Martial God Development Plan

"how?"

Xiaoyaofeng practiced three times and looked at Ji Zhao.

"Can you understand?"

Ji Zhao nodded. His comprehension was 128, and his unique characteristics included a 5-fold martial arts experience bonus. With the help of martial arts literacy and comprehension, the final experience gain could be multiplied by more than ten times. The power of his internal energy could be doubled again, and the difficulty of improving his martial arts was no less than that of practicing martial arts. It could be said that it wouldn't take him long to reach the peak of his martial arts.

“Not bad.” Xiaoyao Feng saw Ji Zhao perform a set of moves, and he knew what was going on. He sighed, “No matter how hard he and I try, we can’t train this move to have even a little power. This kind of move really needs to be used by someone with a strong inner breath to be effective… However, this move is against the will of heaven, and it will cause considerable damage to your own meridians, so you must use it with caution.”

"I know."

......

After that, another month passed quickly, and the sky turned into autumn.

Ji Zhao modified Zhao Hongyue again and added a public feature to trigger the Blood Battle Sutra. Before, his meridians would definitely collapse due to the excessive speed of practice, but after his martial arts literacy improved, Ji Zhao's understanding of internal strength became deeper, and his techniques became more delicate and gentle, so that his meridians could withstand it... But this is the end. This is the limit that Ji Zhao's meridians can withstand. From now on, no matter how high his martial arts literacy becomes, it will be impossible to increase the speed of practice unless there is a breakthrough in the meridians.

Although his internal strength is limited by his meridians, there are no restrictions on his martial arts. Ji Zhao will soon practice Deng Lin Yi to the point where he can put it into actual combat. This martial art is extremely powerful and is a top-level skill that can be used to pass the game. Ji Zhao is particularly concerned about it.

At the end of October, Ji Zhao's cultivation level achieved a breakthrough as if it was a natural result, and his comprehensive evaluation reached Class B. This was a rare breakthrough in a big realm, but Ji Zhao's heart was not shaken. In terms of strength, he had actually reached this level a long time ago. Today's practice did not break through any major barriers. It was nothing more than raising the upper limit of his internal energy a little. It was just ordinary slow work... It can only be said that comprehensive evaluation does not look at software but only at hardware.

Shortly after Ji Zhao completed his breakthrough, Xiaoyao Feng, who had been away from home for many years, returned to Luohe Pavilion and began to work on this year's winter school.

Ji Zhao's strength and character were already at the master's level, but Xiaoyao Feng did not consider him as a disciple and threw him a commission that sounded not simple.

"Recently, a strange plague broke out in Fengzhou. People who got sick often died within a few days. He sent some doctors over, but they lost contact with them before they could find out the cause. You've been to Fengzhou before. The traffic is congested and the terrain is complicated. Even an eagle would get lost if it went in. It's hard to say whether it's just a plague or someone is behind it... After all, Fengzhou is the place where witchcraft originated, so some things are hard to predict."

The 'he' Xiaoyaofeng always refers to is Liu Hanying.

Xiaoyao Feng paused for a moment, then continued, "I was originally planning to send you and Han Gongqiu over to take a look, but there are many places that need Han Gongqiu, and he sent a message saying that he has arranged a new doctor... This doctor's name is Duanmu Qing, who is considered your predecessor and is from the same class as Liu Hanying. He is quite capable and has studied medical skills. He should be able to handle this matter, so you should go with him and protect him... Although with his strength, he may not need your protection, but as a doctor, there are always times when it is inconvenient for him to fight."

Volume 6: White Horse and Silver Spear Shining on the Snow and Moon: Chapter 69: Returning to Fengzhou

Xiaoyao Feng said this and then continued, "Although it's just my feeling, it does give me an unusual feeling. In Fengzhou, to put it bluntly, even if all the people in one place died, it wouldn't spread to the other side, but the plague has always existed in a strange way. To say that there is no one behind it is probably a bit self-deception. I'm not at ease sending you alone. If something goes wrong, there won't be anyone to discuss it with... The master in the pavilion, the young one has already arranged the itinerary. Lazy Dog has a place where his special inner breath will be used. Xuan is going to fight a tough battle. Apart from the three of them, you can pick a few of the rest to go with you."

