Immortal Beast's Residence

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 on him.

Since he knew that, by afternoon, Steward Zhang would come to his house to steal his money, he couldn't leave it behind for others to take.

If not for worrying that he might need it later in 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 chance 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 Shuǐzhèn (Water Town) in Guangzhou Prefecture, named for its proximity to the large river Lóngjiāng (Dragon 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 Guangzhou 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 Shuǐzhèn 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, 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.

"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.

"Woah!"

Su Chen was stunned as soon as he stepped inside the courtyard—not by magnificence but by the chaos. The large courtyard looked as if a hurricane had struck it.

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.'