Chapter 8: Shanhai Farm

Yun Tao had an amazing dream.

In the dream, he returned to that unexplored secret realm, set up a pot by the spirit spring, and dumped all the heavenly treasures he’d just collected straight into the boiling water: porcupine meat, crimson blood fruit, fire spirit mushrooms… Any one of these would be worth a fortune in the human world.

The water from the spirit spring bubbled away, while half a porcupine roasted on a stone slab, its fat sizzling and dripping. Yun Tao tore off an entire porcupine leg and sank his teeth in. These porcupines spent their days darting around the secret realm, drinking spirit spring water and feasting on spirit fruits and herbs. They were the ultimate free-range pigs of the mystical world, with meat bursting with spiritual energy. After roasting, the smoky aroma was irresistible, and every bite felt like an explosion of energy in his mouth.

He devoured half the porcupine in one go, but his stomach wasn’t satisfied—not even a little. Instead, it felt hollow, like a bottomless pit that could never be filled.

“Grrrr…”

Unbelievable. Yun Tao woke up to the sound of his own stomach growling.

His beautiful dream shattered. Sitting up groggily, he swallowed hard and mumbled, “My free-range mystical pig… I didn’t get enough.”

Now that he thought about it, could the reason he suddenly fell asleep back then have been because of that stew he made with heavenly treasures? But wow, that stew really was delicious.

Just as Yun Tao’s mind wandered off again, the system’s voice called him back—loud and urgent.

“Host! You pulled a special card last night!”

“Huh? You’re not frozen anymore?” Yun Tao yawned, his bedhead tuft of hair bouncing as he moved.

“I recovered after you fell asleep… But that’s not the point! The point is—you pulled a UR card!”

Yun Tao didn’t look the least bit surprised. “What card?”

“A special UR card!”

The system could barely contain its frustration. How could a host pull two UR cards back-to-back and still act this calm?! Practically vibrating with impatience, it opened Yun Tao’s card inventory and displayed the new card on the screen.

[Special Card: Shanhai Farm

Rarity: UR

Details: Current spirit soil area: 0.0015 mu. You can freely choose its placement. Spend Shanhai coins to expand its size.]

No wonder the system was so excited—this card was incredible.

Seeing the card, Yun Tao finally understood why the special banner had the lowest drop rate. This kind of resource was in a completely different league from regular Shanhai materials.

With Shanhai spirit soil, he could grow Shanhai plants. As long as he got his hands on the seeds, even cultivating heavenly treasures wouldn’t be a problem. Once he had his own farm, he’d save a fortune on Shanhai coins for buying ingredients.

But… Yun Tao frowned as he stared at the card’s “0.0015 mu.” That was barely one square meter! It was such a tiny plot of land—how many Shanhai coins would it take to turn this into a real farm?!

That little patch wouldn’t even grow enough to make one serving of Zhuyu… Then, as he kept mulling it over, his eyes lit up. He knew exactly what to plant!

Suddenly energized, Yun Tao declared, “System, I want to place this 0.0015 mu of spirit soil in the courtyard of Taotie Delicacies.”

“Alright, Host. Please select the exact location.”

A map of the diner unfolded on the glowing screen, and Yun Tao picked an empty spot in the courtyard. After confirming, he threw off his blanket and ran outside, barefoot in his excitement—only to crash straight into Tai Sui, who had just gotten up.

Tai Sui grabbed him effortlessly, holding him up like a kitten.

In one hand, Tai Sui carried the sleepy and grumpy Taxue, whose icy-blue eyes blinked at Yun Tao with a look of shared misery, as if to say, Oh, you got caught too?

Yun Tao: “…”

“Where are you running off to, barefoot?” Tai Sui’s voice was rough with sleep as he lazily wiggled his fingers. Yun Tao’s two small shoes, lying on the floor, obediently floated into his hand.

Letting Tai Sui put his shoes on for him, Yun Tao hopped back to the ground. “I’m going to plant my brother.”

Tai Sui: “?”

Following Yun Tao downstairs, Tai Sui crossed his arms and watched curiously.

Yun Tao dragged Yun Fenghe into the courtyard. As soon as they got there, a faint earthy smell filled the air. The Shanhai spirit soil, far richer than ordinary dirt, was dark and fertile, standing out against the rest of the yard.

Grabbing a small trowel, Yun Tao dug a little hole in the soil and turned to Yun Fenghe. “Brother, squat down in here.”

