187: Pretending to be an ordinary person

Listening to Lin Wei's words, everyone fell silent...

Li Qingshan and Mo Heng looked at each other, sweat beading on their foreheads. Was today really not a good time to butter him up?

Chu Yueyao and the others also had complicated expressions. They had all, to varying degrees, harbored similar doubts, but they dared not speak them out loud like Lin Wei.

Just as the atmosphere was awkward, sorrowful, and bizarre to the extreme—

"Pfft!"

An extremely ill-timed chuckle suddenly rang out.

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw Yan Ji, the Dragonborn Empire's Imperial Princess, who had been watching the show from the sidelines for a long time. She was lightly covering her red lips with her hand, her shoulders trembling slightly; she was clearly trying very hard to hold back her laughter.

Seeing everyone looking at her, Yan Ji quickly reined in her smile, but the amusement in those beautiful eyes could not be hidden.

She gave a light cough, stepped forward, bowed to Chen Jun, and then turned to Lin Wei, her tone carrying a hint of indescribable playfulness:

"Sister Lin Wei, please forgive my rudeness. It's just... what you said just now was... truly quite interesting."

Lin Wei frowned at her, not understanding why she was laughing.

Yan Ji's beautiful eyes darted, sweeping over Chen Jun's expressionless face, then back to Lin Wei, smiling charmingly:

"What you are worried about, Sister, is simply whether Ancestor Chen, after fusing with billions of years of memories, is still the original Ancestor Chen, and whether his feelings for you are still pure, right?"

Lin Wei nodded silently.

"Then I must ask you a few questions, Sister." Yan Ji said with a smile, "After Ancestor Chen woke up... or rather, finished digesting his memories, has he ever been cold or distant toward you?"

Lin Wei thought for a moment and shook her head. Since Chen Jun woke up, he had remained gentle with her.

"Has he ever reduced his care for you, for your daughters, or for the Family?"

Lin Wei shook her head again. He had just been thinking about making up for her regret about not having a son.

"Has he become cold-blooded, regarding all living beings as ants, and killing at will just because his 'memories awakened'?"

Lin Wei continued to shake her head.

"Since that's the case," Yan Ji spread her hands, her smile bright, "what are you worried about, Sister?"

"I..." Lin Wei was momentarily speechless.

"Sister, you have fallen into a misconception." Yan Ji's tone softened, carrying a kind of insight into the ways of the world:

"You are fixated on the comparison between 'four hundred years' and 'billions of years,' believing that memories of a shorter duration will be covered or diluted by memories of a longer duration."

"But emotions, especially love and Family affection, their weight has never been measured by the length of time."

She looked at Chen Jun, her eyes filled with a hint of respect, and also a hint of teasing:

"Perhaps in Ancestor Chen's vast sea of memories, the four hundred years spent with you do indeed only occupy a very small part."

"But it is precisely this 'very small part' that might be the warmest, brightest, and most indispensable... core anchor in his entire sea of memory stars?"

"Just like in a boundless desert, isn't that little oasis the most precious thing?"

"Ancestor Chen just came out of seclusion to make up for a regret you had many years ago; doesn't this in itself prove that your weight in his heart has never changed?"

Yan Ji's words were like a spring breeze and rain, gently brushing away some of the haze in Lin Wei's heart.

She stared blankly at Chen Jun, looking at his face which was written with "I am wronged" and "Please believe me," and her heart could not help but waver.

Could it be... that I really thought too much?

Is Brother Jun... still that same Brother Jun?

At this moment, Chen Jun really wanted to kowtow to Yan Ji!

What an assist!

After listening to Yan Ji's words, Lin Wei's sobbing paused, and she subconsciously looked at Chen Jun.

The man before her still had the same features she had looked at for hundreds of years, now full of anxiety, helplessness, and... grievance?

Just like back in the shantytown, when he did something with good intentions but caused trouble and was blamed by her.

