Tao Qiu

Biodata

Power Progression

The stages below describe documented developments, not formal realm names. Tao Qiu compares his plant ability's improvement to leveling through repeated use 10.

Background / History

Previous Human Life

Tao Qiu spent much of his childhood with his grandparents in the countryside while his parents ran a business elsewhere. His grandfather died during his elementary-school years. When the business prospered, his parents brought him and his grandmother to the city, but his grandmother also died by the time he entered middle school 12.

His parents had long since fallen out of love and each had another lover. They maintained their marriage for business interests and appearances, while withholding affection from Tao Qiu. Although they provided material comforts, he grew up emotionally isolated 12.

Tao Qiu deliberately attended a distant university. After his parents searched his belongings and discovered from his diary that he liked men, they tricked him into returning home. During the confrontation, he was violently shoved to the floor and struck the back of his head against a solid-wood table. His last memory was of his parents continuing to shout 46.

Life as Snow Bird

Reborn as a mutated bird, Tao Qiu was the only egg in his parents' clutch to hatch successfully. His parents drove him from their nest when he was two. Preferring shelter from the weather, he seized a cave from a mutated snake rather than building a tree nest 4.

His bird parents disappeared soon afterward. He searched for them without success and considered it likely that stronger monsters had eaten them. As he grew stronger, he established a comfortable solitary existence among neighboring rivals who generally avoided costly fights 4.

A sudden premonition of death disrupted that life. Drawn to a powerful life force in the forest, he fought other monsters for a glowing green fruit and ate it despite suffering serious injuries. The fruit restored his human memories, enabled human transformation, strengthened his healing, and delayed his death 4.

Appearance

• Bird form: White-feathered, enormous at full size, with a sharp golden beak. When reduced to palm size, he is round, plump, and fluffy enough to resemble a pet bird 5.
• Eyes: Pale green; Second Cub inherits both their color and a closely matching shade 17 32.
• Human form: Fair-skinned, with long, thick white hair that falls over his chest and back 34 40 179.
• Partial transformation: Can retain wings, clawed feet, or feather coverings while otherwise human 6.

Personality

Tao Qiu strongly values survival. His initial dedication to farming comes from discovering that his cultivated fruit slows his physical decline. He experiments rather than relying on hope, comparing seed generations, testing unfamiliar crops, and checking whether purified radishes retain their dangerous properties 5 13 30.

He is playful, teasing, and openly pleased by praise. He jokes with his children, mischievously provokes Black Rabbit, and enjoys making Lou Yu flustered. His confidence in his appearance is equally direct 28 104 136 140.

His children receive the warmth he lacked from his parents. Although he initially fears repeating his family's failures, he becomes an attentive father who apologizes for mistakes, reassures frightened cubs, and encourages affection between siblings. Their love also helps him confront the pain of his previous life 17 19 46 173.

His gentleness does not extend to threats against his family. After an intrusion, he displays the attackers' bodies and deliberately hunts other members of their species to deter further theft. When Third Cub is abducted, he is willing to expose himself to danger to recover her 123 239.

Abilities & Skills

Plant Growth and Purification

Tao Qiu channels invisible energy into plants to accelerate germination, growth, flowering, and ripening. The same ability can purify mutated crops and improve their edible qualities 5 30 42.

• Energy cost: Early attempts cause extreme hunger, weakness, and exhaustion—more severe than the strain of losing blood 5.
• Control: Gathering energy before release improves efficiency; he can also distribute it evenly across a planting area 11 200.
• Limits: Purification does not affect every crop identically, and he cannot fully choose which characteristics change 42.
• Seed inheritance: Fruit grown from first- and second-generation purified seeds shows no difference in taste or life-extending effect in his early comparison 13.
• Seed assessment: Can detect whether seeds are dead or dormant 198.

Beneficial Crops

His cultivated food has effects beyond nutrition.