As a land god, Yun Fenghe immediately noticed the small patch of spirit soil as soon as it appeared. He figured Yun Tao must’ve gotten it through that mysterious system of his, but he couldn’t quite guess how it’d be used.

Still, he did as Yun Tao asked and stepped into the little hole. The moment his feet touched the soil, a surge of abundant spiritual energy flowed through him, soothing his fatigue from overusing his divine power in recent days. Even his pale complexion regained a bit of color.

Letting out a soft breath, Yun Fenghe smiled warmly at Yun Tao. “Thank you, Taotao. I feel much better now.”

Tai Sui finally got it. So, this was what Yun Tao meant by “planting his brother.” The poor little land god’s frail body clearly needed nurturing, and the best way to heal him was through incense offerings and grounding with nature. Yun Tao, ever the resourceful one, had somehow gotten his hands on this treasure of spirit soil—and couldn’t wait to “bury” his brother in it.

Tai Sui’s chest tightened with a sudden pang of jealousy.

“Hey, boss, I need some grounding, too!”

Before Yun Tao could respond, Yun Fenghe shuffled over a bit and said, “Brother Sui, how about you stand here?”

Judging by Tai Sui’s mysterious aura, Yun Fenghe guessed he might be some kind of plant-based little demon spirit. It’d make sense for him to benefit from grounding too, right?

But when Tai Sui saw how tiny the patch of soil was, he hesitated. “…Never mind. I was just joking. You can keep standing there.”

Yun Fenghe smiled with crescent-shaped eyes and offered sincerely, “Well, if you really need grounding, being close to me might help a bit.”

“With your measly divine power…” Tai Sui started, but seeing Yun Fenghe’s earnest expression, he swallowed the rest of his words and turned to Yun Tao instead. “Aren’t you opening the shop today?”

“Of course!” Yun Tao put down his trowel and immediately dove into the Shanhai Mall with his mind, ordering all the ingredients they’d need for the day. Last night’s delay with that broken-down system had messed up his schedule, and he hadn’t even had time to buy supplies!

Just as he finished checking out, a system notification popped up.

[Level 1 Task: Introduce at least three new Zhuyu dishes within 24 hours.]

Rewards: Shanhai Value +100, Shanhai Coins +100, Shanhai Coupon x1
Failure Penalty: 24 hours of mandatory volunteer work in a random dimension.

Taotie Delicacies couldn’t survive forever just selling pancakes and soy milk. Yun Tao had already planned to introduce new dishes, so he didn’t mind the task itself. The problem was that the system’s deadline was way too short—he’d need to start planning immediately.

Zhuyu had plenty of culinary potential, but when it came to food that worked well for street vendors, the options were more limited. After thinking it over, Yun Tao decided to introduce three dishes that humans would definitely love: Zhuyu dumplings, Zhuyu buns, and Zhuyu rice balls.

These weren’t just breakfast options—they’d sell well for lunch and dinner too.

Given how busy the past two days had been, they could expect plenty of returning customers today. But with only three people working the shop, just making pancakes and soy milk had already pushed them to their limits. Even Tai Sui, with his seemingly boundless energy, looked worn out after a full day. No one had the time to prepare new dishes.

If manpower wasn’t enough, it was time to rely on technology. Yun Tao dove back into the Shanhai Mall, remembering that when he unlocked Zhuyu, a few R-rank items had also become available.

It didn’t take long for him to find exactly what he needed: Automatic Steamer / 100 Shanhai Coins.

The price stung. Yun Tao winced, clutching his metaphorical wallet. His little savings stash had barely grown, and now he was about to empty it again!

But when he saw the steamer’s impressive functions, he clenched his tiny fist and made the purchase.

“I just bought something amazing—let’s go check it out in the kitchen!” Grabbing both his brothers, Yun Tao practically flew toward the kitchen.

The system had already delivered the ingredients and the automatic steamer. The steamer stood out like a jewel in the rough, its ivory-white surface gleaming in stark contrast to the old, traditional kitchen.

Yun Tao, having already scanned the system’s instructions, quickly taught his brothers how to use it. Calling it black tech wasn’t an exaggeration—it was ridiculously easy to operate and packed with powerful features. Each layer of the steamer could be set independently, and all you had to do was input a recipe into the main system, toss in the right ingredients, and it’d steam the food to perfection in no time.

The secret to great food lay in the recipes, and that was no problem for Yun Tao. Standing on a chair, he quickly programmed several recipes into the steamer’s main system. Besides the Zhuyu dishes, he added a few regular snacks too. No matter how many variations they offered, they couldn’t rely on Zhuyu filling alone. The steamer made it easy to prepare a variety of options, giving their customers more choices.

