Under One Person: The Sea Emperor Who Shattered Heaven and Earth

No, I'm done writing. I can't write anymore. Even I can't stand the plot anymore. I can still write a few dozen more chapters. Once I finish the ending, I'll release them all at once.

Chapter 160 Obsession as Vast as the Sea: Qu Tong's Confession (5700)

...Please throw your brains away...

The headquarters of Yaoxing Society, top-floor office.

The originally soft floor lamp now appeared somewhat pale. Qu Tong sat alone behind the huge mahogany desk, her hands clasped together and resting on her chin.

The hidden blue light doors she had placed deep within the souls of all the lower and middle-level employees in various regions of the company have all been forcibly removed.

"Pfft."

The intense backlash from the depths of her soul caused Qu Tong to stumble forward. A trickle of blood slid slowly down her lip and dripped onto the black table. She didn't wipe it away; instead, she lowered her head and let out a very complex low laugh.

"As expected of Senior Duanmu..."

Qu Tong slowly raised her head, wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth with her finger, and muttered to herself:

"The tricks I thought I had figured out are still not up to par in your eyes, the one in charge."

"But it doesn't matter anymore."

If an outsider were standing here right now, they would be utterly astonished by the sight before them. Qu Tong's office contained almost none of the typical furnishings one would expect from a CEO's office—there were no calligraphy or paintings with the proverb "Heaven rewards diligence," and no bookshelves filled with books on "wolf pack mentality."

The corkboard that covered the entire wall was covered with nails surrounding the same person.

New World, Emperor of the Sea - Jiang Zhen.

There are old newspapers from the Republican era, the paper is yellowed and brittle, and the edges are riddled with tiny wormholes. The headline on the front page is printed in traditional Chinese characters with the name "Jiang Zhen, leader of the Cao Gang".

There were English newspaper clippings sent back from across the ocean, front pages of The New York Times and The Times, with sensational headlines and blurry pictures. There were also countless photos acquired at great expense through various top-secret channels—some bought from intelligence dealers, some were yellowed photos won at high prices from the private collections of retired veteran agents, and some were negatives developed from abandoned archives of international news agencies.

The edges of each photograph were repeatedly stroked until they were frayed, and the blank spaces of each clipping were filled with dense annotations written in extremely fine pencil. These materials were painstakingly unearthed by Qu Tong over several decades, expending countless human, material, and financial resources, from the dustbin of history and top-secret archives of various countries. She treasured each and every one of them.

Qu Tong stood quietly in front of a black and white photograph of Jiang Zhen when he was young in Shanghai. At this moment, her thoughts completely broke free from the shackles of reality and fell into the depths of her long-sealed memories.

Her current name is Qu Tong. As for what she was called before, it didn't matter many years ago; it was just the name of a person who was about to die.

In Qu Tong's memory, she was a sickly child from birth. From the time she could remember, her world was filled with bitter medicine and endless coughing. The doctors in town and the physicians from the city would all shake their heads after examining her pulse, telling her parents behind her back that the child was born with "weak vital energy," her spirit and vitality were leaking, and none of her internal organs were intact. She wouldn't live much longer, and they should prepare for her funeral as soon as possible.

Despite the unbearable pain she endured every day, her body aching as if pricked by needles, her parents never gave up on her. To get her medicine, her father would do the hardest and most tiring jobs, sending all the money he earned to the pharmacy before he could even enjoy it.

Her mother stayed by her bedside all night, afraid that if she coughed in the middle of the night, no one would pat her back and she would cough herself to death. Several times she woke up from her slumber and saw her mother kneeling in front of the stove, kowtowing to the image of the Kitchen God, her forehead bleeding, repeatedly muttering the same sentence - "God, please give my life to the child."

At that time, their remote little village was just on the edge of the sphere of influence of the Shanghai Canal Gang.

In that era of war and chaos, when human life was cheap, the outside world was rife with warlords conscripting men, ruthless village bullies, and bandits entrenched in the mountains. Yet their village remained as peaceful as a paradise.

