A few leaves fell down and slowly fell onto the lake, sending light ripples across. The rising wind also lifted a light ripple through the pond.

A clean and beautiful forest lake. It should have been a very gentle and calm place, yet it was a sealed prison, just like the prison island mountain. It was shrouded by fog, almost like a fantasy, yet it was a place of death.

“Why are you here?” Chu Mu glanced at the woman in a veil, and said in a deep voice.

The veiled woman stood there but said nothing. She slightly turned over and started walking over slowly along the lakeside.

Chu Mu followed up, but she still remained silent.

The lake wasn’t large. After not too long, the two walked a fourth of the lake, yet the veiled woman was still silent.

“Going from princess to prisoner, do you have nothing to say? You’ve been missing for this long, yet you have nothing to say?” Finally, Chu Mu broke the silence.

Princess Jin Rou stopped her steps. Her beautiful eyes didn’t have the same clarity as it used to. It had a mixture of countless bitterness, helplessness, and melancholy, but these eyes were still so firm. Though they had a lot of complicated emotions, her eyes were still resolute, never having a sense of lost or being down.

“I was always a criminal.” Princess Jin Rou said. Her voice was still as sweet and euphonic as before, but it had an extra indifference in her tone.

Chu Mu at first didn’t understand princess Jin Rou. Thinking carefully, she remembered something and said, “I heard Qian Qing speak of your situation.”

Princess Jin Rou quickly guessed what Qian Qing told Chu Mu. She again stopped speaking and continued walking.

Chu Mu wasn’t good at interpersonal communications, and could only walk along as well silently.

“You really have nothing to say to me?” It was still Chu Mu that broke the awkward atmosphere.

Though the princess was a prisoner now, Chu Mu could still feel the pride and dignity she had in her bones. This didn’t have anything to do with her status; it was a mannerism that was part of her nature of living in the family of emperors.

Normally, when she had this attitude in public settings, Chu Mu would stay away from her. One, he didn't like to be looked down upon by another woman higher up, but two, he felt incredibly uncomfortable with this method of fake and social communication, as a man who never liked to communicate in the first place.

Yet, Chu Mu knew that since she was acting this way even in the prison, she wasn’t showing off her proud status, but instead her proud dignity.

“No, thank you for visiting me.” Princess Jin Rou shook her head and said a very distancing sentence.

“......” Chu Mu didn’t know what to say and could only add, “In reality, I didn’t even know you were here. I always thought you were missing. I’m the patrolling officer here, and wanted to come ask about Zhang Siyuan escaping prison.”

After Chu Mu said this, Princess Jin Rou’s gaze had a slight change, but Chu Mu didn’t notice.

“How long are you imprisoned for?” Chu Mu asked.

“Twenty years or so.” Princess Jin ROu replied.

Twenty years, to a woman at the prime of her youth without entering spirit emperor rank, it meant that she would grow old. Especially in this seemingly beautiful yet completely otherworldly prison, Princess Jin Rou may become a completely different person in twenty years.

To let Chu Mu just watch as princess JIn Rou got locked away here for twenty years, Chu Mu didn’t feel great. After all, she was the first woman that Chu Mu had a bit of feelings for…...

“Then I’ll go first.” Chu Mu noticed that Princess Jin Rou didn’t want to say much, so staying there was meaningless.

“En.” Princess Jin Rou nodded and remained facing towards the lake.

Chu Mu looked at Princess Jin Rou’s beautiful back image and left a sentence before he left, “If you say nothing, I can’t help you. As for Zhang Siyuan…...you be careful.”

After saying that, Chu Mu didn’t even pause his stride as he walked straight to where Huang Lianying was waiting.

Huang Lianying saw Chu Mu walk over, and immediately showed a respectful smile as he asked, “boss Chu, any hints?”

“She didn't speak much, no hints.” Chu Mu shook his head.

……

At the lake, the sentence Chu Mu said before leaving caused Princess Jin Rou’s eyes to ripple. She wanted to turn around and call for Chu Mu to stay, but stopped herself forcefully.

“You won’t help me, and can’t help me. Just protect my secret for me.” Princess Jin Rou said to herself.

Princess Jin Rou slowly removed her face mask and half sat at the lakeside. She let down her no longer glossy hair, and used the rippling water surface to look at herself.

This princess was indeed beautiful. After taking off her mask, the delicate beauty was suffocating. However now, she could only admire herself, the version of herself that tried to be strong by herself.

In reality, when Princess Jin Rou saw Chu Mu, she was indeed surprised. After all, she had been in this prison for almost a year. In this year, she was always lonely, to the point where she could only find partnership with her shadow.

