He was weather-beaten, dressed in the rough wool of a mountain shepherd. Behind him, on a lead rope, walked a steer unlike any Li Shun had seen in this county.
It was red. A deep, rusty red, with a white face and white markings on its crest and belly.
*Hereford?* Li Shun's heart skipped a beat. *No, not pure. But the coloration...*
"Is the master of this ranch here?" the shepherd called out. "I am Old Ma, from the northern hills."
"I am Li Shun," Li Shun said, stepping forward. "What brings you here, Old Ma?"
The shepherd looked at the cabin, the fences, and then at Hei Bao in the pen. He nodded slowly.
"I heard in town you bought the Westland. Said you were raising beef cattle. Most people laughed."
He jerked his thumb at the red steer behind him.
"But I found this beast wandering in the foothills last winter. Abandoned by some merchant caravan, I reckon. It's a mountain breed, tough as nails. I can't feed it, and the butchers in town say the meat is too tough because it's wild."
He looked at Li Shun with shrewd eyes.
"You seem to be buying the unwanted. I have four more like this back at my hut in the hills. Will you take them?"
Li Shun walked over to the steer. He ran his hand over the animal's flank. The hide was thick, the hair coarse. The animal was lean, but the frame was massive.
**[SYSTEM SCAN]**
**[SPECIES: MOUNTAIN DRAFT STEER (LOCAL VARIETY)]**
**[GENETIC TRAITS: HIGH HARDINESS, HEREFORD-LIKE MARKINGS (RECESSIVE)]**
**[POTENTIAL: SUITABLE FOR CROSSBREEDING]**
Li Shun suppressed a smile.
*The system works in mysterious ways.*
"I will take them," Li Shun said. "What is your price?"
"Five silver taels for the lot," Old Ma said. "And... I want to know how you make that grass grow so green."
Li Shun laughed. "Deal. And I'll even throw in a bag of seed."
As he shook the shepherd's hand, Li Shun felt the pieces clicking into place. He had the Black Angus. Now he had the foundation for a red herd.
*Angus for quality. Hereford for durability. The American Beef Empire starts here.*