Great story! This reminds me of a story my grandmother used to tell me! I'll try an recall as much as I can but I definitely will have left some things out so I apologize if it seems odd, but it's been over 30 years since she has told me and she passed away last year, and at the end stages, her stroke had left her immobilized and unable to speak, so there wont be anyway I can accurately recount the story. I'll do my best to remember it but anyways, here it is: When my grandmother was alive, I used to ask her about the old days as I love history, and my grandma knew I loved paranormal things so she told me a few amazing stories. She once told me during the great flood in 1959 in Taiwan, she lived in miaoli area at the time (I think), as the waters rose, she was afraid of my grandfathers nice leather shoes being swept away (they were very poor and these were expensive shoes/gifts, even though my family had lots of land in miaoli) so she ran back to save them, as she came back out, the little path across the waterway was swept away infront of their home and she was swept along the gutter as well. She was clinging onto my grandfathers shoes for dear life and praying (she was very religious) and being tossed everywhere when suddenly she noticed a kind old man with a beard standing near a bank close enough with his arm reached out for her to grab. She quickly held both shoes with one arm and grabbed onto the hand of the kind gentleman. As he helped her up on the bank of the gutter/flowing debris, she thanked him, and told him she had to get back to her family and my grandfather, who werent far away still trying to catch up to chasing her along the current flow. The man smiled, nodded and she lifted her head from bowing in thanks, turned and ran towards my grandfather. After finding safety and hiding from the rest of the storm, they returned to clean up and they wanted to look for the kind old man that helped her during that time. She remembered distinctively where it was, as it was close to a local "property god" shrine she used to pray at often, and the man said he lived close by. After returning to the area, they noticed that there wasn't a farm for miles in the area, but the shrine was almost literally untouched by the waters and mudslides! She then wanted to back trace to where she was helped out as the ld man gestured to where he lived when she was helped out, so she thought she could remember it better from the exact spot, and as they approached the embankment of where she was helped out, they found a young sapling peach tree, right at the spot where my grandmother climbed out! My grandfather asked her, if she was sure that it was an elderly old man that helped out out and she didn't just grab onto the tree herself. She was very adamant about how this gentleman definitely extended his arm and pulled her up, because this tiny peach tree sapling definitely couldn't have supported the weight of my grandma, in rushing currents, and get her out of the waters...then it occurred... When she was helped out, despite there being rain, it was night time, there was tons of wind, mud, and debris being scattered around, the old man was bone dry, clean, and smelled lightly of peaches! She believes firmly that because of her daily devotion and honest/simple living, the local "property god" helped her in the form of an old man/spirit strengthening that sapling to get her out of the waters! There was no way rushing currents didn't uproot such a small tree when all of the small foot bridges were washed out in the area, but this little sapling, right infront of the local shrine, was still standing! After that day, the clean up and rescue eventually came to the area to help fix everything, and she adamantly went to the shrine to bring what little offerings she had to spare and water the tree daily. Thanks for taking the time to read and listen to my grandmothers story of meeting a local god!