Cultivation of immortality begins with an eighty-year-old eunuch.

He killed the female assassin.

Chen Fan's room also became quiet.

Under the cover of darkness, he dragged the corpse to the vegetable garden in the backyard.

Searching the body, digging the hole, burying the corpse—Chen Fan was frighteningly skilled at it.

With a blank expression, he scattered some grass seeds on the new soil before returning to the house.

Only after closing the door did Chen Fan's tense heart finally calm down.

The Qingping Sword Technique is right here with him, and now the Yin Corpse Sect and the royal family are both searching for it.

If someone discovers he knows this swordsmanship, it could cause a lot of trouble.

After much deliberation, Chen Fan decided to never use his sword unless absolutely necessary, so as not to give himself away.

There's been a lot of trouble in the capital lately, so he's decided not to step out of the Imperial Horse Stables.

And since the female assassin was able to find her way by following the traces left by the other party's senior brother, there's no doubt that a second person might come looking for her.

Feeling worried, Chen Fan shook his head inwardly, thinking that he would definitely investigate when he had time at dawn.

Otherwise, if new assassins come, his backyard will soon be overflowing with burial plots.

Lost in thought, Chen Fan silently pulled out a yellowish-brown secret manual from his pocket.

The Secret of Concealment!

He pulled this out from the female assassin's chest; judging by its name, it seemed quite extraordinary.

Curious, Chen Fan flipped to the first page of the Hidden Word Technique and raised an eyebrow.

To blend into the presence of others without being noticed is the first step in cultivating the art of concealment.

Upon seeing a line of small print, Chen Fan's eyes gleamed.

He became increasingly engrossed in reading, and after flipping through several pages, he finally understood that the "Hidden Word Technique" was actually an invisibility technique.

Those who practice this technique can only be considered to have entered the first stage when they can hide in front of others without being discovered.

No wonder the Eastern Depot eunuchs and their men couldn't find the female assassin's trail despite their thorough search; it turns out she could turn invisible.

Realizing the value of the Concealment Technique, Chen Fan's lips curled up, and he continued reading.

"How come it's... a fragment..."

Upon seeing that the last page of the Hidden Word Technique was incomplete, Chen Fan realized that the technique was not entirely accurate.

This manual only contains the first part; all subsequent cultivation methods are missing.

Feeling a little regretful, he shook his head slightly and immediately took the golden bowl out of his bosom.

With a thought, Chen Fan absorbed the Concealment Technique into his bowl.

Unafraid of being found by others, he followed suit and meditated to cultivate.

"Shield your six senses, circulate your Qi around you..."

With his eyes closed, Chen Fan began cultivating according to the Qi circulation method of the Hidden Word Technique.

After the spiritual energy within his body began to calm down, he seemed to enter a meditative state and became completely still.

Meow…

This alerted Xiaohua, who was lying on the table, and she instinctively called out.

It was clear that after Chen Fan ignored it, it continued to lie on the table and fall fast asleep.

……

The night passed quickly.

At 3:45 AM, Chen Fan woke up precisely on time.

Looking somewhat tired, he felt sleepiness creeping over him.

After practicing the Concealment Technique for one night, his spiritual energy was almost completely depleted.

This feeling of extreme exhaustion surprised Chen Fan.

Even when he was using the Qingping Sword Technique at full power, he had never felt this tired.

Without thinking too much, Chen Fan could only get up and get to work.

After finishing his work, he planned to go back and get a good night's sleep.

Squeak...

As soon as I pushed open the door, a gust of cold wind hit me.

Amidst the falling snowflakes, Chen Fan wrapped his coat tighter and went outside.

His footprints left on the snow, and he soon arrived at the horse pen.

Chen Fan, who habitually fed his three chestnut horses first, casually grabbed a handful of withered leaves and stuffed them into his pocket.

Only then did he feed the ordinary imperial horses.

After feeding the imperial horses, Chen Fan went to the kitchen.

As soon as he arrived at the door, he heard the sound of firewood burning inside.

It seems the little stool has woken up.

Without making a sound, Chen Fan's eyes flickered, and he immediately used the Concealment Technique to enter the house.

He had a smile on his face, eager to test the results of his overnight cultivation.

Inside the house, Xiao Deng was sitting on a long bench, tending a fire to warm the water.

His eyes fell on the stove hole, and he subconsciously reached out to warm himself by the fire.

In the firelight, Xiao Deng felt a chill on his back for no apparent reason.

He didn't pay much attention, thinking it was just because it was too cold.

Behind the small stool was Chen Fan, who had just entered the room.

Holding his breath and blending his body into his surroundings, he had already mastered the basics of the Concealment Technique.

When encountering someone like Xiaodengzi, who is made of flesh and blood, he can easily hide himself and not be noticed by the other party.

The fact that the female assassin was able to deceive Eunuch Wei and Eunuch Sun proves that she had cultivated the Concealment Technique to an extremely high level.

Upon closer reflection, Chen Fan realized that his perspective was still too narrow.

There must be people outside this palace who are more powerful than Eunuch Wei.

If he were to encounter someone like that, he probably wouldn't even know how he died.

For safety's sake, Chen Fan secretly decided that he must cultivate the Concealment Technique to a certain level before venturing out.

"Godfather...when did you arrive?"

Just then, Xiaodengzi turned around to add firewood and suddenly noticed his godfather standing behind him.

He was almost startled, his eyes filled with terror!

"I just arrived... We don't make any noise when we walk, so it's normal that you didn't notice," Chen Fan said with a smile, his eyes narrowed.

"Ah... really? Godfather, you scared me." Little Stool nodded repeatedly, a smile appearing on his pale face.

Chen Fan didn't offer any further explanation.

The Concealment Technique can only conceal one's energy, not one's physical form.

To achieve invisibility, he probably needs to learn the missing chapters.

"You're busy... I didn't sleep well last night, so I'll go back and rest first. Don't worry about lunch."

Upon hearing his godfather's instructions, Xiao Dengzi's face showed worry.

Thinking that her godfather hadn't eaten much for several days, she feared he wouldn't last much longer.

Fortunately, things changed after the New Year.

My godfather is an octogenarian, so even if he were to die, it would be a joyous occasion.

At that time, he, Xiaodengzi, will be the only one left in this huge Imperial Stables.

Not knowing whether to be happy or sad, he shook his head inwardly and went to chop wood and fetch water!

……

After leaving the kitchen.

Chen Fan went straight back into the house.

He was exhausted and just wanted to sleep and rest when he suddenly remembered something.

Still wearing his clothes, he had no choice but to go out and head into the corridor.

That's the direction of the Imperial Stables gate; that's where the female assassin came from last night.

If Chen Fan wasn't mistaken, the traces left by the assassin were in this area.

With his back bent, Chen Fan grabbed a broom and began sweeping while searching carefully.

After he killed the assassin, he never expected that the other party would leave any traces.

Now that he knows, he naturally has to eliminate these hidden dangers.

After searching for a short while, Chen Fan indeed found something unusual in the corner of the wall near the gate of the Imperial Horse Stable.

It was a very inconspicuous mark; even an ordinary person wouldn't find it strange.

Only an old eunuch like Chen Fan, who had lived in the Imperial Horse Stables for over sixty years, could immediately tell that something was wrong.

With a calm expression, he stared at it for a moment, then wiped it away with his finger!

After confirming that no one could spot the traces, Chen Fan continued his search.

Only after checking both the inside and outside of the door did he feel relieved and return to the house…