Chapter 822: A Fox’s Plea and the Wolf Valley’s Remedy

Since Xia Qing had already let Hu Zifeng’s Squad know in advance, the Alpha, Crippled Wolf, Er, and other regular visitors from the Northern Wolf Pack could cross Hill Forty-Nine into Section Three without having to inform her—just let them in.

But something was off this time. Even though the wolves were familiar faces, there was a red fox tagging along with them, and Xiao Jiang had never seen it before. Deciding this was worth reporting, he let Xia Qing know.

If Xiao Jiang hadn’t seen that fox before, it was probably from the family Xia Qing had met in the bamboo grove. “Let them through.”

“Roger that.” Xiao Jiang hung up and sat beside Little Five, both of them watching the screen as the wolves and foxes filled the feed. “Little Five, check out that fox cub. Doesn’t look too good, does it?”

Inside Section Three, Xia Qing had already started preparing some medicine.

After Crippled Wolf had gone back and forth through the Section Three Northern Gate a dozen times, he finally spotted Xia Qing jogging over at a snail’s pace and led her into Wolf Valley. Flathead had disappeared to who knows where—he’d mock-fought Old Goat daily at the north gate, but nothing in the world scared him except the thought of an Evolved Wolf dragging him away from home and tossing him into this place.

Inside Wolf Valley, along with the imposing Alpha, the bouncy Lame Wolf, and the ever-serious Black Wolf, were the two foxes Xia Qing had saved from between some rocks a few days back—the father and his cub.

As soon as Xia Qing appeared, the larger fox’s first instinct was to snatch up its cub and dash. Foxes are clever, but their intelligence shines through in their wariness, stealth, and knack for running away.

They’re small, weak, no match for humans—surviving means running. Unless cornered or provoked, these creatures rarely cause trouble for people.

Even before Alpha could give the order, Black Wolf blocked the fox’s escape path. Lame Wolf galloped up to Xia Qing, nudging her to play. Only after Xia Qing fed him a strip of jerky did Lame Wolf wander off to gnaw at his prize.

Standing at the edge of the valley, Xia Qing pointed at the two foxes by the den’s entrance and called up to Alpha, who was perched high on the rocks. “Is Her Majesty asking me to heal this little fox?”

Last time she rescued the cub, Xia Qing noticed some Evolved Ants on its fur. The adult foxes had been a nervous wreck, but once she pried open that massive rock, they’d scooped the cub up and bolted.

Seeing the cub here meant the wolves and foxes must’ve killed or driven off the Evolved Ants, but they couldn’t heal the cub’s wounds. That’s why Alpha brought them to their ‘team medic’—Xia Qing.

How did Xia Qing know the Evolved Ants were definitely gone? Because the ones in the bamboo grove were fierce. If they hadn’t gotten rid of them, that cub would’ve been tormented to death long ago.

Alpha gazed down at Xia Qing. He didn’t speak, but she could read his intent clearly. Xia Qing wasted no time—she whipped out a printout and showed it to Alpha: “I can heal the little fox, but I’ll need you to trade me these herbs. What do you think, Your Majesty?”

Alpha didn’t move, but Crippled Wolf padded over and leaned to the side, giving Xia Qing permission to dig through his pouch.

With high hopes, she rifled through and pulled out two small, pitch-black walnuts, then—finally—a pigeon-egg-sized Yi Stone. Xia Qing’s grin nearly split her face. “Perfect! Yi Stone works for the exchange too! Thanks to Her Majesty and Handsome Wolf for these walnuts. I promise I’ll heal this little fox well.”

After pocketing the Yi Stone and the blackened, kernel-less walnuts, Xia Qing popped open her medical kit. She looked to Crippled Wolf and said, “Crippled, bring that little fox over here.”

When Crippled Wolf went to grab the cub, the adult fox shrank back against the rock wall, growling low and mournful. Lame Wolf, who’d been busy poking at a frog, bounded over and—with Black Wolf and Crippled Wolf—blocked the adult’s escape, baring sharp white fangs.

The big fox curled up, trembling. The squirming, whimpering cub was carried over and placed right in front of Xia Qing.

“I’ll take him in for treatment. Be right out.” Xia Qing picked up the little fox, carried it into the den, took off her night vision goggles, slid on a headlamp, and began examining the wounds.

She couldn’t do this out in the open—the lights would bring the Patrol Team and swarms of photophilic bugs, which would be a nightmare to deal with during treatment.

Holding the shaking, whimpering fox cub still, Xia Qing extracted the pus from its angry, swollen wounds and ran a quick test. Once she’d confirmed the toxin type, she selected the right medicine and treated over a dozen injuries. Last, she gave the cub both anti-inflammatory and antiparasitic pills.

With a Yi Stone as her fee, Xia Qing treated this little VIP client with infinite patience. No matter how much the cub whimpered or clawed at her snakeskin gloves, Xia Qing didn’t get annoyed one bit.

Once she’d finished, Xia Qing set the little guy on the ground. The adult fox rushed over, snatched it up, and took off like a shot.

Now that the Yi Stone was hers, Xia Qing was determined to see the job through. She wanted the wolf pack to know she took their payment seriously. “Your Majesty, the cub will need another dose of medicine around this time tomorrow.”

Alpha didn’t respond. Only when a human patrol truck rolled by the Northern Barrier did he leap over two iron mesh walls to land inside Section Three.

Crippled Wolf, Lame Wolf, and Black Wolf followed right after, clearing the fences with ease. Xia Qing, meanwhile, obediently entered through the main gate.

One girl, one Evolved Sheep, and five wolves—the medicinal bath would really work its magic tonight. After getting home, Xia Qing let Crippled Wolf continue watching a primate documentary on her laptop, as requested. She then headed up to the bathroom on the second floor for her own medicinal soak.

When that familiar prickling pain, like a thousand needles, hit her all over, Xia Qing actually felt a crazy kind of satisfaction. She’d been waiting a long time for a day like this.

But delight soon gave way to endurance. Immersed up to her neck in the tub, Xia Qing shook from the pain. Rings of ripples spread across the calm water. Thanks to improved lung capacity, she stayed under for a full hour, only breaking the surface five times to breathe.

She was quite pleased with herself. Yan Long, though, couldn’t have been less impressed.

When the alarm rang, Xia Qing used trembling hands to open the drain. Once the medicinal water flowed through the soft hose down to the big bath barrel on the first floor, she rinsed off the residue with warm Pure Spring Water, finally climbing out and shakily putting on her clothes.

As she opened the bathroom door, she found Er waiting outside. Xia Qing’s heart melted. “Er, I’m fine, really. This year’s medicine’s way stronger than last year’s. If you start feeling uncomfortable, tell me and I’ll get you out of the bath.”

Holding back the pain as she headed downstairs, Xia Qing discovered that Old Goat and Alpha were already soaking in the big bath barrel in the first-floor bathroom. The room was warm enough without heating, and the animals seemed perfectly content.

With Alpha keeping the peace, Old Goat behaved himself for once, making Xia Qing’s job easier. She sat on a small folding stool by the bath barrel, barely managing to keep awake as she used a ladle to douse Alpha and Old Goat’s heads. Especially Old Goat—his spiral horns were his prized weapons, but also the most battered part of his body.

After a while, Xia Qing was exhausted. She leaned against the barrel, drifting off without noticing Crippled Wolf in the living room, cackling over videos of pale-faced monk monkeys on her laptop.

Er Gou licked Xia Qing’s hair, then sat down beside her to stand guard.