According to Zou Feng's plan, the days he spent lying low in the Yang Mansion until he reached the Entering Grade, after which he could openly and honorably shed his Lowly Status, should have been quite difficult to endure.
But to his utter surprise, this period came with an additional benefit that could only be described as a wonderful windfall.
Starting from the night he "found" the Golden-Scaled Plague Serpent, Zou Feng managed to pick up at least one venomous creature that could be considered an "Exotic Poison" for five consecutive nights.
Of course, this was only possible because he actively participated in the night patrols every evening and possessed a special perception for venomous creatures, leading to these nightly surprises.
All these "surprises" added up to three Golden-Scaled Plague Serpents, two Ghost-faced Spiders, and a hornet-like creature covered in white fuzz.
He only called it a hornet because he had no idea what this hornet-shaped thing was actually named.
Although the Materia Medica of Herbs consisted of six volumes and recorded many creatures of Exotic Poison, it was ultimately impossible for it to document every single venomous creature in existence.
This was, of course, also related to the fact that the Materia Medica of Herbs wasn't a specialized "Compendium of All Poisons."
But not recognizing it didn't stop Zou Feng from using it directly for his Cultivation.
He even let this white hornet sting the middle finger of his left hand.
This was clearly another reckless attempt to modify his Chaos Finger.
He had become addicted to it. Whether it was for the Five Poison Palm or the Chaos Finger, he had begun to haphazardly mix toxins.
But it had to be said that even after using so many Exotic Poisons, Yang Yanpeng's name on the panel—the one bearing the burden for him—had not dimmed too much.
Of course, this wasn't surprising. Although Zou Feng was recklessly using Exotic Poisons, he was ultimately only using them for Cultivation.
Most importantly, Yang Yanpeng was an expert in Poison Skills himself, and his resistance to various toxins was far beyond that of an ordinary Martial Artist.
Not to mention, the bastard was extremely wealthy, so he would certainly have a full stock of various Detoxification Soups on hand for his own Poison Skill Cultivation.
But for Zou Feng, this was all good news. Yang Yanpeng was simply the perfect stepping stone.
If it had been any other Martial Artist, who knows how many would have already kicked the bucket...
And so, five of these good days, each with its own surprise, quickly passed.
That morning, Zou Feng was in the front courtyard as usual, practicing the Five Beasts Pile Skill with the other Household Servants.
He still hadn't given up on modifying the Five Beasts Pile Skill into a Five Poison Pile Skill.
But it seemed he had hit a bottleneck and was unable to get it to fully take shape.
The proof that it hadn't taken shape was its failure to appear on his panel.
Meanwhile, over the past few days, Xu Haoran had made great progress with his Five Poison Palm.
Just by the scent alone, Zou Feng could tell that Xu Haoran had nearly perfected the "Initial Glimpse" stage of the Five Poison Palm.
Before long, he would be able to break through to "Slightly Accomplished."
Although Evil Skills were known for their rapid progression, this breakthrough speed still surprised Zou Feng somewhat.
This Xu Haoran might not have any Talent for normal Cultivation Skills, but was he a rare prodigy when it came to Poison Skills?
Just as he was thinking this, Yang Yanpeng unexpectedly appeared in the front courtyard again to "observe" the Household Servants practicing their martial arts.
Zou Feng, however, knew full well that the man wasn't just wandering around with nothing better to do. He was clearly checking on the growth of the "Gu" he was raising.
But seeing Yang Yanpeng again, Zou Feng noticed he no longer had that same energetic, smug look from before.
Instead, he looked distinctly listless and worn out.
'Looks like after being tormented by the side effects of those mixed-in Exotic Poisons for so many days, even a Poison Skill expert is starting to feel the strain.'
And that wasn't all. The look in Yang Yanpeng's eyes as he glanced at Zou Feng and Xu Haoran was now tinged with a hint of urgency.
The man couldn't figure out what strange ailment was plaguing his body, so he could only attribute it to an outbreak of side effects from practicing an Evil Skill.
This made Yang Yanpeng even more desperate for the Gu he was raising to mature as quickly as possible, so they could help him achieve a breakthrough.
