Chapter Eleven: Subjugation

"So, you're a little foodie after all." A glint of amusement flashed in Jia Ping'an's eyes.

Since the creature was covetous of the spirit spring water, it was easy to handle. Whether human or animal, greed was a weakness, often the very trap that led one into a deep abyss.

Jia Ping'an was no longer in a hurry. He waited within the space, and to prevent any mishaps, he poured a few more drops of diluted spirit spring water onto the ground to heighten the temptation.

As the water soaked into the soil, the little white fox, which had been cautiously approaching, could no longer restrain its desire. It quickened its pace, scurrying forward in a few leaps, only to find itself suddenly snatched by a large hand appearing out of thin air. In the next instant, the little fox vanished from the spot.

Had anyone witnessed this scene, they would surely have been stunned, questioning if their eyes had played a trick on them.

The truth was that Jia Ping'an had made his move and succeeded, bringing the little white fox into his personal space.

Feeling the large hand gripping its back, the little fox was naturally unwilling to surrender and attempted to struggle. But as the scenery before it shifted—the withered branches and mountains replaced by lush greenery, complete with a stream and a house—the creature froze for a fleeting moment.

Yet, after that brief pause, the instinctual realization of danger returned. The fox whipped its head around, snapping its jaws at the large hand clutching its back.

Had they been outside, the attack might well have succeeded. But here, within Jia Ping'an's space, he was the one and only king.

He was the supreme god.

With a mere thought, the little white fox found itself unable to move.

Though nothing could be seen restraining it, it was paralyzed. The little fox didn't understand why this was happening, until a person—a young boy—appeared before it. Trapped by the giant hand, it couldn't resist in the slightest.

"You look quite cute. How about this: become my sister's pet. My sister is very cute too, and she loves small animals, especially ones as adorable as you. Sometimes she can be a bit heavy-handed, but don't worry, with your abilities, you shouldn't get hurt. What do you say?"

After immobilizing the fox with his consciousness, Jia Ping'an smiled and reasoned with it. He didn't know if the fox could understand him, but he had to try. What if it possessed some spiritual intelligence?

The system was truly top-tier!

Within the space, Jia Ping'an was the master of all things. His words reached the fox as if they were in its own tongue; it could actually understand him.

The little fox shook its head repeatedly, squeaking. To Jia Ping'an's surprise, he could understand its meaning as well.

"You disagree? My sister is lovely; you won't lose out by being with her. Besides, if you agree, I can give you the spirit spring water you love so much—yes, the very thing that lured you in."

Like a big bad wolf coaxing a little rabbit, Jia Ping'an moved his right hand and opened his palm, revealing a drop of diluted spirit spring water.

Sure enough, the moment the fox saw the water, its eyes lit up, looking eager to taste it.

"How about it? You like this, don't you? If you agree to my request, you can have this from time to time. How does that sound?" Jia Ping'an found the little fox quite interesting; if he gave it to his sister, she would surely be delighted. He continued his temptation.

The fox certainly loved the taste of the spirit spring water; otherwise, it wouldn't have risked coming here despite sensing danger.

However, no matter how much it liked something, the prospect of trading its freedom made the fox very reluctant.

It didn't want to be a pet, but it couldn't bear to part with the crystal-clear, delicious water. Its eyes darted around, searching for a compromise.

As its gaze swept across the area, the four wild ginseng seedlings in the black soil caught its attention. There were three planted yesterday, currently thriving, and one just harvested today that had yet to change.

The little fox was highly intelligent and quickly recognized what they were. An idea struck it, and it let out a series of squeaks.

"Oh? You're saying you can help me find wild ginseng in exchange for the water?" Jia Ping'an understood, his expression shifting to one of surprise.

The little fox nodded vigorously, its eyes glinting with cunning. It had guessed right; the human boy valued the wild ginseng, a plant the fox knew well. In the deep mountains, such plants were countless, though most were mere seedlings.

And weren't the ones the boy was growing also seedlings? If so, he must need them, and since it craved the spirit spring water, a partnership would be a win-win.

The fox's plan was sound, believing it had found Jia Ping'an's weakness. Yet, it underestimated his ambition—or rather, his dominance.

This space was his greatest secret, revealed only to control the fox. Since it now knew his secret, how could he let it leave? Doing so would risk the exposure of his secret.

Though it was difficult for humans to understand the language of white foxes, one couldn't rule out the existence of eccentric individuals who understood beast-speak. If he let it go and it was captured by someone else who forced the secret out of it, his life would be in danger.

In his previous life, he had trusted others too much and was forced to his death. With that lesson, how could he easily trust anyone again?

He was naturally clever, and life had taught him much. While the fox was smart, it wasn't qualified to be his partner.

"Very well. Since you can find wild ginseng and I need it, why don't you just be my pet? You can search for ginseng specifically, and I won't treat you unfairly. How about that?" Recognizing the fox's value, Jia Ping'an's eyes grew brighter. There was no way he was letting it go.

The little fox was about to agree to the partnership when it suddenly realized: how did it end up becoming a pet?

This wasn't the script it had in mind!

It was supposed to be a collaboration, not servitude. Displeased, the fox shook its head in refusal.

"You dare refuse me?"

Jia Ping'an, who had been all smiles, suddenly changed his expression.

The little fox was unimpressed by the boy's mood swings. Who did he think he was? It belonged to the highly intelligent white fox clan, and with its long lifespan, it was a creature favored by the heavens. It would not be intimidated by a mere human.

The fox showed no fear or retreat. Seeing this, Jia Ping'an let out a cold laugh. "Very well. It seems you don't know my methods. If that's the case, let me show you."

The space was Jia Ping'an's home turf; he could do anything he wanted here. A mere white fox, no matter how clever or agile, was no match for him once inside.

Deciding not to harm the creature since he wanted to use it later, Jia Ping'an chose a method of "stimulation."

It was simple: with a thought, a large amount of spirit spring water appeared, hovering in mid-air, surrounding the little fox. The natural, enticing aroma filled the air, drifting straight into the fox's nose.

"It smells so good."

With so much spirit spring water appearing, the fox was quickly intoxicated. Because it was so covetous, despite its efforts to control itself, drool began to leak from the corner of its mouth.

The fox tried hard not to look at what was happening around it, but its nostrils kept twitching. It looked at Jia Ping'an, who watched with calm assurance, waiting for it to submit.

No! It was a member of the most intelligent fox clan; how could it bow to a human?

Despite this thought, it couldn't control its desires. For a foodie, nothing was more attractive than delicious food. Even with its self-restraint, when the water was everywhere, it couldn't hold back.

It didn't lose consciousness, but it couldn't help but reach out a paw toward a floating drop of the water.

In this space, Jia Ping'an was like a god. Without his permission, no one could touch his things. With a mere thought, the drop of water flew out of reach.

*Squeak!*

The fox let out a sound of dissatisfaction.

"Enough. Don't waste your energy. Do you think you can drink it if I don't agree? You'd better submit to me, and I guarantee you'll have the best food and drink from now on." Jia Ping'an acted like an unreasonable, overbearing landlord, his voice filled with threats and temptation.

The little fox didn't want to yield, but it was a true foodie at heart. Thinking of the delicious flavor of the spirit spring water, it finally bowed to reality and agreed.

It squeaked a few times, signaling its consent, but it insisted on tasting one drop first—to confirm that the flavor matched the scent.