Now Aoki was in a panic.
Not only had Nongli gone missing, but after consuming so many elixirs, she was probably going to blow up somewhere soon.
So all his simulations were for nothing?
The simulation would fail outright?
Although the system never explained what consequences would follow a failed simulation, Aoki didn’t want to give up any chance at simulation success.
After confirming once more that Nongli was nowhere in the courtyard, he left to search elsewhere.
He searched several times around and asked repeatedly but got no trace of Nongli.
He couldn’t be too conspicuous. Thinking it over, he decided to check the courtyard again—maybe Nongli was still there?
Upon returning, he caught a whiff of a meaty aroma and hurriedly pushed open the door.
He found Nongli squatting in front of the alchemy furnace, fanning the flames, which were burning strongly.
Wait, a fox demon cooking with an alchemy furnace?
Aoki stepped forward and asked, “What are you doing?”
Nongli was now in her human form, looking like an ordinary girl with black hair and black eyes. She glanced at Aoki as he approached.
At her feet lay bloodstains and scraps of animal innards, and the fire beneath the furnace held charred feathers, unrecognizable but probably from some rooster-like creature.
The aroma of meat came from inside the furnace.
Aoki recalled how Nongli had watched him light the furnace to refine elixirs before.
So, what? She picked up fast and could now cook with the alchemy furnace?
But Aoki didn’t care much about that.
“Where did you go?”
He asked, but Nongli couldn’t speak; she just blinked with no reaction.
“Did you eat all those elixirs?”
Seeing Nongli nod, Aoki felt it was a pointless question—if not her, then who else?
The urgent matter was to check Nongli’s condition.
He quickly took her pulse.
Though his cultivation talent was mediocre, he had at least stepped onto the path of a cultivator.
Because he practiced alchemy, he had some medical knowledge.
He sent spiritual energy rushing inside Nongli’s body.
He expected her to soon burst from the overload of spirit pills, but she didn’t.
To his surprise, Nongli’s body had absorbed almost all the spirit energy from the elixirs, but her spirit veins were very empty, as if damaged.
This resembled Lin Qiyou’s condition, but unlike Lin Qiyou’s congenital defect, Nongli’s damage was acquired.
Moreover, Nongli’s spirit veins were now self-healing, and the elixirs she’d eaten were already working.
“I see now.”
Aoki realized why the system recommended he become an alchemist—it was because an alchemist could heal Nongli’s damaged spirit veins.
So, the simulation of an immortal world couldn’t do without spirit veins!
How unlucky!
Nongli tilted her head, watching the thoughtful Aoki as he held her wrist.
Aoki said, “Just now you heard it—the people chasing you have arrived.”
Nongli nodded and reached for the furnace hook, probably to open the furnace as the timing was right.
Seeing this, Aoki took the hook and retrieved the contents for her.
“They decided to stay here a while because they know you’re still at the Six Flavor Hall. They won’t rest until they catch you.
So, you should stay hidden with me for a while, okay?”
Aoki lifted the furnace lid, winked at Nongli, and added, “You like spirit pills, right? I can… give you a little.”
At first, Nongli hesitated, but when she heard about the spirit pills, she nodded vigorously, her fox ears flicking out before she hurriedly covered them.
Aoki smirked quietly to himself for tricking her.
Inside the furnace was a huge roast chicken, sizzling with dripping oil.
He hooked it out with the furnace tool and handed it to Nongli.
Her fox tail wagged happily like a dog’s.
She grabbed the hook, while her other hand tried to tear at the roast chicken, but every time she touched it, the heat made her jump back.
The chicken was perfectly roasted—its skin browned with a slight char, juicy inside as pieces were pulled apart, looking delicious.
Aoki wasn’t hungry right now and ignored the chicken, his mind occupied with more pressing matters.
To care for Nongli, he needed to focus on two things.
First, helping her recover from her injuries, which tied to his identity as an alchemist.
Second, making sure she behaved.
Nongli was clearly lacking socialization.
She wasn’t quite a wild beast, but still a wild child.
Also, she had to be raised inside the Six Flavor Hall, where he could make more elixirs for her to eat.
The Six Flavor Hall forbade hiding elixirs for private sale—no one expected someone to secretly eat them during refining.
Alchemy apprentices rarely understood the Immortal Path and couldn’t safely consume elixirs without dying.
Also… if he learned alchemy properly, maybe in the real world…
A good idea sprouted in Aoki’s mind.
Enjoying the benefits of the simulation once again, he looked at Nongli and noticed her guarding the food, sneakily watching him while eating.
Then he finally realized something was off!
Nongli left because she was hungry and went to forage, so where did this giant roast chicken come from?
No ordinary chicken could be that big.
It must be a spirit beast, and Nongli couldn’t have left the Six Flavor Hall, caught a chicken spirit beast, and returned in such a short time—already having it cooked.
He stared at the chicken, a third of which had been eaten.
Nongli thought he was going to take it and low growled, hiding the chicken behind her.
“The Hallmaster’s spirit beast, why hasn’t it crowed yet?”
Aoki’s expression darkened as he stepped outside and looked at the sun.
Right—the chicken spirit beast should’ve crowed by now…
Why wasn’t it?
He looked back at Nongli and understood.
This fox demon had gone out, caught the Hallmaster’s treasured spirit beast, and roasted it into a fragrant medicinal chicken in her alchemy room.
Well done, you really know how to eat.
“Are you trying to get me killed? You ate it, fine, but you went out to eat and came back again?”
Aoki helplessly rubbed his forehead and then heard noises outside the courtyard:
“The Hallmaster’s spirit beast is missing, and they’re sending people to look for it.”
“Wow, the Hallmaster values that spirit beast more than his own life!”
“Yeah… huh? What’s that delicious smell coming from Aoki’s courtyard?”
After hearing this, Aoki’s heart sank.
He might be expelled.
Nongli, having finished the entire roast chicken, could naturally hear the voices outside; her ears were very sensitive.
With the whole chicken in her belly, she had turned into a big stomach sack.
She carefully kicked the chicken bones toward Aoki’s feet with her bare little foot.
The foot was stained with grease and shining.
“Burp.”
Nongli squinted her mischievous red eyes and let out a satisfied burp.
Aoki couldn’t help but think—she really was a beast.
A fox? Indeed, a beast.
“Where’s my chicken?!”
Soon after, the Hallmaster’s angry roar came from outside the door.