Chapter 274: Chapter 195: Silk Cave (2)

And sure enough, he hadn’t seen a single male disciple along the way.

“Does the Silk Cave not recruit male disciples?” Zou Feng couldn’t help but ask.

A female disciple immediately said with a beaming smile, “We do, but unfortunately, not many are willing to come…”

Zou Feng chuckled. “They’re probably too scared to come, aren’t they? I take it the Silk Cave’s Cultivation Skills are Replenishing Skills meant exclusively for women?”

It seemed like a casual remark, but it was actually a test.

After all, while he had spent some time with Teng County and she had never shown any intention of getting intimate, that was when she needed something from him.

That didn’t mean she wouldn’t entertain such ideas now.

“That’s where you’re wrong, Young Master Zou. Replenishing Skills only make up a very small part of our Silk Cave’s Cultivation Skills…”

Zou Feng didn’t press the matter. Having seen Teng County in action—she had even learned the Bone-Softening Palm—he knew that Replenishing Skills certainly weren’t the best Cultivation Skills the Silk Cave had to offer.

But they were definitely the ones most practiced by the female disciples.

The reason was simple: they allowed for rapid progress.

’If you want to date a disciple from the Silk Cave, you’d better be prepared. If you’re not even willing to give her your Cultivation, what right do you have to say you love her?’

Zou Feng could also make a pretty good guess about the corresponding side effects.

They would most likely result in one’s Inner Qi or Gang Qi becoming filled with impurities, making it extremely difficult to advance to the High Grades without special techniques.

Their personalities would also become extremely uninhibited—full of boundless love for all.

Furthermore, it would be nearly impossible for them to have a stable partner, since they might uncontrollably “devour” them at any moment.

At this thought, Zou Feng couldn’t help but think of the Biyou Palace Master.

Biyou Palace had originally been the Five Poison Sect, and the current Palace Master was the beloved of the Sect Leader at the time.

After some treacherous plot, the details of which were unknown, the Sect Leader was sucked dry, and the Five Poison Sect was renamed Biyou Palace.

’So this Palace Master must be an exceptionally powerful master of Replenishing Skills…’

Zou Feng wasn’t afraid of Third Grade masters, but the Biyou Palace Master was surely beyond that rank. It was best to avoid meeting her if at all possible.

’Otherwise, if that Old Witch takes a liking to me, all it would take is one sentence—”This boy is quite handsome; he ought to be mine”—and she’d start getting handsy without another word.’

It probably wouldn’t be an issue, though. Zou Feng had made some inquiries before his arrival and learned that the Biyou Palace Master hadn’t made a public appearance in a very long time.

Even disciples who spent long periods of time within the sect rarely caught a glimpse of their Palace Master.

In fact, Zou Feng was starting to feel that there was a definite reason why High Grade Martial Artists were so rare.

Even Gongsun Jinghong, who had sought him out before, had come and gone in a rush, seemingly unwilling to linger for long…

After a bit more small talk, the group soon arrived at an even wider and flatter area.

Above this clearing was a massive, crater-like opening that led straight to the world outside the mountain.

In the middle of the opening hung a giant, multi-colored spiderweb.

And the new Cave Master of the Silk Cave, Teng County, was suspended in the center of this giant web.

Where the web connected to the cave walls clung Demon Spiders, each the size of a water buffalo.

All of these Demon Spiders were continuously spraying venom.

Once sprayed, the venom seemed drawn by some strange force, all of it converging on Teng County’s location.

And as soon as the venom neared Teng County, it was all put through Refinement.

Throughout this process, Teng County’s face contorted through a series of bizarre expressions, a twisted mask of both pain and pleasure.

’Now this is what it truly means to cultivate an Evil Skill…’

’It looked evil as hell just at a glance.’

Zou Feng, however, watched with some envy.

He had long since lost the sense of unease he used to feel around giant poisonous creatures before he began practicing Poison Skills.

Seeing a massive, obviously venomous spider was now like an ordinary person seeing a cute kitten or puppy; he even felt an urge to reach out and give it a few pets.

But an even stronger urge was to instantly subject it to Refinement.

So, he was genuinely envious of Teng County’s current cultivation method.

However, as the Cave Master of the Silk Cave, Teng County was, after all, one of Biyou Palace’s senior figures. Only those of her rank were able to enjoy the sect’s top-tier resources.

“Please wait a moment, Young Master Zou!”

After leading Zou Feng to this place, the female disciples lost their earlier liveliness, retreating to one side in a well-behaved manner.

