Chapter 380 Little Nian Beast: Lin Xingshi, I am the Devil (10,000 words asking for monthly tickets)
In the early morning of August 21, Lin Xingshi and Zhou Jiuya were walking on the wooden corridor of the mansion.
One of them nodded slightly and untied the long braid behind his head, while the other put his hands in the pockets of his Zhongshan suit, raised his head and looked at the swaying shadows of the trees on the ceiling.
Following the shadows of the trees and looking out, there is a row of osmanthus trees and ginkgo trees planted in the yard. When the sea breeze blows, the branches and leaves rustle, and the emerald green of the osmanthus and the golden color of the ginkgo trees dance together in the wind.
"Old Crow, what do the Gu family say?" Lin Xingshi asked.
Zhou Jiuya replied, "Zhuge Hui was a bit cunning. After he made an agreement with the Gu family, he told President Su Wei that the Gu family and their son were planning to deal with the White Crow Brigade. After hearing this, the president will most likely come over and help them stop the brigade."
"Hmm... I feel like their family background is comparable to our Lake Hunter Clan."
"Captain, could you please stop saying such ridiculous things? They're not even the same size."
"Okay, okay."
"So... who is that friend you just mentioned in the office?" Zhou Jiuya yawned and changed the subject.
"What's the big deal? Are all you antique dealers so gossipy?"
Lin Xingshi spoke nonchalantly as he untied his long braid. His fiery red hair cascaded down like a waterfall, spreading behind his head. Then he shook his head gently, letting his hair unfurl.
Her hairstyle is already very unique, and it is even more special when it is spread out. The front is medium-length black hair, and the back of her head is a piece of fiery red long hair that falls down and extends to her waist, swaying slightly in the sea breeze and sunshine.
"Old Lion, don't you usually speak your mind?" Zhou Jiuya said coldly, "It's rare to see you being so timid. Why are you acting like a woman?"
"What are you saying? I'm a woman, aren't I?" Lin Xingshi said calmly, nudging his arm with his elbow. "Why, do you look down on the world's number one exorcist?"
"So what are you hiding? You've been absent-minded these past few days."
"Well..."
Lin Xingshi muttered to herself, and suddenly a purple and red lion image flashed through her mind. She was about to go to war with the Nian Beast Lord, and she didn't know if the image in her memory would appear then...
So these days, memories of that summer many years ago kept emerging in her mind... two runaway children, a smuggling boat, an old apartment, the starlight on the rooftop, the neon lights and bustling city that did not belong to them.
"I didn't expect that our captain would have someone he couldn't talk to. It's really not easy." Zhou Jiuya said with emotion.
Lin Xingshi shrugged and said nonchalantly, "Whatever you say."
"Is it a boy or a girl?" Zhou Jiuya thought for a moment and asked.
He asked this because he was not sure about the captain's sexual orientation. After all, Lin Xingshi had been raised as a male by her family since she was a child, and she had never shown any interest in men.
Lin Xingshi thought for a while and suddenly spoke.
"Male." She said seriously, and her tone did not sound like a joke.
Zhou Jiuya was silent.
After a while, he tilted his pale golden eyes to look at Lin Xingshi's. Lin Xingshi also tilted his head and met his gaze with a playful look.
"...Captain, this is a bit curious." Zhou Jiuya was silent for a while, then raised his hand and rubbed his forehead.
"Is it not possible?" Lin Xingshi raised the corner of his mouth slightly.
Zhou Jiuya avoided Lin Xingshi's gaze and sighed, "So, where does this male come from?"
"Well... actually, to be precise, it's not a love relationship between a man and a woman. I feel like he is my... younger brother?" Lin Xingshi thought for a moment and then said.
"The time when you ran away from home?" Zhou Jiuya crossed his arms and said expressionlessly, "I remember you were gone for about half a year. The entire Lin family was in turmoil, not to mention that you disappeared at the same time as the Son of Nian. That made the situation even more serious and everyone was in a state of panic."
