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

Wang Long, supporting his back, walked back to his courtyard step by step.

The sun had already sunk below the eaves, leaving only a last sliver of dark red on the horizon.

He pushed open the courtyard gate, walked into the main room, plopped down on the bed, and let out a long sigh of relief.

"This woman is really going to be the death of me."

Wang Long muttered something, then lay back on the bed, staring blankly at the roof beam.

Middle stage of third grade.

In just a few days, he went from a useless body to the mid-stage of the third rank.

This speed is unbelievable.

But Wang Long knew in his heart that all of this was earned at the cost of his life.

He fought for his life on the ring, but off the ring he was relentlessly exploited by Luo Hanyi.

He's human, not made of iron.

Wang Long closed his eyes, wanting to rest for a while, but Qin Minglan's puffed-up face appeared in his mind.

The way that girl looked at him just now was as if she had suffered a great injustice.

"I wonder if he's calmed down yet."

Wang Long muttered to himself and sat up.

After thinking about it, he decided to go find Qin Minglan.

This girl's temper flares up quickly but subsides just as fast; a little coaxing will make her fine.

Wang Long stood up, stretched his aching back, and walked out of the yard.

Passing through the hanging flower gate and walking along the blue brick path, we headed towards Qin Minglan's courtyard.

He encountered several maids on the road, who all respectfully greeted him as "Master Wang".

Wang Long nodded and asked casually.

"Have you seen the young lady?"

The maids looked at each other and shook their heads.

"Your Highness, I haven't seen the young lady all afternoon."

Wang Long frowned slightly.

He asked several other people, and they all said they hadn't seen Qin Minglan.

A sudden sense of unease welled up in Wang Long's heart.

Where did that girl go?

He quickened his pace and ran to Qin Minglan's courtyard.

The courtyard gate was ajar, and it was quiet inside.

Wang Long pushed open the door and went inside. The door to the main room was open, but the room was empty.

Wang Long's heart sank.

He turned and walked out of the courtyard, where he ran into Chunlan.

"Chunlan, have you seen the young lady?"

Chunlan paused for a moment, then shook her head.

"Your Highness, I have been serving in the main hall all afternoon and have not seen the young lady."

Wang Long's brows furrowed more and more deeply.

He walked quickly to the stable, but Ta Xue was not there.

The fodder in the manger was still full, indicating that no one had added any fodder all afternoon.

Wang Long's heart suddenly started racing.

A bad feeling crept into my heart.

He grabbed a servant, his voice somewhat hurried.

"Did the young lady go horseback riding this afternoon?"

The servant thought for a moment and nodded.

"Reporting to Lord Wang, I saw the young lady riding her snow-covered horse out of the mansion this afternoon, heading south."

"How long has it been?"

"It's been about... an hour and a half."

Wang Long's expression changed instantly.

More than an hour.

It was getting dark.

Where could that girl go riding alone on horseback?

Qin Minglan always returned home on time whenever she went out on horseback, and this was never the case before...

Without hesitation, Wang Long turned and ran outside.

He was extremely anxious, and he cried out in his heart.

"Young Miss, please don't let anything happen to you!"

the other side.

Qin Minglan dodged a knife by sidestepping, swept her Qing Shuang sword to force another person back, and at the same time kicked the third person's wrist.

"Bang!"

The third person's dagger was kicked away, and he staggered back several steps.

Qin Minglan fought against four opponents and, although she held her own, she was unable to secure a quick victory.

Her swordsmanship was fierce and her movements were agile, but the four black-clad servants coordinated perfectly, advancing and retreating with great skill, and she couldn't be defeated in a short time.

Zhao Lingyun stood to the side, arms crossed, a smile on his lips, watching the fight with great interest.

"Miss Qin's swordsmanship is indeed well-deserved."

His voice was casual, with a hint of mockery.

"But how long can you hold out alone?"

Qin Minglan gritted her teeth and remained silent, her Qing Shuang sword swirling faster and faster in her hand.

She knew Zhao Lingyun was right.

She can't hold on for long by herself.

Although these four black-clad servants were all second-rank martial artists, they cooperated seamlessly, making a war of attrition extremely disadvantageous for her.

