NOVEL NEXT Chapter 1 - The Forest Ranger of the Sichuan Mountains
Chapter 01: The Forest Ranger of the Sichuan Mountains
Scorching summer day. Deep in the heart of Sichuan’s hundred thousand mountains.
Lin Tian, carrying a backpack, trekked along the rugged mountain path. In his hand, he held a selfie stick with his phone, displaying the live stream he had just started.
“Brothers, this is the Sichuan Nature Reserve. Pretty nice scenery, right? Starting today, I’m officially a proud forest ranger in this area. From now on, I’ll regularly stream my daily life as a ranger for everyone.”
As Lin Tian spoke, he continued deeper into the mountains.
The scenery in Sichuan was breathtaking. Layer upon layer of lush green forests. Dense branches and leaves formed a natural green barrier, blocking out the noise and restlessness of the outside world, calming one’s mind.
Taking a deep breath of the clean air of nature, Lin Tian felt joyful. This was one of the reasons he chose to become a forest ranger.
Of course, there was another, even more important reason: a magical stone Lin Tian had acquired one day.
The stone was smaller than a fist, with an irregular surface, dark gray in color. At a glance, it looked like any ordinary stone you might pick up by the roadside. But this stone was no ordinary stone. He had dug it up one day in the basement of his hometown.
Ever since he found it, the stone seemed to be bound to him. No matter where he threw it, as long as he thought about it, the stone would instantly appear in his hand out of thin air. It was incredibly magical.
After some experimentation, Lin Tian discovered the stone had two extraordinary abilities.
The first ability: when he carried the stone with him, he could vaguely understand animals’ thoughts and clearly sense their emotions. Moreover, it made all animals naturally fond of him.
The second ability: when the stone was soaked in water, it could transform ordinary water into a kind of miraculous spiritual water.
When this spiritual water was used to irrigate plants, it could accelerate their growth and enhance their properties. When animals drank it, it could subtly improve their physical condition and intelligence.
After discovering the stone’s magical properties, Lin Tian’s first thought was to become a forest ranger in the mountains. This was already the kind of life he wanted. And with this magical stone, his life in the forest would become even easier and more carefree.
While lost in thought, Lin Tian glanced at his live stream.
In the brief moment he had been distracted, a few scattered comments had popped up in the chat.
> “Streamer??? You’re barely in your 20s, right??? Becoming a forest ranger???”
> “I heard being a forest ranger is one of the loneliest jobs. You barely get to go home once a year. Can someone really endure that kind of loneliness?”
> “Be honest, streamer, what happened to you to make you choose this job?”
> “This is like retiring early, lol.”
…
Since Lin Tian had just created the live stream account today, there weren’t many viewers online—only about a dozen or so. As a result, there were only a few comments. Most of them expressed surprise at Lin Tian’s identity as a forest ranger.
After all, Lin Tian was only 22 years old today, fresh out of college. Under normal circumstances, someone his age would pick almost any other job before choosing to be a forest ranger.
Because being a forest ranger was genuinely lonely. Living for long periods in the desolate depths of the mountains, without anyone to talk to. Repeating the same routine day after day. Few young people could endure it.
But that didn’t include Lin Tian. He was different.
Since childhood, he had loved the life of nature and adored animals. He didn’t find living in nature boring at all. Of course, the most critical factor was this: Lin Tian had the magical stone that let him understand animals’ thoughts and create spiritual water.
Life in nature would be much easier for him.
“The job of a forest ranger is actually pretty great. Far from human habitation, living in harmony with nature—I think it’s not bad at all.”
Lin Tian interacted with the live stream audience while continuing to climb the mountain without stopping.
Today was his first day reporting for duty. He still had a lot to do.
It was already noon. The early summer sun was scorching. Fortunately, the trees in the hundred thousand mountains were tall and lush, blocking most of the sunlight, leaving only dappled beams filtering through.
As Lin Tian climbed, he admired the scenery along the way and chatted with the audience in the live stream. The journey didn’t feel boring at all.
