October 13th, Sunday.
Cloudy.
In the blink of an eye, five days have passed since Zhuang Jianbai came to challenge him.
The bleak autumn wind swept across the land, and with yesterday's autumn rain, Chen Yuan, nestled in the Qinling Mountains, felt the rapid change in temperature even more keenly.
Short sleeves had been sealed away in the closet, and a light jacket was now his attire.
"Autumn has arrived..."
Coming to the courtyard, he gazed at the distant, rolling mountains, the forests a tapestry of mixed colors.
With the arrival of autumn, the Qinling Mountains would transform into a different world.
But once the autumn and winter seasons arrived, the high-altitude environment of the Qinling Mountains and the heavy cloud cover would lead to less and less sunlight, and shorter and shorter periods of daylight.
Such days were a torment for Runrun Duck every day.
"Quack, quack..."
Runrun Duck dejectedly watered the spiritual plants that had already grown into small saplings, no longer singing its Duck Duck Song.
"I need to find something to cheer Duck Duck up." Seeing this situation, Chen Yuan felt it was necessary to change Runrun Duck's mental state.
But what could cheer Duck Duck up?
Eating fried small fish?
"No, no, fried small fish are a fixed part of the daily routine, Duck Duck is already used to it." Chen Yuan shook his head.
"I must find something new."
Chen Yuan thought for a while, and suddenly his eyes lit up, and he said to Runrun Duck, "Duck Duck, let's go fishing today."
Come to think of it, it had been a while since he had been to Mingyu Lake, the fish pond needed new members, and Runrun Duck needed to cheer up by catching fish.
"Quack, quack?"
Runrun Duck looked up blankly, then its eyes lit up, and it nodded repeatedly: "Quack, quack!"
Yay, fishing!
No sooner said than done, Kele drove, taking Chen Yuan and Runrun Duck, with Spark soaring high in the sky.
On the way, Chen Yuan encountered Little Peach, who was leading several guests around.
Since more and more Beast Tamers had come to Xuanhe Village, Granny Li had also opened a farmhouse with Little Peach. Although the accommodation environment was not as good as other renovated farmhouses, Little Peach would run to the village entrance to solicit customers when she wasn't in school. Her cuteness and liveliness had attracted a group of kind Beast Tamers.
"Brother Chen Yuan!"
"Kele!"
From a distance, Little Peach, with her pigtails, waved vigorously at Chen Yuan.
"Woof!"
Kele, wearing black sunglasses, released the accelerator and steadily parked the tricycle next to Little Peach, grinning.
Chen Yuan also waved to Little Peach, and then said, "You're busy, I'm going fishing."
"Okay, goodbye Brother Chen Yuan."
"Goodbye Kele!"
Little Peach waved, but the Beast Tamers behind her rubbed their eyes, and said in surprise, "Damn, can a Wind Chasing Hound drive a car too?"
One Beast Tamer, who had been silent all along, suddenly opened his eyes wide, slapped his thigh, and shouted, "Was that person just now, Consultant Chen?"
The others were stunned for a moment, followed by exclamations:
"I thought he looked familiar, it's Consultant Chen!"
"Consultant Chen, don't run, I'm your ten-year-old fan!"
Since appearing in the exhibition match, Chen Yuan had been mentally prepared to be recognized.
Every time he strolled around the village, Beast Tamers from Baokun City would recognize him, either asking for a group photo or a photo.
Fortunately, most of the Beast Tamers were quite cultured and did not act like crazed fans chasing stars, but a few Beast Tamers found the farm, but were driven away by Kele and Tiezhuwazi.
In fact, in terms of fame and popularity, Zhuang Jianbai far surpassed Chen Yuan.
Zhuang Jianbai often appeared on the internet, and with the strong publicity from the Beast Tamer Association, he attracted many fans. It was said that some fanatical fans even guarded the entrance of Yunhua Beast Taming Academy, just to wait to see Zhuang Jianbai.
Chen Yuan kept his distance from these actions.
Arriving at Mingyu Lake, Chen Yuan realized that the mountains here had been rendered into a colorful ink painting by trees of many different colors, and the entire Mingyu Lake was adorned with the colors of autumn.
"Quack, quack."
Having not returned to Mingyu Lake for a long time, Runrun Duck felt a little unfamiliar here. It stared at the lake surface for a long time before jumping into the water, splashing water, and soon disappeared.
"Woof."
Kele originally wanted to call Duck Duck to play together, but when it saw it enter the water without hesitation, it turned and ran into the nearby woods to chase the dancing butterflies.
"Chirp ~"
Spark spread its wings and flew high, but after circling in the air for a few laps, it felt bored and landed beside Chen Yuan.