Lin Xingshi nodded. "Actually, when I think back on that time, I still feel quite hazy..."
"Why?"
She whispered, "I always feel that maybe that was the only time in my life when I was free."
"You're only 19, why are you pretending to be artistic and sentimental?" Zhou Jiuya said calmly, "Don't be like Lao Hui and be called an old man."
"I'll be old enough by the time I retire, and there won't be any chance for art or sentimentality."
"That's true." Zhou Jiuya thought for a moment and suddenly asked, "Come to think of it, back then on that stowaway boat, you really didn't recognize that child as the son of the Nian Beast?"
Lin Xingshi was stunned, then silent for a while, shook his head and chuckled.
"Of course not, otherwise I would have slapped it to death with one hand," she said jokingly. "Don't make me like those old men in my family, scolding me non-stop... They all suspect I killed the son of the Nian beast. I wish I had the ability to do that."
After saying that, she stretched nonchalantly and then hugged her shoulders.
"Oh, but it's not easy... A living devil disguised as a human was in front of you, and you didn't recognize it. How cunning do you have to be?" Zhou Jiuya said sarcastically.
"After all, I was only eight years old at the time. What do you expect an eight-year-old child to do?" Lin Xingshi asked indifferently.
"You are our world's greatest genius, a monster who awakened the Sky Drive at the age of four."
"A genius isn't a human being? When you were eight, you were still playing in the mud, great antique man. Do you remember when you were four and little girls bullied you? I beat them away, didn't I?"
"That's a bit long-winded..."
Zhou Jiuya turned his head and looked out the window. In 2009, he had heard a lot of rumors. It was said that the Lin family heard that Lin Xingshi had escaped on a human trafficking boat, so they followed the clues and found the illegal immigrants on the boat. They arrested them all and tortured them one by one.
Finally, the Lin family learned from this group of scum that there were two children on the boat, and they left together after getting off the boat.
And those two children happened to be one the heir of the Lin family and the other the son of the Nian beast.
So later, when only Lin Xingshi returned to Haifan City, the demons thought that the little Nian beast had been killed by the exorcist.
The Nian Beast King was disheartened and stopped looking for the little Nian Beast for many years. Instead, he was recuperating while planning his revenge on humans.
However, the evolution of Lake Hunter was so rapid, and the four major families produced so many talented people that the prince's plan was repeatedly postponed, and before he knew it, ten years had passed.
After Lin Xingshi returned home, he never mentioned the incident again, as if he had never met the son of the devil.
When her family members asked her about it, she just said, "I saw that he was all alone and thought he was a kidnapped child, so I rescued him from the traffickers and helped him off the boat. After that, they went their separate ways and never saw each other again."
Mixing lies with the truth often makes it more convincing. What Lin Xingshi said was half a lie and half the truth. She just omitted the six months in between. Anyway, the two of them did go their separate ways later.
"Lao Hui and Wu Jiu are already waiting for us in the restaurant. I'll take a taxi." Zhou Jiuya said as he walked and took out his cell phone from the pocket of his Zhongshan suit.
Lin Xingshi nodded, then suddenly turned to look at him. "Why don't we talk about you? How are things going with Ke Qirui?"
"Let's not talk about the fact that I treat her as my sister. Besides, I'm not interested in her. Are you kidding me?" Zhou Jiuya said, yawned, tilted his head and put the phone back into his pocket.
"Alas, we old crows are always saying one thing and thinking another... You've been following me like a little pup since you were little, and in the blink of an eye, you've grown up so much." Lin Xingshi said, "Youth is fleeting, and opportunities are rare. If you like someone, you should seize the opportunity."
"Get lost... You're acting like my mom." Zhou Jiuya said coldly, looking down at his phone.
"I always feel like I'm the old mother of you three." Lin Xingshi smiled.
"Forget it. Lao Hui, with his childish personality, really needs a mother. Wu Jiu is too reserved... maybe he lacked maternal love in his childhood too."
