Chapter 29: Lucky Little Tengu Cookies

The last mission’s rewards included a full-house makeover for Taotie Delicacies. Overnight, the place got a major upgrade.

This time, the focus was on the interior, with only basic repairs done outside. From the street, Taotie Delicacies looked pretty much the same, except they fixed the outdoor spiral staircase and cleaned up the windows, making it look a lot tidier.

Inside, though, it was a total transformation. Every room was decked out super cozy. Yun Tao took the chance to add some new furniture, and their once shabby little home now had a warm and inviting vibe.

After the upgrade, the system went offline for a bit, probably because it burned through a lot of energy.

Yun Tao wasn’t in a rush, planning to wait for the system to come back online before tackling the basic missions. In the meantime, he focused on training their new security guard and even found a coach for the little guy—Tan Xue.

It was working out great. Under Tan Xue’s tutelage, the little Heavenly Dog had learned to use the litter box, and also mastered essential skills like fishing, mooching food, and marking its territory.

In just a short time, the little Heavenly Dog had memorized the ins and outs of every household on Shanhai Street and knew which places had the best food. Old Grandpa Pu down the street had a goofy golden retriever, and you could always score some dog treats and goat milk at his place. Grandma Chen, who ran the dried goods shop at the end of the alley, loved animals, and you could get some of her homemade dried fish and shrimp there.

Today, the little Heavenly Dog was at Grandma Chen’s, mooching another meal.

As soon as it dashed into the shop, it noticed a new customer. The little Heavenly Dog crouched by the door, cautiously eyeing the “customer.”

“Oh, Xiao Wu’s here!” Grandma Chen put on her reading glasses, grabbed a handful of dried fish, and handed them to her granddaughter. “Zhizhi, this is the little dog from the restaurant down the street. It’s super well-behaved, you can play with it.”

Tan Zhizhi didn’t have tutoring today, so she came to visit her grandma, and this was a sweet surprise!

She took the dried fish and waved at the little Heavenly Dog. “Puppy, come here, I’ve got some fish for you.”

The little Heavenly Dog sniffed the air and obediently walked over, snatching the dried fish.

Tan Zhizhi petted its head, and it didn’t flinch, totally focused on the dried fish. It gnawed and gnawed, barely making a dent.

Tan Zhizhi was smitten, snapping a bunch of photos with her phone. “Grandma, it’s so soft! The dried fish is too tough, can it even eat it?”

Grandma Chen said, “Don’t let those baby teeth fool you, it’s pretty strong. It’ll get through it.”

Tan Zhizhi felt relieved, gently stroking the little Heavenly Dog’s back. “Puppy, you look just like the Heavenly Dog from the Classic of Mountains and Seas, with your white head and tabby body. This could go viral online.”

She joked, “If you’re really a Heavenly Dog, playing with you will bring me good luck!”

The little Heavenly Dog gave up on its “battle” with the dried fish for a moment, looked up at her, and licked her palm. “Mew~”

After mooching a meal at Grandma Chen’s, Tan Zhizhi was heading home in the afternoon. Grandma Chen stuffed her backpack with snacks and chatted with her for a bit.

The backpack wasn’t zipped up properly, and the little Heavenly Dog, noticing the dark aura between Tan Zhizhi’s eyebrows, tilted its head, thought for a moment, and quietly slipped into the backpack.

Tan Zhizhi slung the backpack over her shoulder, not noticing the stowaway, and said with a smile, “Grandma, you packed so much, it’s so heavy.”

Grandma Chen asked, “Can you carry it? Should I take some stuff out and mail it to you?”

“Nah, I got this.”

Tan Zhizhi waved goodbye and took a shortcut to the bus stop. As she walked through a narrow alley, she suddenly felt a push and stumbled forward a few steps.

“Who was that?” Tan Zhizhi didn’t think much of it. As soon as she turned around, she heard a loud “bang!”

A rusty steel plate fell from above, landing right where she had been standing. It was so close, she could feel the wind from the falling plate. Tan Zhizhi’s face turned pale, and her legs felt weak.

If that thing had hit her, she’d be bleeding from a head wound!

“Mew~ Mew~” A soft whimper snapped Tan Zhizhi back to reality. She felt something moving in her backpack and quickly swung it around, opening the flap.

The little Heavenly Dog poked its head out, its fluffy paws resting on the edge of the bag, its light golden eyes gleaming in the sunlight.

“Mew~” Great, the dark aura on her forehead was gone!

“Xiao Wu, how did you get in my bag? You could have suffocated!” Tan Zhizhi was amused and worried, pulling the little Heavenly Dog out and fixing her backpack.

“Are you missing me? I miss you too, I really like you.” Tan Zhizhi tapped the little Heavenly Dog’s cute nose and sighed regretfully, “Too bad you already have a home, I can’t take you with me, or I’d have a little Heavenly Dog of my own…”

Tan Zhizhi suddenly stopped, staring at the steel plate on the ground.

