The next morning, Su Chen awoke from his sleep, washed his face, and began making porridge. Since he was in a particularly good mood, he added an egg he had carefully hidden.
Having saved money for a long time, he usually ate simple food like porridge and bread, rewarding himself occasionally with a bit of meat or a few eggs.
After cooking and eating his fill, he prepared to go to work. After all, he was still a cleaner at the Immortal Mansion and couldn't abandon his job recklessly.
'From now on, I'll keep all the money with me.'
He carefully placed the money he had hidden into a pouch and carried it with him.
Since he knew that, by afternoon, Steward Zhang would come to his house to steal his silver, he couldn't leave it behind for others to take.
If not for worrying that he might need it later inside the simulation, he would have already recharged them all.
"Squeak?"
Xuanhao, sleeping soundly in his new nest, woke up as Su Chen picked him up.
"Alright, don't sleep. Eat some bread, and I'll buy some fruits for you."
He handed Xuanhao a piece of bread and let him snuggle into his pocket.
Su Chen noticed that the simulator had refreshed at midnight, but he wasn't in a hurry to simulate.
After quickly filling his stomach, he set off towards the Immortal Mansion.
The town he lived in was called Water Town in Westport Prefecture, named for its proximity to the large river.
Apart from the town's name and location, Su Chen knew little about the world he was in, as he was at rock bottom in this life.
After all, for a mortal, such knowledge held no significance.
From what he had heard from Widow Hua next door, traveling from this town to the nearest city in Westport Prefecture was impossible for mortals.
The distance was too great, and the dangers along the way were not to be underestimated.
For most mortals, this town was both their birthplace and their final resting place.
After walking for half an hour, Su Chen arrived at the center of the town.
Although he claimed to work at the Immortal Mansion, in reality, he was merely a dung cleaner for the various beast dens where immortals kept their pets.
Those pets were mostly mortal or at an early stage of the Qi-refining realm.
"Kid, you're on time."
As Su Chen approached a tall golden-silver gate adorned with beast patterns, a stoic man standing nearby greeted him with a smile.
"Yes!"
Su Chen was about to enter the premises after responding when the man stopped him.
"Kid, today you're assigned to Ms. Ember's residence. The stable will be handled by someone else."
The man smiled as he spoke.
Su Chen halted in his steps, a little puzzled.
"Ms. Ember?"
"Oh? You don't know, kid. Ms. Ember is the pet of a friend of our Immortal Master."
Lowering his voice, the man added,
"I heard this Immortal Master is a woman. She's so beautiful that even our Immortal Master follows her everywhere."
He commented slyly as if he had seen her himself.
Su Chen wasn't interested in such matters. Instead, he asked a practical question.
"Can a mortal enter the residence of such a strong immortal's pet?"
Though the simulation assured him of safety, he needed to confirm. After all, if he entered without inquiring about the behavior of such a powerful pet, what if it killed him in a fit of anger?
Letting his guard down just because he had a simulator could lead to unexpected dangers.
Besides, his simulator didn't always predict the future in his favor.
Well, it never!
"Don't worry. Ms. Ember isn't in her nest. Just clean her abode. It's actually quite tidy, but she dislikes certain smells. So, don't forget to use lots of Beastbane, it's in the storage room."
After explaining, the man lost interest and returned to his guard duty.
Relaxing slightly, Su Chen entered the storage room and gathered cleaning tools, clean work clothes, and a jar of Beastbane, a powder used to neutralize odors in beast dens.
Equipped and ready, he followed the corridor toward the Immortal Beast Residence, away from the stable where he usually worked.
Though he hadn't been there before, he knew the way.
After arriving at the entrance to the Immortal Beast Residence, a maid guided him into the nest.
Although the name sounds impressive, it was just a large courtyard with the addition of a spirit-gathering array and luxurious decoration.
"Whoa!"
Su Chen was stunned as soon as he stepped inside the courtyard, not by magnificence but by the chaos.
The large courtyard looked as though a hurricane had struck it, with debris scattered across the ground.
The middle-aged maid, embarrassed by his reaction, explained slightly,
"Ms. Ember is a rare Stormwing Eagle. She disliked this place last night and vented her anger. The large debris has been cleared; you just need to handle the smaller mess and the unpleasant odor."
"Especially make sure there is no odor in the entire residence."
After warning him, the maid left without waiting for his response, seemingly afraid he might cause a scene.
"Sigh, there goes my entire day."
As Su Chen sighed, Xuanhao popped out of his pocket, curious, his large pointy ears on alert as if he were scanning the new place.
"Squeak?"
As he approached the courtyard, Xuanhao suddenly froze, his ears standing up in alarm while his nose twitched intensely.
He then quickly retreated and climbed onto Su Chen's shoulder, crying nervously in fear.
"Squeak, squeak!"
Seeing his antics, Su Chen laughed.
"Relax, there's no one here," He reassured him while patting his head.
He then placed Xuanhao down and said sternly,
"Stay here, honestly, and don't go anywhere. I need to work. Once I'm done, I'll give you the fruit I just bought on the way."
Xuanhao seemed to understand his words, nodding reluctantly but remaining uneasy.
Satisfied, Su Chen carried his tools into a small hut at the courtyard's edge.
However, instead of starting to work immediately, he observed Xuanhao through a hole in the door.
'Let's see where he goes to dig.'
The simulator did hint at a precious fruit buried in a long hole, but it didn't specify the location.
After waiting for a while, Su Chen saw Xuanhao, overwhelmed by the residual aura of the Stormwing Eagle, nervously fidgeting. He tried to follow him to the hut but couldn't muster up the courage.
Finally, in desperation, Xuanhao walked to a corner not far away.
Su Chen then saw Xuanhao suddenly go to a corner and dig a hole rapidly with his sharp claws.
He was very familiar with this action as he had already gained the Burrower Mastery attribute from him.
But he didn't waste time watching him. Otherwise, if he was late and Xuanhao ate the fruit like in the simulation, he would have nowhere to cry.
So, he ran hurriedly, used the Burrower Mastery skill, and began to dig a hole with his sharp nails not inferior to Xuanhao.
Thus, there was a strange scene in the beast's mansion as the master and his pet beast both dug a long hole as if competing to see who would finish first.
But Su Chen already had the strength of half-step Qi training, so he quickly caught up with Xuanhao, leaving him bewildered.
"Squeak?"
"Squeak... Squeak..."
Seeing his master digging a hole just like him, Xuanhao suddenly became very happy and felt even closer to his master.
Su Chen twitched his lips as he saw his expression and didn't know what to say.
However, he could already feel that the earth's aura around him was richer than on the surface.
So, he asked Xuanhao to wait there and began to dig even faster.
It didn't take long for him to dig out a round object covered in dirt that almost looked like a potato.
However, it had a rich earthy aura radiating around it, making it look more precious.
"Earthroot Berry!"
Su Chen instantly recognized the fruit as it was on the list of popular treasures that could help mortals start practicing immortal arts.
"However, it seems too small. But it is enough to push me to the first level of Qi training."
Ecstatic, he brushed off the dirt and ate the berry without hesitation. Even waiting for a few seconds was blasphemy to this treasure.
"Boom!"
Suddenly, he felt a large amount of spiritual energy enter his body, just like before.
However, unlike before, this time it didn't stop abruptly but directly opened his dantian below the navel, pulling him to the first level of Qi training, making him ecstatic.
"So, this is how it feels to become an immortal?"
Su Chen thought narcissistically, feeling endless power inside him.