Chapter 37: A Glamorous Save and the Enigmatic Migugu Tree

In the instant the wine bottle was hurled over, Ye Qiushui’s eyes widened, her heart nearly leaping out of her chest. Then, something strange happened. In her vision, everything around her slowed down.

A scene flashed through her mind—

She dodged the blow. The wine bottle smashed into the table behind her, instantly shattering into pieces. Splintered glass flew everywhere, cutting several people. One shard sliced her arm, and blood flowed freely.

Most terrifyingly, a piece of glass grazed past a little girl’s eye!

This scene was too real, like a future about to happen. Ye Qiushui didn’t have time to wonder why she could see this, nor did she have time to consider if it was real. She only knew she absolutely couldn’t let this unexpected disaster ruin the little girl’s future.

So, after the vision flashed, she stood firmly in place, without hesitation, gripping the wine bottle that seemed to be slowly hurtling towards her!

Her hand stung from the impact, and Ye Qiushui’s chest heaved violently. Only then did she realize that her back was soaked in cold sweat.

The magnified senses returned to normal. The diners at that table continued to argue fiercely, while the nearby diners remained eerily quiet, all gazing at Ye Qiushui with a mixture of shock and admiration.

Someone exclaimed, “Beauty, awesome!”

Only then did everyone else regain their senses.

The arguing diners grew increasingly agitated, utterly oblivious to the events unfolding nearby. Ignoring others’ attempts to dissuade them, they continued to throw things at each other while arguing.

Fueled by anger, they grabbed whatever they could and hurled it.

Clang! A bottle flew towards Liu Cai. He covered his head and tried to dodge, but his body was too clumsy. He didn’t manage to avoid it and was doused in liquid. He was so scared that he fell on his backside, and the too-tight buttons on his shirt popped off.

The waitstaff urgently evacuated the customers, anxiously telling Liu Cai, “Sir, please leave quickly too! Don’t block the aisle, the customers behind can’t get out!”

Liu Cai didn’t want to stay here either, but his legs were weak with fear, and he couldn’t stand up at all. He snarled, “Didn’t you see? I… A bottle hit me! I can’t get up!”

The waiter said, “Sir, it was just a beverage bottle that hit you!”

Liu Cai: “…”

The way the diners looked at Liu Cai became quite subtle. He was too cowardly, entirely incomparable to the girl he was with!

A young man passing by clicked his tongue and lifted the terrified Liu Cai, who was as limp as a noodle.

The mall security guards who arrived stopped the troublemaking diners. The restaurant had already called the police. The manager was busy calming the customers and arranging compensation…

Everyone listened absentmindedly, intentionally or unintentionally looking towards Ye Qiushui. The girl’s actions just now had left a deep impression on them.

Ye Qiushui didn’t notice these gazes. She looked at her hand, which was red from the impact, and recalled that strange moment. The feeling of unlocking a superpower was truly incredible.

“Beauty, thank you just now.” A sincere thank you pulled Ye Qiushui back to her thoughts. She looked up and saw a couple leading a little girl towards her.

Seeing the little girl’s beautiful, clear eyes, Ye Qiushui quietly breathed a sigh of relief and returned to reality. She whispered, “That’s great.”

She had prevented that terrible future.

Ye Qiushui adjusted her expression and smiled at them. “It’s nothing, I just didn’t want to get hurt either.”

The little girl’s father waved his hand, his tone firm. “I saw it very clearly. You could have dodged it at that time. If you hadn’t caught that bottle, judging by its trajectory, we would definitely have been injured.”

The girl’s mother hesitated for a moment, then lowered her voice. “You might not believe it, but we both saw the same scene at that instant… If you hadn’t caught that bottle, my daughter’s eye would have been cut.”

Ye Qiushui slowly widened her eyes. “You saw it too?”

That “too” was very telling. Everyone understood that the scene wasn’t an illusion.

The girl’s mother nodded. “Although I don’t know why this phenomenon occurred, I can be sure that you are my daughter’s savior… Excuse me, I wanted to ask earlier, have we met somewhere before?”

Ye Qiushui also felt that she looked somewhat familiar, but she couldn’t remember for a long time.

