Beastmaster: I'm really just a forest ranger

Chapter 259 Iron-Headed Kid Breaks Through! He Cracks the Duck's Gallbladder in One Slash!
It was already evening when Chen Yuan returned to the farm.

The cold wind whipped up snowflakes, and the setting sun shone on the Qinling Mountains.

Chen Yuan stood at the farm gate, slightly raised his eyes, and saw two plaques, one tall and one short, and a smile spread across his face.

"Ow!"

Having not returned to the farm for many days, Cola flicked its tail and darted forward, so fast that it became a blur, rushing into the yard in an instant.

Chen Yuan wasn't in a hurry. He nodded to the iron-headed boy guarding the gate and said, "Thank you for your hard work."

This is an essential part of every visit back to the farm.

Ironhead's answer was always the same: it looked indifferent and shook its head slightly: "Kh."

It's just my job.

Chen Yuan smiled at Tie Touwa, greatly appreciating this diligent, down-to-earth, and pragmatic outstanding employee.

On the contrary, it was Electric Flying Cat
Ah, let's not talk about it.

The original plan was to recruit Electric Flying Cat to work on the farm and help find spiritual plants on the way into the mountains. However, this task was taken care of by Cola, who has an equally keen sense of smell, leaving Electric Flying Cat with nothing to do.

On the farm, its strength is above average; its power generation capacity is practically useless in today's society; and its proud agility and flexibility can only be used for surprise attacks.

It's known for its quick wit and ingenious ideas, making it the king of ideas on the farm.

Chen Yuan shook his head, deciding to stop dwelling on the matter.

Anyway, the farm is getting better and better, and raising five more electric flying cats that just want to eat and drink is no problem.

Stepping into the courtyard, Chen Yuan let the children catch up on their own, then went straight to the old man: "Grandpa, where's the reporter?"

"They left early." Chen Weiyi shook his head. "President Wang came over earlier and said something. It seems that these two reporters had a bit of a disagreement. The reporter surnamed Zhao left in a huff very quickly."

"What about reporter Fan from the Donghuang Daily?" Chen Yuan asked.

According to Zhou Xu, there were two media outlets interviewing him today: one was the Times Daily, represented by Zhao Sirui, and the other was the Donghuang Daily, represented by Fan Qianqian.

That's why Chen Yuan rushed back.

"He's gone too." Chen Weiyi took a sip of tea, his eyes slightly narrowed, looking relaxed. With a tuft of white beard on his chin, he had the air of a hermit sage.

Since becoming a beast tamer, Chen Weiyi's meditation progress has been slow, but his physical condition and complexion have improved day by day.

Having toiled in the fields in the past, the old man had rough skin, a hunched back, and a face full of wrinkles, looking quite frail.

But his energy and spirit have greatly improved; at over seventy years old, he looks only in his early fifties.

"However, Reporter Fan said something before she left," Chen Weiyi said again, lying on the recliner, gently tapping his thigh with his fingers and stroking the sleeping Hanlie Niu. "She said she had found a satisfactory answer."

Chen Yuan frowned and muttered, "Do these reporters really like playing riddles?"

Two reporters traveled a long distance to conduct interviews, but one left without saying goodbye, and the other became a riddle solver; neither interview went smoothly.

"That's a good thing, it saves us a lot of trouble."

Chen Yuan doesn't need to increase his fame or gain attention through interviews. In fact, not having interviews suits him better, as he doesn't have to be disturbed by the outside world's noise.

As darkness fell, Chen Yuan decided to take a closer look at the farm to see if the little guys had caused any trouble.

The dim light illuminated the yard, where Cola, who hadn't been back for a long time, played happily with Duck and Electric Flying Cat, playing hide-and-seek, a game they never tire of.

The twin flower concubines and several chicks also joined the game, using the dark night to hide themselves.

The Fallen Horned Beast did not choose to join; its size was too enormous, and it would be easily discovered no matter where it hid.

Despite the saying in the game of hide-and-seek that "the bigger the better," the honest and simple-minded Fallen Horned Beast clearly couldn't find a suitable hiding place.

As for Ironhead, there's no need to say more; inviting him to join the game is far more difficult than winning the Dafeng Cup.

The sparks had long since soared high in the sky, flying among the rolling mountains, as if surveying the territory of the heavens.

