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

This means that these two were originally going to come to him, but they were misled by him and didn't come.

"Fuck your mother!"

Jiang Zhen pointed into the void, his anger turning into a bitter laugh: "Don't I know Ma Benzai and Duanmu Ying's personalities better than you? They do miss home. But they're not stupid! They know that going back now would be like lambs to the slaughter, and they know that all the sects have gone mad!"

"As for your suggestion to return to the true path? That's laughable. I won't argue with you when I'm not around, but since I am, that path is wrong."

Immediately, a violent, domineering aura emanated from Jiang Zhen's body, shattering the sense of emptiness in front of him.

"roll!"

That wisp of consciousness was instantly shattered, and Gu Jiting's aura completely disappeared.

But finally, there's news about these two.

"Master Bai!" Jiang Zhen shouted outside.

"Immediately arrange two teams, one to the Lü family and the other to the Tiangong Hall!"

Chapter 87 Have you seen Feng Baobao?

Less than half an hour after Bai Fu received the order, the two teams were already fully prepared to set off. One team, led by Master Feng, headed straight for Tiangong Hall; the other team, personally led by Zhao Yuan, headed towards the Lü family.

If we truly follow the "cause and effect" theory espoused by that charlatan Gu Qiting, Ma Benzai and Duanmu Ying's return this time would be a near-certain death. In the original timeline, Ma Benzai was ambushed and killed, losing both his arms and legs, while Duanmu Ying fell into Lü Ci's hands and died in despair.

However, there's not much to worry about regarding Duanmu Ying right now. Lü Ci isn't a mad dog yet, but Lü Ren is still alive, so one of the brothers must be clear-headed. It's impossible for both of them to be acting crazy.

Jiang Zhen stood up, preparing to personally head towards Tiangong Hall, when Bai Fu rushed towards him, clutching two letters in his hand.

"Boss! News has come from the docks!"

"About Master Ma and Doctor Duanmu!"

Jiang Zhen frowned sharply, his figure blurred, and he instantly appeared in front of Bai Fu, snatching the telegram away.

He opened the first letter, which was from the manager of the Jingzhou dock—Duanmu Ying had been found. She had taken the initiative to contact the canal gang branch at the Jingzhou dock.

The second letter came from Zhenjiang Wharf. The content was almost identical—Ma Ben had contacted the Zhenjiang branch.

"Wait? What's going on?"

Jiang Zhen gripped the letter, his expression freezing, replaced by an extremely strange sense of absurdity.

Bai Fu didn't know what to say. Everyone was getting ready to leave when the letter arrived first—they weren't captured or brought back; they had contacted the dock on their own initiative.

“I’ve confirmed it several times,” Bai Fu said. “The identity has been verified in Jingzhou; it’s indeed Miss Duanmu. The identity has also been verified in Zhenjiang; it’s Master Ma.”

"The two still have some things to take care of, but they plan to take a boat back to Shanghai soon."

"Then we'll wait."

a few days later.

The entrance to the headquarters of the Shanghai Canal Gang.

Two figures had been standing outside the gate for almost the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

The one on the left is Ma Benzai. He has lost a lot of weight. He has shaved his beard and changed into clean clothes, but he looks very uncomfortable standing there, not knowing where to put his hands.

The one on the right is Duanmu Ying. Her complexion is better than when she was on the run, but the dark circles under her eyes haven't completely faded, making her look like she hasn't had a good night's sleep in a long time.

"Old Ma, you go first." Duanmu Ying nudged Ma Benzai with her elbow.

"No, no, no, Sister Yingzi, you go first, Brother Jiang is usually very polite to you." Ma Ben took a half step back.

"Are you even a man? Where did that heroic spirit you had at Twenty-Four Solar Terms Valley go?" Duanmu Ying glared at him.

The two men pushed each other back and forth at the door, neither daring to take the first step. The guards at the door were too embarrassed to urge them on, so they just watched.

"You two."

Bai Fu's voice came from inside the door. The two of them froze simultaneously, as if they had been struck by lightning. Bai Fu came out, looked them up and down, and his expression was neither relieved nor helpless.

