Beastmaster: I'm really just a forest ranger

Chapter 258 Academic Pioneers! An Interview with the Donghuang Daily!

Xuanhe Village
A minivan pulled up smoothly at the village entrance. The door opened, and a woman with a good figure and elegant attire stepped out. Upon closer inspection, a nameplate on her chest bore the words "Donghuang Daily, Fan Qianqian."

After Fan Qianqian got out of the car, a muscular man carrying an obviously expensive camera followed closely behind. The two stood at the entrance of the village and looked around: "Is this Xuanhe Village?"

"Uh-huh."

No sooner had she finished speaking than a childish voice rang out beside her. Fan Qianqian looked down and met a pair of clear, big eyes with long eyelashes. She smiled and said, "Hello, little friend."

Little Peach nodded obediently, then glanced at Fan Qianqian, who looked like a reporter, and the camera behind her, and couldn't help but mutter, "Are they here to interview Brother Chen Yuan again?"

"Grandpa Village Chief said he's going to take you to the office."

again?
Fan Qianqian keenly grasped this word, but didn't pay much attention to it. Instead, she smiled slightly and said, "Thank you, little friend, but I'm not going to the office now."

As a seasoned journalist, she was very familiar with this process.

Upon arriving at each location, the local Beastmaster Office would first host them, from which they would extract some official and uninteresting material, followed by some uninteresting answers from the interviewees.

She doesn't like this.

Fan Qianqian's favorite thing to do is to go deep into the surrounding area, contact and interview residents living near the interviewees, and gain an in-depth understanding of the interviewees' daily lives. By piecing together other people's stories and her own firsthand observations, she can create a more authentic and complete picture of the interviewee.

What are the interviewees like in the eyes of others?

What changes did the interviewees bring to the local area?
She prefers to understand all the issues in detail through her own in-depth contact.

This time, it's the same.

After a moment of reflection, Fan Qianqian looked around and her attention was drawn to the village entrance in front of her.

At the entrance of the village stands a tall camphor tree, which remains lush and vibrant even in the cold winter amidst the snow-covered Qinling Mountains.

Under the camphor tree, a dozen or so dogs of various kinds lay on the ground, some looking themselves up, some sleeping with their eyes closed, and some yawning.

One of the hounds, the Gale Hound, stood out. With its sharp eyes, flowing fur, and extraordinary presence, it was truly remarkable.

The photographer leaned closer and whispered, "Second-tier strength."

Fan Qianqian nodded slightly, and Xiao Taozi's voice suddenly rang out: "This is the second leader of Paw Patrol."

Paw Patrol?
Second leader?
Fan Qianqian was puzzled by Xiao Taozi's introduction. She turned her head and saw the other children who had been gathered around swarming over, chattering away:
"These dogs are all members of Paw Patrol, and they all obey Cola's commands!"

"With Cola gone, it's the Second Leader leading them!"

"Paw Patrol is amazing! They chase away those scary wild animals, help find lost items, and take us everywhere!"

"Yes, yes, when I grow up and become a beast tamer, I will make contracts with them!"

Hearing the children's introduction, Fan Qianqian nodded thoughtfully.

The Paw Patrol appears to be the patrol pet team of Xuanhe Village, a situation common in many villages today.

However, this Paw Patrol team was clearly very strong overall, and the photographer on the side had already spotted several Paw Patrol members with Tier 2 strength.

"Who is Cola?" Fan Qianqian quickly grasped the key point of the question.

Little Peach raised her hand, blinked her bright eyes, and said with pride and joy, "Cola is Brother Chen Yuan's pet beast. It's a Wind-Gathering Hound, and it's really powerful!"

"Sister, you want to interview Brother Chen Yuan, but you don't know what Coca-Cola is?"

Fan Qianqian was speechless for a moment.

She had been rushing around, and although she had crammed on Chen Yuan's life story, she hadn't had time to pay attention to these details.

"Cola is the Wind-Gathering Hound." Fan Qianqian remembered this and continued to ask the children about everything related to Chen Yuan.

She quickly unearthed a great deal of useful information:

These children all liked Chen Yuan very much and had some interaction with his life.

