Chapter 23: The Village Chief's Request

Qi Rushing to the Disease has three stages, and the sequence of Finding Disease and Flipping Illness is not that apparent.

If your Qi-Blood Power is strong enough, you can completely break through all your disease sites during the Finding Disease stage, surpass Flipping Illness, and directly reach the final stage, reducing the disease.

Therefore, theoretically, the stronger the Qi-Blood Power, the faster the progress of Qi Rushing to the Disease.

After three breakthroughs in Ba Duan Jin, Wang Sheng's Qi-Blood Power would undoubtedly become even more powerful. Disease sites that could not be broken through before might not be impossible now.

To quickly resolve the issue of the Martial Artist's plague, Wang Sheng once again compressed all his time, except for sleeping, dedicating nearly an entire day to practicing Ba Duan Jin and Inner Core Skill.

Time passed once again, half a month had gone by.

His various skills had seen significant improvement.

"Realm: Qi Rushing to the Disease, Finding Disease 76.5% (First Grade Martial Artist)

Ba Duan Jin: Breakthrough +3 (20%)

Inner Core Skill (Hundred Days Foundation Establishment): Breakthrough +3 (12%)

Herb Recognition: Breakthrough +2 (75%)

Medicinal Plant Cultivation: Breakthrough +3 (40%)

Eight Extremities Fist: 6 (33%)"

Plum Flower Step: 6 (13%)"

Most were standard improvements, but Eight Extremities Fist and Plum Flower Step had practically no progress due to lack of practice.

The most significant improvement was in the progress of Qi Rushing to the Disease; Finding Disease had reached 76.5%. Having calculated his current rate, Wang Sheng figured it would take at most 10 days to complete the Finding Disease process.

With such high progress, the gains were naturally tremendous; during this process, he had broken through countless disease sites, though the vast majority were "past diseases."

Ignorant until you search, startled once you find.

In this progress of 76.5%, his Qi-Blood Power had struck 26 disease sites, 22 of which were successful assaults, and the remaining four disease sites were more formidable and could not be broken through with his Qi-Blood Power at the time, forcing him to take detours.

But over half a month's time, both his blood strength and Qi-Blood Power had increased significantly.

Especially the Qi-Blood Power, which was now drawn from the enhanced blood strength, was extremely strong.

If he were to turn back now and assault them again, while the Martial Artist's plague might remain, the other three major disease sites would definitely be easily broken through.

However, there was no need to turn back.

He would proceed according to the progress of Qi Rushing to the Disease; he could wait another 10 days.

Moreover, after another 10 days in the Flipping Illness stage, his Qi-Blood Power would be even more powerful, and he would be much more confident in tackling the disease site caused by the Martial Artist's plague.

After all, assaulting disease sites is not without risk; attacking any disease site would cause symptoms of that disease to recur in the body.

If he wasn't careful enough, failing to assault the Martial Artist's plague disease site, with the plague's effects erupting immediately, could end with his sudden death - that would be trouble.

So, it wouldn't hurt to increase his Qi-Blood Power a bit more.

This is also why Inner Core Skill, despite being able to control one's "Qi," still differentiated the stage of Flipping Illness.

This stage could also be fatal if one isn't careful.

The deeper into cultivation, the greater Wang Sheng's enlightenment became.

"So I still need to enhance my Qi-Blood Power!"

Ba Duan Jin was the foundation for his strength; a skyscraper rises from flat ground, its importance is scarcely less than that of the Inner Core Skill.

With Ba Duan Jin, his current strength had become unquantifiable, known only to be extremely powerful, as each realm ascension brought with it an increase in martial prowess.

Wang Sheng enjoyed this sensation of gradually becoming stronger, so he practiced Ba Duan Jin with even more vigor.

I had thought that ten days would pass by peacefully and enter the "Flipping Illness" phase.

But on the sixth day, the village head Zhou Zhengwen came looking for me.

"Village head, please have a seat."

Wang Sheng moved a chair over.

After sitting down, the village head didn't beat around the bush but directly stated his purpose, "Yun Sheng, I've actually come to ask for your help."

"Please speak, village head, as long as I am able."

Last time at Zhou Zhengwen's house, Wang Sheng had noticed something, but since Zhou Zhengwen didn't mention it, he didn't ask. He didn't expect it to take almost 20 days before seeking him out.

"Don't worry, it won't be difficult for you. In fact, it's quite simple — just join the others from the village and scout around Qingshan Village for any dangers."

"Scout Qingshan Village?"

Qingshan Village was once a bandit stronghold in the nearby mountains. After the bandits were eradicated by Great Zhou, it lay abandoned.

But why did Zhou Zhengwen want to clear out Qingshan Village?

Zhou Zhengwen let out a sigh, "Yun Sheng, do you know? A few days ago, dozens of refugees arrived at Lijiang Town. They came from Jiangyuan City, which is said to be engulfed in the war now. They fled for their lives."

Jiangyuan City, the largest city close to Qingshan Village, at a distance of a few hundred kilometers, and strategically important along the stretch of the Yellow Dragon River.

Both the martial artist forces and the city's defensive forces there were extremely strong. Yet now, it fell into the midst of war, and people were fleeing for their lives. Had the war escalated to this point?

Wang Sheng had been fully focused on his progress recently, so he wasn't aware of this.

He looked at Zhou Zhengwen, "Village head, do you know what's going on?"

"The Jiang River King is fighting King Yong Nian, and the Jiang River King is being defeated at every turn. It looks like Shuzhou can't hold much longer!"

Jiang River King Zhou Yuanqing, a member of the Great Zhou Imperial Family whose territory included the Shuzhou region where Qingshan Village was located. King Yong Nian Zhou Wutong, also a member of the Great Zhou Imperial Family, whose land was right beside Zhou Yuanqing's.

There weren't any large-scale rebels yet; everyone was waiting for Great Zhou to take its last breath, but ironically, two members of the Imperial Family started fighting each other first.

But there was a reason Zhou Yuanqing was losing ground.

Zhou Wutong was one of the world's nine Great Grandmasters. Aside from the forces of the other eight Great Grandmasters, basically no other force could stop him.

Previously, the imperial family had kept them in check. Now, only concerned with preserving themselves, how could they tend to these matters?

"Village head, do you know the reason?"

"How could I possibly know? As mere commoners to us, doesn't war just arrive out of the blue?"

Wang Sheng fell silent.

Wasn't it sudden?

In such a world, commoners can only passively receive the wars of the upper classes.

Even now, as a martial artist, Wang Sheng was no different.

He came back to his senses, not dwelling on this issue, and instead asked, "What does this have to do with clearing out Qingshan Village?"

Zhou Zhengwen slowly breathed out three heavy words, "A retreat route."

"..."

"Yun Sheng, although you are a martial artist, let alone a martial artist, even a Grandmaster would be crushed into dust under a great army, only a Great Grandmaster can change the course of a battle. That is common knowledge.

If this is the situation for martial artists, then what about common people? The homeless refugees in Lijiang Town could be what we face in the future, so we must prepare a retreat route in advance.

Qingshan Village is a suitable place; it once supported thousands of bandits, and our entire village can certainly fit there. But there are fierce beasts in those mountains, which is why I wanted to ask you to join us, to ensure safety!"

After listening, Wang Sheng thought for a while and finally nodded, "Alright, village head, just call for me when it's time!"