• For Tao Qiu: The first accelerated raspberries slightly reduce his hunger and fatigue and slow his body's decay 5.
• For Lou Yu: Regular consumption improves his constitution and makes ability use easier 128.
• For unstable ability users: The crops strengthen the body so it can better withstand and control an ability; they do not replace training 141 142.
• For research: Active energy extracted from his crops becomes an ingredient in the Ability Stabilization Agent, intended to improve survival and success during awakening 219.
• For neighboring monsters: The Fox Clan's improved health and abilities make his crops valuable trade goods 181.

Self-Healing and Medicinal Blood

The green fruit greatly enhances Tao Qiu's ability to recover from physical injuries. His blood can also accelerate healing in others 3 4.

• Healing others: He feeds blood to the badly wounded Lou Yu and the frail Third Cub; he later explains that it saved Third Cub's life 3 17 180.
• Direct ability enhancement: After drinking a small amount, Lou Yu's ability becomes at least four or five times stronger. This is distinct from the gradual constitutional benefits of the crops 180.
• Detoxification: His self-healing clears the Banyan Tree's debilitating floral substance from his body 245.
• Limits: Healing physical injuries does not remove mental exhaustion or replace sleep. The floral substance initially makes him dizzy and impairs his movements before he recovers 16 242 245.

Transformation and Size Control

Tao Qiu can freely alternate between bird and human forms after eating the glowing fruit 4.

• Size alteration: Can reduce his mountain-like bird body to palm size 5.
• Partial bird features: Can manifest wings, claws, and feathers while human, including wings strong enough to carry Lou Yu 6 179.
• Asymmetry: Cannot retain human features while in bird form 6.
• Combat mobility: Shrinking improves his agility when evading and breaking attacking vines 27.

Flight, Senses, and Combat

A powerful aerial predator, Tao Qiu combines flight with sharp talons, a strong beak, and intimidating territorial pressure 14 35 123.

• Vision: Possesses extraordinarily sharp eyesight and good night vision 14 16.
• Aerial advantage: Can rise beyond Green Python's striking range, though attacking her closely risks being caught and crushed 35.
• Physical strength: Kills a mutated tiger while carrying it in flight 205.
• Defensive wings: Shields himself from exploding glass with his wings 242.
• Limits: The spider traps and badly wounds him; the Banyan Tree's hard, numerous roots place him at a disadvantage in an enclosed space 149 242.

Farming, Crafting, and Teaching

• Cultivation: Collects wild plants and seeds, transplants crops, compares growing conditions, and prepares winter stores 13 15 26 30.
• Construction and utensils: Builds his bathing pond and makes baskets, bamboo forks, and chopsticks 7 18 102.
• Child-rearing: Raises the cubs using both bird communication and human speech, teaches them to fly, and uses games to assess their strengths and weaknesses 18 24 52.
• Cooking: Prepares family meals and foods such as egg pancakes and pumpkin cakes 106 140 184.

