The Pinnacle of Bad-Boy Handsomeness

"Selectable transfer targets: Yang Ling, Yang Yanpeng."

On the panel in his mind, Yang Yanpeng's name slowly emerged in plain sight.

Zou Feng had always been puzzled as to why Yang Yanpeng—the man who had nearly ordered him beaten to death—had never made it onto the transfer list.

Now, the answer had finally come.

But why now?

After pondering for a moment, Zou Feng could only arrive at a conclusion that startled him somewhat.

Previously, Yang Yanpeng had been unable to make the list because the gap in strength between them had been too great!

Now, as Zou Feng's strength continued to advance by leaps and bounds, the difference between them was no longer so vast.

That was why Yang Yanpeng, who had been judged a mortal enemy, had finally earned the honor of making the list.

Though this was only Zou Feng's speculation, the likelihood was extremely high.

In fact, he had long since analyzed that the list of selectable transfer targets came with restrictions.

He just did not know whether this thing would level up along with his own strength in the future, lifting all sorts of limitations.

Ideally, one day, whoever he glared at would make the list...

But for now, one requirement for making the list was probably being a mortal enemy, while the other was that the gap in strength could not be too great.

After all, if the difference in strength was too vast, transferring the side effects over would have no effect on the target at all.

If it had no effect, then transferring them would be like transferring them into thin air.

It would mean no one was bearing the burden and pressing onward for him, no one was suffering the side effects. That clearly did not fit the nature of a golden finger.

Therefore, if the transfer would have no effect, then even a mortal enemy still could not make the list.

Still, the reason his cultivation side effects had been ineffective against Yang Yanpeng before might not have been entirely because their difference in strength was too great...

Come to think of it, he had not run into this Third Young Master of the Yang Family in quite some time.

The last time he had seen the fellow was at the flowing banquet held at Yang Estate some days ago.

At the time, he had been serving dishes and caught a faint fragrance on Yang Yanpeng that he found rather pleasant.

Based on that, he had guessed that Yang Yanpeng might also secretly be practicing some kind of poison art...

So, if Yang Yanpeng truly practiced a poison art similar to the Five Poisons Palm, then the side effects of cultivation would likewise be ineffective against him, preventing him from making the list.

Fortunately, now that Yang Yanpeng had made the list, the exact reason no longer mattered.

Sooner or later, he would fleece this bastard bald anyway.

Next, Zou Feng immediately selected Yang Yanpeng and had the man bear the side effects of cultivating the Drunken Immortal Gazing at the Moon Step and the Passion-Chaos Finger.

As for Yang Ling, he only needed to bear the hardships of the Five Poisons Palm and studying the Herbal Compendium.

Though he now had Yang Yanpeng, a better replacement, Zou Feng did not want to work Yang Ling to death all at once.

Transfer targets were limited, so it was safer to use them sparingly for now.

After sorting all this out, Zou Feng hauled out the urine jar filled with specially made venom, then took out a large jug of strong liquor, preparing to begin today's cultivation.

If anyone unaware of the truth saw his current cultivation routine, they would only find it utterly incomprehensible—outrageous and ridiculous in equal measure.

First, he drank.

He drained it in one go, without even pausing for breath.

Then he staggered and swayed about the room in every direction, sometimes even leaping up and down.

During this process, Zou Feng would occasionally stick the middle finger of his left hand into a bamboo cage and let a venomous scorpion with red markings sting it.

That was right, the finger Zou Feng had chosen for the Passion-Chaos Finger was his middle finger.

It was not because of some perverse sense of humor. He simply felt that the middle finger was the longest, making it easier to strike an opponent with the Passion-Chaos Finger.

After all, as the saying went, an inch longer meant an inch stronger.

After carrying on like this for quite a while, he would finally assume an extremely awkward cultivation posture while plunging both hands into the urine jar...

Even Zou Feng himself still found this way of practicing agonizingly painful.

Once he had completed the daily cultivation of the three sinister arts, Zou Feng had to leave and practice the Five-Beasts Stance Exercise again.

Fortunately, he no longer had to do much work.

After his master, Luo Yong, learned that his disciple possessed talent for martial arts, he immediately gave his full support.

Even when Zou Feng wanted to finish his proper duties before practicing, Luo Yong would not allow it.

He only had Zou Feng do the easiest tasks, striving to give him more time each day to practice martial arts.

Moreover, when it came to medicinal meals, Luo Yong had boldly withheld even larger portions for Zou Feng.

It was not strange for Luo Yong to support him so wholeheartedly.

Learning to cook could not change one's fate, but practicing martial arts could!

What was more, he knew full well that Zou Feng was a good, kind-hearted child.

So if Zou Feng ever soared to great heights in the future, he certainly would not forget him, his master.

Even if he was only the master who had taught him cooking.

Ever since Yang Ling had shamelessly pocketed the procurement benefits for himself, Luo Yong had become thoroughly disappointed in Yang Estate.

His whole family had toiled like oxen and horses for Yang Estate for years, counting on those little extra benefits to save enough money for their retirement after they could no longer work as cooks.

And yet...

In short, rather than hope those lofty masters would show mercy, it was better to place his hopes on the good disciple he had taken a liking to.

With Luo Yong providing medicinal meals, coupled with the fact that he had been practicing martial arts for some time now, Zou Feng's appearance had naturally changed considerably from before.

He had been handsome enough before, but overall, he had still been skinny as a twig.

Now, he had grown noticeably taller, and his muscles had gradually begun to show their fierce contours.

That was the benefit of having the Five-Beasts Stance Exercise as a cover.

Otherwise, Zou Feng would have had no way to explain such enormous changes in such a short time.

At present, the persona he displayed on the surface was that he was a rare talent in cultivating the Five-Beasts Stance Exercise, so it would not arouse too much suspicion.

But the greatest change in Zou Feng was actually his temperament.

Perhaps because he practiced three sinister arts, he inevitably carried an air of wickedness about him.

Whenever he smiled, even without any ill intent, he somehow looked like trouble.

To put it plainly, at least within Yang Estate, Zou Feng was the ultimate bad-boy heartthrob.

These traits were lethally attractive to both young maidservants just discovering love and middle-aged women in their prime.

Recently, nearly every young maidservant in the estate had cast flirtatious glances his way.

Some of the bolder ones would even wait along the paths he regularly took, then blush as they stepped forward and slipped little snacks into his hand.

That way, he could fill his stomach while practicing.

As for these sorts of advances from the estate's maidservants, Zou Feng's response was simple: do not initiate, do not refuse, do not take responsibility.

Women would only affect the speed at which he entered the ranks of martial artists.

Besides, he would be leaving Yang Estate before long.

Still, there was no need to deliberately act aloof either. That would not fit the persona he presented on the surface.

By now, perhaps because they had realized that Zou Feng treated every maidservant the same way, quite a few of them had gradually given up.

Today, as Zou Feng headed toward the front courtyard to practice martial arts, the gazes of several maidservants already carried traces of resentment.

After Zou Feng had walked away, they could not help gossiping among themselves.

"Ah, there's no hope. Brother Feng has achieved success in martial arts, so he probably doesn't think much of girls like us anymore."

"Exactly. I heard Brother Feng was even personally instructed by the young lady. I'm afraid only the young lady can catch his eye now..."

"Shut your mouth! What nonsense are you talking about? Be careful, or the young lady will tear out your tongue!"

The maidservants said no more and hurried away.

More often than not, rumors grew more outrageous precisely as they spread in such casual moments.

They might even reach the ears of the people involved...