Just as Ji Zhao was about to speak, Xiao Yao Feng said, "You're not going to say anything about me, are you?"

Ji Zhao said: "Is it not possible?"

"If I were to go, there would be no need for you."

"Too......"

Ji Zhao pondered for a moment. Huo Shuizhu was a time bomb, so it would be better not to bring him. As for the doctors, if the situation was ideal, he hoped to bring a few more. It was not that he did not trust Senior Duanmu Qing, but these days, the fields that a doctor could cover were limited. For example, Ji Tan, although his overall level was far inferior to Han Gongqiu, he surpassed Han Gongqiu in some aspects. So it would be no problem to bring a few more. However, there were limited outstanding doctors in Luohe Pavilion, and besides Han Gongqiu, there was Ji Tan. And it was obviously impossible for Ji Zhao to take Ji Tan to that kind of place.

As for combat effectiveness... apart from the master, only Gu Qu and Ji Bei can catch Ji Zhao's eye. However, these two people are as unreliable as Huo Shuizhu.

With this thought in mind, Ji Zhao said, "In that case, please assign Master Mo to me."

"Mo Yu?... It's appropriate for you two to practice Huan Lian Sha together." Xiao Yao Feng nodded and asked, "Don't you need more people?"

"There's no need for that." Ji Zhao shook his head. "More would just be a burden. I haven't forgotten about Master Qiu."

"That's right." Thinking of Han Gongqiu's incident, Xiaoyao Feng was speechless and sighed, "Well, go and get ready. My people will come tomorrow to take you and Mo Yu to Fengzhou to meet up with Duanmu Qing... Don't forget to ask that pretending to be young for some medicine."

With the immunity of warriors, they can usually ignore the so-called plague. For example, when Ji Zhao and Gu Zhibai were stranded in Changchun Mountains, they encountered countless poisonous creatures and were bitten countless times by snakes, centipedes and spiders. But in the end, they were not hurt at all and left Changchun Mountains in good health. Only Ji Zhao had a nosebleed, but Gu Zhibai insisted that it was caused by peeping at her taking a bath.

Not to mention that Ji Zhao's cultivation has greatly increased and his immunity has been improved... But no one can say for sure about this kind of thing. In game works such as games, comics, and animations, there are always situations in which the settings are destroyed in order to make the plot develop, such as the Super Saiyan who was knocked down by a tranquilizer gun and the strongest creature on earth. No matter whether a patch is applied afterwards, it is inevitable to be laughed at. In this world, there may be similar situations restored by the mirror.

In short, it’s always a good idea to be prepared.

......

The next morning, Ji Zhao finished washing up, put on the Scarlet God Robe, and put on the Blood Battle Pendant. After hesitating for a moment, he also took the wordless heavenly book and the box given to him by Hongyue Sanren.

He took the former because he considered that this wordless heavenly book was obtained in Fengzhou and might have special uses. He took the latter on a whim, perhaps because he had met Hongyue Sanren not long ago, and the other party said that he wanted to know what was inside it, which made Ji Zhao curious. So he took it with him to see if there would be a chance to open it during this outing.

After completing the preparations, Ji Zhao came under the sculpture of Wei Huo. Mo Yu had not arrived yet, so he was not in a hurry and waited quietly.

During this time, Ji Zhao recalled what Xiao Yaofeng had said.

The descendant of the Black Lotus Sect wants to take something from Luohe Pavilion...

He subconsciously looked at the sculpture of Wei Huo behind him. When he first entered the cabinet, Gu Qu had wildly guessed whether there might be some secret book inside... Logically speaking, this was not possible. After all, the people in Luohe Pavilion would definitely not destroy this symbolic building, just like it was impossible for a normal person to demolish Tiananmen Square for nothing.

