Chapter Summaries

Tao Qiu enjoyed his cubs’ singing, encountered the powerful Black Rabbit while hunting, and later grew tomatoes for the family. At Yong'an Base, Lou Yu went to see Lou Quan and unexpectedly met Teacher Bai Huan, who appeared exhausted and troubled.

• Third Cub and Eldest Cub sang for Tao Qiu, who praised them and listened to their chirping until it grew constant.
• Tao Qiu spotted Black Rabbit eating a wild boar, exchanged insults with his old rival, and then went hunting without pursuing a fight.
• Tao Qiu grew tomatoes with his ability, and the cubs helped him before sharing the fruit after dinner.
• Lou Yu returned to the base after research on the Ability Awakening Reagent made progress, and went to Lou Quan’s office with a military supply document.
• Lou Yu met Bai Huan at the office door and greeted the tired-looking teacher.

Lou Yu signed Lou Quan’s document, saw the unresolved pain in Lou Quan’s relationship with Bai Huan, and then bought groceries on his way home. After watching a film about a fox becoming human, Liu Qi'an asked whether mutated monsters could take human form, and Lou Yu denied that it was likely.

• Bai Huan left Lou Quan’s office looking physically uncomfortable, and Lou Yu inferred that the two had been together.
• Lou Quan signed the document Lou Yu brought and tried to discuss his troubled relationship with Bai Huan, but Lou Yu declined to interfere.
• Lou Yu bought groceries at a small supermarket and reassured its worried owner that the research institute was working on improved seeds.
• Lou Yu returned home, where Huo Lan and Liu Qi'an were watching a historical fantasy film while Chen Lin cooked.
• After seeing Daji transform from a fox into a human, Liu Qi'an asked whether mutated monsters could do the same, and Lou Yu said it was unlikely.

Tao Qiu spent the morning caring for his three chicks and teaching them hunting skills through a game. The chapter ended with the cubs enthusiastically defending themselves as he demonstrated how a predator hunted.

• Tao Qiu hunted a rabbit, greeted his three chicks, and shared breakfast with them in their cool cave.
• After a nap, Tao Qiu proposed a game of big bird catching prey to teach the cubs about hunting.
• Second Cub mistook Tao Qiu's pretend threat for a promise to carry her home and rushed into his arms.
• Tao Qiu explained the game's rules again, then played the predator while Second Cub protected Eldest Cub and Third Cub.
• Tao Qiu demonstrated hunting tactics, and the chicks grew frightened but fought back by dodging, flapping, and pecking him.

Tao Qiu played predator-and-prey games with the three chicks, then cared for them during a moonlit bath and explained formal names. He began naming Eldest Cub as the chapter ended.

• Tao Qiu comforted Second Cub after the game frightened her, and checked that Eldest Cub and Third Cub were unharmed.
• The chicks chose to continue playing, taking turns as the mother hen and hunters while Tao Qiu taught them and reviewed their strengths and weaknesses.
• Tao Qiu took the chicks flying, bathed with them in the pond, and shared berries as a late-night snack.
• Tao Qiu explained the difference between nicknames and formal names, and the chicks decided to take his surname, Tao.
• Tao Qiu began discussing Eldest Cub's formal name, explaining that he had chosen Mo for the chick's black feathers and steady nature.

Tao Qiu named his three cubs Tao Mo, Tao Xue, and Tao Yuan, then realized he needed to find higher-yield crops and gather food before winter. He decided to leave the cubs behind for a longer trip to search for seeds, though he worried about their safety.

• Tao Mo chose the name Tao Mo, Tao Xue chose Tao Xue because she liked the idea of cold snow, and Tao Yuan happily accepted her name.
• Tao Qiu explained that he needed more productive crops to store food for winter, since his wild fruit and tomato harvests were too small.
• Tao Qiu worried that leaving the valley to search for seeds could expose his cubs to danger.
• Second Cub declared she was strong enough to fight monsters, and Tao Qiu praised her confidence.
• Eldest Cub promised Tao Qiu that the cubs would protect themselves or hide while he was away.
• Tao Qiu decided to prepare carefully before leaving the cubs behind on his seed-searching trip.

