Beastmaster: I'm really just a forest ranger

Chapter 273 A Bowl of Mushroom Soup to Relieve Your Worries
[Defeat a Tier 3 pet and gain 0.5 Source Points]

Only when the notification sound of obtaining the source point rang in his mind did Chen Yuan relax his vigilance.

Even though the way we won wasn't honorable, do you think it counts as a victory?

Chen Yuan had considered it carefully. The Abyss Giant Mushroom had amazing defense, an amazing appetite, and an amazing jumping ability. It would be difficult to defeat it using conventional methods, even if Cola and the Twin Flower Concubines were combined.

If Spark were to intervene, it would only exacerbate the conflict between the two sides, making the starving Abyss Giant Mushroom even more ferocious and causing irreversible damage to the surrounding environment and other creatures.

In that case, let's try to find a way to make this guy behave and quiet down first.

Looking ahead, the towering, mountain-like giant mushroom lay on the ground, unharmed, its eyes closed, its massive mouth slightly raised, emitting a loud, contented snore.

It didn't seem like it was defeated, but rather like it was satisfied and falling into a deep sleep after eating and drinking its fill.

But Chen Yuan knew that this glutton was only temporarily asleep and was still a long way from being full.

When it wakes up and finds it hasn't eaten enough, it will be even more ferocious than it is now.

Chen Yuan then looked at the others with a serious expression: "We need to do something now."

"what's up?"

Everyone was so deeply moved by the fact that Cola and the twin concubines had joined forces to defeat the powerful enemy that they didn't react for a moment.

Chen Yuan pointed to the Abyss Giant Mushroom, which had fallen into a deep sleep: "Find food for this guy, the more the better."

Then, he turned to look at Little Dorje: "Do you know where there's food nearby?"

Little Dorjee raised his hand high.

The food that Little Dorje was talking about was actually a mushroom specially stored by the two major fungus pet clans, which was originally intended to be offered as a tribute to the Abyss Giant Mushroom, but unexpectedly, this situation occurred.

Since these guys were still asleep, Chen Yuan and the others, along with the little ones, began to move the mushrooms.

The poisonous fungus-bearing beasts live in dark and damp caves, where they hide their fungi in the deepest, darkest places. It is not easy to bring these fungi out.

Fortunately, the Ice Crystal Cat was powerful enough.

"Meow~"

The Ice Crystal Illusion Cat's Eye glowed with a blue light, and its surging spiritual power spread outwards, weaving into a net that caught all the fungi. They were then transported outside the cave and finally carried by the other little creatures to the giant abyss mushroom.

"Great!"

Jiang Wenning smiled and took out a cat treat from her pocket, handing it to the Ice Crystal Cat.

The Ice Crystal Cat nodded smugly, then walked gracefully and calmly to Jiang Wenning. It stuck out its tongue and gently licked the cat treat, its tail wagging unconsciously.

Even the proud feline family cannot resist the temptation of cat treats.

Non-toxic fungi-loving animal groups inhabit coniferous forests, where they hide their fungi under leaves, in the soil, and even in tree cavities.

These mushrooms were much easier to pick up. With everyone and the little guys working together, they quickly transported the mushrooms hidden in various places to the giant abyss mushroom.

Looking at the mushrooms piled up like a small mountain, Jiang Wenning felt a surge of pride, but also smiled helplessly: "I never thought we would actually become mushroom pickers."

Li Junyue, however, had a different feeling: "It turns out there's more than one way to defeat a pet beast."

As a member of the Criminal Investigation Department, Li Junyue only had one solution to the same situation—to gather people and defeat the Abyss Giant Mushroom.

He couldn't do what Chen Yuan did: first put the frenzied Abyss Giant Mushroom into a deep sleep, and then collect food to calm it down completely.

He thought to himself, "Perhaps this is how forest rangers think."

Everyone expressed different feelings, but Cola sneaked to the other side, looked up at the mountain of mushrooms, and secretly swallowed.

It smells good.

It smells really good.

Actually, Cola's stamina was quite considerable; its stomach didn't rumble, but its mind had already entered a state of hunger.