As long as his Realm was elevated, the side effects of cultivating Poison Skills would surely be greatly reduced.
Therefore, Yang Yanpeng looked unbearably impatient.
However, as he watched, the man suddenly had an... indecent reaction.
One of the side effects of the Chaos Finger was sudden, unprovoked arousal.
Even though Zou Feng wasn't actively cultivating it, the side effect would inexplicably cause Yang Yanpeng to uncontrollably pitch a tent.
The Household Servants practicing in the courtyard were instantly dumbfounded.
If there had been pretty girls present, the Third Young Master's reaction might have been understandable.
The problem was, everyone practicing in the front courtyard was a man covered in stinking sweat...
Realizing with alarm that the Third Young Master had such a... preference, most of the Household Servants paled and hastily lowered their heads, afraid their own 'subtle, peerless beauty' might be noticed by him.
However, a few of the servants were ecstatic, and they began practicing even more vigorously to show off their muscles.
As for Yang Yanpeng himself, he was mortified.
After all, he was normal and couldn't bear such a misunderstanding.
So, the next moment, he quickly hunched over and scurried out of the front courtyard.
He was getting desperate...
'Before long, the guy won't be able to stand the torment of the side effects. He'll have to harvest the fruit early, even if it's not ripe yet, and won't care about the consequences.'
'But when that time comes, how exactly will Yang Yanpeng absorb the "Human Gu"?'
Zou Feng was very keen on this point. After all, if he knew the method, it would be much more convenient and smoother for him to turn the tables and perform the Refinement on Yang Yanpeng instead.
'So, I can only hope that his first target for Refinement is Xu Haoran, and not me...'
At noon, after finishing his work in the rear kitchen, Zou Feng welcomed a leisurely break for a meal and a short rest.
While chatting idly with his master, Zou Feng's attention was actually on the panel in his mind.
"Five Poison Palm (Entering the Hall and the Room): 99%"
"Chaos Finger (Entering the Hall and the Room): 12%"
"Drunken Immortal Moon Gazing Step (Entering the Hall and the Room): 7%"
"Materia Medica of Herbs (Slightly Accomplished): 99%"
All the Evil Skills he was cultivating had reached the level of Entering the Hall and the Room.
In fact, Zou Feng could try to open his Chong Meridian right away.
Once he succeeded in opening the meridian, his body would be able to generate Inner Qi, and he would officially advance to become an Entering Grade Martial Artist.
But Zou Feng was clearly not satisfied with opening his meridian under these circumstances.
'To strive for the peak, one has to be greedy.'
First, his Five Poison Palm had to reach "Integration and Mastery."
Furthermore, it shouldn't take much longer for his Drunken Immortal Moon Gazing Step and Chaos Finger either...
However, tonight, he could have his Five Poison Palm be the first to reach "Integration and Mastery."
The Five Poison Palm's progress was at 99% on the panel not because it was stuck at a bottleneck, but because Zou Feng was deliberately suppressing it.
When a Cultivation Skill reached Integration and Mastery, one couldn't just break through on the spot, wherever one happened to be.
This was especially true since Zou Feng was cultivating a Poison Skill; the commotion from his breakthrough would not be small.
Therefore, he definitely couldn't break through within the Yang Mansion. He had to go out and find a secluded spot.
Additionally, to ensure a smoother Refinement of Yang Yanpeng, he needed to go to the Ghost Market to buy a few little things...
After nightfall, Zou Feng once again asked for leave using the legitimate excuse of going to a brothel to listen to music, and headed for Hengyu Building.
But he would definitely rush back by midnight to join the patrol team; after all, he couldn't miss out on his daily "surprises."
In any case, based on his observations over the past few days, those "surprises" only ever appeared after midnight.
Upon arriving at Hengyu Building, he first had to go through the usual motions.
The Madam already recognized him and knew that this kid only ever asked for the cheapest option.
So, without Zou Feng even having to ask, the Madam directly called for Sister Zhang.
In truth, Zou Feng was already thinking he would have to pick someone different next time.
Otherwise, if he just made her sleep soundly through the night every time, Sister Zhang would sooner or later realize something was amiss.