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

Wang Long slowly opened his eyes.

Before me still stood that dusty ancestral hall, sunlight streaming obliquely through the half-open wooden windows, turning the dust motes floating in the air a pale gold.

The skeleton nailed to the wall was still there, but the black nails were dissipating at a visible speed, leaving only a few shallow indentations on the bone surface.

Ye Niannu stood beside him, her peach blossom eyes full of concern.

"My lord, how is it?"

Wang Long's gaze fell on the skeleton.

The next moment, the withered skeleton began to undergo some strange change.

A wisp of warm white light seeped out from the bone crevices, like melting snow in early spring, slowly flowing, gathering, and condensing to form a thin film of light on the surface of the bones.

The light membrane grew thicker and brighter, enveloping the entire skeleton, gradually softening and making its outline fuller.

Ye Niannu stared blankly.

There was no hostility in that light; instead, it carried an indescribable warmth and tranquility that made one want to get closer.

The light lasted for about ten breaths before slowly receding.

When the last ray of white light entered the skeleton, there was no longer a skeleton on the wall.

She was a girl who looked to be about twenty years old, wearing a faded old cloth dress and straw sandals.

Her face wasn't exactly stunningly beautiful, but it possessed a clean and gentle quality that was unforgettable once seen.

Her eyes were closed, her long, slightly curled eyelashes casting a small shadow beneath her eyelids, and the corners of her mouth were slightly curved, as if she were having a very peaceful dream.

Ye Niannu paused slightly.

"She...came back to life?"

Wang Long nodded gently, his voice low and warm.

"She was alive all along, but she had been trapped by those nails for too long. Now that those things are gone, her body has returned to its original state."

Ye Niannu looked at him, then at the girl on the wall.

"So what is she now? Is she still alive or...?"

"I'm finally being myself."

Wang Long stepped forward, raised his hand, and gently touched the girl's brow with his fingertips.

"She's been trapped for so long, she's exhausted and needs a good night's sleep."

The moment his fingertips touched the girl's brow, her eyelashes trembled slightly, and then her eyes slowly opened.

Those eyes were clear and bright, like a mountain stream that had just been washed by rain.

She looked at Wang Long, who was so close to her, and the curve of her lips deepened. Her voice was soft and gentle, carrying a sense of dazed joy and reverie.

"Thank you... I feel like you've pieced me back together."

Wang Long paused for a moment, then laughed.

"You're welcome. How are you feeling?"

Xi Ning blinked, as if carefully sensing her own body, and then whispered.

"It feels so light...it doesn't hurt at all anymore. This is the first time in a very long time that I've felt so relaxed."

She had forgotten what it felt like, to the point that she could no longer feel her own existence.

As she spoke, she tried to move her fingers, and then slowly sat up.

Despite being nailed to the wall for so many years, her body did not stiffen at all.

She lightly leaped down from the wall, her bare feet landing on the dusty blue brick floor, and looked down at her toes.

He raised his head again and gave Wang Long a clean smile.

Thank you all~

Before Xi Ning could finish speaking, a warm light shone from her chest.

The light was faint at first, but then it grew stronger and brighter, illuminating the entire ancestral hall as if it were daytime.

Immediately afterwards, the light surged towards Wang Long and Ye Niannu like a burst dam, enveloping the two of them.

Wang Long felt a gentle yet powerful force flowing into his meridians. The force was extremely pure, like gold that had been refined through countless trials, without any impurities.

Within his dantian, the Great Emperor Seed trembled slightly, resonating with the golden light of merit in a strange way, like a river flowing into the sea, gradually pushing his cultivation to higher levels.

Mid-stage Saint Realm...Late-stage Saint Realm!

He didn't even feel any resistance before he stood firmly on the threshold of the late stage of the Saint Realm.

At the same time, the righteous energy within him underwent a qualitative change under the nourishment of the golden light of merit.

They were originally independent forces, but now they seem to have found some common source, intertwining and merging with the golden light of merit, forming a new, more profound and pure existence.

Ye Niannu's side was not left behind either.

When that golden light of merit surged into her body, she felt a warm current wash over all the meridians in her body, and those minor blockages and hidden injuries were cleansed in the blink of an eye.

The shackles that had bound her to the early stage of the Supreme Realm had already loosened, and now, under the infusion of the golden light of merit, they melted away as quickly as spring ice meeting the warm sun.

Her aura suddenly surged, settling steadily at the mid-stage of the Supreme Realm.

The light circulated within the two of them for a few breaths before slowly receding.

Wang Long opened his eyes, looked down at his hands, and felt that every pore on his body was breathing, and every inch of his flesh was filled with an indescribable lightness and power.

He turned his head and looked at Ye Niannu.

Ye Niannu was also looking at him, her peach blossom eyes filled with surprise and joy.

"My lord, I've broken through!"

"Yes, I have also broken through."

Wang Long nodded slightly, then looked at Xi Ning.

Xi Ning was standing a few steps away, her hands behind her back, tilting her head slightly as she looked at the two of them, a smile playing on her lips.

Her radiance had faded, and she looked ordinary, like a girl next door who had just walked back from the fields.

But in those eyes, there was a calmness and clarity that seemed beyond her years.

"That's the golden light of merit, which I've accumulated over the years."

Xi Ning murmured softly.

"I have no use for these, so they're perfect for you."

Wang Long looked at her, remained silent for a moment, and then solemnly clasped his hands in a salute.

Thank you.

Xi Ning felt a little embarrassed by his bow and quickly waved her hand.

"No, no, no, I should be thanking you. If you hadn't helped me remove those nails, I would have been trapped in that dark place for the rest of my life, having nightmares forever."

Her tone was light, but Wang Long could see a shadow that had not completely dissipated deep in her eyes.

The memories of being imprisoned, betrayed, and tortured during those years are hard to erase completely.

Xi Ning suddenly stepped forward, looked up at him, her gaze earnest and clear.

"Looking forward to your guidance from now on~"

Wang Long was slightly taken aback. What did this mean?

Xi Ning smiled faintly.

"Although my physical body has recovered, my primordial spirit is still too weak and I need to find a safe place to recuperate slowly."

"Your consciousness is filled with righteous energy and the aura of golden merit; my soul tells me it feels very comfortable inside..."

Wang Long looked into her clear eyes, still not realizing what had happened.

Upon hearing this, Xi Ning closed her eyes, and her body began to become transparent, like a soft white light, slowly drifting towards Wang Long's brow.

Just as she was about to enter Wang Long's brow, her voice fell as softly as a feather into his ear.

"I'll thank you when I wake up~"