Feeling hungry in your mind even when you're not physically hungry is a state commonly referred to as craving food.

"Ow~"

Seeing that no one was paying attention to it, Cola secretly tucked its tail between its legs and buried its head in the mountain of mushrooms. The aroma of all kinds of wild mushrooms overwhelmed its nose, and it couldn't help but open its mouth wide and swallow dozens of mushrooms in one gulp.

Among them are brightly colored mushrooms.

Cola didn't care at all, swallowed it in one gulp, but it was still not satisfied, so it opened its mouth again and continued to eat.

"Ouch~~"

Cola gradually ate its fill, then slumped to the ground with a satisfied smile on its face, its tail drooping gently on the ground.

If Duck and Electric Flying Cat were here too, they could enjoy these delicious mushrooms with me.

Unfortunately, they all remained on the farm.

Cola shook his head, feeling sorry for the two little ones.

The eldest sister-in-law exuded authority, and her twin concubines stayed by her side at all times, allowing only herself to enjoy these delicacies.

"Cola, where did you go?"

The owner's voice rang in his ears. Knowing that his long absence would arouse suspicion, Cola quickly pretended to be nonchalant and ran out from behind the mushroom pile, barking repeatedly, "Awooo!"

and many more.

Why is this mushroom dancing?
Cola stared wide-eyed as a tall, thin mushroom danced as it approached, calling out in its owner's voice, "Cola, where have you been?"

Have these mushrooms become sentient?
Wait, has the owner turned into a fungus?

Cola was utterly shocked, feeling as if the world had gone completely mad beyond its comprehension. Its tail wagged even faster, and it let out an incomprehensible gasp: "Awooo?!?!"

Master, what's wrong?
The tall, thin mushrooms were still approaching it, and Cola quickly looked around and suddenly realized that everything around him had changed dramatically.

The tall fir trees transformed into arms, joined together, and began to dance;
A pair of large eyes appeared in the distance, blinking at it;

A golden sun with wings appeared in the sky, its flames raging, seemingly about to melt everything in the world.
The next moment, Cola felt dizzy, the whole world began to shake and turn upside down, its limbs trembled violently and it let out a weak cry: "Aww?"

Then, Cola's vision went black and she collapsed to the ground.

Looking at the spilled Coke, Chen Yuan was both amused and exasperated: "This is what happens when you're greedy."

Even something as potent as cola can cause poisoning if large quantities of toxic mushrooms are consumed, demonstrating the serious consequences of overeating.

Runrun duck, do you understand?

Fortunately, Cola was already at level three, and with the Twin Flower Concubine's recovery ability, the toxins in her body were dispelled in no time, and she returned to normal.

Watching Cola gradually awaken, Chen Yuan squatted down, a smile spreading across his face: "How about it? Still want to be greedy in the future?"

"Poisoning must feel terrible, right?"

Seeing its owner approaching, the excited Cola wanted to rush over and promise that it would never be greedy again, but in a moment of confusion, its owner seemed to have turned back into that tall and thin mushroom.

"Ow!"

Cola shook its head vigorously, and the mushroom transformed back into its favorite master.

"Ouch!"

Cola pounced on Chen Yuan, placing its two paws on the latter's shoulders and burying its head in its mouth, whimpering.

It will never eat mushrooms again.

"We're going to make mushroom soup later, are you sure you don't want to eat it?" Chen Yuan asked.

"Ow"

Cola hesitated for a moment, seemingly already able to smell the delicious aroma of the mushroom soup. Its mouth involuntarily watered, and it nodded subconsciously, "Awooo!"

eat!
After this one time, I won't eat it again.

Time passed slowly, and before we knew it, twilight had soaked into the coniferous forest.

Chen Yuan set up the iron pot that Li Junyue had specially prepared. Over the crackling campfire, the mushroom soup simmered with golden-amber ripples, glistening with a layer of moss that shimmered like starlight. The rich flavor of the gray mushrooms mingled with the sweetness of the pine mushrooms, enveloped in the rising steam, making everyone present, including the little guy, drool. For wild mushrooms that had fallen from the fungus pets, all it took was to boil them in water with a little basic seasoning, and the aroma would fill the air, whetting everyone's appetite.

