The Silly Fox Goes Down The Mountain And Gets A Happily Ever After With The Chief Eunuch - Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Coming Down the Mountain

“Here are your ID card and household register. Please keep them safe.”

Nining Qiyan pinched the corner of the ID card with two fair fingers, frowned, and examined the photo on it, muttering: “Why did they take such an ugly picture?”

The receptionist’s smile didn’t falter; she flicked a pair of snowy white cat ears and said, “This is normal, dear~”

“Alright, thank you.”

Nining Qiyan stuffed the freshly minted ID and household register into his pocket, then took the keys and a small booklet handed to him by the receptionist.

He glanced quickly at the booklet, which had the bold title “Code of Conduct for Primary and Middle School Students,” and shoved it into his pocket without changing his expression.

His small pocket was bearing far too much pressure for its age, sagging under the weight. Ignoring its silent cries, Nining Qiyan used the keys to pry open the fabric and tossed them into the depths of the pocket.

“I believe you are already familiar with the specific code of conduct, so…” The receptionist raised her right hand slightly and smiled. “I wish you success in integrating into the human world.”

Crossing through the portal, Nining Qiyan arrived in Mingjiu City.

The bustling traffic and towering skyscrapers in front of him left him dazzled. He stood there, stunned and mouth agape, until he noticed the people around him moving forward. Regaining his senses, he saw the little green pedestrian man and hurried to follow.

Red light, stop; green light, go; yellow light, wait a moment.

Nining Qiyan recited the rules taught in the “Must-Watch Videos for Monsters Entering the City” three times in his mind, and quickly crossed the crosswalk.

Ding-a-ling—

The little green man turned red, but he had successfully crossed the road on his own—a significant step forward.

However…

Nining Qiyan looked around for a while, rummaged through his pocket for a long time, and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper. He unfolded it and stared intently at the squiggly lines for a long time. Finally, he sneered, crumpled the paper into a ball, and threw it into a trash can nearby.

Which demon genius drew this map? It was as chaotic as the black lines above his own head.

Thinking of his head, Nining Qiyan reached up and ruffled his hair. His pair of fox ears had already vanished, replaced by a pair of dainty, pale human ears, half-hidden by his slightly long, messy hair. He rubbed his earlobes, feeling a bit unaccustomed to them.

Forget it, I’ll have to get used to it eventually.

Nining Qiyan glanced at the sun setting between the high-rises, thinking it was time to check out the small place the Monster Administration had arranged for him.

He grabbed a kindly-looking uncle and asked, “Uncle, where is Building 3, Floor 12 of Fuxin Residential Complex?”

Nining Qiyan remembered not to tell strangers his address easily, so he cleverly omitted the room number.

Hehehe, I really am a clever fox.

Nining Qiyan felt smug; if his fox tail were still there, it would definitely be held high.

The uncle scratched his bald head. Although he didn’t understand what was wrong with this young man, he pointed the way. “Cross this crosswalk, walk about a hundred meters to the right, and you’ll reach Fuxin Residential Complex. As for Building 3, Floor 12… I don’t live there. Ask the security guard.”

Nining Qiyan looked in the direction he pointed, unsure. “I have to cross the road again?”

The uncle replied with certainty, “Yes.”

Nining Qiyan: “…Alright, thank you, uncle.”

What a waste of steps. Next time, I definitely won’t cross the street just because I see a green light.

The security guard at the Fuxin complex was also kind, though a bit hard of hearing.

Nining Qiyan: “Grandpa, is this the Fuxin Residential Complex?”

The old man smiled gratifiedly: “Yes, yes, the country is flourishing, and the people are happy.”

Nining Qiyan: …

Catching a glimpse of the words “Registration Book for Visitors to Fuxin Residential Complex” on the guard booth table, Nining Qiyan understood and pulled back his head.

Lucky the Administration required us to learn to read, otherwise I’d have to have an all-night conversation with this grandpa.

He took out his keys and shook them in front of the guard, shouting at the top of his lungs: “Grandpa! I’m the new tenant! How do I get to Building 3, Floor 12?”

The old man’s hearing remained consistently unreliable: “What? Happy New Year? It’s not New Year’s yet, you’re too anxious!”

Nining Qiyan: …

He had encountered the first difficulty after coming down the mountain: how to chat with a hard-of-hearing senior? Even being literate couldn’t solve this.

Fortunately, a resident arrived to rescue him.

“Building 3 is over there, the one at the very back.”

An aunt carrying a bottle of soy sauce pointed the way with extra enthusiasm.

Nining Qiyan nodded and asked, “Where is the 12th floor?”

The aunt looked him up and down with a strange expression. Upon noticing his thin sweatshirt, she seemed to remember something and said warmly, “It’s 1203, right? Sigh, I know you all. Welfare organizations help you get out of the mountains and give you a free place to stay for a month. The organizers of this welfare program are truly benevolent.”

The aunt was speaking Cantonese, which Nining Qiyan didn’t understand. He gave a confused “Ah?”

What is this? Shouldn’t humans all speak Mandarin?

His reaction was interpreted by the aunt as agreement.

She grabbed his hand affectionately. “It’s alright, Auntie is very familiar with this place, I’ll take you there.”

The enthusiastic aunt brought Nining Qiyan into the elevator. Fearing he wouldn’t know how to use it, she explained the purpose of every button and number.

The Monster Administration had sent videos on how to take elevators, but… the signal in the mountains was poor. That specific video hadn’t loaded, so Nining Qiyan skipped it and happened not to be tested on it, escaping disaster.

It turned out that one shouldn’t rely on luck, because one has to face the consequences alone.

