Skinwalker Belle – Chapter 151 – The Lord’s Test

City Lord’s Manor.

It was much larger than Lin Fan had imagined.

Although Azurewood City was just a small border town, the scale of its City Lord’s Manor was in no way inferior to the ancient royal palaces of Blue Star.

High walls, flying eaves, and stone carvings. Majesty and luxury were evident everywhere.

Hu Ben led Lin Fan and Su Xiaoxiao through layer after layer of courtyards, finally arriving before a spacious hall.

“My lady, the City Lord is inside.”

Hu Ben respectfully made a “please enter” gesture.

Lin Fan nodded and, stepping in her high heels, slowly walked into the hall.

Su Xiaoxiao followed closely behind her, her fox ears pricked up alertly and her tail slightly puffed up.

Inside the great hall.

A huge round table was laden with all sorts of delicacies.

Roasted meat, Spirit Fruits, and fine wine.

The aroma assailed the nostrils.

And at the head of the round table sat a burly young man.

He was over two and a half meters tall.

Broad-shouldered and thick-waisted.

A thick tiger’s tail rested casually on the back of his chair.

He wore a black beast-hide vest, revealing his solid muscles.

His face wore a somewhat untamed smile.

This was precisely the City Lord of Azurewood City—Hu Lie.

A level-seven Evolved being.

The moment Lin Fan entered, Hu Lie’s gaze fell upon her.

And then…

He was stunned.

Not because of the Dragon horns.

Nor because of her Dragon Clan identity.

But because of… that outfit.

A black qipao.

It clung tightly to the curves of her body.

Beneath the high slit, her long, slender legs, wrapped in a thin layer of black fabric, were faintly visible.

On her feet, she wore a pair of black high-heeled shoes he had never seen before, accentuating the perfect shape of her legs.

What… was that?

Hu Lie had seen countless members of the branch Dragon Clan lineages.

Some were majestic and domineering, covered in Dragon Scales.

Some were cold and arrogant, stern and unsmiling.

But he had never seen… one like this.

Elegant.

Sophisticated.

Alluring.

Hu Lie felt his throat suddenly go a little dry.

He subconsciously swallowed.

“City Lord Hu Lie?”

Lin Fan’s voice pulled him back from his daze.

“Ah, yes, yes.”

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Hu Lie snapped back to his senses, hurriedly standing up with an enthusiastic smile on his face.

“Welcome, welcome! It is truly my, Hu Lie’s, honor to have a lady of the Dragon Clan come to Azurewood City!”

As he spoke, his eyes couldn’t help but sweep over Lin Fan’s body.

Especially those long, slender legs wrapped in black stockings.

Lin Fan noticed his gaze.

But she said nothing.

Instead, she smiled faintly, walked gracefully to the round table, and sat down in the seat opposite Hu Lie.

“City Lord Hu Lie is too kind.”

Her voice was gentle and calm.

“My name is Long Ningshuang, from a branch lineage of the Dragon Clan. As I am new to Azurewood City, I hope the City Lord will take good care of me.”

“Miss Ning Shuang is too polite.”

Hu Lie quickly waved his hand. “It is my honor to be of service to the Dragon Clan.”

As he spoke, he waved his hand again.

Several Catgirl maids came over with wine jugs and filled their cups.

Hu Lie raised his cup and smiled. “Come, Miss Ning Shuang, let me toast you.”

Lin Fan raised her cup and took a gentle sip.

The wine was strong.

But her expression did not change.

Seeing this, a trace of admiration flashed in Hu Lie’s eyes.

“Miss Ning Shuang is truly worthy of the Dragon Clan. Your tolerance for alcohol is much better than those good-for-nothings under my command.”

Lin Fan put down her cup and said lightly, “City Lord Hu Lie overpraises me.”

She paused, then changed the subject.

“May I ask why the City Lord has invited me here today?”

Hu Lie chuckled.

“Miss Ning Shuang jests. With a lady of the Dragon Clan arriving in Azurewood City, it is only natural for me, as the City Lord, to fulfill my duties as a host.”

As he spoke, a glint flickered in his eyes.

“However… I am a little curious.”

“Did Miss Ning Shuang come to Azurewood City this time on a mission from… the Pureblood Dragon Clan lords?”

Here it comes.

Lin Fan’s heart stirred slightly.

As expected.

Hu Lie was probing her intentions.

Her expression remained unchanged as she gently shook her head.

“City Lord Hu Lie misunderstands.”

“I have no mission this time.”

Hu Lie was taken aback.

“No mission?”

“That’s right.”

Lin Fan nodded, her tone calm.

“I was injured some time ago on the Otherworld Battlefield.”

“I wanted to find a quiet place to recuperate. I happened to pass by Azurewood City and decided to stay here for a while.”

Hu Lie narrowed his eyes.

“I see.”

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He raised his cup, took another sip, and smiled. “Then Miss Ning Shuang has certainly come to the right place.”

“Although my Azurewood City is remote, its advantage is its tranquility.”

“If Miss Ning Shuang needs anything, please don’t hesitate to ask. I, Hu Lie, will certainly do my utmost to assist.”

“Then I thank the City Lord.”

Lin Fan smiled slightly.

The two chatted for a few more sentences.

Hu Lie suddenly changed the subject.

“By the way, Miss Ning Shuang.”

“I heard… you bought a Dragon Clan slave from the slave market today?”

Lin Fan’s expression didn’t change as she nodded.

“Yes.”

