Chapter Summaries

Shi Wen and Yan Kexing joined the park staff to reduce the wild goat population, and Shi Wen’s ability to keep animals calm made the hunt far more successful than expected. They continued searching the park, with shooting hares proving harder than shooting goats.

• Shi Wen and Ge Yue discussed the cost of controlling the wild goats and the risk they posed to the fragile environment.
• Shi Wen and Yan Kexing met the park director, learned that inspected animals would be used as feed, and joined thirteen armed young men for a hunt.
• Shi Wen led the group on foot and used his innate ability to approach a herd without frightening it, helping them shoot more than forty goats.
• Shi Wen followed the goats’ trails to another herd, where the group shot over seventy more before moving on.
• Shi Wen continued leading the hunt for wild goats and hares, while Yan Kexing stayed close by his side; the hares proved difficult to shoot.

Shi Wen and Yan Kexing joined the young men on a hunt, where Shi Wen’s shooting talent impressed everyone and a familiar brown bear fled when it saw them. After a long day, they returned to the hotel, and Shi Wen began reviewing the park’s records while Yan Kexing went to shower.

• Shi Wen and Yan Kexing shot hares with the group, and the young men were surprised by Shi Wen’s accuracy.
• The group encountered a brown bear that recognized Shi Wen and Yan Kexing, then ran away before it could attack.
• The young men explained the bear’s hostility toward people, while Shi Wen joked that he might enjoy catching it again.
• After hunting all day, Shi Wen showered at the hotel, and Yan Kexing offered to take him for mutton soup.
• Shi Wen opened the park’s internal records on his laptop and began looking through its information on local organisms.

Shi Wen and Yan Kexing enjoyed a meal at a mutton soup shop whose owner Yan Kexing had once rescued, and learned that wild goats were damaging the owner’s goji berry crop. The chapter ended with Shi Wen asking whether the authorities had been told and sent to shoot the goats.

• Shi Wen and Yan Kexing went to a crowded mutton soup shop, where the owner recognized Yan Kexing and invited them into a private room.
• Yan Kexing explained that he had guided the owner’s family out of an uninhabited area six or seven years earlier.
• Shi Wen and Yan Kexing ate the shop’s mutton soup and other dishes, and Yan Kexing paid for their meal.
• The owner gave Shi Wen and Yan Kexing a bag of meat aspic and jerky as a gift.
• Shi Wen overheard Xiao Wukati say that wild goats had eaten much of the shop’s goji berries, then asked if the authorities had been called to shoot them.

Shi Wen and Yan Kexing finished hunting wild goats in the park, then set out to help local communities deal with animals damaging their crops. They reached Xiao Wukati’s township, where his father described how difficult it was to keep the animals away from their goji berries.

• Xiao Wukati told Shi Wen that wild goats had ruined goji berries belonging to many families, and that compensation could not replace the berries his lamb soup business depended on.
• A young man explained that wild goats had escaped the park, multiplied, and damaged local vineyards, then asked Shi Wen to help hunt them outside the park.
• Shi Wen and Yan Kexing finished hunting in the park early and arranged with the leaders to take their team outside to hunt wild goats and hares.
• While hunting, Shi Wen shot a hare, but an eastern imperial eagle swooped down and carried it off; Yan Kexing confirmed that the bird migrated south for winter.
• Shi Wen and Yan Kexing reached Xiao Wukati’s township, where Xiao Wukati’s father complained that animals came at night to eat the goji berries and were difficult to drive away.

Shi Wen and Yan Kexing followed tracks from a goji field into the Gobi Desert and discovered a herd of Przewalski's horses believed to be extinct in the area. Yan Kexing reported the find, setting off a flurry of calls from leading figures across the country.

• Shi Wen examined the goji field and found tracks he believed belonged to horses rather than wild goats.
• Shi Wen, Yan Kexing, and the others followed the tracks by car through the Gobi Desert.
• The group spotted a herd of animals, and Yan Kexing identified them as Przewalski's horses.
• Shi Wen realized the herd might be wild horses thought to be extinct in China.
• Yan Kexing told the young man to report the herd, and calls from leading figures began flooding his phone.

Shi Wen and Yan Kexing found a herd of nineteen previously undiscovered Przewalski's horses and waited for officials to decide how to handle them. Shi Wen tranquilized two wolves that threatened the herd, but the startled horses fled before settling down to graze again; when the leaders arrived, they asked Shi Wen and Yan Kexing whether the horses should be taken back.

