On the other side of the clearing, the owner of those fiery red eyes finally gave in to its curiosity. After half an hour of hesitation, it cautiously crawled out from the dense forest.
"A Red Fox?"
Watching the creature inch closer, Yu Zi Yu's mind stirred with interest.
Red Foxes were among the most widespread carnivores across the Northern Hemisphere. Cunning, solitary, and highly alert, they preferred to move under the cover of night and hide in their dens during the day.
For one to appear now—at noon, no less—meant it had been drawn by the commotion Yu Zi Yu caused earlier. Their sense of hearing was exceptionally sharp.
But this one was different.
Its body was larger than normal—over a meter long, significantly bigger than the usual seventy-centimeter adult. And its eyes… they were nothing like an ordinary fox's. They burned like embers, bright and alive, beautiful in an almost mystical way.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Step by careful step, the Red Fox approached, its body taut like a drawn bowstring. Every movement radiated caution, yet something irresistible pulled it forward.
A deadly temptation.
A faint, intoxicating fragrance—Yu Zi Yu's aura—made its blood race uncontrollably.
Driven by instinct, bit by bit, the Red Fox crept toward the unusual Willow Tree. What it failed to notice was the black root quietly snaking beneath the soil in its direction.
Suddenly—
"Kaa!"
A sharp cry tore through the air as the fox leapt upward, reacting on pure instinct.
Yu Zi Yu blinked in surprise.
This fox really is oversized… easily a meter long.Far larger than the half-meter size of a normal one.
But even so, its leap was meaningless.
Kacha!
The ground split open. A thick, arm-sized black root shot upward like lightning.
In the blink of an eye, the root coiled around the Red Fox, binding it tightly despite its desperate, shrill screams.
Faint streaks of blood stained its beautiful red fur.
"It's pretty strong," Yu Zi Yu murmured, a bit impressed—but not worried.
Ordinary beasts—hares, snakes—usually got within ten meters before he impaled them instantly. But this fox was different, so he held back from killing it outright.
If he had used full force, the root—far stronger than any of his branches—would've crushed its bones instantly. It wouldn't even twitch in its final moments.
…
"It really is beautiful."
Yu Zi Yu drew the fox closer beneath his canopy. Through his sharpened visual perception, he clearly saw the fox's eyes—like living rubies, shimmering with a fluid glow.
So beautiful… unreal, almost divine.
He admired them for a moment—and then, unexpectedly, his mind blanked.
His grip loosened.
"Damn it!"
He snapped back to himself instantly.
Sure enough—
The Red Fox, freed for a single heartbeat, collapsed to the ground. With a pained stagger, it tried to retreat.
But it was far too close.
Everything within ten meters… belonged to Yu Zi Yu.
Swish—!
A green branch lashed out. Before the fox could react, another branch swept in, sealing off its escape routes.
If the fox could speak, it would curse the heavens.
Branches pierced the air, cutting off every direction. Despair washed over its face, the faint cries escaping its mouth trembling with hopelessness.
"Ka… Ka…"The sound, normally unpleasant, now carried a strange sadness that tugged at the heart.
BOOM!
A gust of wind slammed forward. White shockwaves rippled to a stop just a foot away from the fox's trembling body.
Stunned, the Red Fox froze on the spot.
A single green branch extended forward from among the many, inching toward it.
Panicked, the fox tried to step back—but the branches behind it blocked even that.
It was trapped. Completely.
Despite its strength and instincts, the fox couldn't muster even a shred of courage to fight back.
Fortunately, it had spiritual intelligence. It understood perfectly: its life was entirely in another's hands.
While the fox trembled, the approaching branch gently rested on its head, brushing through its fur with soft leaves.
"Wow… that's really soft," Yu Zi Yu murmured, pleasantly surprised.
The Red Fox's fur wasn't just visually striking—it felt like touching a thick, warm down jacket.
Watching the fox shiver, wanting to resist but too afraid, Yu Zi Yu chuckled softly.
He had never intended to kill it.
And after seeing its uniqueness up close, the idea of harming it was even more unthinkable.
If it had resisted earlier, he wouldn't have minded beating it half to death and studying it afterward. But now…
For now… let's try taming it.