Inside the carriage, Mr. Luo noticed the conspicuous marks on Ye Zi’an’s neck and curled up the corner of his mouth.
He snorted and said, "Well done."
When they arrived at the county town, they met up with Mu Shaoling, who had come to see them off. As soon as he saw Ye Zi’an, Mu Shaoling’s expression darkened for a moment, but it quickly passed. Waving his hand, he told Ye Zi’an to leave, as he couldn’t bear to look at him.
However, Ye Zi’an seemed quite calm about it. It seemed that ever since he left Yangshu Village, he hadn’t smiled much. He behaved courteously, but with an air of indifference that couldn’t be ignored. It was as if he had returned to the time when he first met Yang Chuxia as a lame boy, detached and indifferent.
Mr. Luo could accept this change since his student usually behaved this way outside.
However, the day after they left the prefecture, Mr. Luo almost jumped in shock when he saw Ye Zi’an again. He couldn’t accept it. Where was his elegant, jade-like disciple? Who was this waxy yellow, bamboo-like person?
"What happened to you?"
Now, Ye Zi’an looked as Yang Chuxia described, with a disguised appearance. His skin was no longer fair but waxy yellow and his face no longer smooth, with more freckles around his nose bridge. Of course, the tear mole that onlookers found unattractive was not absent.
He was still the same person, but he looked painfully ugly, with a heavy, lifeless aura.
If it weren’t for his tone of voice, Mr. Luo might have thought someone had swapped his disciple.
"My wife worries that I might attract bees and butterflies while I’m away. So, to put her mind at ease, I concealed my appearance," Ye Zi’an explained.
"You... you really are!" Mr. Luo pointed at him, speechless for a while before finally yelling, "Hurry up and wash it off, what happened to you?" Mr. Luo couldn’t help but wonder what magic potion that country girl, Yang Chuxia had given his proud disciple.
Did he have to be this devoted?
"Master, I’ll stay ! I won’t wash!"
"You..." Seeing that he really wouldn’t budge, Mr. Luo held his tongue and simply got on the carriage, unwilling to gaze upon such a dreadful sight which hurt his eyes.
When Mu Shaofeng arrived, he, too, was stunned by Ye Zi’an’s appearance and couldn’t help but laugh.
"You really are too much! The Capital City is full of beauties, not uglies. Why must you keep yourself hidden? Rest assured, there are so many beauties in the Capital City they could circle it several times. Any one of them who comes running to you is a top-quality beauty."
Listening to Mu Shaofeng’s words, Mr. Luo couldn’t help but lift the carriage curtain and reply irritably, "He’s guarding against those beauties! He’s being stubborn, keeping his body as pure as jade and his character unblemished, all for that stinky Yang Chuxia."
"Master, I’m cutting off all possibilities from the source," replied Zi’an.
At this moment, Ye Zi’an’s thoughts were so beautiful, but he could never have imagined that one day, the women of the Capital City would boldly send him freckle-removal ointments and whitening creams.
Hearing Ye Zi’an’s words, Mu Shaofeng laughed again, but said seriously, "Zi’an, indeed, your appearance easily attracts attention. Concealing it will indeed reduce some unnecessary trouble. However, this is just an ideal situation; some people care more about status than appearance."
"Yes, I understand. I’m simply trying to avoid as much as possible."
"Alright, let’s not talk too much. You should leave early. Don’t worry about your family; I’ll look after them if anything happens."