• Shi Wen reported that the herd had nineteen horses led by a stallion, and he and Yan Kexing chose to wait for the officials rather than act rashly.
• Shi Wen spotted wolves circling the horses and tranquilized two of them, causing the rest of the pack to flee and the horses to gallop away.
• Shi Wen and Yan Kexing took the two wolves with them and continued following the horses, which soon regrouped and resumed grazing.
• The leaders arrived that afternoon, confirmed the herd was wild Przewalski's horses, and asked Shi Wen and Yan Kexing what they thought about taking them back.

Shi Wen and Yan Kexing helped the zoo capture nineteen Przewalski's horses, then Zhu Ji summoned Shi Wen for an examination after suspecting his Auspicious Beast bloodline had awakened further. Shi Wen was surrounded by elders eager to meet him and agreed to travel to City B for the examination, though he declined to stay long because of his ranch.

• Shi Wen and Yan Kexing tranquilized nineteen Przewalski's horses with the zoo staff, transported them to the zoo, and entrusted two wild wolves to its care.
• Experts arrived to marvel at the horses, while Shi Wen stepped outside and received Zhu Ji's call about a possible new ability from his awakened bloodline.
• Zhu Ji and a group of prominent elders met Shi Wen outside the zoo and warmly welcomed him as a high-level Auspicious Beast with a qilin bloodline.
• Yan Kexing joined Shi Wen and the elders, and Zhu Ji arranged a flight to City B for Shi Wen's examination.
• Shi Wen declined the elders' invitation to stay in City B for several days because he needed to look after his ranch.

Shi Wen traveled to a secure base in City B for extensive tests, which showed that his Divinity and Abilities had risen above ten thousand. After hearing that he might undergo Beast Transformation, he left the base with Yan Kexing, where elderly people waited to hear roughly how well he had done.

• Shi Wen asked Zhu Ji whether the elderly people had made their trip to see him for nothing, and Zhu Ji explained that Shi Wen was the country's only person to awaken the Qilin Bloodline.
• Shi Wen and Yan Kexing arrived at a heavily secured base in City B, where a middle-aged man guided Shi Wen through bloodwork and several hours of testing.
• The group ate a late-night meal before reviewing Shi Wen's results: his Divinity was 15858 and his Abilities were 13525.
• Zhu Ji told Shi Wen that his figures had risen dramatically from a year earlier, while the middle-aged man warned that parts of his body might undergo Beast Transformation.
• The middle-aged man and Zhu Ji explained Shi Wen's test results and advised him to report any changes, then escorted the group outside.
• Elderly people waiting outside asked Yan Kexing to tell them roughly what level Shi Wen had reached, and Yan Kexing looked to Shi Wen for permission.

Shi Wen gained fourteen wealthy members for the Shi Family Ranch in City B and discussed the high cost and scarcity of Variant Ingredients with Zhu Ji. After returning to the ranch, he paid the staff who had covered for him and reunited with the animals.

• Shi Wen revealed that he was still a High-Level Abilities User, and Yan Kexing said he had a good chance of reaching the divine level.
• Fourteen elders signed up as Shi Family Ranch members, bringing the ranch's total membership to twenty-six.
• On the flight back, Shi Wen learned from Zhu Ji that overseas Variant Ingredients were extremely expensive and difficult to obtain, and he vowed to repay the druids someday.
• Shi Wen and Yan Kexing returned to the ranch, where Shi Wen thanked Gong Jiang, Lin Chengqian, and Ge Yue, paid their wages, and sent them off to rest.
• Shi Wen and Yan Kexing visited the pasture, where the dogs and other animals crowded around Shi Wen for affection.

Shi Wen returned to ranch duties and shared a warm evening with Yan Kexing, reflecting on how happy his life had become. While Shi Wen slept, his ears transformed into furry, pointed beast ears, and Yan Kexing quietly watched over him.

• Shi Wen inspected the ranch, checked on the bees and livestock, and prepared vegetables for the ranch's first monthly gift boxes with Yan Kexing's help.
• Shi Wen learned that the Przewalski's horses had been taken away and that local hunters had culled many wild goats, easing damage to nearby orchards.
• Shi Wen and Yan Kexing shared their feelings about how their lives had become happier since they were together.
• Yan Kexing noticed that Shi Wen had grown furry, pointed beast ears while he slept and stayed awake watching over him.
• Shi Wen woke the next morning unaware of his changed ears and got out of bed.