At that moment, Liu Cai, who had caused trouble for the restaurant manager, returned grumbling. Seeing the girl’s mother, his expression changed, and his attitude took a 180-degree turn. “General Manager Wu! So you’re eating here too!”

Ye Qiushui remembered now. This was a high-level executive from a partner company, the famous Wu Ziyi!

Because they didn’t have a direct working relationship, and she kept a low profile, Ye Qiushui didn’t have a deep impression of her. Only someone like Liu Cai, who was skilled at studying interpersonal relationships, could recognize her at a glance.

Wu Ziyi nodded at Liu Cai and looked at Ye Qiushui again. “Are you colleagues?”

Ye Qiushui nodded and handed over her business card. “I’m sorry, General Manager Wu. I just recognized you. I’m from Chuangzao Culture Media Company.”

“Don’t call me General Manager Wu, it’s too formal.” Wu Ziyi said with a smile, patting the back of Ye Qiushui’s hand. “I’m older than you. If you don’t mind, you can call me Sister Ziyi.”

The two chatted briefly about work. Wu Ziyi said, “It’s no longer good to stay here for a meal. Since we have such a fate, let me treat everyone to a meal.”

Everyone knew that Wu Ziyi was treating them to a meal as a gesture of thanks to Ye Qiushui and was including them as a courtesy.

It was a rare opportunity. Under normal circumstances, Liu Cai would have jumped for joy, but his clothes were stained with drinks, and he demanded compensation, so the restaurant manager kept him behind. He could only watch helplessly as his colleagues left with Wu Ziyi.

Wu Ziyi’s family led a low-key life, but they were very generous when entertaining guests, opting for a private restaurant nearby with an average cost of several thousand dollars per person.

On the way, the little girl held Ye Qiushui’s hand the whole time, looking at her with admiration, sweetly calling her “sister,” which melted Ye Qiushui’s heart.

The private restaurant’s food lived up to its price. With the delicious food in their stomachs, the resentment from working overtime dissipated.

After the meal, Wu Ziyi offered to drive Ye Qiushui home. Ye Qiushui really wanted to say, ‘Boss, please don’t spoil me too much.’

She declined repeatedly before Wu Ziyi gave up, giving her a ride-hailing red envelope instead. “Little Ye, don’t be polite with me about this.”

After Wu Ziyi’s family left, the colleagues relaxed, and their conversation became more casual.

“That was General Manager Wu… I actually ate with General Manager Wu! I can brag about this for half a year. But Little Ye catching the wine bottle with her bare hands was even more impressive; she can brag about that for a lifetime!”

“Hahaha, Liu Cai definitely missed out and must be furious. I’m posting on my social media right away. By the way, this restaurant is really delicious.”

The two colleagues who received Little Heavenly Dog cookies at noon felt it more deeply than others. In that chaos, they had also avoided danger once or twice. Their reaction speed was simply divinely assisted.

One of Ye Qiushui’s colleagues lightly touched her shoulder and showed her the Little Heavenly Dog sticker on her palm. The originally vibrant color had become somewhat dull.

The colleague blinked. “It really does ward off misfortune.”

Ye Qiushui smiled and nodded. “See? Didn’t I make a good recommendation?”

Recalling it now, she still felt a surge of excitement. She would never forget that moment of reversal!

---

Liu Cai felt like he had had a very unlucky day. He lost face at the company because Ye Qiushui retorted to him, encountered crazy people causing trouble while eating, ruined a set of clothes for no reason, and was secretly laughed at by everyone in the restaurant.

He finally encountered a big shot who treated them to a meal, but he couldn’t attend. He argued with the restaurant for a long time and almost didn’t even get to eat.

Finally returning to his rented apartment, the frustration in Liu Cai’s heart reached its peak. He wanted to call his girlfriend and complain, hoping she would come and keep him company.

The call didn’t go through. He heard a cold prompt tone.

Opening WeChat, he saw that he had been blacklisted. His girlfriend’s last message was: Touching my phone and canceling my order without my permission is really unbearable, controlling behavior. Besides, did I spend your money? Break up!

Liu Cai was dumbfounded.

He grabbed his hair irritably, wanting to ask his girlfriend’s best friend to mediate, but accidentally clicked into her social media and saw—

[What to do if your bestie encounters a terrible guy? Immediately drive her to Taotie Delicacies for a Reality-Check Ginger Scallion Chicken! Feeling radiant all day! (peace sign)]

Taotie Delicacies.

