“Woo—”

A short cry sounded. Taotao recognized it as the call of an owl?

Without hesitation, she pulled Song Zhi along, chasing after the owl.

Song Zhi, held by her hand, stumbled through the dark forest. After a few minutes of chaotic running, his muddled thoughts slowly cleared. Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks and pulled the small figure back toward him!

Taotao let out a startled cry, finding herself enveloped in his arms!

“Taotao, who taught you this?” he asked coldly.

Song Zhi couldn’t find the words to describe the soul-stirring feeling from earlier.

It was as if he were some rare treasure, deserving of her gentle care.

An unfamiliar yet overwhelming sensation surged wildly from the depths of his heart, threatening to shatter his self-control. It made him want to destroy, to release fully…

Leaving him utterly at a loss.

The forest was pitch dark, rendering everything invisible.

Only her clear, sweet fragrance lingered thickly around him, making him feel both warm and intoxicated. It drove him mad, as if thousands of mosquitoes were gnawing at his heart…

He wasn’t sure if, after a kiss, he would ever be able to let go again.

But Taotao was still just a child…

No! She was young, but not a child anymore. She was already seventeen!!!

No! Why was he still struggling with the idea of letting go?

Could he let go? Of course not! Taotao had already kissed him, so morally and logically, he had to take responsibility…

Taotao struggled desperately.

—The distance she had dragged him earlier wasn’t far enough. If he stubbornly insisted on taking her home, they were only about forty or fifty minutes away on foot…

“Song Zhi, let’s keep going!” Taotao urged anxiously.

Song Zhi stood as firm as a mountain. Under the faint moonlight filtering through the forest branches, he looked down at her and asked seriously, “Earlier… what you did… who taught you that?”

He still couldn’t bring himself to utter the word “kiss.”

Taotao tilted her head, thought for a moment, then suddenly stood on tiptoe…

Song Zhi’s eyes widened abruptly once more.

Another round of sweetness like honey.

Taotao finally stopped. Seeing Song Zhi’s dazed expression, she burst into delighted laughter and tugged him forward again…

The owl faithfully led the way ahead.

They ran for quite a while before Song Zhi snapped back to his senses. He grabbed Taotao, “Taotao, we can’t keep going! I think… we’ve already lost the others. Nights in the primeval forest are dangerous. Let’s find a safe spot to stay for the night and figure things out tomorrow.”

“Song Zhi, we’ll be fine,” Taotao reassured him.

—Because Grandpa will protect us!

Song Zhi said, “If we run into a bear, it won’t be fine…”

He took a deep breath, trying to steady his racing heart. Holding Taotao’s hand tightly, he asked word by word, “Taotao, where did you learn…”

Taotao loved seeing him flustered. She puckered her lips slightly and leaned closer again.

Song Zhi’s heart began pounding like a drum!

In a panic, he tightly hugged her and pressed her head against his chest—this way, her face was forced to stay buried against him, unable to reach his lips.

Taotao tried to break free, but his strength was too much. She stomped her feet in frustration.

Song Zhi was relentless, asking again, “Who taught you that?”

“You mean kissing?” Her muffled voice sounded annoyed.

Song Zhi’s heart fluttered once more, but he tried hard to steady himself and responded with a hum.

Taotao replied, “Tao…” Suddenly realizing he might not know what Peach Tear Pills were, she paused, then rephrased, “Taotao eats steamed egg custard like that!”

Song Zhi froze.

After a long moment, he managed to ask, “Steamed egg custard?”

She had bewitched him, completely throwing him off balance. She thought of him as steamed egg custard???

Taotao nodded, her voice sweet and clear, “Steamed egg custard can be eaten two ways! Mom’s steamed egg custard is soft, with sugar sprinkled on top. It’s sweet and delicious. The best way to eat it is to lick the sugar water clean first… then savor the soft, tender, and smooth custard, but remember, you can only eat half!”

“When eating the other half, add a bit of soy sauce, so it’s savory…”

As she spoke, Taotao suddenly felt regret—why was she talking about steamed egg custard? She was starving!

She quickly tried to steer the conversation back.

So, she earnestly said, “Song Zhi, you’re even better than steamed egg custard! I like eating you more…”

Her tone was so sweet it melted him.

Song Zhi’s heart pounded like a deer’s hooves!

—This pure and beautiful girl had used such a gentle method to “eat” him earlier. Now she spoke with the sweetest, most innocent voice, saying the truest words. And yet, she had no ill intentions…

It was both pure and alluring.

Song Zhi felt like he was going to explode!

“Taotao, have you… ever eaten anyone else? I mean, like just now?” Song Zhi stammered.

Taotao replied, “No!”

Song Zhi sighed in relief. At least this silly girl hadn’t “eaten” anyone else.

“Taotao, from now on, you can’t eat anyone else, understand?” Song Zhi patiently reasoned with her.