If you put good things in here, it would definitely be equivalent to aiding the enemy, because the only ones who can destroy this building are the enemies.

However, Luohe Pavilion is an important place in the game, and there is a high probability that there will be similar plot designs in this place. If we consider it from this perspective...

[“…Forget it. There’s no point in thinking about it.”]

Ji Zhao didn't think about it for too long. Anyway, there was no way he could destroy the sculpture at this stage. It would be stupid to waste his energy on something that was useless.

"Come quite early."

Mo Yu's calm voice sounded at the side. She was dressed in black, holding a long sword. She was tall, with icy skin and bones. She was a peerless cold beauty... Unfortunately, she was too tall.

Ji Zhao's body developed normally. After almost two years, he had grown a lot and was just as tall as Mo Yu. One could imagine how much pressure Ji Zhao felt when facing Mo Yu. Most of the disciples in the pavilion had this problem, especially the female disciples. Sometimes when they were scolded with "look at me!", they would look up at Mo Yu.

"Master Mo." Ji Zhao greeted casually, "Good morning."

Mo Yu responded coldly, which seemed a bit impolite, but as a disciple of Luohe Pavilion, how could he not know Mo Yu's character? Ji Zhao didn't take it seriously. He just felt that Mo Yu was a bit pretentious. He was clearly not like that in front of Mo Zhi.

Not long after, Xiaoyao Feng's people arrived and, as usual, gave the secret code first. Ji Zhao and Mo Yu calculated it each and after confirming that there was no mistake, they followed him down the mountain and rode towards Fengzhou.

With Ji Zhao's current level of cultivation and the Scarlet Divine Robe, his traveling efficiency is far greater than that of a horse. In any case, if someone had ridden a horse to take Han Gongqiu to Red Moon Valley, Han Gongqiu would have surely died.

However, traveling like that is too tiring. Not only will you be unable to practice during the journey, but you will also suffer from emotional problems due to the long-term circulation of internal energy. Most warriors would not do this unless it was really urgent, not to mention that Ji Zhao still has teammates here. In addition, there is a ridiculous reason, which is getting lost. Because warriors have the ability to cross special terrains, they often do not take the usual route. It is very common to get lost accidentally. It's just that this is too embarrassing to talk about, so few teachers and juniors mention it, so that generation after generation of newcomers fall into this funny-looking bottomless pit.

Fengzhou is not too far from Mount Daizong, and Xiaoyaofeng has connections everywhere, so within a few days, Ji Zhao and Mo Yu met Duanmu Qing in a small town.

Volume 6: White Horse and Silver Spear Shining on the Snow Moon: Chapter 70: Advance Preparation

Duanmu Qing was a little older than Liu Hanying, about thirty-one or thirty-two years old. He wore a plain green Taoist robe and had long black hair draped over his shoulders. He was not handsome, but quite delicate, with a gentle expression. One could tell at first glance that he was a good, gentle and humble man. Unfortunately, there was a hint of depression between his brows, which made his face look a little bitter.

"Uncle Duanmu." Ji Zhao and Mo Yu clasped their fists and saluted, "Disciple greets you."

Duanmu Qing straightened his expression when he saw the two of them, and then he clasped his fists and said, "My two junior brothers are too polite... Junior Brother Mo, you have grown up to this age now. When I left the pavilion, you were still a little girl. Your expression has not changed at all. From childhood to adulthood, you have always looked like you don't like people."

Hearing this, Ji Zhao was a little disappointed. He had expected that this senior could expose Mo Yu's shortcomings like ink paper and say something interesting, such as 'When I left the pavilion, you were still a little girl with pigtails begging for candy everywhere'. He didn't expect Mo Yu to be so boring and had been like this since she was a child.

Mo Yu nodded slightly and said, "Uncle Duanmu, please forgive me for making fun of you. Mo Yu has been like this since he was a child. It's not that he has any complaints against anyone."

