The charming widow of the Marquis's mansion: The stable boy carries the flag and raises the dra

Her voice trembled slightly.

Wang Long looked down at her, a hint of amusement in his cloudy old eyes.

"Miss Chunlan, are you... afraid of me now?"

Chunlan froze, her smile almost fading.

She bit her lip, forcing a smile, but her voice clearly lacked confidence.

"Your Majesty...Your Majesty is too kind. How could I possibly be afraid of you..."

"Yeah?"

Wang Long moved forward another half a step, and the two were so close that they could feel each other's breath.

Chunlan's eyelashes trembled violently, her chest heaved, and she huddled against the doorframe like a frightened rabbit.

"Uncle Wang... please... please don't do this..."

Her voice was barely audible, tinged with obvious panic.

Wang Long stared at her for two seconds, then suddenly grinned and gently patted her on the shoulder.

"Snap—"

The crisp sound was particularly clear in the quiet courtyard.

Chunlan felt as if she had been scalded, and she jerked away, covering her bottom with her hands, her face turning bright red to her ears.

"Uncle Wang! You—"

She was both ashamed and angry, her almond-shaped eyes wide open, and tears welled up in her eyes.

Wang Long withdrew his hand, smiling nonchalantly.

"Don't be nervous, Miss Chunlan, I'm not going to eat you."

Chunlan bit her lip, her face flushed, feeling both angry and embarrassed, but she dared not lash out.

The old man before me is no longer the stable boy I could scold and humiliate at will.

He was a servant representing the Marquis's mansion in battle, a favorite of the First Madam who personally bestowed upon him a courtyard, and a powerful figure who defeated a second-rank martial artist in a single move.

Chunlan took a deep breath, suppressing her surging emotions, and forced a smile back, though the smile looked forced no matter how you looked at it.

"Uncle Wang...you must be joking..."

She took two steps back to create some distance, her voice still trembling slightly.

"Um... this servant still needs to report to the Madam, so I won't disturb Master Wang's rest any longer... If you need anything, please don't hesitate to ask. This servant... this servant will take her leave now..."

After saying that, he turned and walked out without waiting for Wang Long's response.

Their pace quickened, and they almost jogged as they disappeared behind the moon gate.

Wang Long stood in the courtyard, watching Chunlan's hasty retreat, and smiled.

This girl didn't even trigger any system notifications, so she seems to be just an ordinary person.

Wang Long has no interest in women with poor qualities; if he wants to conquer someone, he wants to conquer a powerful woman!

Wang Long stretched his shoulders, walked into the main room, and plopped down on the four-poster bed.

The bed was hard as a rock, covered with a brand-new cotton mattress, much more comfortable than the haystacks in the stable.

He lay down, put his hands behind his head, and stared blankly at the roof beam.

Today's battle has allowed us to firmly establish ourselves in the Marquis's mansion.

From now on, no one will dare to treat him like an old dog.

But this is far from enough.

Luo Hanyi, that woman, is deep and calculating; she can change her mind faster than turning the pages of a book.

Today you may admire his courtyard, but tomorrow you might take his life over a trivial matter.

Wang Long closed his eyes, and the image of Luo Hanyi's aloof and ethereal face, along with her eyes that were sometimes dreamy and sometimes icy, appeared in his mind.

"I'm still not strong enough!"

Wang Long always felt that his life was firmly in Luo Hanyi's hands.

To truly rise to power, one must first surpass Luo Hanyi in cultivation!

Wang Long dared not delay and sat cross-legged on the bed.

The Primordial Chaos Body operates on its own, drawing in spiritual energy from all directions, which seeps into its body in strands.

Wang Long closed his eyes and immersed himself in cultivation.

In his mind, the Zhuxian Sword Embryo floated quietly, with a sharp sword aura nurtured within it, growing even stronger than yesterday.

The second move of the Tai Xu Po Wang Sword Technique had already begun to slowly unfold in his consciousness.

I don't know how long he has been cultivating.

A series of hurried footsteps echoed in the courtyard.

Wang Long opened his eyes and found Qin Minglan standing at the door, staring intently at him.

She was dressed in a light yellow outfit, her black hair was tied in a high ponytail, her almond-shaped eyes were wide open, her hands were on her hips, she looked fierce, but also a little cute.