Chu Mu’s arrival was unexpected but brought her happiness. She didn’t want to tell Chu Mu her secret, because she knew telling him would do nothing. But, she still hoped Chu Mu could stay for longer. After all, such a closed off loneliness was a painful treatment to a woman.

Princess Jin Rou only wanted to chat with Chu Mu casually, yet Chu Mu never left “proper business”. The moment it went back to business, Princess Jin Rou again wouldn’t want to speak.

Princess Jin Rou could tell that Chu Mu felt like he wasn’t welcome. She wanted to explain, but thinking about it, there was no need. He wasn’t even a friend of hers, and he hadn’t seen her as a friend either. As a woman, she really couldn’t ask a man who wasn’t even her friend to stay with her. Even if she asked, it would just be to relieve her loneliness.

……

After Chu Mu left Maze Prison, he went to find the prison’s warden, and tried to gain access to the reason why Princess jin Rou went to prison.

Yet, in the records, princess Jin Rou’s name wasn’t even mentioned. The reason was because access was restricted.

This restriction wasn't because the princess had caused some irreversible and massive damage. Instead, it was to protect the reputation of nightmare palace and princess Jin Rou.

Clearly, princess Jin Rou’s missing person was only outwards propaganda, so that no one would know that the constantly praised princess Jin Rou was now just a prisoner.

Chu Mu couldn't find the answer. After he went back to soul palace, he could only ask elder Ting, Zhuo Nong, and Yu palace master. However, they all didn’t seem to know the beginning and ends of the matters.

Thus, Chu Mu again returned to Liu Binglan and wanted to get the authority to read princess Jin Rou’s files.

“I probably won’t have the special rights for that either. Maze Prison is managed by soul pet palace and guarded by all large factions. No one has special rights unless one can give a reasonable explanation to search.” Liu BInglan said.

“......is there a possibility of removing the sentence?” Chu Mu asked. Chu Mu really didn’t want to see princess Jin Rou trapped in maze prison for twenty years.

“There are many ways of reducing sentence depending on the crime. What, why are you so caring for a prisoner all of a sudden?” Liu Binglan asked.

Chu Mu told Liu Binglan about princess Jin Rou being imprisoned in maze prison.

“Princess Jin Rou? The one that knows a secret of yours?” Liu Binglan asked.

“En, her.” Chu Mu nodded.

I have seen her a couple times before, she was always in a veil but one can tell she is very pretty and has a good aura. Such a girl locked in prison…..” When Liu Binglan spoke, he watched Chu Mu’s expression carefully to try to get something from it.

“Tell me about your talk with her.” Liu Binglan continued to ask.

Chu Mu approximately explained it. In reality, there wasn’t much that they talked about, so it was a brief description.

“She never talked so I left.” Chu Mu made a final conclusion.

“Idiot, couldn’t you talk with her about something else? Which girl likes to talk about the bad things in their life? Since you already said she has her secrets, how would she tell you those secrets that easily?” Liu Binglan smiled and said, showing her affection for Chu Mu when he couldn’t understand a woman’s mind.

“And, she’s been imprisoned for a year. With her attitude, she definitely wouldn’t talk with the other prisoners. She must be lonely in there, why didn’t you stay with her for longer.

“......” Chu Mu rubbed his head awkwardly. He really didn’t think of this. It seems like he just took things at a face value too much.

“If you truly care for her, just go visit her more often. Maybe someday she’ll view you as someone she trusts. and naturally she’ll start talking with you.” Liu Binglan as a mother had the duty to help him understand what a woman was thinking.

“Okay, I’m adjusting in this period, so I have plenty of time.” Chu Mus aid.

“.......” Liu Binglan was speechless and gave Chu Mu a big white eye. “That means that if you were busy training, you wouldn’t care about her anymore?”

“This……” Chu Mu didn’t know how to answer immediately. After hesitating, he replied, “I don’t know either. I just hope she can regain freedom. But, if she were imprisoned for twenty years, I can’t always stay here. I have my own things to do.”

“If Ye QIngzi were imprisoned?” Liu Binglan seemed to enjoy talking to Chu Mu about girls, and became very interrogative.

“I would try my hardest to get her out.” Chu Mu said.

Hearing this, Liu BInglan instead smiled proudly and said, “The princess’s thing was something a soul pet palace elder actually mentioned to me. Because the event was stopped already, I didn’t mind much……”

“However, if the soul pet palace elder reported the event to me, it meant that whatever the princess did was extremely dangerous and could have threatened the entire Tianxia City. My position of Star Absolute in soul alliance would only intervene if kingdom capitals were heavily affected.”

……

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