"I'm relieved to see you all back safe and sound. Let's go, the leader is waiting."

Ma Ben swallowed hard: "Um... Mr. Bai, how's Brother Jiang's mood?"

Bai Fu glanced at him and said as she walked away, "I'm very angry."

Ma Benzai paused for a moment.

“Such a big thing happened, and the gang leader went to great lengths to find you, yet you kept hiding.” Bai Fu walked ahead without turning his head. “The sects in the martial arts world are acting like madmen. To support you, the gang leader directly announced to the whole world that the Cao Gang would protect you. But what did you do? You didn’t even send a message back.”

Ma Ben and Duanmu Ying looked at each other, neither daring to respond.

"But it's good that you're back." Bai Fu's tone softened. "You all know what kind of person the gang leader is. He may be angry, but now that he's back, we can sit down and talk about anything."

The three walked to the door of Jiang Zhen's office. Bai Fu stopped and stepped aside, saying, "You can talk to the gang leader yourselves." Then he turned and left.

Only two people remained in the corridor.

Duanmu Ying took a step back, took a deep breath, and then shoved Ma Ben hard. Ma Ben stumbled, crashing through the office door along with his suitcase, and staggered inside.

"Duanmu Ying, you—"

He was halfway through his rant when he looked up and met Jiang Zhen's face, so dark it seemed to drip ink. He swallowed the rest of his words.

“Brother Jiang…” Ma Ben stood up, supporting his back, and chuckled twice.

Duanmu Ying then shuffled in, bowing her head and calling out, "Brother Jiang, we're back."

Jiang Zhen sighed.

"Please have a seat."

Only then did the two dare to move. While Ma Benzai was still hesitating about which seat was safest, Duanmu Ying had already pulled out a chair and sat down. Ma Benzai quickly followed suit, unloading the wooden box and placing it at his feet.

"Tell me everything," Jiang Zhen said calmly. "What happened next? How did you come to your senses and decide to come back?"

Duanmu Ying and Ma Ben exchanged a glance. Duanmu Ying spoke first.

“I…I really did want to go back to Jishetang first.” She lowered her head, her fingers twisting the hem of her clothes. “After saying goodbye to Brother Huaiyi that day, I was like I was under a spell. I felt that I would never be able to get over it if I didn’t see my parents, or Zizhong. So I used the ‘Dual-Hand Technique’ to change my bones and appearance, and disguised myself as an ordinary peasant woman.”

Duanmu Ying said with a wry smile, "I didn't expect to run into the Quanxing people on the road. Luckily, the Lü family appeared nearby and saved me."

"The Lü family?" Jiang Zhen's eyes flickered.

"Yes, the Lü family was carrying out some kind of mission nearby at the time, and the leaders were the brothers Lü Ci and Lü Ren."

“I was trying to slip away in the chaos, but Lü Ci suddenly stopped me.”

“Lu Ci said that it’s not normal for a peasant woman to dare to walk alone in the wilderness.” Duanmu Ying smiled bitterly. “Moreover, when the Quanxing people made their move, my reaction was wrong. A real peasant woman would have been paralyzed with fear long ago, but I stood too steadily.”

When Lü Ci tested her slightly, Duanmu Ying immediately gave herself away. When Lü Ci recognized her, his expression changed instantly. Not out of excitement, but because he realized he was in serious trouble.

Who is Duanmu Ying? One of the Thirty-Six Thieves, possessing eight extraordinary skills. Even more crucially, the Canal Gang is searching for her all over the land. Lü Ci immediately decided to pretend he hadn't seen her and turned to leave.

But after taking a few steps, he stopped.

"He asked me if I was heading back to Jishetang, given the direction I was looking." Duanmu Ying lowered her head. "I didn't answer, but he guessed it."

Lu Ci immediately cursed.

"A righteous disciple, a top-tier doctor renowned throughout the land, was foolish enough to become sworn brothers with the Quanxing Sect, but now he's even thinking of going back and bringing disaster to his family? He's utterly hopelessly stupid!"

