My avatar is becoming the final boss

Chapter 363 The City Life of Little Nian Beast and Lin Xingshi (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
Two lions, one large and one small, lay prostrate atop the cliff, heads held high, silently gazing at the clouds and sky above the sea. It was dusk; the clouds were bathed in the bright light of the setting sun, and the sky was a deep, wine-red hue.

"Tell me, where have you been all these years... and what have you been doing?" After a long silence, the Nian Beast King suddenly spoke and asked slowly.

The little Nian beast was taken aback.

This stumped Ji Minghuan, as he had only been using this character for less than a day and hadn't even finished processing all the memories.

He already had to control four bodies every day, and this new body was even more of a burden. So, to avoid overloading his brain, he had to convert most of his memories into words and pictures and store them in books.

Now, his memory library contains an entire bookshelf of Little Year Beast memory catalogs, which has made the remnant consciousness of the red dragon Welsh happy. The librarian has already restocked the books as soon as he finished reading them.

If Ji Minghuan wants to access the memories of the son of the Nian beast, he can enter the library at any time.

But such a vast amount of memory was clearly impossible to process in such a short time. So he had no choice but to fabricate stories based on his existing memories to barely fool the Great Khan. If all else failed, he could cheat by asking the red dragon in the library.

The red dragon must have been bored and read through all of the little Nian beast's memories.

"Actually, I didn't do much." The little Nian beast thought for a moment, "I just wandered around and made some friends... but in the end, I didn't keep in touch with many of them. We were all very distant. I just wanted to wander around by myself and see how big the world really is, instead of staying on this mountain like this. No matter how beautiful the scenery is, I would get tired of it."

It paused for a moment: "Dad, aren't you bored?"

“Nonsense… I belong here. This is my duty, the mission I was born with,” said the Great Lord of the Year Beast. “If I leave, what will happen to the demons on the mountain? Without me, Mount Haifan will be in complete chaos, vulnerable to human invasion.”

The little beast was silent for a moment, then said, "You're just as stubborn as one of my friends. She must have thought the same thing, which is why she left me."

"Which friend?"

"Just pretend I didn't say that."

The tide had begun to rise, and the fishermen disembarked and returned to the port, the enormous sound of the tide enveloping the world.

At the horizon, a huge setting sun is slowly sinking into the sea, taking away the last rays of light that have fallen upon the world. This is the brightest moment of the day; as dusk fades, the sea in sight will only gradually darken.

Amidst the crashing waves, the little Nian beast lay quietly on the ground, gazing at Haifan City in the distance. The world slowly darkened, but the myriad lights on the mountainside shone brightly. At that moment, its pupils seemed to reflect a sea of ​​stars.

"So where did you go at the very beginning?" The Nian Beast King was silent for a moment before continuing to ask.

"Where else could I go?" the little beast said slowly. "I went to Haifan City first, then boarded a human smuggling ship and went to Lijing. I stayed in Lijing for a long time, about two months, I think?"

As they talked, the memories buried in the little beast's mind began to surface involuntarily.

Eleven years ago.

A light rain was falling outside. Inside the abandoned building, it was pitch black. Two children sat with their backs against the wall, huddled together in the darkness.

After a while, the rain quietly stopped, and faint snoring could be heard in the darkness.

"It's time to wake up."

Suddenly, a girl's voice came from beside him. The little beast slowly opened its eyes and saw a girl with short hair and freckles on her face staring at it without blinking.

It was as if they were observing his sleeping face, and they had been watching for a while.

"Where is this?" the little Nian beast asked groggily, rubbing its eyes.

"Are you a fish?" Lin Xingshi asked curiously.

"Why am I a fish?" The little Nian beast tilted its head and murmured, "I am a human, not a fish... nor a lion, nor a demon."

“What I mean is, fish only have a seven-second memory,” Lin Xingshi said irritably. “You stole an outfit from the children’s clothing store for me, and then it rained. We were caught by the store manager, so we had to hide here, understand?”