"Yinyin ~"
The Twin Flower Consort shrank in the pocket of Chen Yuan's thin jacket, poked out a small head, looking left and right.
"Do you want to come out and play?" Chen Yuan asked.
"Yin."
Seeing the Twin Flower Consort nod, Chen Yuan stretched out his finger, letting the little guy hold on tightly, and then put it on the ground.
"Just play nearby, don't run far."
"Spark, keep an eye on it."
The Twin Flower Consort dragged its pink dress, shuttling through the grass taller than itself, like a little princess who had escaped from the palace.
After a while, Kele, who had failed to catch the butterflies, walked back dejectedly. When it saw the Twin Flower Consort on the ground, its eyes rolled: "Woof woof woof?"
Should I try that?
"Yinyin ~"
The Twin Flower Consort waved its hands, and the next moment it felt a breeze blowing all over its body, rolling it upwards.
"Yinyin!"
The Twin Flower Consort was instantly excited, its light pink eyes shining brightly, its dress swaying in the wind, its purple hair flying freely, its little face full of excitement.
Kele ran forward, and the Twin Flower Consort flew over its head, crossing the lawn, bypassing the trees, and rushing into the colorful woods.
Autumn doesn't have the brilliance of summer, but it also has its fun.
"Why don't we have an autumn outing?" Chen Yuan glanced at the time, seeing that it was still early, he issued an invitation.
There were few young people in Xuanhe Village, and even fewer young people who had grown up together and stayed in the village.
Fortunately, Chen Yuan was in contact with them all.
"Haozi, are you busy today?" Chen Yuan sent a message.
Zhang Hao replied in seconds: "I'm not busy today, Brother Yuan, what's the matter?"
Chen Yuan: "Come to Mingyu Lake for an autumn outing? Bring Shao Yang and the others."
Zhang Hao: "Okay, I haven't relaxed for a long time, wait for me to call people."
An hour later,
Zhang Hao, Shao Yang, and several other young people who stayed in Xuanhe Village arrived at Mingyu Lake with a bunch of equipment.
Everyone greeted each other, and soon got busy.
Spreading out the picnic cloth, putting down the folding chairs, setting up the tent, matching it with a canopy, and then taking out a series of camping equipment such as a cassette stove and Bluetooth speaker.
After doing all this, some people chose to fish with Chen Yuan, and some chose to sit on the picnic cloth and chat.
Seeing Kele and the Twin Flower Consort playing not far away, Zhang Hao and Shao Yang also released their respective pets.
The Gray-Armored Mountain Boar charged at Zhang Hao as usual. The latter skillfully dodged to the side and said, "Go play with them."
"You too, Tinder Pup," Shao Yang said.
Tinder Pup was much larger than before, more robust, and even a little chubby. It looked up at Cola not far away, suddenly widened its eyes, and ran over quickly: "Woof woof!"
Reaching Cola, Tinder Pup lowered its head, tucked its tail between its legs, and looked like it was paying respects to its boss.
"Woof."
Cola sized up Tinder Pup and suddenly remembered seeing this guy when he led the Paw Patrol through the streets. At that time, its eyes were full of envy.
No mistake, one song, one launch, one inside, one content, one at a glance!
"Woof woof woof?"
Want to join the Paw Patrol?
"Woof!"
The surprise came too suddenly. Tinder Pup raised its head, staring at Cola in disbelief. After confirming that the latter was not joking, it became excited, its fluffy tail wagging non-stop.
"Snort snort."
The Gray-Armored Mountain Boar wasn't interested in the so-called Paw Patrol. It just glanced at it and then kept close to Zhang Hao.
Wherever Zhang Hao went, it went.
Among the young people who stayed in the village, two had recently become Beast Tamers, and they had all sent out their respective pets.
A Water-type Water-Treading Cat and a Wind-type Cirrus Sparrow.
"Meow."
Seeing so many people and so many pets, the Water-Treading Cat's eyes darted around. It cried softly and quickly hid behind its owner, hugging her leg tightly, cautiously poking out a small head.
The Water-Treading Cat's owner squatted down, pulled the Water-Treading Cat out, and pushed it forward, smiling: "Don't be shy, go play with them."
"Meow."
The Water-Treading Cat shrank its neck, still a little scared.
Suddenly, a petite figure caught the Water-Treading Cat's attention. Its eyes were fixed on the Twin Flower Concubine flying in the air.
"Yinyin ~"
Seemingly aware of being watched, the Twin Flower Concubine lowered her head and looked at the Water-Treading Cat, smiling and waving her petal-shaped hand.
"Meow!"
The Water-Treading Cat suddenly stepped out from behind its owner's confused gaze and ran towards the Twin Flower Concubine.