"Don't let them hear these words. I don't want any big news of 'internal discord in Lake Hunter' to spread." Lin Xingshi said with a smile.
She paused for a moment, "By the way, Old Crow, if you weren't an exorcist, what would you like to be?"
"What else can I do if I continue to deal in antiques?" Zhou Jiuya said, "In the antique business, age doesn't matter. It's not too late for me to retire."
"Is that so..." Lin Xingshi thought thoughtfully.
"What about you?"
"I don't know... I always feel like I can see the end of my life at a glance." Lin Xingshi said with emotion.
"By the way, your birthday is in two days." Zhou Jiuya said suddenly.
Lin Xingshi was suddenly stunned.
"Birthday?" she murmured with her head down.
"What's wrong?"
"It's nothing, it's just that I haven't celebrated my birthday in a while. The old men in our family don't even care about it." Lin Xingshi shook his head and said nonchalantly, "Let me think about it, it's been almost ten years since the last birthday, right?"
At this time, the two walked out of the Lin family mansion and stopped on the coastal highway. Lin Xingshi looked up at the sea, her face bathed in a mottled halo of light.
"The last time I celebrated my birthday..."
A cool breeze blew over from the horizon, lifting her fiery red hair. The smell of the sea came to her nose. Looking out at the gray junction of the sea and sky, some past events suddenly emerged in Lin Xingshi's mind.
Eleven years ago, in the middle of summer, in Lijing.
Since they discovered the apartment building, Lin Xingshi and Little Nian Beast have lived in it for some time.
During these days, Lin Xingshi often saw people looking for her on the street, but every time she cleverly avoided them by holding the hand of the little Nian beast.
But this day was different. The two returned from the supermarket, and in the apartment's living room, Lin Xingshi used the remote to turn on the air conditioner. Then, he swooped over and drew the curtains, blocking out the midsummer sun.
The living room suddenly became dark, leaving only a hazy light and shadow shining on the floor through the curtains.
Lin Xingshi wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand, then stuffed the drinks and bread that the little Nian beast had stolen from the supermarket into the refrigerator and slammed the refrigerator door shut.
Then he clapped his hands, sat down on the sofa, and looked up at the calendar.
Today is August 24, 2009. Next to the date there is a line of delicate handwriting written by the little Nian beast, "This is the 124th day that Xiaonian and Lin Xingshi have spent together in Beijing."
Yes, they had been here for more than four months, but the owner of the apartment still hadn't returned.
The two had originally agreed to flee as soon as their owner returned and go find another place to stay. So in the first few days, they were always worried.
Every night there is always someone who stays awake, squatting on the rooftop with his knees hugged to keep watch - although it is often this person who ends up sleeping the most soundly.
But later, seeing that their master showed no sign of returning, the two gradually relaxed their guards. No one kept watch at night, but slept in the big bed in the master bedroom.
Lin Xingshi often sleeps with the little Nian beast in his arms, saying that he is as soft as a pillow.
She felt that holding him made her sleep much sweeter.
Later one day, after waking up from the big bed, Lin Xingshi suddenly said in a daze that he dreamed that he slept with a purple-red little lion in his arms last night. There was fire burning on the little lion's head, and it set the whole bed and the whole apartment building on fire!
The little Nian beast was shocked after hearing this.
Since that day, he never dared to sleep in her arms again, fearing that one day he would accidentally turn into the Nian beast in his dream, and the cluster of eternal flames above his head would emerge and burn Lin Xingshi into a charcoal man.
Later, Lin Xingshi also taught the little Nian beast how to write.
In her eyes, the Little Nian Beast was an absolute genius. He could memorize the structure and strokes of every word with just a glance at the dictionary, truly worthy of the phrase "photographic memory." Lin Xingshi always looked at him with shining eyes, as if he had found some rare treasure.
However, the little Nian beast was not proficient in using the pen at the beginning. Sometimes it would even hold the pencil in its mouth, hang its head and write stroke by stroke, saying that it was more convenient this way.