Could it be that Xiao Wu was really a Heavenly Dog, knowing she was in danger and following her to protect her? And that push was actually from the Heavenly Dog?

She knew it sounded crazy, but it felt like the truth. “Xiao Wu, are you really a Heavenly Dog?”

The little Heavenly Dog wiggled its ears. “Mew~”

In a daze, Tan Zhizhi thought she heard it reply: I am.

Tan Zhizhi carried the little Heavenly Dog back to her grandma’s, her heart pounding with the thrill of escaping danger.

“Zhizhi, why are you back? Did you forget something?” Grandma Chen noticed the little Heavenly Dog in her arms and understood. “I get it, this little guy followed you, and you’re bringing it back.”

Tan Zhizhi put the little Heavenly Dog down and told her grandma what had happened.

Grandma Chen was shaken. “Are you okay?”

Tan Zhizhi shook her head, her voice firm. “Grandma, Xiao Wu is really a Heavenly Dog.”

Grandma Chen wasn’t convinced. “Whether Xiao Wu is a Heavenly Dog or not, it’s your lucky charm. Let’s take it back to the restaurant.”

The grandmother and granddaughter took the little Heavenly Dog back to Taotie Delicacies. Grandma Chen chatted with Yun Fenghe, mentioning what had happened. “My granddaughter says Xiao Wu is a Heavenly Dog!”

Yun Fenghe smiled faintly, not denying it.

The story quickly spread throughout Shanhai Street. Everyone said Taotie Delicacies had a real Heavenly Dog, and touching it would bring good luck.

Everyone who passed by wanted to pet the little Heavenly Dog, almost bald.

Yun Tao and Feifei decided to make some Heavenly Dog cookies, packed them in custom bags from the Shanhai Mall, and put them outside, letting Xiao Wu hand them out.

They couldn’t let everyone keep petting Xiao Wu’s head!

One afternoon, the little Heavenly Dog was on guard duty at the door. The delivery guy, who was a regular, greeted it as he left. “Be good, Xiao Wu, give me some good luck today!”

The little Heavenly Dog happily agreed. “Mew mew!” No problem!

The little Heavenly Dog pointed to the Heavenly Dog cookies on the chair.

“Wow, Xiao Wu’s got merch now!” The delivery guy excitedly grabbed a bag of cookies, ripped it open, and ate one in front of the little Heavenly Dog.

The cookies were shaped like puppy, with cranberries, and they were crunchy, buttery, and fruity. They were so good, you couldn’t help but want more.

There was also a Heavenly Dog sticker in the bag, and the delivery guy stuck it on his electric scooter’s basket. “With Xiao Wu watching my back, I’ll be safe and sound today!”

The delivery guy didn’t really believe it, but he really liked Xiao Wu and loved picking up orders from Taotie Delicacies. Every time he came here, he felt happy. It wasn’t just him; many of his colleagues had raved about the place!

After leaving Taotie Delicacies, the delivery guy worked diligently. He paid attention to traffic, didn’t run red lights or speed, but an accident still happened. As he was crossing a crosswalk, a car turned without slowing down, heading straight for him!

Just as it was about to hit him, the delivery guy was terrified, thinking he was a goner. As he resigned himself to his fate, a white-headed puppy suddenly appeared in his basket, and his electric scooter magically sped up, narrowly avoiding the car.

The delivery guy’s heart was pounding. After safely crossing the street, he stopped to catch his breath. Looking closely, there was no puppy in the basket. There was only the Heavenly Dog sticker he had put on that day, and it had turned a dull gray.

The delivery guy’s eyes widened. “The rumors are true!”

Xiao Wu was a Heavenly Dog!

The next day, the delivery guy brought the little Heavenly Dog a bag of treats.

The little Heavenly Dog gave the delivery guy a new bag of cookies.

The delivery guy stuck the new Heavenly Dog sticker on his scooter’s basket, feeling a sense of security. The sticker reminded him: safety first.

The little Heavenly Dog was low-key, diligently guarding Taotie Delicacies and protecting the residents of Shanhai Street and every customer who visited.

But its light couldn’t be hidden.

More and more people noticed the little Heavenly Dog and shared their experiences online:

“Met a super cute little Heavenly Dog on Shanhai Street, and I had good luck on the way!”

“Local lucky restaurant top 1: Taotie Delicacies!”

“If you’re having bad luck lately, you have to go to Taotie Delicacies and find the adorable white-headed little Heavenly Dog and ask it for a Heavenly Dog cookie!”

“Good luck aside, those are the best cookies I’ve ever had. Is Taotie Delicacies considering adding them to the menu? I need them!”

“But remember, you can only pet the little Heavenly Dog’s head once, don’t pet it too much.”

“Why only once? Is there a reason?”

“No reason, but if you pet it too much, the little boss will stare you down.”