Chapter 4: Zhuyu Egg Pancake

Hearing Yun Tao’s question, Tai Sui raised an eyebrow. “What else? You think you were the one who summoned me?”

Yun Tao nodded. “Yep.”

The amusement instantly vanished from Tai Sui’s face. His gaze swept across the room, confirming there wasn’t another living soul around. There was a faint trace of divine presence nearby, but it was so weak he didn’t even bother acknowledging it—no deity, no matter how feeble, could possibly be responsible for summoning a walking catastrophe like him.

So… it really was this little brat?

Getting summoned by a milk-scented toddler? That was humiliating. If word got out, his reputation as the king of wicked beings would be in shambles.

Tai Sui’s expression darkened. “You little punk, do you even know who I am? How dare you summon me?”

Yun Tao blinked his clear, innocent eyes. “Of course! You’re Tai Sui. We’ve met before, remember?”

There was something vaguely familiar about the kid, but Tai Sui couldn’t quite place it—and honestly, he didn’t care. “Then tell me, why the hell did you summon me?”

“To help out in my restaurant.” Yun Tao’s soft, childish voice sounded utterly sincere.

…What?

Tai Sui’s face twisted in sheer disbelief. His patience snapped.

“I am Tai Sui! You summoned me—not to curse your enemies, not to seize power, but to play some make-believe restaurant game?!” His voice rose with fury. “Hell. No.”

Yun Tao drooped his head, looking dejected.

For some reason, Tai Sui suddenly found it hard to stay mad. He convinced himself that maybe the kid wasn’t completely useless—he was at least easy on the eyes. Might be fun to keep around. And if things didn’t work out… well, he could always be an emergency snack.

With that thought, Tai Sui cleared his throat and extended two coral-red tendrils, grabbing Yun Tao by the collar.

But just as he did, the little dumpling looked up at him and flashed a sweet, toothy grin—his tiny tiger teeth gleaming.

Tai Sui froze, caught completely off guard by the overwhelming cuteness. His grip instinctively loosened. “The hell are you grinning at?”

“Oh, nothing,” Yun Tao replied, still smiling. “I was just thinking… maybe you don’t like the idea of being a busboy.”

Then, without warning, an enormous, terrifying shadow unfurled behind him.

His voice turned cold, completely devoid of the harmless sweetness from moments ago. “In that case… how about I make you into an ingredient instead?”

The phantom of a monstrous beast loomed over Tai Sui, radiating an oppressive, suffocating presence. One glance was enough—Tai Sui knew exactly what he was looking at.

The embodiment of greed and destruction.

A nightmare from his past.

One of the Four Fiends—Taotie.

If there were ever a contest to crown the most terrifying entity in existence, Taotie would take the throne without question.

A cold, bone-deep fear slammed into Tai Sui. His arrogance vanished instantly. He let go of Yun Tao’s collar, even smoothing out the wrinkles he’d left behind. Then, with the brightest, most obedient smile he could muster, he said, “Boss, I think I’ll stick to being a busboy. ^_^”

The last time he had encountered Taotie… had been on the beast’s dining table.

Who was he to act tough now?

“Boss, you can, uh… turn off the scary now, yeah? No need to keep intimidating me,” Tai Sui said, his entire body trembling uncontrollably. If this continued, he’d lose control and revert to his original form.

What he didn’t know was that Yun Tao wasn’t actually doing anything.

His current abilities were too weak to unleash real demonic energy—he had spent an entire day gathering just enough power to create a simple illusion.

If Tai Sui had calmed down and taken a closer look, he might’ve noticed the cracks in the act.

Taotie had left such a deep psychological scar on Tai Sui that he completely lost his composure and gave up resisting.

Yun Tao calmly withdrew the illusionary beast and pointed to the small stool by the bed. “Sit there.”

Tai Sui, still in his half-human form, was tall and imposing. Sitting on the tiny stool like an elementary school kid made him look utterly ridiculous.

