Skinwalker Belle – Chapter 170 – Everything is Ready

The wooden door of the inn was pushed open. By the time Lin Fan stepped into the room, night had completely swallowed Azurewood City.

Two spirit stone lamps were lit in the room, their orange halos dispelling some of the darkness.

Su Xiaoxiao was kneeling by the table, holding a stack of beast-hide papers. Seeing Lin Fan enter, she immediately stood up.

“Sister Ning Shuang!”

The young girl’s voice held obvious delight. Her fox ears twitched, and her tail began to wag along with them.

Lin Fan nodded, casually tossing her straw hat onto the bed and raising a hand to rub the bridge of her nose.

She had been wandering the Mist Forest for several days straight. Although she was wearing Su Rou’s Skin, the fatigue from frequently switching identities had accumulated.

Especially the act she had just put on—she had to play the part of “Su Rou” fighting to the death to protect him, invoking Long Yan’s guilt, then switch back to her original body to kill the demonic ape in an instant, and finally, consolidate his trust in the guise of “Long Ningshuang” at the last moment…

She was like an actress working around the clock, and every scene had to be performed to perfection, without a single flaw.

“Prepare my bathwater.” Lin Fan walked to the bedside and sat down, beginning to undo the knotted buttons of her qipao. “I haven’t washed in days. I feel disgusting.”

Su Xiaoxiao froze for a moment, then quickly understood and nodded vigorously.

“Right away! I’ll go prepare it now!”

The girl turned and ran towards the partitioned-off area, and soon the sound of splashing water could be heard.

Lin Fan sat on the edge of the bed, looking down at her hands.

Long Ningshuang’s Skin was indeed powerful, but it had a fatal flaw—this body’s sweat glands were too active.

As a member of a branch family of the Dragon Clan, Long Ningshuang’s physical constitution was formidable, but her metabolism was also astonishingly fast.

Lin Fan frowned.

She was a psychological neat freak.

It was a habit that had naturally formed after merging with countless top-tier Skins.

“Sister, the water is ready.”

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Su Xiaoxiao’s voice came from the partitioned area.

Lin Fan stood up and walked inside.

A wooden bathtub sat in the room, with a few flower petals floating on the surface of the steaming water.

Su Xiaoxiao was kneeling beside the tub, holding a towel and a soap pod, her amber eyes watching Lin Fan with a bright sparkle.

“Sister, shall I help you wash?”

Lin Fan glanced at her and nodded.

“Mm.”

She began to undo the buttons of her clothes.

The black combat attire slid off with her movements, revealing fair shoulders and a delicate collarbone.

Long Ningshuang’s body was taller than her original one, and her muscle definition was more pronounced, possessing a kind of wild beauty.

Su Xiaoxiao stood obediently to the side. Only after Lin Fan had undressed and stepped into the tub did she pick up the towel and begin to help her scrub.

As the warm water soaked her skin, Lin Fan closed her eyes in comfort.

“Speak,” she said, leaning against the edge of the tub, her voice a little lazy. “What intelligence is there from Su Yue’s side?”

Su Xiaoxiao began to speak as she scrubbed Lin Fan’s back.

“Sister Su Yue asked me to tell you that things in Azurewood City have been a bit unsettled these past few days.”

Lin Fan raised an eyebrow.

“How so?”

“People from the City Lord’s Manor have been asking about your whereabouts everywhere.” Su Xiaoxiao lowered her voice. “Captain Hu Ben personally went to the Fox Beauty Tavern several times to ask Sister Su Yue where you went and when you would be back.”

“Also…” Su Xiaoxiao paused, her voice growing a little tense. “Captain Hu Ben also asked about Long Yan.”

Lin Fan opened her eyes.

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“Long Yan?”

“Yes.” Su Xiaoxiao nodded. “Captain Hu Ben said a scout saw Long Yan go into the Mist Forest as well, and he asked Sister Su Yue if you went with him.”

Lin Fan narrowed her eyes.

Interesting.