Reality-Check Ginger Scallion Chicken.

Damn it!

This shop is truly cursed!

“Ding ding…” WeChat notified him of a new message. Liu Cai thought his girlfriend had changed her mind and excitedly switched back to see. It turned out to be his colleagues posting photos of General Manager Wu’s treat in the group chat, constantly tagging him.

Liu Cai was so angry that he smashed his phone.

He was still angry too early. The next morning, he arrived at the company looking dejected and was informed that the partner company had specifically requested Ye Qiushui to be responsible for the project liaison.

The restaurant where the incident occurred yesterday had also sent Ye Qiushui a VIP card worth several thousand, thanking her for her righteous action. Even the other colleagues looked happy, as if they had encountered something good.

What happened yesterday was so dramatic that it had already spread throughout the company. Everyone knew how cool Ye Qiushui was and how cowardly Liu Cai was.

The most unbelievable thing was that someone had filmed a video and uploaded it online, giving it an exaggerated title—Restaurant Trouble, but Beauty’s God-Level Rescue!

300,000 likes.

Ye Qiushui was the center of attention.

Liu Cai racked his brains but couldn’t figure out where he had gone wrong. He stared at Ye Qiushui’s workstation for a long time, suddenly remembering that yesterday Ye Qiushui had eaten Heavenly Dog cookies and seemed dismissive of them.

Liu Cai’s scalp tingled. No way, could this thing intelligently distinguish good from bad? Eating it could ward off misfortune, and even a few private curses would bring bad luck?

Liu Cai quickly searched for Taotie Delicacies’ online shop, wanting to buy a pack to change his luck, but he was once again dumbfounded. All the products in the shop were sold out, including the pre-orders.

However, since those Little Heavenly Dog cookies were so intelligent, they might even hold grudges. Eating them might make him even more unlucky…

---

After opening the online shop, Yun Tao received many messages every day urging him to restock.

Yun Tao had already purchased intelligent jam-making machines and cookie machines to reduce the staff’s workload, but they were still in short supply.

Yun Tao spread his little hands. “There’s really no way, we can’t keep draining Little Heavenly Dog’s spiritual energy. We have to let it rest.”

The Little Heavenly Dog, protecting everyone, could bring in the power of wishes, which in turn would bring more spiritual power. But still, it needed to rest.

Little Heavenly Dog trotted to the table and licked Yun Tao’s nose. “Mew!” Rest!

Yun Tao rubbed his nose, widening his eyes curiously. “Little Wu, have you grown bigger?”

Even the color of its eyes had become more distinct!

Tai Sui passed by and glanced at it: “Its fox mom feeds it on time every day, how could it not grow?”

Lin Xiao’s face flushed crimson. “Who’s its fox mom? Don’t talk nonsense!”

Yun Tao looked at his own hands, then pinched his cheeks, looking a bit troubled. “I also eat on time every day and drink milk, but why haven’t I grown taller?”

Even the grandpas, grandmas, uncles, aunts, brothers, and sisters on Shanhai Street had noticed this. They would gesture at his height from time to time.

After returning from the zoo last time, his demonic energy leakage had miraculously healed and hadn’t happened again. Why wouldn’t he grow taller?

Tai Sui ruffled his hair. “Don’t worry, it doesn’t matter if you never grow up.”

With so many older brothers and sisters, who couldn’t afford to raise him?

“No, that won’t do, it matters to me.” Yun Tao jumped off the chair, hugged a carton of milk, and gulped it down. He drew a height line for himself on the wall and announced, “First, let’s set a small goal: grow ten centimeters taller in a year!”

Tai Sui: “…”

Alright, ambitious kid.

After sending out the jam orders, Taotie Delicacies had a day off. Yun Tao took advantage of the break to officially make all the employees permanent.

Based on Taotie Delicacies’ current profits, the salary offered by the system wasn’t low.

Lin Xiao was rated as an SR-level employee. His starting monthly salary after becoming permanent was twelve thousand, and he would also receive extra bonuses for his part-time metaphysical orders. He was so excited that he immediately wrote a letter to his master.

Master: “…”

Whatever makes you happy.

