Chapter Summaries

Shi Wen accepted Gong Jiang’s invitation to pick Bachu mushrooms with Yan Kexing and the others in Li County. After arriving at a misty poplar grove, Shi Wen teamed up with Yan Kexing, but they had not found any mushrooms yet.

• Shi Wen checked on the injured goitered gazelle with Gong Jiang, who said it had stabilized and would likely be released after more treatment.
• Gong Jiang invited Shi Wen to join his advisor and others on a trip to pick Bachu mushrooms, and Shi Wen agreed.
• Shi Wen finished his ranch chores early the next morning and joined Yan Kexing, Gong Jiang, Lin Chengqian, and Ge Yue in their car.
• The group arrived at a poplar grove, took baskets and small daggers, and split into two teams.
• Shi Wen volunteered to pair with Yan Kexing, but after searching for more than twenty minutes, they had not found a Bachu mushroom.

Shi Wen and Yan Kexing searched the woods for Bachu mushrooms, then joined Ge Yue, Gong Jiang, and Lin Chengqian in investigating branches Shi Wen suspected were markers. They found the trail led to a peach tree and learned the markers might belong to small Japanese field mice, so Shi Wen led the group to follow them.

• Yan Kexing found several Bachu mushrooms, and Shi Wen joined him to search for more.
• Yan Kexing spotted another mushroom, which Shi Wen picked and imagined using in soup at an old restaurant.
• Shi Wen noticed oddly placed branches and pointed them out to Yan Kexing, Ge Yue, Gong Jiang, and Lin Chengqian.
• Yan Kexing suggested the branches might be landmarks placed by small Japanese field mice to guide them to food.
• After checking information and taking photos, Shi Wen led the group along the markers to find where they went.

Shi Wen led Yan Kexing and the others along little wood mouse paths and found a large patch of Bachu mushrooms. They gathered enough mushrooms for several dishes, leaving sunflower seeds for the mice, and ended the search with their baskets half full.

• Shi Wen and the others followed a little wood mouse’s markers to its burrow, where Yan Kexing stopped Shi Wen from getting too close.
• Shi Wen followed another mouse path and found Bachu mushrooms, then harvested nine while leaving boiled sunflower seeds for the mice.
• The group searched more mouse paths, learning that fresh paths were more likely to lead to Bachu mushrooms.
• Shi Wen left sunflower seeds wherever he picked mushrooms until the group used up all their supplies.
• After searching for more than two hours, the five filled their baskets halfway and Ge Yue said they had enough mushrooms for several dishes.

Yan Kexing took Shi Wen and the others to a restaurant to cook the Bachu mushrooms they had picked. After enjoying a feast, Shi Wen suggested they return to pick mushrooms next year.

• Yan Kexing led the group back to their car, and Lin Chengqian drove them to the restaurant.
• Yan Kexing asked the auntie to cook all the Bachu mushrooms, and she planned several mushroom dishes for the group.
• Shi Wen tasted the chicken soup with Bachu mushrooms and found the broth and mushrooms richly savory.
• The stir-fried beef with Bachu mushrooms arrived, and Shi Wen eagerly ate it with rice before trying the other dishes.
• Shi Wen ate two bowls of rice and drank two bowls of soup, then suggested that they come pick Bachu mushrooms again next year.

After the rain cleared, Shi Wen sheared his sheep with Fu Meng’s help and learned the process for next time. They took the fleece to a ranch to meet a wool buyer, where Shi Wen saw thousands of sheep.

• Shi Wen let his cows graze while keeping his noisy sheep penned up.
• Fu Meng visited Shi Wen and helped him shear the sheep, while Shi Wen learned to use the electric shears.
• Heiwa’s presence quieted the sheep, and Shi Wen sheared the last few himself.
• Shi Wen and Fu Meng packed seventy-three jin and six liang of wool and agreed to visit a wool buyer.
• Shi Wen and Fu Meng rode to another town and arrived at a ranch filled with thousands of half-grown ewes.

Shi Wen sold his wool to Zhang Deyuan and noticed that some of Zhang’s sheep were sick. After a vet confirmed they had bluetongue disease, Shi Wen learned that his warning had helped prevent more serious losses; the chapter then followed him as he began taking manure to a fermentation pit on his pasture.