For example, the most lively and adorable little girl in front of us, named Little Peach, once got lost in the wild while trying to rescue an injured baby star deer, and it was Cola who found her;
And there was also a little boy named Xiao Zhao from another village who had discovered the trail of pet poachers and reported it to Chen Yuan, which led to the capture of a poaching team.

The child's account overlapped and merged with the information Fan Qianqian already possessed, allowing her to learn more details about this Consultant Chen.

She nodded to herself: "Although he is a champion who is famous in Qin Province, he always cares about the village and selflessly solves all the problems in the village."

This made Fan Qianqian even more curious about this Consultant Chen.

Last night, after receiving a message from her superior, she rushed to this small mountain village deep in the Qinling Mountains to interview the first researcher at Donghuang to meet the criteria for advancing to the Morning Star quality level.

She was puzzled at the time as to why such groundbreaking research results would come from an obscure little village, but after reviewing Consultant Chen's information, she suddenly understood.

This person is not a researcher in the traditional sense at all.

Or rather, he wasn't a researcher at all, but an incredibly skilled beast tamer.

He is the champion of the Taibai Cup Performance Competition in Baokun City, the champion of the Dafeng Cup in Qin Province, and the first high-level beast tamer in Qin Province. He has so many titles that he is recognized as the number one beast tamer in Qin Province.

Why would someone like this produce such groundbreaking academic results?
His younger brother is none other than Chen Wenhao, who caused a huge uproar yesterday. The two brothers once sparked heated discussions, and even Fan Qianqian knew about them.

This made her wonder: Is it really possible for someone to achieve amazing success in two fields at the same time?

Could Chen Yuan's academic achievements have come from Chen Wenhao, who studied at the Donghuang Beast Taming Academy?

Could all of this be a hoax?

With many questions in mind, Fan Qianqian arrived at Xuanhe Village.

A thousand thoughts flashed by in an instant. Fan Qianqian looked at Xiao Taozi and smiled: "Xiao Taozi, can you show me around your village?"

"Okay~" Little Peach smiled sweetly and took Fan Qianqian's hand as they walked into Xuanhe Village.

After this period of development, Xuanhe Village has undergone tremendous changes. Clean and tidy streets run through the village from east to west, and enthusiastic shouts rise and fall. Passing beast tamers cast curious glances at the two.

The photographer silently recorded the scene before him. Fan Qianqian went into each shop, first showing concern for their well-being, and then unknowingly steered the conversation toward Chen Yuan.

When they arrived at a fruit shop, Xiao Zhao squeezed to the front and shouted, "Daddy, Daddy, there are reporters!"

Zhao San looked at Fan Qianqian, rubbed his hands together, and showed his most sincere smile: "Hello, hello."

Fan Qianqian smiled back and was about to ask a question when she heard Xiao Xiao Zhao speak first: "Dad, she wants to ask about Brother Chen Yuan."

“Advisor Chen.” Zhao San was taken aback, then sat up straight facing the camera. In that instant, his expression was very complicated, but he managed to squeeze out something from the bottom of his heart, “I want to take this opportunity to thank Advisor Chen properly. He saved my life.”

Fan Qianqian immediately became interested and got into work mode: "What do you mean by that?"

Under the camera's gaze, Zhao San's eyes flickered, and his hoarse voice recounted what had happened: "I originally lived in the neighboring Anchang Village, which was too remote and backward. After hearing that there were many job opportunities in Xuanhe Village, I came here."

“Xuanhe Village is much better than Anchang Village. There’s no need to worry about being disturbed by wild animals or not having any guests.”

"My fruit stand business was good, so I brought my wife and children over."

At this point, he turned his head to look at his wife, who looked quite reserved, and little Zhao, who was listening attentively, and smiled gently.

“We were very happy during our time in Xuanhe Village. Although we didn’t make a lot of money, we were content and happy with each peaceful day.”

"Until one night, I was captured by two giant bears."

As Zhao San recounted his story, everyone present became engrossed, as if they had returned to that perilous night, facing the two ferocious and terrifying earth bears, and feeling the excitement and joy of Zhao San being rescued by Consultant Chen and escaping death.

At this moment, Little Peach shook her head and muttered, "Those two earth bears aren't ferocious or scary at all. They're very cute and are even Brother Chen Yuan's good friends."