"Oh, oh." The little beast said, glancing at the dress and pants that Lin Xingshi was holding in his arms. "Why aren't you wearing the clothes I gave you? Don't you like them?"

"I like it... but I haven't showered yet, it'll get dirty." Lin Xingshi glanced down at his clothes. "Let's go, let's find a place to stay first."

"Isn't this a good place?" the little Nian beast asked, puzzled.

“At least there should be a place to take a shower, right?” Lin Xingshi said. “There isn’t even a tap here, and it’s too dirty. We’ll get skin diseases if we stay here for too long.”

The little Nian beast nodded.

The two children got up from the wall and soon walked out of the damp and cramped abandoned building.

They walked along the endless street, going on and on. Lin Xingshi carried clean clothes and walked in the shadows at the street corner, while Xiao Nian walked under the starlight-like lights.

After a while, they walked from the construction site into the bustling city center. By then, it was completely dark. The little monster looked around curiously. The electronic signs of restaurants were flashing, and the billboards were still displaying advertisements for "Nutritional Express." The illegal internet cafes along the roadside were full of people.

"What's that?" he suddenly raised his hand and pointed at the computer in the internet cafe, asking Lin Xingshi.

But when he turned around, he realized that Lin Xingshi was walking quite far away and wasn't standing with him at all.

"Why are you hiding so far away?" the little Nian beast asked, blinking its eyes.

"Go your way," Lin Xingshi mouthed silently, wrinkling his nose at him.

The little beast nodded, not daring to object, and silently walked ahead of Lin Xingshi.

Lin Xingshi held the clean clothes and quietly watched his back.

She didn't want people to look at them strangely, like they did this morning, as if she, a little beggar, had kidnapped a rich young master.

But... once she changed into a clean and pretty set of clothes, she could walk openly with the little Nian beast. Thinking of this, Lin Xingshi raised her hand to rub her dirty nose and gently curled the corners of her mouth.

They walked aimlessly for a while, one after the other, until they arrived at the front of an old apartment building.

The apartment door was locked, and there was a note on the door that said, "The owner is not home. If you need anything, please contact this number: 145xxxxxxx."

"This is it."

Lin Xingshi muttered to himself, looking around, his bright and spirited black eyes scanning left and right.

Then she took the little monster's hand and walked into the alley next to it, going around to the back of the apartment building.

There was a huge floor-to-ceiling window at the back of the building. Looking through the window, she saw a fairly clean kitchen with a refrigerator, cabinets piled high with ingredients, seasonings, and canned goods. A standing fan stood alone in the corner, its blades covered in dust.

Lin Xingshi reached out and pushed the window, only to find that the French windows were locked and could only be opened from the inside.

So she turned to look at the little Nian beast and said, "Little Nian, we have two solutions now."

"What method?" the little beast asked.

“One way is for us to break the window and sneak in, but that would be easy to be discovered,” Lin Xingshi said softly. “If a nearby resident sees the broken window when they pass by, they might call the police.”

"What about the second option?"

“The second way is… you can use your spatial ability to unlock the window from the inside, and then we can climb in,” Lin Xingshi said, her eyes shining slightly. She was also eager to see the little beast use its spatial ability again.

"Then let's break it! I've never broken a window before." The little beast replied without hesitation, its eyes also shining slightly.

"Didn't you hear me?" Lin Xingshi was taken aback. "That would make it easy to be discovered."

"Oh……"

The little Nian beast pouted and hung its head dejectedly. Then it raised its right arm and put its right hand into a dark spatial rift.

At that moment, a circular spatial rift appeared in the kitchen. His right hand passed through the rift and appeared inside the kitchen, pressed against the window.

Lin Xingshi stared in disbelief, his expression exceptionally focused.

Like a magician, the little monster stretched out his hand and, with a "snap," opened the latch on the French window. Then, he pulled his hand back from the spatial rift and pulled the window open.

When he turned around, he found Lin Xingshi raising his eyebrows, looking at him with curiosity and surprise.