"call out"

The two little wood mice stared longingly at the little creatures playing hide-and-seek, their eyes filled with envy.

They also want to play together.

"call out."

Scarred Rat noticed the two little guys' reactions and pondered for a long time, wondering if this action would displease the farmer.

As excellent employees of the farm, if they don't clean properly and instead indulge in pleasure, will the farm owner dislike them and eventually kick them out?

But when Scarface Rat saw Chen Yuan watching the game of hide-and-seek with great interest, it had an idea. It snatched the towels from the two little wood spirit rats and pushed them forward.

"call out?"

The two little wood mice turned to look at the scarred mouse, their faces full of surprise, their eyes also filled with excitement.

"call out!"

Scarred Rat nodded emphatically.

"Shhhhhh!"

The two little ones immediately got excited, waving their little paws nonstop and joining in the game.

A very, very long time passed.

The little ones didn't stop playing until all was quiet and the stars filled the sky.

After checking and questioning, Chen Yuan learned that the little ones had not caused any trouble during this period.

The only unexpected thing was that Runrun Duck and Dian Dian Flying Cat ran into Daping Village and accidentally entered a dangerous place, but their original intention was to befriend the Far-traveling Frog, which is understandable.

In this way, Chen Yuan couldn't find anything to criticize them for, so he waved his hand and had Runrun Duck bring over the snacks from the bedroom, deciding to indulge himself for the night.

Despite the cold winter, the little ones didn't feel cold at all, and even Chen Yuan felt good. They simply started a snack party in the yard.

Moreover, when Spark returned, Chen Yuan immediately had it stay obediently by his side, and the warmth emanating from Spark at all times directly dispelled the chill in the courtyard.

Snacks alone weren't enough, so Chen Yuan brought out a barbecue grill from the warehouse to grill fresh spirit fish and leftover vegetables and meat from the refrigerator.

The aroma was irresistible, and the barbecue looked incredibly tempting. Chen Yuan's grilling speed couldn't keep up with the little ones' eating speed at all.

Often, as soon as one skewer is grilled, several pairs of hands will stretch out, and several pairs of eyes will stare at him expectantly.

Chen Yuan rubbed his sore arms and smiled helplessly, "I shouldn't have suggested barbecue."

But suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him. He turned his head to look at Huohua, who was resting with his eyes closed, and his thoughts began to flow.

Barbecue uses fire to grill food, and sparks can produce flames. So why?
Sensing Chen Yuan's thoughts, Huohua suddenly opened her eyes, but then turned her head away.

Lighting up and keeping warm is fine, but barbecuing is not.

How can a champion pet of the Grand Wind Cup be roasted with flames at home?
Chen Yuan had no choice but to look away, muttering to himself, "Looks like I'll have to recruit a pet with exceptional culinary skills to join the farm in the future."

Just as Chen Yuan was deep in thought, Dian Dian Fei Mao stared at the fragrant skewers, his eyes darting around, a sense of foreboding creeping over him.

"Electric electricity".

Electric Flying Cat stretched out its paw and touched Runrun Duck, who was happily eating.

Runrun Duck was busy dealing with the kebabs and completely ignored Dian Dian Flying Cat.

"electricity!"

Electric Flying Cat bumped into it forcefully and waved its paw in front of Runrun Duck's eyes.

"Gah?"

Runrun Duck angrily put down the skewers and looked at Dian Dian Flying Cat.

What are you doing!
Can't you see I'm busy?

"Electricity."

Electric Flying Cat pointed at the skewers, then looked at Chen Yuan and slowly expressed his thoughts.

The farmer was so kind to us this time.

Instead of criticizing or lecturing us, the farmer took out snacks and started barbecuing. This is very strange; there must be something wrong!

Duck, I think this is a conspiracy by the farmer. He's giving us a sweet treat to lower our guard, and then he'll check on our training results later.

"quack."

Runrun Duck wasn't interested in Electric Flying Cat's guess; it casually flapped its wings and continued to focus on the kebabs.

I love ducks.

If I could eat barbecue skewers every day, I'd be willing to live in a giant swimming pool!
“That makes sense.” Chen Yuan noticed the two little ones’ discussion, nodded, and smiled kindly. “In that case, let’s exercise after we finish eating.”

After a brief pause, a bright smile spread across his face: "Just testing skill proficiency is no fun. How about we have a farm competition?"

