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Tao Qiu wasn't sure when he would find a suitable new crop, but he couldn't keep looking indefinitely, so he set himself a limit: he had to return within three days.

Tao Qiu prepared three days' worth of meat for the children and put it all in a cool, shaded spot inside the cave so it would keep a little longer.

He also filled the bamboo tubes with water for their daily use.

He grew some extra fruit as well. If the meat spoiled before he returned, they could eat the fruit to tide themselves over.

After that, he brought over some rocks, planning to block the cave entrance after he left.

The entrance was so large that several big rocks had to be stacked to reach the top. That would certainly reduce the light inside, but at a time like this, he couldn't worry about that.

"Sorry, babies. You'll have to put up with this for a few days." Tao Qiu kissed each of the three bird chicks.

Eldest Cub shook his head. "Chirp, chirp, chirp."

—Dad, you don't need to be sorry.

Second Cub and Third Cub pressed against Tao Qiu and nuzzled him affectionately.

Second Cub said, "Chirp, chirp."

—Dad, stay safe.

Third Cub said, "Chirp, chirp."

—We'll miss you, Dad.

After saying their goodbyes, Tao Qiu left the cave the next morning. The chicks didn't sleep in that day. They watched their dad block the entrance, spread his wings, and fly away.

Only when his scent had completely disappeared did the three chicks turn dejectedly back into the cave.

"Chirp, chirp..." Second Cub hung her head, her voice mournful.

—I'm starting to miss Dad...

Eldest Cub laid a wing across his sister's back and comforted her. "Chirp, chirp, chirp."

—There, there. Dad will be back soon.

His words sounded reassuring, but Eldest Cub hadn't even managed to comfort himself.

Just then, a faint "chirp" came from behind the two birds.

They turned and saw Third Cub standing pitifully by the cave entrance, great tears streaming down her face.

Of the three children, Third Cub was actually the most insecure and the most dependent on their father. Yet she hadn't cried when Tao Qiu said he was going away, or when she saw him off just now. Once he was gone, she couldn't hold it in anymore...

"Chirp... chirp..."

—Boo-hoo, Dad... Dad...

"Hm?"

Tao Qiu, who had already flown to the edge of his territory, suddenly heard Third Cub calling him Dad. He jolted in alarm, thinking the children had chased after him.

But when he looked back, there was nothing there.

Only then did he realize that, aside from the fact that the children couldn't fly yet, they were so small that they couldn't possibly move those rocks.

He was most likely so worried about the children that he was hearing things.

At the thought, Tao Qiu couldn't help smiling wryly. He felt like a parent who had no choice but to leave his children behind to work away from home after the Spring Festival, while the chicks were left-behind children.

Fortunately, he wouldn't be gone long. Otherwise, wouldn't his heart break?

Tao Qiu had already searched his territory thoroughly and found none of the crops he wanted, so he could only look in the territories of other mutated monsters.

The boundaries between mutated monsters were clearly defined, and they hated having their territories invaded, but that didn't mean there was no room for negotiation.

Tao Qiu went to considerable effort to catch a wild boar, which he didn't usually eat, and flew toward the territory of Black Rabbit, his nearest neighbor. After entering the territory, he headed straight for the rabbit hole without stopping.

A crafty rabbit had three burrows, and even someone as powerful as Black Rabbit liked to dig several dens for himself. Tao Qiu went to the one where he usually lived.

Before Tao Qiu even got close, Black Rabbit caught his scent and came out of his hole. He tilted his head back, glared wide-eyed at Tao Qiu, and opened his enormous, bloody maw to curse him.

"Roar!!!"

—You stinking bird, you barged into my territory. Are you looking to die?!

Since he needed a favor from the rabbit, Tao Qiu naturally spoke gently.

He tightened his claws, letting the wild boar's blood drip down so its scent would drift on the wind to Black Rabbit's nose.

Tao Qiu called out.

—Old Black! I brought you a wild boar. Want it?

Though Black Rabbit had a violent temper and never had a kind word for Tao Qiu when they met, the two of them actually got along well.

Otherwise, Tao Qiu wouldn't have chosen his territory as his first stop, and Black Rabbit wouldn't have held off attacking him until now, only cursing him once.

Black Rabbit had last eaten several days ago. If Tao Qiu hadn't come, he would have gone out to hunt later.

Now, the smell of blood stirred his appetite, and his stomach immediately growled twice.

Black Rabbit licked his lips and roared at Tao Qiu again.

—What do you want?

Snow Bird wasn't a fool. He couldn't possibly bring him food for no reason; he must want a favor.

Seeing Black Rabbit soften his attitude, Tao Qiu landed and set the boar down closer to him.

Tao Qiu got straight to the point, telling Black Rabbit he was looking for something and wanted to see if it was in his territory.

Black Rabbit pawed at the boar, considering where best to start eating. At that, he looked at Tao Qiu. "Roar?"

