Although his hands were becoming increasingly fragrant, Zou Feng wasn't worried.
It would only take another two or three days for his Five Poison Palm to advance to the next stage.
Then, the fragrance would gradually fade.
'But until my Cultivation Skill reaches Great Success, I guess I'll just have to be a man who carries a faint, sweet scent...'
For the next few days, the Yang Mansion remained bustling, fueled by the continuous banquet.
With a new Entering Grade Martial Artist in the family, one with immense potential at that, a seven-day banquet was hardly an overreaction.
Meanwhile, Zou Feng and the other servants were swamped, with almost no time to rest except at night.
Of course, the one who had it worst was Li Rui.
He was already dog-tired from working all day, only to face the agony of Cultivation and the misery of studying at night.
Neither the Detoxification Soup nor the herbal remedies for calming the mind and aiding sleep could cure the root problem; they only provided temporary relief.
After observing Li Rui's state, Zou Feng was almost certain that within ten days, even if Li Rui didn't die, he would most likely lose his mind.
The Chronic Poisoning, combined with the stress of high-intensity studying, was torturing both his mind and body.
And yet, no one had appeared who could be chosen to succeed him.
'I still can't figure out why Yang Yanpeng never makes the list. Otherwise, he could at least help Brother Li shoulder some of this burden.'
Another three days passed, and the banquet was finally on its last day.
It was almost over, thank goodness. The servants of the Yang Mansion were at their breaking point.
Before dawn, Zou Feng finished his extra training and let out a long, turbid breath.
He was still in the process of Cultivating, and his palms were pitch-black.
The entire room was filled with a sickeningly sweet fragrance.
Normally, a place like a woodshed would be a prime spot for pests like snakes, insects, and rodents to make their nests.
But anyone who searched the room would be astonished to find that, aside from Zou Feng himself, there were no other living creatures to be found.
The reason was simple: Zou Feng had become the most potent source of poison in the vicinity. Pests knew from the scent alone that something was wrong and didn't dare approach.
After a long moment, Zou Feng's eyes shot open. "Success!" he exclaimed in delight.
"Five Poison Palm (Slightly Accomplished), Progress: 1%"
"Herbal Catalogue (Slightly Accomplished), Progress: 48%"
The Five Poison Palm had finally broken through to the second stage.
The *Herbal Catalogue*, being purely a body of knowledge to be studied, naturally progressed much faster.
And that was with very little free time lately; otherwise, he could have learned the *Herbal Catalogue* even faster.
After he stopped cultivating, the blackness on his palms quickly faded.
He felt incredibly strong.
He was itching to find someone to spar with and test it out.
Unfortunately, the Five Poison Palm was completely unsuitable for sparring.
It came down to the same old problem. If his opponent knew he used poison and took precautions, he'd be in for a rough time. The Five Poison Palm's techniques lacked any subtlety, and its striking power was pathetic. As long as his opponent wasn't a complete pushover, he would most likely be beaten to a pulp.
But if his opponent didn't know he used poison and was struck or inhaled too much toxic gas, they would most likely drop dead on the spot.
So, he really couldn't just go and spar with anyone.
This truly lived up to the saying: "For killing, not for show!"
Thinking of this, Zou Feng became even more aware of the Five Poison Palm's limitations.
'In short, this Cultivation Skill's greatest weakness is that it's useless in a direct confrontation.'
'And in the future, there will surely be times when a sneak attack fails and I'm forced into a direct confrontation.'
'So, to put it bluntly, relying solely on the Five Poison Palm won't be enough.'
'A Poison Attack is a deadly weapon, true, but only on the condition that I can actually hit my opponent.'
'It's time to learn a Body Skill to complement the Five Poison Palm.'
'So, the question is, where am I going to get my hands on a Body Technique Martial Arts?'
'On top of that, Brother Li is really at his limit. Now that the Five Poison Palm has reached "Slightly Accomplished," the poison required for my Cultivation will need to be even more potent.'
'And when that happens, the side effects of my Cultivation will naturally become more severe.'
