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

Wang Long exclaimed in surprise and quickly reached out to support her waist.

When that calloused hand touched the skin on her waist, Luo Hanyi froze, as if she had been burned.

She looked down at the hand.

This hand, which has been used to raise horses for sixty years, is rough, ugly, and covered with cracks and scars.

But at this moment, this hand is firmly resting on her waist.

Luo Hanyi took a deep breath and reached out to push Wang Long's hand away from her waist.

The movements weren't particularly rough, but they weren't gentle either; they carried a deliberate sense of distance and indifference.

She sat up, turned her back to Wang Long, and began to straighten her clothes.

My fingers were still trembling a little, but it was much better than before, and my movements gradually returned to their usual composure.

Wang Long also sat up and looked at her back.

Moonlight streamed in through the window, falling on her bare shoulders like a thin layer of frost.

"Congratulations, Madam."

When Wang Long spoke, his voice was much calmer than before.

Luo Hanyi didn't turn around, and paused for a moment as she straightened her clothes.

"Your backlash has been suppressed."

Luo Hanyi didn't speak.

She lowered her head, tucking her disheveled hair behind her ears, her movements slow, as if she were thinking about something, or perhaps deliberately delaying something.

The silence lasted for a long time.

So long that Wang Long thought she wouldn't speak anymore.

"Your cultivation technique has reached a minor level of mastery?"

Luo Hanyi finally spoke, her voice regaining its usual coolness, though still carrying a trace of hoarseness.

"Yes, thanks to the First Madam!"

Wang Long nodded repeatedly, not daring to take credit.

Luo Hanyi slowly turned around and looked at Wang Long.

The previous confusion and vulnerability were gone from those beautiful eyes; in their place was a calm scrutiny.

"First-grade warrior."

She spoke slowly, her voice calm.

"Your performance has indeed exceeded my expectations."

Although Wang Long's body had been crippled for over sixty years, his cultivation speed far surpassed that of many geniuses.

Back then, it took Luo Hanyi a whole year to cultivate from an ordinary person to a first-grade martial artist!

Wang Long only needs one day.

Is this a waste product?

Luo Hanyi had a strange feeling that Wang Long was the reincarnation of some powerful being.

She paused, her eyes flickering slightly, as if she were quickly calculating something in her mind.

If Wang Long can continue to progress at such a rapid pace in the future, he has the potential to become a trump card for the Marquis's mansion.

Wang Long smiled broadly, his tone extremely humble, and he even bowed slightly.

Although his body had undergone tremendous changes and he had already stepped into the threshold of becoming a martial artist, he knew better than anyone else.

The woman in front of him was a sixth-rank martial artist, someone he couldn't afford to offend.

Before you become powerful enough, always remain humble!

Luo Hanyi looked away and got up from the bed.

She slowly walked to the bronze mirror and tidied her clothes and hair in front of it.

Her movements were elegant and composed, as if nothing had happened.

With her back to Wang Long, her voice regained its usual nonchalant languidness.

"It'll be the same time tomorrow, remember to be on time."

She waved her hand, the meaning of which was clear.

She told Wang Long to leave quickly, as she needed to rest and properly stabilize her newly broken-through realm.

But Wang Long remained seated and did not move.

He watched Luo Hanyi tidying her hair, his gaze sliding from her slender neck down to her waist, finally settling on her icy face reflected in the bronze mirror.

"Madam."

Wang Long stood up and grinned.

"This old servant is in good physical condition."

Luo Hanyi's hand stopped on her hair bun.

In the mirror, her brows furrowed slowly, and the temperature in her beautiful eyes dropped several degrees.

"How about..."

Wang Long took two steps behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.

When Luo Hanyi's palm touched the layer of crimson silk, she froze.

"Let's press on and help the First Madam break through to the next level in one fell swoop."

Wang Long's voice rang close to her ear, and his warm breath brushed against the back of her neck. Luo Hanyi's pupils contracted sharply.

