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

Jiang Zhen waved his hand and said with a wry smile, "Miss Lin, please stop teasing me. What do you mean by being famous throughout the world? It's just about trying to survive in this chaotic world and doing my part for my country."

Lin Zhu put down the medicine furnace in his hand, and his expression became serious: "The sect has already sent me a message. The masters said that with the country in crisis, as a disciple of Tengshan, I should stay. They asked me to stay in the Cao Gang for the time being to help you with these logistical and injury matters. In other words, I am now your unofficial doctor."

"That would truly be my honor," Jiang Zhen nodded sincerely. In this era of scarce medical resources, a top-notch successor who is well-versed in medical principles and methods is more precious than a thousand troops.

Lin Zhu then pointed to several jars covered in green mold in front of him, his brows furrowed. "That 'penicillin' you kept mentioning... I did manage to peel some things out of the moldy orange peel based on your fragmented ideas. But to be honest, I can't figure out what this stuff is for yet."

She scratched her head in distress. "I tried applying some to the rabbit's injured leg, and a very small part of it healed, but most of it rotted faster and died."

Jiang Zhen looked at the greenish mold and felt a slight sense of emotion. He knew that this was a true life-saving medicine on the battlefields of World War II. In this era without antibiotics, countless soldiers did not die from enemy bullets, but from high fevers caused by infected wounds.

“Miss Lin, you’ve done a great job.” Jiang Zhen pointed to the jar. “This is a type of bacteria; it secretes substances that can kill the harmful substances in the lesions. I know the current extraction process is difficult, but even this ‘crude product’ is a lifeline for those soldiers infected with inflammation.” (The author isn’t a biochemistry major, so please bear with the quality.)

He paused, recalling vague knowledge from his past life: "I remember that there should already be relevant papers in the West mentioning this. I'll try to get Bai Fu to use his connections to see if we can get some of the latest research data from there."

Lin Zhu was stunned. She looked at Jiang Zhen with an increasingly strange expression.

"You also know about Western things?"

Jiang Zhen simply smiled gently and did not continue to explain. Suddenly, a series of hurried footsteps came from outside.

Bai Fu appeared at the doorway, his face showing a strange excitement.

"Boss, someone outside wants to see you."

Jiang Zhen turned around, raising an eyebrow: "At this critical juncture? Which gang is it this time?"

"No, they're not from our canal gang."

"You'll see when you get there."

Jiang Zhen's heart stirred as he watched Bai Fu speaking in cryptic language.

"An old friend?" Jiang Zhen was still shocked, as he really couldn't guess who it was.

"Let's go take a look."

Jiang Zhen stepped out of the pharmacy, walked through the lobby, and headed towards the door.

Before the person even arrived, they heard an extremely familiar voice.

"Brother Jiang... how have you been?"

Chapter 38 Zhang Zhiwei also has to call me Martial Uncle.

The moment Jiang Zhen stepped out of the door, his gaze fixed on the two figures below the steps.

The man on the left was short, wearing patched and faded gray coarse cloth clothes, with a large leather tool bag tied around his waist, which jingled.

The person on the right was dressed in a moon-white Taoist robe, with his hair tied up tightly in a bun. He carried an ebony sword on his back, had a handsome face, and was surrounded by a faint aura of purity, which seemed somewhat out of place in this bustling red dust dock.

"Brother Jiang!" Upon seeing Jiang Zhen, the young man in plain clothes rushed up the steps, his face filled with excitement.

The person who came was Ma Benzai.

"Brother Benzai, it's been a long time." Jiang Zhen quickly went to greet him. "I didn't expect you to come to Shanghai at this time."

"Chief Jiang, I am Fang Dongtian of the Quanzhen School. Greetings, Chief Jiang." The Taoist priest beside him bowed slightly, performing a standard Taoist salute. His voice was calm and powerful, like a gentle breeze to those who heard it.

Jiang Zhen dared not be negligent and quickly returned the greeting: "Master Fang, you are too kind. Come, come, please come in. It's windy here, let's talk inside."

Jiang Zhen invited the two of them into the house.

The three of them sat down in the back room, and someone brought them hot tea.

"Brother Jiang, to tell you the truth, I came here this time for your 'Slay the Sun Order'."

"Hearing this order to kill the Japanese makes my blood boil."

Ma Benzai was a straightforward person. He hadn't even settled in before he spoke up. He slapped his thigh, his eyes burning with anger, "I heard your announcement from inside the gate. My fellow apprentices are all discussing it, and the fire in my heart just ignited! With the country in crisis, we who learn crafts can't just hide in the mountains repairing wood."

"We should also contribute our talents and efforts to the greater good of our country and people."