"You will each fight against each other, and the one who wins the most victories will receive a reward."

Upon hearing this, the little ones reacted in various ways.

Runrun Duck didn't care at all, and didn't even lift its head, focusing on dealing with the skewers;
As if struck by lightning, the electric flying cat gently flapped its wings, seemingly trying to escape back to the wooden house;

The Fallen Horned Beast stomped on the ground, its eyes gleaming, its fighting spirit soaring.

Bean Chicken and its chicks were busy watching the show, while the Wood Spirit Mouse family hid far away in a corner.

Chen Yuan said, "Call Tie Tou Wa over here."

"Ow!"

Upon receiving the order, Cola leaped out and summoned Ironhead, the gatekeeper.

The contestants in this farm competition are Runrun Duck, Dian Dian Flying Cat, Fallen Horned Beast, and Iron Head Baby. Chen Yuan's three pet beasts are not participating.

Spark and Cola have already broken through to the third tier, so sending them out is purely a case of dimensional reduction and will only waste the little guys' enthusiasm.

Wait, the Twin Flower Concubines haven't broken through yet, maybe they can.
Chen Yuan turned his head and met a pair of cold, purple eyes, and his thoughts instantly vanished.

Enough. This is the Twin Flower Concubine in its night form. Letting it participate is too dangerous; it might easily lose control.

Under the cover of darkness, we brought the little ones to the battlefield next to the farm. Sparks flew in the air, their dazzling light dispelling the darkness.

Despite Runrun Duck's laziness and Dian Dian Flying Cat's resistance, they couldn't fight city hall and had to obediently listen to Chen Yuan living on the farm.

Let's have a match, it doesn't matter if we lose.

Runrun Duck, a master of the art of slacking off, was ready to admit defeat at lightning speed and then enjoy the tranquil night.

But Chen Yuan's voice suddenly rang in my ears: "By the way, if you rank at the bottom, the training volume will be doubled."

Upon hearing this, Runrun Duck and Dian Dian Flying Cat simultaneously raised their heads, glanced at each other, and their eyes met, as if sparks of "competition" were ignited in the air.

I can't possibly be at the bottom!
Under the watchful eyes of the group of little ones, the first match quickly began.

Electric Flying Cat versus Fallen Horned Beast.

As we all know, Electric Cat is an Electro-type, while Falling Horn is a Rock-type; the superiority or inferiority of their types is obvious.

More importantly, the Fallen Horned Beast is already tough and thick-skinned, and after rigorous training, its defense is even more outstanding. The Electric Flying Cat's proud swift attack has no effect on the former, and is equivalent to tickling it.

After several unsuccessful surprise attacks, the Fallen Horned Beast used [Meteor Charge], knocking the Electric Flying Cat off the battlefield. The battle ended.

"Roar"

Seeing that its senior had been knocked away, the Fallen Horned Beast quickly ran over to check on the Electric Flying Cat's injuries. Only after seeing that it was not seriously hurt did it breathe a long sigh of relief.

"Electricity."

Being defeated by the Fallen Horned Beast was exactly what Electric Flying Cat had expected. It casually waved its paw, indicating that it didn't care.

The second match was between Runrun Duck and Ironhead Baby.

"quack."

Being watched by its friends, Runrun Duck wasn't nervous at all. Instead, it stretched out its wings to fix its hair and smoothed its feathers, nodding in satisfaction only after confirming that its appearance was perfect.

It knows that Ironhead is very strong, but in order not to be at the bottom, Duck Duck is going all out!
Looking up, Ironhead's semi-circular orange eyes came into view. The sharp blades in front of him, gleaming with a cold light, seemed capable of splitting Runrun Duck in two. Runrun Duck shuddered, its legs trembling slightly.

Iron-headed baby is so scary!

Despite the terror in her heart, Runrun Duck still opened her mouth and spat out a swift jet of water!
Chen Yuan nodded slightly.

Runrun Duck's proficiency with [Water Surge] has improved again, it seems she hasn't neglected her training during this time.

The water jet surged forward, reaching Ironhead in an instant, but its expression remained calm as always, neither dodging nor avoiding it.

Suddenly, a cold light appeared, cleaving the water column in two before it fell to the ground and disappeared.

Fast, so fast!

Even Chen Yuan could hardly catch the speed of Tie Touwa's blade swing; he could only vaguely see a flash of cold light cutting through the water column.