Relationships

• Lou Yu — Partner and the cubs' other father. Their relationship grows from rescue and an encounter during Tao Qiu's heat into mutual affection, declarations of love, and shared family life. Lou Yu protects Tao Qiu's secrets; Tao Qiu gradually learns to seek emotional security from him 11 71 105 119 196.
• Eldest Cub — Eldest son, whose black down reminds Tao Qiu of Lou Yu. Tao Qiu proposes “Ink” as a proper name because of his coloring and steady, gentle personality 15 24.
• Second Cub — Daughter who closely resembles Tao Qiu in appearance and mischievous temperament. He comforts her fears and helps her adjust after she takes human form 32 52 102.
• Tao Yuan / Third Cub / Yuanyuan — Youngest daughter. Tao Qiu uses his blood to support her when she is dangerously weak, names her with hopes for her future strength, and risks himself after her abduction 17 25 180 239.
• Black Rabbit — Neighbor, occasional verbal sparring partner, and ally. Allows Tao Qiu to search his territory, rescues him during the spider battle, and agrees to watch his valley 26 28 149 182.
• Green Python — Initially threatens his crops while seeking help for her daughter. Their confrontation develops into trade and cooperation; she later permits him to search her territory and helps guard his land 35 36 52 54 182.
• Little Snake — Green Python's daughter. Tao Qiu recognizes her frailty and later advises her to apologize sincerely for bullying Second Cub without assuming forgiveness 36 65.
• Red Fox and White Fox — Fox Clan allies. Tao Qiu trades crops with the clan, comforts Red Fox after the old chief's death, and eventually reveals his human form to both foxes 127 140 181.
• Lou Quan — Lou Yu's brother and a pragmatic collaborator. Tao Qiu recognizes his ambition but believes he retains a conscience; Lou Quan helps protect his secret and arranges his secure planting work 171 197 198.
• Bai Yan — Lou Yu's mother. Her kindness and relationship with Lou Yu reassure the couple when Tao Qiu agrees to research under her supervision 238.
• Banyan Tree / Root — Enemy that covets Tao Qiu's power and targets his family. Tao Qiu ultimately captures it after recovering from its attacks 226 239 241 245.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Pregnancy and Raising the Cubs

Tao Qiu initially mistakes his growing abdomen for weight gain. When living things inside him absorb his ability energy, he realizes he is carrying eggs. After panic and a destructive hunting spree, he accepts the pregnancy and diverts his energy from crops to nourishing them 10 11.

He lays three eggs but hesitates over raising them, fearing that he might repeat his parents' failures. Nevertheless, he shelters and incubates them, tells them stories, and carefully prepares for their hatching. Eldest Cub arrives first, followed by his two sisters 12 13 15 16.

Farming and Neighboring Territories

His search for life-extending food expands into a varied valley farm. Crop gathering takes him into Black Rabbit's territory, while the value of his produce brings conflict with Green Python. Once he understands that she wants the food for her weak daughter, the relationship moves toward exchange rather than continued hostility 26 27 35 36 52.

The farm becomes a source of trade with neighboring monsters. Tao Qiu also serves as a bridge between humans and the Fox Clan, helping Lou Yu obtain materials 121 140.

Relationship with Lou Yu

Tao Qiu and Lou Yu exchange food and supplies as their affection deepens. Their first romantic kiss marks a change from teasing courtship to a more openly intimate relationship 73 89.

Tao Qiu gradually reveals his farming ability, the children, and the medicinal nature of his blood. When Lou Yu initially mistakes the cubs for children Tao Qiu had with another bird, Tao Qiu tells him they may belong to both of them 91 136 180.

Settlement in Yong'an Base

Before moving to the base, Tao Qiu asks his monster neighbors to protect his territory. A fabricated identity presents him as a Yongkang Base resident and experienced planting worker, concealing his life as Snow Bird 182 193.

At his secure planting site, he cultivates cabbage and later contributes improved grain. The harvest helps repay grain owed to other bases. His public reputation changes when his planting expertise is announced, countering rumors that he depends on Lou Yu for support 198 200 212 214.

The Banyan Tree Conflict

Root studies Tao Qiu for months, recognizes that Snow Bird and the human planting expert are the same individual, and decides to exploit human factional hostility rather than attack his network of monster allies directly 226 232.

After Third Cub is taken, Tao Qiu agrees to supply special crops and cooperate with research as the family travels to the Central Base. To draw the hidden enemy out, he eventually goes out alone and follows a concealed message to a meeting 238 239 240.

The Banyan Tree attacks him in a botanical garden, using a debilitating floral substance and masses of aerial roots. Tao Qiu survives, heals his wounds, clears the substance from his body, and prevents the tree from escaping underground. He binds it with its own roots and reunites with Lou Yu and all three cubs 241 242 245.

Notable Quotes

“I watched them break out of their shells with my own eyes and protected them as they grew up. I think I can count myself a qualified father.” 173

“It's all for our future and the children's.” 171

“If you think I'm good to you, then love me a little more.” 181