The Cirrus Sparrow wasn't as timid as the Water-Treading Cat. It flew directly to Spark and then looked up at Spark, its eyes showing obvious envy.
What a powerful big guy.
Except for the Gray-Armored Mountain Boar sticking to Zhang Hao and Spark staying with Chen Yuan, the other little guys played together under Cola's leadership, either looking for wild pets in the small forest or playing hide-and-seek.
The beloved Twin Flower Concubine was the seeker, and the other little guys hid.
Tinder Pup hid behind a big tree. The not-too-thick tree didn't block its chubby body, and it was discovered by the Twin Flower Concubine first.
"Woof woof ~"
Cola looked around and, seeing that there was no suitable hiding place, simply piled up fallen leaves and then hid its head and body inside, only leaving out its fluffy tail.
The tail swept like a broom, and the Twin Flower Concubine grabbed the tail: "Yinyin!"
"Woof?"
Cola was full of doubts, not understanding how it had been caught by the Twin Flower Concubine when it had clearly hidden so perfectly.
But seeing the Twin Flower Concubine's happy smile, it also chuckled along.
The Cirrus Sparrow chose to hide on a branch, using the dense leaves to conceal its figure. The Twin Flower Concubine searched for a long time without finding it.
"Chirp chirp!"
Seeing the Twin Flower Concubine still searching under the tree like a headless fly, the Cirrus Sparrow couldn't help but make a triumphant cry.
However, this cry exposed its position and it was caught by the Twin Flower Concubine on the spot.
"Chirp"
The Cirrus Sparrow flew to the Twin Flower Concubine, its face full of regret.
Now, only the Water-Treading Cat was left.
However, the Twin Flower Concubine searched for a long, long time, but couldn't find the Water-Treading Cat's trace. Even the other three little guys helped search, but with no results.
Where did the Water-Treading Cat hide?
"Do you think they can find the Water-Treading Cat?" Seeing that time was running out, but the little guys hadn't found the Water-Treading Cat, Zhang Hao said with a smile.
Chen Yuan shook his head: "Impossible."
Then, he looked up and saw a faint blue figure on the surface of the Mingyu Lake in the center. Its blue fur was integrated with the color of the lake water, and it was impossible to find without careful observation.
This was the Water-Treading Cat, a magical creature that could walk on the water surface and conceal its figure with the color of the water surface.
Sure enough, until the end of the time, the little guys didn't find the Water-Treading Cat, and didn't even look towards the center of the water.
"Meow ~"
The Water-Treading Cat stepped on the water surface, its figure agile, and returned to the little guys.
Seeing that the Twin Flower Concubine hadn't found it, it was a little embarrassed, but subconsciously raised its head, unable to hide its triumph.
"Woof woof woof!" Cola cried out impatiently.
It's my turn!
I'll find, I'll find!
The little guys on the ground were playing happily, and the Runrun Duck underwater also discovered its prey.
A very long, long spirit fish was swimming freely not far away. This fish was slender in shape, and its pectoral fins were long and wide, covered with cyan-green scales.
This fish must be very delicious.
Runrun Duck stared at it intently, slowing down its swimming speed, carefully approaching it.
When it was less than two or three meters away, the big green fish suddenly turned its head and looked over.
Oh no, I've been discovered!
Runrun Duck thought badly, and its webbed feet, like oars, instantly stirred the water, as if the top-level engine was running at full power in an instant, charging straight forward!
The big green fish reacted quickly, first twisting its body to avoid Runrun Duck's attack, and then swinging its powerful fish tail, accurately hitting Runrun Duck's head.
"Quack quack."
A huge force struck, and Runrun Duck was dizzy from being hit by the huge fish tail. It quickly shook its head, bursting into anger.
The food that was about to be eaten dared to resist!
It's making Duck Duck angry!
Seeing the big green fish staying in place, casting a playful look, the furious Runrun Duck opened its mouth and spat out a water arrow, cutting through the water and suddenly attacking!
The big green fish wagged its tail, dodging the water arrow while quickly swimming away from this place.
Seeing this, Runrun Duck quickly chased after it.
The fish and duck engaged in a fierce chase underwater. Seeing that it couldn't shake off Runrun Duck, the big green fish suddenly swam towards the surface of the water, and Runrun Duck quickly followed.
The next moment,
The big green fish suddenly exerted its strength, its entire body breaking through the waves like an arrow from a string, spreading its wide pectoral fins like light wings, leaping out of the water, its streamlined body cutting through streams of water, its whole body shining with cyan-green luster, actually flying into the air above the lake, gliding for a distance before falling back into the water.
"Woof woof woof!"
Cola, who was staying on the shore, widened its eyes, its face full of disbelief.
Fish can fly too!
Who else can't fly!!!
