I picked up skill fragments in the demon world.

Chapter 929 The Family!

"It seems today's gathering was indeed set up specifically to deal with me!" Zhang Chen strolled leisurely through the ancestral hall, his eyes sweeping across the entire hall. With a turn of his gaze, he took in everyone. He saw Zhang Shenqi standing under the ancestral tablet in the center, and the old men standing on either side. Everyone turned to look at him, their eyes fixed on Zhang Chen, their gazes filled with scrutiny, disdain, or hostility.

Zhang Chen walked to the very front of the ancestral hall and stood in front of Zhang Shenqi: "Where is my place?"

The positions of disciples within a clan are not arbitrary; there are rules to follow.

Those at the very front should be the direct descendants, followed by the collateral branches of the direct descendants, and then the respected elders of the clan.

Although the Zhang family operates under a patriarchal system, the entire clan is not ruled solely by the patriarch's word; even the patriarch cannot ignore the opinions of the clan elders.

Zhang Shenqi turned his head and glanced at Zhang Chen, a smile on his face, but to Zhang Chen, that smile seemed extremely hypocritical: "You can stand here. Today's family gathering was originally for you. You are the protagonist today."

"Opened for me? When did I become so influential?" Zhang Chen feigned ignorance.

Zhang Shenqi smiled without saying a word. At this moment, the elderly man at the head of the group stepped forward and asked, "You are Zhang Chen? The eldest son of that brat Zhang Shicheng?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Chen glanced to the side and saw that the newcomer was over eighty years old, with white hair and a youthful face. His clothes were impeccable, but he exuded a faint smell of decay, indicating that his time was not far off.

"That is indeed me. May I ask who you are?" Zhang Chen asked.

"This is my second great-uncle!" Zhang Shenqi quickly turned around and introduced him.

Second Uncle, that is Zhang Chen's grandfather's brother. Zhang Chen's grandfather was the eldest son, so the one in front of him is the second son.

As for where Zhang Chen's grandfather went?

Although Zhang Chen hadn't heard of him, it was highly likely that he was dead; otherwise, the person standing here wouldn't be Zhang Shenqi, and the head of the Zhang family would still be the old man.

This was a close elder, and whether Zhang Chen liked it or not, he should respectfully bow and say, "Greetings, Second Grandfather."

To be honest, Zhang Chen didn't like his second grandfather. After all, his second grandfather hadn't appeared when he last recognized his ancestors, which showed his attitude. Naturally, Zhang Chen felt the same way about him.

"Good child, get up quickly, no need to bow." Second Uncle nodded to Zhang Chen, his face very kind and his voice very gentle.

Zhang Chen stood up and heard his second grandfather across from him say, "Your grandfather and I are brothers, and we share the same mother. We are direct descendants."

Zhang Chen remained expressionless, simply watching the other person quietly. Seeing the calm demeanor on Zhang Chen's face, the second grandfather thought to himself, "He's a tough opponent."

"I called you here today because I have something I want to ask you," said the second grandfather.

Zhang Chen nodded upon hearing this: "Please go ahead."

If Zhang Chen wants to control the Zhang family, he must show respect to these old-fashioned people.

Controlling a family isn't something that can be achieved by whoever is the strongest. The affairs within a family are very complex, involving many aspects. It's not something that Zhang Chen alone can handle if he wants to control the entire family.

"Now that you have acknowledged your ancestry and are part of the Zhang family, the interests of the Zhang family are your interests, and the future of the Zhang family is your future. Do you acknowledge this?" the second uncle asked.

What could Zhang Chen say?
He could only nod in agreement.

"I heard you've formed a marriage alliance with the Zhong family?" the second uncle asked. "That's true," Zhang Chen replied calmly, his demeanor making the eyes of the old men in the room light up.

Second Uncle also carefully observed Zhang Chen. Looking at Zhang Chen's demeanor, he thought to himself, "No wonder he made the King of Pingbian stumble. This demeanor is something Zhang Shenqi can't compare to. Whether it's the older or younger generation of the Zhang family, this person should be number one."

"Since ancient times, marriages have been arranged by parents and matchmakers. Your marriage to the Zhong family was decided without family discussion, which is against etiquette." The second great-uncle looked at Zhang Chen, and before Zhang Chen could utter a rebuttal, he continued:

“You are, after all, the eldest son of the Zhang family, and you have the right to inherit the family headship in the future. Your future marriage partner should be an ancient family on par with my Zhang family. The Zhong family has only been around for tens of thousands of years and is not worthy of you! Your marriage to the Zhong family will tarnish the status of my Zhang family and will be ridiculed by the world. I have already discussed with the Lei family, one of the eight great families, and have betrothed the third young lady of the Lei family to you. You should cancel the marriage with the Zhong family.”

What the other party said was reasonable, and Zhang Chen could not refute them on the grounds of etiquette and law. He also could not clearly say anything that violated the family's principles, unless he no longer wanted to control the Zhang family and had disqualified himself from inheriting the position of head of the Zhang family.

However, just because he cannot refute the arguments based on etiquette and law does not mean that Zhang Chen should submit to his fate or be manipulated by his family.

