Page 40

The cubs really did not want Tao Qiu to fight the giant snake again, but they were born longing for great strength, because it was fundamental to surviving in this world. The two did not conflict.

More importantly, none of the blood at the scene was Tao Qiu's, so the cubs had no reason to be afraid on his account.

Seeing that the cubs were not averse to it, Tao Qiu relaxed and gave them instructions. "I'll move those rocks out of the way. You start digging a hole, and we'll bury all the stinky stuff in it."

The cubs were too small to move the rocks, and their bird forms made it inconvenient to clean up the rotten radish mush, so digging was the only job he could give them.

Once Tao Qiu had marked out the area for the hole, the cubs eagerly began to dig.

The soil where Tao Qiu had chosen was soft and loose, so it would not hurt the cubs' little claws.

Tao Qiu took human form and moved the rocks into a pile beneath the stone wall by the side of the path. Then he used bamboo tubes to collect all the rotten radish mush on the ground, along with the dirt and pebbles it had touched. It took quite an effort to finish cleaning up.

Some of the rotten radish mush had been scattered too thinly for him to collect every last bit. He could only wait for the smell to fade and some rain to fall, so it would gradually mix into the soil.

It might even fertilize the ground. After all, the soil in the radish patch had been so fertile it had turned black.

If there had not been so much of it that the smell would take a while to dissipate, and if it had not looked so filthy and unsightly, Tao Qiu would not have bothered cleaning it up.

The cubs were still young, after all. Even though they worked hard at digging, they made slow progress. In the end, Tao Qiu had to step in and dig the hole to a suitable depth.

But when Tao Qiu poured the stinky stuff in, the cubs did not mind the smell and worked hard to help.

By the time they had filled the hole in, Second Cub and Third Cub had gone from little snowballs to grubby gray bundles of dirt. Even Eldest Cub, who was black all over, had feathers covered in dust.

Second Cub looked up and sniffed, chirping with a silly grin.

"Daddy's stinky, little sister's stinky, big brother's stinky, and I'm stinky too."

Tao Qiu chuckled. "What are we going to do? We've all turned into stinky birds."

"Chirp!" Third Cub offered a solution.

"Take a bath!"

"That's right! We'll take a bath and turn into nice-smelling birds again!"

Tao Qiu picked up the three bird cubs, happily carried them to the pond, and jumped in with a splash.

Droplets flew everywhere, sparkling in the sunlight.

"Chirp! Chirp, chirp!"

The cubs squealed, their voices full of excitement at playing with Daddy, with no fear of the water at all.

"I'll wash you first, one at a time. More of your feathers will get wet this time, so don't be scared."

Sitting on a rock, Tao Qiu first set Second Cub and Third Cub beside him, then cupped Eldest Cub in his hands and washed the dust off him.

Eldest Cub's down was almost soaked through, but instead of feeling uncomfortable, he lifted his head in enjoyment and gazed at Tao Qiu with bright eyes.

How could he describe it? More than his feathers getting wet, what mattered to him was that Daddy's gaze, attention, and actions were all focused on him alone.

For a bird cub who liked depending on his father, such exclusive treatment was undoubtedly the most precious experience.

After all, the last time Tao Qiu had given him such focused attention was when he had just hatched and his little sisters were still in their eggs.

Eldest Cub did not dislike his little sisters. He loved them just as he loved his father, but he had a selfish wish: he wanted more of Daddy's attention all to himself.

He would never voice those thoughts, though.

Tao Qiu had no idea that so many thoughts had passed through Eldest Cub's mind in a few short minutes. All he saw was Eldest Cub gazing at him with admiration in his eyes, and his heart melted. Before setting Eldest Cub on a rock to dry his feathers, he bent down and kissed him.

"You're so good." Tao Qiu's pale green eyes were filled with tiny glimmers of starlight, like the glow of a father's tender love falling on Eldest Cub, warmer than the sun overhead.

Eldest Cub gave Tao Qiu's hand a gentle peck to show his affection.

Tao Qiu rubbed his head again before moving on to bathe Second Cub.

Unlike the quiet Eldest Cub, Second Cub did not stop talking the entire time. For a while, all Tao Qiu could hear was her chattering chirps.

"Daddy, I'm very good too."

"Daddy, I'm not scared of bathing at all. Aren't I brave?"

"Daddy, wash my wings for me. I think they're the stinkiest."

"Daddy, what are we eating for dinner?"

"Daddy..."

"Daddy..."

"Da... I mean, Xuexue, stand up and shake the water off yourself. You'll dry faster that way."

After hearing Second Cub say "Daddy" so many times, Tao Qiu had almost slipped up and called his child Daddy, turning the natural order on its head.

Luckily, none of the cubs reacted. They probably had not noticed.

"Chirp, chirp!"

Second Cub shook herself from head to tail, flinging droplets everywhere. Eldest Cub, who was already drying himself in the sun, silently moved a little farther away from her.

She shook so hard that when she stopped, she lost her balance and nearly fell on her bottom. Luckily, Tao Qiu reached out and caught her in time.