The warmth of his hand when he held hers, the concern in his eyes when he looked at her... were exactly the same as the "Brother Jun" in her memory.

She murmured: "He... he treats me very well, no different from before."

"That's it then." Yan Ji smiled slightly, like warm sun melting snow, "Memories may have new and old, and long years may settle wisdom and power, but the temperature of a heart and the instinctive reaction toward a loved one cannot be faked."

She paused, her voice carrying a hint of remoteness: "In the ancient Legacy of my Dragonborn Empire, there are also records of ancient civilization ruins. Some great existences, after experiencing ten thousand calamities and a hundred lifetimes of Reincarnation, have their core true self remain consistent, never lost. What matters is not how much he has experienced, but what kind of person he chooses to be, and whom he cherishes."

Yan Ji's words were like a clear spring flowing slowly into Lin Wei's chaotic heart, calming her agitated emotions and bringing hesitation to her eyes.

Seeing this, a flash of inspiration hit Chen Jun!

He slapped his thigh hard!

"Got it!"

Everyone was startled by his sudden movement.

Chen Jun's eyes lit up, as if he had grabbed a life-saving straw. He looked at Lin Wei, his tone carrying a kind of desperate determination, mixed with a hint of "this is the only way" helplessness:

"Wei Wei! I understand your worries now!"

"You're just afraid that my 'non-existent ancient memories' are too vast and will 'dilute' me away, right?"

"Fine! Then I will 'seal' them back up!"

"Huh?!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the whole room was shocked!

Even Yan Ji was stunned.

Seal... memories and cultivation?!

Lin Wei forgot to cry, staring at him blankly: "Seal... seal them?"

"Yes! Seal them!" Chen Jun said decisively, beginning to improvise and spout nonsense with a straight face:

"First of all, this way you won't overthink it and worry that I'll disappear! I can continue to improve my cultivation, roam the Mortal World, and I will still be me, a firework of a different color!"

"Secondly!" Chen Jun's gaze swept over the daughters and senior management present, his tone becoming "solemn": "This is also a great thing for the Family and for the Federation!"

He walked with his hands behind his back, as if stating a major decision concerning the fate of the nation:

"Think about it, if I keep this 'ancient existence's' 'memory' and maintain Star River Level strength."

"Those little brats, and you all," he pointed at Li Qingshan, Mo Heng, and others:

"Would you think that if the sky fell, the Old Ancestor would hold it up? Would you become lawless and go around causing trouble? Anyway, if you poke a hole in the sky, a finger from me when awakened could fix it? The Universe is so big, what if there's a wave I can't handle, what should we do then?"

Hearing this, everyone pondered it carefully, and it seemed... it really made sense!

With an invincible Old Ancestor as a safety net, it's hard to guarantee that juniors wouldn't become slack, or even bully others, inviting hidden dangers!

"So!" Chen Jun stood still abruptly, his voice sonorous, "I must 'seal' it! And I must set rules!"

His gaze was like lightning, sweeping across the audience: "From today on, announce to the outside world that I, in order to maintain a mortal state of mind and continue to practice, to avoid the 'ancient memories' and power from eroding my current true self again, have decided to undergo a deep seal! From now on, unless it is a time of civilization survival or a catastrophe of the Family, no one is allowed to try to 'awaken' my ancient memories and power for any reason!"

His tone suddenly became grim: "Whoever dares to disturb me without permission, causing me to fall short of success, is unfilial to the Family! A sinner of civilization! The crime shall be treated the same as treason!"

An invisible majesty permeated the air, making everyone's hearts tremble!

Li Qingshan, Mo Heng, and others were covered in cold sweat and quickly bowed in agreement: "We will strictly follow Ancestor Chen's decree!"

Chen Jun nodded with satisfaction. Finally, he looked at Lin Wei, a familiar, slightly lazy, and cunning smile appearing on his face—this was the expression that belonged to "Brother Jun":

"And finally... the most important point."