We must finish this quickly!

A resolute glint flashed in Qin Minglan's eyes, and the spiritual energy within her body surged wildly, causing a faint blue luster to emanate from the Azure Frost Sword.

The Great Void Breaking Illusion Sword Technique - First Form!

Dispel illusions!

A sharp sword aura shot out from the tip of the sword, silent yet carrying a chilling sharpness!

One of the black-clad servants was unable to dodge in time and was pierced through the shoulder by the sword energy. Blood splattered everywhere, and he screamed as he flew backward, crashing heavily to the ground and immediately losing consciousness.

The remaining three black-clad servants were shocked and instinctively took a few steps back.

Qin Minglan gave them no chance to breathe, and thrust out the Azure Frost Sword again, unleashing two more sword energies!

"Swoosh! Swoosh!"

The two black-clad servants were unable to dodge in time. One had his chest slashed open by the sword energy, and the other had his thigh pierced by the sword energy. They fell to the ground screaming in agony.

Seeing that things were not going well, the last black-clad servant turned and ran.

Qin Minglan did not chase after him. He gripped the Qing Shuang sword tightly, panting heavily, sweat dripping from his forehead and sliding down his cheeks.

Three consecutive sword strikes nearly drained the spiritual energy from her body.

Her face was pale, and her arms trembled slightly, but the fierceness in her almond-shaped eyes did not diminish in the slightest.

Qin Minglan raised her head and looked at Zhao Lingyun, her voice icy.

"Zhao Lingyun, your men are worn out, are you going to step in yourself?"

Zhao Lingyun frowned slightly as he looked at the four servants lying on the ground, then relaxed.

"Miss Qin is indeed remarkable; I admire her."

He slowly walked up to Qin Minglan, drew his long sword from his waist, the blade gleaming coldly, reflecting on his handsome yet sinister face.

"But you think you can escape from me just because you defeated four pieces of trash?"

He smiled, raised his longsword, and pointed it at Qin Minglan.

"I am a fourth-rank official."

Qin Minglan's heart sank.

Fourth rank.

She was only at the mid-stage of the third rank.

The difference in their levels is too great.

Moreover, its spiritual energy was completely depleted.

She gripped the Green Frost Sword tightly, gritted her teeth, and her almond-shaped eyes were full of stubbornness.

"So what if you're a fourth-rank official? I'm not afraid of you!"

Zhao Lingyun laughed, a laugh that was completely unrestrained.

"Not afraid? Fine, then I'll show you what a fourth-rank official is all about."

Before he finished speaking, he moved.

The speed was astonishing, leaving a trail of afterimages in its wake. The longsword, imbued with sharp spiritual energy, aimed straight for Qin Minglan's face!

Qin Minglan's pupils contracted sharply, and his body instinctively moved to block with his sword.

"clang!"

With a loud bang, Qin Minglan was sent flying backward, crashing heavily into Taxue.

With a long neigh, Ta Xue braced itself against the ground and caught Qin Minglan with its body.

Qin Minglan lay on Ta Xue's back, a metallic taste rising in her mouth, her tiger's mouth cracked, and blood dripped down the hilt of her sword.

Zhao Lingyun sheathed his sword and stood there with a smile on his lips.

"Miss Qin, shall we continue?"

Qin Minglan gritted her teeth, straightened up from Taxue's back, gripped the Qing Shuang sword tightly, and her almond-shaped eyes were full of defiance.

"Hit me! I'd rather die than be your woman!"

Zhao Lingyun's smile turned cold.

"If you refuse a toast, you'll have to drink a penalty cup."

He raised his hand, took out a paper package from his sleeve, and gave it a gentle shake.

A pale pink powder wafted out of the paper package, spreading through the air with a strange, sweet scent.

Before Qin Minglan could react, she had already inhaled the sweet fragrance.

She trembled all over, feeling her spiritual energy instantly stagnate, as if all the energy in her body had been drained, leaving her completely powerless.

The Azure Frost Sword fell to the ground with a clang.

Qin Minglan slumped against Taxue's back, her almond-shaped eyes filled with terror.

"What...what did you do?!"