• Shi Wen sold seventy-three jin and six liang of first-grade wool to Zhang Deyuan for 4,785 yuan.
• Shi Wen warned Zhang Deyuan that several sheep looked sick and might have a contagious disease.
• Shi Wen studied his books at home while worrying that he might have misjudged the sheep.
• Fu Meng told Shi Wen that Sikewell had confirmed bluetongue disease and treated Zhang Deyuan’s sheep before the illness spread.
• Shi Wen agreed to let Zhang Deyuan thank him in person, then began hauling livestock manure to a fermentation pit.

Shi Wen received Zhang Deyuan’s thanks for spotting bluetongue in his sheep, then discussed buying half-grown ewes from him. Zhang offered to let Shi Wen choose from his flock at wholesale price, and Shi Wen offered to pay extra.

• Shi Wen finished dumping manure and went to the gate when Heiwa barked, where he met Zhang Deyuan and Fu Meng.
• Zhang Deyuan thanked Shi Wen for noticing the sheep’s illness and said the bluetongue outbreak was under control.
• Shi Wen explained that the affected sheep had seemed listless and swollen, then hosted Zhang Deyuan and Fu Meng for tea.
• Zhang Deyuan offered to let Shi Wen choose suitable half-grown ewes from his own flock at the price he had paid.
• Shi Wen offered to pay Zhang Deyuan twenty yuan per jin instead of the nineteen yuan per jin Zhang had paid, but Zhang refused the extra payment.

Shi Wen bought seventy-eight young ewes from Zhang Deyuan at a discounted price and isolated them at his ranch. After Fu Meng sent him a video of two sheepdog puppies up for adoption, Shi Wen went to Star Pet Hospital to see them.

• Shi Wen inspected Zhang Deyuan's flock and marked seventy-eight of the best young ewes for purchase.
• Zhang Deyuan offered Shi Wen a discounted price, and Fu Meng witnessed their deal as Shi Wen paid more than sixty thousand yuan.
• Zhang Deyuan asked Shi Wen to keep the bluetongue disease situation quiet, and Shi Wen agreed before taking the new sheep to his ranch and isolating them.
• Shi Wen asked Fu Meng and Zhang Deyuan to help find affordable local sheepdogs, and Fu Meng sent him a video of two puppies at a pet hospital.
• Shi Wen visited Star Pet Hospital and found the two local sheepdog puppies up for adoption.

Shi Wen adopted two puppies to help Heiwa watch his sheep, then left them at the pet hospital when Yan Kexing asked him to calm a Tibetan wild ass trapped in a marsh. As Yan Kexing drove him toward the Agouna Mountains, Shi Wen realized Yan knew his ranch well.

• Shi Wen befriended two puppies at the pet hospital, despite their very different temperaments, and decided to adopt them as sheepdogs.
• Shi Wen registered to adopt the puppies and bought them food, treats, and medicine, along with beef snacks for Heiwa.
• Yan Kexing called Shi Wen for help calming a stressed Tibetan wild ass trapped in a marsh near the Agouna Mountains.
• Shi Wen left the puppies at the pet hospital and joined Yan Kexing in his car.
• Shi Wen told Yan Kexing about buying more sheep and adopting the puppies, and noticed that Yan was familiar with his ranch.

Shi Wen and Yan Kexing joined a rescue effort to free a Tibetan wild ass trapped in a swamp. Shi Wen calmed the animal and secured a rope around it, and Yan Kexing tied the knot before they prepared to move back.

• Shi Wen and Yan Kexing arrived at the swamp, where rescuers explained that a Tibetan wild ass had charged in while chasing a car and could not be freed.
• Shi Wen put on waterproof trousers, approached the trapped wild ass, and calmed it by stroking its neck.
• Shi Wen looped a rope around the wild ass’s belly, front legs, and neck while Yan Kexing passed him the rope.
• Yan Kexing joined Shi Wen in the swamp and tied a secure slipknot as the wild ass trembled and fell quiet.
• Yan Kexing told Shi Wen to move back a little once the knot was ready.

