It was as if the vigorous and motivated young man in Yishan Academy appeared in front of him again. The pride and conceit of that young man seemed to have been a matter of a past life. At that time, he must have never imagined that he would fall into this kind of plight.

In just three years, things had changed into an unrecognizable state. His mother had turned into a pile of bones and Yishan Academy was likely already overgrown with grass and would no longer be prosperous.

Looking at the Crown Prince's sincere gaze, Yun Feiyu repeatedly tightened and loosened his hands. The low voice of Yun Feiyu finally sounded in the cell that had been silent for a long while: "I thank Your Highness for such regard, but this sinful official is too ashamed. Please allow me more time to figure out some things, and then I will follow the orders of Your Highness."

Su Mu sighed and said, "Alright, if you have figured it out, then notify the prison guard. You can go out at any time, no one will dare to stop you."

Yun Feiyu said: "Thanking Your Highness."

Su Mu knew what he was struggling with. Although he and Yun Feiyan were siblings, the world they came into contact with was completely different, which caused their thoughts and reasoning to head towards opposite directions.

In any case, sooner or later he would come to an understanding. Besides, even if his person was in the cell, he would still be of use to him. Su Mu didn't continue to persuade him anymore. After the two talked for a bit longer, Su Mu left.

Walking out of the prison, the earth was already shrouded in night, and not far away, the imperial palace that had been washed in countless people's blood laid dormant like a monster. A tall figure appeared on the roof of the Crown Prince's Palace, but the surrounding guards continued to patrol casually as if they didn't notice him at all.

"Gu Yunzhou?" Su Mu called out at the unexpected visitor, and then lightly landed on the roof opposite Gu Yunzhou.

Immediately after Su Mu landed on the roof, Gu Yunzhou said "follow me" and then flew away. Su Mu had no choice but to follow with confusion.

Outside the imperial city towered the main peak of Bailu Mountain, the highest mountain within a thousand miles. Standing on top of the peak, one could overlook the beautiful Yuping Lake and the entire imperial city.

The stars were hidden by the mountains and valleys, and the bright moon hung lonely in the sky like a huge pearl. Just like the tall and upright figure standing under the moon, strong and cold but also lonely.

Su Mu quietly landed behind Gu Yunzhou, enjoying this picturesque scenery and beauty.

The light breeze playfully teased his hair and stroked his firm face. Gu Yunzhou turned around and drew out his sword without a word. Like a ghost he made his way towards Su Mu swiftly. The sharp sword flashed past as quick as shadows. Except for Su Mu, there were probably no more than a handful of people in the world who could track Gu Yunzhou's sword.

The ink black pupils were as dark as night, and Su Mu's expression tensed as he shifted sideways to avoid the blade of the sword and then snapped out his right hand like a lightning bolt. The five-finger claw gripped Gu Yunzhou's forearm like an iron hook. However, Gu Yunzhou's arm was as firm and hard as cast iron, shaking him off with a just little effort.

The first exchange of blows could not decide the victor. The speed of the two was faster than the flickering of flint sparks. The two stood opposite each other and stared at each other intently. The wind gradually picked up, blowing at the hems of the two and causing it to dance and flap wildly.

A dark cloud obscured the moon, and both the sky and the earth fell into darkness for a moment. Two unclear shadows flickered in and out on the main peak of Bailu Mountain like ghosts. Accompanying them were the continuous sound of metal clashing, continuous and ear-piercing.

The dark clouds soon drifted away, and the moonlight once again fell on earth. Under the moonlight, two men who were equally world-renowned stood facing each other. Su Mu's chest was moving slightly up and down, his breathing coming in short quick inhales as his eyes stared sharply at Gu Yunzhou. A cheek had been cut by the sword wind, leaving behind a small wound with red blood beading and trickling down the snow-white skin. The image it presented was one of a strange and dangerous beauty.

Standing not far from Su Mu, Gu Yunzhou also didn't escape completely unharmed. The clothes on him were torn apart by Su Mu's clawed fingers, leaving a few thin scratches that very easily brought to mind certain ambiguous scenes.

The entire night, Su Mu and Gu Yunzhou fought endlessly on the top of Bailu Mountain but still neither victory nor defeat was to be had. Though, their clothes did suffer in their place. Su Mu's luxurious court robes were mercilessly cut open by Gu Yunzhou's iron sword. Gu Yunzhou's black robes were also clawed into cloth strips by Su Mu, and the two of them could almost be described as barely clothed.

It wasn't until yinshi (3-5am) approached and Su Mu must attend morning assembly did they stop. A cool breeze blew unimpeded at his bare skin and Su Mu blushed, pulling at the remaining cloth to cover his body. His eyes caught Gu Yunzhou's strong and muscular body, and then just as quickly he guiltily withdrew his gaze, awkwardly covering his embarrassment with random words: "Hey, how can your swordsmanship be so good! It's very powerful!"

"I only have the sword." Gu Yunzhou said lightly.

The words were simple, the tone plain but it caused Su Mu's heart to shrink uncontrollably, as if it was suddenly pinched.

Looking at his lonely figure, Su Mu didn't know how to respond. Gu Yunzhou didn't seem to want his answer either, and his figure disappeared before Su Mu's eyes in a flash.

"Gu....."

Su Mu wanted to stop him, but in the end swallowed the rest of his words. The relationship between the two seemed not to the point where they could talk about such personal matters. What's more, Gu Yunzhou was a very cold and reclusive person. Su Mu stared at the place where Gu Yunzhou disappeared from. After a while, he also flew down to the top of the peak and rushed towards the palace.

But what Su Mu didn't know was that after he disappeared, Gu Yunzhou's figure reappeared back in place, staring at the direction of Su Mu's disappearance until the sunrise.

Throughout the morning assembly, Su Mu was completely lacking in any interest. The officials who had been with Su Mu for a long time also discovered Su Mu's absentminded state. Lin Siyuan, who was standing among the officials in the hall, also noticed that Su Mu's thoughts had wandered who knew where. Could it be that it was because he met Yun Feiyu yesterday, causing the Crown Prince to still be so preoccupied today?

Liu Xi and Huang Xuan, who were in the Crown Prince's Palace, instantly felt a sense of crisis.

With a "bang" Liu Xi kicked over the stool, gritting his teeth with a vicious expression: "Truly, just all kinds of monsters, ghosts, and snakes want to cling to the Crown Prince. I finally drove away Ye Qingfeng, but now an even more difficult Gu Yunzhou shows up. Does the Crown Prince have a peach blossom fate or what!" (TN: peach blossom fate=many suitors/admirers)

On the other side of the Crown Prince's Palace, Huang Xuan calmly listened to the eunuch's report. And then with a still calm face, he replaced the "Medical Classics" in his hands with "Poison Classics".

TN: bonus chapter coming up!