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

“That’s right.” Jiang Zhen nodded. “While the news of the leader’s death hasn’t spread completely, we need to take advantage of this window of opportunity to use the Canal Gang’s intelligence network and your respective relationships to take down the remaining strongholds one by one. As long as they still think ‘the leader is still alive,’ they will make a move, and once they make a move, they will show their true colors.”

……

Sometimes, the transmission of messages does not rely on carrier pigeons or telegrams.

Despite Jiang Zhen and Lü Ren's best efforts to block the news and strictly ordering Cao Gang members and disciples not to spread it outside.

But only a few days later.

The other ninjas had not heard any more news about the ninja leader, nor had they felt that unique ripple again, so they immediately concluded that the ninja leader might have been killed.

Another day passed, and the ninjas exhausted all means but still had no news of their leader. They officially concluded that their leader had fallen. Some planned to return home, while others decided they had to avenge their leader.

Meanwhile, on the other side...

The mountains of Sichuan are shrouded in mist year-round, and the mountain roads are slippery and rugged. In these seemingly remote mountains, however, lies a shadow that strikes fear into the hearts of the entire martial arts world—the Tang Clan.

A faint, refreshing scent of herbs permeates the air here year-round. To the untrained eye, it may seem pleasant, but seasoned travelers know that the fragrance conceals poison.

At the end of the mountain path, the figure of a man slowly emerged.

He was dressed in a suit and tie, his shoes were polished to a shine, and he had a refined appearance. Behind him were several subordinates, each carrying a heavy leather suitcase.

Heading towards Tang Sect

Chapter 46 The Merchant's Greed and the Tang Clan's Bargain Prices

Tangmen.

Xu Xinben squatted lazily on the bluestone slab in front of the mountain gate, a blade of grass he had picked from who-knows-where dangling from his mouth, his eyes seemingly vacant as he stared at the thick fog below the mountain.

"rustle……"

The sound of light footsteps echoed on the stone steps.

Xu Xin's eyes sharpened instantly, his pupils contracting slightly. He saw a middle-aged man in a dark gray suit ascending the steps. Behind him followed several sharp-looking attendants, each carrying two heavy black leather suitcases.

"This is a strategically important area of ​​the Tang Clan. All visitors are prohibited from entering."

Xu Xin spat out the grass root in his mouth, his body remaining still, but a faint killing intent had already locked onto the other party's throat.

The middle-aged man stopped, not intimidated by the murderous aura, but instead smiled gently, took out a dark red visiting card from his pocket, and presented it with both hands: "My surname is Zhao, a humble merchant. I have come today to see Master Tang. I have a great business deal concerning the nation and its people that I wish to entrust to your sect. Please inform him."

Xu Xin stared at the visiting card, then glanced at the several leather suitcases, raising an eyebrow. Surname Zhao? Business?

"Wait here." Xu Xin put away the visiting card and slipped inside.

A moment later, Xu Xin led Boss Zhao and his group through the poisonous miasma-filled back mountain and arrived at the main hall of the Tang Clan.

Seated at the head of the table was a lean old man dressed in a traditional Chinese jacket. His only remaining eye had a deep gaze. He was none other than Tang Bingwen, the current head of the Tang Clan.

"Mr. Zhao, please have a seat." Tang Bingwen's voice was hoarse, yet it carried an undeniable authority. "Xu Xin, bring some tea."

Mr. Zhao sat down with impeccable manners, and his entourage neatly arranged his suitcases in front of him.

"Master Tang, I have come here today with an important matter to ask of you." Boss Zhao pushed up his glasses and got straight to the point. "As you probably know, the world is in chaos, and the iron hooves of the Japanese have already stepped into our homeland. But what is most difficult to guard against is their shadow force that came with their army—the Hieiyama Ninja Clan."

Upon hearing the words "Bi He Ren," Tang Bingwen slightly raised his eyelids but remained silent.

Boss Zhao continued, "These bastards are skilled in assassination. Once they infiltrate our country, they will inevitably pose a great threat to our soldiers who are fighting bloody battles on the front lines."

"However, I heard good news yesterday. A few days ago, the heroes of Shangqing, Putuo Temple, Longhu Mountain and Lü family joined forces to ambush and severely damaged the elite ninjas. In particular, Jiang Zhen, the leader of the Cao Gang, who arrived later, killed the ninja leader on the spot."

When Jiang Zhen was mentioned, a look of sincere admiration flashed in Boss Zhao's eyes. No matter how many times he saw that order to kill the sun, he felt his blood boil.

Tang Bingwen picked up his teacup, gently blew away the foam, and calmly said, "Mr. Zhao is quite well-informed. I did receive relevant intelligence about this matter last night. Why don't you just state your request: Who to kill? How many? Deadline?"

"The exact number of participants is unknown, and the timeframe is uncertain," Boss Zhao stated his requirements.

