After seeing Su Qingwei home, Lin Fan crossed nearly half the Su Residence again before returning to his own courtyard.
When he arrived, his younger sister Lin Ruoruo was sitting by the table with Mao Mao, the Golden Rat, in her arms. Two food boxes sat on the table, one open and the other still closed.
The moment she saw Lin Fan, her eyes lit up. She let go of Mao Mao and threw herself into his arms.
Night deepened. Lights stretched across the Su Residence, and the festive bustle was gradually spreading.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in town, candlelight flickered in a spacious hall at the White Ram Gang's Main Hall. A scout knelt with his head bowed, reporting everything he had learned to the gang leader.
"Gang Leader, the news is confirmed. Su Yuanshan of the Su Family has formally betrothed his daughter, Su Qingwei, to Lin Fan. The wedding is in six days. The Su Residence is already making extensive preparations for it."
The air in the hall grew heavy at once.
Seated at the head of the hall, the White Ram Gang's leader slowly clenched his fingers, cold fury churning in his eyes. He had only just received word that afternoon that Lin Fan had refined more than a dozen batches of pills, every batch top-grade, and he still had not recovered from it. Now Lin Fan and Su Qingwei were engaged, with the wedding set for a mere six days away. Su Yuanshan seemed impatient to marry off his daughter.
The gang leader seethed. Had he known Lin Fan was this formidable, he might as well have risked joining those friends of his to eliminate him back then. Now Lin Fan was engaged to Su Qingwei and had effectively become part of the Su Family. He also spent nearly all his time inside the Su Family Estate. Dealing with Lin Fan and the Su Family would be harder than ever.
With a heavy sigh, the gang leader waved the scout away, then looked at the deputy leaders and stewards on either side. "What do you all make of this?"
"Gang Leader, the Su Family now has two Bone Tempering Realm fighters, Su Yuanshan and Lin Fan. We truly shouldn't clash with them head-on right now."
"That's right, Gang Leader. We can only wait for an opportunity, for the situation to change."
Listening to the discussion, the gang leader could only set the matter aside and turn his thoughts to breaking through to the Late Bone Tempering Realm.
In Lin Fan's courtyard, several days had passed since the contest at the Pill Pavilion, and he had not gone back. Apart from eating and sleeping, he spent every day cultivating the Azure Cloud Method. With meals delivered on time, he did not even need to cook.
Under a thousandfold Cultivation Acceleration each day, Lin Fan felt his strength growing stronger at every moment of practice. He was currently at the Early Bone Tempering Realm. If he kept training like this, he estimated he could reach the Mid Bone Tempering Realm within a month and the Late Bone Tempering Realm within three.
Lin Fan was not short of silver taels, but a thousandfold acceleration felt just right. If he went any faster, controlling his strength would become difficult. A moment's carelessness over a meal could snap his chopsticks, and then he would have to tread on eggshells all the time.
Over the past few days, Su Qingwei had often found time to visit while Lin Fan trained.
She never stayed all day. Usually, she came at afternoon tea time, around three or four, bringing tea snacks and candied treats she had made herself. She would sit quietly beside him and watch him train, or chat with him about amusing happenings in town when he took a break.
One afternoon, Lin Fan had just finished a cycle of the method. His muscles and bones still ached with the faint heat of exertion as he let out a long breath of murky white air.
When he looked up, Su Qingwei stood below the stone steps a short distance away. She wore a pale pink silk dress, her dark hair gathered into a simple bun with a small jade flower tucked beside her temple. She carried a carved food box. Seeing him open his eyes, she blushed faintly and hurried over.
"Your aura was surging just now, so I didn't call out to you," Su Qingwei said softly, setting the food box on the stone table. "I had the kitchen make lotus seed soup and a few pastries. Training takes a lot out of you. Have something to eat."
Lin Fan rose, his bones giving a faint series of cracks. After days of training under a thousandfold Cultivation Acceleration, power surged through him, while the Azure Cloud Method slowly tempered every part of his body. He sat down at the stone table. "Eat with me."
Su Qingwei sat on the edge of the stone bench, her long lashes lowered. "Father and Mother said we should move to Sunset Glow Courtyard after the wedding. The renovations there are nearly finished. Is there anything special you'd like to add, Lin Fan?"
As she spoke, Su Qingwei lifted the lid of the food box, releasing the sweet scent of lotus seeds. Inside were several neatly arranged plates of delicate pastries.
Lin Fan picked up a pair of bamboo chopsticks. The moment he raised his hand, a little strength escaped his fingers. With a soft crack, the chopsticks snapped in two. Half fell onto the stone table with a crisp clatter. Lin Fan paused, then shook his head helplessly. Even at only a thousandfold acceleration, his strength could slip out if he was careless.
Su Qingwei froze too, then smiled behind pressed lips. "It seems your strength is growing so quickly that you haven't quite grown used to how much force you use."
Lin Fan set the broken chopsticks aside and picked up another pair. "Qingwei, do you know the Imperial Court has issued a warrant for me?"
"I do. Father and Mother told me about your past." She looked up at Lin Fan, her eyes clear and without the slightest fear.
Looking at her calm expression, Lin Fan felt a stir in his heart. Throughout their time together, he had kept using the Disguise Art out of habit. Su Qingwei had not yet seen his real face. Now that they were engaged, he did not want to hide it from her any longer. He thought his real face was more handsome, but everyone had their own idea of what looked good. What if Su Qingwei preferred his disguised appearance? Better to tell her before the wedding.
"There's something I need to tell you." As the words left his mouth, Lin Fan activated the Disguise Art on his face. A moment later, his true features returned.
A completely different face emerged beneath the sunlight. Before, Lin Fan had looked ordinary but presentable, with unremarkable features—reasonably good-looking, all told. But now that he had removed his disguise, his true face was revealed.
The young man had swordlike brows, a high nose, and sharp, defined features. His eyes were deep and dark, his shifting gaze strikingly bold. He was so handsome that Su Qingwei stared, momentarily dazed. Sunlight fell across the side of his face, making him look as though he had stepped out of a comic.
Su Qingwei stared at Lin Fan, lips slightly parted. It was a long while before she came back to herself. She reached out and gently touched his face, pressing it lightly. There was indeed no trace of a disguise left.
Then, realizing what she had done, she snatched her hand back and edged away half an inch. She averted her gaze as the tips of her ears flushed red. She had always thought Lin Fan carried himself with distinction, but she had never imagined his true appearance would be so strikingly handsome too.
The lotus seed soup on the stone table still gave off a faint curl of steam. Wind swept through the courtyard flowers, sending a few petals fluttering onto the blue bricks.
"Th-this... this is your real face?" Su Qingwei asked even more quietly once she had calmed down.
"Yes," Lin Fan said calmly. "My cultivation was weaker back then, so I learned the Disguise Art. These days, I hardly ever leave the Su Family Estate. I don't need to use it anymore."
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