Traveling north from Verdant Wilds and crossing Xiu River, the plains stretch vast for a thousand miles, home …
Traveling north from Verdant Wilds and crossing Xiu River, the plains stretch vast for a thousand miles, home to countless steeds galloping freely—this is Wildmane Ranch. North of the pasture lies Finesteed Hamlet, nestled against North Ridge with a stone cliff rising behind it. Both the village and ranch belong to the Qi family of horse tamers. Legend has it their ancestors were horse merchants from Youzhou; after the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun fell, the family migrated to Qinghe. Seeing the lush pastures here, they established the ranch and built the village. It's also said that during the Xiande era of the previous dynasty, Finesteed Hamlet presented a thousand fine horses to aid Emperor Shizong's northern expedition.
Arriving at Wildmane Ranch today, the village buildings still stand, and a few horse tamers tend horses in the wild. Yet the village is no longer what it once was—how lamentable.