He pulled a thick stack of sketches from his leather pocket, spread them out in front of Jiang Zhen, and said in a low voice:

"This is what I prepared when I came here. I know that the Canal Gang is currently lacking good ships, and even more so, it lacks powerful weapons that can be used for long-range attacks and armor penetration."

"I studied 'Gongshu's Secrets' at Tiangong Hall. I've come up with a plan recently, though it still needs some optimization depending on the specific circumstances. As long as there are enough materials, I can help you install concealed armor-piercing crossbows and underwater stun guns on those hundreds of Grand Canal speedboats. Even the Japanese steel warships would be badly damaged if they were to be hit by one of our attacks!"

Jiang Zhen looked at the exquisite mechanical structures on the sketch and was overjoyed.

"Alright! We're brothers, so I won't thank you enough!"

Jiang Zhen immediately promised Ma Ben, "I'll get you a piece of land from the gang right now, and I'll provide the money and manpower you need. As long as you can build it, I, Jiang Zhen, will personally lead the team to disrupt the Japanese supply lines!"

Ma Ben chuckled and said, "As long as I can fight the Japanese, it's worth it even if I give up all my strength here!"

At this moment, Fang Dongtian put down his teacup, carefully took out a yellowed silk book from his bosom, and handed it to Jiang Zhen with both hands.

"Chief Jiang, I am on the orders of my elders to go south this time. The order to kill the sun has attracted the attention of all the extraordinary people in the world. Although I, Quanzhen, am a Taoist from the mountains, my founder had the great ambition of 'saving the world and helping people' when he first established the sect."

Fang Dongtian pointed to the silk book with a solemn expression: "Chief Jiang has innate supernatural abilities. Your master and elders know about the 'Internal Alchemy Technique' you practiced before, but it is ultimately just a basic method."

"This is my complete manual of the Inner Alchemy Techniques," Fang Dongtian continued. "My elders have said that great chaos is about to break out and the country is in danger. It would be better to give it to Chief Jiang, so that the complete manual can help you kill the traitors. It will be more useful than keeping it on a high shelf. I will also stay at the Cao Gang for a while to explain the key points to you, so that you can make further progress."

Jiang Zhen stared at the manual, his fingertips trembling slightly.

"Daoist Master, this gift is too generous." Jiang Zhen hesitated for a moment. "Putting aside the fact that we belong to different sects, if I accept this cultivation method, wouldn't I be taking advantage of the Quanzhen Sect?"

Fang Dongtian seemed to have anticipated Jiang Zhen's words and smiled slightly: "Chief Jiang is indeed righteous. My master also thought of this. He asked me to pass on a message: If Chief Jiang does not mind, you can join my Quanzhen sect as a 'lay disciple'. My master will 'accept the disciple on behalf of the master' and let you be affiliated with Quanzhen. You will have no restrictions on your freedom or rules. You only need to come up the mountain to complete the ceremony when you have free time."

"Accepting disciples on behalf of the master?" Jiang Zhen was stunned.

This means that he will directly become a "fellow disciple" of the current leader of the Quanzhen Sect!

After pondering for a long time, Jiang Zhen realized that he did indeed need this thing, so he spoke up solemnly.

“Since the elders are so kind to me, it would be pretentious for Jiang Zhen to refuse.” Jiang Zhen solemnly accepted the manual. “I accept this technique and I have joined the sect. If I have the opportunity in the future, I will definitely go up the mountain to thank my master in person.”

Fang Dongtian was overjoyed upon hearing this, and immediately stood up and bowed deeply to Jiang Zhen.

"Disciple Fang Dongtian greets Martial Uncle!"

"puff--"

Upon hearing this, Ma Ben, who was drinking water nearby, spat it out. "We were just getting along so well as brothers, how did you suddenly become my elder?"

Jiang Zhen was also somewhat bewildered. He looked at Fang Dongtian, who was a few years older than him, and his lips twitched: "Fang... junior nephew? Um, isn't this seniority a bit too high?"

Fang Dongtian shook his head solemnly: "The title has been set, and the proper etiquette cannot be disregarded. Master is accepting disciples on behalf of the master, so you are the elder of my generation."

Fang Dongtian then smiled and said, "Now it's Senior Brother Zhang Zhiwei of Longhu Mountain, or Young Master Lu Jin of the Lu family. When they see you in the future, according to the rules of the martial arts world and the connections between sects, they will probably have to treat you with the respect due to a junior."

Jiang Zhen took a deep breath, secretly thinking to himself:

"Goodness, we've become ancestors here. If I ever see Zhiwei again, and he still has to awkwardly call me 'Uncle-Master,' I can still give him a stern lecture. The scene...tsk tsk tsk...just thinking about it is so satisfying," a smile involuntarily appeared on his face.