He spread his hands, his aura of "humblebrag" leaking out:

"The feeling of being the strongest is actually quite tiring."

"Think about it, if I have to make decisions about everything, which civilization needs me to step on, which technical Bottleneck needs me to give pointers on... then how can I live my life?"

"Wouldn't that be more tiring than those most diligent emperors? Reading 'memorials' until late at night every day?"

"I finally managed to lie down and win... ah, no, I mean, experience the Mortal World and pursue leisurely immortality, how can I be put on the fire to roast again?"

"So, a seal is good, a seal is wonderful! I will stay behind the scenes with peace of mind, accompany Wei Wei, tease the juniors, and enjoy life. How comfortable is that?"

This "heartfelt speech" was reasonable, logically sound, solved Family conflicts, prevented juniors from relying on him, and satisfied his own desire to be lazy... ah no, his noble ideal of pursuing a quiet life!

Perfect!

Lin Wei looked at Chen Jun's familiar expression, with a bit of scheming and a bit of triumph, and listened to his "fallacies," and in a trance, she felt as if she had returned to that small but warm home in the shantytown. Her Brother Jun was just like this, always able to come up with some "ghost ideas" to solve the predicament at hand.

That bone-deep familiarity, that tacit understanding and warmth unique to their couple, was like a warm current, finally completely breaking down the fear and estrangement in her heart.

"Brother Jun..." She laughed through her tears, but the tears flowed even more fiercely. But this time, they were tears of joy.

She took the initiative to step forward and threw herself into Chen Jun's arms, hugging him tightly, "I'm sorry... it was me who got stuck in a dead end... You are still my Brother Jun... you haven't changed at all..."

Chen Jun breathed a long sigh of relief in his heart, hugging his wife tightly, feeling the warmth of having her back, and secretly thinking, that was close.

Finally managed to 'fool' this silly girl... ah, no, explained it clearly!

The Family conflict was resolved, the atmosphere at the scene instantly warmed up, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief, with smiles on their faces.

At this moment, Li Qingshan, the Sword Venerable Li, who regarded buttering up Ancestor Chen as a way to clear his sword heart and hone his Dao, felt that this historical moment must be recorded in poetry!

He held his head high again, his Qi sank into his Dantian, his voice like a bell:

"Ancestor Chen, to comfort his wife, and for the long-term plan of the Family, and also for the Dao of tranquility, has resolutely decided to seal himself again! Such a broad mind is moving! This subordinate is untalented, but I am willing to write another poem to praise his holy virtue!"

He didn't wait for Chen Jun's instructions and eagerly began to chant passionately:

《Ode to Ancestor Chen's Re-mortalization》

"A single thought hides the Star River, all for the love of the past."

"Wei's light warms the eternal night, Jun's heart is the heart of Heaven."

"The seal is not a decline of power, but a leisure to see the true feelings."

"With the pillar of the Family here, why does the Ancestor need to manifest divinity?"

"Ruling the star sea with hands folded, lying down to win and enjoying immortality!"

"There is true meaning in this, making Li Qingshan envious!"

After chanting, Li Qingshan looked intoxicated, as if his sword Dao Realm had improved a level because of this...

"Good!" Mo Heng immediately clapped and praised, "Sword Venerable Li's poem expresses his feelings directly and sincerely. Especially the line 'Ruling the star sea with hands folded, lying down to win and enjoying immortality' is very vivid and expressive. It can be called the finishing touch!"

Chen Jun: "..."

He looked down at Lin Wei in his arms who finally showed a smile, then looked at the fanatical Li Qingshan and Mo Heng, and then thought about his own "seal" rhetoric...

Forget it, as long as you are happy...

He held his wife tighter, feeling this hard-won tranquility and warmth.

As for whether that "seal" rhetoric would cause some ignorant person to actually believe it and come looking for trouble?

A barely perceptible arc curled up at the corner of Chen Jun's mouth...