Qian Renxue looked around the room. It wasn't her style at all. The outdated, rustic decor was, to a blossoming young girl, downright hideous. No wardrobe for her clothes, no vanity table—a staple for any girl. Whatever, she thought. What high expectations can I have for a tiger?
She also wanted to complain about the lighting: four luminous pearls for illumination? Did he expect her to sleep with the lights on all night?
"What do you think? Is the room okay?" Qin Feng asked, quite pleased with his handiwork.
Qian Renxue nodded. It wasn't as nice as her old room, but it'd do for sleeping.
Seeing her approval, Qin Feng relaxed. He'd worried she wouldn't like it. "If there's no issue, rest early," he said. "Oh, and I'm right next door. If you have a nightmare or get scared of ghosts, just shout."
With that, he left the room.
After Qin Feng's departure, Qian Renxue quickly closed the door and bolted it. Hearing the door shut, Qin Feng glanced back through the thin paper window, seeing her settle onto the bed. Satisfied, he walked away.
A sudden impulse struck him. While I'm clear-headed, I'll make a soul-tool lamp for her. He headed to his workshop, pushed open the door, and approached his workbench. From his soul-tool storage ring, he retrieved a basket of rare metals and a specialized pen. He began carving soul power circulation arrays onto a piece of rare metal coin.
After carving several pieces, he arranged them into an array and fused them together. After about the time it takes to burn an incense stick, he completed a voice-activated soul-tool lamp. Unlike ordinary lamps, this one could change colors based on the user's preference—a thoughtful touch for Qian Renxue, whose taste likely differed from his own as a tiger. She might prefer warm tones, though he wasn't certain.
Finished, Qin Feng headed back to rest but paused by Qian Renxue's room. Worried she might kick off her blanket in the chilly latter half of the night, he gently pushed open the door and tiptoed inside to check on her.
Three of the four luminous pearls were covered with black boxes, leaving one to softly light the room. Qin Feng approached the bed and sighed at her sleeping posture. Utterly graceless. Sprawled like a starfish, she pressed half her body against the blanket, with the other half kicked off the bed. Her pillow lay on the floor.
With this posture, she'll catch a cold in the damp, chilly night. Sighing again, Qin Feng bent down, picked up the pillow, and placed it back on the bed. He retrieved the blanket, but since part of it was pinned under her, he needed to move her.
Dressed in a thin, collarless nightgown, she couldn't be lifted by the scruff as he'd done during the day. Kicking her to roll over seemed inappropriate. After a moment's thought, he gently lifted her, repositioned her properly, and set her head on the pillow.
As he prepared to cover her with the blanket, Qian Renxue suddenly screamed, "No!" Her voice, laced with sobs, broke as she clutched him in a bear hug, refusing to let go.
Qin Feng froze. "???"
He tried to pry her hands off his arm, but the more he pulled, the tighter she clung, murmuring, "No, no!"
"Father, don't leave Xue'er alone!" she cried in her sleep. "Father, Xue'er will be good, so good. I'm already a level 48 Soul Ancestor. In a few days, I'll be a Soul King—the youngest on the continent. Please don't leave me!"
Her heart-wrenching sobs rang in Qin Feng's ears, nearly deafening him. In her dream, her father's face was kind, watching her gently. Gone was his usual proud demeanor, replaced by sorrow. Seeing her run toward him, crying, he stopped, opened his arms, and embraced her.
"Xue'er, Father has to go. You need to take care of yourself," he said sadly. "Listen to your grandfather, okay?" After a pause, he added, "If you meet someone you like, look to the sky and tell Father up there."
Qian Renxue clung tightly, as if letting go would make him vanish. Her father gently stroked her head, his touch tender, like petting a cat, his eyes filled with reluctance and love.
In her dream, she hugged him tightly, burying her face in his chest. The dream mirrored reality: the tighter she clung in her dream, the more fiercely she gripped Qin Feng in real life. But while her dream hug was normal, her real-life embrace was awkward—her arms wrapped around his head, pressing his face into her chest, nearly suffocating him. This girl's too well-developed, he thought.
Taking a deep breath, Qin Feng steeled himself and pried her hands off. Sitting on the bed's edge, he looked at her pained expression and flicked her forehead lightly.
Not being the comforting type, he didn't soothe her with gentle words or tell her it was just a nightmare. Nightmares? Wake her up, and they're gone. The sharp pain in her forehead, combined with the lingering terror of her dream, jolted Qian Renxue awake.