“Upper… upper body first.”
Although the only real difference was the order, Bai Tang still hesitated for quite a while before deciding to start with the less stimulating part and work her way up.
The witch nodded in understanding.
To avoid the awkwardness, Bai Tang chose to close her eyes before the medicine was applied. Immediately after, she clearly felt a small, cool hand coated in ointment land on her collarbone.
She remembered—that was the wound closest to her throat.
A ghoul had seized the moment when her revolver ran out of bullets and pounced on her like a wild dog relying on hunting instinct, its black, sharp claws slashing straight toward her throat.
If she hadn’t stepped back at the last second and barely dodged the attack, she would have lost her life right then.
Even so, her collarbone had still been disfigured.
Three diagonal claw marks stretched downward from her collarbone, nearly reaching her small white mounds.
“It might feel a bit strange. Try to bear with it.”
For some reason, Claire repeated the warning.
Claire’s ointment-covered fingers touched the skin at Bai Tang’s collarbone and showed no intention of stopping, continuing to spread downward.
Not only did she need to cover the wounds themselves, but she also had to thoroughly apply it to the surrounding areas to prevent toxin spread and bacterial infection.
From the collarbone up to the jade-like neck, across the upper chest, and even into the underarms, the small hand slithered across her skin like a snake, not missing a single spot.
Moreover, although called an ointment, the transparent substance applied to Bai Tang’s body was far more viscous and slippery than the girl had imagined.
It slid down from her collarbone, through the valley between her breasts, all the way to her navel—like water-mixed slime, making one’s imagination run wild.
“Mmm… it’s a bit numb.”
The ointment began to take effect. It felt like an electric current had been connected; every place the medicine touched became the perfect conductor, continuously stimulating the girl’s delicate skin.
“That’s normal.”
Claire scooped more ointment from the bowl with her fingers and said calmly:
“At least I need to take a look to see if the toxin has spread any deeper.”
Hearing this, Bai Tang opened her eyes and immediately noticed that the witch teacher’s gaze was fixed directly on her chest.
Although it was embarrassing, Bai Tang knew her witch teacher would never have any intention of taking advantage of her. What she said was truly out of concern for her safety.
Making a fuss at a time like this would be the truly irrational thing to do.
“Thank you, Teacher…”
Receiving the response, Claire reached out and slowly pushed up the fabric until the full view was exposed.
“Mm, the color still looks very healthy. There’s no sign of toxin spreading.”
Claire nodded, seemingly relieved, and added in a serious tone:
“Normally, a healthy peach-pink color indicates a normal, healthy state. A dark purple color would mean the toxin has spread…”
“I got it, Teacher! You… can continue…”
She must be talking about the color of the skin, right?! Right?!
Her cheeks burned like a red-hot iron. Bai Tang felt as if steam was about to rise from the top of her head. She had never wanted to crawl into a hole as badly as she did at this moment.
Don’t give me that kind of common knowledge!
“Alright then.” Claire pouted.
She had wanted to explain the judgment criteria in more detail to put the girl at ease. After all, the chest was the area closest to the heart. If the toxin spread into the heart, it would become a real problem.
But since she didn’t want to hear it, then never mind.
Claire pulled the girl’s thin undergarment down.
“You have wounds on your back too. Shift a little.”
Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Bai Tang obeyed and moved as instructed. When Claire saw the wounds on the girl’s back, even she couldn’t help but pause in her breathing.
Compared to the front, where her arms could somewhat block incoming attacks, the defenseless back had suffered truly horrific damage.
It was densely covered with wounds, enough to imagine how brutal the situation had been.
Claire said nothing more and continued applying the transparent, viscous ointment to the wounds. She watched as the ointment, almost like a living slime, seeped into the injuries. Under the medicine’s effect, it slowly purified the blackened, rotting flesh.
Fresh, tender pink new flesh slowly knit the wounds together.
“Teacher, this part feels itchy now,” Bai Tang remembered to report her sensation.
“Mm, the medicine contains ingredients that promote flesh regeneration. That’s normal,” Claire replied.
After finishing the back, it was time for the lower body.
Perhaps because she thought Bai Tang had more or less gotten used to the strange sensation of the ointment, the process afterward went much faster.
…At least she was still wearing shoes, so her little snow cakes were spared.
The wounds on the lower body were mainly concentrated from the ankles up to the upper thighs.
After applying it back and forth a couple of times, that part was done.
Next came the final main event—the most severely injured pair of arms.
Bai Tang watched helplessly as her witch teacher poured all the remaining ointment from the bowl onto her arms, then wrapped both arms completely with bandages.
Only this time, Bai Tang felt nothing at all.
“In about half an hour, once the nerve-blocking toxin is completely cleared, you’ll be able to move your hands again. But for a full recovery, you’ll need to wait at least two days.”
Claire instructed:
“We won’t open for business these two days. Remember, do not let your hands touch any water—absolutely no water at all!”
“Understood, Teacher,” Bai Tang nodded.
She valued her life greatly. She would just stay away from water for these two days. Was it really necessary to repeat it so many times?
She only hoped that once her injuries healed completely, they wouldn’t leave scars. After all, the saying “scars are the best medals” only applied to boys.
Now that she was a girl, scars would be called disfigurement.
“You’ll sleep here these two days. Your original room doesn’t have good airflow and isn’t suitable for recovery.”
With that, Claire stood up and prepared to leave the room.
“By the way, once your hands can move, you can put your clothes on yourself.”
Watching the witch teacher’s back as she left, the room was left with only the girl alone. Recalling everything that had just happened, Bai Tang still felt like she was dreaming.
Ever since she had returned, compared to before, her witch teacher’s attitude toward her had undergone nothing short of a 180-degree change.
If it were before, Bai Tang was certain that even if she died right in front of the witch teacher and was eaten alive by bizarre creatures, the other party probably wouldn’t even blink.
But now, while it might not yet count as care, Bai Tang could clearly feel that her witch teacher no longer wanted her to die so easily.
All of this seemed to stem from…
Having gained… the teacher’s recognition?
Perhaps this was true recognition from a teacher toward her student, Bai Tang.