Before and after dusk, a red sun climbed over the waist of Mazaro Mountain, and an affectionate silver-haired old woman in the Mazaro Mountain Farm on the mountain’s waist brought out a pot of heated Snowflake Milk Wine.
After pouring a cup of wine for Old Kuru, she looked worriedly towards the hillside at a red figure sprinting with all his might, chasing the sunset like a legendary figure who races the sun, tirelessly running.
The new herdsman had been running for a whole day now, and it was clear that he was too exhausted to move his feet.
"Old man, aren’t you being too harsh on the newcomer? By age, he’s much younger than Ah Zad, don’t wear him out, Helen will have a fit," inquired Granny Madan, Old Kuru’s boss.
The couple from the Mazaro Mountain Ranch have known Helen for twenty years now, and since Helen brought this person, he must be someone she trusts.
No one knows Old Kuru better than Granny Madan, although he’s retired, the soldier’s blood in his bones is always stirring.
His eagle-like eyes can peer into a person’s soul, especially when he sees young people, he has this feeling of frustration from them not meeting his expectations, often training those with decent qualifications to the point of exhaustion.
If he really disliked the new young man, he wouldn’t bother with him at all.
However, anyone who passes Old Kuru’s test and leaves the Mazaro Mountain Ranch successfully with aspirations to join the military, eventually receives a very good recommendation letter from the Imperial Military Department.
Of course, neither Helen nor Old Kuru would tell Yue Jinghua about this.
Old Kuru sipped the steaming milk wine, squinting his old eyes, emitting a sound of satisfaction.
The sunset in Mazaro is the most beautiful scenery in the world, and seeing the young man running under the sunset reminded him of his military days many years ago.
"Haha, don’t underestimate that lad. I originally only intended him to herd twenty Snowflake Cattle, but guess what, just now when I let the cattle out, he cried and wailed, yet he dodged the attacks of more than twenty cattle. Those are violent Snowflake Cattle, where just ten of them could scatter a hundred-man squad of the Empire, Helen really sent us a fine fellow this time," Old Kuru had found many herdsmen, and Ah Zad had watched over cattle at his farm for a solid ten years.
In the initial three years, Ah Zad could only watch over twenty cattle, and each time he returned, he was more or less injured.
The herdsman’s equipment, despised by Yue Jinghua, is actually essential gear at the Mazaro Ranch.
Thick boots are necessary for navigating the complex terrain of Mazaro Mountain, knee guards and thick protective armor are to prevent the body from being cut by sharp vegetation and stone shards.
The red vest allows Old Kuru’s albatross to spot him in times of crisis.
This seemingly frail young man had been running from nine in the morning till sunset, for about six to seven hours straight without collapsing; even the Empire’s best signal soldiers couldn’t achieve that.
"He’s back, I’ll go prepare the dinner," Old Madam knew that with her husband’s stubborn personality, more persuasion would be futile.
"Prepare some beef soup, kids of this age sure eat a lot," watching the red figure slowly moving towards them, Old Kuru nodded in satisfaction.
Yue Jinghua felt as if heavy lead blocks were tied to her feet, and the energy in her body was being completely drained as if it were being drawn out and peeled away layer by layer.
The equipment that Old Kuru had provided was quite bizarre, especially the pair of thick-soled boots on her feet. Not only were they incredibly heavy, but they also had a magical effect. Yue Jinghua found that every time she tried to use the Small Cloud Trace Steps to quickly escape, before the Dark Power could gather at the soles of her feet, it would disperse.
This undoubtedly greatly compromised her movement technique.
The terrain of Mazaro Mountain was rugged and strewn with boulders, and as the herd of cattle ran, small loose rocks would tumble down unexpectedly, catching Yue Jinghua off guard.
The Snowflake Strange Power Bulls, having lived in this area all year round, were already familiar with every grass and tree in the mountains. This change in terrain was second nature to them, but for Yue Jinghua, who had grown up in the plains, it was extremely painful.
The moment Old Kuru released the herd, Yue Jinghua realized that it was incredibly difficult to avoid their attacks without being able to use her movement technique.
This herd of dozens of Snowflake Strange Power Bulls, having not been let out for several days, charged out like well-trained soldiers at the first opportunity, barreling forward with great momentum.
The pounding footsteps of the cattle herd, like thunderous running, sounded like infantry marching in step.
However, relying on her exceptional spiritual power, Yue Jinghua narrowly escaped the bulls’ horns, which were like two curved scythes, though it cost her a great deal of her Dark Power.
By the time they reached the middle of the mountain, the herd seemed to have realized that the new cattle herder was slipperier than an eel.
Gradually, the herd formed a semicircle and surrounded her. A gust-like force surged from all directions towards Yue Jinghua.
This time, Yue Jinghua was violently thrown out. If it weren’t for the protective armor and knee guards, even with her Dark Skill protecting her body, she would have broken several bones.
Several times it was . Just as Yue Jinghua felt dizzy from being struck and was about to be trampled by cattle hooves, following a series of gurgling calls by Old Kuru, the herd obediently turned, like rolling stones, and ran towards the direction of the ranch.
Yue Jinghua walked over to a wooden fence and sat down with a thump, took off her clumsy helmet, and then pulled off her boots as heavy as a wall.
Underneath her feet, a dense ring of blisters had formed.
Old Kuru then grabbed her chin and poured a mouthful of thick, pungent Snowflake Milk Wine down her throat.
"You old geezer, threw me off," Yue Jinghua, annoyed, swung a palm strike, but missed.
After the milk wine entered her stomach, it felt as if a fire had been lit inside, burning hotly.
"Not bad, kid, you still have the energy to curse. Not bad, not bad at all. Stay here. Tomorrow morning at five, remember to take the cattle out for a walk," Old Kuru laughed heartily. He slapped Yue Jinghua’s shoulder hard, making her feel as if all her internal organs had been shaken by his palm. His cultivation was at least of Dark Earth Peak, if not Dark Heavenly.
A powerful expert of Dark Earth Dark Sky rank, guarding such a ranch?
He was no ordinary retiree of the Imperial Military.