Because the Grand Canal Gang was here.

With the flag of the Grand Canal Gang planted at the village entrance, no village bully dared to collect protection money, no bandits dared to enter the village to rob grain, and there were no exorbitant taxes levied under any pretext. Moreover, for a village as poor as theirs, the Grand Canal Gang would send people every month without fail to deliver boxes of supplies—grain, salt, cloth, and medicine—neatly stacked and delivered to the doorstep of every household.

Thanks to the support of the canal gangs, Qu Tong, her parents, and more than two hundred people in the village were able to occasionally eat a meal of white flour and meat during those chaotic years. The children had chubby cheeks, and the elderly were able to survive the winter, which was a miracle at the time.

In Qu Tong's childhood memories, the words her parents and the simple farmers in the village said most often and repeated most frequently were "thank you for the canal transport team."

"Master, the leaders of the grain transport gang have brought more grain. Chief Jiang is truly a living bodhisattva."

"That's right. If it weren't for Chief Jiang protecting us, all of us hundreds of people would have been dead bones by the roadside long ago."

"Son, when you grow up and become successful, you must go to Shanghai and kowtow to the gang leader. Our whole family and the whole village owe their lives to Gang Leader Jiang!"

Qu Tong had heard these words since she was a child, so many times that they were calloused, but every word was etched into her bones. In her heart, the leader of the Canal Gang, whom she had never met, was not an ordinary gang leader.

He is a god, the only savior, the name the village elders chant while husking corn in the threshing ground, the reason for setting an extra set of chopsticks and bowls on the stove during festivals, and the reason the villagers burn incense and pray to Buddha every day, not for promotion or wealth, but for the safety of Chief Jiang.

However, before she could even see the gods, Qu Tong's body gave out.

One night, an extreme chill washed over her like a tidal wave. Her consciousness began to fade, her breathing became so weak it was almost imperceptible, and she didn't even have the strength to cough. She heard her mother crying, her father running around the yard like a madman, and her aunt next door saying, "Quick, go get a doctor!"—and then all the sounds slowly faded into the distance.

In her extremely painful final moments, as her parents' desperate cries faded into the distance, Qu Tong faintly heard the gentle yet remarkably calm voice of a woman.

"This child's passion is almost extinguished. Lü Ren, Lü Ci, protect me, I must snatch this life back from the clutches of Yama today."

That was the last half-sentence Qu Tong heard. She didn't know who was speaking, or what had happened; she only felt an incredibly warm power slowly flowing into her from above, like spring sunshine melting a frozen river. Then she knew nothing more.

When she opened her eyes again, the person who had spoken was gone, leaving only her parents, who were weeping bitterly and kneeling on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly.

Her parents told her that a celestial being had passed by and saved her life. The celestial being took care of her for four or five days and left just as dawn broke. He even left some medicine behind when he left.

From that day on, Qu Tong discovered something incredible—her body, which had previously been beyond medical help, was inexplicably improving day by day. First, her cough stopped, then her face gradually regained color, her lips were no longer purplish-black, and her fingernails changed from gray back to pink. Later, she could run faster and had more strength than children her age. The village elders marveled, saying that this girl had received a divine blessing.

In the days that followed, she keenly sensed that a strange power seemed to have appeared in her body—a warm and comforting feeling.

At first, it just stayed there obediently, but as she fully recovered, she could perceive that power more and more clearly.

Being naturally intelligent, she began to carefully experience and ponder this power. One year, two years, she discovered that she was slowly able to control it.

She can use this power to sense other people's emotions—when her neighbor comes to visit, she smiles but is preoccupied with worries; she can also use this power to fine-tune her own body, warming herself up when she catches a cold, and focusing her energy on the wound to make it scab over faster when she scrapes her knee.

And so, Qu Tong entered the world of supernatural beings without any formal instruction. At that time, she didn't know what it was called, and no one taught her, but she just knew how.