Finally, Nining Qiyan stood at his front door in a daze, accompanied by the aunt’s incessant chatter.

“Just call me Auntie Liu. I live on the floor below you. If you need anything, come over for a meal. I’ve already helped three young people like you.”

Auntie Liu held up three fingers, slightly proud. Seeing Nining Qiyan’s dazed expression, she continued: “Don’t be shy, feel free to come over, don’t let yourself go hungry, you hear?”

Nining Qiyan said robotically, “I hear you.”

Auntie Liu nodded in satisfaction. “I have a child about your age working hard in Beijing, saying he’ll bring me to live there once he’s settled. So you need to settle down too, work hard, and have a good life later.”

Nining Qiyan wasn’t sure why Auntie Liu started telling him about her son, but he nodded twice and sent her into the elevator.

After the elevator doors closed, he inserted the key into the lock and turned it. The old security door let out a “creak,” and the space behind it was pitch black.

An animal’s excellent vision allowed Nining Qiyan to see the layout without turning on the lights, but it didn’t quite fit the living habits of humans to be in the dark at night.

He accurately felt for the light switch at the entryway, and with a “click,” warm light illuminated the small room.

The place provided by the Administration wasn’t big—a one-bedroom apartment, just enough for one person.

Placing the keys on the shoe cabinet, Nining Qiyan pulled the cabinet door open, only to be surprised by a cockroach quietly lurking inside. As the light invaded, it “whooshed” into a dark corner.

Nining Qiyan: … I can’t tell who is the intruder here.

He had been rendered speechless too many times today; Nining Qiyan was now beyond surprised.

He closed the cabinet door, leaving it to the “landlord,” and looked at the thin layer of dust covering the floor. He decided to keep his shoes on.

Joke’s on them, I only have one pair of socks, can’t get them dirty.

The sofa was covered with dust covers. Nining Qiyan admired the humaneness of the Administration, pulled off the plastic, tossed it aside, sat on the sofa, bounced a bit, and leaned back with a smile.

Actually quite soft, much more comfortable than my fox den.

Nining Qiyan leaned his cheek against the cold fabric of the sofa, eyes half-closed as if falling asleep, until that little spot was warmed by his body temperature. He opened his eyes wide, did a kip-up, stood up, and paced into the bedroom.

He was too excited from his first time down the mountain to sleep, so he might as well take advantage of his energy to do some cleaning.

He pulled off the dust covers and took a quilt and blanket out of the closet to make the bed. Then he went to the bathroom, grabbed a mop, and mopped the floor until it was covered in water. Nining Qiyan stared at the wet floor for a moment, then clapped his hands and opened all the windows.

Ventilation!

A gust of cold air rushed in, and he immediately sneezed.

So cold, so cold. Is winter in the human world this cold? It hasn’t even snowed yet!

Whether winter had gotten colder or he was just wearing too few layers now that he was human, Nining Qiyan decided not to dwell on it.

After cleaning the room, he grabbed his keys, without disturbing the tenant in the shoe cabinet, and headed out.

The night deepened. Rows of streetlights, like pearls, were lit up. Skyscrapers cast mottled light and shadows, and neon signs decorated the night, brighter than any stars he had seen in the mountains.

The roads were crowded with people, and the street-side shops looked like small glowing compartments, with the steam of freshly cooked food wafting out and being bought by customers drawn to the smell.

Is this the legendary nightlife?

Nining Qiyan had heard of it and had been looking forward to it for a long time.

His eyes sparkled as he craned his neck, looking around in a dazzle. Finally, his nose led him to a barbecue stall.

There was a strange but fragrant scent coming from the charcoal-grilled food. Nining Qiyan watched a man buy a grilled chicken leg and take a bite of the crispy, charred skin, revealing the tender white meat underneath. He couldn’t help but swallow his saliva.

The barbecue stall owner saw how tempted he was and asked with a smile, “Want to try one? It’s only 5 yuan.”

Nining Qiyan knew that he had to pay for things. He rummaged through his pockets and found three red bills the Administration had given him. Staring at the pink “100” on them, he calculated internally.

One hundred minus five, hmm, that’s ninety-five yuan.

I can afford it, and I’ll even have plenty left over.

So he waved his hand grandly and said, “I want two—no, three chicken legs.”

The stall owner took the hundred-yuan bill from Nining Qiyan’s fingers, counted out a stack of change from a small basin behind him, and handed it over.

“Count it, see if anything is missing.”

Hearing this, Nining Qiyan lowered his head and carefully counted the stack of bills twice. Confirming it was correct, he looked up and said earnestly, “It’s not, it’s just right. Uncle, you’re amazing.”

The owner was amused by his comment. “It’s just making change, it’s not that hard.”

Likely feeling bored, as he grilled the chicken legs, he made small talk: “Young man, how old are you?”

Nining Qiyan said, “Twenty.”

The owner paused, looking at Nining Qiyan with some surprise. The young man in front of him looked so fair and tender, like a minor; he hadn’t expected him to be that old.

He flipped the chicken legs, put a cigarette in his mouth, lit it, and blew a puff of white smoke. “You look really young for your age. Not a local, right?”

Nining Qiyan hesitated: “I don’t think so…”

He didn’t even know what kind of monster he was, only that he was a fox from a mountain.

The owner laughed again: “You young people have interesting ways of speaking. You either are, or you aren’t… Oh, right, do you want spicy?”

Nining Qiyan knew this one. “One without spice, one spicy, and one with honey.”

He had smelled the sweetness of honey among the pile of seasonings and had already planned the flavor distribution for his three chicken legs.