Tao Qiu left his three chicks in the cave and searched Black Rabbit’s territory for new crops, but found nothing by nightfall. When a mass of poisonous vines attacked him as he slept, he escaped their grasp and pursued them as they retreated.

• Tao Qiu prepared food and water for three days, blocked the cave entrance, and left his chicks behind to search for new crops.
• The three chicks watched Tao Qiu leave; after he was gone, Third Cub broke down crying, and Tao Qiu mistakenly thought he heard her calling from behind.
• Tao Qiu offered Black Rabbit a wild boar in exchange for permission to search his territory, and Black Rabbit agreed on the condition that Tao Qiu show him the plant if he found it.
• Tao Qiu searched Black Rabbit’s territory all day without finding vegetables or grains, then rested in a tree while worrying about his chicks.
• Poisonous vines crept up the tree and attacked Tao Qiu, but he woke, escaped by flying away and shrinking his legs, and chased after the retreating vines.

Tao Qiu stole a black pear from a mutated pear tree after outsmarting its hunting vine, then continued searching Black Rabbit’s territory for staple crops. Near the border with Green Python’s territory, a foul-smelling attack nearly knocked him out, and he wondered whether Black Rabbit and Green Python knew about it.

• Tao Qiu followed a hunting vine to its pear tree and discovered black pears growing among its branches.
• Tao Qiu lured the vine away with prey, then flew back and stole the largest pear from the tree.
• Tao Qiu carried the pear as he searched Black Rabbit’s territory, finding no other crops and encountering no further danger.
• Near the territory boundary, Tao Qiu inhaled a powerful stench that left him dizzy before he escaped beyond its range.
• Tao Qiu recognized that the smell came from near Green Python’s lair and wondered whether she or Black Rabbit knew about it.

Tao Qiu investigated the source of the black smoke and discovered mutated radishes that released a deadly stench when they ripened and burst. After returning to Black Rabbit with gifts, he learned the Stinky Ground Fruit was known in the area, while the three chicks played at home.

• Tao Qiu followed the black smoke to a clearing and found that rotten, overripe mutated radishes created the stench and spread their seeds when they exploded.
• Tao Qiu took a radish and fled when nearby radishes began exploding, unaware that a huge shadow moved through Green Python's territory.
• Tao Qiu returned to Black Rabbit at dawn with prey, and Black Rabbit recoiled from his lingering stink.
• Black Rabbit told Tao Qiu that the Stinky Ground Fruit grew in his territory and that Green Python would handle the plants on her side.
• Tao Qiu thanked Black Rabbit and flew home as the three chicks practiced jumping and flapping their wings.

Tao Qiu returned to the cave after being away, reunited with the three cubs, and discovered they had carefully managed their food and taken turns keeping watch. He brought home pears and a radish to grow, invited all three cubs to help plant them, and planned to nap after they ate.

• The cubs practiced jumping while Tao Qiu was away, then sensed someone approaching and found him at the cave entrance.
• Second Cub threw up when Tao Qiu hugged her because he still smelled terrible, so he washed himself at the pond before returning to the cave.
• Tao Qiu praised the cubs for following their food portions and taking turns keeping watch, then comforted them and shared hugs.
• The cubs asked whether Tao Qiu had brought back seeds, and he showed them pears and a radish he planned to grow after making preparations.
• Tao Qiu invited Second Cub, Third Cub, and Eldest Cub to help him plant, then said he would nap after they ate.

Tao Qiu tested the pear and radish on prey, then used his ability to grow edible radishes for himself and the cubs. He discovered that the purified radishes still retained a weaker version of their explosive stink, giving him a potential weapon.

• After returning home, Tao Qiu slept through the day, and the cubs asked him about his snoring when he woke.
• Third Cub asked Eldest Cub and Second Cub to keep secret that she had cried when Tao Qiu left, and they agreed.
• Tao Qiu fed pear to one prey animal and radish to another; the pear made its prey fall asleep, while the radish caused no apparent harm.
• Tao Qiu grew radishes from seeds, and he and the cubs tasted the large, crisp harvest before deciding to grow more for winter.
• Tao Qiu accelerated one radish past maturity, and it shriveled into foul-smelling mush, showing that his ability weakened but did not remove the plant's stink.

