10th Life

“Hello!? Can you guys help me out here?! I need some help... bad.” She shouted at the two passing figures ahead.

  Covered in blood and injuries, she was barely able to wobble her way towards them. She just got done killing some huge weird squirrel thing that had a taste for human blood and nearly became its meal! It was only thanks to the fact that she found an abandoned sword lying in a bush that she was alive right now. The quality of the sword wasn’t good and it broke in half after she killed the animal but it was better than just using her fists.

  The two figures weren’t the same height. One was much taller than the other which made her wonder if it was a child and an adult coming towards her. Hunters? Hopefully, they would be kind enough to save a girl on the verge of death. Even if she wasn’t all that pretty.

  She soon passed out and the two figures finally caught up to her. The taller man looked down at the girl with a strange gaze in his eyes. The young boy crouched down low and cupped her face with his hand to get a better look at her. A look of disappointment flashed across his face before he looked up at the older gentlemen.

“I would be a laughing stock if I brought her back as my servant, wouldn’t I?” He asked.

“I wouldn’t recommend it, Young Master. We know nothing of her background or how she ended up like this. Plus, a servant with an appearance such as this would only bring trouble.”

“She’s a mortal Liang. How much of a background could she have and isn’t obvious how she ended up like this? Look at those wounds. I also find her appearance interesting. Have you ever seen anyone with skin like this before? She could be a rare talent among mortals.”

“Young Master Kai, I don’t suggest taking this girl in. It might just be a passing whim of yours but who’s to say she even wants to become your servant? What if she has a family or is an ungrateful mortal?”

“Don’t care. She’s my servant now.” Kai placed a small white pellet in the girl’s mouth before picking her up and carrying her over his shoulder with a smile on his face.

“I don’t believe this is wise Young Master Kai...” Liang sighed, knowing that he wouldn’t be able to convince the Young Master otherwise at this point.

“I can already see it now. Her becoming a famous well-known swordsman being able to contend with geniuses and prodigies alike even with her poor background.” Kai continued to smile, dreaming of the future. “And also! If she’s strong enough, she could beat away all those annoying women trying to get close to me because of my family. I’ll say, no woman is worth considering unless she can defeat my servant.” He grinned.

“What if she’s absolutely hopeless in both martial and cultivation affairs?”

“Hmm.” That was something to think about. “I guess she could still serve as my bed warmer. She might not be very attractive but she still has some use in keeping women away from courting me.”

“I don’t see why you’re so against being engaged, Young Master Kai.”

“I’m a man Liang! A young man that still has his entire life ahead of him! Why should I be restrained so early in my life? I demand freedom to live life how I please! A woman will only take that away from me.”

“You’re only 13, Young Master...”

“Exactly! Now how do you think Mother and Father are going to react when I bring this girl back home, declaring her my personal servant?”

“They’ll strongly resist along with everyone else in the clan.”

“Just the words I wanted to hear.” Kai laughed loudly.

“Why do you make it your goal to upset the Master and your mother?”

“Tch, because they’re annoying. They don’t care about me. All they care about is the clan’s interests.” He mocked in his father’s voice at the end.

  Liang understood why the Young Master thought like this. His parents rarely had time to spend with him throughout his childhood. Leaving him to grow mostly on his own. He rejected playing with the other clan children as he thought they were suck-ups. They only wanted to be his friend because of his status in the clan. Not because of the type of person he was. Because of this, it made him somewhat of an outsider in his own clan. It was sad to say but Liang believed he was the only friend the Young Master had.

If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

  This strange girl he picked up in the forest might just be his attempt at gaining a friend with someone who doesn’t know of his background. He was 13 years old this year. Going 13 years with a middle-aged man as your only friend would be quite strange. So, maybe he shouldn’t be too harsh on this girl. She could be the only chance of making the Young Master happy and potentially make him more accepting of others.

…

“Finally awake?” Kai smiled as he looked down on the brown-skinned girl.

“Where am I...?” She asked, still a bit dazed.

“You’re at the magnificent Yingjie Clan!” Kai said with some pride.