But if your previous company knew your current salary, they would probably be heartbroken.

Recently, the workload for the online shop customer service was too heavy, and the system had consumed a significant amount of energy, resulting in some program glitches. The rewards for the Level 6 mission hadn’t been successfully settled, and a side mission had been triggered.

[Side Mission: Please expand the Shanhai Farm area to 0.1 acres.

Reward: 300 Shanhai Coins, 2 Migugu Trees, 500 Farm Experience Points (0/1000 experience points to upgrade)]

This mission was both simple and complex, easy and difficult, because currently, upgrading the Shanhai Farm required spending Shanhai Coins.

Yun Tao had spent a considerable amount of money upgrading the spiritual soil in the courtyard the last time.

If he wanted to develop the Shanhai Farm, this mission definitely had to be done. Even though the side mission had no time limit, Yun Tao chose to execute it immediately.

However, after completing this mission, he would be penniless again.

[The Shanhai Farm has been expanded to 0.1 acres.]

[Mission completed, rewards have been distributed!]

[Shanhai Plant: Migugu Tree

Level: SR Origin: Zhaoyao Mountain Farm

Characteristics: Its blossoms illuminate the four directions, wearing it prevents getting lost.]

[Please select the planting location for the Migugu Trees.]

The Migugu tree had lush foliage and distinctive black patterns on its trunk. It could emit light, and wearing its branches or flowers would prevent one from getting lost.

The Migugu tree itself was a signpost, at times serving as a lighthouse for those who were lost.

For Yun Tao, the leaves and flowers of the Migugu tree were also a type of food, though the taste was just average.

Yun Tao hummed. “The reward for the side mission was so generous, it didn’t hold me back.”

System (sounding guilty): “Ahem, please select the planting location, Host.”

“What’s the rush?” Yun Tao went downstairs to stroll around the courtyard.

After the upgrade, the entire courtyard of Taotie Delicacies had been replaced with spiritual soil. The ordinary plants in the courtyard, nourished by the spiritual soil, had become even more vibrant. Such a large area of spiritual soil would soon have a positive impact on the entire street, right?

Planting trees at home had a relatively significant impact on Yun Fenghe and Bifang.

Yun Tao came to the courtyard to find them. “Brother, Sister Fang, I have two Migugu trees here. Where do you want to plant them?”

Yun Fenghe and Bifang were closest to the ground and were the first to notice the changes in the spiritual soil. They had already been surprised once.

Then the little kid ran down to tell them that he was planning to plant Migugu trees! And two of them at once!

Yun Fenghe looked at Bifang. “I’m fine with either. Xiao Fang, where do you prefer to plant them?”

Bifang considered for a moment. “Plant one in the courtyard and one in the yard.”

Yun Tao nodded in agreement. The next second, a Migugu tree suddenly appeared in the courtyard, its branches covered in blossoms, illuminating all directions.

Bifang didn’t know Yun Tao had a system and was genuinely surprised. Where did this little kid get such great magical power?

Speaking of which, she hadn’t asked the little kid about his origins yet. This shop was called Taotie Delicacies, the little kid wouldn’t be a Taotie… would he?

Bifang shuddered.

Yun Tao blinked. “Sister Fang, are you cold?”

It was the height of summer!

Bifang shook her head. “Not cold.”

“Oh, oh, then are you moving?”

Bifang saw the shimmering flowers of the Migugu tree and already regretted it a bit. “Why don’t you move it up there? It’s too dazzling.”

Too dazzling, huh?

Yun Tao was obliging and transplanted this Migugu tree to the yard.

Lin Xiao and Tai Sui had just finished an exciting duo queue game. Lin Xiao stretched and looked out the window, exclaiming, “Whoa! Brother Sui, look outside, there’s a sparkly tree!”

Tai Sui glanced at it. “That’s a Migugu.”

Lin Xiao was young and hadn’t seen much of the world. He leaned out the window. “This is the legendary Migugu?”

Yun Tao looked up and smiled at Lin Xiao, his eyes crinkling. “Brother Fox, I planted firework trees for you!”

“That name is really fitting!” Lin Xiao turned back to Tai Sui. “Brother, let’s stop playing. I want to go see the Migugu tree.”

Tai Sui put his phone in his pocket. “Alright, go back to your dorm while you’re at it.”

