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

Jiang Zhen was stunned for a moment, then his heart skipped a beat.

He instantly recalled a certain period of time, a certain crazy late night.

"It was a natural progression," Jiang Zhen said, a little embarrassed but trying to save face. He touched his nose and said, "I was planning to announce it to you all later, since the situation in Shanghai is still unstable. I didn't expect you to already know. Did Lin Zhu tell you?"

Duanmu Ying glanced at Jiang Zhen in surprise: "Oh, I didn't expect you to be so calm. You're still pretending that everything is going smoothly for you?"

Jiang Zhen sat down: "What's there to pretend about? I'm already this old, isn't this a normal thing?"

"I just didn't expect her to be so open-minded, saying everything... well, everyone already knows?"

"Does everyone know that you didn't check carefully when you left?" Duanmu Ying snorted lightly, even she still found it somewhat dramatic. "But don't worry, Lin Zhu and I had a private conversation between best friends—the people outside only know that you two finally made up, I didn't reveal any other details."

Duanmu Ying paused here, as if savoring the impact of the next line. "But you're wrong about one thing. Lin Zhu's personality is such that if you don't ask her, she'll keep it bottled up until she dies. It wasn't her who said it. I saw her getting medicine for herself at the medicine shop this morning, and I knew it at a glance."

Jiang Zhen's heart skipped a beat, and his voice suddenly rose: "Get medicine? What's wrong with her? What medicine? Why does she suddenly need to take medicine?"

"Getting anxious? Where did your composure go?" Duanmu Ying stood up, walked over to Jiang Zhen, and said, enunciating each word clearly, "Don't worry, she's fine. The reason she needs to take medicine is because..."

"Because you're going to be a father!"

Jiang Zhen felt as if his mind had exploded.

"To...to be a father?" Jiang Zhen's voice became extremely absurd, like a duck that had just learned to talk.

"Where's Lin Zhu? Is she still at the medicine shop?" Jiang Zhen suddenly stood up.

“We’re here. If you don’t go soon, the brothers will wear out the threshold of the medicine shop.”

Before Duanmu Ying could finish speaking, the figure in front of her had already disappeared, and the door was blown back by a gust of wind.

……

At this point, the medicine hut had become the most heavily guarded area in the entire New World. Every few steps along the road outside the medicine hut, there were sentries, and three old men who needed canes to walk were sitting in a row at the entrance of the medicine hut.

Master Feng held his sword across his knees, Bai Fu waved his folding fan, and Zhao Yuan stood there with a stern expression, giving orders: "All the tonics are to be stored away! From now on, I will water the ground on this road three times a day, rain or shine! Not a single speck of dust can be on this road!"

The obsession these three men had about whether Jiang Zhen had any children was no less than that of any other matter.

Now that the clouds have finally parted and the moon is shining, the three of them have reached a consensus: anyone who dares to cause the slightest mishap during Lin Zhu's pregnancy will face their wrath.

"The one who's taking over is here!" Zhao Yuan, with his sharp eyes, spotted a figure rushing towards them at near teleportation speed.

Before he could finish speaking, the figure had already rushed in front of him—without slowing down at all, it simply slid through the gap between the three people with extremely fast and light movements.

"Hey, becoming a father really changes things. I feel like I've gone back to my old self, all impulsive and clumsy." Although Master Feng was saying this, his eyes and brows were full of smiles.

Inside the medicine hut, Lin Zhu was sitting quietly on a small stool. She still looked as calm as ever, but her face had a touch of rosy color.

Fang Ying sat beside her, leaning close and whispering something to her, her voice soft and patient. Catching a glimpse of the figure by the doorframe, Fang Ying looked up, a gentle yet meaningful smile on her face, then rose and gently closed the door to the outer corridor, leaving the entire space to the two of them.

Looking at that thin, small figure, Jiang Zhen suddenly felt an unprecedented sense of unease. His hands, which could split mountains and cleave the earth, suddenly didn't know where to go, so he rubbed them vigorously on his trouser legs.