"What's wrong?" the little beast asked.

"I just think you're amazing..." Lin Xingshi shook his head. "This is the first time I've met someone my age who's so amazing."

Is Xiao Nian very powerful?

"Yeah, the other guys look so weak and frail in front of me, it makes me seem more like a boy than them."

"That's good, Xiao Nian can protect you."

“No, I’m the one who kidnapped you, so I’m definitely the one who should protect you,” Lin Xingshi said earnestly.

"No, boys have to protect girls."

Lin Xingshi was stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing. She hummed and said:

"I think you're more like a girl, especially when you're sleeping."

After saying that, she hugged the clean dress, turned around and went through the French windows without looking back, went into the kitchen first, and then turned around and called for the little beast to come in quickly, otherwise it would be a disaster!

The little monster, like a lion cub hunting in the forest, scrambled into the kitchen on all fours. Then it turned around and carefully closed the French windows.

Lin Xingshi quickly pulled the curtains shut. Then, using the sparse moonlight, he pressed a button on the circuit board with a "click," instantly illuminating the kitchen with a warm yellow light.

At this moment, their bodies seemed to go limp, like the files of thieves who had just stolen a priceless treasure. They slumped to the ground with a thud, leaning against the cabinet in a daze.

After a long while, they turned to look at each other, staring at each other in bewilderment.

"Will we be alright?" the little Nian beast asked softly.

"It'll be alright," Lin Xingshi hummed. "We'll live here from now on, and it looks like there's plenty of food to eat."

"Have you finished eating?"

"Then...then let's go to the supermarket to get it."

Didn't you say we can't steal?

Lin Xingshi was taken aback, then said in a serious tone, "You are an esper, and I am an exorcist. We can both become useful people to the country in the future, so we won't owe them anything."

“But… Xiao Nian can’t be a useful person.” Xiao Nian tilted his head.

Lin Xingshi was silent for a while. "Coincidentally, I don't want to be a useful person either... If I were just an ordinary girl, I could wear skirts, have long hair, and have a girl's name. I wouldn't have to practice boxing every day, wouldn't be covered in injuries, and no one would care about me."

“But you are a girl.” The little beast shook its head. “You can wear skirts, grow your hair long… I will feel sorry for you, and you won’t have to practice boxing every day.”

Lin Xingshi sniffed, her eyes suddenly reddening. She bent her knees and buried her head in them.

"It's so kind of you."

She was silent for a moment, then said, "You know what? When I went to school before, all the boys called me a tomboy, and then... I stopped going to school. I really wanted to go to school. I begged my family for a long time before they finally let me go."

Her voice grew softer and softer until, in the end, she was almost mumbling.

The little beast stared blankly at her, finding it hard to imagine how much grievance this girl had hidden. It just suddenly felt very sad. She must have been very lonely all these years. It was because she couldn't bear the loneliness that she ran away.

Just like when he was on the mountain, everyone respected and feared him because he was the son of the Great King. No one really befriended him, and he felt so bored and lonely that he ran away from home.

"Why don't you go to school?" he asked softly. "Nobody likes me."

"Then I don't like them either," the little beast said indignantly. "Besides, you're very pretty, not at all tomboyish."

"Really?" Lin Xingshi asked softly.

"Yes, you are the cutest human child I know." After saying that, the little Nian beast silently added in its heart, "Although you are the only human child I know."

"Human child? What do you mean by that?" Lin Xingshi was taken aback for a moment, then laughed. "You're so funny."

Don't you like your name?

“They all say my name sounds like a boy's...and that my hair looks like a boy's too, and that I have freckles.”

"But I think your name is beautiful, your hair is beautiful, and your freckles are beautiful."

“What girl would name herself after a lion?” Lin Xingshi lowered her eyes. “I know you’re trying to comfort me…”

The little beast interrupted her, "There are girls among lions too. I think my mother is a very gentle and beautiful female lion, but she died... My dad is very sad, and I am sad too, but he is so busy that he usually ignores me."