“Got it!” Lin Xiao stepped onto the windowsill and instantly appeared in front of Yun Tao.

He walked around the two Migugu trees, clicking his tongue in amazement. “Little boss, if ordinary people saw this, it would be hard to explain. How about buying some LED strip lights to wrap around them and disguise them?”

“That’s a good idea.” Yun Tao bought LED strip lights from the Shanhai Mall. Lin Xiao tossed them up, and the lights automatically wrapped around the tree trunks, emitting artificial light.

At first glance, it was hard to tell the difference.

The attic window opened, and Feifei lay on the windowsill, her long white hair gently swaying in the evening breeze.

“Taotao, it’s time for you to sleep~”

“I know! Good night, Sister Feifei!”

Yun Tao was already sleepy and too lazy even to climb the stairs. He reached out to Lin Xiao. “Brother Fox, hug!”

Lin Xiao picked up the little kid in one arm, tapped his toes, and went up to the second floor, carrying the little kid back to his room and tucking him into his small quilt.

“Good night, Brother Fox.” Yun Tao yawned sleepily, hugged the Little Heavenly Dog that had secretly climbed onto the bed, and drifted into a sweet dream.

Little Heavenly Dog rested its head on his little arm, letting out comfortable purring sounds.

“You little engine, huh?” Lin Xiao patted the little guys’ heads one by one, turned off the light, and quietly left.

The two newly planted Migugu trees swayed their branches in the evening breeze, absorbing nutrients from the spiritual soil, and silently began to familiarize themselves with their environment and expand their domain.

“It’s almost midnight! Look, the lights upstairs are all off. Is there really a late-night snack shop open this late around here? Are you sure you didn’t make a mistake?”

Lu Xingzhu wobbled as he rode a shared bicycle, his eyes fixed suspiciously on his roommate.

“I didn’t remember wrong, there really is one… shouldn’t it have taken this long to get there?” He Baichuanstopped his bike and took out his phone. “Don’t worry, let me navigate.”

“Hurry up,” Lu Xingzhu yawned. “If it really doesn’t work, let’s just go back to the internet cafe for instant noodles.”

“How can we do that? It’s your birthday after midnight. Eating instant noodles on your birthday?” He Baichuan smiled. “Let’s go, the navigation says it’s a three-minute ride.”

Three minutes later, they still hadn’t found the late-night snack shop He Baichuan mentioned. The navigation prompted them to continue riding, but Lu Xingzhu felt something was wrong…

It was indeed late at night, but wasn’t this street too quiet? The streetlights were also ridiculously dim. Lu Xingzhu frowned and looked to both sides. When he caught sight of a certain graffiti on the wall, his brow twitched. “Da Chuan, wait!”

“What’s wrong?” He Baichuan stopped his bike and looked back at him.

Lu Xingzhu pointed to the graffiti wall. “We passed by here three minutes ago. I remember this graffiti.”

“Oh, oh.” He Baichuan didn’t think too much about it. “Maybe I took the wrong road. Why don’t you look at the navigation?”

“Okay.” Lu Xingzhu felt a bit uneasy but didn’t dare to overthink it. He took He Baichuan’s phone and navigated again.

This time, he was more cautious, looking at the street scenes on both sides as he rode. Everything seemed normal. Three minutes later, they returned to the same spot and saw the graffiti wall again.

They didn’t believe in superstition and tried again with the navigation off, but they quickly returned to the same place.

“Wouldn’t it be a ghost…” Lu Xingzhu swallowed the rest of the words, feeling a bit of cold sweat break out. “Couldn’t we have really encountered something? We’re just two ordinary internet addicts who wanted to grab some late-night snacks after playing games, we didn’t offend anything, did we?”

The back of his neck suddenly felt cold, as if someone had blown cold air on it. Lu Xingzhu’s whole body stiffened. Immediately afterward, he heard someone ask faintly, “Need a guide?”

How could Lu Xingzhu dare to answer?

Lu Xingzhu winked frantically at He Baichuan across from him, trying to ask if he could see anything behind him.

He Baichuan: “Is your eyelid twitching?”

Lu Xingzhu: “…”

Unbelievable.

With that reaction, he probably couldn’t see it. So oblivious, no wonder ghosts didn’t bother scaring him!