"Of course I know..." Duanmu Qing smiled, and then looked at Ji Zhao, with some curiosity in his voice, "You are Ji Zhao Ji Minghui. Han Ying praised you highly in the letter he sent me. He has a good temper and rarely speaks harshly to his disciples. He usually encourages and praises them. But I have never seen him praise anyone with such gorgeous words. I think you are an extraordinary hero."

Before Ji Zhao opened his mouth, Mo Yu at the side spoke first. His calm voice was actually a bit boastful: "Uncle Master, you don't care about worldly affairs, but you don't know something. When he first entered the sect, he had almost no martial arts skills. Now, after less than two years of training, he has killed the Flying Bone Thief, one of the Seven True Ghosts. Such talent is really rare in ancient and modern times."

"Flying Bone Thief..." However, Duanmu Qing's focus was a little strange. "Didn't he die in the battle at Dangyang Peak?"

Mo Yu said succinctly: "Bai Ying let him go."

Duanmu Qing had not cared about worldly affairs for a long time, but he was not an ignorant novice after all. When he heard this, he had actually guessed the general situation. He shook his head and sighed, but no one knew what he was sighing about.

"... Forget it, let's stop talking nonsense." Duanmu Qing said, "I think you all know what this is about. Maybe the thief saint has already said it once, but now I have to repeat it..."

The first half of his words were almost the same as Xiaoyao Feng's. It sounds a bit hellish, but it is also the current situation of this era. The plague spread from onset to death so quickly, and transportation in Fengzhou is so inconvenient. Logically, the plague would not be able to spread because all the sick people had died. However, after such a long time, it is still spreading in Fengzhou... This is too abnormal.

In the second half, Ji Zhao and Mo Yu's expressions gradually became serious because Duanmu Qing reached the key point.

The strangeness of this plague is also reflected in its manifestation. Xiaoyaofeng's people brought over several corpses, and Duanmu Qing performed autopsies on them. He confirmed that these people died of extremely high intensity fever, vomiting and diarrhea, which could burn an adult to death within a few days. If it was a frail elderly person, he would die on the same night of the disease. But the strange thing was that Duanmu Qing could not find the cause of their illness... In Duanmu Qing's words, we still have to see living people, ask them carefully, and look at what they eat and their feces, only then can we find out the cause of the disease.

"Uncle Master." After Duanmu Qing finished speaking, Ji Zhao said, "Master Feng's opinion is similar to yours, but there are some things he didn't say clearly. Now that you are the elder, I would like to ask you a question here. If there is really such a mastermind behind this, how do you plan to find him? Saving people is much more difficult than poisoning. We are destined to fail to save them."

——————Besides, you may not be able to save him.

This is not to look down on Duanmu Qing's medical skills, but the way of treating poisons is like this. To put it bluntly, the poison prescribed by a third-rate poison master may not be able to be cured by the world's best doctor, or even if it can be cured, the poisoned person will die before that.

Duanmu Qing nodded gently and said, "Junior Brother Ji, that's a good question. It's like this. Before this, your Master Feng had already sent people into Fengzhou to gather information and drew such a map."

As he spoke, he spread a map on the table... These days, it is not easy to understand a hand-drawn map. Even though Ji Zhao had been to Fengzhou, he still found it very difficult to understand.

"What is this mark...?" Mo Yu pointed at the numerical marks next to several villages on the map and asked. These marks were all small ranges from single digits to double digits.

"The time when the deaths occurred." Duanmu Qing pointed to the smallest numerical interval. "According to this person's records, this is where the deaths started first, and then slowly decreased all the way... here (the place with the largest number), this is where the deaths started last."

As he spoke, he took out a few more maps.

"There are also these. The Thief Saint sent out many people. The routes of investigation were also different, but the way of recording was the same. Take a look."

Xiaoyaofeng's subordinates had obviously received special training, and their drawing techniques were exactly the same. Therefore, the three of them easily found the key points on these hand-drawn maps.

"Although these routes have different directions, their starting points are surprisingly similar..." Ji Zhao pointed at the maps, "If we continue to push forward from this starting point, we may find some clues."

Duanmu Qing said softly: "This is our mission."

