I turned around and still didn't see Ye Qing's face, but looking at his neck curve, he was not looking at me.

The cold temperature hit me.

I was about to ask, but I heard the movement outside.

It was a strange noise. I had never heard such sounds, like footsteps, but they were not like humans, nor any animal. I couldn't help but hold my breath.

The footsteps were not outside the door, but came from downstairs, with some echoes inside the corridor.

In addition to the footsteps, I also heard two breaths, which were heavy and loud, but very short.

He held my hand on my shoulder and took it back.

"You live here today." Ye Qing said.

I asked nervously, "What is that?"

"It's the year." Ye Qing replied.

I was stunned and looked up at Ye Qing in a daze, "Is the year you mentioned the year I understand?"

Ye Qing sneered and turned around and left.

I jumped up and chased after Ye Qing, "Are you kidding? Nian? The New Year beast in that myth? The beast that eats people on New Year's Eve?"

My head was a little dizzy, as if I was drunk.

I don’t remember when I saw the legend about the Nian Beast. That thing is like common sense, like the five-clawed golden dragon, the black womb and the vermilion bird, and it was engraved in my mind.

But legend is a legend!

There is really this thing?!

"How long has it been alive?" I was a little incredible.

"It's not long." Ye Qing seemed to turn back, "It's a little different from the legendary New Year beast."

I don't understand, so, "Don't you eat people anymore?"

The moonlight shone in from outside the window, blocked by the cellophane sticking to the window, and was swallowed by the darkness inside, but it still illuminated Ye Qing's figure, covering his jaw with a hazy layer of light.

I saw Ye Qing's lips curling up in a somewhat sarcastic curve.

"Eat people, but not human flesh and blood." Ye Qing said.

"what is going on?"

Ye Qing's words could not make me understand what the New Year beast outside was.

"You can understand its behavior as parasitic." Ye Qing turned around, walked towards the window, stood where he usually stood, and looked out the window, "It will select suitable humans, parasitize in their brains, and slowly erode the host's vitality. The host's physical function will have problems, just like he gets sick normally, and he will die in the end."

Ye Qing suddenly turned his neck.

I felt his gaze fall on me.

"Now the New Year is more like a disease than a monster. No one can eliminate it. You are his favorite host." Ye Qing also had that sarcastic smile on his face.

Goosebumps on my body came out, "Yes...you have to be able..."

Ye Qing didn't answer the conversation, but it was equivalent to acquiescing my statement.

I suddenly thought of what Gu Mo and Nangong Yao said, and Xuan Qing Zhenren also said similar words.

"This is one of the reasons why people like us often die from death...?" I asked in a daze.

The legendary monster who cannibalism village was driven away by firecrackers, but now it has transformed into a terminal illness targeting us.

I felt the malice. It was God and the world that I felt even more frightening.

Ye Qing continued to remain silent.

"What should I do?" I took a deep breath, temporarily suppressing the feeling of despair, and focusing my attention on this New Year beast. I took out my phone anxiously, "The fat man and Xue Jingyue are in danger? How to prevent it?"

"It's all the way."

"What?" I looked at Ye Qing while broadcasting the phone.

"Firecrackers, red couplets, red clothes..." Ye Qing said casually.

The phone was not answered. I cursed and sent a text message to the fat man, but I didn't know when he would see it. Just in case, I also sent a message in the group.

The thin man immediately shouted. Chen Xiaoqiu and Guo Yujie were both surprised.

"Nian Beast, that Nian Beast?"

"Compared with that New Year beast, you should be careful of another thing." Ye Qing suddenly said.

I looked at Ye Qing.

Ye Qing had a sarcastic smile on the corners of his lips again.

I felt the trembling feeling from head to toe again.

"Yes, what?" I asked tremblingly.

"Its reproduction method still follows tradition. When it is about to start reproduction, it will eat a lot of food, store energy, and then reproduction similar to mitosis. It will give birth to the child in the human host. In less than a few days, that person will become a new New Year beast." Ye Qing said.

"There is no way...Is there no way to stop it?" I felt incredible.

"There is no way to do it normally." Ye Qing said with certainty, "but when it reproduces, it will become a physical monster again."

I turned to look at the door.

"Don't think too much, you don't have the ability to kill it now." Ye Qing said lightly.

"Is that all? We... just hide it like this?" I was a little puzzled.

"Idiot, don't you understand what I said?" Ye Qing asked back.

I couldn't react for a moment.

"It will require a lot of energy during its reproduction and start to eat people like the legend. Now, there is no tradition of every household setting off firecrackers, pasting red couplets, and wearing red clothes." Ye Qing said.

I was shocked and almost jumped up, "That New Year beast is now in its breeding stage?"

"Look at the news. If you see a lot of headless corpses tomorrow, it is breeding." Ye Qing said, "My advice is to let your family and friends escape from this city."

My hands and feet are cold.

Escape, simply put it.

But it was the Spring Festival, and all the trains, planes and bus tickets were sold out. I had to drive away by myself. Where did I go after leaving? I can’t book a hotel, right?

The phone's prompts are constantly being heard, and it's all about the news from the group.

"I want to go back, my family...my parents and sister are at home...they, they are still at home..." I said in a daze.

My family pastes Spring Festival couplets every year, but they don’t wear red clothes specifically. Fireworks and firecrackers are no longer available now.

Thinking of the horror scene Ye Qing said, I couldn't stay for a moment.

Even if Ye Qing said that I could not kill the New Year beast now, I could not sit here and wait for tomorrow's news reports.

"You are looking for death when you go out now." Ye Qing said coldly.

"Then I can't stay here!" I yelled.

I don't know if I should regret it or be glad now.

If I hadn't come to the office today and hadn't seen Ye Qing, I would still be at home and stay at home warmly with my parents and sisters. But, if I didn't come, I wouldn't have known that such a monster would appear in Minqing City and beside me.

"If you stay by their side, you will only lead the year over." Ye Qing said.

I was silent and my head was blank.

"Let them change into red clothes and put red paper on all doors and windows." Ye Qing said again.

I hurriedly called back. When my sister answered the phone, I tried to calm my voice and not scare them.

"Brother, what are you doing?" My sister didn't quite understand.

"You just do it. This is... this is a way to pray for blessings and can bless you with good luck this year." I made a fuss.

My sister is obviously not the kind of person who likes to forward koi casually, and she doesn’t believe in any way to pray for blessings.

I could only ask her to give her the phone number to her mother. My mother, a retired middle-aged woman at home, still believes in these things very much. As long as she doesn't spend money, she will do it.

My mother really agreed immediately. I bought a lot of New Year’s goods at home, as well as various gift couplets and red envelopes, so it’s not difficult to post them all.

I breathed a sigh of relief and told others in the group again.

The thin man gave a sad expression, "What should I do? My red clothes were from a few years ago and I can't even wear them!"

"Squeeze and just put it in a few pieces." Guo Yujie made a better idea.
Chapter completed!