Shi Wen and Yan Kexing helped rescue a Tibetan wild ass trapped in a marsh, then drove to N City People's Hospital to have Shi Wen’s eyes examined. The results showed that his vision was excellent despite his history of wearing glasses.

• Shi Wen, Yan Kexing, and the volunteers used a vehicle and worked together for more than two hours to pull the Tibetan wild ass free.
• A veterinarian examined the exhausted animal and found nothing seriously wrong.
• Yan Kexing persuaded Shi Wen to visit N City People's Hospital for an eye examination on their way back to N City.
• The doctor tested Shi Wen’s vision and found his visual acuity was 5.3 in both eyes, surprising Shi Wen, who had worn glasses for years.

After learning that Yan Kexing had a nonhuman bloodline, Shi Wen returned to the ranch with two puppies and tested himself using strips from the Abnormal Affairs Bureau. The results showed a dramatic rise in his Divinity and Abilities, leaving Zhu Ji stunned.

• Shi Wen confirmed that his eyesight was healthy, then asked Yan Kexing about his bloodline, and Yan Kexing admitted he was not of human blood.
• Yan Kexing said his bloodline was classified and that Shi Wen might learn the truth as he continued to grow.
• Shi Wen picked up two puppies and brought them to the ranch, where Heiwa barked jealously at the newcomers.
• Shi Wen soothed Heiwa, cared for the ranch animals, and then tested himself with the strips from the Abnormal Affairs Bureau.
• Zhu Ji saw Shi Wen's latest test data: his Divinity had reached 538 and his Abilities 364, more than twice their May 6 levels.

Zhu Ji reviewed Shi Wen’s extraordinary ability test data and visited him with his assistant, Duan Kuo, to learn more about his situation and see the ranch. Shi Wen showed them the livestock shed, where the puppies Le Wa and An Wa greeted them with barking.

• Zhu Ji called Yan Kexing after seeing Shi Wen’s remarkable test data, but Yan Kexing admitted he was biased because Shi Wen was his friend.
• Shi Wen took his newly purchased sheep out to graze while Zhu Ji and Duan Kuo waited outside the ranch gate.
• Zhu Ji called Shi Wen, introduced himself as the Provincial Anomaly Management Office director, and explained that they wanted to visit and learn more about his abilities.
• Shi Wen rode to the gate, welcomed Zhu Ji and Duan Kuo, and led them around the ranch.
• Shi Wen brought Zhu Ji and Duan Kuo into the livestock shed, where Le Wa barked and Zhu Ji asked about the puppies’ names.

Shi Wen received intermediate Ability user status and applied for a ranch subsidy, then used the first payment to plan to expand his dairy herd. When Zhang Deyuan warned him about widespread livestock illnesses, Shi Wen asked whether sick cows could be bought cheaply, leaving Zhang stunned.

• Zhu Ji classified Shi Wen as an intermediate Ability user and told him he could apply for special funding.
• Shi Wen submitted an application for a three-hundred-thousand-yuan subsidy, and fifty thousand yuan arrived a week later.
• Shi Wen contacted Zhang Deyuan about buying three to five dairy cows for the ranch.
• Zhang Deyuan warned Shi Wen that illnesses were spreading among livestock and suggested waiting for the weather to clear.
• Shi Wen asked whether sick cows would be much cheaper, and Zhang Deyuan questioned why he wanted to buy them.

Shi Wen considered buying sick cattle, but Zhang Deyuan, Fu Meng, and Sikewell warned him about the risks and urged him to gain experience first. Shi Wen accompanied Sikewell to treat a herd with mucosal disease, where they found one cow dead and three others still sick.

• Shi Wen explained that buying sick cattle could help sellers recover losses while allowing him to purchase livestock cheaply, but Zhang Deyuan warned him about disease and quarantine risks.
• Zhang Deyuan told Fu Meng about Shi Wen's plan, and Fu Meng and Sikewell each tried to dissuade him; Sikewell offered Shi Wen work as a veterinary assistant instead.
• Shi Wen accepted Sikewell's offer and accompanied him to a neighboring town to treat a herding family's cattle with mucosal disease.
• Shi Wen and Sikewell encountered a dead cow with bloody mucus, ulcerated skin, and rotted hooves, and Sikewell recorded the case and arranged for the carcass to be buried and the site disinfected.
• Shi Wen followed Sikewell into an old cowshed to examine the family's three remaining sick cows, which lay panting with ulcerated mouths and foul-smelling saliva.