Shi Wen’s ears transformed into furry beast ears after he ate Variant Ingredients, leaving him reluctant to go out while he adjusted to them. He planted black goji seedlings sent by Xiao Wukati, and the ewes came into heat as breeding season began.

• Shi Wen discovered that beast ears had grown on his head, and Yan Kexing explained that it was a temporary Beast Transformation.
• Shi Wen tried to make his ears retract, then told Zhu Ji about the transformation; Zhu Ji suggested the Variant Ingredients he had eaten might have triggered it.
• Shi Wen fed the little ones and found that his new ears could twitch to drive away insects, though he remained self-conscious about them.
• Shi Wen wore a hat when going out and mailed his monthly gift packages, receiving black goji seedlings from Xiao Wukati in return for helping move the Przewalski's horses.
• Shi Wen planted the goji seedlings in his backyard and fertilized them with sheep manure.
• In July, the ewes began coming into heat, and it was time to breed them again.

Shi Wen bred his adult ewes and helped Sikewell and a local photographer take publicity pictures of his livestock. The photographer captured the animals at work and promised to bring Shi Wen prints of the extra pictures.

• Shi Wen sorted the 105 adult ewes between Eight Treasures and the stray breeding ram, marking each ram with different paint to track mating.
• After a week of breeding, Shi Wen invited Sikewell to examine the ewes, and Sikewell praised their size, condition, and features.
• Shi Wen agreed to let Sikewell arrange publicity photographs of the fat-tailed sheep and helped the photographer bring animals out for the shoot.
• The photographer expanded the shoot to include the rams, cattle, and other livestock, then promised to give Shi Wen prints of pictures she would not publish.
• Sikewell and the photographer thanked Shi Wen and left after the shoot.

Shi Wen welcomed the wild wolves that had befriended his dogs and discussed the possibility of their puppies becoming sheepdogs with Yan Kexing. Later, Shi Wen and Yan Kexing prepared tomato sauce for soup rice with Gong Jiang and the others, leaving the animals gathered outside the kitchen as the guests arrived.

• Sikewell and the photographer saw wolves running toward Shi Wen's ranch and guessed they wanted to play with the dogs.
• Shi Wen opened the gate for the wolves, petted them, and let them run off to play with the dogs.
• Shi Wen told Yan Kexing that the wolves and dogs might be looking for mates, and they discussed training any puppies as sheepdogs.
• Shi Wen asked the group what they wanted for lunch, and Gong Jiang and the others chose soup rice made with tomato sauce.
• Shi Wen and Yan Kexing picked three baskets of tomatoes and began cooking sauce, while the animals gathered outside the kitchen.
• Ge Yue and the others arrived and found the animals blocking the kitchen entrance, and Fu Wa comforted Ge Yue.

Shi Wen and Yan Kexing hosted Ge Yue, Lin Chengqian, and Gong Jiang for soup rice as a blue sandstorm warning arrived and the winds worsened. After checking that the animals were safe, Shi Wen returned home, where the visitors stayed and discussed work with Yan Kexing.

• Ge Yue and the others arrived at Shi Wen's home, where Shi Wen and Yan Kexing served them homemade soup rice.
• Everyone received a blue sandstorm warning, and they discussed the strong winds and the likelihood of sandstorms in the area.
• Shi Wen and Yan Kexing checked the livestock shed and poultry house and found the animals calm, with their feed and water supplies intact.
• Shi Wen worried about the hay bales on the pasture and the beehives, but Yan Kexing persuaded him to stay indoors.
• Gong Jiang and the others stayed at Shi Wen's home because the storm prevented them from leaving, and Yan Kexing handed out folders so they could discuss work.

After the sandstorm, Shi Wen learned that livestock were missing across the area and agreed to help Qile Moge find more than sixty lost Dolan sheep. Before heading out with Yan Kexing, Shi Wen checked his own pasture and found his hay bales and beehives largely unharmed.

• Fu Meng called Shi Wen to confirm that his livestock had survived the sandstorm and explain that many shelters had been damaged.
• Shi Wen read messages about missing livestock in the herders' WeChat groups and replied to friends checking on him.
• Qile Moge asked Shi Wen to help find more than sixty missing Dolan sheep, and Shi Wen agreed.
• Yan Kexing joined Shi Wen, and Shi Wen arranged to borrow a horse from Fu Meng before they set out.
• Shi Wen checked his pasture, refilled the bees' water tray, and inspected the beehives.