Tao Qiu planted radishes and pear seeds with help from the cubs, using his ability to quickly grow a field of seedlings. He began cultivating two pear trees while the cubs stayed with him in the valley.

• Tao Qiu buried the rotten radish sludge and an exploding radish, while a black snake later collected a bit of the mash for someone who had ordered it.
• Tao Qiu told Eldest Cub, Second Cub, and Third Cub his plans to grow radishes and pears for the family’s winter food.
• After resting, Tao Qiu cleared a new vegetable plot, and the cubs helped scatter radish seeds before he used his ability to sprout them into seedlings.
• Tao Qiu cut open a pear for its seeds and warned the cubs not to eat the fruit because it could make them drunk.
• Tao Qiu and the cubs planted the two largest pear seeds near the pond, and he began using his ability to grow one of them.

Tao Qiu worked to grow food while his three bird cubs played nearby, comforted one another, and brought him thoughtful gifts. A month later, the radishes were flourishing and the mutated pear trees had grown tall and fragrant, with the cubs happily playing hide-and-seek in their branches.

• Second Cub admired her reflection by the pond, and her praise of Third Cub's feathers eased Third Cub's worry about her unusual purple eyes.
• Eldest Cub understood Third Cub's insecurity and watched with relief as his sisters and their family affirmed that they were all loved and protected.
• The cubs brought Tao Qiu water, a stone, and a flower as gifts, and he thanked them before sharing lunch with them.
• After eating too much, the cubs fell asleep as Tao Qiu rubbed their bellies, then he continued tending the pear trees through the evening.
• A month passed as Tao Qiu grew the radishes and pear trees, and the cubs played games and brought him gifts while he kept their secret from other mutated monsters.
• The pear trees grew more than four meters tall and bloomed with purple flowers, and Tao Qiu pretended not to see the cubs hiding among their branches.

Tao Qiu prepared rotten radish mash to defend his valley after sensing that an unknown mutated monster was watching him. As autumn arrived and his cubs grew closer to flight, he and Third Cub both woke with a sudden sense of unease, and Tao Qiu went out to investigate.

• Tao Qiu told the cubs he was making more rotten radish mash, then secretly prepared it as protection in case a mutated monster exposed his crops and secrets.
• Tao Qiu recalled sensing an unseen watcher while patrolling, though he had told the cubs no bad guys had appeared so they would not worry.
• Half a month later, Tao Qiu showed the cubs autumn leaves and explained the changing seasons as their flight feathers grew and they anticipated learning to fly.
• Tao Qiu checked his growing radishes, pear tree, wild fruit, and tomatoes as the harvest developed.
• During an autumn rain, Tao Qiu and Third Cub woke feeling inexplicably uneasy, and Tao Qiu told the cubs to wait while he went out.

Tao Qiu discovered that a thief had visited his tomato patch and suspected Green Python, then reassured his frightened cubs while preparing to protect them and the crops. Green Python did not appear over the next few days, and the chapter ended with Tao Qiu meeting Black Rabbit while patrolling.

• Tao Qiu found crawling tracks near his tomato patch and suspected Green Python had sent a thief into his territory.
• Tao Qiu returned to the cave and told Third Cub that a bad guy had come, promising to protect her.
• At breakfast, Tao Qiu told Eldest Cub, Second Cub, and Third Cub about Green Python and vowed to come back alive if a fight happened.
• The cubs stayed close to Tao Qiu and anxiously watched for his return whenever he went outside.
• Green Python and the thief did not return over the following days, and Tao Qiu continued patrolling, hunting, and tending his crops.
• Tao Qiu encountered Black Rabbit while patrolling.

Tao Qiu fought Green Python to keep her from taking the fruit in his valley and protect his cubs. He lured her into the valley and revealed his humanlike winged form, leaving Green Python stunned and suspicious of his secrets.

• Black Rabbit warned Tao Qiu that Green Python had been active and her snakes had been heading toward Snow Bird's valley.
• Tao Qiu spent a peaceful night with the cubs before sensing Green Python approaching and leaving them safely inside the cave.
• Tao Qiu and Green Python fought at the valley entrance, injuring each other as he tried to keep her away from the valley.
• Tao Qiu retreated into the valley, and Green Python followed after smelling the fruit there.
• Tao Qiu blocked Green Python in his humanlike winged form with bamboo tubes of rotten mashed radish, and Green Python recognized him as Snow Bird and remarked on his secrets.

