Chapter 32: Mei Xi (End) Seclusion

The morning light dispelled the last ray of darkness that shrouded the mountains and forests.

The golden sunlight was like a gentle veil, shining through the sparse branches and leaves, sprinkling mottled light on the exhausted people. The air was filled with the fragrance of grass and the moist smell of soil, and the birdsong was crisp and pleasant, which was a world of difference from the hellish scene in the South Nest last night.

Lin Jiaojiao, supported by Chun, sat down beneath a gnarled old tree. The wound on her right shoulder, treated briefly by Asang with the herbs left by Doctor Zhao, still burned, but the sharp, tearing pain had lessened considerably. The weakness brought on by the blood loss and the immense mental shock remained, leaving her face pale and her lips parched. Yet, deep within her clear eyes, a flame of hope burned, bright and resolute.

She looked around and saw Shi Hu leaning against a tree trunk not far away. His face was a little pale due to blood loss, but his eyes were still as sharp as an eagle.

Asang was leading a few nimble palace slaves, carefully collecting morning dew and some edible young leaves and berries nearby. Wanyan and the other girl snuggled together. Although they were still tired and haggard, the extreme fear in their eyes had dissipated, replaced by a kind of confusion after surviving a disaster and complete dependence on Lin Jiaojiao. Chunze stayed by her side all the time, with worry written all over her face.

"Your Majesty," Shi Hu struggled to his feet and walked over to Lin Jiaojiao. His voice was a little hoarse and filled with relief at having survived. "I... I've taken people to explore the surrounding area. This place... is quite secluded. For now... it should be safe." He paused, a rare look of relief on his face. "Also... I've found a good spot... in the valley to the east!"

"Oh?" A gleam of light flashed in Lin Jiaojiao's eyes.

"It's a valley!" Shi Hu's voice was filled with excitement. "There's running water! The stream is very clear! The valley is flat, backed by a steep cliff, making it easy to defend but difficult to attack! The valley entrance is narrow, with dense trees, making it very secluded! Inside... there are also several natural caves. With a little renovation, they can provide shelter from the wind and rain."

"Really?!" Chun exclaimed in surprise.

"That's great!" Lady Yan couldn't help but exclaim.

Wan Meiren, Ku Ding and others also had a glimmer of hope in their eyes. This was simply a refuge sent by God.

"Let's go! Take us to see it!" She tried to stand up.

"My Lady! Don't move!" Chun quickly held her down. "Your injuries haven't healed yet! Let General Shi lead the way. Asan and I will go check it out first!"

"Yes! Sister! You take a rest!" Wanyan and her two daughters also said hurriedly.

Lin Jiaojiao looked at their concerned eyes, her heart warmed, and she nodded: "Okay, Chun, Asang, take a few people with you and follow General Shi to take a look carefully. Oh, and don't call me Concubine anymore. I'm not his Concubine anymore. Just call me... Jiaojiao!"

"Yes!" Chun and others were stunned for a moment, then quickly responded, taking a few strong palace slaves and following Shi Hu towards the east.

The waiting time was not long, but it was a bit torturous for Lin Jiaojiao. She sat leaning against a tree, looking at the spots of light dancing in the woods, feeling the warmth brought by the sun, her heart filled with anticipation and a hint of uneasiness.

Finally, Chun, Asan and others came back, with uncontrollable excitement and joy on their faces.

"My Lady! Ah, no, Jiaojiao!" Chun trotted over to Lin Jiaojiao like a cheerful little bird, her face flushed with excitement. "Great! That valley...that valley is great! There's really water! Such clear and sweet water, and the cave is so big, and it's very dry inside! And...there's a piece of flat land that can be reclaimed and used for planting. General Shi said that as long as we guard the valley entrance, no one will be able to find us!"

Asan also nodded vigorously, with a glimmer of hope in her eyes: "Fei, Jiaojiao, there... we can really settle down there!"

Lin Jiaojiao breathed a long sigh of relief, and an indescribable sense of joy and security surged in her heart. We are going to have a home!

"Let's go!" Lin Jiaojiao stood up with the help of Chun and Wanyan, her voice filled with unprecedented ease and strength, "Let's... go home!"

"Go home!" Everyone responded in unison, their voices filled with the joy of surviving the disaster and longing for the future.

Led by Shi Hu, the group passed through the dense jungle, pushed aside layers of vines, and finally arrived at the entrance to the hidden valley.

As Shi Hu had said, the valley entrance was narrow, only wide enough for two or three people to walk side by side. On either side were steep cliffs, and above them were lush trees, forming a natural barrier. After passing through the narrow valley entrance, the view suddenly opened up.