“Boss, why are you in the human world—and in this form, no less? You’ve been missing for years. I thought you had disappeared too.”

Yun Tao crossed his arms, looking every bit like a proper boss. “That’s none of your business. Just know that if you work for me, you won’t lose out. But this look of yours won’t do. It doesn’t fit the image of a modern-day employee. You need to adjust it.”

“Understood, Boss.”

Tai Sui retracted his menacing tendrils, and the ominous markings on his skin faded, leaving only a faint ring of patterns around his wrist. With his now pale skin, striking features, and the red mark between his brows, he looked far less terrifying.

He even dressed for the occasion—choosing a simple white short-sleeved shirt and straight-cut black pants. His broad shoulders and long legs turned the plain outfit into something straight off a runway.

“Boss, how’s this?”

Yun Tao looked him up and down, then nodded approvingly. “Not bad. You actually look human now.”

“Taotao, something just broke in. Are you okay?” Yun Fenghe’s voice came from the second floor, tinged with exhaustion he couldn’t quite hide.

Yun Tao instantly switched to obedient mode. “It’s just an employee dispatched by my startup system. No need to worry, brother.”

Tai Sui turned to look. A frail-looking young deity stood at the doorway, dressed in patched-up clothes that had clearly been mended countless times. There was no mistaking it—this was the faint divine aura he had sensed earlier.

A tiny earth god.

How the hell was Taotie involved with an earth god? And calling him brother, no less?

No matter the reason, if Taotie had taken him in, this little earth god was definitely not as weak as he seemed. Maybe he was playing the long con—pretending to be harmless before taking everyone down.

Tai Sui’s mind spun in circles as he convinced himself that he had figured out the truth. Deciding to tread carefully, he suppressed his hostility and greeted Yun Fenghe politely. “Hello, I’m the new restaurant employee. I’ll be handling odd jobs.”

Yun Fenghe was surprised. The young man before him was tall and radiated an unmistakable air of danger. He clearly wasn’t some low-level spirit. And yet… he was here to do menial work? Just what kind of system had Yun Tao bound himself to, for it to be this powerful?

Pushing aside his doubts, Yun Fenghe smiled warmly. “Welcome, welcome. How should I address you?”

Before Tai Sui could answer, Yun Tao beat him to it. “His name is Suisui.”

Tai Sui: “???”

Yun Tao shot him a threatening look.

“…” Tai Sui swallowed his pride. “Yes. My name is Suisui.”

Yun Fenghe, completely unsuspecting, nodded. “Suisui, you can take the room next door. It’s been cleaned today. I’ll grab you a blanket.”

The neighboring room was even smaller—just a battered desk, a wardrobe, and a bunk bed.

Yun Fenghe pulled out a folded blanket from the wardrobe. “Suisui, do you want the top or bottom bunk?”

Hearing his name like that made Tai Sui’s face heat up. He snatched the blanket from Yun Fenghe’s hands. “I’ll do it myself. And stop calling me Suisui.”

Yun Fenghe smoothly changed course. “Alright. Brother Sui then.”

That sounded a lot better.

Tai Sui shook out the blanket and spread it over the bed. It was clean and carried a faint scent of grass and wood, but the fabric was worn thin, with several neatly stitched patches. The colors had long since faded from being washed so many times.

Tai Sui made a complete mess of his bed, mumbling to himself—why did this place look so damn poor?

Yun Fenghe helped straighten out the bedding, reminded Yun Tao to get to bed early, and then went downstairs.

The moment Yun Fenghe left, Yun Tao dropped his obedient act. “My brother isn’t in good health. Don’t scare him. And don’t mention that I’m Taotie.”

Yun Fenghe had promised to take care of him. If he found out he was actually that Taotie, wouldn’t the pressure be too much for him?

Tai Sui clicked his tongue. “So you’re a master of switching faces, huh?”

