68: Qin Qingxuan appeared again.

The banquet finally came to an end.

The hall was filled with the unique, quiet atmosphere that follows a grand feast—a mix of wine, fruit, and a faint sense of exhaustion.

The Stellar-level Experts stood up one after another to take their leave.

Before leaving, each one would specifically approach Chen Jun to once again express their "sincere" greetings and "earnest" concern. Their tone was so heartfelt and their attitude so humble that it was as if Chen Jun were a dear friend of tens of thousands of years, rather than a "special resource" whose life was on a countdown.

"Mr. Chen, please take care. If you need anything, contact this old man anytime!"

"Mr. Chen, the permissions for that vacation planet have been activated. You must go there to relax when you have some free time."

"Mr. Chen, a small token of my appreciation, please accept it. I hope you find joy every day..."

Chen Jun responded to each one, his face always wearing an expression of indifference tinged with a perfectly measured touch of "melancholy." He was neither overly enthusiastic nor impolite, playing the role of a short-lived hero who had "seen through life and death and accepted his fate" to perfection.

Finally, the last Stellar Level Expert—the old scholar who had gifted the Ancient Earth comic books and game consoles—nagged Chen Jun with instructions:

"Be moderate when playing games. Although they relieve stress, don't stay up too late." Then, he reluctantly turned into a streak of light and departed.

The bustling hall suddenly became empty and quiet.

It was only then that Chen Jun realized Leader Yun Xi had slipped away at some point, as silent and unnoticed as when she had arrived.

This great leader always shouldered the heaviest burdens herself, leaving the stage to others.

Chen Jun's respect for Yun Xi couldn't help but grow a bit more...

As the host, Qin Pojun personally escorted the last few guests to the entrance of the Jade Washing Studio before returning to the hall with a glowing face.

The way he looked at Chen Jun was complicated and hard to describe.

There was a sense of prideful closeness because of his daughter and granddaughter, recognition for Chen Jun's "huge contribution," and a deliberate look of flattery on his face.

But deeper down, there was still a calculation based on value and an imperceptible... detachment.

In his heart, Chen Jun's importance was ultimately built upon those descendants with Innate Aptitude. Furthermore, with only three years of life remaining, he no longer had any value for breeding Innate Physiques...

"Chen Jun," Qin Pojun walked up to Chen Jun, his tone gentler than ever before, "you've worked hard today. The manor has prepared a quiet room for you to rest. If you don't mind, you can stay here for the night before heading back."

Chen Jun shook his head and declined politely but distantly, "Thank you for the kind offer, Senior Qin, but Lin Wei and the children are waiting at home. I'll be heading back now."

He didn't want to stay in this manor full of acting any longer.

Qin Pojun didn't insist and nodded. "Very well. I'll have someone see you off."

"No need to trouble yourself, I'll go back on my own." Chen Jun declined again. He enjoyed the feeling of walking alone and reflecting on life.

Qin Pojun said no more. He just gave Chen Jun a deep look, patted his shoulder—everything left unsaid—and then turned to arrange other matters.

Only a few people remained in the vast banquet hall.

Chen Jun, Su Wan, Qin Qingxuan, and Su Xingyao, who was being held by Su Wan and had already started rubbing her eyes, looking a bit sleepy. (Qin Wangshu had already been taken to rest.)

There were also two maidservants standing in the distance, ready to follow orders.

The atmosphere suddenly became subtle and quiet.

Su Wan and Qin Qingxuan, the two women with the deepest and most special connections to Chen Jun, were both lost in a heavy silence and indescribable shock.

The scenes from the banquet were etched into their minds like a brand, impossible to shake off.

Those Stellar Level Old Ancestors they usually had to look up to and revere, the Peak existences of Federation power, had actually shown such near-humble respect and flattery toward Chen Jun—who, in their understanding, was destined to be just a "tool" forced to carry out "breeding missions"!

That attitude?!

It was a reverence that came from the heart, even carrying a hint of fear!

Because of those four Innate Sun Bodies that hadn't even been born yet!

Su Wan's heart was like a small boat tossed in a stormy sea, rising and falling.

She had originally thought that Chen Jun, like her, was a victim of this "Federation's greater good," and perhaps even more miserable than her because he was consuming his precious lifespan.

She felt a pity for him as a fellow sufferer, but also an unresolvable barrier and a hint of resentment stemming from that transaction.

That was why she had deliberately avoided him for the past eight years, almost never contacting Chen Jun and trying her best to prevent Su Xingyao from knowing about his existence.

However, everything she had witnessed today with her own eyes had completely overturned her perception!

Chen Jun was not just a "tool"!

He was an existence that Stellar Level giants scrambled to flatter and cautiously appease!

The value he created and the... potential influence he possessed had already far exceeded her imagination!

Those four Innate Sun Bodies were like four insurmountable mountains, establishing Chen Jun's unshakable and extremely special status in the minds of the Federation's high-level leaders!

How ridiculous and... short-sighted did her previous pity and distance seem now?

