Chapter Forty-Four: Furina, Here I Come!

Near his aunt’s home, at the spatial node

Lu Mingfei stood beside the spatial node, carefully sensing the state of the world’s barrier. This was his daily routine after school. Growing stronger was important, but finding and seizing opportunities mattered even more. The strength of the world’s barrier fluctuated greatly—at its strongest, even his full effort couldn’t leave the slightest mark, but when it was fragile, he could pry open the tiniest of cracks.

After this period of observation, Lu Mingfei began to discern the pattern in the node’s changes.

That is to say…

There was absolutely no pattern at all!

The strength of the world’s barrier might change for better or worse each day, and the degree of variation was unpredictable—sometimes vast, sometimes barely perceptible.

“Sigh, I’ll come back and check again tomorrow.”

He sighed helplessly and turned to head back toward the hotel where he lived. But after only a few steps, he spotted a familiar figure.

It was his aunt.

She had just finished grocery shopping and was heading home when their eyes met—his gaze cold and indifferent. For a moment she froze, then bolted as if she’d seen a ghost, fleeing in panic and even dropping some of the groceries she’d just purchased. She stumbled as she ran, nearly colliding with a utility pole as she glanced back in fear.

Damn.

That felt good!

On the surface, Lu Mingfei’s expression didn’t change, but inside he was bursting with satisfaction, a genuine sense of accomplishment welling up from within.

This is truly me!

...

Some time later

Lu Mingfei returned to the vicinity of the hotel. Spotting a stray puppy by the roadside, he felt a surge of pity and bought a sausage from a nearby convenience store, tearing it into pieces for the little dog to eat.

The puppy seemed famished and devoured the sausage the moment it saw it.

Lu Mingfei squatted down to watch, his face blooming with a bright smile as he gently stroked the puppy’s head and murmured, “Little pup, see? I bought you something tasty. It smells so good—can you help me with a tiny favor? Just a small one, alright?”

“Woof?”

The puppy looked up at him, its dark eyes clear and confused. Not understanding what he was saying, it simply continued eating the sausage.

“Good boy, I knew you could understand. Eating the sausage means you agree. I get it—I truly understand your feelings.” Lu Mingfei’s smile grew ever more kindly as he spoke.

He watched the puppy finish the sausage.

Then, man and dog locked eyes.

“Dream Eater.”

Lu Mingfei used his incantation on the puppy, instantly pulling it into a dream realm of his own creation. Through the Dream Eater, he practiced wielding the authority of the mind, deepening his mastery of this power.

It’s helping me!

What an adorable puppy!

Wait—

It seemed to be trembling. Was it cold sleeping out here on the street? Poor thing. I must take it in and care for it while I remain in this world, making sure it never lacks for food or warmth.

I’m so kind~

“Little pup, I wish I could keep you, but since I live in a hotel, it wouldn’t be good to have a dog there. But don’t worry—I’ll entrust you to a reliable big brother. He may look a bit stern, but he’s a good man.”

Lu Mingfei picked up the puppy, who was lost in the dream realm, and spoke gently as he walked.

“Whimper…”

In the dream, the little puppy whimpered, two clear tears rolling down its face as if it had encountered something sad or frightening. At this moment, it was trapped in sorrow and pain.

Lu Mingfei hadn’t used much malice in his Dream Eater—its intensity wasn’t high. He was only practicing the sensation of using it, so the puppy wouldn’t face mortal danger in its dream, only some unhappy experiences at worst.

The scrawny puppy carried a bone in its mouth, returning to the place where she and he had once made a promise. But now that place was empty; the bone he’d treasured for so long had no fellow dog to share it with.

The puppy wandered the bustling city streets, bone in mouth, overcome with sadness.

By chance, he heard familiar sounds coming from a nearby alley—rhythmic and unmistakable. He hurried toward the unfamiliar lane.

There, a pretty white female dog lay on the ground, barking in rhythm. A strong black dog pressed down on her, his body moving in time. The white dog’s cries rose and fell with that motion.

Clatter!

The bone fell to the ground, and with it, his worthless tears.

...

“Brother Chu, this puppy is so cute. I really like animals like this, but… it’s not really suitable to keep a dog in a hotel. Could you look after it for me?”

“Sure… no problem.” Chu Zihang glanced at the puppy in Lu Mingfei’s arms, thought for a moment, and said, “But before you keep it, you should probably take it to a pet hospital first.”

“Alright.”

And so, this adorable little puppy became Lu Mingfei’s charge, gaining food and shelter—but at the same time, it was haunted by nightmares it could never forget. In dreams, it always saw that terrifying black dog and the white dog it liked.

Even with all its needs met, it remained trapped in endless pain.

As time slipped by day after day,

the puppy, mired in nightmares, slowly awakened. Despair and rage tore apart its fear and timidity. In the dream, its eyes took on a lion’s ferocity; in yet another cycle of the nightmare, it bared its fangs at the black dog in the alley.

After so long, the two dogs, exhausted from their endless piston-like motion, had no strength left to resist. Seizing the moment, the puppy summoned all its speed and strength and bit off the black dog’s sausage—ending the ceaseless nightmare once and for all.

It had grown!

Meanwhile, on the other side, Lu Mingfei, who had been manipulating the Dream Eater, was now wearing a satisfied smile. Turning a nightmare into a good dream—this was what he sought to master. Otherwise, if he ever caused Feningna to recall something unpleasant, he’d be heartbroken.

...

Night

Lu Mingfei lay on the hotel bed, unable to suppress his smile as he thought, “Fufu, when are you going to sleep?”

“In a bit. Why? Are you hoping for a late-night conversation? I suppose I can stay up now and then,” Feningna replied.

“No, I just want to stay connected to you while we sleep. I really want to. I miss you so much I feel like I can’t sleep at all.”

“Aren’t you afraid… that when I dream…”

“But I’m even more afraid of not having you in my dreams.”

“…Idiot!”

Wearing her pajamas, Feningna buried her blushing face in the covers, pressing her head into the pillow and shaking it, making little sounds that meant nothing in particular, her heart filled with happiness.

That idiot—such a fool!

Time passed gently. Feningna slowly drifted into sleep, while Lu Mingfei used the reversed Dream Eater through their connection, entering Feningna’s dreams.

The young man closed his eyes and whispered to himself:

Tonight, I’ll give you a surprise!