Duanmu Ying paused for a moment: "It was that scolding that suddenly brought me to my senses."

She couldn't quite describe the feeling. It was like a fog had been cleared from her mind by Lü Ci's insults.

"And then what? Did the Lü family just let you go like that?" Jiang Zhen asked.

“Originally, Lü Ci wanted to continue cursing, but his elder brother Lü Ren stopped him.” Duanmu Ying’s eyes were filled with gratitude. “Lü Ren said that you saved his life in the north back then, and his Lü family is not an ungrateful villain.”

“Miss Duanmu, if you want to return to the Canal Gang, we can secretly escort you. If you don’t want to return, we’ll pretend we never met.”

“I want to go back,” Duanmu Ying answered Lü Ren without hesitation.

Lü Ren nodded. To avoid attracting attention, they decided to continue along the route originally planned by the Lü family, and then find an opportunity along the way to take Duanmu Ying to the nearest canal port. However, when they passed through a village, they encountered a little girl.

“That child was born with ‘weak sexual fire’ and wouldn’t live more than a few days,” Duanmu Ying said. “I saved her with my double-handed techniques and contacted the dock in advance, but staying there delayed me for a while.”

Jiang Zhen asked, "Did the Lü family see you make a move?"

“I saw it.” Duanmu Ying nodded. “Lu Ci didn’t say anything. Lu Ren told me to be careful, saying that there are no secrets in this world. But I can’t just stand by and watch someone die.”

Jiang Zhen ignored that question and turned to Ma Benzai: "And you?"

Ma Ben scratched his head, his expression much more embarrassed than Duanmu Ying's.

“I’m not as bizarre as Sister Yingzi.”

His experience was indeed simple. After parting ways with Duanmu Ying, he was single-mindedly focused on returning home, wanting to leave behind the legacy of the Divine Craftsmanship. To evade pursuit, he used every hiding method he could think of—diving through ravines, walking through dense forests, and specifically choosing deserted paths. He felt he had hidden quite well, and indeed, he didn't encounter any pursuers along the way.

"As a result... when I was resting at a tea stall, someone pointed at my nose and yelled: 'Ma Benzai! You idiot! I've been watching you perform your monkey show for days! Can you stop carrying that gleaming, broken copper box under the sun!'"

"Then I realized that everyone sitting at that tea stall was an extraordinary person..."

"We can pretend we don't see you, but you can't be so arrogant as to swagger around like this! Get back to Shanghai and find Jiang Zhen, and stop disgusting me out there!"

Duanmu Ying couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Ma Ben panicked: "Don't laugh! I didn't understand it either at the time. I hid it so well..."

Jiang Zhen was thoroughly amused this time. He could imagine that none of the large group of people following Ma Ben dared to make a move because they couldn't stand Ma Ben's clumsy stealth skills and had to come out to give directions.

“Then I figured it out.” Ma Ben chuckled. “It turns out that the reason I was able to travel safely all this way was because everyone was looking out for Brother Jiang. Without your banner, I probably wouldn’t have even made it out of the Qinling Mountains. So I quickly found the nearest dock and sent a message.”

After listening to the two people's stories, Jiang Zhen leaned back in his chair and let out a long sigh of relief.

It seems that Jiang Zhen's announcement to the entire martial arts world had indeed worked. Although those old guys were greedy, they weren't bold enough to openly provoke him for two divine skills.

After all, you have to be alive to use it even if you take it.

"It was a close call, but we escaped with no real danger."

He stood up and walked over to the two of them. Ma Benzai and Duanmu Ying instinctively straightened up, but Jiang Zhen simply reached out, pressed down on Ma Benzai's shoulder, and patted Duanmu Ying's arm.

"It's good that you're back. Go take a shower and change your clothes, you smell awful."

The two men paused for a moment, stunned. Duanmu Ying, her eyes red-rimmed, nodded vigorously. Ma Ben sniffed and bent down to pick up his wooden box. The two turned and walked towards the door, their steps much lighter than when they had come in.

"Oh, right."

Jiang Zhen seemed to suddenly remember something and abruptly asked:

Have you seen Feng Baobao?