Removing the Disguise Art

After seeing Su Qingwei back, Lin Fan crossed nearly half of the Su Residence before returning to his own small courtyard.

When he returned, his younger sister Lin Ruoruo was sitting beside the table, holding the golden giant rat Mao Mao in her arms. Two food boxes sat on the table, one open and one still closed.

The moment she saw Lin Fan return, her eyes lit up. Releasing Mao Mao, she pounced into Lin Fan's embrace.

As night deepened, the lights of the Su Residence stretched on without end, and the lively atmosphere of the joyous occasion gradually spread.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the small town, at the White Ram Gang's main hall. Candlelight flickered in a spacious chamber. A spy knelt on the ground with bowed head, reporting every detail of the intelligence he had gathered to the gang leader.

"Gang Leader, the news has been confirmed. Su Yuanshan of the Su Family has formally betrothed his daughter, Su Qingwei, to Lin Fan. The wedding will be held six days from now. The Su Residence is currently making extensive preparations for Lin Fan and Su Qingwei's wedding."

The air in the hall instantly grew heavy.

The White Ram Gang Leader sat in the seat of honor, his fingers slowly curling into a fist as coldness surged in his eyes. This afternoon, he had just received news that Lin Fan had refined more than a dozen batches of pills, every batch producing top-grade pills, and he had not yet recovered from the shock. Yet Lin Fan and Su Qingwei had become engaged immediately afterward, with the wedding set only six days away. It was so rushed that Su Yuanshan seemed unable to wait to marry off his daughter.

The White Ram Gang Leader cursed inwardly. Had he known Lin Fan was this formidable, he might as well have taken the risk with those few friends back then and eliminated Lin Fan. Now that Lin Fan was engaged to Su Qingwei of the Su Family, he had completely become one of them. He also stayed within the Su Family Estate every day. Dealing with Lin Fan and the Su Family would only become more difficult.

With a heavy sigh, the White Ram Gang Leader waved for the spy below to withdraw. Then he looked toward the deputy gang leaders and stewards on either side. "What do you all think of this matter?"

"Gang Leader, the Su Family now has both Su Yuanshan and Lin Fan in the Bone Tempering Realm. At present, we truly should not clash head-on with the Su Family."

"Yes, Gang Leader. We can only wait quietly for an opportunity and see how the situation changes."

Listening to the discussion around him, the White Ram Gang Leader could only set the matter aside and begin considering how to break through into the Late Bone Tempering Realm.

Inside Lin Fan's small courtyard, Lin Fan had not visited the Pill Pavilion for several days since that contest. Every day, apart from eating and sleeping, he cultivated the Azure Cloud Method in his courtyard. Since meals were delivered punctually every day, even the time spent cooking was saved.

Under the thousandfold acceleration of his cultivation effects each day, Lin Fan felt his strength growing and becoming stronger at every moment while cultivating. He was now at the Early Bone Tempering Realm. If he maintained this pace of cultivation every day, he estimated that he could enter the Mid Bone Tempering Realm within a month. Within three months, he could reach the Late Bone Tempering Realm.

Lin Fan was not short of silver now, but he felt that this thousandfold acceleration was just right. If it became any faster, it would be difficult for him to control his strength. For instance, when eating, a careless exertion of force could easily snap his chopsticks. Then he would have to remain cautious at all times.

Over the past few days, Su Qingwei often found time to visit while Lin Fan cultivated.

She did not linger all day. Most often, she came during afternoon tea, around three or four in the afternoon, bringing tea snacks and candied fruits she had made herself to Lin Fan's courtyard. Then she would quietly sit beside him and watch him cultivate, or chat with him about amusing things happening around town during his breaks.

One afternoon, Lin Fan had just completed a cycle of his cultivation method. A faintly burning soreness remained in his muscles and bones after cultivation, and he slowly exhaled a long breath of turbid white air.

Looking up, he saw Su Qingwei standing beneath the stone steps not far away. She wore a light pink gauze dress, her black hair gathered into a simple bun, with a small jade flower tucked beside her temple. She carried a carved food box in her hand. The moment she saw Lin Fan open his eyes, a faint blush rose to her cheeks, and she hurried over.