"Hmm?" Fan Qianqian turned her head and looked at her, her face showing confusion.

Even under Fan Qianqian's gaze, Little Peach wasn't afraid. Instead, she kept muttering, "Bear Cub and Cola are good friends. It came with its bear father to say goodbye to Cola."

"They were just asking Uncle Zhao for directions; they won't hurt him."

"And also, Brother Chen Yuan knows a lot of the pets in the mountains."

Fan Qianqian was more interested in this topic, so she turned to face Xiao Taozi, bent down, and smiled gently: "Xiao Taozi, which pets does Brother Chen Yuan know?"

Seeing the camera pointed at her, Little Peach wasn't afraid at all. Instead, she raised her head, like a student obediently answering a question in class, her voice loud and clear: "Brother Chen Yuan said that there are two foxes living under a Flame Fruit tree in the mountains. One is called Flame-Tailed Fox, a glutton, and it has a nickname called Mourning."

"The other one is called Ice Fox; it's gentle, cute, and very timid."

"Hmm, there's also a herd of star deer. They love climbing mountains and crossing valleys, and their bodies glow like stars at night."

"Those flock of skylarks in the village were also brought by Brother Chen Yuan; they're very obedient."

Hearing this, Fan Qianqian nodded thoughtfully.

Upon entering the village, she noticed many larks perched on the eaves and branches. However, unlike the fierce and irritable larks she had imagined, these larks were gentle and even interacted closely with the villagers.

This isn't a raging lark, it's clearly a drifting lark.

Little Peach's answer resolved her doubts.

"Oh, and there's a really big bird that recently moved into the village. Brother Chen Yuan said it's called a Grey-feathered Falcon. If you run into trouble, you can ask it for help."

Fan Qianqian was slightly taken aback.

She also remembered the Greyfeather Falcon.

This grey-feathered falcon once soared high above the village, its cry extremely penetrating. She originally thought it would frighten the village's pets, but it turned out to be related to this Consultant Chen.

For a moment, her doubts deepened: "Just who is this Consultant Chen?"

"Beastmaster?"

"researcher?"

"Or perhaps a wildlife expert?" Fan Qianqian suddenly recalled the introduction of Chen Yuan's identity. He was previously a staff member of a wildlife rescue station, and after the spiritual energy revival, he served as an advisor to the association, specifically responsible for patrolling the Qinling Mountains.

Perhaps because of his special identity, he gets along well with all kinds of wild pets, and can even make the originally ferocious Cloudbird docile.

Such a person is unlikely to commit academic fraud.

Thoughts flashed through her mind, but Fan Qianqian remained calm and continued to delve deeper into Chen Yuan's affairs.

After a long time,

Fan Qianqian said goodbye to the group of children and headed towards Chen Yuan's farm.

"Aren't you going to keep asking?" the photographer asked, sticking his head out.

"No, thank you." Fan Qianqian waved the notebook in her hand, which was filled with densely packed interview answers, and smiled gently. "That's enough."

Based on everyone's descriptions, she had already pieced together a fairly complete picture of Chen Yuan in her mind.

Next, she needs to confront Chen Yuan and complete the final piecing together of her image.

As she walked to the farm gate, Fan Qianqian was taken aback to find a van with the words "Times Daily" engraved on its side parked in front of her.

"They got the information before we did?"

When Fan Qianqian saw that her old rival had arrived at the farm first, her face instantly turned ugly.

In today's world, competition among news media is fierce, and all media outlets hope to publish trending content before their peers in order to gain more traffic.

As top-tier media outlets, both Donghuang Daily and Times Daily understand the importance of timeliness and have competed countless times for firsthand coverage of trending topics.

"walk into!"

Fan Qianqian quickly composed herself, a warm smile spreading across her face as she walked forward with confident strides, the photographer following closely behind.

"Crack."

A sharp blade gleaming with cold light silently extended, blocking their path.

Ironhead stood in the shadows, his dark gray body reflecting the cold light of metal. His deep eyes revealed inquiry and scrutiny, and the sharp aura emanating from him made the two of them freeze in place.

What a terrifying steel-headed gopher! It's like facing a sharp, unsheathed sword; it makes it hard to breathe.