Most importantly, at this point you must not follow the other person's train of thought; you must interrupt their train of thought and overwhelm them with sheer force.

"What you say makes sense, but unfortunately, I don't agree with you. What about families with an ancient lineage? What about families with a thousand-year lineage? The Zhang family's Book of Life and Death is lost, and instead of retrieving it, you waste your time on my marriage. Do you even respect the Zhang family? The Book of Life and Death is lost in your hands; you are the sinners of the Zhang family. The Zhang family's lineage is about to end in your hands. Instead of taking up arms and fighting the Gong family to retrieve it, you waste your energy here on the marriage of a junior like me. Although I am a junior in the Zhang family, I must say this: you are all unfilial descendants!" Zhang Chen's voice was full of mockery, indirectly criticizing:

"The Book of Life and Death is a treasure passed down through my Zhang family. It has always been kept in my ancestral land, but it was stolen. You unfilial descendants have disgraced my ancestors. If the Book of Life and Death had been lost in my hands, I would not have the face to stand under the ancestral tablets. I would have already drawn my sword and slit my own throat, so as not to bring shame to my ancestors."

Zhang Chen turned to his second uncle and asked, "What do you think?"

Although Zhang Chen's tone was questioning, at that moment, Second Uncle felt as if Zhang Chen was pointing his finger at him and angrily scolding him. Second Uncle's face turned red, and his old body trembled like a bellows, as if he could swallow his last breath at any moment.

Not only the second uncle, but all the elders in the hall had red eyes, and some were even trembling with anger.

Shame!
To be pointed at and called an unfilial son by a junior is an utter disgrace!
But at this moment, no one could refute it. After all, the Book of Life and Death was the foundation of the Zhang family's heritage, and it was lost in their generation. This was a disgrace to everyone. If the Book of Life and Death could not be found, everyone in the current generation would be a sinner of the Zhang family. How could they face their ancestors?

Compared to finding the Book of Life and Death, the marriage of Zhang Chen, a junior member of the Zhang family who is not yet the head of the family and is unlikely to assume the position in the future, is not worth mentioning.

Zhang Chen was practically pointing his finger at everyone and yelling, "You're all a bunch of useless cowards who do nothing but fight amongst yourselves!"

Zhang Chen's sharp tongue was something Second Uncle experienced firsthand for the first time, and the elders of the Zhang family standing nearby also faced his sharp edge and felt the terror of his mouth.

As Zhang Chen's rebuke rang out, the room fell into a deathly silence; no one could utter a word.

Seeing this, Zhang Shenqi clenched his fists tightly into his sleeves, a fire of anger burning in his heart. He knew that the Book of Life and Death was lost in his house, he was the person involved, and he was the one with the greatest guilt. Zhang Chen was slapping him in the face!
Seeing that the atmosphere in the room was not right, and that if Zhang Chen continued to speak, things would get really bad, Zhang Shenqi was about to stand up and refute Zhang Chen's words. The Third Prince had given him a task, so how could he give up halfway?

Just as Zhang Shenqi was about to speak, Zhang Chen spoke first: "Esteemed elders, since you are all here today, I have something to say, and I urge you to listen! Zhang Shenqi's loss of the Book of Life and Death is a heinous crime. I suggest that Zhang Shenqi be removed from his position as clan leader and that the position be returned to my lineage. When I become the clan leader, my marriage will naturally be of paramount importance and should be discussed by the entire clan. Secondly, if the position of clan leader is handed over to me, I will devote all my energy to finding the Book of Life and Death and will not waste a single precious moment. I am not like some useless person who has been missing the Book of Life and Death for so many days without any reaction, instead wasting my energy on meddling in other people's business."

Zhang Chen didn't need to show any mercy to Zhang Shenqi, and started criticizing him directly.

"I am more than happy to discuss my marriage with you elders, but you must promise me that you will hand over the position of head of the Zhang family to me, making me the sole heir to the Zhang family. Otherwise, my marriage is nothing but a feather in the eyes of the clan, not worth mentioning! Instead of going to seize the Book of Life and Death, you are wasting your time here on this trivial matter, which is truly perplexing!" Zhang Chen turned to his second uncle:

"Uncle, please say something. Am I the sole heir to the Zhang family in the future? Will the Zhang family be handed over to me? You all have come all here today, disregarding even the Book of Life and Death. I suppose you've already decided that the Zhang family will be handed over to me, that I am the sole heir? Is that why my marriage is more important than the Book of Life and Death?" Zhang Chen, now revealing his true intentions, directly attacked.

Upon hearing Zhang Chen's words, Second Uncle was stunned, Zhang Shenqi was stunned, and a group of Zhang family elders were stunned. They never expected that Zhang Chen would make such a big deal out of the Book of Life and Death and actually turn the tables and force the emperor to abdicate.

Now everyone is in a bind!
To say that Zhang Chen wasn't designated as the sole heir would confirm Zhang Chen's claim that everyone else is useless. Why neglect the crucial matter of the Book of Life and Death and instead pursue the marriage of an ordinary clansman?

(End of this chapter)