Is there an old man peeping?

You have comprehended the Heaven Concealment Art, congratulations on triggering a triple critical hit, you have gained triple the insight!

You have comprehended the Heaven Concealment Art, congratulations on triggering a quintuple critical hit, you have gained quintuple the insight!

In the days that followed, while balancing cultivation, alchemy, and herb gathering, Qin Dongcheng set aside a portion of his time for the Heaven Concealment Art.

This top-tier secret technique had astonishing effects in concealment and disguise, which would play a vital role in his future efforts to hide his identity and evade pursuit by enemies.

Although the difficulty of comprehension was somewhat high, he was not in any urgent need of it for now, so he could fully afford to comprehend and practice it slowly, keeping his main time and energy focused on other areas.

In the evening of this day, with a bright moon and sparse stars, Qin Dongcheng deliberately practiced outside, considering that there was no one around.

The practice room was still a bit stifling; after all, it was a bamboo house with limited space, and the area of the practice room was also restricted, making it less fluid than practicing outside.

These days, whenever night fell, Qin Dongcheng would practice outside. The surrounding bamboo forest was dense, and since it was night, basically no one would come near.

If someone were to approach, he would be able to detect them immediately, so there was still a degree of safety.

"Mount Tai Pressing Down!"

"Mount Tai Towering!"

Each move and stance was executed continuously, smooth and practiced, effortless and natural. The Mount Tai Body Strengthening Fist, nearing perfection, possessed astonishing power in the hands of Qin Dongcheng.

He could clearly feel the growth of his cultivation realm, a sensation that was truly intoxicating.

Before he knew it, it was nearing the hour of the Rat—between 23:00 and 01:00 in his past life. Having performed the Mount Tai Body Strengthening Fist dozens of times, the food Qin Dongcheng had eaten in the evening had long since been digested, and he had to replenish himself with some medicinal porridge.

He would practice one more time before preparing to rest; he understood the principle of balancing work and leisure.

However, just as he was about to finish, he felt a sense of unease in his heart, as if something were staring at him.

Qin Dongcheng's expression shifted slightly; he slowed the speed of his punches and quietly observed his surroundings.

"Hmm..."

At a certain moment, through the bamboo forest, Qin Dongcheng saw what appeared to be an old man with a white beard staring at him from about a hundred meters away.

Its eyes glowed with a green light, quite sinister, sending a chill through his entire body.

The other party seemed to notice that Qin Dongcheng had discovered it; it suddenly lowered its head, and when he looked again, it was nowhere to be found.

Qin Dongcheng could no longer concern himself with his practice and immediately returned to the bamboo house, preparing to use the house's defenses to ward off the enemy's prying eyes.

He did not rest for the remainder of the night, instead continuously practicing the forms of the Mount Tai Body Strengthening Fist in the practice room, maintaining his best state at all times to avoid a sneak attack from the enemy.

He kept feeling that the white-bearded old man from earlier could not be human; otherwise, how could its eyes glow green, and it seemed a bit too short as well.

Unfortunately, he had very little knowledge of demons and monsters and had no idea what that thing was, or if it was even human at all.

Tomorrow, he would have to go to the Bamboo Forest Black Market to purchase a book detailing demons and monsters. To know oneself and the enemy is the key to victory; if he didn't even know what the opponent was, how could he deal with this enemy?

He practiced throughout the night. Perhaps because the creature sensed that Qin Dongcheng was practicing and not resting, making it harder to deal with, the white-bearded old man did not launch an attack.

Qin Dongcheng was also somewhat puzzled, wondering if it was truly a human, or if a demon or monster had actually infiltrated the Bamboo Forest Valley without even the patrol teams noticing.

But early the next morning, Qin Dongcheng received news from other herb field laborers that some laborers in the surrounding area had gone missing—neither hide nor hair of them could be found, dead or alive. Everyone suspected that some powerful wild beast had arrived in the vicinity.

As for demons and monsters, everyone still felt it was impossible; after all, this was near the headquarters of the Five Elements Sect, and there were many patrol teams around. How could those demons and monsters enter so easily?

Qin Dongcheng still felt uneasy in his heart. After finishing his work in the morning, he disguised himself in the afternoon and headed to the black market, where he purchased a copy of the Brief Record of Demons and Monsters, which contained brief introductions to hundreds of common demons and monsters, as well as some methods for dealing with them.

The price was not cheap—a full ten taels of silver, enough to equal the income of an average family of three for several years.

Upon returning, he immediately began to flip through it, and soon his gaze stopped on a certain page.

Rat Demon!

Most Rat Demons are only Level 1, comparable to a Martial Artist in the Body Phase, while a small portion can advance to Level 2, comparable to a Martial Artist in the Skin Phase.

Long whiskers like a beard, appearing like an old man when viewed at night; they fear fire, are timid, and possess a mild toxin in their bodies.

If nothing unexpected happened, the thing that had been spying on him in the bamboo forest last night was in all likelihood a Rat Demon. Furthermore, it should only be a common Level 1 Rat Demon, not a Level 2, otherwise, it would not have hidden there and dared not come over to attack him.

However, even a Level 1 Rat Demon was not something most herb field laborers could handle, as most of them had not even stepped into the first realm of martial arts and were merely ordinary people.

The herb field laborer who went missing last night was very likely dragged away and eaten by that Level 1 Rat Demon; otherwise, how could a laborer suddenly go missing in the long-peaceful Bamboo Forest Valley?

When things go wrong, there must be a demon at work. It was highly probable that a Rat Demon had infiltrated the area.

Moreover, the higher a Martial Artist's cultivation, the more likely they were to become a target for demons and monsters; after all, the higher the cultivation, the more abundant the blood energy within their bodies, and the greater the benefits they would gain from devouring them.

If it sensed an opportunity to ambush Qin Dongcheng, that Level 1 Rat Demon would likely come again. After all, his cultivation was similar to the creature's, and if he were caught off guard by an attack, his life would be in danger.

In the coming days, he would definitely have to be careful and must not let that Rat Demon find an opportunity.

Qin Dongcheng's expression was grave. He had Lu Gen notify the dozen or so herb field laborers who often practiced with him, telling them his suspicions and mentioning the incident of being spied on by something suspected to be a Rat Demon the previous night, so that everyone could be mentally prepared.

Upon learning of this, these herb field laborers were quite shocked and hurriedly agreed, each deciding not to go out at night to avoid giving the Rat Demon an opportunity.

Qin Dongcheng even specifically taught everyone the forms of the Mount Tai Body Strengthening Fist so that if they encountered the Rat Demon, they might have a chance to survive.

At night, Qin Dongcheng no longer went out to practice easily, but instead hid in his reinforced practice chamber. This way, even if he were attacked by the Rat Demon, he could use the house to fend it off for a while and find an opportunity to deal with it.

He chose to rest during the day, using the nights as much as possible for cultivation, preparing to break through to a higher level as quickly as possible so that he could deal with the Rat Demon with ease.

Unexpectedly, a few days later, news came again that more herb field laborers in the vicinity had gone missing, though fortunately, it was not any of the dozen or so who often followed Qin Dongcheng to practice the Mount Tai Body Strengthening Fist.

Clearly, everyone had listened to Qin Dongcheng's words and were hiding in their homes at night, no longer going out.