Second Cub's down was sticking out in every direction, leaving her looking like a thoroughly disheveled little bird. Tao Qiu could not help laughing.

Second Cub was dizzy and did not realize Daddy was laughing at her, so she joined in with a string of cheerful, silly chirps.

Tao Qiu told Eldest Cub to keep an eye on Second Cub and make sure she stayed put to dry her feathers, then went to wash Third Cub. She cooperated by lifting her legs and wings, her wet eyes fixed on Tao Qiu all the while.

Tao Qiu teased her. "Is Daddy handsome?"

Third Cub chirped happily, "Chirp!"

"Super handsome!"

Tao Qiu was even happier.

Only after washing the three fluffy little bundles did Tao Qiu start washing himself.

As he scrubbed, he did not forget to hum a song. "I love taking baths, my skin feels so good, awooo~ Put on a shower cap, sing and dance, awooo~"

The children's song had a strong rhythm and an easy tune to remember. Tao Qiu had only sung a few lines when the cubs learned the melody and began chirping along.

And so the whole pond became their family's concert. They were the stars, and they were the audience too.

The cubs had lots of down, and Tao Qiu's hair was long and thick. The four of them lay on the rocks drying themselves until evening before going back.

Fortunately, the autumn sun was warm and gentle on their skin. Otherwise, they would have been roasted black as charcoal.

One day, Tao Qiu went out on patrol and saw Black Rabbit, who had just eaten his fill, lying beside the remains of his prey and licking his paws as he digested. Remembering how Black Rabbit had warned him before, Tao Qiu went over and thanked him again.

Black Rabbit looked him up and down, his gaze dark and unreadable, and gave a roar in an indistinct tone.

"I never knew when you got so strong. That Green Python slunk away covered in wounds, but you don't look like you lost a single feather."

Green Python's strength was widely acknowledged among the mutant monsters nearby. Black Rabbit had thought Snow Bird was no match for Green Python, so he had come to warn him in advance and let him prepare. He had never expected Snow Bird to be the one to win a resounding victory in the end.

Black Rabbit was not the only one who had paid attention to their fight that night, nor was he the only one who was puzzled, but he was the only one who dared to ask.

Even so, he only dared approach Snow Bird. He had no desire to provoke Green Python.

Tao Qiu smiled and replied.

"I still have to thank you for warning me. Because I was prepared, I used a few other means and won by luck. If we'd fought head-on, I really wouldn't have been able to beat Green Python."

Black Rabbit was blunt. "Roar?"

"What means?"

Tao Qiu gave the explanation he had prepared long ago.

"Remember the Stinky Ground Fruit I dug up in your territory? I raised it until it ripened, and when Green Python fought me, I hit her in the eyes with it while she wasn't paying attention. She lost her sight and was so overwhelmed by the stink that she grew dizzy. That was how I found a chance to defeat her."

Black Rabbit was skeptical. "Roar?"

"Really?"

Mutant monsters still fought by pitting their raw strength against one another. It had never occurred to them that they could use items.

Snow Bird was not exactly lying, so he answered openly. "Chirp! Chirp, chirp, chirp!"

"Really! If you can stand the smell, go ahead and try it!"

Black Rabbit did not say whether he believed him. He went on to ask, "Roar?"

"Why did Green Python come looking for you?"

They all knew Green Python's temper. Unless it was over something important, she would not have gone to fight Snow Bird to the death for no reason.

This time, Tao Qiu did not answer honestly. Instead, he spoke vaguely. "Chirp, chirp, chirp."

"You'll have to ask Green Python that. She came looking for me, not the other way around."

Black Rabbit understood that Snow Bird did not want to answer and did not press him. He gave a lazy yawn and said he was going home to sleep.

Before he left, he said something meaningful to Tao Qiu. "Roar."

"You're getting smarter and smarter. Looks like that fruit really is good stuff."

Tao Qiu froze for a second, then realized that Black Rabbit had probably guessed Green Python had come looking for him because of the fruit.

But since Black Rabbit did not say it outright, Tao Qiu played dumb as well. He said goodbye to Black Rabbit, then turned and left.

Back at the cave, he watched the cubs chasing one another and playing, his brow furrowing involuntarily.

How much longer could he keep the cubs' existence and the secret of the fruit hidden?

And once everything came to light, would he be able to bear the consequences?

Tao Qiu let out a long sigh.

"Chirp?"

Third Cub noticed that something was wrong with Tao Qiu's expression. She ran over on her short little legs and tilted her head, looking at him worriedly.

"What's wrong, Daddy?"

When she spoke up, the other two bird cubs also noticed that Tao Qiu was not himself and hurried over.

Eldest Cub: "Chirp, chirp?"

"Daddy, are you feeling unwell?"

Second Cub: "Chirp, chirp?"

"Or are you in a bad mood?"

Meeting the cubs' worried gazes, Tao Qiu felt some of the heaviness lift from his heart. He smiled. "I'm thinking about a few things, but I can't tell you about them yet."

Since Tao Qiu did not want to say, the cubs did not pester him for an answer. Instead, they stopped playing and stayed by his side, chirping away about this and that and occasionally singing a song.