"Huh?" Tang Bingwen looked at Boss Zhao with a puzzled expression.

Boss Zhao slowly stood up and said, "Initially, I wanted to commission your sect to assassinate the ninja leader, but now that the ninja leader is dead, I have changed my mind."

"I think that although the ninja leader is dead, many venomous snakes remain scattered among the people. Those ninjas have spent their lives studying assassination and the art of concealing their aura. Once they abandon direct combat and instead prick our county and villages like poisonous thorns, it will be a long-lasting nightmare. Finding them will be harder than finding a needle in a haystack."

Boss Zhao looked at Tang Bingwen, his eyes revealing a resolute determination: "But when it comes to assassination and finding shadows, no one in all of China is more professional than the Tang Clan. Therefore, I would like to ask your esteemed sect to lend a hand in removing these thorns!"

A few crisp "click" sounds.

Boss Zhao gestured to his men to open the leather suitcases.

The dimly lit hall was instantly illuminated by a dazzling golden light. Six chests of gold and silver jewelry were stacked tightly, their heavy weight making the floor seem to sink a few inches.

"These ninjas are scattered across various battlefields and have long periods of infiltration. To wipe them all out is not something that can be accomplished overnight. Therefore, this is a long-term mission."

Pointing at the gold, Boss Zhao said, enunciating each word clearly, "Furthermore, I have another request. After the Tang Clan disciples make their move, please reveal your identities, perhaps even deliberately making it public. Let those ninjas direct their hatred towards the Tang Clan, letting them know that on this land, they are the prey being hunted!"

"For this reason, Zhao is willing to go bankrupt."

A long, deathly silence fell over the hall.

Tang Bingwen stared at the gold bars for a long time before letting out a long sigh: "Mr. Zhao, I see you are well-dressed and have a wealthy family. Wouldn't it be better to live a peaceful and comfortable life as a rich man? Why did you have to do this?"

"You should know that once you open your mouth, not only will you lose all your wealth, but you will also likely be put on the Japanese kill list in the future."

Boss Zhao smiled coldly, his eyes revealing a shrewdness and madness unique to businessmen.

"Master Tang, I am a businessman. Businessmen are driven by profit and greedy, and I am an extremely greedy one."

He frankly stated, "Seeking personal gain is not enough. Seeking personal gain for one's family is not enough. Only when I seek personal gain for the country do I feel I have truly benefited!"

"If the country is gone, all these gold bars in my house will be nothing more than bricks to dig my own grave. Giving these bricks to the heroes of the Tang Clan to fight the enemy will be the biggest deal I, Zhao, have ever made in my life!"

Upon hearing this, Tang Bingwen remained silent for a long time before slowly standing up and walking to the boxes of gold.

Boss Zhao held his breath nervously, afraid the other party would find it insufficient. He hurriedly explained, "Master Tang, if this isn't enough, please just ask! Give me a little more time, and I'll immediately go and raise the funds, borrow them! As long as I can get the Tang Clan to help..."

Tang Bingwen suddenly waved his hand, interrupting Boss Zhao.

He turned his head, looked at the astonished Boss Zhao, and his tone became extremely strange: "The price you offered... is outrageous. You call yourself a businessman, but I don't think you can even distinguish between good and bad. How did you make so much money?"

Boss Zhao was stunned, his heart sinking, thinking that the Tang Clan was ultimately unwilling to get involved in this mess at this time.

However, Tang Bingwen's next words completely shocked him.

"It seems that the person who introduced you here did not tell you about the 'special situation' of the Tang Clan now."

Tang Bingwen pointed at the gold with his finger and said slowly and deliberately, "These beasts invaded our land and killed our compatriots. Their lives are worthless and not worth this much money."

Tang Bingwen looked directly at Boss Zhao and held up ten fingers: "Since there is no time limit, I will take ten gold bars from you first. One gold bar is worth one year, so ten gold bars is worth ten years."

He waved his hand, signaling Xu Xin, who was watching Jinzi without blinking, to close the remaining boxes.

“Take the rest back. As for the heads of those ninjas, the Tang Clan will take them. Killing these beasts is ostensibly a business transaction, but it's actually our duty.”

Boss Zhao stared at Tang Bingwen in astonishment. He had thought that money was the only contract in an assassin organization like the Tang Clan, but he never expected that this sect, hidden in the shadows, would harbor such a soaring sense of loyalty.

Boss Zhao took a step back, straightened his suit, and bowed deeply to Tang Bingwen, his voice trembling: "The Tang Clan is truly virtuous... I, Zhao, have learned a great deal!"

After Boss Zhao left the Tang Clan in the mountains of Sichuan with the remaining gold.

Tang Jiaren appeared beside Tang Bingwen and said, "Ten gold bars can dig those beasts out of the ground and kill them. This deal is not a loss, it's even a good deal."

