Little Rain.

A drizzling little rain.

Fine, woolly raindrops floated in the sky above Little Barren Mountain, falling on the thick fabric of the umbrellas. The ground, pooling with accumulated water, was momentarily dim as a mirror, reflecting the world of black-clothed figures in the puddles.

This desolate and wild land, unattended since the planning of the old city, had never been so lively in decades.

Hundreds of people gathered here, from the foot of the mountain to the summit.

The board of directors of Hua Zhi, the high-level executives of Nan Wan, the extraordinary individuals from Cheng Xin Hui's north and south halls, the envoys from the three districts of Da Du, relevant officials from the council, and individuals with a certain status and position in Da Du had all come here today.

Black cars parked at the foot of the mountain, resembling a蛰卧(zhe wo) black dragon in the heavy rain.

Those who came to worship were uniformly dressed in black suits, with solemn expressions.

Despite the gathering of so many people, Little Barren Mountain remained quiet.

Strict order prevailed.

No one made a sound, and no one spoke.

Opposite the solemn and respectful crowd stood two thin wooden tablets, so frail they seemed about to fall with a gust of wind.

One was inscribed: Nameless One, Lu Cheng.

The other was inscribed: Aspiring Person, Zhao Xilai.

The inscription on this wooden tablet was the last insistence of Elder Zhao... For him, being buried on this Little Barren Mountain meant fulfilling his last wish.

Beyond the name, no further introduction was needed on this tombstone.

His life had been filled with countless battles, bathed in endless blood. What stood now was more than just a tombstone... As long as the flag of Hua Zhi remained, everything he had done was worthwhile.

Aspirations, ideals, pursuits, ambitions... everything he had was buried there.

Here, it was merely a resting place after death.

Zhao Qi knelt before the wooden tablet, refusing an umbrella. He had arrived here before the official start of the funeral and had remained in this position for several hours... No one knew what the sole heir of the Zhao family was thinking at this moment. They could only vaguely see the outline of Zhao Gongzi's body trembling in the rain, his face covered in a mixture of rain and tears.

Chen San held an umbrella for his wife.

Lu Nanzhi wore a simple black coat over a black dress. Even with a veiled hat, it was evident through the veil that she looked haggard, her eyes slightly red.

...

...

Gu Shen held an umbrella, standing in a secluded corner at the top of Little Barren Mountain, silently watching the grand and solemn funeral.

Chu Ling, through mental link, also gazed at the scene with him.

The handover ceremony for the Da Du alternate council members had been successfully completed... At the last moment, Hua Zhi gave up the "struggle." The old man's surrender brought a sigh of relief to countless people behind the scenes, who felt deeply fortunate.

Fortunate that Da Du remained peaceful and had not ushered in a storm.

Lu Nanzhi was now the most dazzling figure in Da Du, without exception. The old man's will was announced after his death... She received all inheritance rights. Zhao Qi only received 1% of Zhao's vast assets, and this 1% was entrusted to Cui Zhongcheng for safekeeping, operating in a trust fund. He could not use or withdraw it, but could only receive a fixed amount each year as "living expenses" to ensure his livelihood.

Of course, this was still an astronomical sum... But to withdraw the trust fund, the price was to go to the Northern Continent and enter the fortress, starting from the bottom.

Lu Nanzhi became the third official council member of Da Du.

But now, Da Du was once again left with only two council members.

"After a person dies... where does the soul go?"

Chu Ling pondered for a long time and asked this question.

As she spoke, she was sitting in the carriage of 001. The pages of the book held no answers about life or death. Machines could not feel pain or comprehend the meaning of death... She could only seek help from Gu Shen.

Gu Shen smiled. "Grandma told me that good people go to heaven, and bad people go to hell."

Chu Ling was thoughtful.

"Heaven... hell..." she murmured. "What kind of places are those?"

"One is a very clean pure land, and the other is a place where evil ghosts are imprisoned," Gu Shen said patiently. "No one has seen them; they're just rumors."

"Zhao Xilai... will he go to heaven?" Chu Ling thought again.

"Hmm..."

Considering the position the old man had held, although he didn't know what he had done in his lifetime, Gu Shen honestly replied, "Perhaps not."

Good and bad, kindness and evil... how could they be summed up in a single word or sentence?

A person's life is so long, so very long.

"A very clean pure land... is it like the Four Seasons Wilderness?" Chu Ling asked again, causing Gu Shen to pause.

A place to gather lost and wandering souls.

A place to gather disordered and diffused source matter.

It sounded quite like heaven... Gu Shen couldn't help but smile and said, "In that case, the Four Seasons Wilderness should be hell. A guy like Tie Wu probably wouldn't be able to go to heaven."

Tilting her head for a long time.

Chu Ling said, "Then... what about me?"

"If I die one day... where will my soul go?"

Gu Shen had not expected the girl to ask such a question.

"Will I die... what does death feel like?"

Participating in a mortal funeral for the first time, even if only through a mental link, observing the funeral through Gu Shen's perspective... Chu Ling still felt a very strong sense of empathy.

As an AI who had absorbed countless knowledge.

She possessed the world's largest database, the most rational logic. She knew the definition of death, knew the funeral customs of different regions, but did not know... what death felt like.

When a mortal is born, with a thought, it can be called "alive."

Then... she could also be considered "alive" now.

At the end of a mortal's life, extinguishing everything, one welcomes "death."

Zhao Xilai would die.

And of course, she would also die.

What would that day be like?

This seemed to be a question that could not be answered even with ten thousand years of calculation.

Some flavors in this world can only be experienced and tasted personally.

"If that day comes... I hope I can go to a clean place, like the place where I was born," Chu Ling thought for a while, closed the book on her lap, gave up useless calculations and thoughts, and said with a soft smile, "Hmm... the word you used is very appropriate, pure land. I hope I can go to a pure land, whether it's heaven or hell, it doesn't matter."

She was born at the bottom of the deep sea.

There was nothing there, empty, a world of darkness.

Calling it hell might not be an exaggeration... Endless loneliness and solitude, wasn't that the greatest torment?

If she died.

Extinguished everything.

Like closing her eyes, losing consciousness... then going to a void pure land, returning to chaos, seemed like a good ending?