Skinwalker Belle – Chapter 573 – Let’s Go Home

The sky over the Dragon Spirit Continent was bluer than it had ever been.

Inside the Dragon Emperor Hall, the throne that once symbolized supreme imperial authority had been turned into a bar stool by Long Yi.

He sat sprawled with his legs wide apart, holding a bottle of high-proof liquor smuggled from Blue Star, spittle flying as he lectured the trembling new representatives from various races below.

“Let me tell you, back in the day, my son Long Yan, he was this big,” Long Yi gestured with his hands, “one punch! Just one punch! He sent that old bastard Long Jingtian, the Third Elder of the former Dragon Clan council, flying with his teeth scattered! What Rank 8 Powerhouse? In front of my son, he was nothing but a fart!”

Below the throne, several Cat-folk representatives were so frightened their ears were pressed flat against their heads.

Standing beside the throne, Long Yan, dressed in a sharp black outfit, helplessly pressed his hand to his forehead.

He felt that for the rest of his life, he would never escape the fate of cleaning up the messes his old man left behind.

He clearly remembered that it had taken all three of them ganging up on Long Jingtian, nearly sacrificing their lives, to barely kill him.

Just then, Long Teng finished handling the last agreement document regarding trade between the two realms and strode over.

He casually placed the imperial seal—the symbol of the highest decision-making authority on the Dragon Spirit Continent—on the table in front of Long Yi.

“I’m leaving.” Long Teng’s voice was as steady as ever, betraying no emotion.

“Going again?” Long Yi took a big gulp of liquor and let out a loud burp, the alcohol fumes making Long Yan beside him frown. “I’m telling you, Old Teng, are you too idle or what? Right now everything is in ruins and needs rebuilding—we’re short-handed everywhere. What’s the deal with you running off to that forest every single day?”

Long Yi reached out and patted Long Teng’s shoulder, suggesting casually: “If you ask me, you should just build the biggest, most beautiful cenotaph for your girl Wu’er right here in the Dragon Emperor Hall! Use the finest white jade, stud it with Seven-Colored Crystal Cores! We can look at it every day—it’ll be something to remember her by!”

Long Teng shook his head without responding.

He simply glanced at the azure sky outside the hall, then turned into a streak of light and vanished beyond the horizon in an instant.

He missed Wu’er.

Flying high above, Long Teng looked down at the continent he had personally transformed.

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Between the city-states once separated by mountains, tracks now stretched in every direction, with trains loaded with cargo running along them.

Children laughed and played in the newly built Evolver Academy, while young dragons of both Pureblood and branch lineages walked side by side through the bustling streets.

There was no longer any bloodline oppression from on high, and no more slaves in shackles could be seen on the streets.

Everything was moving in the right direction.

Unconsciously, the figure of a white-haired woman surfaced in Long Teng’s mind. That woman always wore a lazy smile, yet in the most domineering way, she had dragged this continent back from the abyss.

“Sister Lei Li… thanks to you,” he murmured to himself. “The Dragon Spirit Continent has finally completely walked out of the shadow left by that madman Long Hao.”

Lost in thought, the familiar Mist Forest appeared in his view ahead.

He passed through the layers of mist with practiced ease and landed in the familiar clearing among the trees.

There, a solitary grave stood—one he had built with his own hands.

But…

Long Teng’s footsteps came to a halt.

He had already braced himself for the familiar solitude, but today, before that lonely grave, stood two figures.

One tall, one short—two women.

The tall one had a head of signature purple-black voluminous waves casually draped over her shoulders, her form-fitting black gown hugging her mature, breathtaking curves.

The pair of purple-gold dragon horns on her forehead lent an extra touch of cold, alluring beauty to an already bewitching, seductive face.

The short one wore an adorable white princess dress, her soft golden hair shimmering in the sunlight.

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She stood with her hands on her hips, cheeks puffed in indignation, pointing accusingly at the crooked tombstone.

Long Teng felt his breath catch.

“Little Mom! Don’t you think Daddy’s craftsmanship is just terrible?! Look at this tombstone he piled up for me—all crooked and ugly!” The golden-haired girl’s voice was crisp and pleasant, carrying a willful petulance Long Teng knew to the bone.

