I picked up skill fragments in the demon world.

Chapter 1054 The last moments
Zhang Chen looked at the dusty little guy and couldn't help but laugh; he hadn't laughed in a long time.

The young man shoved the food box into Zhang Chen's hands, then looked Zhang Chen up and down, asking with a face full of curiosity, "What are you doing here? Aren't you afraid of ghosts?"

"A ghost?" Zhang Chen's face showed a strange expression upon hearing this. If there were ghosts in this world, they would never dare to appear in front of him.

"I heard from the eunuchs outside that terrifying and ferocious demons lurk inside, and everyone who enters this place is swallowed whole by them." The Third Prince made a swallowing gesture at Zhang Chen.

Zhang Chen laughed upon hearing this: "There are ghosts here. I'm here to catch them. Don't come here again, or you'll get swallowed by them."

Upon hearing this, the third prince felt a chill run down his spine: "Is there really a ghost?"

Zhang Chen nodded solemnly: "Not only is there a ghost, but the ghost is also very ferocious."

The third prince turned pale with fright, and without saying a word, he turned and ran back through the bamboo forest he had come from.

Zhang Chen watched the frightened Third Prince run away, a smile appearing in his eyes. He walked back to his own recliner, opened the food box in his hand, which was full of exquisite pastries, but Zhang Chen was already tired of eating all of them.

However, Zhang Chen still picked up a piece of pastry and slowly put it into his mouth. As the days passed, the third prince would occasionally sneak in and bring Zhang Chen pastries and dishes from outside, which added some fun to Zhang Chen's monotonous days.

Another month later

When Zhang Guan came to visit Zhang Chen, he was surprised to see the pastries on Zhang Chen's table: "When did Grandpa eat pastries?"

However, he didn't ask any further questions. What was such a big deal about his grandfather eating pastries?
"How's the situation outside?" Zhang Chen asked.

"Thanks to you, everything is still stable. The reforms have been successfully implemented, all the major lords have been dismissed, and all the vassal states within the lords have been abolished. The entire country is now governed by the prefecture-county system." Zhang Guan began to explain the changes in the outside world to Zhang Chen, as if he were giving a report to Zhang Chen.

Just as the two were talking, a strange noise suddenly came from the bamboo forest in the distance. Zhang Guan stopped speaking, turned his head to look in the direction of the bamboo forest, and a cold and sharp look appeared in his eyes, with a hint of murderous intent flashing in the corner of his eyes.

"Don't be nervous, he's just an interesting child." Zhang Chen heard footsteps coming from the direction of the bamboo forest and knew who it was. Sure enough, the next moment, the Third Prince emerged from the bamboo forest in the distance, carrying a food box.

“What a kind man! Today I’ve brought you a roasted…chicken…Father…King…”

The young man was walking towards Xiaozhu in high spirits, but when he saw the man sitting in front of Zhang Chen, he was so shocked that he froze on the spot, unable to speak. The next moment, the food box in his hand fell to the ground, and he took off running away.

"How dare you! Stop right there before me!" Zhang Guan shouted at the young man.

The boy stopped in his tracks, looking like a wilted eggplant, and turned to look at Zhang Guan, slowly shuffling over from a distance: "Father, what are you doing here?"

"Shouldn't I be asking you that? This is a forbidden area. What are you doing here?" Zhang Guan reprimanded.

Upon hearing this, the third prince turned into a quiet quail, shrinking into himself. Just as he was wondering how to argue, Zhang Chen spoke up from the side: "Why are you arguing with a child? Go and pick up that roast chicken."

When the third prince saw Zhang Chen speak up to help him out of the predicament, his face lit up with joy. He was about to turn around to pick up the roast chicken, but before he could move, he saw his father had already picked up the food box and placed it next to Zhang Chen: "Why didn't you tell me beforehand that you like roast chicken? I could have arranged it for you."

"It's just an occasional treat." Zhang Chen slowly opened the food box, looked at the golden and crispy roast chicken, and gave a chicken leg to Zhang Guan. Zhang Guan's face twitched, and after glancing at the Third Prince beside him, he finally reached out and took it.

Zhang Chen tore off another chicken wing and handed it to the Third Prince. The Third Prince was dumbfounded when he saw his father tearing off a chicken leg and gnawing on it. His father was very particular about the rules in the palace. When did he start eating chicken legs with his hands like an ordinary person?

While he was still in a daze, Zhang Chen tore off another chicken leg and stuffed it into the Third Prince's mouth, startling him awake. He glanced timidly at Zhang Guan, then lowered his head and silently began to gnaw on the chicken leg.

"He seems quite afraid of you?" Zhang Chen asked.

"Ever since that Zhang Yu incident, I've tightened my control over the princes and nobles," Zhang Guan mumbled as he munched on a chicken leg.

At this moment, the third prince looked at his father, who now seemed like an ordinary commoner, eating a chicken leg without any manners or etiquette.

Zhang Chen didn't say much. For the children of the powerful and wealthy, stricter rules are never a bad thing.

The atmosphere became somber with the arrival of the third prince. None of the three spoke until a roast chicken was finished. Then, Zhang Guan grabbed the third prince by the collar and pulled him away from the small pavilion. "Father, I know I was wrong. I will never do it again," the third prince said hastily, his eyes darting out to observe Zhang Guan's unreadable expression.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Guan put the Third Prince down, looked at him with a gloomy and uncertain look in his eyes, and said after a long while, "You can come whenever you want in the future."

