Cultivating the Poison Path Together?

"Greetings, Third Young Master!"

Yang Yanpeng strolled in at an unhurried pace. Zhao Tianhu and the guards practicing martial arts all hurriedly bowed.

"It's fine. Keep practicing. I'm just taking a casual look around." Yang Yanpeng wore a smile, seeming to be in quite a good mood.

This was utterly unlike his usual expression, as though everyone he looked at owed him money.

Though Zou Feng kept his head lowered, he had been secretly observing Yang Yanpeng.

He noticed that although Yang Yanpeng swept his gaze over everyone present, his eyes lingered a little longer on Xu Haoran and himself.

Moreover, when Yang Yanpeng passed by him, the faint fragrance Zou Feng had smelled last time had become nearly imperceptible.

This made Zou Feng's heart turn cold.

He was already an expert in poison arts and knew perfectly well what this meant.

If his previous speculation had still been open to debate, then at this moment, Zou Feng could be certain: Yang Yanpeng was definitely practicing poison arts in secret.

And he had likely already trained that poison art to the realm of "entering the hall," or perhaps even the higher realm of "mastering it through comprehensive understanding"!

Training a martial art to the realm of "mastering it through comprehensive understanding" meant Yang Yanpeng had a chance to attempt breaking into the ranks...

So, as a fellow practitioner of the poison path, this fellow might have already noticed that something was off about him.

But perhaps he could not yet be certain, so he had not exposed him?

And Xu Haoran was probably suspicious as well...

It seemed the waters of Yang Estate ran far deeper than he had imagined.

As such thoughts churned through his mind, Zou Feng was not flustered.

So what if Yang Yanpeng's poison art had reached the realm of comprehensive mastery?

The Five Poisons Palm he cultivated was about to advance as well.

Not to mention the Drunken Immortal Gazing at the Moon Step and the Passion-Chaos Finger, both of which were also nearing a breakthrough into "entering the hall."

With three evil arts at his side, the combat strength Zou Feng could unleash below the ranks fully deserved one description: terrifying beyond measure.

When others cultivated evil arts, even practicing one at a time required them to tread on thin ice. One slight misstep, and they would fall into an abyss of no return.

Yet Zou Feng was practicing three evil arts at once.

This utterly overturned the normal laws of martial cultivation.

Therefore, after realizing that Yang Yanpeng was most likely plotting something in secret, Zou Feng merely heightened his guard without panicking.

Especially since Yang Yanpeng was actually the one already under his thumb.

Heh. Once you're on the transference list, no matter how sly as a ghost you are, Daddy will still make you kick your feet in the air.

Zou Feng immediately decided to forget about conserving them for now.

He would spare Yang Ling for the time being and transfer every last side effect onto Yang Yanpeng.

That way, even if Yang Yanpeng had some scheme up his sleeve, there was nothing to fear. He would cripple the bastard first.

Besides, the improvements to the Five Poisons Palm should bear fruit tonight.

The venomous creatures he had captured outside the city and bought from the ghost market were finally about to serve their purpose...

The Five Poisons Palm's side effects were ineffective against Yang Yanpeng?

Then how would this bastard deal with the improved New Five Poisons...

After that, Yang Yanpeng really did stand to one side and watch the guards practice martial arts for a while.

The entire time, he wore a smile and looked thoroughly pleased with himself.

Only when the training session ended did Yang Yanpeng leisurely depart.

When he passed Zou Feng again, he even deliberately turned sideways, nodded, and smiled at him.

"You're practicing well. Keep working hard!"

After offering Zou Feng that bit of "encouragement," Yang Yanpeng finally left in satisfaction.

At that moment, seeing the fellow's nauseating fake smile, Zou Feng nearly could not stop himself from slapping Yang Yanpeng across the face.

After all, the man was only one step short of writing the words "I have a scheme" across his face.

It seemed making Yang Yanpeng kick his feet in the air through the side effects of evil arts alone would not be enough.

