"Xiaozou, you still up?"
Zou Feng recognized the voice. It was Luo Yong.
Zou Feng opened the door and said respectfully, "Master, is there something you need?"
Luo Yong nodded. "We're going to be busy these next few days, so I won't have time to teach you the trade for now. Take this book and look it over when you have a spare moment."
Luo Yong felt a little bad for taking on an apprentice without teaching him anything yet.
So, he had come to deliver the book himself before it got too late.
By the moonlight, Zou Feng could see the words written on the cover: Herbal Catalogue.
"Only when you can skillfully identify all sorts of medicinal herbs, know their properties, and understand their principles can you make medicinal cuisine without making any mistakes."
Zou Feng's eyes lit up.
He had been wanting to cram on the pharmacology of this world anyway.
After all, medicine and poison came from the same source. The better his understanding of pharmacology, the more convenient it would be to handle poisons.
After all, an Evil Skill like the Five Poison Palm wasn't exactly a high-level Cultivation Skill.
If he really wanted to achieve something with it, the venom of common poisonous creatures wouldn't be enough.
Sooner or later, he would have to deal with more complex toxins.
"Thank you, Master!" Zou Feng accepted the book solemnly with both hands.
Books of this nature, filled with knowledge, were quite valuable in this world.
They weren't something you could just read whenever you felt like it.
"The Herbal Catalogue has six volumes in total. This is just the first one."
"When you're more or less done with this volume, come find me for the next ones."
'A book on herbs thicker than two bricks stacked together, and there are six volumes in total?'
Although he had already planned to cram on herbal knowledge, the sheer volume of work made Zou Feng's head ache.
Luo Yong then added a warning, "Read it often and memorize it well. Don't slack off. In a few days, I'll test you on its contents!"
Here, being an apprentice to any craftsman was no easy task.
If an apprentice was disobedient, or their skills were subpar, the master wouldn't hesitate to serve them a beating with a rod.
Hearing that there would be a "test," Zou Feng's headache intensified.
Before he transmigrated, he was never good at rote memorization and was only interested in the sciences.
After a few more words of small talk, Luo Yong turned to leave.
However, he had only taken a few steps before he stopped, turned back, and said with a look of disdain, "By the way, you're a strapping young man. Can you not carry those sachets on you?"
"For us chefs, smelling strong, pungent fragrances too often will affect our sense of smell when cooking!"
Hearing this, Zou Feng was stunned for a moment, then quickly nodded. "Oh, oh, I understand, Master. Take care..."
Zou Feng waited until Luo Yong was far away before slowly closing the door.
Then he frowned and looked down at his own palms.
He wasn't carrying any sachet on him at all.
The fragrance Luo Yong had smelled was actually emanating from his palms.
As his Cultivation of the Five Poison Palm deepened, the fragrance from his palms would become more and more obvious.
Zou Feng just hadn't expected that the Five Poison Palm would actually make his hands smell like five-spice powder...
Luckily, he worked in the back kitchen where he was constantly handling all sorts of spices. Otherwise, it could have led to a huge misunderstanding.
'But according to the manual, after my Cultivation reaches a certain level, the fragrance will gradually fade. As long as I'm not Cultivating the Skill, the smell won't be noticeable.'
'And once the Cultivation Skill reaches Great Success, it will be completely colorless and odorless, even when I'm Cultivating with all my might...'
'So I have to hurry up and keep practicing!'
Moving the chamber pot filled with venom out, Zou Feng once again started to make Brother Li suffer on his behalf.
This time, however, he also lit an oil lamp and placed the *Herbal Catalogue* on the table beside him.
He was clearly planning to read while he practiced his skill.
Splitting one's focus while practicing a skill was a major taboo, but Zou Feng didn't need to concentrate when he practiced.
After all, any problems that arose during his Cultivation would be borne entirely by Brother Li.
After reading for a while, that familiar, irresistible drowsiness he used to feel when reading textbooks before he transmigrated came rushing back.