In order to uncover the secrets surrounding her and to find the person who saved her life years ago, she began to secretly inquire. As she came into contact with more and more extraordinary people, she finally learned the truth from some teahouses and rogue cultivators.

"Thirty-Six Thieves", "Eight Extraordinary Skills", "Dual-Handed Techniques", "Duanmu Ying".

On the day she heard the news, young Qu Tong sat in the inn, so excited that she didn't sleep a wink all night.

She got them all right.

The person who saved her life was Senior Duanmu Ying. And Duanmu Ying was a member of the Canal Gang! A member of Chief Jiang's gang! The Canal Gang whose members her parents kowtowed in gratitude before the stove, whose members the whole village talked about every day in the threshing ground! The person who saved her life was also under Chief Jiang's command!

Jiang Zhen is also the most powerful superhuman.

Qu Tong was incredibly excited. Without any hesitation, she packed her bags and set off for Shanghai that very day. She walked very fast, even wearing out three pairs of cloth shoes. On the way, all she could think about was how she wanted to thank Senior Duanmu in person for saving her life, and how she wanted to represent the entire village in kowtowing to Chief Jiang to thank him for bringing a peaceful and prosperous life to the village.

When Qu Tong finally arrived in Shanghai, weary from her journey and rushed to the bustling Huangpu River, she was greeted with the news that Chief Jiang had already left.

Qu Tong grabbed a passerby and asked anxiously, "Uncle, where are the people from the Canal Gang? Where is Chief Jiang?"

The passerby sighed and pointed to the distant horizon, saying, "Just this morning, Chief Jiang led most of the Canal Gang's forces out of the Yangtze River estuary on a large ship. They've headed into the deep ocean. I heard they're going to a very, very far place, and I don't know when they'll be back."

Qu Tong looked in the direction the man was pointing, but there was nothing on the sea except for layers of waves.

At that moment, Qu Tong collapsed limply to the ground.

She hated herself, she hated herself so much for being so slow! Why couldn't she have been faster! If she had arrived a day earlier, even half a day earlier, would she have been able to meet that great hero? Would she have been able to say thank you to Senior Duanmu in person?

Filled with endless regret and disappointment, Qu Tong left Shanghai in a daze. She wiped away her tears, looked in the direction of the sea, and silently told herself: Chief Jiang and Senior Duanmu have only left temporarily. They are so great, they will definitely come back one day.

During the waiting period, Qu Tong began to travel the world.

Remembering that Duanmu Ying was a doctor, she followed in his footsteps and, knowing the sensitivity of her double-handed hands, began learning from the most basic medical principles. She apprenticed under several senior doctors, learning the four diagnostic methods of observation, auscultation, inquiry, and palpation; acupuncture and massage; and the art of herbal prescriptions.

With the added benefit of her keen sensitivity to patients' bodies due to the warm current within her, she quickly surpassed her mentor. As she cured more and more patients—from those with incurable diseases deemed hopeless by renowned doctors, to wounded veterans from the battlefield, and ordinary people affected by the conflicts among supernatural beings—she gradually became a doctor of some renown in both the world of supernatural beings and the circles of ordinary people.

However, the more places she traveled, the more cruel the reality became, and Qu Tong gradually discovered the unevenness of this world.

They also gained a profound understanding of the awkward position of the "superhuman" group. In the world of ordinary people, superhumans are a secret that cannot be mentioned, an unstable factor that may be summoned for questioning by relevant departments at any time; while in the world of superhumans themselves, there are rules, restrictions, and barriers of mutual distrust between different factions everywhere.

Later, through some official channels, she finally learned about the insurmountable bottom line in the world of superhumans—the "red line for superhumans".

"lie!"

The night she learned of this concept, Qu Tong angrily smashed all the medicine jars in her room, her face contorted in rage:

"This is nothing but a cowardly lie fabricated out of fear! All that talk about supernatural beings and divine intervention is utter bullshit!"

"What a hero Chief Jiang is! Back in Shanghai, the Canal Gang operated with integrity and honor. Who dared to utter a word against him? Who dared to mention this?!"