—What?

Tao Qiu said, "Chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp."

—I don't know yet. It's a plant, anyway. If you're worried, you can follow me.

After mutating, Black Rabbit had developed a greater liking for meat and only ate wild grass occasionally. Mutated plants really didn't taste very good, so he rarely ate them.

If Tao Qiu was looking for a plant, it wouldn't affect him.

Black Rabbit rolled his eyes at Tao Qiu. "Roar, roar."

—Who wants to follow you? But if you find it, show it to me.

It might not affect him, but Tao Qiu was the only mutated monster who had eaten that fruit, after all. What if he had some deeper purpose in doing this? Black Rabbit was still very curious.

Tao Qiu said, "Chirp."

—Of course.

Black Rabbit said, "Roar."

—Get lost.

After Tao Qiu agreed, Black Rabbit couldn't be bothered with him anymore and lowered his head to begin eating breakfast.

Tao Qiu didn't stay to make himself unwelcome. He took flight again and headed off in one direction, intending to begin a methodical search.

Black Rabbit's territory included both wooded mountains and open wilderness. Tao Qiu changed size from time to time, but always remained in bird form. He still couldn't let the other monsters discover what was special about him.

By the end of the day, Tao Qiu had found nothing.

Most of what he found that day were small wild fruits like red berries, which he already had in his own territory. As for vegetables and grains, he hadn't found any yet.

That night, he rested in a tree. Looking up at the moon overhead, he couldn't help thinking of the three chicks at home.

Had they eaten properly? Had they encountered any danger? Would they be afraid without him there at night?

Third Cub depended on him the most. Was she secretly crying right now?

The thought made Tao Qiu's heart ache.

He had to work harder to find new crops tomorrow. Thinking too much was no use; getting home sooner was what mattered.

For now, he should hurry and rest so he would have enough energy to continue searching.

Tao Qiu buried his head in the down on his chest and slowly closed his eyes.

As time passed, the moon moved across the night sky.

A cool breeze blew, and dark clouds covered the moon. Visibility in the forest dropped another notch, providing the best natural cover for certain shadows in the night.

Several black-purple vines crept up the thick trunk, slowly and cautiously clinging to the branches as they approached the white figure sleeping soundly in a fork of the tree.

Two of the vines crept over to Tao Qiu's feet and gently wrapped around his legs. Once he was secured, the thickest vine rose like a venomous snake. Its tip split open, and sticky fluid slowly dripped from a mouth lined with sharp teeth.

The fluid was poisonous. A small amount could anesthetize prey, while a larger dose was enough to kill.

The vine gathered its strength and lunged at Tao Qiu.

Just as it was about to bite his leg, two pale green lights flashed in the darkness. A blur shot straight at the vine, stirring up a gust of cold wind.

The vine sensed the approaching danger, but before it could work out what was happening, it suddenly felt a crushing pressure on its body.

The next instant, the moon emerged from behind the clouds, illuminating half the forest.

A soft swish sounded in the silent night as half a vine was flung into the air. Thick fluid flew out and hung there for half a second before falling with the vine and splattering onto the wild grass.

The severed vine seemed not to have realized what had happened. It continued to writhe in vain, looking quite disgusting.

Interrupting my sleep. How annoying, Tao Qiu cursed inwardly.

Once the vines realized Tao Qiu was awake, they stopped hiding. A countless mass of vines climbed into the treetops. Some tried to wrap around Tao Qiu, while others opened their mouths and charged at him fiercely.

Tao Qiu had only one mouth. No matter how fast he was, he couldn't bite through them all, so before they drew close, he made a quick decision and beat his wings, shooting straight into the sky.

He had chosen his sleeping spot deliberately. There were no layers of branches around him to hinder his takeoff.

The two vines that had first wrapped around his legs were dragged into the air with him. The other vines tried to follow along them, but Tao Qiu flew so fast and so high that the two vines were soon pulled taut, on the verge of snapping.

But the vines were very tough. Tao Qiu could break them, but it would take some time. Seeing the other vines about to catch up, he shrank without hesitation. His legs shrank faster than the vines could react, and he easily slipped free of their grip.

By then, at least a hundred vines had extended above the treetops. Having lost their support, the tangled mass of vines crashed down, breaking quite a few branches on the way.

The vines hadn't expected Tao Qiu to have the ability to change size at will, and their plan to catch him came to nothing.

Though disappointed, they could do nothing about Tao Qiu once he had flown into the sky. To avoid further trouble, they could only retreat quickly.

In this place full of danger, if they couldn't kill their prey in one strike, continuing the fight could very well end with a third party taking advantage of them both.

What the vines hadn't expected, however, was that the one who wanted to kill them wasn't a third party, but Tao Qiu, whom they had just regarded as prey.

As the vines withdrew, Tao Qiu pursued them.