Skinwalker Belle – Chapter 148 – Dusty Memories

Long Yan’s throat bobbed. His voice was as hoarse as if it had been scraped with sandpaper.

“Do you know the consequences of doing this?”

He stared at Lin Fan, his eyes filled with a complex mix of emotions.

There was shock, confusion, and a faint trace of vigilance.

“Breaking the slave collar is tantamount to making an enemy of Long Ao.”

Long Ao.

On this continent, the name of that young master of the Pureblood Dragon Clan was absolute authority.

To offend him was to offend the entire Pureblood Dragon Clan.

Lin Fan stood by the window, sunlight filtering through the lattice and illuminating the side of her face.

Her expression was calm, so calm it was as if she were listening to an irrelevant story.

“Make an enemy of the Dragon Clan?”

She turned to look at Long Yan.

“I don’t care.”

Her voice was soft, but every word was like a nail hammered into Long Yan’s heart.

Long Yan was stunned.

He thought he had misheard.

“What did you say?”

Lin Fan walked up to him, raised her head, and looked him straight in the eye.

“I said, I don’t care.”

Her tone was still calm, even carrying a hint of nonchalance.

“The Dragon Clan, Long Ao, the purebloods.”

She paused, the corner of her mouth hooking into a sarcastic arc.

“In my eyes, none of it matters.”

Long Yan’s pupils contracted violently.

He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but found he couldn’t make a sound.

This woman…

Did she know what she was saying?

That was the Pureblood Dragon Clan!

The rulers of the entire Dragon Spirit Continent!

No member of a branch clan, no matter how talented, would dare say such a thing!

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But she had.

And she had said it so casually.

Watching Long Yan’s shocked expression, Lin Fan was calculating something else entirely in her mind.

She knew that to Long Yan, the impact of that statement was absolutely nuclear.

For a member of a branch clan to dare say they “don’t care about the Dragon Clan” was simply heretical.

But she had to say it.

Because she wanted to plant a seed in Long Yan’s heart.

A seed that “Long Ningshuang is different.”

Lin Fan retracted her gaze, walked to the table, and pulled out a chair to sit down.

She crossed her legs, propped her elbow on the table, and rested her chin in her hand.

“I just don’t want to see the Brother Long Yan I once had to look up to fall further and further into depravity.”

Her voice softened slightly.

“I hope my Brother Long Yan can return to being the high-spirited genius he once was.”

Long Yan’s body jolted.

Brother Long Yan…

He hadn’t heard that name in a very, very long time.

So long that he thought no one in this world would ever call him that again.

Images suddenly flashed through his mind.

It was from many years ago.

On the training grounds.

He had just defeated a fifth-level branch clan member, and the crowd around him was cheering.

Then, a small figure squeezed out from the crowd.

It was a little girl with green hair, a pair of small dragon horns on her head, and eyes that sparkled brightly.

She ran up to him, tilted her head up, her face full of adoration.

“Brother Long Yan! You’re so amazing!”

Her voice was crisp and clear, like a bird’s song at dawn.

He smiled and ruffled her hair.

“You’ll become very amazing too.”

The little girl nodded vigorously.

“Mhm! I want to become as amazing as Brother Long Yan!”

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She clenched her small fists, her eyes filled with determination.

The sunlight was so warm back then.

He was so high-spirited back then.

She was so innocent and pure back then.

Long Yan’s gaze gradually grew distant.

He looked up at the woman before him.

The long, dark green hair, the golden vertical pupils, the small dragon horns on her head.

That face, though it had matured, still bore a faint resemblance to the little girl from all those years ago.

“Long Ningshuang…”

He murmured the name.

Lin Fan didn’t speak, merely watching him quietly.

Long Yan’s throat felt as if it were blocked by something.

He remembered many things.

He remembered the little girl who always followed him around, calling out “Brother Long Yan.”

He remembered how after every training session, she would run over and ask him if she had gotten a little stronger that day.

He remembered her saying that when she grew up, she would marry him.

At the time, he had just smiled and said, “Alright, when you’re grown up.”

But later…

He met Long Yanran.

He thought that was his true love.

But now…

Long Yanran had betrayed him.

Everyone had betrayed him.

Only this little girl, whom he had once paid little mind to, was now standing before him.

Long Yan’s eyes began to feel hot.

He clenched his jaw tightly, refusing to let his emotions spiral out of control.

“You… why are you doing this?”

His voice was very hoarse.

“Do you know how much trouble this will bring you?”

Lin Fan stood up and walked over to him.

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She raised a hand and gently patted his shoulder.

“Although your Dragon Bone has been dug out now.”

Her voice was very soft, but every word landed like a heavy hammer blow on Long Yan’s heart.

“However, we just need to find a way to dig out one from someone with similar talent and bring it back.”

Long Yan’s pupils abruptly dilated.

Dig… dig one out and bring it back?

He thought he had misheard.

“What did you say?”

Lin Fan withdrew her hand and turned to walk to the window.

“Having your Dragon Bone dug out doesn’t mean you’re crippled.”

She looked out at the street below, her tone calm.

“As long as we find a member of the Dragon Clan with strong enough talent, dig out their Dragon Bone, and transplant it into you.”

She paused.

“You’ll be able to recover your talent.”

Long Yan’s mind went blank.

He had never considered such a possibility.

A Dragon Bone transplant…

In theory, it was possible.

But in practice, the difficulty was immense.

First, you had to find a branch clan member with strong enough talent.

Second, you had to be powerful enough to dig out their Dragon Bone.

Finally, you had to have the ability to complete the transplant surgery.

Each of these three conditions was as difficult as ascending to the heavens.

Yet the woman before him spoke of it so casually.

As if it were a trivial matter.

Long Yan stared at Lin Fan’s back, an indescribable emotion welling up in his heart.

Was it gratitude?

Was it shock?

He didn’t know.

He only knew that the woman before him was completely different from the little girl in his memory.

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“Why?”

His voice was very soft, so soft it was as if he were talking to himself.

“Why are you helping me?”

Lin Fan turned around and looked at him.

Her gaze was placid, as placid as a pool of stagnant water.

“Because you are Brother Long Yan.”

Her voice was soft, but every word was like a clap of thunder.

“The Brother Long Yan I’ve admired since I was a child.”

Long Yan’s eyes turned completely red.

He clenched his jaw tightly, refusing to let his tears fall.

But his body was trembling.

His fists were clenched so tightly.

His nails dug deep into his palms, and fresh blood trickled out from between his fingers.

Su Xiaoxiao stood to the side, watching this scene, her own eyes turning red.

She didn’t know what to say.

She just felt that the man before her was truly pitiful.

And also very lucky.

Because he had met Sister Ning Shuang.

Long Yan took a deep breath and slowly raised his head.

He looked at Lin Fan, and a glimmer of light finally appeared in his eyes.

It was the light of hope.

Long Yan’s throat bobbed.

He wanted to say something, but found that he couldn’t speak.

In the end, he just nodded heavily.

“Okay.”

His voice was very soft, but it carried a firm resolve.

“I will become strong again.”

He paused, a ruthless glint flashing in his eyes.

“I will kill Long Ao with my own hands.”