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“Is that all?”

“Don’t you realize the significance of these two discoveries?”

“Is that all?”

“It seems you completely don’t understand!”

“Is that all?”

“…Forget it, there’s another experiment to conduct later.”

Xiemen Waidao had quite a lot of merit, so he could afford to be experimental for some time to see the effects.

He asked Li to go with him around the households in the village, using spells to expel the sick qi from the people there, then calling over an elder from each household.

After sitting all the elders down, Xiemen Waidao got straight to the point, asking, “Do you want to keep your children away from sickness?”

His straightforward persuasion immediately had the elders sitting up straight.

Having many children was considered a blessing by the older generation, and everyone hoped to see a room full of strong, healthy offspring.

However, in this world, where diseases were deeply rooted, the likelihood of children dying young was too high, and adults were sickly. Only by serving the City Lord could they lead healthier lives.

But serving the City Lord also meant risking one’s life at any time.

It might mean dying in a war between City Lords or in an experiment at the Demon Lord Temple.

To put it bluntly, once you joined the City Lord’s service, your life was no longer your own.

Xiemen Waidao’s words were full of temptation, yet some still asked fearfully, “It’s not against the law, is it?”

“The porridge is plentiful, and the sick qi will be expelled daily.”

“Even if it’s illegal, let’s do it! Tell us, who do you want to kill?”

“Well, it’s not that dramatic, but it might actually involve killing. Let’s gather up all the able-bodied men from each household first. Have them come to me daily, and I’ll take care of their meals.”

Over the next seven days, Xiemen Waidao spent his merit like water, and his once plentiful stock finally ran low.

But the results were immediately apparent.

Among the twenty-four households, each household had their own able- bodied men who were once merely burdens.

But after Xiemen Waidao’s intervention, and with enough food every day, in just seven days, they had puffed up like inflated cowhide bags, their bodies much fuller.

Moreover, Xiemen Waidao tasked them with sparring in pairs, wielding weapons, and in those seven days, they had developed some strength.

They were not quite on par with constables, but they were much stronger than before.

Throughout the process, Xiemen Waidao kept making detailed records and sent his daily observations to the group.

And today, looking at the thirty visibly stronger men, Xiemen Waidao felt it was finally time to reap the rewards.

Last time, he accidentally crushed a bandit nearby, who had a map on him.

This map was of the area nearby and even marked Li Family Village, indicating that the bandits were targeting it next.

Based on feedback from the able-bodied men patrolling at night recently, there had been some suspicious figures moving around.

They carried sickqi too, but for some reason, these people didn’t seem to be affected by it and were quite strange.

Recently, their scouting frequency had increased, and it seemed only a matter of time before they would raid the place, take everyone captive, and drag them away as food.

Considering the timing, it felt about right.

With the remaining merit, he purchased bows and arrows, and Xiemen Waidao entered the game every hour, afraid of missing anything.

On the third day of his vigil, the bandits finally made their move.

Although it was daytime, this group of bandits didn’t think there would be any resistance here.

After confirming there were no constables around, they arrogantly strolled into the village.

However, before they could speak, the village’s young and strong ambushed them, aiming their bows and arrows at the bandits.

A volley of arrows shot forth, but only three or four bandits were hit, and the wounds weren’t deep. Aside from the risk of tetanus infection, there was no serious harm.

The hastily learned archery was only capable of so much.

Yet the appearance of bows and arrows undoubtedly led to a misjudgment by the bandits, with the refined craftsmanship of the arrowheads making them suspect an ambush.

Lacking organization and discipline, the bandits immediately fled in panic. In the chaos of their scramble, a couple of bandits even had their legs broken, scattering in all directions like startled wild dogs.

Behind them, the previously timid youngsters were now buoyed by high morale, cheering as they pursued the fleeing bandits.

Along the bandits’ inevitable path awaited Xiemen Waidao.

These bandits didn’t know who Xiemen Waidao was, they only knew that those who block their way die!

Charging at Xiemen Waidao, their spears thrust forward, but Xiemen Waidao merely drew a circle with his hands. A purple light flickered, and as virtue fueled the spell, it blossomed, turning the sky purple.

The purple light did no harm but only Repelled Disease. However, the bandits bathed in the purple light were forced to prostrate themselves on the ground, appearing quite pathetic.

Seeing their sorry state, Xiemen Waidao nodded and said, “As I thought…”

“What’s going on now!” Mukuai 1234 shouted discontentedly beside him, “Do you have to speak in riddles? Will you die otherwise?”

“I thought it was quite obvious, and you would have noticed it. I mean, no offense, but did you ever go to school?”

Mukuai 1234 dealt another kick, deducting ten points of health from him.

Xiemen Waidao pointed at the bandits and continued, “I’ve heard that these guys are immune to the Disease Qi, and I found that suspicious. Now, after experimenting, it’s confirmed. They’re not uninfluenced by it, rather, they can utilize the Disease Qi to sustain themselves. They must have reached a symbiosis with the Disease Qi, but I don’t think it’s a result of natural selection.”

Pausing for a moment, Xiemen Waidao further unfolded his thoughts, “Based on the background information, the big Demon here is called the Disease Demon Lord, who was vanquished by the Great Heavenly Lord. The Demon Lord Temple is where the Disease Demon Lord is worshipped. They’re still quite powerful and influential in many aspects. So, I suspect the recent frequent raidings by bandits have something to do with the Demon Lord Temple.”

“Why are you fussing over it!” Mukuai 1234 asked, puzzled, “You’re wasting virtue feeding them, Repelling Disease Qi from them, and now also dealing with bandits. You could’ve spent this time hunting Monsters. Look at you, you had over ten thousand virtue before, and now you only have twenty-three thousand left… How is it twenty-three thousand already!”

“Everything is as I have calculated,” Xiemen Waidao nodded in satisfaction.

“Why is that!”

By now, Mukuai 1234 no longer held back, her broken defense expression provided Xiemen Waidao immense satisfaction, and he rejoiced heartily, finding her expression most amusing.

Next time, he would play the same game.

Before taking a kick and a deduction in health, Xiemen Waidao explained, “It’s quite simple, I objectively had no intention to harm anyone, I simply wanted to ensure the young and strong were well-fed and defended. When the bandits attacked, I only helped with their defense. As for their injuries or deaths, that was done by the villagers, not related to me at all.”

Mukuai 1234 thought for a while and realized it was indeed true.

“What about the virtue…”

“These bandits are all murderers; killing them is a great deed. Since the villagers are able to kill these bandits, and it’s objectively related to me, I can share part of the virtue.”

Capturing and saving the screenshot of Mukuai 1234’s puzzled expression, Xiemen Waidao felt his partner was just too adorable.

Too bad he couldn’t take her with him; otherwise, she would accompany him in every game he played.

After the explanation, Xiemen Waidao started to summarize his experiences over the period.

Seven days and twenty-three thousand in virtue, the process wasn’t hard at all, as long as the environment was well-scouted in the early stages and the bandits’ location was clear.

The initial investing cost was about five thousand virtue, which could be earned with about three days of hard grinding, and afterward, they could use the well- fortified village as a base and proceed from there.

As the village development required his virtue as a healer, the young and strong could help by clearing out Monsters as repayment. Even commoners could use the Spell to Repel Disease, which he could exchange and allow the common people to provide some support.

Moreover, the prescription should be universal; once exchanged, he could share it in the group online, which would benefit future generations even more.

At this point, Xiemen Waidao finally found a method to swiftly accumulate virtue.

Healing one person is merely a minor way.

Rousing those around him to take action, to develop a sustainable path of self-rescue, is the grand way.

This, indeed, is what a true healer should be.