Who would say their mother is a Leo woman?

"My mother is a lioness."

"Oh, so you're a little lion."

"...Do you hate lions?"

"I don't dislike it. I've been learning lion dancing since I was a child."

"what is that?"

"It's a traditional culture, dancing while wearing a lion's head. Why do you look so scared? It's not a real lion's head, it's a fake one, the kind you can put on your head... Are you stupid? You actually thought someone would dance while wearing a real lion's head."

"Oh oh oh."

"I'll show you my skills sometime when I have some free time."

"Uh-huh."

"I'm going to take a shower."

"Xiao Nian wants to take a bath with you."

"No, boys and girls can't shower together."

"Alright, then Little Nian will wait for you here." Little Nian waved to her.

Lin Xingshi got up, carrying the clean dress, and quickly walked out of the kitchen. She wiped the dust off her cheeks with the back of her hand, humming a song as she strolled around the huge apartment building, like a princess wandering in her own castle.

After a while, she finally found a bathroom on the second floor. But then she suddenly felt that it wasn't good to leave the little beast alone in the kitchen. It was so quiet downstairs, and he had been very obedient, curled up in the kitchen with his knees drawn up to his chest.

After hesitating for a moment, Lin Xingshi turned around and shouted downstairs:
"Hey!"

Hearing her voice, the little beast obediently poked its head out from the kitchen. The two stood facing each other, one at the top of the stairs leaning against the handrail, and the other on the first floor.

“Let’s take a bath together,” Lin Xingshi said. “I’ll be scared if I’m alone.”

"Okay." The little Nian beast nodded and went upstairs.

"Wait for me outside. You can come in when I tell you to."

"Uh-huh."

Lin Xingshi glanced at him, then went into the bathroom and closed the door. She squatted by the bathtub, turned on the tap, and stared blankly at the steaming hot water filling the entire tub, watching the bubbles rising to the surface.

Then, she placed the clean dress on the rack, took off the dirty jumpsuit, and stepped into the bathtub. The warm water instantly filled her body; she submerged her head in the water, washing away the grime from her face, and stared blankly at herself in the mirror.

Lin Xingshi squatted in the bathtub, with only her head above water, her wet hair sticking to her forehead. Then she spoke, "Come in."

The little beast pushed open the bathroom door and looked at Lin Xingshi with curiosity. It was the first time he had seen her face so clean; before, it was always dirty and covered with a layer of dust.

"What are you looking at?" Lin Xingshi asked, her ears turning red. "Come in and take a bath too." With that, she shoved her head into the water, and bubbles gurgled in the bathtub.

The little monster quickly took off its T-shirt and pants, curled up, and hid in the bathtub. Then, imitating Lin Xingshi, it only showed its head above the water.

"Where did you go?" The little Nian beast was taken aback. "Were you playing hide-and-seek with me?"

"No, you can't go in the water!" With a splash, Lin Xingshi suddenly popped his head out from under the water in the bathtub, staring at him with wide eyes.

Two tiny heads floated on the bathtub, staring at each other's silly expressions. They both burst into laughter, splashing water everywhere.

"This is the first time I've ever taken a bath in a bathtub," Lin Xingshi said.

“Me too, I used to bathe in the lake,” said the little beast.

"Lake water?" Lin Xingshi was taken aback. "Do you live in the mountains?"

The little beast was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized that he shouldn't have said those things. If Lin Xingshi found out that he was a demon, it would be terrible. She was an exorcist, and he would be driven away.

"No, Xiao Nian's family is poor." Xiao Nian lowered his head. "So I can't take a bath at home." He paused. "It's all my father's fault for being so useless! Father is a bad guy!"

After saying that, he angrily buried his mouth in the water and started gurgling bubbles.

"Didn't your father die?" Lin Xingshi raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, it's dead." The little Nian beast popped its head out of the water, suddenly perking up again. "That's why I left."

Lin Xingshi leaned against the bathtub wall and remained silent for a long while. "But my family isn't dead yet... They're still looking for me. If they find me, I'll have to go back."