Yun Tao bought another regular steamer from the mall to complement the fancy automatic one. The plan was to transfer the freshly steamed snacks to the front for warming and refill as they sold out.

Because he’d spent the morning “planting his brother” and setting up the automatic steamer, the shop opened a little late. But as soon as the stall was set up, a line had already formed at the door.

Jiang Qing was among the early birds. Yun Tao beamed at her. “Big Sis, I was just about to come find you! You’re up so early today!”

Jiang Qing crouched down so they were at eye level, a warm smile on her face. “I went to bed early last night, so I woke up early too.”

She looked visibly better these days—her complexion had improved, and the heavy dark circles that used to haunt her face had significantly faded.

“Have you been eating well lately?” Yun Tao asked with concern.

Jiang Qing nodded enthusiastically. “I have!”

The final stages of her project were always the most stressful. She’d already prepared herself for sleepless nights, a ruined appetite, and completely abandoning any sense of routine. But then Yun Tao and his Zhuyu pancakes had enter into her life, flipping the script on her expectations.

Whenever she felt the weight of pressure building, she’d hear Yun Tao’s young but earnest voice in her mind: I know you can do it, Big Sis!

Before she even realized it, a smile would creep onto her lips, and the stress would melt away. And those magical Zhuyu pancakes? They’d brought an incredible boost of energy—so much so that the bottomless pit in her stomach had somehow disappeared without her noticing.

And it wasn’t just her. Even her team, whom she’d been “feeding” for two days straight, seemed livelier and more focused. Everyone was singing the pancakes’ praises.

“You’re amazing, Big Sis.” Yun Tao patted Jiang Qing’s head like a little grown-up. “Keep it up, okay?”

The people waiting in line were absolutely charmed by his serious and adorable demeanor, breaking out into laughter.

“I will, I will! Big Sis won’t let our little Yun Tao worry!” Jiang Qing promised. Then her eyes caught the crowded menu board. “Wow, you’ve added so many new things today!”

“That’s right! Wanna try something different today?” Yun Tao asked, smiling brightly.

“Sure! What do you recommend?”

Everyone in line perked up their ears to hear.

“Everything’s delicious,” Yun Tao said confidently. “Just pick whatever you want. But don’t overdo it—just a little bit of the Zhuyu stuff will fill you up fast.”

What a savvy little businessman! The crowd burst out laughing again.

“It’s true—everything’s good,” Yun Fenghe chimed in, lifting the lid of the steamer. A wave of fragrant steam poured out, revealing rows of perfectly arranged snacks: plump, snowy-white buns, juicy dumplings, hefty rice balls, translucent mung bean cakes, and petal-shaped osmanthus cakes that looked like edible works of art. Just the sight of them was enough to make mouths water.

As the steam swirled and the aroma spread, Jiang Qing instinctively pulled out her phone to snap a picture of the moment. She posted it to her group chat and, after a moment’s thought, added it to her personal feed with the caption:

“Morning warmth, steaming from this basket.
Taotie Delicacies has new treats!”

By the time she finished her post, the neighbors had already bought their breakfasts. Some stuck to their favorites—the classic Zhuyu pancake—while others wanted to try the new foods, grabbing a mix of everything. They carried their fragrant breakfast bags home, ready to start their day.

Meanwhile, Jiang Qing’s phone buzzed nonstop as her group chat exploded with messages.

“OMG, so many new treats! Taotie Delicacies never disappoints!”

“Boss, grab me a portion of the Zhuyu dumplings. They look so good!”

“I want a Zhuyu rice ball!”

“Sorry to trouble you again, boss, but could you get us breakfast? Same deal—we’ll cover your lunch!”

Smiling, Jiang Qing made sure to buy everything her group requested. Yun Tao insisted on delivering breakfast himself to Aunt Ying and Uncle Jiang, so Jiang Qing held his hand as they walked home together. At the door, they parted ways.

On his way back, Yun Tao ran into Luo Zheyan, who was even more over-the-top than Jiang Qing. He wiped out an entire steamer’s worth of snacks in one go! If it weren’t for his tall and athletic build, Yun Tao would’ve worried he’d tire himself out carrying it all.

Luo Zheyan shrugged with a grin. “What can I say? The school volleyball team’s hooked now, too!”

The moment Jiang Qing walked into the office, her foodie coworkers swarmed around her.

“Boss! I can already smell the Zhuyu goodness!” Panda said, rubbing his hands together eagerly.

