I picked up skill fragments in the demon world.

Chapter 1091 A Letter from the Prince
The next moment, the evil spirit seemed to be frozen in the void like amber. A ray of Buddhist light flashed from Zhang Chen's fingertip, and the six-syllable mantra transformed into a rope that entered the evil spirit's body. Then, the evil spirit was cleansed by the Buddhist light, emitting wisps of black smoke, and a series of shrill screams rang out.

"You have devoured too many living beings, and your soul is now impure. The Buddha's light will purify it, allowing you to go further in the future," Zhang Chen admonished the evil spirit.
"This great tomb contains the resentment of countless powerful beings. With the nourishment of spiritual energy, they will gradually revive. As you devour them, you will gradually lose yourself and your soul will be corrupted. Now that you have obtained my six-word mantra, you will not have to fear future troubles."

Just as Zhang Chen was speaking, the evil spirit twisted and then transformed into the appearance of a woman, a woman in red with an indistinct face, surrounded by Buddhist light, with a dot of cinnabar condensing between her eyebrows.

The terrifying aura that had been circulating around him was now completely purified, and he transformed into a pure soul. His cultivation level also quietly broke through to the Sun Wanderer realm.

"Farewell! I hope you will strive to break through and one day attain the Great Dao." Zhang Chen said to the female ghost, and with a flash, he disappeared into the feng shui formation, leaving the female ghost staring blankly at the spot where Zhang Chen had disappeared.

Zhang Chen returned to his yard and leisurely ate sunflower seeds. Just then, the sound of a truck came from outside the village, and soon Wang Biao, covered in dust, walked in.

"Why are you in such a mess?" Zhang Chen asked, seemingly unaware of the other party's previous actions.

Zhang Biao chuckled and said, "Isn't this my first encounter with the mysterious? I was thinking of seeing what the other party was capable of. As it turned out, although that evil spirit couldn't get close to me, it could fly to the sky and disappear into the earth without a trace. I couldn't catch it at all. Instead, because it targeted its soldiers, I was in a mess and had to fight that evil spirit all night. It wasn't until after the sun rose that I forced the female ghost into the tomb, and only then did I have a chance to blast the mountain and seal the feng shui formation."

Upon hearing Wang Biao's words, Zhang Chen smiled lightly: "Now you know how powerful it is? Those mysterious abilities are strange and wonderful. Even if many of them are not as strong as you, you can't do anything about them if they want to escape. Your cultivation is still far from sufficient. You should focus on your cultivation."

"It was I who was ignorant of my own limitations," Wang Biao said, scratching his head.

Zhang Chen glanced at Wang Biao but didn't say much. This was a common mistake among novices: they thought they were invincible after mastering extraordinary skills, but in reality, they were far from it.

“Master, with such abilities, why do you remain confined to this place? Why not come with me to the capital? I am willing to relinquish my position as the leader of the Mysterious Division.” Wang Biao wanted to invite Zhang Chen to the capital to take charge, so that he would have more confidence. Today, he had been humiliated by a mere brat, and he was truly at a loss.

Zhang Chen said without looking up, "Wealth and glory are nothing but fleeting clouds to me."

Seeing that he couldn't persuade her, Wang Biao had no choice but to give up. He then recounted to Zhang Chen the events that led to the destruction of the feng shui formation. Just then, Bai Ziling walked into the house. Wang Biao was taken aback when he saw Bai Ziling: "Miss Bai?"

He works in Shanghai, how could he not know the number one young lady in Shanghai?
"From now on, you should call her 'Master's Wife'," Zhang Chen corrected the other person's mistake.

"Wang Biao greets Master's wife." Upon hearing this, Wang Biao knelt down and kowtowed without saying a word, bowing to Bai Ziling, a woman younger than himself, without any sense of incongruity.

Bai Ziling looked at Zhang Chen, who nodded slightly to her. Bai Ziling said, "Get up. There's no need for such formalities. There are no outsiders here, so there aren't many rules."

After speaking, Bai Ziling sat down, and Wang Biao quickly served tea. Zhang Chen said to Wang Biao, "You don't need to be so attentive. If you are too attentive, it will make things a bit awkward."

Upon hearing this, Wang Biao said, "This is the first time I have met my master's wife, so of course I must perform the most respectful ceremony."

After speaking, he got up and looked at his dusty clothes. He said helplessly, "It is really impolite of me to pay my respects to my master's wife in such a disheveled state."

He then said, "This disciple will go and wash up now. After I have finished washing up and prepared the gifts, I will come to pay my respects to my master's wife."

Zhang Chen looked at Wang Biao, who was all modestness, and a hint of impatience appeared in his eyes: "Don't come here anymore. There are too many people and too many eyes here. It's not right for you to keep coming here. Now that you've finished your business, go back early and don't disturb my peace."

Zhang Chen started to drive people away. To be honest, he quite liked his current life. You know, the country had only been established for a few years, and the whole country was in a period of change. The less attention he attracted, the better.