"Gah!"

Runrun Duck's eyes widened in alarm, and it hurriedly flapped its wings to launch a second attack.

But in that instant, a figure suddenly appeared from the opposite side. Iron Head Boy's body seemed to melt into the wind. Runrun Duck stared wide-eyed, but could not catch a glimpse of Iron Head Boy's figure.

It blinked hard, and in the next second, a flash of cold light appeared in its eyes. Then, a chill ran down its neck. Runrun Duck looked down and saw Ironhead Baby already holding the two sharp blades to its neck: "Quack!!!"

You thick-browed, big-eyed, stubborn brat, you actually ambushed me without a word!

Put down your sharp blade, do you want to become a duck neck?!

"Crack."

Ironhead's eyes flashed, he sheathed his blade and leaped back.

Once the intense sense of danger disappeared, Runrun Duck breathed a long sigh of relief, and her trembling body finally returned to normal.

That Iron-Headed Kid is too ferocious! I really thought I was going to die!
With a thought flashing through her mind, Runrun Duck faced Chen Yuan and raised its wings without hesitation.

Duck, I give up!
Chen Yuan glanced deeply at the indifferent-looking Ironhead and nodded: "Okay."

Ironhead's combat power seems to be overpowered among second-tier pets.

This steel blade could instantly kill most second-tier pets, and after some hard training, Ironhead had made up for his speed disadvantage, making his attacks incredibly swift.

As one of the most senior employees on the farm, Tie Touwa is only one step away from the third rank and has an advantage in terms of level.

Runrun Duck's decisive surrender was indeed a wise choice.

Then, a series of battles continued.

Electric Flying Cat was also instantly killed by Ironhead. Falling Horned Beast, with its sturdy size, went toe-to-toe with Ironhead for several rounds, but when the latter found its weakness, it won again.

Thus, Tie Touwa ranked first with a perfect record of winning all battles.

The other three little guys had the same record, ranking second together.

Runrun Duck defeated Fallen Horned Beast, but lost to Electric Flying Cat; Fallen Horned Beast defeated Electric Flying Cat, but was defeated by Runrun Duck; Electric Flying Cat narrowly defeated Runrun Duck with its attribute advantage, but was knocked away by Fallen Horned Beast.

As a result, they all came in at the bottom.

Seeing that she was already at the bottom, Runrun Duck simply gave up and put the matter of doubling her training volume out of her mind. Instead, she found a quiet place to lie down, closed her eyes slightly, enjoyed the gentle evening breeze on her body, and admired the bright moonlight.

Electric Flying Cat, however, was dejected and looked sullen.

The Fallen Horned Beast's eyes gleamed, and it decided to train extra tonight, starting with a short 10-kilometer run as a warm-up.

Chen Yuan looked at Tie Touwa and smiled slightly: "What reward do you want?"

A hardworking, reliable, and highly capable employee—who wouldn't like such a model employee?

"Ka"

Meeting Chen Yuan's admiring gaze, Tie Touwa shook his head, indicating that he did not need a reward.

Suddenly, it looked up at the leader who was flying in mid-air, a sharp blade flashing in front of it, and said in a low voice: "Crack."

It wanted to try and challenge the big sister.

Chen Yuan was momentarily stunned.

Is Ironhead trying to challenge the sparks?
Ironhead did indeed have a battle with Spark, back when Chen Yuan had just formed a contract with Spark.

If he remembers correctly, this was Sparks' first match.

With the help of system-allocated points and her own efforts, Spark used [Flame Surge] to successfully defeat Ironhead.

At that time, Tie Touwa was very timid. He surrendered as soon as he was burned by the flames and never dared to challenge the sparks again.

More precisely, aside from when wild pets attack the farm, Ironhead always hones itself on its own, carving marks of its efforts on large rocks.

It was as if its only opponent was stone.

Unexpectedly, time flew by, and Ironhead was no longer satisfied with treating stones as opponents; it once again had the courage to challenge the sparks.

Chen Yuan was very pleased: "Okay, then you guys give it a try."

Soon,
Iron-Headed Boy raised his twin blades, his gaze sharp, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

Wherever the cold light touched, the ground cracked open with furrows, and all vegetation was pulverized; a sharp aura swirled in the air.

But Spark simply opened its mouth slightly, and a surging pillar of fire erupted, sweeping over everything.