Soon, an hour later, Lin Tian arrived at his designated management area.
At the entrance to the area, a middle-aged man in camouflage clothing with dark skin was already waiting.
“Hello, you must be Lin Tian, right? I’m Wang Jian, the forest ranger from the neighboring area. The bureau sent me to help you get settled.”
Wang Jian stepped forward and shook Lin Tian’s hand.
Lin Tian smiled and extended his hand as well. “Hello, Brother Wang, thanks for the trouble.”
“Haha, no trouble, no trouble! But I have to say, you’re much younger than I expected. It’s my first time seeing a forest ranger as young as you! Is this your first job? Why would you want to become a forest ranger? This job isn’t something young people usually stick with.”
Wang Jian was visibly surprised by Lin Tian’s youth.
At the same time, perhaps because he hadn’t seen many people while guarding the reserve, Wang Jian seemed particularly enthusiastic upon meeting Lin Tian, talking nonstop.
Lin Tian only occasionally responded with a smile and a word or two.
The two chatted as they walked along the mountain path deeper into the area. After about ten minutes, the path led to a courtyard surrounded by red brick walls. But the courtyard seemed to have been abandoned for a long time. Vines grew wildly along the walls, and half of the gate was missing.
Seeing Lin Tian looking at the house on the hillside, Wang Jian smiled and said, “You see it—that red brick courtyard up ahead is the forest ranger’s house for this area. But ever since the last ranger retired, this area hasn’t had a ranger for seven or eight years. So, this courtyard has been empty for seven or eight years with no one living in it. It’s probably overgrown with weeds. If you want to move in, it’ll take some effort to clean it up.”
Lin Tian could also tell the house hadn’t been occupied in a long time. The vines growing unchecked on the courtyard walls were almost covering the original color of the bricks.
From a distance, it looked like a green wall.
“No problem, I’ll clean it up slowly.” Lin Tian smiled, unbothered.
A forest ranger’s workload wasn’t heavy. In his spare time, he’d have plenty of time to tidy up the house.
Lin Tian took the lead, eager to check out his new home. Wang Jian followed behind with a cheerful grin. The end of the path led to the courtyard’s main gate. Upon reaching the gate, Lin Tian reached out to push open the weathered wooden door.
The door, long neglected, had rusted hinges. As he pushed it open, it let out a creaking, aged groan. Lin Tian exerted some effort to open the door, preparing to step inside.
At that moment, out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly noticed a dark shadow flying straight toward him. Lin Tian reacted quickly, instinctively stepping back.
He dodged the shadow, but nearly bumped into Wang Jian, who was following behind.
“Whoa, Lin Tian, what’s wrong?” Wang Jian, startled by Lin Tian’s sudden movement, asked in confusion.
“Brother Wang, there seems to be something in the courtyard.” Lin Tian frowned slightly. He glanced down at the shadow that had attacked him. On the wild grass by the courtyard entrance lay an unripe wild fruit.
This … a jujube?
Lin Tian stared at the immature jujube on the ground, stunned. How could a jujube from the courtyard suddenly fly toward him?
Perplexed, he looked up into the courtyard. His pupils widened in shock, stunned by the sight before him!
In the courtyard, on a lush jujube tree, perched a group of figures covered in soft golden fur. They had long tails, fluffy fur, and large, dark eyes. Some sat, some stood, some hung upside down from the branches. Each one stared intently at Lin Tian, growLin threateningly as if facing a great enemy.
There were at least a dozen of them. Their identity? Any Chinese person would recognize them at first glance. They were a critically endangered species native to China, one of the most beautiful and precious monkeys in the world, the prototype for the Monkey King in Journey to the West.
Sichuan golden snub-nosed monkeys!
At this moment, these typically docile golden monkeys were glaring at him as if he were an intruder, their long tails raised high, filled with hostility!
Looking at their expressions, Lin Tian’s face turned peculiar. It seemed these golden monkeys were upset because he had trespassed into their territory?