Tao Qiu used rotten radish mash and falling rocks to overpower the Green Python, then stopped her escape by catching her venomous offspring during an ambush. Realizing the Green Python had attacked for the sake of her sickly child, he heard her beg for the child’s life, but the chapter ended as she prepared to die.

• Tao Qiu blinded and injured the Green Python with fermented rotten radish mash and dropped rocks on her as she fought back.
• The injured Green Python tried to flee, but a tiny green snake ambushed Tao Qiu, and he caught her before she could bite him.
• Tao Qiu recognized the little snake as the Green Python’s child and suspected the Green Python had stolen his fruit to help her.
• The Green Python submitted and begged Tao Qiu to spare her child, offering her own life in exchange.
• After Tao Qiu remained silent, the Green Python moved toward a sharp rock and prepared to take her own life.

Tao Qiu spared Green Python and her last surviving child, gave them tomatoes in exchange for future prey, and returned to comfort his three frightened bird cubs. The cubs calmed down in his care, but Third Cub asked whether Tao Qiu was angry that they had disobeyed him.

• Green Python tried to kill herself to save her little snake, but Tao Qiu stopped her and returned the child to her side.
• Tao Qiu gave Green Python a basket of tomatoes in exchange for prey and asked her to keep the night's events secret.
• Green Python thanked Tao Qiu and complimented his three bird cubs, and Tao Qiu agreed that they were cute.
• Tao Qiu returned to the cave, gathered his crying cubs in his arms, and comforted them until they calmed down.
• Tao Qiu praised Xuexue, Momo, and Yuanyuan for warning him and rushing to help, and Third Cub asked if he was angry that they had run out without permission.

Tao Qiu reassured the three chicks after they disobeyed him, then comforted them when they discovered his injured leg. After resting overnight, his leg had nearly healed, and the family shared a meal together.

• Tao Qiu accepted the chicks’ apology for leaving the cave and told them not to blame themselves.
• The chicks noticed Tao Qiu’s badly swollen leg and cried, so he pretended their tears made it hurt more to calm them.
• Tao Qiu and the chicks slept until the next day, when his leg had almost completely healed.
• Tao Qiu fed the chicks with their sore eyes closed and told them he had never disliked caring for them after they hatched.
• Eldest Cub, Second Cub, and Third Cub checked Tao Qiu’s leg and confirmed it had recovered, then praised him for defeating Green Python with stinky stuff.

Tao Qiu explained to his cubs why he spared Green Python and Little Snake, hoping to trade crops for meat and turn a conflict into cooperation. After sharing a warm family moment, he took the cubs to clean up the battlefield, where they admired the damage left by the fight.

• The cubs asked Tao Qiu whether Green Python would return and why he had given tomatoes to her and spared Little Snake.
• Tao Qiu explained that Green Python had risked stealing fruit to save her only surviving child, and the cubs understood her desperation.
• Tao Qiu told the cubs he hoped to trade fruit with Green Python for meat and possibly gain her help against future threats.
• The cubs worried Tao Qiu would still have to work hard, and he reassured them that having them made him happy despite life's hardships.
• After resting, Tao Qiu brought the cubs to clean up the battlefield, where they surveyed the damage with admiration for the powerful mutated monsters.

Tao Qiu cleaned up after the fight with Green Python, bathed and sang with the cubs, then explained to Black Rabbit how he had defeated Green Python. Back at the cave, he worried about how long he could keep the cubs and the fruit’s secret hidden, while the cubs gathered around to comfort him.

• Tao Qiu had the cubs help bury the rotten radish mush, then took them to the pond for a bath and sang with them as they dried in the sun.
• Tao Qiu thanked Black Rabbit for warning him about Green Python and said the Stinky Ground Fruit had blinded and disoriented her, allowing him to win.
• Black Rabbit asked why Green Python had sought out Tao Qiu, but Tao Qiu avoided answering and Black Rabbit left after hinting that he suspected the fruit was involved.
• Tao Qiu returned to the cave and worried about revealing the cubs and the fruit, but the cubs noticed his mood and stayed beside him.