Zou Feng couldn't come up with a solution right away, so he had to set the matter aside for now and head out to work.
Since it was the last day of the banquet, they didn't need to prepare any extra ingredients, so things were a bit more relaxed.
Even the Head Chef, Luo Yong, found a spare moment to take a few puffs from his pipe.
He had been exhausted lately, too, and felt as if he had sprouted a few more white hairs.
As for Li Rui, his eyes were sunken and his gaze was vacant; he looked like he could drop dead at any moment.
Luo Yong tapped his pipe. Unable to watch any longer, he said, "Li Rui, go and get some rest. It shouldn't be too busy today."
"Oh..."
Li Rui nodded numbly and staggered out of the kitchen.
The sight made Zou Feng's heart ache.
'My progress in the Five Poison Skill has come at a terrible price for Li Rui.'
'I desperately need someone to take Brother Li's place.'
Luo Yong noticed the pained look on Zou Feng's face as he watched Li Rui leave, and he couldn't help but marvel to himself again, 'This kid truly has the heart of a saint!'
"Xiaozou, come over here a moment."
Zou Feng immediately put down what he was doing and walked over to Luo Yong.
"Master, did you need something?"
Luo Yong asked casually, "How are you coming along with the first volume of the Herbal Catalogue?"
Zou Feng saw no reason to be modest about this, so he answered directly, "I've read it through several times. All that's left is to memorize some of the finer details."
"Which herb becomes toxic when prepared in a medicine with Earth Store Fruit?"
"Purple Sunflower, and also Fire Silk Grass."
"Can Black Ginseng Sand be consumed with beef?"
"Yes, it can. In fact, it has a noticeable supplementary effect for Body Refining Martial Artists, but the daily consumption shouldn't exceed..."
Luo Yong continued with several more questions, and Zou Feng answered each one flawlessly.
By the fifth question, Luo Yong was stunned.
'What a talent!'
'It's a waste of his talent for him to be a cook.'
'Still, with his Lowly Status, there's no better path for him than being a cook right now.'
He stopped his questioning and nodded in satisfaction. "The storeroom is short on many ingredients for our medicinal dishes. I'll write up a list in a bit. This afternoon, you can go into town and procure everything we need."
Zou Feng was taken aback for a moment, then bowed respectfully. "Thank you, Master!"
'He definitely had to thank him. Procuring ingredients was a cushy job, after all.'
'You could always get a little something on the side.'
Usually, the procurement of such ingredients was handled by the Head Chef himself.
After all, any qualified chef was well-versed in the *Herbal Catalogue*, so there was no danger of being swindled.
The fact that Zou Feng, a mere apprentice, had been given such a lucrative assignment showed that Luo Yong completely considered him one of his own.
After the lunch rush was over, Zou Feng devoured a whole basin of rice and several pounds of meat under the astonished gazes of the other kitchen staff.
To top it off, he also put away several plates of fruit.
During the continuous banquet, sneaking leftovers wasn't an issue.
Even the beggars from town could come to the mansion's gates for a meal, let alone the servants of the Yang Mansion itself.
Any leftover food was distributed by the kitchen staff as they saw fit, and there was always more than enough meat to go around.
The perks were even better than during the New Year's festival.
This inadvertently solved a problem Zou Feng would have otherwise faced.
Namely, getting enough nutrition to keep up with his martial arts training.
He especially needed large quantities of meat.
The fact that Zou Feng was able to advance his Five Poison Palm to its current level in such a short time was also related to how well he had been eating.
It wasn't entirely thanks to Brother Li carrying the burden for him.
Having eaten and drunk his fill, Zou Feng bid farewell to Luo Yong and left the Yang Mansion.
He didn't need to carry any money. As a servant of the Yang Mansion, he only had to present a token during his procurement, and the shopkeepers would let him take the goods directly.
As for settling the bill, the mansion had a dedicated person who would handle all accounts at the end of each month.
But even so, the person handling procurement could still reach a tacit understanding with the shopkeepers to pull some strings.