Every time this happened, Lin Xingshi would be amused by the little Nian beast and would laugh so hard that he would roll around on the ground. Later, the little Nian beast would bite off several pencils. Lin Xingshi would be both angry and amused, pointing at his nose and saying, "Are your teeth made of iron, you idiot?"
Every time the little Nian Beast was scolded by her, he would put the pencil down from his mouth with a wronged look on his face.
Later, he gradually gave up the habit of holding the pencil in his mouth and started holding the pencil with his right hand. It was awkward at first, but he gradually got used to it.
Since learning how to write, the little Nian Beast would pick up a pencil every morning and write on the calendar in the apartment building.
Every time he wrote, the text was "This is the XXth day that Xiaonian and Lin Xingshi spent in Lijing."
Every time he tore off a page of the calendar, he would write a new line of text on it, and he never missed a day. Little Nian Beast woke up the earliest every day, so every morning when Lin Xingshi woke up, he would see a line of text hanging on the calendar.
The chirping of summer cicadas, the barking of dogs in the alleys, the slow whirring of electric fans. Day after day, the numbers on the calendar quietly changed. The two spent more and more time together, and they became more and more familiar with each other, just like family.
It was like two cubs licking each other's wounds in the cracks of the world and huddling together for warmth.
Lin Xingshi and the little Nian beast sleep together every day, take a bath together, go to the supermarket together to "buy goods", practice writing together, and take school textbooks from the bookstore to read.
Sometimes they would sneak into a nearby primary school together, climb over the school wall, and hide outside the classroom window to secretly listen to the lessons.
In the classroom, students would occasionally hold their chins and stare out the window in a daze.
At this time, Lin Xingshi and the little Nian beast suddenly poked their heads out, made faces and stuck out their tongues to scare the student, causing him to be punished by the head teacher to stand in the corner, and then he ran away holding hands and laughing.
We lived like this day after day, and before we knew it, four months had passed quietly, and now summer is almost coming to an end.
At this moment, on the sofa, the little Nian Beast was eating a popsicle while watching the cartoon "Black Jack". After Lin Xingshi stuffed all the contents of the shopping bag into the refrigerator, he hugged his knees and squatted on the sofa barefoot.
The little Nian Beast was wearing a jumpsuit. This was the same suit that Lin Xingshi wore when he first ran away from home. Now, the little Nian Beast was wearing it.
Lin Xingshi herself wore a loose T-shirt and shorts, revealing a pair of fair calves. She hadn't had her hair cut in a while, and it had grown down to below her shoulders, the longest it had ever been since she was born.
Every morning when she woke up, she would admire herself in the mirror for a long time. Then she would curl her lips blankly. Over time, her mood became better and better.
But on this day, Lin Xingshi was in an unexpectedly depressed mood. She hugged her knees and hung her head in a daze.
There was a drizzle outside the window, and the gloomy cumulonimbus clouds covered the entire sky, just like when they first came to Lijing. The living room was quiet, with only the sound of the TV and the rain.
After a long while, the little Nian beast suddenly turned its head to look at Lin Xingshi, only to see that the girl had buried her head in her knees and had not spoken for a long time.
"Lin Xingshi." He said.
Lin Xingshi was silent for a while, turned his face away and ignored him.
"Lin Xingshi, what's wrong with you?"
The little Nian beast stared at her motionlessly and repeated the name again.
Because Lin Xingshi didn't like his original name, saying it was too boyish and seemed wild and rough, the two of them privately chose a homophonic name, "Lin Xingshi." This name was known only to them, and only he could call her by it.
At first, Little Nian Beast didn't understand the difference between "Lin Xingshi" and "Lin Xingshi." He kept thinking the pronunciations were similar. But as he learned more and became more familiar with Chinese characters, he gradually realized the difference and started calling her that every day.
Lin Xingshi, Lin Xingshi, Lin Xingshi, every day the little Nian beast would lie on the floor and write her name many times.