He might as well strike first and kill the bastard as soon as possible.

After all, in many situations, there was no need to rack one's brains trying to guess and analyze other people's schemes.

Kill them directly, and everything would be solved.

Once training was over, Zou Feng was about to leave the front courtyard when a maid suddenly hurried over.

Zou Feng was fairly familiar with this maid named Little Cui. After all, he had eaten quite a few pastries she had brought him before.

On one moonless, windy night, Little Cui had even tried to sneak through the darkness to the woodshed to "chat" with him.

But he had been practicing evil arts at the time and could only pretend to be deeply asleep.

Yet now, Little Cui's eyes were red. She had clearly just been crying.

Seeing this, Zou Feng casually asked, "Little Cui, what's wrong? Did someone bully you?"

Little Cui pressed her lips together without speaking, her expression deeply aggrieved.

"Who bullied you? Tell your brother. Next time I'm cooking in the back kitchen, I'll add some extra seasoning to his bowl..."

Only then did Little Cui hurriedly wave her hands. "Brother Feng, no, I wasn't bullied."

"I just made a mistake and Miss scolded me a few times... Also, Miss said she had something to discuss and told you to go over..."

Uh, Yang Qianqian wanted to see him?

Tsk. Was this woman not annoying? Did she dislike the idea that a servant's martial talent might surpass hers that much?

Zou Feng helplessly raised a hand. Too lazy to ask what the hell Yang Qianqian wanted from him, he said, "Then lead the way."

Following Little Cui out of the front courtyard and along a small path paved with gravel, Zou Feng knew that Yang Qianqian was probably waiting for him in the rear garden.

"Little Cui, did Miss scold you because of those rumors around the estate lately?"

Seeing that there was still some distance to the rear garden, Zou Feng simply asked outright.

Naturally, he had heard some of the rumors circulating around the estate during this time.

After all, after rejecting the advances of so many maids, rumors and gossip were bound to spread.

But there was nothing to be done about it. This was the inevitable consequence of being handsome and displaying "talent."

Fortunately, the rumor was that he was infatuated with Yang Qianqian, rather than that he had a taste for men.

Still, he had not expected Yang Qianqian to actually care somewhat about it.

Normally, when a young lady from a wealthy household heard this kind of rumor, would she not merely treat it as a joke so absurd it made her laugh her head off?

Upon hearing Zou Feng's question, Little Cui nodded like a pecking chicken. "Mm-hmm... It wasn't just me. Quite a few other maids were called in and scolded too."

"Miss said that if she heard anyone wagging their tongues again, she would pull out their tongues..."

Zou Feng said helplessly, "Spreading rumors is indeed rather improper, but that punishment is a bit too severe...

"And why do I always feel that even in a rumor, she won't allow a mere guard like me to hold even the slightest admiration for her?"

At that moment, Zou Feng could not help recalling a wuxia comedy film he had watched in his previous life.

In it, an actress named Zuxian had delivered a famous line: Even thinking about it is forbidden; even thinking is a crime!

Little Cui was instantly horrified upon hearing that. "Brother Feng, please stop saying that! You... you'll be caned to death!"

Zou Feng smiled but said nothing more.

Of course, he had not said those things because he truly wanted to stand up for Little Cui.

He was simply displeased with Yang Qianqian.

After practicing evil arts, he had clearly felt himself becoming increasingly narrow-minded and especially prone to holding grudges.

Soon, Little Cui led Zou Feng to the rear garden.

The moment he stepped through the garden gate, he saw a scene in the open space ahead that temporarily left him baffled.

Yang Qianqian stood in a horse stance, appearing to be circulating her energy.

Before her stood a stone as large as two water jars stacked atop one another.

This huge stone had originally likely been part of the artificial mountain scenery in the garden pond.

Perhaps sensing Zou Feng's arrival, Yang Qianqian slowly extended her hand and, with graceful movements, pressed her fair palm against the stone...