After speaking, he strode away, leaving the third prince standing there, staring at his father's retreating figure with a look of astonishment.

At this moment, a thousand thoughts raced through Zhang Guan's mind. Since his father left, the old man had been staying alone in the backyard and not seeing anyone. It was rare that the third prince had barged in and the other party did not show any resistance. Naturally, he did not dare to interfere with Zhang Chen's decision. However, he would have to be more careful in dealing with the third prince in the future, after all, he was someone the old man had taken a liking to.

Life went on uneventfully, and ten years passed in the blink of an eye. Zhang Chen's courtyard was still the same small courtyard, except that the bamboo forest growing around the courtyard was many times more lush.

Zhang Chen sat cross-legged under the eaves, flipping through the documents in his hands, analyzing the clues as to why the spiritual world had not yet fallen into the material world. Just then, he heard footsteps in the distance. The sixteen-year-old Third Prince, carrying a food box and a jar of fine wine, emerged from the bamboo forest. After ten years of stealth, he had worn a path through the bamboo forest.

"Great-Grandpa, your grandson has come to see you again." The third prince hopped and skipped to Zhang Chen's side, placed the food box and wine on the table, and then leaned in to Zhang Chen with a grin.

After ten years of getting along and watching the third prince grow up, even if the other party is stupid, they should be able to figure out some clues.

The news of Zhang Chen's seclusion was downplayed, but it was by no means a secret. After ten years of getting to know each other and making inquiries, it would be strange if the Third Prince still didn't know Zhang Chen's identity.

In addition, he would often encounter Zhang Guan when he came here, and with the information he had gathered outside the palace, he naturally had some premonitions in his mind.

Zhang Chen closed the folded document in his hand, turned to look at the Third Prince, and looking at that handsome and heroic face, he was vaguely reminded of himself.

"Why don't you go learn some skills, you monkey? What are you doing wasting your time coming to see this old man like me all day?" Zhang Chen teased irritably.

Upon hearing Zhang Chen's words, the young man's face showed a hint of reluctance: "Father has ordered me to lead troops to punish the rebels. I'm afraid I won't be able to return for the next few years and won't have time to come see you."

"Traitor? Our Great Han Kingdom has traitors?" Zhang Chen was stunned upon hearing this, a look of astonishment appearing in his eyes. The Great Han Kingdom is currently enjoying long-term peace and stability, and the people are living prosperous lives under the management of the Zhang family. How could there be traitors?
"It's all because of the chaos outside. Things are getting more and more chaotic outside. A large number of bandits have invaded our Great Han Kingdom. In order to train us princes, Father ordered us to lead troops to suppress the bandits," said the Third Prince.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Chen suddenly realized what was going on, stood up, picked up the wine jar, and said, "Then let's have a small drink today and wish you a safe journey."

The grandfather and grandson drank another round of wine before the third prince emerged from the bamboo forest. Shortly after, Zhang Guan walked over from a distance with a worried expression. Looking at the leftover food on the table, he sat down opposite Zhang Chen and sighed.

"Why do you look so worried? What's wrong?" Zhang Chen asked.

"It's all because of the position of crown prince. The various forces behind the princes are all exerting their power and fighting each other, and even I can't suppress them." Zhang Guan picked up the jar and took a swig of wine.

"The position of crown prince has always been so fraught with difficulties. Who is chosen as crown prince is entirely up to you," Zhang Chen said irritably.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Guan glanced at Zhang Chen, his eyes filled with resentment. Countless words were on the tip of his tongue, but he swallowed them back, finally settling on, "Isn't it all because I have to consider your wishes?"

"You mean the Third Prince?" Zhang Chen was a man of great stature. Upon hearing the other party's words, he immediately guessed what the other party was thinking.

"What do you think?" Zhang Guan asked Zhang Chen. "If you care about this child, he will be the future crown prince."

“I no longer interfere in outside affairs. You can decide for yourself who the crown prince is. Don’t you, as his father, know whether the third prince is qualified for the position or whether there are any princes more outstanding than the third prince?” Zhang Chen reprimanded.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Guan said, "Now that you say so, I am relieved. Although the third son has been well influenced by you, his temperament is too soft and lacks some of the heroic and decisive qualities. I'm afraid he won't be able to control the various powerful figures in the Han Dynasty. In addition, his maternal clan is stirring up trouble behind the scenes, which is very displeasing."

At this point, Zhang Guan looked at Zhang Chen and complained, "This is still your fault. You and that child are close, and it's impossible to hide it from the child's maternal clan. This has caused the maternal clan to have some inappropriate thoughts, and they've been stirring up trouble every day, making the entire Han court restless. They're only relying on your power."

Zhang Chen was taken aback upon hearing this, then shook his head: "You can make all the decisions yourself, you don't need to consider me! Personal feelings cannot take precedence over the great cause of the family, you, as a monarch, should know this better than I do."

Zhang Guan nodded upon hearing this, then hesitated for a moment before saying, "Would you like to meet the eldest prince? Perhaps send him to your side for some instruction?"

(End of this chapter)