By the river, Jiang Feng took the bow and arrow off his back.

"The selection ceremony for the city Nadamu Festival is coming up soon."

"I need to prepare well in advance."

"Ximeng League has two cities, nine banners, one county, one administrative district, and one development zone."

"Each city, banner, and county has its own team participating in the competition."

"Maodeng Ranch belongs to the administrative and political center of Ximeng League—Xilinhot City. I definitely need to represent the city in the competition."

"But every year, the top spots in the three traditional Mongolian competitions are usually taken by people from the banners. Xilinhot City’s performance is relatively poor."

"This year, the city hopes I can perform well and bring some honor to the city."

"I at least need to show some skill in the city’s selection."

Jiang Feng came to the river to practice archery on horseback.

In the traditional three events, archery includes stationary shooting and horseback shooting.

Stationary shooting is relatively less exciting. What really captures people’s attention is horseback shooting.

Galloping horses, billowing dust, men drawing bows and shooting arrows, hitting the target—this truly embodies the style of the Mongolian Grassland.

The best way to practice horseback shooting is through hunting. If you’re good at hunting, shooting at stationary straw targets becomes quite easy.

But now, apart from the officially sanctioned hunting by the Ewenki people, others are not allowed to hunt since most wild animals today are protected.

The stranger and more unusual the animal, the higher its protection level.

However, while hunting is not permitted, shooting fish remains okay.

Fish reproduce in large numbers, their lives aren’t valued, so they aren’t protected.

[Goodness, the ranch owner’s training method is a bit wild!]

[Riding a horse by the river shooting fish? Isn’t that purely... ambitious?]

[He’s training his archery skills, not fishing. For fishing, you just use a fishing rod.]

[This training method is far more effective than shooting straw men at the ranch!]

Seeing Jiang Feng doing this, everyone started discussing.

Although Jiang Feng has archery skills, skills require practice to become perfect.

On the basis of proficiency, regular practice is needed to reach a state of remarkable skill.

In the shallow river water, some fish could be seen swimming by.

These fish are very clever; they hide their bodies in the shadows of the water flow. Sometimes, if the fish don’t move, you’d think there aren’t any fish in the river at all.

Fish also have an instinct for survival.

Jiang Feng rode the horse along the riverbank.

This section of the riverbank is relatively high, surrounded by grass, and the ground is hard, unlike those muddy areas with sparse grass.

So running was no problem.

He held the bow in one hand, the other hand on the bowstring, nerves taut, eyes scanning the river water.

The netizens watching couldn’t help but feel tense as well.

[The ranch owner’s presence is strong!]

[In ancient times, he would absolutely be a valiant Grand General!]

[He may seem gentle on the surface, but they can already imagine the hero in a general’s love story!]

[Still rooting for the ranch owner, he’ll never disappoint us!]

At this moment, Jiang Feng locked his gaze on the target and directly drew the bow and shot the arrow!

Shooting while running is completely different from shooting at a stationary target.

Everything is in motion.

Therefore, one must fully consider the movement rules of oneself and the target to judge the direction of the shot.

If you just aim at the target and shoot directly, you could never hit it!

Shot!

Jiang Feng’s shot instantly caught everyone’s attention!

A streak of light quickly shot into the river’s surface.

The river water splashed up in a spray.

The next second, the arrow was stuck upright at the riverbed.

This section of the river was shallow, just ankle-deep.

The netizens eagerly looked over.

[Did the ranch owner hit it?]

[So fast!]

As they spoke, Jiang Feng dismounted.

His pants were wet anyway, so he simply walked into the river water.

Then, he pulled the arrow out of the river.

At the end of the arrow, a medium-sized crucian carp was struggling.

[Wow! He really hit it!]

[The rancher’s skills belong to a different era!]

[No wonder the host is so popular, he’s really got some skills!]

The netizens exclaimed in awe.

Jiang Feng took off the crucian carp, planning to make fish soup.

"Just hitting one is enough; I’ll make a crucian carp soup later."

"Crucian carp is best for making soup, nutritious, soothes the stomach and spleen, and its protein is easily absorbed."

"The soup also tastes the best."

Jiang Feng told everyone.

Hearing his words, the netizens added:

[Almost forgot, the ranch owner is also a chef!]

[A life without a 9-to-5 job is great, you can learn so many real skills!]

Then, Jiang Feng placed the fish on the riverbank and continued shooting fish.

In the end, he shot three fish; one was too small, so Jiang Feng threw it back into the river.

At this moment, a bow and arrow was still attached to the fish.

A kind-hearted netizen couldn’t help but say:

[Ranch owner, won’t the fish feel pain like this?]

[Yeah, how do you take the fish off the bow and arrow, that’s too cruel!]

[How can you practice archery with a living creature?]

Jiang Feng saw these comments, and was slightly taken aback.

Every day millions of fish are caught and harvested, and the fish in the river are constantly being killed. Isn’t this quite normal?

However, he also knows that these people are kind-hearted and can’t bear to witness such scenes.