Hu Lie was testing her relationship with Long Yan.

“How did Su Yue answer?”

“Sister Su Yue said she didn’t know.” Su Xiaoxiao carefully watched Lin Fan’s expression. “She said you were alone when you left Azurewood City, and she wasn’t aware of who you might have met in the forest.”

Lin Fan nodded.

Su Yue’s answer was clever—it was neither a lie nor did it reveal too much information.

“Anything else?”

Su Xiaoxiao hesitated for a moment, her voice dropping even lower.

“Sister Su Yue said… she heard from the sisters in the City Lord’s Manor that the Manor has been secretly recruiting assassins recently.”

Lin Fan’s movements paused for a second.

“Assassins?”

“Yes,” Su Xiaoxiao confirmed. “And they’ve specifically named one person to be killed.”

Lin Fan turned her head, her golden, vertical pupils staring at Su Xiaoxiao.

“Who?”

Su Xiaoxiao swallowed hard.

“Long Yan.”

The room fell silent for a few seconds.

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Lin Fan leaned back against the edge of the tub and closed her eyes.

That Hu Lie, he really couldn’t hold back.

She had deliberately mentioned to Hu Lie that her heart already belonged to someone else.

But she hadn’t expected him to make a move so quickly.

“What else did Su Yue say?”

“Sister Su Yue said…” Su Xiaoxiao’s voice became even quieter. “The people from the City Lord’s Manor are being very secretive. They probably don’t want you to know about this.”

Lin Fan opened her eyes, a cold smile touching her lips.

He can’t let her know?

Was Hu Lie planning to get rid of Long Yan behind her back and then pretend nothing ever happened?

Interesting.

Truly interesting.

Lin Fan raised a hand, taking the towel Su Xiaoxiao offered and wiping her face.

This move by Hu Lie exposed two pieces of information.

First, he was indeed interested in her—otherwise, he wouldn’t care about her relationship with Long Yan.

Second, he was a man with a strong possessive streak—so strong that he couldn’t tolerate any potential rivals.

Lin Fan stood up from the tub, water droplets sliding down her body.

Su Xiaoxiao quickly grabbed a bath towel and helped her dry off.

“Sister, then should we…”

“Do nothing,” Lin Fan interrupted, her voice calm. “Just pretend we don’t know.”

Su Xiaoxiao was taken aback.

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“But… Long Yan, he…”

“He won’t die.” Lin Fan took the nightgown from Su Xiaoxiao and put it on. “Even if Hu Lie wants to kill him, he’ll have to wait for him to come out of the forest. And Long Yan is currently absorbing a level-six Crystal; he won’t be leaving the forest anytime soon.”

She walked to the table, sat down, and flipped through the beast-hide papers on it.

“Besides…” Lin Fan looked up, a glint of coldness flashing in her golden, vertical pupils. “The more Hu Lie wants to kill Long Yan, the more it proves he cares about me. For me, that’s a good thing.”

Su Xiaoxiao nodded, only half-understanding.

Lin Fan put down the beast-hide papers and leaned back in her chair.

Hu Lie’s move was too hasty.

He thought he had hidden his tracks well, but he had no idea that she had already infiltrated Azurewood City’s intelligence network.

But this was good, too.

The more Hu Lie exposed his desires and weaknesses, the easier it would be for her to control him.

“Right,” Lin Fan said suddenly. “Any news from Hu Lie’s side about the three hundred slaves?”

Su Xiaoxiao nodded quickly.

“Yes! Captain Hu Ben mentioned it when he came to the tavern yesterday. The City Lord has already prepared three hundred female slaves. He said they’re just waiting for your ten thousand level-one Crystals.”

Lin Fan narrowed her eyes.

Quite efficient.

“Understood.” She stood up and walked to the bed.

Su Xiaoxiao nodded obediently and came over to help Lin Fan make the bed.

Lin Fan lay down, closed her eyes, and felt the warmth of the young fox girl’s body beside her.

Everything was ready. Now, all that was left was for the Rift to open.