"Senior brother, what do you think of that Jiang Zhen, the gang leader?" Tang Bingwen walked to the desk, looked at the secret report he had received last night, and suddenly asked.

Tang Jiaren suppressed his smile: "Strong. So strong that it's unreasonable and limitless. Plus, he actually managed to unify the canal gangs. But that might not be a good thing for him."

"But it's not our place to worry about it. Since this Jiang Gang leader has issued the order to kill the Japanese, we have no reason not to respond."

"As the sect leader, it's not appropriate for you to be away for extended periods. I'll lead the team this time."

After a few days of preparation, Tang Jiaren led a group of Tang Clan experts down the mountain.

at the same time.

Jiang Zhen, along with the original ambush ninja leader and his men, were hunting down the remaining ninja.

But what Jiang Zhen feared still happened. These ninjas ran away and hid whenever they could, and they were also skilled in concealing their aura and hiding themselves. In the past few days, everyone could only rely on Jiang Zhen's vibration perception, so the results were minimal.

Fortunately, just as Jiang Zhen was having a headache, news came from the martial arts world that the Tang Clan had taken action. It wasn't a simple assassination, but a killing that would leave its mark openly.

The Tang Clan is an assassin sect, so they are very familiar with the methods of their peers and can eliminate them with great efficiency.

Jiang Zhen immediately sent people to investigate. After learning what had happened, he sighed at how many righteous people there were. Now that the thief was gone, he believed that the original Ten Heroes of the Tang Clan would not suffer the same fate. At the same time, he ordered a team of people from the Cao Gang to protect Boss Zhao.

"Someone helped remove the poisonous stinger; leave the professional work to the professionals." With that, he prepared to bid farewell to Lü Ren and his group.

Chapter 47 Rootless

"Brother Lü, now that Bihe Renren's head is dead, what remains are just scattered soldiers. With the Tang Clan's help and everyone's assistance, it's only a matter of time before they are wiped out."

"Jiang is about to lead his team back to Shanghai to do other more important things."

Although Lü Ren was reluctant to part with Jiang Zhen and wanted to invite him to the Lü family home, he also knew that Jiang Zhen, as the leader of the Canal Gang, bore a heavy responsibility. Therefore, he immediately clasped his hands in greeting and said:

"I am very grateful to Brother Jiang for his generosity. If it weren't for your intelligence and timely arrival, we would all be dead here. Since I have important business to attend to, I will not see you off any further. Once this matter is settled, I will definitely pay you a visit to express my gratitude."

"Until we meet again." Jiang Zhen returned the greeting, then waved his hand, signaling the elite members of the Canal Gang to assemble and depart.

Fang Dongtian naturally accompanied Jiang Zhen on his journey back to the Cao Gang. After all, his main task was to fulfill the instructions given to him by his elders—to guide Jiang Zhen in cultivating the complete version of the Quanzhen Inner Alchemy Technique.

The group hurried on their journey home.

Jiang Zhen had initially thought the return journey would be much easier. Without the ever-present threat of assassination by ninjas, the scenery, though desolate, would be quite expansive. However, he soon realized he was wrong, terribly wrong.

His nightmare stemmed from Fang Dongtian, who remained serious and incessantly chattering on horseback.

"Uncle-Master, let's continue from yesterday's lesson."

Fang Dongtian rode his horse closer to Jiang Zhen, a yellowed Taoist scripture appearing in his hand at some point. "Continue with the discussion of 'Primordial Ancestral Qi' in the 'Supreme Mysterious Treasure Limitless Salvation Scripture,' which is crucial for your understanding of the origin and evolution of 'Qi' in internal alchemy."

Upon hearing the tongue-twisting name of the scripture, Jiang Zhen felt his head spin.

In his previous life, his highest level of education was only a junior college degree, and it was in the civil engineering industry. If you asked him to say a few words from the most famous Tao Te Ching, he might be able to manage a few, but if you asked him to delve into the profound meanings of these Taoist classics that he had never even heard of, it would be the death of him.

This complete version of Neidan (internal alchemy) is vastly different in complexity from the basic version he practiced before. If the basic version is like elementary school addition and subtraction without multiplication and division, this complete version is like calculus, written in oracle bone script.

Every breakthrough in acupoints and every movement of Qi involves more than just internal changes; it requires the support of profound Taoist theories.

In the complete version of Neidan Gong, it may only be a few words, but to know what these few words mean, you must first understand which classic text they come from, what that classic text means, and what the profound principles of heaven and earth it contains. Each link is connected and none can be missed.

"Uncle-Master, the so-called 'Primordial Ancestral Qi' is a point of true Yang when heaven and earth were not yet separated and were a unified chaos..." Fang Dongtian began to explain with a swaying head, his voice carrying far in the open wilderness.

As Jiang Zhen listened, his eyelids began to droop uncontrollably. The horse's bobbing became a cradle, and Fang Dongtian's voice became a lullaby...