Cola sat in front of the campfire, its bright blue eyes reflecting the flames, its fluffy tail slapping against the rocks behind it in a cheerful rhythm.

Even though its mouth was drooling and it was starving, having learned its lesson, it suppressed its inner turmoil and waited quietly.

"Alright, let's start eating."

When its owner gave the order, Cola snatched the gray fungus floating on the soup surface with lightning speed. It was so hot that it spun around three times but refused to let go. Its nose was covered in oil droplets, and its tail wagged happily.

Chen Yuan scooped up a ladle of mushroom soup and placed it in front of the twin concubines.

"Groan."

The twin concubines nodded slightly, opened their mouths slightly, and elegantly drank their soup, a stark contrast to the impatient cola drinker.

Everyone else fed their pets first, then sat on the ground and savored the food.

"It's definitely much better than ordinary mushrooms." Jiang Wenning savored its flavor, and the various mixed tastes exploded in her mouth. She smiled and nodded, "And I feel warm all over."

“All spiritual plants are like this.” Chen Yuan took a small sip of the mushroom soup, and a warm current also surged in his stomach.

The vast majority of these fungi are first-grade spiritual plants, and a few are second-grade spiritual plants, all of which are very beneficial to the body.

Unfortunately, the fungus pets couldn't drop fungus every day, and the farm environment wasn't suitable for their long-term survival; otherwise, Chen Yuan really wanted to bring some back with him.

Imagine a farm with a flock of chickens laying eggs in a row, a school of fish growing up, and delicious mushrooms—a feast for the senses every day.

Runrun Duck would be very happy if she knew this news.

Little Dorjee was also enjoying the delicious food. Under the bright flame, his dark face turned rosy red: "It's so delicious."

Jiang Wenning asked in confusion, "Little Dorje, don't you usually eat mushrooms?"

Upon hearing Jiang Wenning's question, Xiao Duoji quickly put down his bowl and sat up straight: "No, it's too precious."

Although first-grade spiritual plants are relatively common, mushrooms are delicious and difficult to harvest, so they can fetch a good price in the outside world, which is why there are so many mushroom pickers.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Wenning became even more puzzled: "Then why don't you just pick these mushrooms and sell them outside?"

"The income from being a guide is nowhere near as good as picking mushrooms."

Hearing this, Little Dorje raised his head and a pure, innocent smile appeared on his face: "Because there are too many people in the village."

Everyone was taken aback, and they all understood the unspoken meaning in Xiao Duoji's words.

“Actually, I have a solution.” Li Junyue’s voice drew everyone’s attention. His eyes were deep as he spoke slowly, “You can provide us with these mushrooms.”

“Our Criminal Investigation Department provides meal allowances, since pets need a lot of nutrition to grow and train, and food alone is far from enough.”

"We will try our best to provide nutrition for our pets, such as spirit fish or these fungi."

"Mushrooms are delicious and also good for the growth of pets."

"If possible, you can provide it to us at the normal market price, but it needs to be stable."

Little Dorje's eyes widened. Even at such a young age, he understood the benefits of this method, but he wasn't overwhelmed by the sudden surprise: "Thank you, Uncle, but I need to ask Uncle Liu's opinion first."

"Perhaps." Li Junyue nodded. "Director Liu is quite knowledgeable about these things."

As the group talked, the unconscious fungus pets would occasionally wake up slowly. Before they could figure out what was going on, the rich aroma of fungi would waft over, drawing them to the fungus soup as if by magic.

Chen Yuan stirred the mushroom soup with a ladle, releasing all the aromas hidden beneath the surface, making it incredibly tempting.

"Want to eat?"

Looking at the fungus-like pets before him, Chen Yuan smiled slightly.

Whether the fungi are poisonous or non-poisonous, after a chaotic battle and being thoroughly beaten by the little guys, their condition has plummeted. At this moment, all they want is to eat delicious fungi and drink a bowl of sweet fungi soup.