Qin Qingxuan's feelings were even more complex and... cold.

She was more rational and prouder than Su Wan.

Her union with Chen Jun was, to her, a transaction of the purest kind.

She gave her body and the hardship of pregnancy in exchange for the chance to Breakthrough to the Stellar Level and to bear a daughter with an Innate Moon Body.

Throughout the process, she had no emotional investment, even carrying a high-and-mighty indifference as if executing a strategic mission.

From beginning to end, Chen Jun was merely a "vessel" with a special function in her eyes, a necessary "link."

Even when Chen Jun later "regained his youth," and even when she knew the Federation high-level leaders had begun to "treat him well," she didn't pay it much mind.

In her view, it was nothing more than "humanitarian care" before squeezing out his remaining value and a consideration for the feelings of the future Sun Bodies.

But today's banquet and the attitude of those Stellar Level colleagues toward Chen Jun made her keenly aware of something deeper.

It wasn't just "care" and "consideration"!

It was a sense of... almost treating him as an "equal," even vaguely carrying a hint of "wariness"!

Wariness of what?

Wariness of the value he had created in just a few short years?

Wariness of the future potential of his daughters?

Or... wariness of the secrets he might possess that they were not yet aware of?

In the depths of Qin Qingxuan's icy blue eyes, for the first time, a tiny bit of... inquiry and solemnity arose toward this "Mortal Body tool," something she herself was unwilling to admit.

She couldn't help but recall the incomprehensible Law fluctuations during their union...

And Chen Jun's peculiarity, which seemed ordinary yet could "take effect" on Venerable Yuehua and even herself, Qin Qingxuan...

This man was probably far from as simple as he appeared on the surface.

At the very least, he was definitely not just an ordinary Mortal with an F-grade special Physique and not much life left.

The two mothers each had their own thoughts, silence acting like an invisible wall between them and Chen Jun.

And what broke this silence was a tender voice full of dependence.

"Uncle Chen..."

Su Xingyao, who was being held by Su Wan, seemed unable to resist her sleepiness. Her small head nodded, but she still tried to look up, gazing at Chen Jun with her large eyes as pure as star lakes, her small hand gently tugging at his clothes.

Chen Jun's heart softened instantly.

He crouched down to be at eye level with his daughter, his voice so gentle it could practically drip water. "Is Yaoyao sleepy? Is it time to go back to sleep?"

Su Xingyao shook her head and then nodded, her small face full of conflict. She reached out her other empty hand and grabbed Chen Jun's finger, as if this would give her more strength, and said in a milky voice, "Uncle Chen... Yaoyao likes the stories you tell... In the future... can Yaoyao come to find you often? To hear you tell stories about stars going to sleep... and... and stories about stars dreaming..."

The little girl's eyes were full of expectation and a faint, hard-to-detect longing for fatherly love.

She had grown up under Su Wan's meticulous care, with top-tier material conditions and no worries about cultivation resources, but the role of "father" had always been missing and blurry in her world.

Although Su Wan's love was deep, it couldn't completely replace the pull of another Bloodline.

During her brief time with Chen Jun today, the aura he emitted that made her feel incredibly safe and comfortable, along with those whimsical stories about stars, were like a seed that quickly took root and sprouted in her small heart.

She instinctively wanted to be close to this "Uncle Chen," wanting more of this companionship.

As soon as Su Xingyao said this, Su Wan's body trembled almost imperceptibly.

Looking at her daughter's longing face, a wave of immense bitterness and contradiction surged in her heart.

Should she stop it?

What reason did she have to stop it?

Seeing Chen Jun's eyes instantly become incredibly soft, even carrying a hint of being overwhelmed by the favor, the words at the tip of Su Wan's tongue were swallowed back down.

Perhaps... letting the child have some fatherly love wasn't a bad thing?

Especially since Chen Jun "didn't have much time left"...

This was perhaps a form of compensation from fate for her daughter?

Seeing his daughter's expectant eyes, Chen Jun's heart was filled with immense joy and a hint of sourness.

How could he not want to be with his daughter every day and watch her grow up?

He nodded vigorously, a most sincere smile blooming on his face. "Of course you can! Yaoyao can come whenever she wants! Uncle has... has a few older and younger sisters at home, they can play with Yaoyao too! Uncle will prepare many, many fun stories to tell you, okay?"

"Really?" Su Xingyao's eyes lit up instantly, as if filled with starlight, and her sleepiness dissipated quite a bit. "And little sisters too? That's great! Yaoyao likes little sisters!"

She excitedly shook her mother's hand. "Mama! Mama! Did you hear? Uncle Chen promised me! I can go find Uncle Chen and the little sisters to play in the future!"

Seeing her daughter's heartfelt happiness, all of Su Wan's concerns and inner knots finally turned into a soft sigh and a barely audible response: "...Yes, Mama heard."

She looked up at Chen Jun, her gaze complex. In the end, she added a sentence, her tone carrying a hint of imperceptible compromise and... a warning?