In that instant, Tie Touwa's vision was engulfed by the raging flames.

After a while,
"Crack."

Ironhead fell to the ground, his once sharp double blades charred black.

"boil"

Cola was very familiar with this scene. It wagged its tail and came to Ironhead, offering words of comfort.

It's alright, at least you weren't instantly killed by the boss.

Chen Yuan smiled helplessly.

In order not to dampen Ironhead's enthusiasm, Spark deliberately held back during the battle and did not use a Flame Surge to directly destroy Ironhead's confidence.

Often, when the gap is too large, the desire to catch up disappears.

"Ow Oo"

Cola kept muttering to herself.

It's alright, none of the large groups of pets outside can match the boss.

Once you break through to the third tier, you might be able to put pressure on the big sister.
As they were talking, Cola suddenly sensed something was wrong, her pupils contracted, and she stared blankly at Iron Head Kid.

Ironhead's aura is rapidly growing stronger, and his previously weak physical condition is also quickly recovering.

Before long, Cola could clearly sense that the Iron-Headed Kid's aura was not much weaker than his own, and he couldn't help but widen his eyes and shout: "Awoooooo!"

You actually broke through like that!
Then what about all the hard training I did for so many days to break through?
Cola felt very unbalanced, yet happy for the Iron-Headed Kid's breakthrough.

This makes the farm safer!
Ironhead's breakthrough naturally caught Chen Yuan's attention. He walked over quickly and smiled slightly: "Congratulations, now you can realize your wish."

Ironhead's wish is very simple: the world is so big, and he wants to see it.

Leaving aside the distant places, at least we should see the scenery right at our doorstep.

For so long, Tie Touwa has lived on the farm every day. The only time he went out was when Runrun Duck forcibly dragged him to watch the Dafeng Cup final.

With its current Tier 3 strength, it is enough to roam freely in the Qinling Mountains.

Upon hearing Chen Yuan's words, Tie Touwa raised his head, looked at the mountains shrouded in the dark night, and shook his head: "Crack."

No, it's not enough.

It must not venture out until it can shatter a mountain in one blow.

The outside world is fraught with danger, and it cannot be complacent with its current small progress.

Only by remaining humble and working hard can one become as capable as the eldest sister and gain a broader perspective on this vast world.

Chen Yuan was speechless for a moment.

Well, let's respect the child's own choice. It's a good thing that it stays on the farm; at least it can greatly alleviate the security pressure.

"Perfect timing. I'll take Ya Ya and the others with me when I go into the mountains to see Qing Po tomorrow. Tie Tou Wa can manage the house by himself." Chen Yuan made up his mind in a flash.

He had promised Qingpo that he would bring the farm's other animals to meet and play with it.

Chen Yuan hadn't forgotten about this, and it was also a good opportunity to take Ya Ya and the others on a long trip.

After the farm competition ended, Chen Yuan took the little ones back to the farm and went to bed to rest.

Lying in bed, Chen Yuan glanced at the twin concubines who were studying poison-type skills and sighed, "I didn't expect that Ironhead would break through first."

After the Twin Flower Concubines were contracted by themselves, their progress was even faster, but unexpectedly, Iron-Headed Boy broke through to the third level first.

Fortunately, the Twin Flower Concubines are only one step away from the third rank and could break through at any time.

As Chen Yuan closed his eyes to rest, the twin concubines suddenly turned their heads and looked at him, their eyes flashing.

the next morning,
Chen Yuan woke up naturally after a good night's sleep, and when he turned his head, he saw that his twin concubines were still fast asleep.

He carefully extended his finger and gently tapped the twin concubines' heads, smiling as he said, "Still not up? You're not even up as early as me today."

Sitting on the bed, watching the snowflakes dance outside the window, Chen Yuan decided to look at his phone for a while to clear his groggy mind.

He originally wanted to set off earlier, but the weather outside was clearly not suitable for going into the mountains now.

But when he turned on his phone, his social media platform was bombarded with a deluge of messages.

After a quick glance, Chen Yuan knew he was famous again.

This time, it's not just ordinary fame.

Following a link sent by a friend, Chen Yuan logged onto a webpage and immediately saw the content published by reporter Fan Qianqian in the Donghuang Daily.

The title instantly brought him to his senses:

Beastmaster? Researcher? He should be called the Guardian of the Qinling Mountains.

(End of this chapter)