Back when they were grinding through projects, coffee had been their lifeline—they practically drank it like medicine. But now? The highlight of their day wasn’t caffeine anymore. It was the healthy, delicious breakfast from Taotie Delicacies that woke them up every morning.

Even Li Yunyun, who was usually slow to move, scurried over like a little hamster to grab her order of Zhuyu dumplings. Before she left, she gave Jiang Qing a big thumbs-up. “You’re a lifesaver, boss! You’ve saved my poor, miserable soul!”

The dumplings came in eco-friendly boxes, and as soon as the lid was lifted, the aroma wafted out. Li Yunyun picked up a chubby dumpling, bit into it, and let the burst of juices fill her mouth. The perfect combination of the Zhuyu flavor, savory meat, and crisp water chestnuts was an all-out flavor concert on her tongue. For a moment, she was too stunned to speak, savoring every bite slowly.

Panda finished a Zhuyu bun and sighed. “This is amazing, boss. I’m so jealous. I wish we had an eatery like Taotie Delicacies downstairs too.”

Jiang Qing grinned and showed him her phone screen. “Oh, trust me, you’re not the only one jealous!”

At this time of the morning, the early risers were already scrolling online. Her freshly posted photo was blowing up, flooded with comments, all dripping with envy.

The new additions to Taotie Delicacies menu were a big hit. The automatic steamer had eased some of the workload from pancake-making, so even though business was booming, Yun Tao and his brothers were much more relaxed compared to the day before.

With everything wrapped up, Yun Tao decided it was important to balance work and rest. He announced he was closing shop early to cook a feast for dinner—treating himself, his two brothers, and, of course, the cats.

He reached down to pet Taxue, who had been circling his legs all morning. “Don’t worry. There’s plenty for you guys too.”

Taxue rubbed its head affectionately against his little palm, and behind it, a line of kittens gathered, letting out soft meows of anticipation. The message was clear: “Hurry up, boss! We want head pats too!”

Tai Sui came out of the kitchen, having prepped the ingredients, and nodded at Yun Tao, his eyes deep and serious. “Time to get started.”

For some reason, when this brooding guy said “start cooking,” it sounded more like he was gearing up to wipe out an enemy clan. Yun Tao rolled his eyes.

Yun Fenghe rolled up his sleeves. “I’ll help!”

He was immediately rejected—by both Yun Tao and Tai Sui.

Tai Sui had been “fortunate” enough to taste Yun Fenghe’s cooking once. From that day on, he vowed to never let this guy near anything involving food, even seasoning.

“You’re better off digging in the garden,” Tai Sui said bluntly.

Yun Tao handed over a bundle of Zhuyu roots. “While you’re at it, plant some of these too.”

Assigned his tasks with precision, Yun Fenghe gave in with a resigned “…Fine.”

Still thinking about the dream he had that morning, Yun Tao was craving pork. For dinner, he cooked up a big pot of braised pork hock. The aroma spread down the street, and soon neighbors were knocking, asking for the recipe.

Tai Sui and Yun Fenghe ate until they were completely satisfied, but Yun Tao still felt something was missing. Compared to the pork from the mythical realm, regular pork just didn’t measure up. Without spiritual energy, it didn’t fill you up properly either. After polishing off half the pot, he was already hungry again.

“I really want to eat something packed with spiritual energy,” Yun Tao muttered.

After his bath, he lay in his little bed, still dreaming about mythical pork. He even wandered through the Mountain and Sea Marketplace app, but as a lowly Level 1 player, all he’d unlocked so far was Zhuyu. Most of the rare treasures were still grayed out—not only could he not buy them, but he couldn’t even view the details.

He pouted and, out of habit, called for the system.

In a half-hearted voice, he muttered, “System, you there?”

After a few weak calls, the system finally came online.

“I’m here, Host!” it chirped energetically.

Noticing Yun Tao’s low spirits, it hesitated before cautiously asking, “What’s wrong? Are you upset because I’m too… sluggish? I’ve been working hard to improve—I came faster than yesterday!”

Yun Tao sighed. “I’m still hungry.”

His voice carried a hint of grievance, like a child left out in the cold.

“Host! I’ll settle your mission rewards right now! Once you level up, you’ll get better food!” the system exclaimed.

[Mission complete. Rewards issued!

Entrepreneurship Level upgraded to Level 2 (0/400 Shanhai Points).

Newly unlocked Shanhai Resource: Ping Grass]

Yun Tao’s eyes lit up. He recognized this plant. To humans, it was basically… mythical green onions.