Ji Zhao asked, "Master Feng's people didn't move on?"

Duanmu Qing shook his head: "They have some ability to avoid danger and seek good fortune...it seems that they dare not move forward."

【“…”】

Seeking good fortune and avoiding disaster, this sounds a bit mysterious, but Ji Zhao can understand it. All the signs in the mysterious ancient tomb last time showed that Xiaoyaofeng had many connections with Zhitian Pavilion. Ji Zhao had every reason to suspect that the power Xiaoyaofeng was driving now came from Zhitian Pavilion. It was normal for these people to be able to predict the future.

"The situation is urgent, we can't delay." Duanmu Qing looked at the two of them, and perhaps because it was a serious matter, his eyes were a little sharp, "It's best not to touch anything and water on this road. Don't think you are not afraid of anything just because you are a warrior. Go buy some dry food and bring some water. We will set off today. Is that ok?"

Ji Zhao and Mo Yu were naturally fine, and the three of them rested for a while. During this time, Xiaoyao Feng's men came over and gave them some instructions. They also offered to be their guide, but were rejected. They all saw that this man's cultivation was not high, and he was exhausted physically and mentally after running around for many days. If they really brought him along, not only would he slow down the three's progress, but he might also get infected with the plague due to excessive fatigue and reduced immunity, which would be a serious sin.

Volume 6: White Horse and Silver Spear Shining on the Snow Moon: Chapter 71: Plague

The three of them did not waste any time and set off immediately after doing some logistical work. However, their first stop was not to go upstream to find the source of the plague, but to follow the records on the map and arrive at a village where the plague was recorded to have broken out.

All three were warriors with decent skills. With sufficient internal energy, their travel efficiency was also extremely high. In just a few hours, the three of them crossed layers of obstacles that ordinary people could not cross and arrived at the village.

Fengzhou is a place with a unique geographical environment. The emperor is far away and no one can control them. Therefore, the village is usually regarded as a whole. The clan consciousness is very strong. They are rampant in an area and are very xenophobic. If they can't afford to eat, they can turn into bandits at any time. Moreover, due to the inconvenient transportation, it is easy for people to marry their close relatives if they live here for a lifetime. Many people have brain problems, and in order to improve their genes, they have to rob/buy women from outside. As a result, it is not unfair to say that poor mountains and bad waters produce unruly people.

Of course, this is a huge problem and it is not caused by any one person. The environment in Fengzhou is like this and no one can change anything.

......

When Ji Zhao saw the village surrounded by mountains from afar, he felt a faint breath of death... This feeling was not just a whim. A warrior's perception of the environment is hidden in instinct.

For example, certain smells and sounds cannot be smelled or heard by human noses or ears, but a warrior's body can partially feel them. It's just that it cannot transmit this feeling to the brain directly, so it can only remind people in a special way, which eventually becomes the so-called whim... In essence, this is a kind of information collection ability that the warrior himself is not aware of.

Duanmu Qing reminded him in a low voice, then immediately released his internal energy and sped up to rush over.

"Don't forget to practice the Tianqing Jue."

Tianqing Jue is a little trick to circulate internal energy. It can increase resistance to poison. It is a basic mental method that almost all Luohe disciples have learned.

Ji Zhao and Mo Yu released their internal energy and followed Duanmu Qing. As soon as they got close, they smelled a slight odor of rotting corpses. After they found the place, the three of them were speechless for a moment... The village was littered with corpses and the stench was overwhelming. Many people fell in their own vomit and excrement. Maybe they just fell, but after this fall, they could never get up again. The few living people were leaning in the corner, only breathing out but not breathing in. When they saw outsiders coming, they couldn't even shout for help.

This place was recorded by Xiaoyao Feng's men as the place where the disease was the mildest...

How long has it been, and they are all going to die?!

Ji Zhao and Duanmu Qing's faces changed immediately. One of them was a doctor, and the other was a modern man. They knew very well that it was a complete dream for such a lethal plague to spread naturally in a place like Fengzhou with inconvenient transportation. It was certain that there was definitely a mastermind behind this matter.

