Skinwalker Belle – Chapter 342 – The Art of Filling in the Blanks

On the blue stone path of the City Lord’s mansion, two figures walked side by side.

The one in front wore an elaborate black velvet gown, her purple hair cascading like a waterfall. Every step she took carried a languid yet undeniable air of nobility.

She idly waved a lace folding fan in her hand, her golden-purple vertical pupils radiating a cold aloofness that warned others to keep their distance.

Half a step behind her walked a young woman dressed in pitch-black mourning attire. Her face was exquisitely beautiful, though her eyes—which should have been filled with pride—now seemed somewhat cautious and uneasy.

These two were none other than Lin Fan, wearing Long Xuan’s skin, and Yui, transformed into Long Wu’s appearance.

“Stop trembling.”

Lin Fan stared straight ahead, his voice exploding directly in Yui’s mind through Mental Strength.

“You are Long Wu, the City Lord of Border Dragon City. Even if your heart is so panicked you want to pee your pants, you need to put on a face that says ‘everyone here is trash.’ Got it?”

Yui’s body stiffened, and she instinctively straightened her back, forcing her facial muscles to adopt the cold, arrogant expression they had rehearsed all night.

“Yes… Milady.”

“Call me Little Mother,” Lin Fan corrected. “And make your eyes fiercer—look at everyone around you like they’re small fry.”

“Understood, Little Mother.” Yui took a deep breath, trying to recall the kind of look Lin Fan usually wore.

The two walked all the way to the city gate.

At this moment, the massive Black Iron city gate was already wide open.

Hundreds of heavily armored city guards stood in two rows, their long halberds lined up like a forest, exuding murderous intent.

Inside the city gate, dozens of Border Dragon City’s high-ranking officials had gathered.

These commanders and stewards, who normally looked down their noses at everyone, now stood with lowered heads and bated breath, not daring to make a sound.

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The pile of minced meat in the council hall yesterday was still fresh in their minds. No one had expected that Fifth Elder Long Xuan, who had never shown her face before, would suddenly appear now and back up Long Wu.

They knew something about what had happened back then—Fifth Elder had been the loser in that love triangle.

Yet now she had such a good relationship with her rival’s daughter. It seemed it was because Long Wu was the only bloodline left by City Lord Long Teng.

“Even a thousand-mile send-off must end with a farewell.”

Lin Fan stopped in his tracks, turned around, and gently closed the folding fan in his hand, then reached out to ruffle the top of Yui’s head—a disguise so flawless it was indistinguishable from the real thing.

The gesture was intimate, carrying the doting affection of an elder toward a younger generation.

“Wu’er, this city—Little Mother leaves it in your hands.”

Lin Fan’s voice was not loud, but it carried a unique husky magnetism that clearly reached the ears of everyone present.

“Your father is gone now, so I am your mother. If I ever find out…”

Lin Fan paused, his narrow, beautiful eyes narrowing slightly as his gaze swept like a blade across the group of old foxes present.

No pressure was released.

Just a single look.

Gulp.

A synchronized sound of swallowing echoed through the crowd.

A few of the more timid stewards broke out in cold sweat on their foreheads, their legs trembling uncontrollably.

“If I ever find out that anyone dares to bully you for being young, or dares to take advantage of the City Lord’s mansion having no one to protect it…”

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Lin Fan stepped forward, extending a hand clad in a black lace glove to straighten Yui’s collar. His tone turned gentle in a way that was almost unsettlingly strange: “Tell Little Mother, and Little Mother will help you get back every grievance you’ve suffered—a hundredfold, a thousandfold.”

Boom—!

These words were like a bomb, exploding in everyone’s hearts.

“I knew it! Back then, Fifth Elder loved the City Lord to death—even if that love turned to hate, it was still love! Now that the City Lord is gone, this is love for the one he loved! Who would dare touch Long Wu now?”

Several of the older stewards below, who had witnessed those events firsthand, whispered among themselves.

“Good thing we didn’t join in the jeering yesterday. Fifth Elder clearly treats Long Wu like her own daughter now. We need to figure out how to show our loyalty—fast.”

Lin Fan watched the ever-shifting expressions on their faces, especially as their eyes transformed from “wait-and-see” to “awe” and even “fear,” and inwardly she was overjoyed.

That’s right.

This was the art of letting them fill in the blanks.

Intelligent beings were always masters at scaring themselves.

Give them a look, and they’d conjure up an eighty-episode drama of love and vengeance in their heads.

“Rest assured, Stepmother.”

Though Yui’s heart was racing with panic, she maintained her composure through sheer acting skill, giving a slight bow as she spoke in a cool voice: “Wu’er will guard Border Dragon City well and never tarnish Father’s name.”

This girl—she slipped into character fast.

Lin Fan nodded in satisfaction and said no more.

She turned, the hem of her black dress dragging a long shadow across the ground. Without a trace of reluctance, she strode straight toward the wilderness beyond the city gates.

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“Farewell, Fifth Elder!”

Behind her, Long Yan dropped to one knee and roared.

“Farewell, Fifth Elder!!”

Then came the thunderous, unified cry of thousands of city guards, their voices shaking the heavens.

Amidst that deafening send-off, Lin Fan’s figure gradually vanished into the gray mist spreading in the distance.

Only when the black silhouette was completely out of sight did the suffocating pressure at the city gates begin to ease.

“Whew…”

An elderly steward wiped the cold sweat from his brow and glanced at his equally relieved colleague beside him, speaking in a low voice: “From now on, the winds in this city have truly changed. Keep your wits about you—don’t go charging into the line of fire.”

“Naturally, naturally…”

Yui, standing at the very front, watched the direction Lin Fan had gone, a flicker of deep reluctance passing through her eyes.

But soon, that reluctance was replaced by resolve.

She slowly turned to face the Dragon Clan nobles—those who usually held their heads high—her gaze cold and indifferent.

“Everyone, disperse.”

Yui mimicked Lin Fan’s tone, speaking flatly: “Also, have the storehouse accounts organized. I will personally inspect them tomorrow. If even a single coin is missing…”

She didn’t finish the sentence, merely letting out a cold snort before turning and heading back to the estate with Yuzuru.

Leaving a group of old foxes standing in the wind, utterly bewildered—before they scrambled madly back to their own residences. They needed to plug the holes in their ledgers, fast!

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…

Beyond the borders of Border Dragon City.

The scenery around quickly turned desolate.

Massive black rocks jutted bare from the earth, dark red moss clinging to them like some kind of skin disease.

A faint smell of sulfur and rot hung in the air.

This was the edge of the Dragon Spirit Continent—the dividing line between civilization and savagery.

Lin Fan dropped the refined lady act, casually tucking the lace folding fan she’d used for show into her collar. She lifted her skirt to adjust the few thin straps of her undergarment that had been chafing her skin raw, shifting it back into place.

“Acting is exhausting.”

She glanced back at Border Dragon City, now just a tiny black dot on the horizon, and a cruel smile curled at the corner of her lips.

That city was nothing more than a giant “piggy bank” now.

Once Jiji had emptied the resources inside, and once Long Yan had grown strong enough, this city would have fulfilled its purpose.

But for now…

Lin Fan turned his head, gazing at the vast, perilous wilderness stretching out before him.

“A hundred Perfect Grade Skins.”

Lin Fan ran his tongue over his dry lips, the laziness in his eyes vanishing in an instant, replaced by the greed and excitement unique to a predator.

After all, he was acting under the identity of the Fifth Elder—for the Dragon Race Council of Elders, doing bad things was exactly what fit the role!