Whatever. He didn’t want to bring up that name either—bad memories. If anything, he was hoping Yun Tao never returned to his original form.

Yun Tao tugged at the hem of Tai Sui’s shirt, tilting his head up at him. “I wanted to ask you something.”

Tai Sui had a bad feeling about this. “Go on.”

Yun Tao blinked his big, clear eyes. “Can I take a bite out of you? Just a tiny one?”

Tai Sui, also known as the walking Meat Lingzhi, was hands down the most delicious thing Yun Tao had ever eaten. And now there was a massive Tai Sui just strolling around in front of him—how was he supposed to resist?

Tai Sui: “……” I knew it.

He gave up and stuck a finger in front of Yun Tao’s mouth. “Go ahead, bite me. But I’m taking a sick day for workplace injury tomorrow. Your call.”

Opening day was coming up. Yun Tao swallowed down his cravings, forcing himself to look away. “Fine, I won’t bite.”

Seeing the little guy’s disappointed expression, Tai Sui nearly caved. But then he remembered what kind of creature Taotie was. He held his ground.

Since Yun Tao was still in a child’s body, he needed plenty of sleep. The moment his head hit the pillow; he was out cold.

The Next Morning

Yun Tao was woken up by a system notification.

[Level 1 Mission: Earn 1,000 yuan in 2 days]

• Reward: 100 Shanhai Points, 100 Shanhai Coins, 1 Shanhai Voucher
• Failure Penalty: 24-hour random-world volunteer work

Yun Tao had already gotten the hang of this era’s currency and knew that as a newbie, making 1,000 yuan in two days just by selling street food would be tough. On Shanhai Street? Even tougher.

No time to waste. He yawned and patted Taxue, who had somehow curled up next to him while he slept. “There’s a red-haired guy in the room next door. Go wake him up.”

Taxue let out a soft “meow” and hopped off the bed, slipping into the other room.

Meanwhile, in Tai Sui’s Room

Tai Sui was woken up by a warm, wet sensation—his first sight of the morning was a fluffy little cat perched on his bed, staring straight at him.

He had a soft spot for small, fuzzy creatures, so his usual morning grumpiness faded a bit. “Damn, you’re brave. You just messed with Tai Sui’s head and got away with it. Do you even know how badass that is?”

Taxue didn’t know. It simply nudged its damp little nose against Tai Sui’s face. “Meow~”

Tai Sui picked up the cat by the scruff of its neck and strolled out, half-asleep, only to be greeted by a hilarious sight—

Yun Tao was standing on a tiny stool in front of the sink, brushing his teeth.

His toothbrush was small, his hair a messy, fluffy nest of curls. Two tiny horns poked out from his head, and his beast ears drooped lazily. Probably still half-asleep, his tail had slipped out too, swishing back and forth behind him.

He was nodding off mid-brush, his round, sleepy face bobbing slightly with each motion.

Tai Sui smirked, pulled out his phone, and stealthily hit record.

Sure, he was stuck working here against his will.

But getting to see this version of Taotie?

Not a bad deal.

One day, he’d show off this video and brag that even the mighty Taotie was just a clueless little kid in front of him!

Too caught up in his own thoughts, Tai Sui accidentally let out a chuckle.

Yun Tao turned around mid-brush, gave him a deadpan stare, and went back to brushing his teeth.

Once he was done, he wiped his face with a small towel, then carefully cleaned his tiny horns.

His hands were short, so it took some effort. Tai Sui watched for a while before offering, “Want big brother Tai Sui to help?”

Yun Tao glared at him.

Ignoring the look, Tai Sui smirked as he watched the little one shove the stool under the sink and order, “Wash up and get downstairs for work.”

“Yes, boss.”

Then, Tai Sui did something he’d been itching to do—he reached out and ruffled the kid’s head. Soft. Fluffy. The ultimate apex predator had the ultimate hand feel.

And, of course, he got another glare for it.

The supplies Yun Tao had ordered from Shanhai Market arrived right on time.