“Junior Brother Mo, come with me.” Duanmu Qing quickly got into the state, his voice and momentum became sharp, no longer the good guy attitude before, “Junior Brother Ji, go collect some of their food, and then find a water source. If you see mice or something, catch two, but remember not to get bitten. If you see a living person who you think can be saved, please bring him to me... The same goes for you, don’t get scratched or bitten, and don’t use common sense to speculate about dying people.”

Ji Zhao responded and handed the medical tools in his hand to Mo Yu, then turned around and took action. His eyes quickly swept over the few people who were still breathing and lying in various places in the village, and then quickly retracted his gaze... There was no hope for them. It was not that he was cold-blooded, but the ironclad fact. There was no one in the whole village who was conscious. Even when they saw the three outsiders entering the village, they did not react at all. Their pupils were dilated and there was no life in their bodies. Moving them at will would only make them die faster. Even if Duanmu Qing had good medical skills, he had not yet figured out the cause of the disease, so how could he save them?

If Ji Zhao had been more merciful, he might have sent them off to save them from the pain of illness. However, Duanmu Qing had just arrived here and needed living people, so he had no choice but to act cold-bloodedly.

[“Water source…”]

Ji Zhao immediately searched for water sources. He and Duanmu Qing were almost certain that there was a mastermind behind this incident, so water sources were definitely the most critical node. He used his Qinggong skills, tapped his feet a few times, flew into the air, and looked around with the help of the strange air-staying power of the Scarlet God Robe, trying to confirm whether there was any running water around.

If there was, things would be much more complicated. If not, and everyone in the village drinks well water, then things would be much simpler.

At first glance, Ji Zhao did not see any running water, but instead discovered a well... There are not many people in this village, and it seems that this well supplies the entire village.

[“Information is difficult to spread in Fengzhou. These days, although there are people who are aware of epidemic prevention, it is not the turn of the farmers in the deep mountains and forests. Moreover, there is no running water within a few kilometers around here, and the plague spreads so quickly... Even if we know there is a problem with the water, we may not be able to prevent it.”]

Such a thought flashed through Ji Zhao's mind. He stepped lightly and landed on the side of the well. He drew a bucket of well water and observed it for a while. He sniffed it, but found nothing unusual. He took some samples and then went to each house to check, hoping to find some valuable clues. Unfortunately, he had little success. After all, he was just an amateur.

"Uncle Master, how are you doing?"

After Ji Zhao finished his walk, he returned to Duanmu Qing and Mo Yu. The scene he saw was a bit bloody. Mo Yu frowned slightly, and the urge to vomit was surging in her chest... Perhaps she felt that the reaction was a bit embarrassing, so she endured it and helped Duanmu Qing.

Duanmu Qing's hands kept moving. For a martial artist of his level, Ji Zhao's questions were not considered a disturbance.

"It's a discovery... Look."

He signaled Ji Zhao with his eyes. Ji Zhao followed his gaze and saw several young insect corpses. They were only one or two centimeters long and less than one centimeter wide. They were curled up into a ball and could not be deader.

"This is......?"

"It crawled out of the ear." Mo Yu, who was standing by, suppressed his nausea and said, "Not long after the person died, this thing crawled out of the ear and headed for the water source. It was so fast that my uncle was quick to catch it... I suspect that the eggs of this thing may be the source of the plague."

Volume 6: White Horse and Silver Spear Shining on the Snow Moon: Chapter 72: Most of the enemies in a person's life are invisible

[“After a person dies, they crawl out of their ears… No wonder nothing was found after the body was taken out.”]

Ji Zhao observed the insect corpse. It was pitch black and extremely small, less than one centimeter long, with eight legs on its abdomen and fine hair on its legs. It had no eyes and had two cockroach-like antennae on its head... Before Ji Zhao could observe further, a panel suddenly jumped out!

【Parasitic insects and insects】

[When it crawls into your head, something bad will happen...]