Lu Xingzhu didn’t even want to care about the ghost behind him anymore. He said impatiently, “It’s not twitching. Hurry up and think, besides the late-night snack shop you mentioned, are there any other landmarks? I don’t want to sleep on the street.”

He Baichuan was thinking when he suddenly froze. “I remember now, Taotie Delicacies is just ahead of us.”

It was hard to describe the feeling. In his mind, which had been chaotic due to being lost, a lighthouse suddenly appeared.

“Huh? I also remember how to get to that shop. That’s strange, I’ve clearly never been this way before.” Lu Xingzhu said. “Could it be that I’ve seen so much information about it online that I unconsciously memorized it?”

He Baichuan: “Don’t think about it, let’s go.”

Lu Xingzhu nodded. This place wasn’t safe to linger.

The bicycle was pulled back by brute force. Lu Xingzhu couldn’t pedal. An icy hand rested on his neck, and that voice sounded in his ear again: “Don’t go…”

Lu Xingzhu knew that at this time, he couldn’t turn his head or answer. He silently recited that Taotie Delicacies was just ahead and forcefully stomped on the pedal.

The bicycle surged forward. Lu Xingzhu felt like he had broken through an invisible membrane. In that instant, he saw a simple little restaurant and a dazzling tree…

The icy hand couldn’t hold him, the annoying voice disappeared, the streetlights became bright, and he heard the chirping of insects in the bushes.

Only when he saw the brightly lit sign of Taotie Delicacies did Lu Xingzhu dare to stop his bicycle.

He was back in the human world.

He just felt a heavy sensation in his head, neck, and shoulders. Lu Xingzhu rubbed his shoulders uncomfortably.

He, Baichuan, also stopped. “What’s wrong? Are you tired?”

“A bit.” Lu Xingzhu asked softly, “Did anything… grab your neck just now? Telling you not to go?”

“No.” He Baichuan had sharp eyes. Seeing Lu Xingzhu’s neck, his eyes widened. “Holy crap, there’s really a handprint on the back of your neck!”

Tai Sui squatted on the wall, looking at the two male college students. “Hey.”

The two of them hadn’t noticed when Tai Sui had appeared at all and were startled.

Another… another ghost?

Why did this ghost look even more handsome than a celebrity?

Tai Sui lightly landed in front of Lu Xingzhu and reached out to wipe the back of his neck.

He Baichuan: “Ah Xing, the handprint on your neck disappeared!”

The heavy feeling indeed disappeared. Lu Xingzhu looked up in surprise. “Handsome guy, are you a metaphysical master?”

Tai Sui held up his index finger. “Shhh.”

The two of them immediately shut up.

Yun Fenghe pushed open the door and came out, handing the two of them two Migugu leaves. He said gently, “Carry these two leaves with you, and you won’t get lost. Go back safely.”

Yun Fenghe’s appearance calmed the two college students down.

Lu Xingzhu took the leaves with both hands and thanked him respectfully. “Thank you. We didn’t intend to disturb you so late. If we have time, we’ll come back to thank you properly.”

They quietly rode away. Tai Sui, however, wasn’t in a hurry to go back and walked towards the long street. “Let me see which fellow is disturbing people in the middle of the night, almost waking up my little brother. Doesn’t he know that underage demons need plenty of sleep?”

Translator’s Note:

The tree referred to as Migugu Tree (迷榖树) in this story draws inspiration from “The Classic of Mountains and Seas” (Shanhai Jing), but with a significant twist.

In the Shanhai Jing, the creature named 迷榖 (mí gǔ) is described as an animal (resembling a white dog with black ears and a tiger’s tail) whose flesh, when eaten, prevents confusion. Separately, the 桂 (guì) tree (often translated as Cassia or Cinnamon) is the plant associated with the ability to prevent getting lost; some interpretations suggest wearing parts of it has this effect.

The author has creatively combined these elements. They have taken the name 迷榖 (mí gǔ) and applied it to a tree that possesses the characteristic of preventing getting lost (as well as having luminous blossoms, a trait not explicitly tied to either in the original text).

Therefore, while the name “Migugu Tree” has roots in the Shanhai Jing, its application to a tree with these specific properties is an adaptation by the author for this story.