Jiang Feng is also a kind person.

He nodded and said, "Everyone has a point; it’s a bit painful for the fish."

As he spoke, Jiang Feng walked to a large stone by the shore and pulled out the Mongolian Saber from his waist.

He opened the sheath, and the sharp blade gleamed coldly.

Then, right there by the shore, he killed the fish, scraped off the scales, and cleaned the fish thoroughly.

His knife skills were excellent, so he worked quickly. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

"This way, the fish won’t suffer,"

Jiang Feng said calmly.

Many netizens responded:

[Aren’t fish meant to be eaten? Our family runs a restaurant and we kill fish every day; it’s no big deal!]

[I love meat. I don’t do it myself, but I don’t stop others from slaughtering!]

[Fish are so cute, how can you eat fish!]

[Captain, I urge you to send some my way, or I’ll start a cyberbullying campaign against you!]

Everyone is just joking around; making fish is normal.

Jiang Feng put the prepared fish meat into a plastic bag and, while it’s still fresh, rode his horse straight to the grassland.

"Today’s weather is good, overcast all day. A few of us agreed to graze until the afternoon, and we’ll have boiled lamb chops outdoors for lunch."

"They brought out lamb chops and a pot, put them in the pot with some salt, and once cooked, they tear it up to eat."

"I’ll add a dish for them."

When Jiang Feng returned to the grassland, Yang Maolin and his three companions had already set up the pot, using cow dung to start boiling the lamb chops.

Jiang Feng greeted Bugude and Hadan and said:

"You two set up a stand, find a thin stone slab and wash it clean, I’ll fry a fish here."

"Don’t touch the pot once the lamb chops are done, we’ll cook a pot of fish soup next."

While herding is rather boring, everyone’s main focus is on the food.

Waiting one or two hours for good food doesn’t bother anyone; it’s leisurely anyway.

Upon hearing Jiang Feng wanted to make fish, Hadan and Bugude quickly rode their horses to the lake to fetch water and find stones.

Soon, the two returned and began constructing the stone slab using stones, placed dry cow dung underneath, and lit it, burning the slab.

Jiang Feng spread oil on the cleaned stone slab and started frying the fish.

Stone slabs don’t conduct heat as well as iron pans, but they’re decent.

Once the fish was nearly fried, he put it in the pot, added some seasonings and wild vegetables, and began boiling.

Despite the simple outdoor conditions, Jiang Feng was entirely focused while making the fish.

Watching the messy ingredients being transformed into delicious food made netizens feel a bit more fulfilled.

The fish soup in the pot quickly turned white with an excellent appearance.

[Looks so tasty!]

[Cooking outdoors is so captivating!]

Netizens couldn’t help but comment.

At this time, Jiang Feng took the lamb chops handed to him by Yang Maolin.

The lamb chops were simply boiled in salt water, with the overall meat color turning white, and there were white crispy bones.

No need for any seasonings, just eat it directly.

A gentle bite, and the lamb meat is torn off.

Outdoor dining is pretty rough, but such lamb chops are a rare delicacy.

Jiang Feng looked at the fish soup in the pot and softly lamented:

"It’s a pity there’s no tofu."

"Adding some tender tofu to carp soup is the ultimate enjoyment."

Jiang Feng lamented again.

While cooking the fish soup, Hadan and Bugude noticed another problem.

"We don’t have bowls; how are we going to drink the soup later?" Hadan said.

"We can go to the lake and find some big leaves; if we wrap them together, we can drink from them, and find some branches, peel them to use as chopsticks," Bugude suggested.

The two said this and went busy by the lakeside again.

The weather is good, though overcast, the wind blowing over the grassland is quite cool.

Summer’s rainfall is enough; it looks like it’s going to rain.

Before the rain comes, let the cattle and sheep eat their fill. Even if we don’t herd for a day or two later, it won’t have much effect.

Jiang Feng stirred the fish soup with a long stick; Yang Maolin brought some salt and other seasonings, so he could also adjust the fish soup’s taste simply.

Jiang Feng, being a chef, cooking a pot of fish soup was naturally not difficult.

Soon, Bugude and Hadan returned with large leaves, waited for the fish soup to cool a bit, poured it into the makeshift leaf bowls, and drank it in one gulp.

The feeling is refreshing.

"Hmm! So fresh!"

Bugude drank a sip of fish soup, and his eyes brightened.

This fish soup tastes much better than the fish usually eaten; it’s not only free of fishy taste, but also full of fresh fragrance. No way of telling how it was made!

Hadan also drank the fish soup in one go.

Everyone was full of admiration for Jiang Feng’s culinary skills.

They swept through the food and quickly finished the fish and fish soup, leaving none behind.

"Captain, did you learn cooking somewhere? You’re amazing!"

Bugude couldn’t help but express his admiration.

At this, Jiang Feng simply replied:

"Cooking is just a hobby of mine; I occasionally make some."

Upon hearing this, the three of them could only keep expressing their amazement.

The captain’s hobby is truly impressive.