Lin Zhu turned her head, blinked, and looked at Jiang Zhen.

Jiang Zhen sidled up to Lin Zhu:

"Yingzi said—you're picking up some medicine to prevent miscarriage."

Lin Zhu nodded and pointed to the medicine jar: "Hmm."

"Really...really?"

Looking at his silly expression, Lin Zhu smiled slightly and grabbed Jiang Zhen's rough hands, pressing them against her lower abdomen.

"Ah."

That single word became the loudest thunder Jiang Zhen had ever heard in his life.

There was no obvious feeling in his palm yet, but Jiang Zhen seemed to sense a vibrant life waving at him.

"What do you want to eat? What do you want to drink? What do you want? I'll get it for you right now! I'll even pluck the stars from the sky for you!"

Lin Zhu lowered his head and thought for a moment before saying, "There's only one thing I want right now."

"What?!" Jiang Zhen asked hurriedly.

Lin Zhu looked into Jiang Zhen's eyes and slowly opened her arms: "Hold me."

At that moment, Duanmu Ying was peeking through the crack in the door.

"Is she really that good at this???"

At this moment, Duanmu Ying had to admit that she was like a green recruit in front of Lin Zhu.

……

The smile on Jiang Zhen's face hadn't completely faded as he walked out of the medicine shop.

He stood on high ground, took a deep breath, and his voice, vibrating with the force of the air, reverberated throughout every corner of New World Island:

"Brothers! Listen up! I'm going to be a dad!"

"A three-day feast! We won't leave until we're completely drunk!"

In an instant, the cheers almost overturned the waves.

"Long live the new ruler!"

"Long live the little overlord!"

That night, New World Island was brightly lit. Jiang Zhen, the maritime emperor who made the world tremble, was clumsily learning how to fan the flames and brew medicine in the medicine shed.

Chapter 123 All Nations Pay Tribute

Now that they have an heir, establishing a proper status has become the most important matter on New World Island.

Jiang Zhen slammed his fist on the table, and the order to choose an auspicious day for the grand wedding instantly spread throughout the entire island. That very day, Bai Fu, along with several of the best-written scribes, copied the four characters "Grand Wedding" hundreds of times and distributed them by fast ship to the various fleet headquarters.

The entire New World Island seemed to have been injected with a super-dose of stimulants; even the dogs on the street had red ribbons tied around their necks overnight. The dogs, bewildered, wagged their tails and spun around in circles.

In the backyard of the medicine shop, three old men were arguing fiercely over the name of an unborn child.

“Call him ‘Jiang Pingyang’!” Zhao Yuan slammed his hand on the stone table, spittle flying everywhere. “Grand, steady, just hearing his name tells you he’s the one who calls the shots on the high seas! Pingyang, Pingyang, you’ll flatten the Pacific Ocean!”

"Vulgar—utterly vulgar!" Bai Fu pushed up his reading glasses on the bridge of his nose and pointed the fan handle directly at Zhao Yuan's nose. "Why don't you just call him 'Captain Jiang'? 'Jiang Haiyang'? 'Jiang Dahai'? This child's mother is Doctor Lin—her name is 'Jiang Mulin'. If you incorporate Doctor Lin's surname, it will be both classy and affectionate. Anyone who hears it will know how loving the child's parents are."

Master Feng disagreed: "Can style put food on the table? I think 'Jiang Pozhen' is the best name. No matter what lies ahead—giant waves, sturdy ships, or ironclad defenses—break through them all!"

Of the three, only Bai Fu was somewhat educated, and they were arguing heatedly, neither willing to give in.

Meanwhile, Lin Zhu sat quietly in a rocking chair nearby, holding a bowl of medicine. She had officially forbidden Jiang Zhen from entering the medicine shop and touching the medicine pots.

Jiang Zhen ruined one batch of pots after another. Either the heat was too high and the soup was burnt, or the fan was too slow and the smoke made him cough and cry.

"Dr. Lin, you be the judge, which of these three names is better?" Zhao Yuan asked, leaning closer.