"I saw your aura churning just now, so I did not call out to you." Su Qingwei kept her voice low as she placed the food box on the stone table. "I had the kitchen make some lotus seed soup, along with several pastries. Cultivation drains your energy, so eat some to fill your stomach."

Lin Fan stood up, his muscles and bones giving a faint series of cracking sounds. After days of accelerated cultivation at a thousandfold effect, the power within him surged like roaring waves, while the Azure Cloud Method slowly tempered every limb and bone. He walked to the stone table and sat down. "You should eat too."

Su Qingwei sat at the edge of the stone stool, her long lashes lowered. "Father and Mother said that after the wedding, we are to move to Sunset Glow Courtyard. The repairs there are nearly complete. Lin Fan, is there anything in particular you would like added?"

As she spoke, Su Qingwei lifted the lid of the food box, and the sweet fragrance of lotus seeds slowly spread through the air. Several plates of delicate pastries were arranged neatly inside as well.

Lin Fan picked up a pair of bamboo chopsticks. The instant he raised his hand, a trace of power leaked from his knuckles. With a soft crack, the chopsticks were directly snapped into two pieces by his grip. Half of them fell onto the stone tabletop with a crisp sound. Lin Fan paused slightly, then shook his head helplessly. Even with merely a thousandfold acceleration of cultivation effects, his strength could easily spill out if he was careless.

Su Qingwei was also startled, but then she pressed her lips together and smiled faintly. "It seems your cultivation and strength have improved too quickly. You have not yet fully grown accustomed even to the force in your hands."

Lin Fan set the broken chopsticks aside and picked up another pair. As he did, he asked, "Qingwei, do you know that there is an imperial wanted notice for me?"

"I know. Father and Mother told me about your past." She raised her eyes toward Lin Fan, her gaze clear and without the slightest trace of fear.

Lin Fan looked at her calm brows and eyes, and something stirred within him. During these days together, he had habitually used the Disguise Art. Su Qingwei seemed never to have seen his true appearance. Now that their marriage had been arranged, he no longer wished to hide anything from her. Although he thought his original appearance was more handsome, everyone had different standards for what was handsome. What if Su Qingwei happened to prefer the face he wore after disguising himself? Lin Fan felt it would be better to make this clear before the wedding.

"There is something I need to tell you." As his words fell, Lin Fan activated the Disguise Art on his face. A moment later, he returned to his original appearance.

An entirely different face gradually appeared beneath the sunlight. Before, Lin Fan's features could only be considered proper and ordinary, his brows and eyes unremarkable, his looks somewhat above average. But now, with the disguise removed, his true face was revealed.

The young man had sword-like brows slanting upward, a high straight nose, sharp and distinct features, and dark, profound eyes. Every shift of his gaze carried an imposing heroic spirit, making him strikingly handsome. For a moment, Su Qingwei could only stare at him in a daze. Sunlight fell across the young man's profile, making him seem as though he had stepped out of a comic.

Su Qingwei stared blankly at Lin Fan, her lips slightly parted as she gazed at the person before her. Only after a long while did she come back to her senses. Once she did, she gently reached out and touched Lin Fan's face, pressing it lightly and finding no trace of disguise at all.

Then, realizing something, she quickly lowered her hand and shifted back half an inch on her seat. Her gaze darted aside, while the tips of her ears swiftly flushed crimson. She had once only thought Lin Fan possessed an outstanding temperament. She had never imagined that his true appearance would be so heroic, handsome, and extraordinary.

The lotus seed soup on the stone table still gave off faint steam. The wind passed through the flowers in the courtyard, and several petals rustled down onto the blue bricks.

"This... this is your true appearance?" Once she had calmed down, Su Qingwei lowered her voice even further.

Lin Fan replied evenly, "Yes. Back then, my cultivation was low, so I learned this Disguise Art. Now I rarely leave the Su Family, so there is no need to use it anymore."