After a sandstorm scattered livestock across the roads, Shi Wen and Yan Kexing rode to help Qile Moge search for his missing Dolan sheep. Shi Wen identified their tracks leading northwest, and the search party prepared to follow them.

• Shi Wen checked his eighteen bee boxes, then he and Yan Kexing borrowed a horse from Chang Qingqing and set out for Qile Moge's home.
• Shi Wen and Yan Kexing rode past stranded cattle and sheep and helped herders identify livestock they had seen along the way.
• Qile Moge told Shi Wen and Yan Kexing that he had not found his Dolan sheep, so Shi Wen asked to inspect where they were last seen.
• At the livestock shed, Shi Wen saw that the sandstorm had torn off its roof and examined the overlapping hoofprints.
• Shi Wen determined that the Dolan sheep had fled northwest, and Qile Moge went to gather food, water, weapons, and more people for the search.

Shi Wen led Qile Moge and the others through a sandstorm-darkened night to search for their missing Dolan sheep, following hoofprints into a forest. There, they heard a crowd arguing in a valley and went to investigate.

• Shi Wen led the search party after the Dolan sheep’s hoofprints while Yan Kexing helped conceal his animal ears.
• Shi Wen’s group met another party searching for Dolan sheep, and two young men joined them after recognizing Shi Wen’s livestock-tracking ability.
• Shi Wen guided the group northwest at a fast pace, and after walking much of the night they reached a dense forest where the sheep might have taken shelter.
• Shi Wen listened for danger and led the group into the forest to search among the trees.
• Shi Wen heard many people talking ahead, followed the voices with Yan Kexing, and led his group into a valley where a large crowd argued in different languages.

Shi Wen and Qile Moge found a large flock of sheep stranded on a steep mountainside, including some of Qile Moge’s sheep, but darkness and dangerous cliffs prevented them from bringing the flock down. At daybreak, the sheep were still there, and Yan Kexing warned that reaching them by a safe route might require going as far as Changwo County.

• Shi Wen recognized a flock of about two hundred sheep on the mountain and confirmed that some belonged to Qile Moge.
• The herders explained that cliffs made it too dangerous to drive the sheep down in the dark, so they decided to wait for daybreak.
• A newly arrived group tried climbing the cliff but gave up after one person fell; others set off to seek a roundabout route.
• Shi Wen slept against Yan Kexing’s shoulder and woke a little after five, with Yan Kexing’s clothes draped over him.
• Shi Wen saw that the flock was still intact, and Yan Kexing told Qile Moge that a safer route might mean traveling to Changwo County.

Shi Wen and Yan Kexing helped the herders climb a steep slope and drove more than two hundred frightened sheep down to safety. The herders reclaimed their animals, and the group began posting photos of the unclaimed sheep to WeChat.

• An old man led the group toward a gentler slope, where Shi Wen spotted an animal trail and he and Yan Kexing secured a rope for the climb.
• After a tree broke under the climbers, Shi Wen told those who could not climb to wait below and help gather the sheep later.
• Shi Wen and Yan Kexing reached the flock, and Shi Wen went ahead to drive the sheep while Yan Kexing watched from farther up the slope.
• The sheep gathered around Shi Wen and followed him down the slope, reaching the open ground safely.
• The herders cheered, reclaimed their sheep, and posted photos of unclaimed animals in WeChat groups.

After helping Qile Moge recover his sheep, Shi Wen received gifts from grateful herders and donated them to disaster victims. Meanwhile, Shi Wen and Yan Kexing bought matching outfits and grew more openly affectionate, while Ge Yue and Lin Chengqian teased them for it.

• Shi Wen confirmed that Qile Moge had recovered all his sheep, declined a red envelope, and returned to the ranch with Yan Kexing.
• Herders sent Shi Wen gifts after he refused their red envelopes, and he asked people not to send food before donating the gifts for a charity auction benefiting disaster victims.
• Ge Yue suggested some gifts came from admirers, but Shi Wen dismissed the idea and said he and Yan Kexing only needed each other.
• Yan Kexing bought matching designer outfits for himself and Shi Wen, and trying them on led the two to kiss and spend the night together.
• Shi Wen and Yan Kexing began wearing matching outfits, while Ge Yue teased them about Yan Kexing feeling threatened by Shi Wen's admirers.
• Ge Yue and Lin Chengqian asked Shi Wen for hush money, and he gave each of them a pinkish-white egg.