As for whether Zhang Zhiwei wants to call him that or not, that's not up to him. Jiang Zhen trusts Zhang Jingqing, the Celestial Master, to teach Zhang the rules well.

Then look at Fang Dongtian, who is still bowing.

"Alright, alright, let's each keep to our own business." Jiang Zhen, feeling a bit overwhelmed, hurriedly helped Fang Dongtian up. "In public, you're a top disciple of Quanzhen, but in private, we'll address each other as brothers. I'll call you Brother Dongtian, and you can call me Brother Jiang or Chief Jiang, whatever you prefer. As for 'Uncle-Master,' let's save that title for intimidating outsiders."

Fang Dongtian smiled and said in a very easygoing manner, "I will follow your instructions, Uncle."

Just as the atmosphere in the back room was unusually relaxed, and the three were preparing to start plotting their grand plan, a series of hurried footsteps shattered the tranquility.

Bai Fu walked in with a solemn expression, clutching a black, sealed telegram in his hand.

"Boss, news has arrived about extraordinary people from the East."

"It seems your order to kill the sun has pushed them to the brink."

Jiang Zhen's smile vanished instantly. He took the telegram, glanced at it, and his pupils contracted sharply. The air around him suddenly became violent, causing the teacups on the table to rattle.

"What's wrong?" Ma Ben asked curiously from the side.

Jiang Zhen slammed the telegram heavily on the table, his voice icy:

"Intelligence suggests that the leader of the Hieiyama ninja clan in the East seems to have personally led a portion of Hieiyama's elite troops into China a few days ago."

Chapter 39 The Race Against Time for Intelligence

Jiang Zhen slammed the urgent telegram onto the mahogany table with a light thud, yet the force that sent a chill through the room, imbuing the cool aroma of tea with a hint of impending war.

Fang Dongtian stared at the five characters "Bihe Mountain Ninja Clan" on the telegram, a solemn expression gradually appearing on his handsome face. His brows furrowed, and his fingers unconsciously twirled the hem of his Daoist robe. After a moment of thought, he spoke in a deep voice:

“Uncle-Master, I did hear some rumors about this group of Japanese eccentrics before I went south. Ever since you issued the ‘Kill the Japanese Order’ in the south, causing the Japanese to lose their water supply and suffer heavy casualties, the Japanese military has gone completely mad. They have mobilized a large number of eccentrics from the mainland who are skilled in assassination and unorthodox ninjutsu, called the ‘Ninja Clan,’ in order to carry out a decapitation operation.”

"And because of your intimidation in the south, they seem to want to start from the north as a breakthrough point."

Fang Dongtian paused, his tone becoming increasingly urgent: "We have now received news that elite disciples from several major sects, including the Shangqing Sect, the three Putuo Temples, and Longhu Mountain, have joined forces with disciples from four families led by Lü Ren of the Lü family. They plan to ambush the Bihe Mountain ninjas in the north, so that they can leave their lives on Chinese soil."

Lü Ren?

Jiang Zhen instantly pictured the gentle and refined man, and behind him, the still-un-mad and twisted Lü Ci.

"ambush?"

Jiang Zhen suddenly stood up and paced quickly around the room. "That ninja leader from Mount Hiei. He has an extremely terrifying sensory ninjutsu called 'Ripple'."

"Lian?" Ma Ben stopped fiddling with the parts and looked up in confusion. "Is it something like radar that can detect enemy movements?"

"It should be about right."

"They wanted to ambush us, but in the ninja leader's perception, they were as dazzling as torches in the night. The ambush had a very low success rate; on the contrary, there was a very high probability that they would fall into the enemy's counter-encirclement!"

Upon hearing this, Fang Dongtian's face turned deathly pale: "If what my martial uncle says is true, then aren't they in danger?"

"Wait a minute," Jiang Zhen suddenly turned around, walked to the desk, grabbed a large wolf-hair brush, and spread out a sheet of white paper.

Jiang Zhen's brushstrokes were extremely fast, the force penetrating the paper:

Firstly, the Ninja Leader. His core ability, "Ripple," grants him incredibly strong sensory perception, though the exact distance is uncertain, making traditional ambushes impossible within his sensory range…

Secondly, the Demon Blade. It devours the Qi of its target, thereby unleashing the original user's power.

……

Commanding shikigami, possessing pure superhuman strength and unparalleled defense, illusory flute music and white flames, perfectly mimicking the appearance and aura of others, an invisible haori, wielding a transformable ninja tool called "Illusion Sword," controlling hardened mummified puppets, manipulating swarms of snakes...

……

Jiang Zhen roughly wrote down the abilities of the Hieiyama ninja based on his memories from his previous life, and for those abilities he couldn't remember, he roughly described their effects.