CHAPTER 673: CHAPTER 673: HE’S LYING TO YOU

Upon learning that Zhan Lan was pregnant, the corners of Vermilion Bird’s mouth rose to a level that could rival the sun. He tried hard to suppress his smile; he must not laugh.

He must not laugh out loud.

"Master, Madam..."

He spoke, holding back his laughter, but still, the amusement leaked through.

Mu Yan and Zhan Lan both turned their heads to look at Vermilion Bird, whose lips were twitching.

"What’s wrong with you?"

Vermilion Bird immediately denied, "Cough, cough, cough, I didn’t hear anything."

Mu Yan curled his lips; this lad must have heard everything!

"Well, if you heard, you heard." Mu Yan was in a good mood; with Zhan Lan expecting, the happiest person besides him was surely Vermilion Bird.

Vermilion Bird seemed to have an obsession with the little master, was even more eager than he was.

Vermilion Bird smiled, showing a set of white teeth; Zhan Lan had never seen such a joyful expression on his face before.

In his heart, Vermilion Bird already had many ideas, ah, he could finally prepare little clothes, little quilts, and little cradles for the little master.

Boy or girl, he wondered?

Vermilion Bird thought about it; what if he’s not prepared properly? He decided to prepare for both boys and girls just in case!

Zhan Lan’s gaze fell on Vermilion Bird’s face; usually, he was respectful and stern to her, but inside, he was actually very amusing.

"Is there something?" Zhan Lan asked.

Vermilion Bird stammered, glanced at Mu Yan, then gathered the courage to say, "Madam, Master, Miss Qingcheng is here, downstairs."

After he finished speaking, Vermilion Bird darted off.

His heart pounded wildly, who didn’t know that Qingcheng admired the Master; oh Master, Master, what are you doing bringing Qingcheng over, let’s see how Madam deals with you later...

Zhan Lan’s gaze moved downstairs, where she saw Qingcheng dressed in a blue gown. Her face was as pristine as a lily blossoming in the dawn, exuding both freshness and graciousness.

Her figure was graceful, like willow catkins dancing lightly; her hair was like silk, giving an impression of tranquil and elegant beauty.

In her hand, she held a sword that was utterly mismatched with her physique.

She lifted her eyes to look at Zhan Lan and gave a gentle smile.

Zhan Lan nodded slightly, Qingcheng looked different from the past, from this one could tell she was indeed Zuo Bingyan.

Then she nodded lightly at Mu Yan, without much lingering gaze.

Zhan Lan raised an eyebrow at Mu Yan, "Here for you?"

Mu Yan immediately explained, "No, she’s here for her father’s murderer."

Zhan Lan remembered, Mu Yan had told her that it was possible that Qingcheng’s father was murdered by Mu Cheng’an.

"Alright, understood, you may go!" Zhan Lan smiled faintly.

Mu Yan smiled and, grasping Zhan Lan’s hand, started walking downstairs.

Zhan Lan calmly said, "The affairs of your Zhongzhou, you should take care of them, I won’t misunderstand."

Mu Yan held her hand tightly, "I’m taking you back to the room, Qingcheng’s about to kill someone, and it counts as completely settling our debts with her. Besides, I’m still investigating the matters of Eastern Wei’s Emperor Tan Dong; Qingcheng acting rashly could mess up my plan."

Zhan Lan nodded, it was typical of Mu Yan to avoid Qingcheng.

From the look in Qingcheng’s eye when she glanced at Mu Yan just now, it seemed she had also let go, settling the debts with each other might be good for both of them!

Mu Yan’s eyes gradually softened, "And besides, I don’t want to spill any more blood; we must gather blessings for our child."

Zhan Lan’s gentle gaze fell on Mu Yan’s handsome profile; these words really didn’t sound like something rebellious, faithless-in-deities’ Mu Yan would say.

Carefully, supported by Mu Yan, Zhan Lan descended the stairs into the main hall. As she noticed Mu Yan’s cautious manner, she couldn’t help but laugh, "I’m not even showing yet; after all, I’m a martial artist, not so fragile, mind your footing."

Mu Yan said seriously, "No, starting today, wherever you go, I’ll be there too. Now that we finally have a child, we cannot be careless."

Zhan Lan said no more; she understood Mu Yan’s apprehensions.

Once she sat down inside, a plate of spicy beef jerky appeared before her.

"They say sour for a boy and spicy for a girl, Lan’er, eat some more spicy food," Mu Yan said with a serious expression as if her eating more spicy beef jerky would guarantee a daughter.

Zhan Lan gave a wry smile, "Sour for a boy and spicy for a girl refers to my cravings; if I crave sour, it might be a boy, if I crave spicy, it might be a girl. It’s not what you think."

"Then do you like spicy food?" Mu Yan pushed the dried meat closer to her.

"I do!" Zhan Lan replied.

Mu Yan’s smile relaxed, "That’s good, that’s good."

"But I also like sour." Zhan Lan tilted her head at him and reached for sour jujubes.

"No, you don’t like sour." Mu Yan held her hand down.

Zhan Lan: "..."

Mu Yan’s gaze moved from the beef jerky to Zhan Lan’s face, watching her expectantly.

Zhan Lan picked up a piece of spicy beef jerky, and Mu Yan’s lips curled up into a smile.

Zhan Lan quickly stole the plate of sour jujubes from his grip and popped one into her mouth with a smirk.

Mu Yan gave a doting smile and then shook his head, "Alright, eat as much as you want; whatever you crave, you can have."

...

Led by Vermilion Bird, Qingcheng arrived at the room where Mu Cheng’an and Yun He were held.

Yun He saw the door open, light poured in, and he looked up to see Qingcheng standing against the light.

Contrary to her usual quiet demeanor, today, Qingcheng held a sword in her hand.

Yun He looked emaciated and his heart raced like a drum, not daring to glance at the serene Qingcheng.

"Bingyan..." Mu Cheng’an called Qingcheng by her real name, "Save me, save Master!"

"Shut up!" Qingcheng finally knew Mu Cheng’an’s true identity; he was actually the Imperial Uncle of Zhongzhou Kingdom’s Princess, not her father’s friend.

Before her father died, he entrusted her to Mu Yan and asked her to assist the Master well.

But she was blind, recognized a traitor as her father!

Mu Cheng’an explained, "Bingyan, don’t believe what they say; I didn’t kill your father!"

"Back then, my father led the rebel army to restore Zhongzhou Kingdom. You thought he was loyal to the Master, couldn’t be used by you, so you poisoned and killed him. But you didn’t expect the entire rebel army to obey the Master’s orders. You said Zhan Lan would affect the Master’s achievements, and told me to scheme against her. I failed to kill her, so you thought I was useless and then lied to me, saying my father was killed by the Eastern Wei Emperor. All your plans are just to fulfill your ambitions!"

"Bingyan, you’re mistaken, this is all a misunderstanding!" Mu Cheng’an explained, "You are my disciple, how could I deceive you!"

"Don’t listen to Mu Yan, he’s lying to you!"

"Shut up! The Master has never deceived me!" Not even with her feelings, such a man wouldn’t utter lies to deceive her.

Yun He looked at Qingcheng; she still harbored feelings for Mu Yan, yet buried them deep inside.

Mu Cheng’an suddenly thought of something, his eyes brightened, "Bingyan, Zhan Lan is pregnant, she is a disaster. The one who truly deserves someone like Mu Yan in this world is you, is you!"