Lin Zhu put down the medicine bowl, still in that slow, half-asleep state, and said faintly:

"Any name is fine, as long as it's something Jiang Zhen came up with."

Hearing this, Jiang Zhen, who was outside the door, chuckled foolishly, scratched his head, and immediately went back to continue flipping through the book.

Preparations for the wedding have entered the final stage.

Bai Fu walked into the office carrying a thick stack of lists and invitations. The "head steward" of the new world looked somewhat hesitant. He placed the lists on Jiang Zhen's desk and pointed to a blank column.

"I've already sent out invitations to heads of state, financial magnates, and various forces around the world, but I dare not make decisions on my own regarding my hometown."

Jiang Zhen took the list, his gaze lingering on the familiar yet distant characters: the headquarters in Shanghai, various shipping companies along the Yangtze River, and the old comrades he had once stood shoulder to shoulder with. He looked at it for a moment.

"Brothers in Shanghai, please come in." Jiang Zhen said firmly, "The roots of the Canal Gang are there. Even if we've lost contact with both sides now, we can't forget our old buddies on such an important matter."

Bai Fu nodded, then mentioned another sect: "What about Tengshan?"

“Tengshan—bring them all over.” Jiang Zhen didn’t even hesitate. “That’s Lin Zhu’s sect. Tengshan’s elders and fellow disciples are her family. We must bring them over in a grand and honorable manner. You personally arrange how the fleet is arranged and how they welcome them at the port.”

Then Jiang Zhen picked up a brush and wrote the names of various factions on the specially made gold-edged invitation in a flamboyant style.

"Longhu Mountain, Quanzhen, the Four Schools, Sanyi, Wudang, Tiangongtang, Jishetang... all these sects sent letters in my name!"

Bai Fu said in a low voice with some worry, "But as for the rise to power, back home... if we invite these extraordinary sects on a large scale, I'm afraid..."

Jiang Zhen waved his hand and suddenly stood up.

"It doesn't matter."

"Tell them that I have sent the invitations. If they are unable to come for some reason, I, Jiang Zhen, do not mind going back to my hometown in person to invite them!"

As he finished speaking, a hint of domineering aura inadvertently emanated from his shoulder, extremely thin and light, without pressing down on anyone.

"Yes! I'll take care of it right away!" Bai Fu accepted the order and left.

On the day of the wedding, New World Island witnessed an unprecedented grand occasion.

The morning sun shone on the sea, making it sparkle. The New World docks were now filled with ships from all over the world.

There were giant cruise ships flying the American flag, private speedboats belonging to old European tycoons, and flagships of armed leaders from South America and Africa—no country in the world was absent. The envoys, each carrying lavish gifts, were now patiently queuing to register on the pier.

With the "Emperor of the Sea" getting married, no one dared to cause trouble at this time.

However, in Jiang Zhen's eyes, those throngs of foreign guests were merely background figures in the scene. He stood on the highest observation platform at the dock, his hands gripping the railing, his gaze passing over the layers of luxurious masts, fixed on the empty sea in the distance.

Finally, a fleet of three converted cargo ships slowly came into view.

The old flag of the Canal Gang was proudly hung at the bow of the boat.

"Boss!"

"Boss!"

Before the ship even docked, cries choked with sobs could be heard from the deck.

The old brothers of the canal gang who stayed in Shanghai finally saw that upright man again after several years. They slid down the cable and rushed ashore without even waiting for the gangway to be set up.

The first reaction of everyone who saw Jiang Zhen was to wipe away tears while grinning.

"Boss! We're here! All the old brothers are here!"

Jiang Zhen strode down from the platform and gently patted each of them on the shoulder.

"Good! It's good that you're here! It's been years since we last met. No one is allowed to cry today. Everyone, drink to your hearts' content!"

The teachers and disciples of Tengshan came down. Fang Ying and Lin Zhu were already waiting on the shore. When they saw the elders of their sect, the two abandoned their usual composure and went to greet them with red eyes.

"Master, Senior Sister, Junior Sister..."