Skinwalker Belle – Chapter 139 – Qingqiu Village

The cave entrance was narrow.

Lin Fan followed behind Su Xiaoxiao, ducking her head and turning sideways to carefully squeeze through.

After passing through the narrow, ten-meter-long passage, the view suddenly opened up before her.

A small basin, encircled by mountains, appeared before her.

In the center of the basin was a crystal-clear lake.

The lake water shimmered with a faint blue light, reflecting the clouds drifting across the sky.

By the lake were small huts built of wood and stone.

The huts were arranged in a picturesque, scattered pattern, with smoke curling up from their chimneys.

The faint aroma of cooking food and the sound of children’s laughter filled the air.

Lin Fan’s gaze swept across the entire village.

The environment here was much better than she had imagined.

There were mountains and water, and resources were abundant.

Most importantly, it was well-hidden.

Unless someone was conducting a targeted, grid-by-grid search, even with her Mental Strength, it would not be easy to discover this place.

A decent base of operations.

Lin Fan made her assessment.

“Lady Dragon, this way, please.”

Su Xiaoxiao walked ahead, cautiously leading the way for Lin Fan.

Her tail was tucked nervously between her legs and her ears drooped, clearly showing how anxious she was about bringing a member of the Dragon Clan into the village.

They followed a small path along the lake.

Soon, Lin Fan noticed a change in their surroundings.

The children who had been playing stopped what they were doing.

Their eyes widened as they stared at the Dragon horns on Lin Fan’s head, their faces filled with terror.

A few of the younger children were even frightened to tears, hiding in their mothers’ arms.

The adult fox-people also stopped their work.

In their gazes, besides fear, there was a deep sense of vigilance.

Some even subconsciously tightened their grip on the farming tools in their hands.

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Lin Fan was not at all surprised by these reactions.

In this world, the Dragon Clan clearly had an infamous reputation.

This was going to be a bit troublesome.

She had originally thought she could quickly establish control over Green Hill Village.

But now it seemed the fox-people’s fear of the Dragon Clan was bone-deep.

If she used forceful methods, it would only be counterproductive.

She needed a gentler approach to gain their trust and obedience.

“Xiaoxiao, you’re back.”

An aged voice came from ahead.

Lin Fan looked up.

A white-haired, elderly fox-person was leaning on a cane, slowly walking toward her.

The old man’s face was covered in wrinkles, but his eyes were still sharp.

Behind him followed several strong, young fox-men, all holding weapons and on full alert.

Evidently, this old man was the village chief of Green Hill Village.

Su Xiaoxiao quickly ran to the old man’s side.

“Grandpa Chief! I… I ran into danger in the forest. This Lady Dragon saved me.”

Her voice trembled as she spoke, clearly not yet recovered from her earlier fright.

The village chief’s gaze fell upon Lin Fan.

He sized up the small Dragon horns on Lin Fan’s head, her long, dark green hair, and her golden, vertical pupils.

After a moment, he spoke in a deep voice.

“Su Changfeng, chief of Green Hill Village.”

The old man introduced himself, his tone carrying a trace of reverence.

“May I ask… what I should call you, my lady?”

A slight smile touched Lin Fan’s lips.

“Long Ningshuang.”

She continued to use this name.

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Su Changfeng nodded, then fell silent for another moment.

He seemed to be pondering something.

Finally, he took a deep breath, raised his head, and looked directly at Lin Fan.

“My lady, although I am old, my eyes are still sharp.”

“You… are from a collateral branch of the Dragon Clan, aren’t you?”

As soon as he said this, the surrounding fox-people all gasped.

A collateral branch Dragon?

Lin Fan’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“How did you know?”

She did not deny it, but directly questioned him back.

Su Changfeng tapped the ground with his cane.

“The Dragon horns of the Pureblood Dragon Clan are much larger and thicker.”

“Although your horns are exquisite, my lady, they are clearly different from those of the Pureblood Dragon Clan.”

Lin Fan was silent for a moment, then nodded.

“That’s right. I’m from a collateral branch.”

She admitted it frankly.

In this world, Long Ningshuang’s identity was that of a collateral branch Dragon anyway.

There was no need to hide it.

Su Changfeng’s expression grew even more complicated.

“However… even a collateral branch Dragon is an existence we fox-people cannot afford to provoke.”

His tone was tinged with a sense of helplessness and bitterness.

Lin Fan did not respond.

She just watched Su Changfeng calmly, waiting for his next reaction.

Su Changfeng sighed.

“Since you saved Xiaoxiao, my lady, I am naturally grateful.”

“I wonder… what business brings you to Green Hill Village?”

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Lin Fan’s gaze swept over the wary fox-people around them.

“I mean no harm.”

She got straight to the point.

“I just want to ask about a few things.”

A flicker of surprise crossed Su Changfeng’s eyes.

Ask about things?

A Dragon came to their remote little village just to ask about things?

Somehow, that sounded a little too incredible to be true.

But Lin Fan didn’t give him much time to think.

“Where is this place located?”

She asked directly.

“I need to know where the nearest city is, and… if there are any Otherworld Rifts.”

When Su Changfeng heard the words “Otherworld Rift,” his pupils constricted slightly.

He was silent for a moment, but ultimately answered.

“Green Hill Village is located deep within the Mist Forest. Further west, past three mountains, is the territory of Azurewood City.”

“It’s about two hundred li from here.”

“Two months ago, when I went to Azurewood City to purchase supplies for the village, I saw a Rift with my own eyes.”

Lin Fan’s eyes instantly lit up.

Two hundred li.

That distance wasn’t far for her.

“Who is the ruler of Azurewood City?”

She continued to ask.

Su Changfeng’s expression grew even more solemn.

“The City Lord… is a Level 7 tiger.”

“His name is Hu Lie. He is known for his Tyranny and immense power.”

“In Azurewood City, he is the absolute king.”

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A Level 7 tiger.

Lin Fan repeated this information to herself.

According to Long Ningshuang’s memories, unlike the levels below six, the gap between Level 6 and Level 7 was a chasm. A true Level 7 Evolved being could not be defeated even by a hundred Level 6 opponents.

The gap between Level 7 and Level 8 was even more unimaginable.

Most collateral branch Dragons, due to their weak Bloodline, could never break through to Level 7 in their entire lives.

Although they possessed a trace of the Dragon Bloodline, their innate talent was a notch below that of other beast races like the tigers and lions. This was also the reason for the low status of collateral branch Dragons.

Although Lin Fan’s current strength was much greater than that of an ordinary Level 6, she was still far from being a match for a Level 7.

It seemed that for the time being, she could not confront the City Lord of Azurewood City head-on.

She needed more time to familiarize herself with this body and increase her strength.

“I understand.”

Lin Fan nodded.

Then, her gaze fell upon Su Changfeng once more.

“I have a proposal.”

Su Changfeng’s body tensed slightly.

“Please speak, my lady.”

Lin Fan’s tone remained placid.

“I wish for Green Hill Village to serve me.”

“Help me gather intelligence and monitor the movements in the surrounding area.”

“In exchange, I will ensure the safety of Green Hill Village.”

As soon as she said this, a commotion erupted among the surrounding fox-people.

Serve a Dragon?

They knew all too well what that meant.

It meant they would completely lose their freedom.

It meant they would become the slaves of a Dragon.

Su Changfeng’s face turned extremely grim.

He gripped his cane so tightly that the veins on the back of his hand bulged.