Taotao: Do you think I’m stupid? Other people don’t have that kind of spiritual energy!

She wanted to tease him, so she retorted, “Why not?”

Song Zhi: …

He stayed silent for a while, then answered in a low voice, “Since you’ve already eaten me, you’ll have to marry me in the future… Taotao, you can’t eat anyone else, understand?”

Taotao caught an unusual emotion in his words. “Song Zhi, isn’t marriage a good thing?”

Song Zhi fell into a daze.

Was marriage a good thing?

No, it wasn’t. His biological parents’ marriage, Guan Qingbai’s entanglements with two wives, even his mentor Professor Huang’s situation—every close elder’s marriage he knew was a complete mess.

What was good about marriage? He didn’t want to get married at all.

Taotao found it strange. “Song Zhi, if marriage isn’t good, then we just won’t get married!”

Song Zhi: …

“Taotao, this is called responsibility,” he said softly.

Taotao thought about it and understood. “Is it because I licked the steamed egg, so now I have to eat it all?”

Song Zhi chuckled.

“Song Zhi, then we won’t get married,” Taotao said earnestly. “I promise I’ll only eat one person. When I want to eat, I’ll eat you. Is that okay?”

Song Zhi couldn’t help laughing. “No, it’s not!”

Taotao widened her eyes.

—Ugh, mortals! So annoying!!!

Song Zhi took a deep breath. “Let’s stay here until daylight, and then I’ll… propose to your parents. You’re still young, not suited for marriage. We can get engaged first, and after a few years, when you grow up, we’ll get married.”

Taotao didn’t want to discuss marriage with this mortal anymore. It really was annoying.

For her, the most important thing right now was to bring Song Zhi, her mobile spiritual energy supply, to the old grandpa as her logistical backup.

After thinking it over, Taotao said, “Song Zhi, I made my second brother a sachet, but I need to put a very special seed inside it. So I have to go to the dense forest to find false bananas. If you’re scared, you can stay here, and I’ll…”

She was confident he wouldn’t let her go alone.

Sure enough, Song Zhi said, “So that’s why you snuck into the forest without telling your dad, right?”

Taotao nodded and, in her excitement, leaned toward him again—

Song Zhi blushed and quickly moved aside, afraid he wouldn’t be able to control himself. Looking elsewhere, he asked, “What kind of seed is so important?”

“The kind that can make wishes come true,” Taotao answered, pouting slightly, a little unhappy.

—Why was he avoiding her? Did she do something wrong when eating him?

Song Zhi turned red at the sight of her. “It’s too late now. It’s not safe. Let’s wait until morning to leave.”

Taotao looked at him. “Will you come with me then?”

Song Zhi turned his head to look at her. Her bright, sparkling eyes were filled with anticipation, making it impossible to refuse.

He nodded.

Taotao was thrilled. “Great! Thank you, Song Zhi!” She leaned closer to him again.

Song Zhi, flustered, scrambled away. “Taotao! Behave yourself…”

Taotao understood and felt a little sad. “Is it because you don’t like me eating you?” She must not have eaten him properly.

How could Song Zhi admit the truth?

In a panic, he blurted out something he regretted for the rest of his life, “I-I like it! But… you can only eat me once.”

Taotao suddenly understood and nodded seriously. “Alright! Then I’ll eat you again tomorrow!”

Song Zhi’s heart trembled, and he almost stopped breathing.

Later, Song Zhi brought Taotao up a large tree. The two leaned against each other on a branch for the night.

The next morning, Taotao took some wild fruits she’d picked the day before from her basket, and they shared them. Then they climbed down the tree and headed deeper into the forest.

Song Zhi asked if Taotao knew where to find the false plantains and if she remembered the way.

Taotao blamed silly Xingxing, “I do! Xingxing took me there before… I remember there’s a very big ginkgo tree.”

Song Zhi frowned. “There are ginkgo trees everywhere, aren’t there?”

Taotao said, “This one’s the biggest. It’s a kind-hearted grandpa.”

Song Zhi chuckled.

Following the guidance of a night owl, they walked until three or four in the afternoon. Song Zhi looked around, frowning. “Taotao, we can’t go any further. We’re too far from the village—it’s dangerous. Be good, and let’s head back now. In the future…”

At that moment, Taotao suddenly heard the old grandpa’s excited voice: [Taotao, I see you! Look up, and you should be able to see me too!]

Taotao looked around and saw, far in the distance, a towering tree that reached the sky!

“Song Zhi! Look, it’s over there!” Taotao excitedly pointed toward it.

Song Zhi hesitated, then crouched in front of her. “I’ll carry you there.”

Taotao’s feet were indeed sore from walking, so she climbed onto his back.

The two made their way toward the enormous ginkgo tree.

A distant mountain could exhaust a horse.

Though the tree was already in sight, Song Zhi carried Taotao and walked until sunset before finally reaching it.