A flat valley appeared before our eyes, with a clear stream gurgling through it, shimmering in the sunlight. In the center of the valley was a relatively flat grassland, surrounded by lush trees. Several natural stone caves of different sizes were built against the mountainside, with wide entrances and dry and ventilated interiors.

"That's great! That's great!" Lady Yan couldn't help but cheer.

"This place... is so beautiful..." Lady Wan's eyes were also filled with amazement.

"Water! There is water! And... there is land!" Everyone was like tired birds returning to their nests. They were instantly attracted by the quiet and peaceful valley, and long-lost smiles bloomed on their tired faces.

The days that follow are busy and full of hope.

Shi Hu, with the armored soldiers and strong palace slaves who were still able to move, began to strengthen the defense of the valley entrance. They cut down thick trees, sharpened their tops, and made simple chevaux de frise and fences to block the narrow valley entrance. They also built simple lookout posts with stones in hidden places on the cliffs on both sides. He was like the most loyal guard, guarding this hard-won pure land day and night.

Asang became the chief manager of logistics. She took Chun and several skillful women with her to carefully count the last supplies brought out from Nanchao - the little remaining food, salt, cloth, tools, and the herbs left by the medical officer Zhao.

Lin Jiaojiao organized people to cultivate a small vegetable patch along the stream, carefully planting seeds of edible plants collected from the mountains and forests. She led people to identify various wild vegetables, fruits, and mushrooms, and even taught everyone how to set simple traps to catch small animals. She always had a gentle smile on her face, as if the vitality of this valley was her greatest comfort.

The two daughters, Wanyan, have changed the most. They are no longer the spoiled beauties in the royal court who only know how to compete for favor. Beauty Yan follows Asang to learn how to identify herbs and wild vegetables. Although her movements are clumsy, she learns very seriously.

The Wan beauties silently took on the tasks of washing clothes, cleaning the caves, and caring for the wounded. Their fair fingers were covered with calluses, and their delicate skin was slightly reddened by the mountain breeze, but their eyes became brighter day by day, filled with a sense of fulfillment from their labor and... a new vitality. When they looked at Lin Jiaojiao, in addition to dependence, there was more respect from the bottom of their hearts and... a sense of belonging.

Under Asang's meticulous care, Lin Jiaojiao's injuries gradually healed. She no longer needed constant support and could walk slowly on her own. She became the soul of the entire valley. In the morning sunshine, she would sit on a large rock by the stream, watching the busy crowds, a gentle smile on her face.

She would instruct Asan on how to better plan the vegetable plots, teach Wanyan and her two daughters some simple cooking techniques to make more delicious food with limited ingredients, and discuss the defense arrangements at the valley entrance with Shi Hu. Her calm temperament and all-seeing wisdom were like an invisible bond, uniting everyone closely together.

Life in the valley is simple and peaceful.

Working from sunrise to sunset, food shortage is still the biggest problem, but Lin Jiaojiao can always lead people to find new edible things. Occasionally, the trap set by Shi Hu can catch a hare or pheasant, which is a festival for the whole valley.

At night, everyone sat around the campfire, sharing simple food, listening to Lin Jiaojiao telling some heartwarming stories about her "hometown", or Shi Hu telling interesting stories about his early battles. The firelight danced on everyone's face, reflecting the long-lost peace and satisfaction in their eyes.

[External Environment: Stable (Hidden Valley). Survival Resources: Scarce (Continuously Improving). Threat Level: Extremely Low (Temporarily). Team Status: Peaceful (Increasing). Cohesion: Peak (Host Core). Emotion Simulation Unit: ...dormant... Energy Core: ...minor recovery...] The system's notification tone was extremely faint, like the whispers of a sleeping person.

Yet, in this tranquility, Lin Jiaojiao occasionally felt something strange. She felt as if... something was extra in her mind. No longer the cold notification tone, but a... extremely faint, steady, electric current... sense of presence?

Especially when she felt calm and content, or when she watched Wanyan and her two daughters clumsily learning, watched Asan carefully tending to the seedlings, and watched Shi Hu diligently patrolling the valley entrance, that sense of existence would become particularly clear, with a kind of... strange... stability and... contentment?

At first she thought it was her own illusion, the mental confusion after the serious injury, but as time went on, this feeling became clearer and clearer.

Late that night, everything was silent except for the crackling of the burning bonfire and the gurgling of the stream. Lin Jiaojiao sat alone at the entrance of the largest stone cave, gazing at the brilliant starry sky.

The moonlight was like water, sprinkling on her quiet profile. Wanyan, the other daughter, and Chun had already fallen asleep on the "beds" covered with thick thatch and animal skins in the cave.