It couldn't be helped; it was just too, too dry, especially since he had to put his heart into memorizing it.
Moreover, although the herbs in the book came with very realistic illustrations, many of the differences were subtle, making it easy for his eyes to glaze over.
'This was all just raw information. When in the world would he ever finish memorizing it?'
Zou Feng now deeply envied the protagonists from the novels he used to read.
'It seemed like those protagonists just had to get a secret manual, read it a few times, and they'd have it memorized...'
Just as he was feeling helpless, the panel in his mind suddenly popped up on its own.
"Five Poison Palm (Initial Glimpse), Progress: 67%"
"Herbal Catalogue Volume 1 (Initial Glimpse), Progress: 2%"
"Cultivation Side Effects: Unbearable pain, Chronic Poisoning."
"Drowsiness, irritability."
"Transfer side effects?"
"Currently available transfer target: Li Rui"
'Huh... this can be transferred too?!'
Zou Feng clearly remembered that the side effects of cultivating the Five Poison Palm were only unbearable pain and Chronic Poisoning.
But now that the *Herbal Catalogue* was added, drowsiness and irritability had appeared.
'But the problem is, the *Herbal Catalogue* isn't a Cultivation Skill...'
'No, that's not it. The reason I'm studying the *Herbal Catalogue* isn't to become a chef or a doctor in the first place.'
'It's to help me improve the Five Poison Palm in the future.'
'Therefore, the act of studying the *Herbal Catalogue* must have been classified as part of cultivating the Five Poison Palm.'
Besides, staying up late to study after an exhausting day was a form of hardship in itself, so of course there would be side effects.
Not to mention, he was naturally bad at rote memorization.
'So, it looks like Brother Li will have to suffer again...'
The transfer took effect immediately. Zou Feng instantly felt revitalized, and the drowsiness from just a moment ago vanished completely.
When he looked at the herbal knowledge in the book again, he no longer found it dry and dull. He could now read it with great interest.
As everyone knows, once you stop finding studying tedious, memorization becomes much easier.
'If only I had this ability back in my student days before I transmigrated, how awesome would that have been...'
After finishing his Five Poison Palm Cultivation, Zou Feng continued to memorize the *Herbal Catalogue* for a while longer before finally going to sleep.
Early the next morning, Zou Feng was still incredibly busy as the continuous banquet at the Yang Mansion was still ongoing.
It was said that this banquet would last for a full seven days.
And Li Rui's condition today looked even worse.
Although the Detoxification Soup was suppressing the poison, he was now also suffering from the hardship of studying, which inevitably led to poor sleep quality. He felt completely drained.
Seeing this, Zou Feng asked with concern, "Brother Li, you didn't sleep well?"
Li Rui didn't even have the energy to speak, merely nodding listlessly at the question.
Zou Feng added, "This little brother happens to know a recipe to boost your energy and calm your nerves. Brother Li, you could give it a try."
The medicinal ingredients required for this recipe were all cheap and common, so he wouldn't even need to risk a five-finger discount in the back kitchen.
So Li Rui wouldn't suspect a trick.
"Thanks..." Li Rui shot Zou Feng a suspicious look.
'Does this guy still not know that I was the one who reported him?'
'He's actually a pretty nice guy.'
But the next moment, Li Rui's nose twitched. He then stared at Zou Feng with a puzzled expression and said, "Why do you smell... so fragrant?!"
The five-spice scent emanating from his Five Poison Palm Cultivation had grown even stronger.
Zou Feng spouted nonsense, "It's probably from spending the last few days around piles of medicinal herbs!"
Li Rui had also been handling medicinal herbs these past two days, so upon hearing this, he lowered his head and sniffed himself.
"There is a bit of a smell, but it's nowhere near as fragrant as you..."
Zou Feng said with an awkward expression, "Ahem, let's get to work. Sigh, today's going to be another exhausting one!"