Song Zhi suddenly gasped sharply.

“Ah—”

Taotao, who was dozing off on his back, was startled awake and murmured groggily, “Song Zhi…”

Song Zhi said, “Taotao, get down first.” He slowly set her down and stumbled toward the ginkgo tree.

Although the forest was shrouded in the dim veil of twilight, the lingering golden sunlight illuminated it faintly.

Even so, Taotao could clearly see that embedded in the massive ginkgo tree’s trunk was… something that looked unmistakably like a machine! The machine was rusty and covered in various vines.

How did such a massive thing end up in the forest?

Song Zhi had already run over.

Taotao followed closely behind him…

“Song Zhi, what is that?” Taotao shouted loudly.

Song Zhi muttered, “A fighter jet! This is a fighter jet… an American one, probably… from the Flying Tigers during World War II. How could it crash here? Did it get lost?”

The elderly voice echoed again, [Taotao, do you see it? Can you think of a way to help me? I… may not be able to hold on much longer!]

Due to her unique abilities, Bai Taotao had an especially strong connection with plants. Seeing that at least a third of the branches on the old ginkgo tree had already turned yellow, she felt a pang of sadness and shouted, “Grandpa Tree, I’ll definitely save you!”

“No, it’s not just me—it’s me and Song Zhi! Song Zhi, we’re definitely going to save this ginkgo tree, right?” Taotao shouted.

Song Zhi: …

He turned to glance at Taotao.

However, all his attention was now focused on the plane. It had been completely destroyed, possibly smashed to pieces upon crashing, making it impossible to identify the model.

Song Zhi ran over and circled the ginkgo tree a few times.

If Taotao hadn’t expressed concern for this ancient tree, his first thought might have been to cut it down. But since she had reminded him, they had to come up with a plan—not only to remove the plane but also to prevent the ginkgo tree from dying.

“Taotao, we need to go find help,” Song Zhi said.

Taotao kept staring at the large metallic wreckage stuck midair, entangled in the ginkgo tree. She asked curiously, “What is this?”

Song Zhi shared his guesses and explained some modern history.

Taotao frowned. “Why is it that foreigners can use our movable type printing, our invention of paper, gunpowder, compasses… even silk and tea, but they won’t let us use their technology to make machines or airplanes?”

—She had recently started learning history but hadn’t yet studied modern history.

Hearing Song Zhi’s explanation, Taotao felt aggrieved. “Song Zhi, can’t we just copy one first and then build our own planes?”

Song Zhi gave a wry smile. “There are many reasons. For example, the technology isn’t transparent, so we don’t know the principles behind it. Even if we did, we don’t have the right components. And even if we had the technology and components, we couldn’t make something exactly like theirs. It has to be unique to us, different from theirs…”

Taotao listened with a mix of understanding and confusion.

Song Zhi stroked the trunk of the ginkgo tree and looked up at the wreckage of the plane. He muttered, “This definitely needs to be reported to higher-ups. But if it’s taken away, will I still have a chance to study the engine?”

Taotao didn’t understand. “There’s no one else here. Can’t you just remove the engine first, store it in your blacksmith shop, and turn in the rest?”

Song Zhi shook his head. “No!”

Taotao thought for a moment. “Then can we take the engine out first and photograph it? That way, we can replicate it later.”

Song Zhi’s eyes lit up!

He carefully considered the feasibility of this idea and murmured, “This would be a huge project, requiring a lot of time. And once the pieces are handed over, researching it without the physical item would be almost impossible…”

Bai Taotao was starting to grow impatient.

—It was already dark, and she was still hungry. Not only was her stomach empty, but she also craved spiritual energy. She wanted to eat him.

So Taotao said, “Why not focus on the hardest part first? The rest should be easy, right?”

Song Zhi froze.

Taotao ran up to him, tightly hugging his slender waist. She spoke sweetly, “Song Zhi, it’s already dark! I want to eat… I want to eat…”

All day, she had only eaten a few wild fruits. Now she craved spiritual energy! Thick, fragrant spiritual energy!!!

Song Zhi: …

He was so stunned he couldn’t move.

In the end, Song Zhi was carefully, tenderly, and thoroughly devoured by a certain big white peach!

He was even knocked to the ground…

Song Zhi groaned in dismay.

His entire body stiffened; he didn’t dare move a muscle. He used every ounce of strength to control himself, warning himself not to hurt the big white peach. Rationality told him he should tie her up and sternly discipline her, making her sit quietly and behave.

But he couldn’t bear to…

So he could only endure, not knowing how much longer he could hold out.

Song Zhi felt utterly tormented…

Author’s note: Was it tormenting?

T/N: I’ve accidentally stopped myself at a cliffhanger. This is the last chapter I’m translating in January and I still have a few weeks left before I resume translating this book again. I’m in tears!