Therefore, the previous tense atmosphere completely dissipated, and all the fungal pets sat obediently together, waiting for Chen Yuan to feed them.

The remaining fungal pets woke up one after another. After figuring out the situation, they did not attack Chen Yuan and the others, but instead lined up obediently.

Looking at the scene before him, Chen Yuan smiled helplessly: "We should have brought a big pot."

No one expected this to happen. The original plan was for only the four of them and the little ones to eat the mushrooms, but unexpectedly...
Jiang Wenning's eyes flickered, a question rising in her mind: "Don't these guys feel awkward eating the mushrooms that fall from their own bodies?"

“Sometimes, chickens will eat eggs,” Li Junyue said quietly.

Jiang Wenning was speechless for a moment.

"Roar!"

Just as Chen Yuan was busy feeding these creatures, a deep roar, like muffled thunder, suddenly rang out in his ears, leaving everyone and their pets stunned in place.

boom!
next moment,
The giant abyss mushroom, which had been lying unconscious on the ground, suddenly stood up. Its rotten amber eyes flashed with a sharp light, and its strong limbs suddenly burst out with a speed exceeding that of a cola.

In the blink of an eye, its enormous body had already approached the group, and the sweeping wind almost extinguished the campfire.

Everyone instinctively stepped back, while the fungal pets let out excited cries: "Mushroom! Mushroom! Mushroom!"

King, King!

"Ow!"

Seeing the reaction of the giant mushroom from the abyss, Cola tensed up, a sudden gust of wind rose around him, and his imposing aura emanated from him, indicating that he was fully prepared for a fierce battle.

But the giant mushroom in the abyss had no eyes for cola. It stared intently at the mushroom soup, and the lingering aroma made it open its huge mouth wide, and the unknown liquid flowed uncontrollably to the ground.

The next moment, the giant abyss mushroom's massive maw unleashed a powerful suction, swallowing the entire pot of mushroom soup whole.

Chen Yuan was taken aback at first, then shouted, "If you're going to drink the soup, fine, but why did you swallow the whole pot?"

Cola was furious and kept yelling, "Awooo!"

Give me back my mushrooms!

After finishing a whole pot of mushrooms, the Abyss Giant Mushroom's eyes curved into crescents, its huge mouth turned up, and it gently hopped around in place: "Roar roar roar!"

Not enough, not enough, still not enough!
I want more!

The sudden reaction of the normally frenzied Abyss Giant Mushroom made Chen Yuan feel very awkward, like a hairy, muscular man pouting and acting cute, which was unbearable to watch.

But when he realized what was happening, he spread his hands out at the giant abyss mushroom and said, "You swallowed the whole pot, what am I supposed to cook with?"

After saying this, Chen Yuan couldn't help but mutter to himself, "What is this guy's body made of? He can even swallow an iron pot?"

"Roar"

Upon hearing this, the Abyss Giant Mushroom froze on the spot, then lowered its head like a child admitting its mistake.

With its fierce and terrifying appearance and physique, it seems to be saying: If you don't accept my apology, I'll beat you to death.

“Actually, there’s another pot.” Li Junyue suddenly spoke up, pulling a pot out of his bulging backpack. His tone was as low as ever. “I was worried about something unexpected happening, so I brought two pots.”

"However, this pot is quite small."

Jiang Wenning gave a thumbs up: "Watermelon, from now on you'll be called Li Kaopu (meaning 'reliable')."

Placing the pot in front of him, Chen Yuan looked at the giant abyss mushroom staring at him expectantly, coughed lightly, and said leisurely, "Before that, I have something that is very troubling me."

"Roar?"

The giant mushroom in the abyss tilted its head.

Chen Yuan pointed to the twin flower concubines on his shoulder: "This child really likes poison skills, but it has no teacher to guide it, so its progress is slow."

He paused, then sighed heavily: "If only there were a teacher to guide it."

"Roar!"

The giant abyss mushroom gently stomped on the ground, its enormous eyes gazing at the twin flower concubines.

Let me teach you!

(End of this chapter)