"Then... I'll have to trouble Mr. Chen in the future. It's just... Xingyao's cultivation studies are very heavy, and Teacher Yun Xi has high expectations for her, so I hope Mr. Chen... maintains a proper sense of proportion."

Chen Jun immediately promised, "Rest assured, Ms. Su, I understand. I will never delay Yaoyao's proper business."

Having received her mother's tacit permission and Chen Jun's promise, Su Xingyao was overjoyed. Her small face beamed with happiness, and she even took the initiative to stand on her tiptoes and give Chen Jun a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Thank you, Uncle Chen! Uncle Chen is the best!"

That soft touch, carrying a milky scent, was like the warmest electric current, instantly spreading through Chen Jun's entire body!

His whole body stiffened for a moment, and then an indescribable sense of immense happiness surged into his heart like a volcanic eruption!

Is this what it feels like to be kissed by a daughter you've regained?!

It was worth it!

Everything was worth it!

The humiliation of being treated as a tool... at this moment, it seemed to be completely purified by this gentle kiss!

He tightly held his daughter's small hand, his eyes even becoming slightly warm.

...

Qin Qingxuan, who had been watching coldly from the side, took all of this in.

Seeing Su Xingyao's undisguised closeness and dependence on Chen Jun, seeing Su Wan's complex but ultimately compromising attitude, and then seeing Chen Jun's "deep parental affection"...

Her frozen heart didn't ripple much; instead, she became even calmer.

Emotion...

Is something only the weak need, a stumbling block on the path of cultivation.

Her daughter, Qin Wangshu, was destined to become a Star Arm Level expert who surpassed her and even Teacher Yun Xi, shouldering the great task of protecting the Federation and exploring the sea of stars!

She must not be tied down by these pointless family affections like Su Xingyao.

Goddess who drives the moon does not need a "loving father".

What she needed was absolutely rational teaching, cruel tempering, and a flawless plan leading to the Peak of power!

Chen Jun?

He might be somewhat special, but in the end, he was just a Mortal with only a little over three years of life left.

To Goddess who drives the moon, his existence had no meaning other than that insignificant Bloodline connection!

It might even... become a future hidden danger?!

If Goddess who drives the moon also developed feelings for this "father" like Su Xingyao, and later learned the truth, or if her state of mind fluctuated because of this "father" and affected her cultivation, that would be the real trouble!

He must... be completely isolated!

Qin Qingxuan made a decision in an instant.

Thinking of the sleeping little Goddess who drives the moon, she slowly rose, her posture elegant and cold, like a Peak of ice that would never melt.

She didn't even look at Chen Jun, only saying indifferently to Su Wan, "Wan'er, since Yaoyao is sleepy, take her back to rest early. The Leader has high hopes for her; do not delay tomorrow's morning lessons."

Then, she turned and walked straight toward the deeper parts of the Jade Washing Studio.

Her back was resolute, without a trace of lingering.

It was as if the father of the child whose birth everyone had just celebrated had nothing to do with her, the mother.

Su Wan watched her Revered Master's retreating back, her lips moving, but in the end, she said nothing, only a hint of pity flashed in her eyes...

She knew her Revered Master too well.

Rational, cold, willing to sacrifice everything for the Federation, including... emotions...

"Mr. Chen, we should be going too." Su Wan withdrew her gaze and said to Chen Jun, her tone returning to its usual distance.

Chen Jun watched the direction in which Qin Qingxuan had disappeared, his heart not rippling much.

He had known what kind of person Qin Qingxuan was for a long time.

Regarding Goddess who drives the moon, he also had the attachment of Bloodline, but he respected Qin Qingxuan's choice and wouldn't force anything.

As long as the child was safe, it was fine.

As for feelings?

There was plenty of time...

He had plenty of time to wait slowly...

I, Chen Jun, am not one to fight for the fleeting moment...

"Alright." Chen Jun nodded, let go of Su Xingyao's small hand, and said softly, "Yaoyao, go back to sleep with Mama. Next time, Uncle will tell you more stories."

"Mm! Goodbye, Uncle Chen!" Su Xingyao nodded obediently. Although reluctant, she still let go of his hand and left the banquet hall with Su Wan, looking back every few steps.

The vast hall was finally left with only Chen Jun and the maidservants standing in the distance.

The noise had faded, and the prosperity had ended.

An extreme silence descended.

Chen Jun stood alone under the starry dome and slowly let out a breath.

Today's information load was indeed a bit large.

The cuteness of his daughters, the "enthusiasm" of the Stellar Level big shots, Su Wan's complexity, Qin Qingxuan's coldness...

But none of this could affect his pleasant mood at this moment.

Deep in his consciousness, the numbers on the Panel were still jumping happily...

They rose again!

Steady happiness!

He stretched and a leisurely smile appeared on his face...

A tool?

A short-lived ghost?

Heh heh...

As long as you're happy.

As for me, I'm going home to hold my wife and kids!