The spiritual energy within his body erupted instantly.

She really wanted to slap this arrogant old man to death!

But the next moment, her heart sank.

She found her body as limp as a ball of cotton, completely powerless.

Although the backlash that had just been suppressed had subsided, my body felt completely drained, with a limp and weary feeling throughout my limbs.

Luo Hanyi's breathing suddenly became rapid.

Her reason screamed in rejection, but her body...

That contradiction tore her apart, filling her with anger and shame.

Luo Hanyi gritted her teeth.

"you--"

Her voice was trembling.

"open!"

Wang Long did not let go.

He even tightened his arms, pulling her firmly into his embrace.

Luo Hanyi's back was pressed against his, and she could clearly feel his strong and powerful heartbeat.

"Madam, you weren't like this just now."

Wang Long's voice was tinged with laughter as he rested his chin on her shoulder, his tone indifferent.

"When you called me 'old servant' just now, you were so vigorous, how come now—"

"Shut up!"

Luo Hanyi gritted her teeth.

She stared intently at the bronze mirror, in which two figures were reflected.

Her clothes were disheveled, her hair was in disarray, and she was being held from behind by a dirty old stable boy. The humiliation and shame on her face were almost overflowing from the mirror.

And what about Wang Long?

A smile graced the wrinkled old face, and candlelight reflected in the cloudy eyes.

"Wang Long".

Luo Hanyi took a deep breath, suppressing her surging emotions, and her voice regained some of its coldness.

Do you know what you're doing?

"Know."

Wang Long gently moved his hand around her waist.

"This old servant is attending to the First Madam."

"Serve?"

Luo Hanyi sneered, her gaze sharp as a knife, piercing him through the mirror.

"You dare to challenge me?"

She only saw Wang Long as a tool to help her cultivate, and had no other intentions.

In front of Wang Long, she was still the high and mighty First Lady of the Marquis's Mansion, while he was nothing more than an old servant who had raised horses for sixty years.

Wang Long didn't reply.

He could feel Luo Hanyi's body trembling slightly, but she was just being stubborn.

Aside from verbal reprimands, she did not actually resist.

Wang Long did not give her another chance to speak.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The candlelight flickered slightly, and the two shadows cast on the wall completely overlapped.

the other side.

Qin Minglan tossed and turned in her room, unable to sleep.

She rode her skis all day and was in a state of excitement the whole time.

Ta Xue finally recovered, and she was genuinely happy.

Since she couldn't sleep, Qin Minglan simply got up, put on a coat, and went out for some fresh air.

As she passed by Luo Hanyi's courtyard, she heard a series of strange noises.

Suddenly, he paused, then walked to the door.

"sister in law?"

She tapped gently.

The sounds inside the room abruptly ceased.

A moment later, Luo Hanyi's voice came from inside, with a hint of barely perceptible hoarseness.

"It's nothing...it was just a backlash from the cultivation technique, it's been suppressed. Minglan, you should get some rest..."

Qin Minglan stood at the door, feeling that something was wrong, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

"Sister-in-law, are you really alright? Should I call the royal physician to take a look at you?"

Qin Minglan understood that Luo Hanyi had been trying to suppress the backlash all these years, and she had seen her sister-in-law in pain.

"No need!"

Luo Hanyi's voice was slightly breathless.

"Go back quickly, the local doctor can't cure you..."

Qin Minglan didn't press further, but gave a word of advice before leaving.

"Oh... I'll head back now, sister-in-law, you should get some rest too."

Qin Minglan's footsteps faded into the distance.

inside the house.

By candlelight.

Luo Hanyi bit her lip tightly, her gaze was like frost, so cold it could freeze a person to death, but the blush at the corner of her eyes betrayed her.

"Madam."

Wang Long leaned close to her ear, looking at her face so close to his, his voice as soft as a feather.

"Were you... excited just now?"