Even the well-informed Fan Qianqian was taken aback at this moment, but she tried her best to remain calm and composed, and spoke in a relatively calm voice: "Hello, we are reporters from Donghuang Daily, and we have come here specifically to interview Consultant Chen Yuan."

She knew that a pet with such power must be able to understand human speech.

Sure enough, the steel-headed groundhog carefully observed the two of them for a while, then turned to face the inside of the farm and shouted loudly, "Crack!"

Not long after,
Chen Weiyi hurried to the farm gate: "Hello, you two, what brings you here?"

Fan Qianqian smiled demurely and took out her press card: "Hello, I am Fan Qianqian, a reporter from Donghuang Daily. I am here specifically to interview Consultant Chen Yuan."

Chen Weiyi glanced at his press pass, then stepped aside: "Please come in."

As they entered the farm, Fan Qianqian couldn't help but ask, "What was that steel-headed gopher just now?"

Chen Wenhao replied with a smile, "It helps guard the gate and prevents any malicious wild animals from barging in."

Fan Qianqian nodded in realization, but inexplicably felt it was absurd.

Whose farm has such a powerful guard animal?

They even had a cold, ruthless look on their faces, as if they would chop you all to death if you didn't explain your purpose properly.

With it guarding the gate, what wild pet would dare to break in?
As they continued forward, Chen Weiyi reminded them, "A reporter arrived before you."

Fan Qianqian nodded to indicate that she understood, but did not seem to care.

Even if someone beats her to it, she is confident that she can publish an even more compelling report.

Suddenly, Fan Qianqian noticed the tall trees next to the courtyard. She gave a signal, and the photographer immediately pointed the camera at the trees.

Chen Weiyi explained, "This is something he tinkers with in his spare time. I remember it was called something like the Flaming Fruit Tree, the Luminous Fruit Tree, or the Empty Bright Fruit Tree. It looks impressive, but it only bears fruit once every very long time."

Upon hearing these names, the two of them froze on the spot.

As a journalist and photographer in the new era, the two have some knowledge of pets and spiritual plants, and are naturally familiar with the famous Luminous Fruit and the Empty Fruit.

Looking at the lush, verdant spiritual plants that resembled a small grove of trees, Fan Qianqian's heart surged with emotion, but ultimately settled into one thought:
Since Consultant Chen was able to cultivate these spiritual plants, which caused headaches for countless researchers, so well, it's reasonable for him to independently research the advancement conditions for the Flame Cloud Falcon to the Morning Star quality, right?

At this moment, Fan Qianqian became even more determined in her mind.

Turning her gaze away, Fan Qianqian was once again drawn to the pet animals living on the farm.

Runrun Duck, basking in the sun on a big rock, peeks out of the treehouse at Electric Flying Cat, a Fallen Horned Beast jogging in the yard, Bean Chicken and its chicks wandering around, and a family of Wood Spirit Rats diligently cleaning up.

This isn't a farm; it's clearly a small pet exhibition park.

But when Fan Qianqian entered the lobby led by Chen Weiyi, she immediately met the gaze of the long-haired woman sitting in the chair.

For a moment, they looked at each other and fell silent.

It was indeed her, Zhao Sirui, a reporter from the Times Daily.

Fan Qianqian recognized the person immediately; it was Zhao Sirui, whom she had dealt with several times and who was known for her outstanding professional skills.

"I didn't expect her to be so fast." Fan Qianqian secretly became more vigilant.

Zhao Sirui also recognized Fan Qianqian and nodded in greeting, but secretly thought to herself, "No wonder it's her, she's thinking the same thing as me."

While Chen Wenhao's thesis sparked widespread discussion online and major news media rushed to report on it, Zhao Sirui's focus was different: she keenly captured a more sensational and attention-grabbing hot topic.

Focusing solely on Chen Wenhao's academic papers and life experiences would be too dry, and most people would only read it for entertainment.

But what if Chen Wenhao also has a champion older brother?

Isn't there a lot more to see now?
Therefore, she rushed to Xuanhe Village overnight, trying to start with Chen Yuan to delve into the incident and focus on the two brothers who were both literate and skilled in martial arts, which would definitely attract more attention and discussion.

