"Available targets for transfer: Yang Ling, Yang Yanpeng."
On the panel in his mind, Yang Yanpeng's name slowly materialized.
Zou Feng had always wondered why Yang Yanpeng, the man who'd nearly had him beaten to death, had never appeared on the transfer list.
And now, his name was finally there.
'But why now?'
Zou Feng mulled it over for a moment before arriving at a rather startling conclusion.
'It had to be that Yang Yanpeng couldn't make the list before because the gap in strength between them was too great!'
Now that his own strength was advancing by leaps and bounds, the disparity between them had shrunk.
And so, Yang Yanpeng, who had been judged a mortal enemy, had finally made his glorious debut on the list.
Although it was just Zou Feng's theory, it seemed highly probable.
In truth, he had deduced long ago that the list of available transfer targets had its limits.
'He just didn't know if this 'thing' would upgrade as his own power grew, eventually removing all its restrictions.'
'It would be even better if, in the future, anyone he glared at would end up on the list…'
For now, though, he figured the conditions for making the list were twofold: first, the target had to be a mortal enemy, and second, the gap in strength couldn't be too vast.
After all, if the power disparity was too great, transferring the side effects would have no real impact on the target.
If it had no effect, the transfer would be completely pointless.
It would mean no one was carrying the burden for him, with no one to bear the side effects. That clearly went against the nature of his cheat ability.
Therefore, if the transfer would be ineffective, even a mortal enemy couldn't make the list.
'However, the reason the side effects from my previous Cultivation would have been ineffective against Yang Yanpeng might not have been just the huge gap in strength…'
Come to think of it, he hadn't run into the Third Young Master of the Yang Family in a long time.
The last time he'd seen the man was during the continuous feast held at the Yang Mansion a while back.
While serving dishes, he had caught a faint, pleasant scent on Yang Yanpeng.
This led him to suspect that Yang Yanpeng might also be secretly practicing some kind of Poison Skill…
So, if Yang Yanpeng was truly practicing a Poison Skill similar to the Five Poison Palm, the side effects of Cultivation would have been equally ineffective against him, which would also have prevented him from making the list.
Fortunately, now that Yang Yanpeng was on the list, the specific reason no longer mattered.
He was going to fleece the bastard dry sooner or later anyway.
Zou Feng immediately selected Yang Yanpeng to bear the side effects of his Cultivation of the Drunken Immortal Moon Gazing Step and the Chaos Finger.
As for Yang Ling, he would now only have to endure the hardships from the Five Poison Palm and the study of the *Materia Medica of Herbs*.
Even though he had a better successor in Yang Yanpeng, Zou Feng didn't want to completely break Yang Ling just yet.
His transfer targets were limited, so it was safer to use them sparingly for now.
After sorting this out, Zou Feng brought out a chamber pot filled with a specially prepared poison and a large jug of strong wine, ready to begin his daily Cultivation.
To an uninformed observer, his current Cultivation process would seem utterly incomprehensible—absurd and comical in equal measure.
First, he would drink.
He'd down the whole thing in one go, without even pausing for breath.
Then he would stumble and sway around the room, sometimes even leaping and bounding about.
Throughout this process, Zou Feng would periodically stick the middle finger of his left hand into a bamboo cage, letting a red-patterned Poison Scorpion sting him.
That's right. The finger Zou Feng had chosen for his Chaos Finger was his middle finger.
This wasn't out of some twisted sense of humor; he simply felt that since the middle finger was the longest, it would be easier to strike his target when using the Chaos Finger.
After all, as the old saying goes: an inch longer is an inch stronger.
After this chaotic routine, he would finally strike an extremely awkward posture for Cultivating while plunging both hands into the chamber pot...
Even Zou Feng himself still found this training method to be a massive pain in the ass.
Once his daily Cultivation of the three Evil Skills was complete, Zou Feng would have to go out and practice the Five Beasts Pile Skill.
Fortunately, he didn't have to do much manual labor anymore.
When his master, Luo Yong, learned that his apprentice had a Talent for martial arts, he immediately gave him his full support.
Even when Zou Feng wanted to finish his regular duties before training, Luo Yong wouldn't allow it.
He only assigned Zou Feng the lightest tasks, ensuring he had more time each day to practice his martial arts.
Furthermore, when it came to the medicinal meals, Luo Yong grew bold, skimming off larger portions for Zou Feng.
It was no surprise that Luo Yong was so supportive.
Learning to cook couldn't change one's destiny, but martial arts could!
Besides, he knew that Zou Feng was a good, kind-hearted kid.
So if Zou Feng ever made it big, he would never forget his master.
Even if he was only the master who taught him how to cook.
Ever since Yang Ling had shamelessly pocketed the procurement benefits, Luo Yong had become completely disillusioned with the Yang Mansion.
His family had toiled like beasts of burden for the Yang Family for years, relying on those small extra benefits to save up for retirement, for when they could no longer work as cooks.
And yet...
In short, rather than hoping for mercy from their high-and-mighty masters, it was better to place his hopes in the fine apprentice he had chosen.
With the support of Luo Yong's medicinal meals and a period of martial arts training under his belt, Zou Feng's physical appearance had naturally changed quite a bit.
He had been handsome enough before, but he was scrawny.
Now, he had shot up in height, and his muscles were beginning to show a formidable definition.
This was the benefit of using the Five Beasts Pile Skill as a cover.
Otherwise, Zou Feng would have no way to explain such a drastic change in such a short period.
The persona he projected was that of a rare talent in the Cultivation of the Five Beasts Pile Skill, which kept excessive suspicion at bay.
But Zou Feng's greatest change was actually in his demeanor.
Perhaps because he was practicing three Evil Skills, he had an unavoidable air of wickedness about him.
Even when he smiled without any ill intent, he always looked a little roguish.
To put it bluntly, at least within the Yang Mansion, Zou Feng was the epitome of roguish charm.
These qualities held a fatal appeal for both young maidens just awakening to romance and for older, more voracious women.
Lately, nearly every young serving girl in the mansion had thrown flirtatious glances his way.
The bolder ones would even wait for him on his usual route, approaching with a blush to press little snacks into his hand.
So he would have something to eat while he trained.
Zou Feng's response to these shows of affection from the maids was a simple one: don't initiate, don't refuse, don't take responsibility.
'Women will only slow down my progress in Martial Arts Entry.'
Besides, he would be leaving the Yang Mansion soon enough.
But there was no need to act deliberately cold and aloof; that wouldn't fit his public persona.
By now, many of them had gradually lost hope, perhaps realizing that Zou Feng treated every maid with the same detached attitude.
Today, as Zou Feng made his way to the front courtyard to practice, the gazes of several serving girls were tinged with resentful longing.
After Zou Feng was out of earshot, they couldn't help but start whispering amongst themselves.
"Sigh, it's hopeless. Now that Brother Feng is successful in his training, he probably thinks we're not good enough for him."
"You're right about that. I heard the Young Miss herself even gave him some pointers. I bet only she is good enough for him now…"
"Shut your mouth! What are you talking about? Be careful, or the Young Miss will have your tongue!"
The serving girls said no more and quickly departed.
In many situations, this is how rumors start, spreading inadvertently and growing more outrageous with each telling.
Eventually, they might even reach the ears of the people involved...