Lin Xingshi would lie beside him, her hands on her cheeks, supervising him until he made no more mistakes and his handwriting was not crooked. Only then would she applaud and say with emotion, "Xiao Nian, you really are a super genius!"
"Xiao Nian is a genius!"
The little Nian beast raised his arms and boasted. Then he threw the paper and pen aside and rushed to the refrigerator to find a popsicle to eat.
On that day, the Little Nian Beast also wrote their names on the calendar. Over time, Lin Xingshi seemed to have forgotten her original name. But she knew this wouldn't last. They could hide for a while, but not forever.
These days, every time they go out, they walk around the surveillance cameras. If it were just her, it would be fine, but the little Nian Beast was also implicated and had to walk in the shadows with her.
She didn't like it, but there was nothing she could do. The family must have checked the people on the stowaway boat and knew what the Little Nian Beast looked like, so there was a risk that the Little Nian Beast would be recognized.
She wanted to stay with the little Nian Beast, but she really didn't like it at all.
"Xiaoxing, what's wrong with you?" The little Nian beast changed its name at this time.
Lin Xingshi was silent for a moment. "My family... they all know I've come to Lijing. Those traffickers must have spread the news. Now everyone is looking for me in this city. There are missing person notices everywhere on the streets. I just saw a lot of photos of myself when I went out."
She paused. "We can't hide for much longer."
Little Nian Beast was stunned. He had also seen the missing person notices posted on walls and telephone poles on the streets, and the photos showed Lin Xingshi's face clearly.
The missing person notice said that she was abducted by human traffickers. If anyone has any information, please contact us. But with Lin Xingshi's kung fu, how could she be abducted by human traffickers? It's lucky that the traffickers didn't fall for her. Humans are just good at lying, the little Nian Beast thought.
He also knew that Lin Xingshi was in a bad mood, but he didn't know how to comfort her.
Lin Xingshi sighed softly. She looked at her hair growing longer and longer, and thought she had escaped from her old life. But one day, she walked on the street and saw so many missing person notices, and her photo was posted on every one of them.
She stared blankly at so many identical faces, and at the photo of herself with short hair. She felt as if she was surrounded by her past self and was about to suffocate.
Only then did Lin Xingshi realize that he could not escape at all. This world was a huge cage that would push everyone to where he was destined to be.
"Why do they keep looking for you?" The little Nian Beast thought for a moment and then asked.
"Everyone says I'm a once-in-a-generation genius, so they're forcing me to practice. Especially my father, who wants me to be the next head of the family." Lin Xingshi sighed, "I feel like they're so pedantic... There are so many ambitious people in the family, and my brothers and others really want to inherit the family, but they chose me."
The little Nian Beast was silent for a moment: "Today is your birthday, don't be sad."
"Birthday?"
"Yeah, you told me that before."
"I almost forgot...how come you still remember it?" Lin Xingshi slowly raised his eyes and met the gaze of the little Nian beast.
"Of course I remember, because this is the day you were born. You are the most important person to Xiaonian. If you hadn't kidnapped me, Xiaonian would have been wandering the streets." said the Little Nian Beast.
Lin Xingshi was stunned. "What do you do on your birthday?"
"Buy cakes. They said so on TV," said the little Nian Beast. "I already bought some at the cake shop last night."
"when?"
"While you were sleeping."
"Next time, don't run around while I'm sleeping." Lin Xingshi said softly, "I'll be scared if I can't find you when I wake up."
The Little Nian Beast was stunned for a moment, then nodded. Only then did he feel that Lin Xingshi looked like a girl. When he came to his senses, her hair had grown very long. As if due to the influence of Tianqu, a strand of hair at the back of Lin Xingshi's head had taken on a dark red hue.
After a moment's silence, the little Nian Beast suddenly asked, "Okay, don't be unhappy, let's eat the cake first."
"Who eats cake in the morning?"
"In the morning, in the morning!"
"I think you want to eat it yourself."
"Today is Xiaoxing's birthday!"
"I surrender to you." Lin Xingshi smiled.
