She kept thinking in her heart about what Ninth Sister had said to her in a dream: 'When will you actually go to the human world to see for yourself before you truly understand…'
Perhaps, she thought, it was time for her to go over there and take a look.
If Ninth Sister was lying to her, she could always come back later anyway; after all, she could return home in these mountains even with her eyes closed.
Finally, the day of opportunity arrived.
By midday, after a coughing fit, Qingcheng's father called her into the room and said, 'Qingcheng, my body really isn't what it used to be.'
'Father, what do you want to say?' Qingcheng asked. 'I'm listening.'
'Qingcheng,' her father coughed again and said, 'I want to ask you to go down the mountain to the human world to gather some herbs, but... I'm a little worried...'
Go to the human world to gather herbs? Qingcheng's heart skipped a beat.
'Father, what are you worried about?' she asked, though she knew she was asking rhetorically, because she already knew what her father was about to ramble on about.
'Qingcheng,' her father began to speak at length, 'your nine older sisters never listen to me. They're deliberately trying to make me worried. They know my body is just a frame of bones now, yet they still defy me. Qingcheng, I know you're the most obedient and well-behaved. This time I've agreed to let you go down the mountain to the human world to gather herbs, but you must remember to return immediately after collecting them. Do not linger in the human world, especially do not flirt with any men there. Men in the human world like to deceive you with sweet words; once you fall into it, the consequences would be unimaginable. Qingcheng, you must not be seduced by them. There isn't a single good man in the human world…'
'Oh, Father, I've got it. I promise you,' Qingcheng said. She knew this was another instance of saying one thing and thinking another, because she was dreaming of visiting the human world, especially wanting to see the men there! The more her father warned her, the more rebellious she felt. She was only nine hundred years old, right in fox adolescence.
'Alright, Qingcheng, that makes me feel at ease,' her father said, coughing again. 'I know you're the most obedient…'
'Father, then I'll set off first.'"The moment she stepped out of the fox cave, Qingcheng's heart almost leapt out of her chest. This was her first time going to the human world, and everything outside was an incredibly fresh and new world for her.\ However, Qingcheng hadn't planned to stay in the human world for long. She just wanted to see what the human world was really like, what the men there looked like, take a quick glimpse, and then go back. After all, her father's illness had become so severe that returning late might affect his condition.\ When Qingcheng descended to the mountainside and saw the bustling town for the first time, she was utterly shocked!\ Only then did she realize how right Ninth Sister had been in her dream when she had said those words!\ It turned out that the human world really had so many strange and unique foods. There were rows upon rows of houses and shops, a continuous flow of people and carriages, and many kinds of snacks that she had never seen or tasted before. Just the appearance of these snacks was extremely tempting. Qingcheng longed to buy some to try, but she knew that the money her father had entrusted to her was only enough for medicine, so she held back and could only swallow her saliva.\ Enough, enough. She should hurry to the pharmacy and get the medicine, not waste time. Didn't her father say the same thing — get the medicine and return quickly, and not to linger outside for too long?\ Upon arriving at the pharmacy, Qingcheng handed the prescription to the shop assistant.\ Just as she finished paying and was about to leave, she nearly collided head-on with a man rushing into the pharmacy.\ Qingcheng almost scolded that guy since when he bumped into her, he almost took advantage of her.\ But when she looked at him again, Qingcheng internally forgave him.\ Because the guy had an elderly woman on his back, her head drooping as if her condition was extremely serious."