"What kind of bullshit restrictions are these? How could they possibly stop him! No wonder Chief Jiang and the Canal Gang chose to go to sea and leave their hometown back then. They must have been tricked by them. No, no, Chief Jiang couldn't have been tricked. It's because Chief Jiang didn't want to have a conflict with them. It's because Chief Jiang is too kind-hearted and couldn't bear to start a big fight in his hometown..."

"If that's the case, I'll make the changes. Will Chief Jiang come back then?"

From that time on, Qu Tong's mindset changed.

Over the next few years, Qu Tong made many like-minded friends among the supernatural beings. They were all young, dissatisfied with the status quo, and eager to change the awkward position of supernatural beings in mainland China. They gathered together and passionately discussed their plans.

However, their strength was insignificant, and Qu Tong and her friends' actions failed one after another. Some were arrested, some withdrew, and some went from being full of enthusiasm to becoming taciturn.

But these failures did not make her lose hope in the world—no, she never had any hope for the world as it was. Disappointment presupposes having had expectations, and her expectations from the beginning were only placed on one person.

What she found even more intolerable was that in the years that followed, countries around the world began to purposefully and systematically destroy and erase all historical information about the Canal Gang and its leader, Jiang Zemin. Newspapers were recalled, archives were destroyed, books were reprinted, and even oral traditions were deliberately downplayed.

They wanted this god-like man to disappear completely from the annals of history. This was something Qu Tong could not tolerate.

"Disgusting...a world full of injustice."

Qu Tong looked at the newspaper clippings she had painstakingly salvaged from scrap yards, secondhand markets, and overseas black markets, her eyes gradually becoming empty and crazed.

If it were Jiang Zemin, if he were in charge of all this, the world would definitely develop much better. Those forced compromises, hypocritical compliance, and self-enrichment would never have happened. Many injustices would also never have occurred.

"Chief Jiang is right, and the new world is the direction this world should take."

Qu Tong completely sorted out her logic and understood her mission.

"This world is rotten to the core!"

"I will prepare everything, and then... I will quietly wait for Chief Jiang to return. This is the meaning of my survival, Qu Tong."

This wait lasted ten years, twenty years, fifty years...

The little girl from back then has now transformed her life through the Double-Handed Technique, becoming the ageless boss behind the Yaoxing Society. For decades, she has neither pursued fame nor fortune, nor indulged in pleasure. Like a hibernating venomous snake, she has lurked in the shadows, unseen by anyone, keeping a close watch on Na Du Tong. She remains still, silent, and unassuming, simply honing her Double-Handed Technique to ever greater perfection, extending her blue hand ever further.

Now, she has finally waited for it.

Some time ago, when Qu Tong learned of the unusual events in the overseas New World and the news that Sea Emperor Jiang Zhen was about to return, she was overjoyed and laughed all night.

Her decades of waiting were not in vain; God was finally coming back.

"President! President!"

Just as Qu Tong was immersed in her memories, a message forcibly interrupted through an independent radio station within the Yaoxing Society.

Qu Tong's eyes turned cold as she snapped out of her reverie. She returned to her desk, pressed the answer button, and her voice regained its absolute calm: "What happened?"

"President, we can't contact any of our informants at Anywhere Connect."

"Also, news just came from Longhu Mountain that an emergency scout has arrived. Those idiots from Quanxing launched a full-scale attack on the Celestial Master's Mansion. But there were regular troops stationed on the mountain, and they directly used heavy firearms and armed helicopters. Quanxing was wiped out on the spot in no time! Gong Qing was captured, and they were all captured; not a single one escaped!"

As Qu Tong listened, her face, which had been somewhat pale due to the backlash, showed no surprise.

"I understand," Qu Tong said calmly.

The initial reason for cooperating with Gong Qing was mainly to use the Quanxing Sect to stir up trouble in the Eight Extraordinary Skills, making the situation as chaotic as possible, but now, that is no longer necessary.