He handed a bag to Yun Fenghe. “Brother, this is for you.”

“For me?” Yun Fenghe opened it, pulling out two new robes. The style was similar to what he usually wore, but the fabric was of much higher quality—elegant, soft, and just the right fit.

Something warm and tender cracked open in his heart. He reached out and gently patted Yun Tao’s head. “Things are tight right now. Why’d you spend money on me?”

Yun Tao chewed his pancake. “It’s fine. I can earn more.”

Tai Sui, watching from the side, was full of anticipation. “Boss, what about mine?”

Yun Tao blinked. “Can’t you shapeshift your own?”

Tai Sui’s face instantly fell into the most pitiful puppy-dog look ever. Then, when Yun Tao lit incense for Yun Fenghe, Tai Sui’s expression got even worse.

Same “brother,” yet why was his treatment so different?!

His mood only improved when Yun Tao finally came out of the kitchen with a plate of golden, crispy pancakes and handed him a portion.

Tai Sui picked up a piece and took a bite. Immediately, his eyes lit up. “You used Zhuyu?”

At first glance, the egg pancakes looked ordinary, but the taste was something else—crispy outside, soft inside, with a rich eggy aroma. The finely chopped Zhuyu added a distinct, fragrant kick.

Yun Tao, busy stuffing his face, nodded absentmindedly.

Tai Sui sighed, a hint of nostalgia in his tone. “Ever since Shanhai Realm disappeared, I haven’t tasted this in ages. Brings back memories. Where’d you even find it?”

Yun Tao ignored him. “You full yet?”

“Of course. This stuff keeps you full for ages—one bite and you’re good.”

Yun Tao stared at him in envy. Imagine getting full off just one piece. Must be nice.

“If you’re full, it’s time to get to work.” Yun Tao’s little face was all serious as he clenched his fists. He had to make lots and lots of money—enough to buy food that could actually fill him up!

At seven in the morning, the residents of Shanhai Street slowly stirred awake. One by one, the shops lining the street opened their doors.

Aunt Ying, who ran the fruit shop, had just returned from restocking when she spotted the pretty little kid she’d seen yesterday standing at her doorstep, holding a bag in his hands.

The moment he saw her, the child broke into a bright smile and ran over. “Aunt Ying! I brought you breakfast!”

Afraid he might trip, Aunt Ying quickly steadied his small shoulders before taking the bag from him. When she opened it, a rich, mouthwatering aroma wafted out. Inside were several egg pancakes neatly packed in paper bags.

On the front of each bag, two lines of text were printed:

Taotie Delicacies
Zhuyu Egg Pancakes

“Where did you buy these?”

For some reason, every breakfast shop that had ever opened on Shanhai Street had gone out of business. One after another, they all shut down, until eventually, no one dared to try again. Nowadays, people just bought their breakfast from the market nearby. Aunt Ying had never heard of a place selling pancakes like these.

“I didn’t buy them—I made them.” Yun Tao extended his little hand, looking completely serious. “Aunt Ying, my restaurant is opening today. Please take care of us from now on!”

Amused, Aunt Ying chuckled and shook his tiny hand. “Alright, it’s a deal. I’ll even send over a flower basket for your grand opening later!”

“Thank you, Aunt Ying! Eat the pancakes while they’re hot, and don’t forget to save one for your daughter.” Yun Tao blinked up at her and added, “Oh, and can you pass on a message for me? Tell her—I don’t always get to eat my fill either. But it’s okay. I believe she can get through this.”

Aunt Ying froze.

Yesterday, she had casually chatted with the shopkeeper at the weaving store, mentioning her daughter’s struggles. This kid must have overheard—and yet, he’d remembered. He’d even taken it to heart.

Her throat tightened, and her eyes grew warm. Without thinking, she pulled Yun Tao into a hug. “You sweet little thing… Aunt Ying thanks you on her daughter’s behalf.”