“Where?” She had no idea what a Yingjie Clan was. Did people still form clans in this day and age?

“Hah? Do you really not know about the Yingjie Clan?” Kai was confused and surprised at the same time.

“Should I?” She questioned.

“It's not like it's one of the top Clans around or anything. On par with the Huan Clan, Zhai Family, Hong Family, or the Gong Clan.” He responded sarcastically.

“Am I supposed to know what those names are too?” She asked, completely confused about this entire situation. The boy only looked at her as if she was crazy.

“I know mortals don’t know much about the cultivation world but aren’t you too ignorant?” Kai scratched his head.

“Mortal? Are you not mortal or something?” She was getting irritated with his attitude.

“Not since I was a child.” He grinned before creating a ball of electricity in his hand.

  She jumped back from the supernatural act out of shock. Her eyes widened as she looked at the young boy who just created lightning from his fingertips.

“Hehe. Amazing, isn’t it?” He tossed the ball into the air and juggled it.

“How are you... No, wait! How is that even possible! Magic isn’t... But...” Everything about this situation seemed wrong. Nothing made any sense. Humans aren’t supposed to harness the powers of nature at their hands just yet! They haven’t reached that stage in tech---

  She suddenly gripped her head as a massive spike of pain struck her.

“Whoa! Are you okay!? What’s wrong?” Kai tried to help her up.

“I’m... fine...” She lied. “I just have a severe case of amnesia and don’t understand what the hell is going on.” She shared.

“Amnesia?” Kai didn’t know that word.

“Memory loss. I don’t know who I am, where I am, and why I'm even here.”

“Well, I already answered the second question. I can answer that third one too. You’re here because I saved you from dying.”

“Thank you for that...” She adjusted her glasses and looked into his eyes.

“I didn’t save you for a thanks.” He giggled.

“Then why did you save me?” She would like to know.

“To become my servant!” He announced as if it was some huge great deal in becoming his servant.

“No thanks, but I do appreciate your help in saving me from dying.”

“Pfft!” He suddenly burst out laughing. “Do you know how many women would kill to take your spot if I told them that very same thing?” Kai asked.

“What does that have to do with me?” While she appreciated him saving her life, that didn’t mean she was willing to give her life to him.

“I saved your life. That means you are indebted to me for the rest of your life. Get it?” Kai tried to explain simply.

“No. Saving someone’s life doesn’t give you control over their life. In what world does that make sense? Oh hey, I did this one little act, now your entire future belongs to me. Hur dur.” She mocked with a stupid tone.

“You’re not right in the head.” Kai insulted.

“You’re kind of stupid too.” She insulted back.

“Now you’re calling me, stupid? You don’t even know your own name!”

“You say it like that’s some fault of mine. That’s like blaming a blind person for being blind. You see how dumb you sound now?”

“Shut up! You! Ugly girl!”

“I’d rather be ugly than be an idiot any day.”

“Why did I even save you?! You ungrateful woman!”

“I already said thanks for saving me. But you’re seriously messed up in the brain if you expect me to get on my knees, bow my head to you, and give you my life for saving me. Maybe I'll give you a gift or something later when I get myself together but I'm definitely not being your servant.”

“Get yourself together? How could someone like you without any idea of how the world works with an appearance like that get anywhere? The only chance of you making it anywhere is 6 feet under!”

“Maybe if I was a fool like a certain someone else, that would be the case.”

“You know if anyone else was in my place right now, you would’ve been smacked ten times now! You should be grateful that I'm such a kind and forgiving master!”

“Pfft! You seriously think I'm going to be your servant with an attitude like that? How low is your IQ? How would saying something like that make me want to serve you at all? Oh, you should be happy I'm not beating your face in. I know some other people that would and you should be glad I'm not one of them.” She mocked once again.

“Liang!” Kai shouted.

  A white-haired middle-aged man came into the room with a sword on his waist. He was dressed in long robes and had a kind look on his face.

“I’m afraid young lady, that you don’t really have a choice in the matter... If you want a better chance of living.” Liang told her.