Zhou Zhengwen had not expected that there would be a Martial Artist in his village.
In any village that had a Martial Artist, as long as the Martial Artist had even a slight fondness for the village, it would greatly benefit the villagers, especially in times of drought when competing for a water source, as it would offer a sense of security.
He did not know Wang Sheng very well, but judging from his actions, he seemed to care for the village.
This should have been great news, but… damn the epidemic of Martial Artists!
From the expressions of Old Ji and Li Wenguang, he discerned that Wang Sheng was definitely not beyond a Third Grade Martial Artist.
“What a calamity!”
The village outside grew increasingly chaotic; having a Martial Artist was a surety of safety.
Yet now, it seemed this Martial Artist could hardly ensure his own safety.
“Yun Sheng, you…”
Li Wenguang was most worried. He felt that the boy, Wang Sheng, was so undeservedly suffering.
It had not been easy to resolve the Sun Family’s issue, and now here came the Martial Artists’ epidemic, one trouble after another.
While the Sun Family’s problem could be survived by shedding dignity, an epidemic wasn’t something that could be overcome by merely setting pride aside.
Wang Sheng, seeing the concern on the faces of the three, couldn’t help but burst into laughter, and with a relaxed tone, said, “Don’t worry, I have a way to solve this. You don’t need to be too concerned about me!”
For Martial Artists under Third Grade, there was seemingly no chance of survival against this epidemic, and indeed it sounded terrifying.
But the system he used to become a Martial Artist was not of this world’s Martial Artist System.
Even though he had never met another Martial Artist, Wang Sheng knew that he was significantly different from them. The effects of this so-called Martial Artists’ epidemic on him must be questioned.
Even if one were to take ten thousand steps back, his stage of Qi-Rushing to the Disease had not been completed. As long as his Qi-Blood Power was strong enough, he would eventually break through the disease and solve the trouble.
Thus, although he did feel some urgency in his heart, it was not as intense as the previous situation with the chrysanthemum.
Of course, maintaining such a good attitude was mainly because he knew that worrying was futile.
Otherwise, the thought alone of an epidemic for Martial Artists was truly frightening!
Initially, Li Wenguang and the others didn’t truly believe that Wang Sheng had a solution, but seeing his calm demeanor, they were persuaded to believe even if they still harbored doubts.
“It’s good that you have confidence in solving the problem.”
In the end, it was Old Ji who first came to understand. Having been out and seen the world, he knew that Wang Sheng’s sudden emergence as a Martial Artist must be due to some fortunate encounter, but this was not something he could pry into.
Zhou Zhengwen and Li Wenguang lacked such insight, and they knew very well that their anxiety could not help Wang Sheng in any way.
“Yun Sheng, deal with the troubles yourself first!”
Zhou Zhengwen’s words carried an underlying message, but in the end, he chose to say nothing more.
Wang Sheng sensed that Zhou Zhengwen seemed to need his help with something, but since he didn’t speak up, should he really rush to offer assistance?
That just wasn’t his nature.
So, he pretended not to understand and prepared to take his leave.
Now that the situation had been clarified, following up on the matter was no longer his responsibility.
However, Old Ji directly followed him out.
“Old Ji, was there something you didn’t say earlier?”
Old Ji shook his head and said, “The matter has been explained clearly. It is I who have a few words to say to you.”
“Please, speak!”
Wang Sheng listened intently to the words of an experienced and knowledgeable elder like Old Ji.
“The epidemic of Martial Artists bears the word ‘epidemic,’ signifying a massive impact on Martial Artists. You must have inadvertently become involved. However, the more it appears this way, the more terrifying the underlying issues are.
Let me put it this way, in the city where I used to live, only Martial Artists from one power survived in the end. The others either died in the epidemic or were killed. You’re smart, Yun Sheng, you should know what this implies.”
Wang Sheng felt a tremor inside.
“Martial Artist Plague… is it man-made?”
“That’s one aspect. The most crucial thing is that even you, a martial artist living in a remote mountain village, are affected. Either it’s your enemy targeting you directly, or there’s someone targeting the martial artists in this area. Moreover, considering the external situation…”
Wang Sheng immediately understood.
Who would target him like this? The Sun Family? That seemed unlikely; with their strength, they should have confronted him directly the next day.
So, a more likely possibility was that it was targeting a group of martial artists in an area—a move by one power to eliminate the martial artists of another. It was just unclear if that other power even realized what was happening.
This realization also explained his earlier intuition. It wasn’t merely poisoning and plague; it was someone spreading poison, in fact, poisoning plus plague.
He was just an incidental victim.
“I understand. Thanks for the warning.”
Old Ji’s words did give him an awakening.
Some things you can’t avoid just because you don’t actively participate. The moment he became a martial artist, he was bound to the community of martial artists, whether he liked it or not.
“It really is amazing. I’ve never even met a formal martial artist, yet I’ve been affected by their struggles.”
But he wasn’t the worst off; ordinary people were.
Ordinary people did nothing at all but were still at risk of being affected. Who could assure they wouldn’t become “lucky” like Zheng Ankang?
“What a fucked-up world!”
In a world where martial power reigns supreme, the stronger you are, the less regard you have for the lives of those below you.
Some people, after living a long life, really do become like demons.
Wang Sheng only hoped that if he could live a long life in the future, he wouldn’t become such a person.
But to ask him to give up the pursuit of longevity—that was impossible. It was certainly better than being arbitrarily exterminated.
After saying goodbye to Old Ji, he went straight back to his house to focus on advancing his skills as planned.
In a world where personal martial power is significant, extreme martial power can break through everything!
This, Wang Sheng had always understood.
If he were a Great Grandmaster who could change the course of battles, none of this would be a problem.
And for Wang Sheng, at this stage, all the problems he faced could be resolved with hard work and cultivation.
Since there was such a convenient way, he had no desire whatsoever to find out who was responsible or to look for any antidote.
Wouldn’t it be pleasant to just farm quietly?
He didn’t want to get entangled in some inexplicable trouble that he couldn’t shake off even if he tried.
Better to indulge in the exhilarating progression of his skill levels.
As time passed, Zheng Ankang’s death was ruled as natural causes. Zhou Zhengwen kept the situation with the Martial Artist Plague—something that could incite unrest—under wraps.
The village buried Zheng Ankang, and Wang Sheng even attended the meal during the funeral.
The storm seemed to have calmed down.
Wang Sheng continued to silently improve himself at home, alternating between advancing his Eight Section Brocade and Inner Core Skill, consuming Ten-Complete Great Replenishing Pills like jelly beans.
But how could a towering wave that had already risen calm down so easily?
Wang Sheng knew all too well that this was the calm before the storm. Someone had poisoned all martial artists, spreading the Martial Artist Plague—this couldn’t end weakly.
Soon, the real waves would come.
By then, it wouldn’t be just ordinary people—most martial artists would be like duckweed in the rain, drifting with the current, easily capsized by a wave.
All Wang Sheng could do was sigh internally, unable to do much.
“Let’s hope this towering wave doesn’t affect Qingshan Village!”