“Then I’ll help you escape,” said the little Nian beast. “I’ll just kidnap you, just like you kidnapped me.”

Lin Xingshi was taken aback.

She looked up at the little Nian beast, who also looked at her quietly and attentively.

Lin Xingshi shook his head, lowering his eyes. "No, they're too strong, even stronger than me. If they find out, they'll definitely bully you..."

The little Nian beast was stunned.

Seeing the girl's dejected look, it felt empty inside. For a moment, it drooped its head, unsure of what to say. Suddenly, it bristled, raised its head, and its pupils slit high. "If you're unhappy, then I'll bite them to death and chase them all away!"

Lin Xingshi remained silent for a long, long time, and the fierceness of the little Nian beast slowly subsided.

"Are you born in the Year of the Dog?" she suddenly asked.

"I am a lion!" said the little beast.

"He's clearly a dog!"

"It's a lion."

"It's a dog."

"Then I'm a dog..." The little Nian beast's pupils suddenly contracted, and its voice became gentle and weak again. "By the way, since you don't like your own name, what should I call you?"

"Little Star?" Lin Xingshi thought for a moment and said in a low voice.

"Little Star, why are you crying?" The little Nian beast opened its eyes wide and stared at her curiously. It could be seen that Lin Xingshi's eyes were red and her ears were red as well.

Humans are so complicated, the little beast thought to itself.

"Really...it's just bathwater." She buried half her face in the bathtub.

"Don't cry."

“They never let me cry when I was little, saying that I was the heir of the family and had to be strong… Are you like them?” Lin Xingshi said haltingly.

“Then you can cry here with Xiao Nian.” Xiao Nian thought for a moment, “Xiao Xing is just Xiao Xing, not the heir.”

Lin Xingshi wrinkled her nose slightly, trying hard not to cry, but the next second tears welled up in her eyes. The little beast reached out from the bath and wiped away her tears.

"Can you really take me away?"

"Of course, if you kidnap me, then I'll kidnap you too. That's fair."

"Um...you promised me."

"Little Nian promises you." Little Nian nodded.

"Then we won't go back... I don't want to go back anymore, I'll never go back again."

“Yes, let’s run far away together,” said the little Nian beast. “So, don’t cry either.”

"it is good."

As the sun sets, the cliffs are bathed in the last rays of the setting sun, and the fur of the two lions is dyed a deep red, swaying and fluttering in the wind like gold.

“Is that so…” the Nian Beast King said thoughtfully, “It is truly strange that humans can befriend demons.”

"The White Greedy Wolf can even have children with human girls," the Little Year Beast said casually.

"How do you know this?"

"I've heard about it all over the country."

"What happened to you and that human child? Did you get separated?"

"What happened next... do you want to hear it?" The little Nian beast thought for a moment, then looked up and asked.

"No... let's stop here for today. I have things to take care of tonight," said the Nian Beast King.

The little beast thought for a moment, "Dad, be careful of those three demons of the Seven Deadly Sins. I always felt that they had bad intentions, otherwise I wouldn't have come back to see you."

“I don’t need your reminder,” said the Nian Beast King. “I can discern these things myself.”

"Are you really planning to wage war against Lake Hunter?" Little Year Beast asked.

The Nian Beast King did not respond. He simply rose slowly from the cliff, turned his back to the last rays of sunlight, and walked into the dark tunnel without looking back.

The little Nian beast remained lying on the ground, its head tilted as it watched it leave, then murmured:

"Speaking of which, my second unit is almost ready to be upgraded to the third tier. I'll find a suitable contracted demon for it on Mount Haifan, at least a Cataclysmic-level one."

“But, attacking the Zodiac Team would be too conspicuous. Wait, then…” Thinking of this, its eyes suddenly lit up. “Why not just sell the Seven Deadly Sins? I feel that the Wrathful Demon is perfect as a contracted demon. It can turn into a sword and a shield, which would be just right for the Queen!”

(End of this chapter)