“Eat cake!”
The little Nian beast used its nails to scratch a crack that connected to the independent space, reached out its hand, took out a beautiful packaging box, and held it in its hand.
He jumped down from the sofa, put the box on the table, and opened it. Inside the box was a cream cake with candles on it.
The little Nian beast turned its back to Lin Xingshi and suddenly raised its fingertips. A purple-red flame passed through the air, and the candle was immediately ignited, burning with a warm red light.
It happened to be a rainy day and the curtains were drawn, so the living room was dim. At this moment, with the burning candles, the faces of the two were illuminated by the flames, shrouded in a warm halo.
Lin Xingshi hugged his knees and looked at the flames on the cake, his eyes unconsciously turning red.
"Why are you crying again?"
"No one ever celebrates my birthday," she muttered.
“Isn’t Xiaonian a human being?”
"You're a pig."
"I am a lion."
"pig."
"Can't a pig celebrate your birthday?" The little Nian Beast puffed up his cheeks and said angrily with a wrinkled nose. His nose was wrinkled like a real pig's.
"I'm very happy." Lin Xingshi wiped his eyes and said in a low voice.
The little Nian Beast was stunned: "That's good, as long as Xiaoxing is happy." He murmured, thinking for a moment, "Don't just watch, make a wish first, otherwise the fire will go out."
"Hmm..." Lin Xingshi murmured, closed his eyes, and his lips moved silently.
In the silence, the little Nian Beast stared at her face and seemed to understand what she was saying.
"I want to be with Xiaonian forever, and never be separated." After saying this silently, she was about to blow out the candles on the cake when the Little Nian Beast suddenly stopped her.
"What's wrong?" Lin Xingshi opened his eyes and looked at him.
"Please change your wish."
"Why?"
Little Nian Beast was stunned. He actually wanted to tell Lin Xingshi that he was a demon, and that they couldn't be together forever. One day, she would find out he was a demon. Then she would know she had been tricked and had become friends with a demon.
In fact, he should have left a long time ago. The longer he delayed, the more seriously the human girl would be injured. The little Nian Beast knew everything, but he just couldn't bear to let her go, so he stayed here for so long. It was really nice to see her sleeping face every morning when he woke up. It was also very happy to sneak into school with her to attend classes. It was also very happy to laugh together when teasing others. No demon on Haifan Mountain was willing to play with him.
Lin Xingshi is his only friend.
But he is a devil... He has been told since he was born, little Nian Beast, you can't leave the mountain, because the outside world is human territory. Humans hate devils and don't want to see them, so they drive them all to the mountain... He shouldn't have made friends with her from the beginning.
He knew everything, but the little Nian Beast was always foolish. "Now that's all right," he said to himself, "if you hadn't hesitated, she wouldn't have been hurt... It's all your fault."
After a long silence, the little Nian Beast asked softly, "Xiaoxing... do you hate demons?"
"Why do you hate demons?" Lin Xingshi raised the back of his hand and wiped the tears from his cheeks.
"Isn't the exorcist's mission to kill demons? Otherwise, why are you called exorcists?" the little Nian Beast continued to ask.
Lin Xingshi thought for a moment. "My parents taught me from a young age that exorcists and demons are good and evil. They say demons are man-eating monsters... But I don't know if there are any kind demons out there. I believe that seeing something with your own eyes is the only way to believe it."
"What if I'm a demon?"
"How can you be a demon?" Lin Xingshi said, "What nonsense are you talking about?"
The little Nian beast felt a pang of pain in his heart, and spoke almost hoarsely: "Can't I... be a demon?"
"You are so stupid, so dull...you have nothing to do with the devil at first glance." Lin Xingshi said, reaching out and poking his nose.
At this moment, Lin Xingshi's expression suddenly changed. The candlelight flickered, casting a long shadow of a beast on the wall. But a second ago, it was clearly the shadow of the Little Nian Beast.