Unexpectedly, Fan Qianqian had also considered this point.

Chen Weiyi keenly sensed the tension in the air. He coughed lightly and said, "He won't be home for a while. You guys sit down and rest for a bit."

Zhao Sirui had a warm smile on her face: "Grandpa Chen, I'd like to ask you a few questions."

Chen Weiyi sat down: "Go ahead and ask."

Zhao Sirui's smile remained unchanged: "When I came in earlier, I saw a plaque hanging on the door that read 'Pioneers of the New Era.' May I ask when that was?"

When this matter was mentioned, Chen Weiyi's eyes showed contemplation. He thought about it seriously for a moment, and then said in a somewhat uncertain tone, "This happened quite a while ago. If I remember correctly, it should have been September 1st."

Zhao Sirui nodded and continued, "From what I understand, the New Era Vanguard is intended to recognize the first group of contributors who uploaded the conditions for pet advancement. It turns out that Mr. Chen Wenhao made his contribution at that time."

Chen Weiyi was taken aback and said in surprise, "Wenhao? No, no, no, this was obtained by his brother."

"Ok?"

A hint of surprise appeared on Zhao Sirui's originally calm face, which was keenly noticed by the observant Fan Qianqian.

Zhao Sirui was clearly not expected by Chen Weiyi's answer. Just as she was about to ask further questions, she heard a great commotion outside the farm, with gongs and drums beating and firecrackers going off.

As the sound grew closer, Chen Weiyi quickly got up, walked out of the courtyard, and looked around—the village chief of Xuanhe Village, Director Song Guohao, and a group of villagers who had come to watch the excitement were surrounding several middle-aged men who looked like leaders as they slowly approached. The two men in the middle were holding up a gleaming plaque with four large, flamboyant characters printed on it—"Academic Pioneers."

Chen Weiyi froze on the spot. Fortunately, Zhou Xu was also in the group. The latter quickly ran over to explain: "Advisor Chen has done another good deed. The president of our Baokun City Association came here specially to celebrate."

Chen Weiyi suddenly realized that the leader looked very familiar. It turned out to be Chairman Wang Jianping, who often appeared on television.

Seeing the lively scene, Zhao Sirui and Fan Qianqian simultaneously sensed the buzz and stood up, pointing their two cameras at the bustling crowd.

Seeing this, Zhao Sirui couldn't help but sigh, "I didn't expect the Beast Tamer Association of Baokun City to be so fast. The paper was only approved yesterday, and the plaque was delivered to our door today."

Upon hearing this, Fan Qianqian's lips curled up slightly.

After the plaque was hung up, Zhao Sirui was preparing to take this opportunity to interview the local chairman when she saw Wang Jianping turn around to face the people of Xuanhe Village and be surrounded by local media.

With a smile on his face and a loud voice, he said, "Here, I want to thank Xuanhe Village. Thank you all."

Wang Jianping scanned the crowd one by one, his voice echoing through the farm. The little ones all slipped out to join in the fun: "Advisor Chen's current success is inseparable from you all, and from the living environment he has grown up in."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Sirui frowned and stopped in her tracks.

Wang Jianping's voice continued: "This time, Consultant Chen's academic achievements have caused a huge sensation in the entire academic community. Their far-reaching influence is enough to leave a significant mark on the academic world."

"Today, we are proud of Consultant Chen."

Zhao Sirui frowned even more deeply and muttered to herself, "Advisor Chen's academic achievements?"

Shouldn't it be Chen Wenhao?

Fan Qianqian slowly approached her, a smile playing on her lips, her voice light and cheerful: "I have something to tell you."

"Consultant Chen uploaded the advancement conditions for Yan Yun Falcon to the Morning Star quality a few days ago. It has now passed the review, and the official announcement is expected to be released soon."

Zhao Sirui suddenly opened her eyes wide.

Fan Qianqian's smile widened: "Both of these plaques were obtained by Consultant Chen. He is not only a powerful beast tamer, but also an outstanding researcher."

She paused, then added, "It seems you guys aren't very well-informed."

Looking at the lively scene before her, Zhao Sirui felt as if she had been struck by lightning as Fan Qianqian's words echoed in her mind.

(End of this chapter)