23: Lin Wei's comfort

Chen Jun did not know how he had managed to drag himself back to the luxurious villa that belonged to him and Lin Wei.

Every step felt like walking on cotton, yet at the same time, it felt like dragging a crushing burden.

His vision was blurred, his ears were ringing, and the entire world seemed to be separated by a thick layer of frosted glass.

That feeling of being completely hollowed out was like a festering sore, eroding every inch of his flesh and every bone in his body.

He could even clearly feel life slipping away from this decaying shell at a terrifying speed.

[Remaining Lifespan: 7.9 years]

This cold number hung in the abyss of his consciousness like a vicious curse.

He pushed open the door, his movements as sluggish as a rusty robot.

Lin Wei, who was tidying up the children's toys in the living room, looked up at the sound, her face originally holding a gentle smile.

However, when her gaze fell upon Chen Jun, that smile instantly froze, shattering into shock and fear!

"Brother Jun!"

She exclaimed, and the toy in her hand clattered onto the soft carpet.

The Chen Jun before her seemed to have aged more than ten years overnight!

His complexion was a deathly, ashen pale, his eye sockets sunken like a skull's, and his previously somewhat lustrous gray hair had become completely withered and lifeless, devoid of any Life Qi.

He hunched his back, relying on the doorframe to barely stand, his breathing so weak that the rise and fall of his chest was almost invisible, and his whole person exuded a heavy, decaying aura of someone on the verge of death.

Lin Wei's heart felt as if it had been tightly gripped by a cold hand, the pain so intense she could barely breathe.

She understood instantly.

The "special Physique" and "consuming life force" her husband had mentioned before... were all true!

She did not question him, did not cry out, and did not even harbor the slightest bit of resentment.

She simply rushed forward, using all her strength to support her tottering husband, her movements as gentle as if she were handling a fragile, priceless treasure.

"Brother Jun... you... how did you..."

Her voice trembled violently, and, fighting back immense heartache and tears, she carefully helped him sit on the nearest sofa.

Chen Jun slumped into the sofa, almost lacking the strength to even lift his eyelids.

He did not dare to look into his wife's eyes; immense guilt and a sense of culpability threatened to drown him.

He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but found his throat too dry to make a sound.

Lin Wei held his cold, withered hand tightly, and tears finally could not be held back, rolling down in large drops onto the back of Chen Jun's hand.

The tears were scalding!

But she quickly wiped away her tears, sniffled hard, and tried to make her voice sound calm and gentle:

"It's okay, Brother Jun, it's okay... I understand, I understand everything..."

She gently pulled Chen Jun's head into her embrace, patting his back like a mother soothing a child, her voice choked with sobs yet exceptionally firm:

"Don't let your imagination run wild... it's okay, it's really okay..."

Chen Jun's body stiffened for a moment, seemingly not understanding why his wife was reacting this way.

Lin Wei seemed to see through his confusion; she spoke in a low voice, as if comforting him, and perhaps also persuading herself:

"Brother Jun, we have always lived at the bottom, and there are many things we don't know... I've learned over the past two years that in the Federation, especially within those powerful Cultivate families, monogamy is not an ironclad rule."

"Many powerful male Martial Artists, in order to bear more excellent offspring, will have many wives or partners."

"Similarly, those powerful female Martial Artists will also have multiple male concubines..."

Her voice was very soft, yet it was like a gentle blade, dissecting a social rule of the upper echelons of this interstellar era that Chen Jun had never encountered.

"This... this is very common. Everyone... everyone thinks this is for the sake of the Family, for the future of the Federation... it's taken for granted."

Lin Wei tried hard to make her tone sound natural,

"So, Brother Jun, you really don't need to feel sorry for me... Your Physique is special, and being able to... to bear such excellent offspring is a wonderful thing... The Federation needs you, and the children... also need stronger siblings to protect them in the future..."

Her words were a bit messy, even incoherent, but the core meaning was clearly conveyed:

She understood, she didn't blame him, and she was even trying to use the rules of this era to lighten his psychological burden.

Chen Jun was stunned...

Deep within his secular values as an ordinary person from Blue Star, the loyalty of monogamy was still deeply rooted.

But at this moment, his wife's words were like a crack, allowing his heavy sense of guilt to seemingly find an outlet for release.

So...

Was this world different for the strong?

So, in a way, was his behavior... tolerated or even encouraged by the rules of this world?

While this realization felt absurd to him, the sense of guilt that had been crushing him to the point of suffocation actually began to lessen slightly.

Although deep down he knew this could not change the fact that he had betrayed the deep bond he shared with Lin Wei, one forged in poverty and mutual support.

Seeing her husband seem to relax a little, Lin Wei's heart ached even more.

She hugged him tightly, feeling his increasingly weak Life Qi, and boundless fear gripped her.

"Brother Jun..."

Her voice was filled with a crying tone,

"You... are you... consuming too much? Your body..."

Chen Jun finally managed to catch his breath, raised his hand with extreme difficulty, touched his wife's tear-stained face, squeezed out a smile that looked worse than crying, and said in a hoarse voice:

"It's... it's okay... I can... I can still hold on..."

He hesitated for a moment, feeling that some things had to be made clear right now.

The children were all at school, which was a great opportunity to avoid them being accidentally overheard by his daughters, who had keen senses.

"Wei Wei..."

He caught his breath and continued,

"The Federation... the Federation has promised us... they will help you... help you with the Awakening of your Acquired Martial Body... to reach the Warrior Rank..."

Lin Wei suddenly looked up, a flash of surprise in her eyes, but it was immediately covered by even greater worry:

"Really? Then... then what about you?"

Chen Jun shook his head bitterly, his eyes dim:

"I... I don't know... President Qin said... my body... is too severely depleted... my Foundation is destroyed... the success rate... is less than ten percent... forcing an Awakening... might... might make me die faster..."

The light in Lin Wei's eyes extinguished instantly, replaced by even greater despair and heartache!

She grabbed her husband's hand tightly, as if she could hold onto his slipping life this way:

"No... that can't be! There must be a way! We won't let them help us! Let's just stay like this, okay? I don't want the Awakening! I just want you to live well!"

"Don't say silly things..."

Chen Jun gripped her hand back, using all his strength, his eyes becoming exceptionally serious and earnest,

"Wei Wei, listen to me! This is... an opportunity! You must seize it! The success rate is ninety-nine percent! Once you have the Awakening, you will have... a lifespan of two hundred years! You will have more time... to accompany Xi Xi, Yao Yao, and Lu Lu... to watch them grow up... and succeed... and I... I can also rest easy..."

His words were like a last will and testament, making Lin Wei sob uncontrollably.

"After I... after I am gone..."

Chen Jun's voice grew weaker and weaker, intermittent,

"You must... take good care of yourself... raise the children... to adulthood... they are... our pride..."

He paused, a flash of extremely complicated emotion in his eyes, and finally said it:

"If... if in the future you meet... someone suitable... someone who treats you well... then... don't hesitate... remarry... don't... don't be alone... all by yourself..."

"No! I don't want to!"

Lin Wei finally broke down, hugging him tightly, and burst into tears,

"I only want you! Brother Jun! I only want you! Don't leave me and the children behind!"

Chen Jun held his sobbing wife, his heart twisted like a knife, and two lines of turbid tears slid down his withered face.

He looked up at the gorgeous yet cold decorations on the ceiling, his heart filled with endless resentment and despair toward that damn System.

Damn it...

This useless System...

Apart from cheating me out of my lifespan...

It's of no use at all...

If I can survive...

I will definitely...

...

He cursed wildly in his heart.