The road ahead is long and challenging.

Su Qi noticed the little fox swaying unsteadily and quickly reached out to support her.

"Maybe you should lie on the couch to apply the medicine. Standing like this probably isn’t a good idea."

The little fox’s tail twitched irregularly, and her ears trembled slightly.

"Okay..."

Su Qi helped her over to the couch, where the little fox settled onto the soft armrest, lying on her stomach.

She turned her head slightly, barely managing to glance back at Su Qi.

Her eyes shimmered with an indescribable emotion.

"Please continue... but I’m a bit afraid of pain. There’s some pain-relief medicine in the bedside drawer in my room..."

Su Qi nodded and hurried to the little fox’s room.

The door wasn’t locked. He pushed it open, took two steps inside, and spotted the bedside table.

Pulling open the drawer, he found it filled with strange objects—

A pair of small pink rings, a slightly larger black ring, and a few stickers.

Just a bunch of things he couldn’t make sense of.

Though he was curious, time was of the essence.

He’d have to find an opportunity to investigate later.

After moving aside the items on top, he finally spotted a blue-and-white plastic medicine bottle tucked in the corner.

Picking it up, Su Qi noticed the bottle felt slightly cool to the touch.

Seemed like this pain-relief medicine was something special.

Returning to the living room, he found the little fox still in the same position, though her condition seemed to have worsened slightly—her breathing was uneven.

"Found the medicine." Su Qi sat on the edge of the couch, unscrewed the cap, and a faint herbal scent wafted out—something natural, maybe aloe vera?

Not being a medical expert, Su Qi could only guess.

He squeezed a bit of the ointment onto his fingertip. The gel was transparent and smooth, likely due to the aloe content.

Carefully, he brought it closer to the wound.

"It might feel a little cold..."

The moment the ointment touched the injury, the little fox’s entire body tensed from the "pain."

"Does it hurt?"

"It’s... bearable..."

"If it’s bearable, then shift forward a bit so I can see the wound better for applying the medicine."

The little fox didn’t respond, silently inching forward.

But now her feet couldn’t reach the floor, leaving her weight entirely on the couch’s armrest.

Su Qi gently spread the ointment. The skin around the wound wasn’t as smooth as undamaged areas—it felt uneven.

"Does the ointment need to be rubbed in?"

"Mhm... it does..." The little fox buried her face into the couch cushion, her voice muffled. "It needs to be fully massaged in to be absorbed..."

Following her instructions, Su Qi began lightly working the ointment into the wound.

As he did, the little fox’s breathing grew more erratic, and her tail flicked restlessly.

Just as Su Qi reached the deepest part of the wound—

The little fox’s tail lashed out uncontrollably, striking Su Qi’s arm.

"Should I stop for a bit?"

"No." The little fox answered hastily, then softened her tone. "This is pain-relief ointment. If it’s not evenly absorbed, the actual healing medicine will hurt more later..."

Su Qi stayed silent and continued.

He watched as the skin around the wound contracted slightly with each of her breaths.

He squeezed out more ointment and kept applying it.

Once finished, Su Qi double-checked its effectiveness.

Pressing lightly or prodding the wound no longer elicited any noticeable pain.

Seemed like it was working.

Now it was time for the actual healing medicine.

With the pain-relief layer in place, the next step would be much easier.

At least the little fox wouldn’t react too strongly from the pain and interrupt the process.

However, the healing ointment was far rarer—unlike the pain-relief one, which came in a generously filled bottle, this was in short supply.

Applying it with fingers might waste some, leaving parts of the wound untreated.

He’d need proper medical tools.

Spotting a box of cotton swabs nearby, Su Qi recalled doctors saying they were used for precise application.

But he had no medical experience.

Hesitantly, he picked up a cotton swab much larger than usual.

Gently, he brought it toward the center of the wound.

"I’ll try using a medical swab. It might be more precise."

Hearing this, the little fox’s ears shot upright. "Wait—"

But Su Qi had already lightly dabbed the swab onto the wound.

The little fox shuddered violently.

Seeing her condition was still stable, Su Qi carefully guided the swab deeper into the wound.

He felt the surrounding skin tighten, resisting the foreign object.

That was normal.

After all, if someone suddenly touched an open wound, anyone would instinctively recoil.

But Su Qi had anticipated this.

He’d made sure the little fox was securely positioned before starting.

Dipping the swab in more ointment, he slowly worked it in, spreading the medicine evenly around the wound.

Practice makes perfect.

After a few tries, he developed a rhythm—gently moving the swab in and out to ensure full coverage.

"Is this pace okay? Does it hurt?"

Su Qi asked softly.

The little fox nodded rapidly, her ears twitching with each motion.

The process wasn’t overly long, but it wasn’t quick either.

Suddenly, the little fox’s tail shot straight up. "No... no..."

Su Qi immediately stopped. "What’s wrong?"

Her voice was weak. "I just remembered... this ointment’s been sitting for a while..."

Su Qi frowned. "You mean it’s expired? Should we stop?"

The little fox wrapped her tail around Su Qi’s arm, preventing him from continuing. "It’s gone a bit damp... hopefully it still works."

Su Qi disagreed. "If it’s damp, we should stop. No point risking side effects. Health comes first."

"I’ll buy fresh medicine tomorrow."

With that, he flicked the swab clean and set it aside.

The expired ointment didn’t adhere well to the wound.

"Looks like it’s not working right. Let me clean off what we just applied."

The little fox refused. "No. Applying medicine is hard enough. I want to recover quickly. Let’s see if it works first. If there’s a bad reaction, then clean it off. Otherwise, it’s a waste."

Su Qi hesitated but didn’t argue.

The little fox added, "Just put a bandage over it to help the medicine absorb."

Su Qi sighed inwardly. This little fox was quite the taskmaster.

Whoever said foxes repaid kindness was clearly mistaken.

So far, it had been entirely one-sided—Su Qi doing all the giving.

What a raw deal.

He’d have to find a way to balance things out later.

As the little fox got up, Su Qi caught a glimpse of the bandaged wound—a faint, transparent fluid seeping through. The medicine clearly wasn’t as effective as she’d claimed.

A long road ahead indeed.

【Joy +99999】