“That slave is named Long Yan, correct?”

Hu Lie’s tone was probing.

“I remember, he seems to be… a traitor to the Dragon Clan?”

Lin Fan gently set down her wine cup.

“City Lord Hu Lie is quite well-informed.”

“Not at all, not at all.”

Hu Lie quickly waved his hands. “It’s just that Azurewood City is only so big. As the City Lord, I have to be aware of any stirrings.”

He paused, then smiled. “However, for Miss Ning Shuang to buy that traitor, could it be to…”

“To humiliate him,” Lin Fan interrupted.

“Long Yan betrayed the Dragon Clan. His crime is heinous.”

“As a member of a branch Dragon Clan lineage, it is only natural for me to vent some anger on behalf of the Pureblood Dragon Clan lords.”

As she spoke, a cold sneer touched the corners of her lips.

“I want him to know the consequences of betraying the Dragon Clan.”

Hearing this, a complex emotion flashed in Hu Lie’s eyes.

He raised his cup and took another drink.

“Miss Ning Shuang is truly loyal.”

“If the Pureblood Dragon Clan lords were to know, they would surely be very pleased.”

He said this with a hint of reverence in his tone.

But Lin Fan noticed.

His eyes.

They held not a shred of respect.

Instead… they were filled with disgust.

Lin Fan’s heart stirred slightly.

Interesting.

She raised her cup, took a light sip, and said faintly, “By the way, City Lord Hu Lie.”

“I saw that there is also an Otherworld Rift in the center of Azurewood City?”

Hu Lie nodded.

“Yes.”

“That Rift opens about once every month.”

“There are still more than twenty days until the next opening.”

Lin Fan narrowed her eyes.

More than twenty days.

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That was plenty of time.

“When the Rift opens, will the Pureblood Dragon Clan send people over?”

Hu Lie chuckled.

“Miss Ning Shuang may not be aware.”

“My Azurewood City is just a small border town. Each time the Rift opens, it’s not like those big cities where a Pureblood Dragon Clan lord personally arranges for an offensive.”

“Here, they just send a batch of about twenty thousand level-three or lower Mutated Beasts via spatial teleportation.”

“Then I pick a few level-four Evolved beings to put on a show.”

“We just need to come back when the Rift is about to close.”

He spoke with a hint of disdain in his voice.

“In any case, the Pureblood Dragon Clan lords won’t come to inspect personally.”

“For us small border towns, as long as no major trouble breaks out, they can’t be bothered with us.”

Hearing this, Lin Fan’s heart stirred slightly.

Hu Lie’s words…

On the surface, he was complaining that the Pureblood Dragon Clan didn’t value Azurewood City.

But in reality…

His attitude towards the Pureblood Dragon Clan was full of perfunctory compliance.

And even… disgust.

Lin Fan put down her cup and said lightly, “City Lord Hu Lie seems… not very satisfied with the Pureblood Dragon Clan’s arrangements?”

Hu Lie froze.

He raised his head and looked at Lin Fan.

Their gazes met in mid-air.

Hu Lie’s eyes flickered.

Then, he smiled.

“Miss Ning Shuang jests.”

“I, Hu Lie, have always been loyal and devoted to the Pureblood Dragon Clan lords.”

“How could I be dissatisfied?”

As he spoke, he raised his cup and drained it in one gulp.

But Lin Fan noticed.

The hand he used to hold the cup.

It was clenched slightly.

The knuckles were white.

A faint, almost imperceptible smile touched Lin Fan’s lips.

Interesting.

Truly very interesting.

This Hu Lie…

On the surface, he was respectful to the Dragon Clan.

In reality, he was filled with disgust for the Dragon Clan’s oppression.

Moreover.

He was as perfunctory as possible with the mission concerning the Otherworld Rift.

A person like this…

Could be used.

Lin Fan raised her cup and took a light sip.

“City Lord Hu Lie is right.”

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“We should indeed be loyal and devoted to the Pureblood Dragon Clan lords.”

She paused slightly.

“After all… the Pureblood Dragon Clan lords rule the entire continent, don’t they?”

Hearing this, a complex emotion flashed in Hu Lie’s eyes.

He didn’t speak.

He just raised his cup and took another drink.

Lin Fan stood up.

“It’s getting late, so I won’t disturb the City Lord any longer.”

“Thank you for your hospitality today, City Lord.”

Hu Lie quickly stood up.

“Miss Ning Shuang is too kind.”

“If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

Lin Fan smiled slightly.

“I will.”

She turned and, stepping in her high heels, walked gracefully out of the hall.

Su Xiaoxiao followed closely behind her.

Hu Ben escorted them out of the City Lord’s Manor.

Inside the great hall.

Hu Lie stood where he was, his eyes following Lin Fan’s departing figure.

His gaze fell on those long, slender legs wrapped in black stockings.

It did not move for a long time.

After a long while.

He took a deep breath.

“Someone.”

A personal guard walked in.

“City Lord.”

“Go, arrange for two Catgirls to be sent to my room.”

“Damn it, that woman is too damn seductive.”

Hu Lie licked his lips.

The personal guard was stunned for a moment.

Then he nodded respectfully.

“Yes.”

Hu Lie turned and walked back to his seat.

He raised his cup and took another drink.

In his mind.

Those slender legs.

That black qipao.

And those seemingly probing words.

They refused to go away.

“Miss Ning Shuang…”

He murmured to himself.

“Interesting.”

“Truly very interesting.”