She was stunned for a moment, then slowly turned her head and looked at the lion-like shadow in the light of the fire. What caught her eyes was a little lion about one meter long, with purple-red fur and underdeveloped fangs. A cluster of enchanting fireworks rose above its head, swaying with the candlelight.
Lin Xingshi was silent for a long time before he asked, "Are you... Xiaonian?"
The little lion stood there awkwardly for a moment, then nodded silently.
"It turns out to be you..." Lin Xingshi murmured softly.
These days, she'd been dreaming of a majestic, purple-red lion cub. Every time it appeared in her dreams, she'd sleep soundly and feel safe. But every time she woke up and found the little lion gone, she'd feel a little down. At that moment, looking at the little Nian beast before her, Lin Xingshi understood everything.
"So there are kids like you among the demons..."
Lin Xingshi reached out his hand and gently stroked its fur as he spoke. In the candlelight, the little Nian beast silently lowered its head. Rain continued to patter outside the window, and mist crept up the windows.
"Do you hate me?" The little Nian beast didn't dare to raise its head, but just asked in a low voice.
But at this moment, Lin Xingshi came over, hugged the lion tightly in his arms, and put his face against its soft fur.
"I made a wish," she whispered.
"What?"
"To be with you forever."
"What are you daydreaming about... You've been like a ghost these past two days." The sudden voice interrupted Lin Xingshi's thoughts.
She came back to her senses from her memories and slowly raised her head, only to see Zhou Jiuya tilting his head, staring at her motionlessly.
The two looked at each other, and then Lin Xingshi quickly looked away.
"Nothing, just a pleasant sea breeze and nice weather today." Lin Xingshi paused, then suddenly said out of nowhere, "Long live peace."
"Then after we defeat the Nian Beast Lord, we'll come celebrate your birthday again."
"Okay, okay, come to think of it, those guys in the brigade didn't choose August 24th of all places to celebrate my birthday, did they?" Lin Xingshi said calmly, "Thanks to you, Old Crow."
Zhou Jiuya took a deep breath, put one hand in his pocket, and rubbed his forehead with the other hand, "Don't mention the names of those unlucky things."
Just then, a horn sounded in the distance. They both looked and saw a yellow taxi driving from the end of the coastal highway and stopped in front of them.
At the same time, in another corner of Haifan City, at the bottom of Lao Wu's antique shop.
Stepping inside, you'll be greeted by a brightly lit tavern, dotted with neon signs. Indeed, no one would have guessed that beneath this antique shop lies a speakeasy. It's so glamorous, the two buildings look like they belong in completely different worlds.
The owner of this antique shop is named "Wuerhuai". Taking the "Wu" in his surname, the shop was named "Laowu Antique Shop".
Xia Pingzhou heard from the hacker that the owner of the antique shop was once an exorcist under the Lake Hunter.
Later, he was expelled from Hu Lie because of his poor performance. However, in the antique market, because of his knowledge and interest in antiques, he met Zhou Jiuya from Hu Lie.
At that time, the two were arguing heatedly at the market about whether an antique was real or fake.
Upon hearing this, Xia Pingzhou was secretly ashamed, thinking that with Zhou Jiuya's temper, it would be strange if he didn't use a pillar to smash Wuerhuai into a pool of blood.
In the final debate, Wuerhuai actually won. This was because the antique was a fake he had crafted himself. His forgery skills were so refined that they were so indistinguishable from the real thing that he even managed to fool Zhou Jiuya.
Zhou Jiuya considered himself a master of counterfeiting, but he didn't expect to meet his match. So the two of them became friends and opened this antique shop together.
But later Zhou Jiuya joined the Lake Hunting, and cut off some messy interpersonal relationships, and had not been in contact with Wuerhuai for a long time.
Wuerhuai has no concept of good and evil, and is a person who acts purely based on interests. Over the years, he has met the leader of the White Crow Brigade by chance.
Qi Yuanli was attracted by Wuerhuai's Tianqu and wanted to recruit him into the group, but was rejected by Wuerhuai.