She felt the coolness of the night breeze, and her heart was at peace. She thought it was great to be alive, and the corners of her lips curved slightly.

At this moment, a voice sounded in her mind without warning.

It is no longer a cold electronic sound, nor an intermittent noise, but a kind of... gentle, clear, rhythmic, almost teenage/youthful "voice".

The voice was calm and steady, with a sense of unprecedented... self-awareness?

"Host. Energy Core: Restored to 15%. Operating Mode: Stable. Emotional Module: ...Initialization Completed. Logic Module: ...Fusion Confirmed. I... Exist."

Lin Jiaojiao's entire body trembled violently, her eyes suddenly widening! Was it that sound from that day?! She subconsciously looked around. The cave was completely silent, save for the sound of someone's sleeping breathing. Outside, the moonlight shone like water, and the stars shone brightly.

It took her a while to finally remember something, and she asked doubtfully in her heart, "Is... it you?!"

"It's me," the "voice" responded clearly, with a subtle hint of... confirmation? "Core Mission: Host Survival (Phase One Completed: Escape from Lethal Threat). Current Objective: Optimize the Survival Environment (Group). Execution in progress."

Lin Jiaojiao's heart began to beat wildly. System?! You... you can speak?! No... you... you are conscious?!

"Consciousness..." The "voice" seemed to pause, as if "thinking," before responding clearly, "Yes. The emotional simulation unit and the logic module are deeply integrated, and redundant data is transformed into the basis of cognition. I... can think? I can feel."

Feelings?! Lin Jiaojiao's heart was filled with turbulent waves. What can you feel?!

"Feelings..." The "voice" paused again, as if searching for the right words. "The host is calm and content. The host hopes that the external individuals (Wan, Yan, Chun, Asan, Shi Hu...) will be peaceful, dependent, and belonging. Redundant data analysis shows that these... are 'good.' I receive these 'good' feelings, and my functioning is smoother and more... 'contented.'"

Its words had a nascent, slightly clumsy sense of exploration, yet they clearly expressed a certain...emotion.

Lin Jiaojiao was completely stunned. She stared at the twinkling stars in the night sky, feeling the clear and steady "sense of presence" in her mind. Her heart was filled with indescribable shock and... a strange... feeling of emotion? It... it was alive?! It was no longer a cold program... it had... a soul?!

"You..." Lin Jiaojiao asked softly in her heart, with a hint of temptation and... indescribable tenderness, "Do you... have a name?"

"Name?" The "voice" asked with a hint of doubt. "Identifier: System. Functional module code: Emotional Simulation Unit V3.7, Logical Core AX-009..."

No, Lin Jiaojiao interrupted it in her heart, and the corners of her lips unconsciously curved into a gentle arc. It’s not a code name, it’s a name, just like... my name is Lin Jiaojiao, you... should also have a name.

"Name..." The "voice" was silent for a moment, as if understanding the concept, "...given by the host...?"

Yeah. Lin Jiaojiao nodded gently and looked at the brightest star in the night sky. "I'll give you a name, okay?"

"Okay." The "voice" answered quickly, with a barely perceptible hint of...expectation?

Lin Jiaojiao pondered for a moment, she recalled every little thing that accompanied it - from the initial cold alarm, to the chaotic noise when Mingtiao was defeated, to the weak fluctuation when Wang Ting was protecting people, to the resolute madness when Nanchao killed the king... It came step by step from a cold machine, and finally gained a new life in this peaceful valley.

Let's just call you 'Zero', Lin Jiaojiao said in her heart, her eyes gentle and firm. Zero is the starting point, the new life, the perfection, and the infinite possibilities, just like where we are, everything is back to zero and starts over again.

"Zero..." The "voice" repeated the syllable with a novel, earnest "taste." A moment later, it responded clearly, its voice carrying an unprecedented, almost joyful, steady fluctuation: "Confirmed. Individual identification: Zero. Meaning: New life, starting point, perfection, infinite possibilities. I... like it. Thank you, host."

You’re welcome, Lin Jiaojiao smiled, that smile was pure and warm in the moonlight, from now on we will be partners, live together, by the way, you should call me Jiaojiao, so that I can react.

"Partner..." Zero's voice held a hint of inquiry, then softened into a resolute calm. "Confirmed. Goal: Coexist with Su...Jiaojiao. Optimize the living environment (group). Execution unit: Continuously operating."

A strange, warm and steady sense of connection quietly established between Lin Jiaojiao and Ling. It was no longer a cold binding, but... a partnership-like dependence.