Amused by the sight of the Peregrine Falcon chicks chirping with their beaks open in perfect unison, Yu Zi Yu flipped the soil with one of his branches, revealing half of a rabbit's corpse.
He had hunted it yesterday and buried it for later consumption. Naturally, whatever he didn't need became food for the little ones.
With a few swift swings, he sliced the rabbit into small pieces, then fed them to the chicks one by one.
"The way you eat is really unsightly," Yu Zi Yu muttered, watching them gulp down the chunks of meat without the slightest shame. Afterward, he extended a branch and gently stroked their tiny bodies.
They were used to it by now. Some even closed their eyes in enjoyment as he brushed their soft, newborn feathers.
"Oh my…" Yu Zi Yu chuckled, continuing to stroke them without minding their antics.
…
Meanwhile, not far from the canyon—and completely outside Yu Zi Yu's awareness—
Step. Step. Step.
Two figures slowly made their way toward the forest's deeper regions.
They were young village girls wearing rough linen clothing, but even their simple attire couldn't hide their beauty. If they dressed up properly, they would undoubtedly turn heads. After all, the two were identical twins.
"Sis, what's happening these days? They aren't even letting us go into the mountains anymore."
"Sigh… something's been going on. In just half a month, seven or eight villagers were bitten by snakes or insects, and they're all bedridden now. And one person went missing too."
The quieter, gentler sister sighed helplessly.
"This…"
The other sister froze in place, stunned. She looked nervously into the forest's darkness and whispered,
"So… am I a bad sister for asking you to come with me?"
"Don't be silly, Ling'er. What's bad about it?" the older sister, He Qing Er, scolded lightly. "It's summer. If I don't take a proper bath, I'll stink. Besides…"
She paused, glancing uncertainly into the woods before comforting herself and her sister. "We've come here so many times already. It should be fine."
"I guess you're right. It's not like there are any dangerous beasts here."
With a playful grin, the younger sister, He Ling Er, tugged her sister's hand and pulled her deeper into the forest.
Even so, the farther they walked, the more unsettled their expressions became.
"Sis… was the forest always this dense?"
"No. It wasn't. And why is it so dark? It feels eerie."
Sunlight barely pierced through the thick foliage. He Ling Er felt a chill run up her spine, though she didn't panic—she had grown up in these mountains.
Clenching their teeth, they quickened their pace, following the familiar trail.
Soon, they crossed a small rise—and the moment they spotted a clear pool ahead, smiles broke across their faces.
The water was clean and transparent, reflecting their tired faces like a natural mirror.
…
Back in the canyon, Yu Zi Yu suddenly froze.
He heard voices.
Human voices.
Female voices.
Puzzled, he turned his attention in their direction.
And for a moment, his mind went blank.
"Eh? What kind of opening scene is this…?"
From his height, he could clearly see two figures splashing around in a small pool hundreds of meters away.
At his current level, that distance wasn't far at all. His eyesight easily captured every detail.
"Well… they're quite beautiful," he murmured after a moment, offering a casual comment but nothing more.
What else could he do? Walk over and greet them?He was a tree, not a host.
At best, he could bind someone… and that was hardly a friendly gesture.
Besides, humans were troublesome. He had never thought deeply about interacting with them.
As the saying went, those who are not of our kind cannot be trusted.
And humans… were especially complicated.
If he ran into the wrong kind of person—someone extreme or paranoid—a Tree Monster like him might easily end up sliced open on an operating table.
That was a risk he couldn't afford.
With that thought, he abandoned the idea of approaching the two girls. For now, he would keep a low profile. Until he had the strength to protect himself, contact with humans was far too dangerous.