But the two of them still had a close relationship. At that time, Qiyuan Yuan's sister Qiyuan Liuli even recommended that Wuerhuai build a tavern in the basement of the antique shop so that she could come and play when the time comes.
Wuerhuai had a liking for this innocent-looking little sister, so he actually did as she said. Unexpectedly, the tavern was built a few years later.
But at this time, there was no news from Urushihara Ruri, and when asked about his sister, he refused to mention it.
At this moment, inside the bar in the basement of the antique shop, a girl in an ochre-red kimono stood in a corner of the bar, holding a gray-white manuscript.
Pages of paper flew up from the manuscript and turned into a cherry color in mid-air, swirling around her kimono like blooming cherry blossoms. The strong wind that followed slightly lifted the girl's clear hair.
"Is it possible to change the color of the pages of the Endless Manuscript? I remember it was not possible before." Xia Pingzhou murmured softly as he watched the pages dancing like cherry blossoms.
"It seems that your eldest daughter's ability to transform the properties of paper has reached a new level." The blood descendant said with a smile.
"This is also thanks to the existence of the Endless Manuscript. With an infinite supply of paper material, it's much easier to refine your abilities and raise your limits," the hacker said calmly. "The young lady is a genius, but she hasn't really focused on her abilities. With this manuscript, it's like a scientist who was previously short of funds suddenly has an inexhaustible fortune. Expensive research that was previously out of her reach is now possible, and since that money is endless, her ability control efficiency will naturally increase rapidly."
"Did you hear that?" Yan Molin looked at Xia Pingzhou, "As expected of your kimono-clad young lady, she's even been praised so long and eloquently by our hacker-sama."
Hearing this, Ayase Origami put the paper back into the manuscript and turned to look at Xia Pingzhou.
"Isn't he bragging about the Endless Manuscript?" Xia Pingzhou asked, "What does it have to do with our Kimono Lolita Miss?"
"I also feel that it is the effect of the Endless Manuscript." The blood descendant smiled, holding his chin.
"Kitten, you're rebelling." Ayase Origami was silent for a moment and said lightly.
A few people were chatting when suddenly a familiar voice came from the entrance of the bar, "Hey, long time no see."
Xia Pingzhou turned his head and looked. The door was pushed open, and a blond young man in a British-style suit walked in, with his usual playful smile on his face. It was the brigade's 11th member, An Lunsi.
The next person who walked in was wearing a baseball cap, a ponytail, a casual T-shirt and jeans. Tong Zizhu's outfit was also unchanged.
"Hey, little cat lover, your mother is here." The hacker held his chin, looked at Tong Zizhu, and then turned to look at Xia Pingzhou.
"Shut up." "Shut up."
Xia Pingzhou and Tong Zizhu said in unison.
"And you still say she's not your mother?" the hacker said with a "tsk" sound, holding his chin with his hand and drinking orange juice with a straw.
"It seems that everyone is here." Robert, wearing a mechanical box on his head, walked in with a hoarse and magnetic voice.
Following closely behind him was Andrew, who was wearing a denim jacket and a brown cowboy hat.
He was still carrying a sniper rifle. Ever since Lan Duoduo's death, Andrew had become less cheerful and carefree. On the contrary, he looked more haggard and dull.
"It's great to see that no one is dead yet." Andrew grinned. "Lan Duoduo is still waiting for us in hell. Zhou Jiuya, you beast, here I come."
Finally, a man wearing rimless glasses walked in. It was Chiba Rukawa, the brigade's only psychic ability user.
"Long time no see." Rukawa Chiba smiled at Xia Pingzhou. Xia Pingzhou looked at him and quickly looked away.
A moment later, a dark crow flew in and landed above the bar. It then disintegrated into crow feathers and disappeared. A figure in a black windbreaker appeared on the bar.
Qi Yuanli pulled a chair and sat down, looking at everyone in the brigade.
"We'll begin the operation in three days," he said. "We have only one primary goal: to capture Zhou Jiuya."
(End of this chapter)
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