"Old man!"

Upon seeing this, Wang Long immediately stood up and bowed in greeting.

"This old servant greets the young lady."

Qin Minglan strode into the stable, looking him up and down as if he were a monster.

"How exactly did you manage to unleash that sword strike during your duel?"

Wang Long looked completely bewildered and asked in return, feigning confusion.

"What is the young lady saying?"

Stop pretending!

Qin Minglan stared at him, her almond-shaped eyes full of inquiry.

"That was the sword strike that defeated Shen Yue! Sword energy! How could a first-rank martial artist like you possibly possess sword energy?"

Wang Long scratched his head and gave a simple, honest smile.

"Young Miss, this old servant doesn't know either; I just used it without really understanding it."

"Completely confused?!"

Qin Minglan's voice rose an octave, clearly indicating her extreme dissatisfaction with the answer.

"Do you think I'm a three-year-old? You think I can unleash sword energy without even realizing it? You're kidding me!"

Wang Long quickly waved his hand.

"This old servant wouldn't dare deceive you, young lady. This old servant truly doesn't know..."

"you--"

Qin Minglan stomped her feet in anger, her ponytail swinging back and forth behind her head.

She paced back and forth in the doorway a few times, then suddenly stopped, turned to stare at Wang Long, a sly glint in her eyes.

"Fine, you won't tell, huh?"

She took two steps to Wang Long, grabbed his collar, and shoved him hard.

Caught off guard, Wang Long leaned back and fell directly onto the bed.

Before he could react, Qin Minglan had already flipped over and straddled him, her knees pressing against his chest, her hands gripping his collar, looking down at him condescendingly.

Her almond-shaped eyes widened, and she looked fierce.

"Old man, are you going to teach him or not?"

Wang Long was so overwhelmed that he could hardly breathe, and his eyes widened.

"Miss... what are you doing?"

"What are you doing?"

Qin Minglan snorted coldly and tightened her grip on his collar.

"I'm asking you, how did you execute that sword strike? Will you teach me or not?"

"Young Miss, this old servant really—"

"You're not going to tell, are you?"

Qin Minglan clenched her other fist and waved it in front of him.

"My fists aren't just for show!"

Wang Long looked at her face, so close to his own, her almond-shaped eyes wide open, her nose almost touching his, her breath carrying a faint fragrance that wafted onto his face.

The girl in front of him had grown up, and even though there were clothes between them, the sensation of her pressing against him was still clearly audible.

Wang Long's heart skipped a beat, but he quickly suppressed the inappropriate thought.

This little darling is Luo Hanyi's beloved aunt, and she can't be touched now!

"Young Miss, it's not that this old servant is unwilling to teach, it's just that this sword technique..."

He carefully considered his words.

"It's a family tradition; there's an ancestral rule that it can't be taught to outsiders."

Qin Minglan was stunned for a moment, then her almond-shaped eyes narrowed and a dangerous smile appeared on her lips.

"A family heirloom?"

"Yes."

"Can't we teach outsiders?"

"Yes."

Qin Minglan loosened his collar, straightened up, crossed her arms, and looked down at him.

"You are a servant of the Marquis's mansion. Not only do you belong to the Marquis's mansion, but your ancestral sword techniques also belong to the Marquis's mansion!"

Qin Minglan had a fierce demeanor and refused to reason with Wang Long at all.

As the eldest daughter of a marquis's family, she could have anything she wanted, and she absolutely had to have this sword technique!

Wang Long was speechless. He never expected that the eldest daughter of the Marquis's mansion would be so shameless.

Now Luo Hanyi needs him, and the Marquis's mansion needs him.

Wang Long had the confidence to refuse Luo Hanyi.

"Even if you kill this old servant, young lady, this sword technique must not be passed on!"

Although Qin Minglan was domineering, she knew that Wang Long was useful to the Marquis's mansion. She really loved practicing swordsmanship, so she could only settle for asking questions instead.

"What will it take for you to teach me?"

Wang Long is currently focused on improving his own strength, so he has no time to teach Qin Minglan swordsmanship. He must make this girl give up when faced with difficulties.

Thinking of this, Wang Long instantly had an idea. He glanced at Qin Minglan and chuckled.

"Young lady, would you like to either become this old servant's apprentice or give this old servant a kiss!"