Elder Ji kept Xu Qu around for only one reason, which was to help cure the people of the village from the Martial Artist Plague.
They had not taken any action previously, which must have been a test for Xu Qu.
By now, they must have confirmed Xu Qu's abilities, which is why the treatments are about to begin.
Of course, Elder Ji and the village chief wouldn't use the Martial Artist Plague as the reason, as it's liable to cause chaos.
The information Wang Sheng learned was that a remarkable person had arrived in the village, someone who was not only a Martial Artist but also a physician. This physician, who had been traveling throughout the great Zhou state, would treat for free any old and hidden afflictions of the villagers wherever he went.
Everyone was notified to come to Elder Ji's house for treatment.
They were worried the villagers would be reluctant to go, even going so far as to use the upcoming entry into Qingshan Village as an excuse.
They claimed that if one ventured into the mountains with untreated hidden ailments, one could easily lose their life.
To someone like Wang Sheng, who was unaware of the true situation, both reasons seemed suspicious, and he definitely wouldn't go.
But the message came from the most respected and esteemed village chief and Elder Ji, so everyone went.
In this era, the word of a respected person sometimes carried even more weight than official decrees.
Wang Sheng initially thought this matter had little to do with him.
Yet the village chief came looking for him.
"Yun Sheng, do you want to receive treatment?"
Ever since Wang Sheng's return from the mountains, after the hunters informed Zhou Zhengwen that Wang Sheng had defeated the Mountain Lord, he stopped worrying about Wang Sheng's Martial Artist Plague.
Defeating the Mountain Lord meant that Wang Sheng was at least a Third Grade Martial Artist, and according to the hunters' descriptions, the Mountain Lord had been thoroughly subdued, which isn't something that can be achieved merely by defeating him. Thus, he guessed that Wang Sheng was at least a Fourth Grade Martial Artist or higher.
Therefore, he wasn't too concerned about Wang Sheng's Martial Artist Plague. Even if there was a decrease in strength, as long as his life was intact, there was still hope.
However, even if it wasn't a fatal threat, it would still have an impact, and now that there was a way to treat it, the best choice was to get it cured.
After all, the stronger Wang Sheng was, the better it was for Qingshan Village.
What Zhou Zhengwen clearly didn't know was that he had come too late, as Wang Sheng had just dealt with his own Martial Artist Plague.
"No need, village chief. I have found a way to deal with my own problem; the Martial Artist Plague won't threaten me anymore."
He didn't know how Xu Qu went about fixing it, but Qi Rushing to the Disease was definitely the most suitable method for him.
"You have already resolved it, Yun Sheng?" Zhou Zhengwen was momentarily stunned but quickly recovered. "Indeed!"
His ability to read people and situations was still quite good; he hadn't detected much panic coming from Wang Sheng from the beginning.
After learning that Wang Sheng had defeated the Mountain Lord, he thought it was Wang Sheng's strength that made him fearless of the Martial Artist Plague. Now it appeared there might not be just one reason, and perhaps Wang Sheng had long had a way to resolve his own condition, which is why he wasn't in a panic.
"Since that's the case, I am reassured and won't disturb you further, Yun Sheng!"
The village chief left cheerfully.
Having a Martial Artist in their own village, picking up another who was a Martial Artist, and this Martial Artist being able to solve the village's greatest hidden danger, his mood was incredibly good.
After the village chief left, Wang Sheng seemed to think of something and also left his house to go to Elder Ji's home.
A fair number of people had already gathered there.
But he did not disturb anyone, instead quietly moving to a corner to watch Xu Qu's treatment.
To be honest, he was curious about Xu Qu.
There were definitely big secrets to this person, who could recover without a head and could cure the Martial Artist Plague.
If this was a stroke of great fortune, wasn't this fortune a bit too tremendous?
Taking advantage of this opportunity, he wanted to probe Xu Qu's true abilities, to guard against potential risks.
"Everyone, as Doctor Xu is going to treat your hidden illnesses, it may bring some pain, and you might even vomit 'dirty blood,' these are all normal phenomena; please don't panic when it happens."
Elder Ji must have experienced it himself, which is why he could explain so clearly, calming the villagers' nerves.
The villagers were somewhat restless, but they stayed nonetheless.
Because the first one to receive treatment was none other than the village chief, Zhou Zhengwen.
The chief's treatment began swiftly.
Xu Qu took Zhou Zhengwen's pulse for a while, pressed on certain parts of his body a few times, then gave him a pill to swallow, and continued the massage.
Before long, the village chief showed a pained expression and then vomited a mouthful of blackish blood into a basin that had been prepared earlier.
Xu Qu handed Zhou Zhengwen a cup of water to rinse his mouth and then said, "All is well now, don't you feel much better?"
"Yes, I feel a lot lighter."
Zhou Zhengwen was the first to go to set an example for the villagers, and he hadn't expected the treatment to be so effective; he could clearly feel a great improvement in his health.
"Avoid spicy and greasy food for a few days."
"Understood, thank you, Doctor Xu."
Although the village chief was playing along with a show, feeling the tangible benefits, he was sincerely grateful.
With the village chief leading the way, everything that followed was much easier.
Two to three hours passed, and when the pills ran out, Xu Qu stopped the treatments.
Old Ji then spoke up, "Let's call it a day, and we'll continue tomorrow. Remember not to spread the word, or else before our own villagers are cured, people from other villages might come."
Only such a statement concerning their own interests could truly keep a secret.
Otherwise, the news might spread by tomorrow.
"Certainly, certainly!"
"It definitely won't get out."
Indeed, those who had received treatment and felt the effects all nodded in agreement.
They still had relatives who hadn't been treated; how could they possibly let people from other villages go first, in case Doctor Xu didn't want to treat them later?
They would surely keep their lips sealed.
The crowd dispersed quickly.
Wang Sheng also emerged from the shadows.
"Your treatment mainly relies on that pill, doesn't it?"
Wang Sheng had a certain understanding of pulse diagnosis and acupoints.
Especially after going through the Finding Disease stage, he had a deeper understanding of the human body. Xu Qu's treatment methods were simply not worth watching, just fumbling around.
It was mostly due to the pill.
Hearing Wang Sheng's words, Xu Qu felt a pang in his heart; such things were also very precious to him. He didn't know if he was out of his mind, to stay in this broken village, he had actually taken out his treasure.
"Stop it, let me have some peace!"
Having recovered, he no longer felt so intimidated by Wang Sheng.
A Martial Artist from a small village might not even be as strong as him.
Wang Sheng noticed Xu Qu's heartache; it seemed Xu Qu had really invested a lot and decided not to mention it.
He had other business here besides checking things out.
"Have you copied the Martial Artist Skills?"
He wanted to compare the Cultivation Techniques of this world with the Inner Core Skill and the Eight Section Brocade.
"It's copied, but could you treat me with a bit more respect? I'm a Martial Artist after all, I might not be weaker than you..."
As he spoke, he pulled out a book from his person, clearly the Cultivation Technique.
Hearing Xu Qu's words, Wang Sheng thought about the improvement of his Bajiquan after fighting the Mountain Lord, raised his eyebrows, and said, "How about we practice?"