Shi Wen bought three severely ill cows despite Sikewell’s warnings, determined to try to nurse them back to health. He brought them to his warehouse, where Sikewell stressed that they must remain strictly isolated.

• Sikewell examined the sick cows and warned Shi Wen that their condition was grave and that sick livestock could devastate a herding family.
• Shi Wen insisted on buying the cows and explained that he would isolate them by his warehouse and vaccinate his healthy livestock.
• The owners and nearby herders agreed to sell Shi Wen all three cows for three thousand each, and they completed a witnessed written agreement.
• Sikewell arranged a safe-disposal vehicle to transport the cows to Shi Wen’s home, where Shi Wen settled them in the empty warehouse.
• Sikewell instructed Shi Wen to maintain strict isolation and disinfect himself before tending to healthy cattle and sheep.

Shi Wen cared for three sick cows, but one died despite his efforts. Sikewell and Tang Duohai removed the carcass and discovered the other two cows had recovered enough to go into heat, leaving Shi Wen to consider how he would breed them.

• Shi Wen found that two sick cows had improved while the gravely ill cow had worsened, and he cared for them before the sickest cow died.
• Shi Wen called Sikewell, who arrived with his assistant Tang Duohai to document and remove the dead cow and disinfect the storeroom.
• Shi Wen reported that the other two cows were agitated and bleeding, and Sikewell and Tang Duohai laughed when they realized the cows were in heat.
• Sikewell explained that the cows' heat meant they had recovered, then advised Shi Wen on their care and breeding options for a future cycle.

Shi Wen’s two surviving cows recovered and entered heat, so he asked Sikewell to artificially inseminate them. Afterward, Shi Wen hoped they would safely give birth to healthy calves.

• Sikewell explained cattle breeding to Shi Wen, then drove away with the dead cow and contaminated materials.
• Tang Duohai told his card-playing friends that Shi Wen’s two remaining cows had nearly recovered and gone into heat, prompting them to discuss Shi Wen’s skill and luck.
• Shi Wen asked Sikewell to artificially inseminate the cows and explained that he planned to hire workers to make silage soon.
• Sikewell examined the healthy-looking cows, checked the frozen local brown-cattle semen with Shi Wen, and inseminated both cows.
• Sikewell gave each cow a vitamin injection, and Shi Wen hoped they would safely deliver their calves.

Shi Wen managed the herd, stopped Le Wa from chasing the geese, and checked the fallow cornfield as he planned to reclaim it. He later visited Fu Meng to discuss the cows’ pregnancies and his plan to breed the sheep in October.

• Shi Wen drove the cattle and sheep with help from Heiwa, Le Wa, and An Wa, while the geese followed the herd.
• Le Wa chased the geese despite Shi Wen’s calls, then tripped and fell; Shi Wen checked the dog for injuries and scolded it before rewarding Heiwa for helping.
• Shi Wen left the dogs to watch the herd and inspected the old cornfield, finding dark, loose soil that could be used after plowing and fertilizing.
• Shi Wen visited Fu Meng and said Dr. Sikewell expected the two cows to give birth next May if cared for well.
• Shi Wen told Fu Meng he planned to breed the sheep in October so their lambs would be born in March, when spring forage would be available.

Shi Wen arranged to buy fermented manure and hire workers to plant fifty mu of silage corn, then Yan Kexing offered to show him a new variety. At the growing base, Shi Wen learned that Yucheng Silage No. 9 had promising yields and nutritional value.

• Shi Wen asked Fu Meng for five thousand kilograms of fermented manure and planned to plant fifty mu of silage corn to reduce winter feed costs.
• Fu Meng recommended local workers to plow and sow Shi Wen's land, though they could not come for a few days because it was peak planting season.
• Shi Wen accidentally video-called Yan Kexing, who asked about his silage corn plans and offered to take him to see Yucheng Silage No. 9.
• Shi Wen visited the growing base with Yan Kexing and heard a staff member describe the variety's yield, palatability, disease resistance, and protein content.