Xu Ning was woken up by a dog gnawing at him.
He vaguely remembered getting drunk last night.
After that… he wasn't even sure if he made it home. But waking up to a dog chewing on him was something else entirely.
Xu Ning glanced at the dog biting his calf and, without getting up, delivered a swift kick right at its face.
The dog whimpered and stumbled back a few steps.
But it seemed the dog was starving—it lingered, hesitating, clearly thinking of coming back for more.
Xu Ning sat up, grabbed a handful of gravel from the damp ground, and threw it at the dog. Only then did it turn and disappear into a patch of wild grass.
Wiping his hands on his pants, Xu Ning finally had the leisure to examine his surroundings.
This… was a desolate wilderness? By a river? A beach?
Was he kidnapped? First things first—call the police!
Xu Ning reached into his pocket. Where was his phone?
Huh? My inner pocket?
Wait… there's nothing in it?
Huh? What the—?
Xu Ning suddenly leapt up, inspecting himself thoroughly.
He had somehow reverted to the body of an eight- or nine-year-old.
I've transmigrated! There's no doubt about it!
"Ding!…"
Xu Ning tilted his head and waited for some system notification or game-like ability to kick in.
Silence. Absolutely nothing.
"Want me dead? You drop me in some godforsaken place and give me nothing?!"
Xu Ning muttered angrily under his breath and spat onto the sand.
"No system? No safety net."
He stroked his chin, thinking, "First, I need to figure out where I am. Then, I need a long-term meal source. Survival comes first; everything else can wait."
"Also… I should probably find a weapon just in case."
Scanning the area, Xu Ning suddenly spotted something familiar.
A blue bottle with a red label—definitely one of the bottles from last night's drinking table.
He dug the partially buried bottle out of the sand. The cork was intact.
Shaking it gently, he realized it was at least half full.
"Alcohol is concentrated calories. If I'm about to starve, this will save me."
Suddenly, a timid little girl's voice came from behind him.
"Um… are you okay?"
Hearing a human voice, Xu Ning was overjoyed and spun around.
In front of him was a grimy, short-haired little girl. Black hair, red eyes, wearing a traditional jacket similar to his own attire.
But the best part? She spoke Mandarin perfectly. Real communication—it was bliss.
"Little sister, are you a local? Where is this place?"
The little girl shook her head.
"I've been wandering the wilderness all my life. I just came here and… I don't even know where this is."
Xu Ning's face fell, disappointed. But the next words from the little girl hit him like thunder.
"…Though Liyue is huge, there must be countless unnamed places. Maybe this one doesn't even have a name."
Liyue?
Xu Ning swore that in all his life—and now reborn as a child—he had only ever seen the name "Liyue" in one place.
The world of Genshin Impact!
So he had transmigrated into Liyue!
Liyue was perfect! The culture matched his hometown seamlessly, food was abundant, and best of all… the thighs were plentiful.
"The blade of Beidou, Ningguang's wealth, Keqing's endless meat cuts.
Ganyu's 'milk,' Xiangling's dishes, Qiqi's softest little legs.
Xinyan's rock, Yun Jin's performances, Hu Tao's coffin sleeps for millennia.
Seeking Yelan in your 'night,'
Yet cannot compare to Shenhe's 'gentle persuasion,'
The further one walks the path of punishment, only Yanfei has the final say."
One by one, beautiful figures flashed through Xu Ning's mind, and he couldn't help but laugh softly.
The laugh startled the little girl.
Earlier, she thought she heard him say something about "starving to death." Maybe he was imagining things!
She nervously touched her own pocket, then put her hand down.
"Um… I'm sorry. I thought you were dead, so I didn't dare come over… and then you got bitten by the dog."
Xu Ning's daydream was interrupted by her apology, and he smiled brightly.
"No need to apologize. I shouldn't have been sleeping there in the first place."
He couldn't remember the proper greeting in Liyue, so he followed his hometown custom and clasped his hands together.
"You're the first person I've met in this world. Let's be friends! I'm Xu Ning—what about you?"
The first person he'd met? Was she also a wanderer? He should have met others, right? Maybe he was just delirious from hunger.
Though puzzled, the little girl imitated his gesture, clasping her hands—but reversed left and right.
"Hello, I'm Beidou!"
Xu Ning's head practically exploded when he heard the name. Dizziness, ringing in his ears.
"You… said… your name is Beidou? Which… Beidou?" he asked with difficulty.
The little girl had no idea her name would have such an impact.
She pointed to the sky.
"That one—the star in the sky…"
Xu Ning covered his face with one hand and motioned for her to wait.
"I know this one… just let me catch my breath first…"
He pinched his forehead. This was serious.
Liyue was huge… could there really be two Beidous?
No way was it just coincidence.
A wanderer little girl named Beidou—everything matched!
And Beidou was so young; Ningguang must be just as young.
Xiangling… had she even been born yet?
All the thighs he'd been looking forward to were now just tiny little arms and legs.
The harsh reality hit him. Staring at Beidou, he murmured, "Big sister, if you look like this, Ningguang the wealthy must not be much better… the thighs are impossible to reach. What am I supposed to do?"
Beidou: ? Big sister? Who's big sister? And what wealthy lady? What thighs?
Xu Ning was clearly delirious from hunger.
But the "big sister" title couldn't go to waste.
Beidou clenched her teeth and took something from her pocket that she had been hiding.
"You must be starving," she said.
"This is a rice bun a kind merchant gave me on the road. He only gave two. I was so hungry I ate one… this is the last one."
"Here… have it."
Xu Ning had been too busy sulking at the heavens to realize his stomach was growling.
Apparently, the gluttony from last night didn't carry over to this body.
But when he saw the rice bun in Beidou's tiny hand, he suddenly felt less hungry.
What kind of food was this?
Rice mixed with powdered hay? Labeled "soft and bouncy," with the aroma of whole grains, warming the body and soul?
No—it was just a dark, solid lump!
Xu Ning pinched his wine bottle, coughed lightly, and said awkwardly:
"Uh… little Beidou, you should keep this rice bun for yourself…"
Before he could finish, a black shadow leapt from the grass, cutting between them.
"MY RICE BUN!" Beidou screamed.
Xu Ning turned and saw the dog that had bitten his leg earlier, now carrying Beidou's rice bun in its mouth.
Looking back at Beidou, he saw a cut on her right hand. Blood was flowing.
Xu Ning quickly opened his bottle, grabbed Beidou's hand, and poured some alcohol onto the wound.
"Getting bitten by a dog is serious. Hold still—I'll disinfect it."
He felt tears flow in his heart faster than the alcohol in his hand.
This confirmed it—big sister indeed!
Beidou swatted his hand away, shouting, "Disinfect? MY RICE BUN!"
The little girl turned and charged at the dog with a roar