“Wu’er, don’t say that.” The woman with purple-gold hair coaxed gently, her voice laced with helpless indulgence. “Your father was always a careless, dense man. Little Mom loved him for fifty years and never managed to crack that thick skull of his. What more could you expect from him in the way of artistic talent?”

Long Teng was completely stunned.

Wu’er…

And… Long Xuan?

His mind went blank, his body frozen in place as if struck by a Freezing Curse.

This must be an illusion—he must have missed Wu’er so much that he was hallucinating.

The two over there seemed to sense the commotion and turned their heads in unison.

“Daddy!”

The moment the golden-haired girl spotted Long Teng, her beautiful golden eyes lit up like two brilliant stars piercing the darkness of night.

She gathered her skirt and dashed over on her short little legs, throwing herself headlong into Long Teng’s arms without a second thought.

“Daddy! Why are you so late! Wu’er has been waiting for you forever! I missed you so much!”

The girl’s warm body, the real sensation in his arms, and that familiar faint scent of milk…

Long Teng stiffly lowered his head, staring at the little golden head in his embrace. His lips trembled, unable to form a single word.

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“Wu’er… you… how are you…”

“I don’t know either.” Long Wu looked up from his arms, tilting her delicate little face with an air of utter certainty. “When Little Mom and I woke up, we were already here. Oh, right—a lady with white hair brought us here.”

“A lady with white hair?” Long Teng’s heart jolted violently.

“Yeah.” Long Wu nodded emphatically. “She said the people we love are waiting for us, and we just needed to wait here. Then I was just complaining to Little Mom about your handiwork when Daddy showed up!”

It was Lei Li…

Long Teng understood in an instant.

She wasn’t dead. Not only was she alive, but she had brought Wu’er and Long Xuan… back to life.

The realization struck him like a thunderbolt, detonating in his mind.

He slowly raised his head, looking past his daughter’s crown to the woman standing not far away—her face streaked with tears, her hands clenched tightly at the hem of her skirt from a mixture of nervousness and joy.

Long Xuan.

He knew that Lei Li had reached a realm far beyond their comprehension.

Perhaps… she had already become a true god.

“Thanks, Lei Li.” Long Teng said silently in his heart.

He could no longer contain his emotions. He held his daughter tightly in his arms—this iron-blooded man who never shed a tear on the battlefield—yet now, scalding tears burst forth for the first time, soaking his daughter’s hair.

“Wu’er… Father… Father has missed you so much…”

Long Xuan, standing nearby, watched the scene unfold, tears streaming down her face as well. She wanted to step forward but didn’t dare. She could only remain rooted in place, biting her lip hard, and whisper softly:

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“Brother Teng… back then… I failed to protect Wu’er. I’m sorry.”

Long Teng held his daughter and turned around, gazing at the beautiful face he owed so much to.

Over the years, he had learned many hidden truths he hadn’t known back then.

He knew that during the darkest days when the Council of Elders had crushed him most brutally, it was Long Xuan who had maneuvered behind the scenes time and again, wielding her authority as Fifth Elder, to protect the last foundations of him and Border Dragon City.

He recalled that foolish girl decades ago who always silently followed behind him, her eyes filled entirely with him.

Long Teng closed his eyes, swallowing down all the pain and longing.

When he opened them again, he looked at Long Xuan and forced a smile that was uglier than a grimace.

“Wu’er, Xuan’er.”

“Let’s… go home together.”

Long Wu looked at his contorted expression and pouted with disdain: “Ugh, Father, your smile is so ugly! Stepmother, you should scold him!”

Long Xuan’s face lit up with joy. She stepped forward, naturally taking Long Wu’s hand, then cast a tender glance at Long Teng.

“Your father is just too happy. Don’t tease him. Tonight, Stepmother will cook something delicious for you, alright?”

“Hmph! Stepmother, you always take Father’s side! Wu’er is angry now!”

“…”

Under the setting sun in the Mist Forest, the family of three frolicked and bickered, their shadows stretching long and longer, until they gradually vanished at the end of the forest path.