Wang Biao looked aggrieved upon hearing this, but dared not refute Zhang Chen's words. He could only get up and take his leave: "Disciple takes his leave. Master, please take care. This is the landline number in my office. If you need anything, please feel free to call me."

Wang Biao put down a business card, left Zhang Chen's room, and then ordered people to bring in rice, flour, and various canned foods, filling Zhang Chen's room to the brim before leaving with peace of mind.

Watching Wang Biao's departing figure, Bai Ziling praised, "Your disciple is indeed filial; it was worth having him."

Zhang Chen dismissed the comment, saying, "It's just some supplies, what's the big deal? Whether he's truly sincere or not remains to be seen, depending on his future actions."

Zhang Chen didn't stand on ceremony. He casually picked up a can of beef, tore it open, and looking at the large chunks of beef, he couldn't help but remark, "These officials really eat well. Even in such difficult times, they haven't suffered." Wang Biao came and went in a hurry, without causing the slightest ripple.

The workers and criminals in the hunting grounds resumed their work, but they avoided the blasted hilltop, isolating it and turning it into a restricted area, while they mined other hilltops.

Zhang Chen lived a carefree life, enjoying his leisure time with a little wine and occasionally repairing broken farm machinery.

To take care of Zhang Chen and prevent him from getting tired, Inspector Liu specially selected eight strong young men to serve as his assistants and apprentices.

Zhang Chen did not refuse; instead, he earnestly taught the other party some techniques in steelmaking and blacksmithing.

Every few days, Officer Liu would come to find Zhang Chen for drinks, and from time to time he would complain about things happening on the farm. Today, a female educated youth married a local villager to reduce her labor service, and tomorrow, some woman would secretly run away to sell herself. Zhang Chen listened to the gossip about the families in Weichang with great interest.

Two months passed quickly. The severe cold had subsided, and spring had returned to the earth. Zhang Chen looked at the tender buds sprouting in the yard, and a look of joy appeared in his eyes: "Spring has arrived."

“Yes, spring has arrived, and the lives of those educated youth and criminals should be much better now.” Bai Ziling sat in the courtyard embroidering, which surprised Zhang Chen. He hadn’t expected Bai Ziling to have such a skill.

You should know that Bai Ziling is the number one young lady in Shanghai, a pampered and spoiled princess. Embroidery is something that has nothing to do with Bai Ziling.

Bai Ziling noticed the strange look in Zhang Chen's eyes and scolded him, "My mother raised me like a proper young lady. Not only am I proficient in all the arts, but I also have to keep up with modern trends. Only by doing all of these things can a modern woman be a woman of the new era."

Upon hearing Bai Ziling's words, Zhang Chen raised an eyebrow: "I misunderstood. Real young ladies from wealthy and noble families receive a comprehensive education from a young age, which is completely different from the kind of pampered children I imagined."

Just then, Liu, the warden, called out joyfully from outside the courtyard. Before he even arrived, he shouted, "Brother Zhang, the Prince has sent a letter! He's also brought your pardon document!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Chen raised an eyebrow, a hint of surprise in his eyes: "The prince is indeed quick."

“No one would dare to neglect you, even if the prince does,” Bai Ziling said from the side.

As they were talking, Warden Liu strode in from outside, causing several young apprentices to turn around and look at him. Warden Liu waved the letter and documents in his hand and handed them to Zhang Chen: "Brother Zhang, from today onwards you are a free man and can leave the hunting grounds at any time."

Bai Ziling was overjoyed upon hearing this and cheered, "Great! We can finally leave this awful place! I'll go pack my things, let's go now!"

Zhang Chen took the letter but didn't open it. Instead, he looked at the pardon document first. The next moment, he frowned: "Where is Bai Ziling's pardon document?"

Upon hearing this, Officer Liu quickly replied, "When the letter arrived, there was only your pardon document; I didn't see any documents for your siblings."

Upon hearing this, Bai Ziling's expression turned tense. She quickly looked at Zhang Chen and asked anxiously, "Could there be a mistake? Have I lost my documents?"

"Don't rush. Let's read the prince's letter. He must have something to say." Zhang Chen regained his composure, reached out and opened the letter, then said with a look of realization:

"The prince said that it is not advisable to start a major war now, and your pardon will take another six months to be issued."

Bai Ziling looked disappointed upon hearing this, but quickly composed herself: "At worst, it's just another six months, it's not a big deal."

Zhang Chen looked at the document from the prince, who invited him to the capital for a meeting, wanting to specially appoint him as an engineer at the Great Han Dynasty's Mechanical Research Institute.

In this special era, this document was extraordinary, carrying immense power and influence.

"Unfortunately, once I take on this position, there will be too many constraints, which is not what I want! I still want to start my own business and quickly promote technology to change the world. It's a pity that private ownership has not yet been born!" Zhang Chen sighed in his heart, but he was not in a hurry. He had plenty of time.

(End of this chapter)