After waiting for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Teng County finished her cultivation and finally opened her eyes.

Her gaze immediately fell upon Zou Feng, and a look of surprise was unavoidable.

It hadn’t been long since they parted, yet Zou Feng had actually broken through to the Fourth Grade!?

’And from the look of his complexion and condition, he doesn’t seem to have paid a great price. Even if there were some hidden dangers lurking within his body, they couldn’t be too severe.’

’His Talent for Evil Skills is simply outrageous.’

However, her surprise didn’t last long. After all, Teng County herself was an Evil Genius, the likes of whom appeared only once in several decades; otherwise, she would never have emerged victorious in the contest for Cave Master.

“Doctor Zou, you’ve been well!”

Teng County gracefully glided down from the spiderweb.

She was still accustomed to her old way of addressing him.

However, with Biyou Palace’s intelligence network, coupled with the Demon Slaying Order issued against Zou Feng, Teng County must have long been aware of his identity in the Central Plains Region.

But in a “Demon Sect” like Biyou Palace, having a Demon Slaying Order was actually more of an honor.

After all, within Biyou Palace, both the Palace Master and the Valley Master of the Valley of Ten Thousand Snakes had Demon Slaying Orders issued against them.

This was why the disciple who first led Zou Feng to the Silk Cave had looked at him with admiration.

Anyone who could survive with a Demon Slaying Order on their head was a major figure in the Evil Dao—and terrifyingly powerful.

“Congratulations, Cave Master Teng!” Zou Feng said with a relaxed smile.

Teng County was still barefoot. Perhaps due to her recent surge in her Evil Skill, her skin had become even fairer and more delicate.

Her bare feet were so pale they almost seemed to glow.

Her toes lightly brushed the ground as she remained hovering before Zou Feng, looking as though she couldn’t wait to embrace him.

“This is all thanks to your help, Doctor Zou. Quick, please, take a seat!”

No sooner had she spoken than female disciples immediately brought over a table and a stool.

There were originally no such things here; after all, this was merely Teng County’s Practice Room.

“Bring out the finest poisonous wine!”

Teng County wasn’t joking. What was soon brought to the table was truly poisonous wine, and it was incredibly potent.

But for a top-tier Poison Cultivator like Zou Feng, such a fine poisonous wine was actually a powerful tonic.

Treating him to such a potent poisonous wine showed that Teng County was a gracious host, not at all stingy about sharing her best possessions with her guests.

Teng County then offered a toast, and Zou Feng downed three large cups in a row, sighing in satisfaction.

“If I’m not mistaken, this wine was made using the finest ’Five Poison Creatures’ and aged for at least five years?”

It went without saying that Zou Feng knew his poisons. His ability to tell that the wine had been aged for five years, however, was thanks to his cultivation of the Drunken Immortal Moon Gazing Step.

After drinking so much fine wine, he had naturally developed an experienced palate.

Teng County nodded. “As expected of an expert in the Poison Dao, Doctor Zou. That’s right. The poison in this wine is none other than our Biyou Palace’s renowned Five Poison Soul-Seeking Powder!”

’Renowned?’

’She means infamous, doesn’t she?’

“Now that we’ve had a drink, we can get down to business. I wonder, what brings you all this way, Doctor Zou?”

Zou Feng didn’t beat around the bush. He first mentioned that he wanted to know how to traverse Qifeng Mountain without getting lost.

With this method, not only would it be more convenient for him to “gather materials” in the Southern Border in the future, it would also provide the members of the Hongxing Gang with a path of retreat.

After hearing him out, Teng County agreed without the slightest hesitation.

After all, for her, it was a trivial matter.

She even felt that this alone was a rather shabby way to repay the favor she had promised Zou Feng.

So, after a moment of thought, Teng County decided to offer Zou Feng an additional piece of advice.

“Doctor Zou, once you have the route, I suggest you have the Hongxing Gang cross Qifeng Mountain and come to the Southern Border as soon as possible…”

Zou Feng sensed there was more to her words and prompted, “Is it because Qifeng Mountain won’t be very safe in the near future?”

Teng County said, “To be frank, Doctor Zou, the Biyou Palace Master has been cultivating in Qifeng Mountain recently. And she’s raised quite a few poisonous creatures there for her practice!”

Hearing this, the hand Zou Feng was using to hold his wine cup trembled slightly.

’Holy crap… Those special poisonous creatures I killed before were actually the Biyou Palace Master’s pets!?’

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