Slave Without A Slave Mark!

[Long Tian's POV]

"Interesting." The thought crept into my mind as I watched the small, bruised white fox lying beneath the towering tree. Its fur was matted with dirt, and it breathed in shallow, ragged puffs, its body trembling every so often. Two tails rested limply behind it, motionless.

I stepped forward. There was no need to hide anymore—her wide, fearful red eyes had already spotted me. The thick underbrush rustled as I moved, drawing her attention fully to me.

Her body stiffened. The fox's ears pinned back, and her eyes darted around frantically, searching for an escape. A tiny, frightened sound escaped her lips as she pushed herself back with trembling paws, but it was clear she didn't have the strength to get far.

"Easy, little one." I kept my voice soft, lowering myself into a crouch to appear less threatening. The corners of my mouth lifted into a gentle smile, trying to put her at ease. Her gaze lingered on me, still uncertain, but the trembling slowed.

I reached into my robe, pulling out a Heaven-grade healing pill. The air immediately filled with the sweet, almost ethereal scent of the medicinal herbs within it. The fox's nose twitched, and her eyes locked onto the pill, the fear in them giving way to cautious curiosity.

Her hesitation only lasted a second before she crawled closer, her movements slow and deliberate, never breaking eye contact. When she finally reached me, her tiny pink tongue flicked out, and she carefully took the pill from my hand, swallowing it without a sound.

A soft glow enveloped her small form, the bruises fading as her strength returned. Her tails twitched, first tentatively, then with more vigor, as if testing the renewed energy flowing through her body. She blinked up at me, her red eyes now shining with relief and, perhaps, gratitude. The next moment, her small head nudged against my hand, and she licked my fingers with a gentle, affectionate motion.

I chuckled softly, my hand brushing over her soft fur. "Where's your home?" I murmured, scratching behind her ears.

Her reaction was immediate. The brightness in her eyes dimmed, and her ears drooped. Her tails, which had been happily swishing behind her, stilled completely. The weight of whatever memory surfaced made her head hang low, and she shifted closer to me, seeking comfort.

'Ah... alone, then.' I thought as the realization settled in. 'No family left.'

My fingers paused in their strokes, but only for a moment. I resumed petting her, slower this time, feeling a strange pull of sympathy tighten in my chest. The more I thought about it, the more I felt like this fox had been brought to me for a reason. I shook my head slightly, an amused smirk threatening to surface. 'Fate's strange like that.'

The little fox looked up at me as her ears perked up slightly. She let out a soft, musical sound, something that almost sounded like a question. I tilted my head at her in response.

Suddenly, she pulled away from me, hopping back a few paces before turning to look at me again. Her eyes held a mixture of excitement and expectation, as if urging me to follow.

"Yip, yip!" she called, the sound light and clear.

I raised an eyebrow, confused. "You want me to come with you?"

Her tails swayed back and forth in response, and she darted a little farther ahead, glancing back to make sure I was following. I narrowed my eyes, suspicious. 'What's this lil fox up to? Could this be a trap? I've read enough to know that foxes in the cultivation world... natural-born actors and have top level seduction skills... every one of 'em.'

[Ding. Host, why not just put a slave mark on the fox?] The system's cold voice broke the silence, direct and emotionless as ever.

I clicked my tongue in annoyance. 'Tsk, Nuh. Not yet.' Something in my gut told me there was more to this fox than meets the eye. My instincts, which had never failed me before, urged me to follow her lead and I trusted that feeling because of my previous experiences.

'Besides, it would be too easy to make her a slave. Wouldn't it be more fun if I slowly make her dependent on me... and make her my slave without actually putting some rubbish slave mark on her, keke?'

Ignoring the system's silence, I laughed creepily as I straightened up, and began following the fox.

###

[Third Person POV]

The little fox led Long Tian through the dense forest, its movements quick and purposeful. Her small paws barely disturbed the fallen leaves, but the pace was relentless, the underbrush blurring past them as they moved deeper into the woods.

After several minutes of walking, they came to a stop before a massive cave. The mouth of the cave loomed in front of them, dark and foreboding, like the maw of some ancient beast. A heavy, oppressive energy seeped from the cave, pressing down on Long Tian's senses like a weight.

His brows furrowed as his muscles screamed while telling him to run.

'Fuck! Isn't this the powerful pressure that I sensed earlier?'

'Is this... maybe the entity that I sensed earlier!!!'

"Yip!" The fox glanced back at him, her voice filled with urgency before she disappeared into the cave's darkness.

For a moment, Long Tian stood at the entrance, weighing his options. The air was thick with energy, but there wasn't even a trace of killing intent which made him a bit confident to enter the cave.

'Fine,' he thought, steeling himself. 'Whatever's in there, I'll deal with it.'

Without further hesitation, he stepped into the darkness, following the fox.

###

[In the center of the cave.]

"Mere mortal... How dare you have the courage to enter this Celestial fox's territory?" As soon as Long Tian entered the central area of the cave, a dangerous, slightly aggressive voice sounded in the cave, echoing a little.

The one who aggressively uttered such words to Long Tian was a large, 27-foot tall, fluffy white fox which glared at Long Tian with its round, crimson blood red eyes.

Without even giving Long Tian the time to reply, the large fox suddenly charged at him, throwing tens of medium, 8-foot tall and round boulders, all aimed at Long Tian.

'Shit! This isn't looking too good for me!!'