Save me!
Please, can someone save me!
I don't want to die…
I want to… live!
"Mm…"
Accompanied by a faint, painful groan, the girl suddenly opened her eyes.
"!!"
But she quickly shut them again under the dazzling sunlight, tears sliding down from the corners of her eyes.
"How do you feel?"
A gentle male voice came from nearby.
A man… wait! A man?
The girl narrowed her eyes. After gradually adjusting to the morning sunlight, she slowly turned toward the direction of the voice.
"Y-you… who are you? And… who… am I?"
Her voice was hoarse, as if her throat were injured. She struggled to articulate each word of her question.
"Uh… did your brain get damaged?"
Arden frowned slightly. Clearly, Yiji's memory had some issues. "This is Yunkui Summit. I'm the one who rescued you from bad people. According to the lab's records, you…"
He briefly explained how he had saved her from the illegal laboratory, as well as her file there—the sole surviving girl of an 'accident.'
"Experiment… Hollow… sisters… ah!!"
As if recalling something, Yiji began struggling on the bed, muttering nonstop, "Dead! Everyone… is dead!"
Arden quickly restrained the emotionally agitated Yiji.
"Calm down. Your injuries are severe—you can't move violently yet."
"Injured? My… my hands?"
Only then did Yiji notice that her limbs had completely lost all sensation. Her arms and legs were filled with dreamlike, multicolored fracture edges.
"You suffered severe ether erosion, and the people in that laboratory treated you as experimental material. They were only barely keeping you alive," Arden explained her current condition.
"So… am I going to die too?"
Yiji seemed to accept reality, but then she struggled again. "No! I don't want to die; I don't want to die… please save me! As long as I can live, I'll do anything!!"
"Anything… you say?"
The corner of Arden's mouth lifted slightly, forming an inexplicable curve. This was exactly the sentence he had been waiting for.
"Yes, yes! I'll do anything! Everything I have—all of it—I'll give it to you! Just let me live!"
Yiji's desire to survive was overwhelming. At this moment, the only thought in her mind was staying alive, and her only hope rested with Arden. Everything else no longer mattered.
"I do have medicine that can save your life…"
Arden wasn't lying.
The [Greater Restoration Pill] from the System Shop—the same one he had taken before—could heal anyone as long as they weren't dead yet.
Although the cost of exchanging it was high, trading it for a girl's life was worth it in Arden's eyes—on the condition that the girl belonged solely to him.
Otherwise, if Yiji recovered and left Yunkui Summit to continue her clone project, Arden would suffer a massive loss.
He never did unprofitable deals.
"Medicine? Give it to me—quickly, give it to me!"
Hearing that there was a way to survive, Yiji became even more agitated.
"Calm down!"
Arden took out a calming talisman and placed it on Yiji's forehead. "This medicine is something I keep to save my own life—it's extremely difficult to refine. Saving you isn't impossible, but I need a price."
"What price?"
Yiji had calmed down considerably.
"I want your body… and your heart. You will obey my every order completely. If I tell you to sit, you can't stand. If I tell you to eat rice, you can't eat noodles. If I tell you to run outside naked, you can't wear clothes. Do you understand?"
Although Yiji looked pitiful now, she was still a yandere at heart. Arden needed absolute precautions, and the first step was establishing their relationship and hierarchy.
"….."
The faint coolness from her forehead stabilized Yiji's emotions, but also made her hesitate.
She didn't know what kind of person Arden truly was. If he were a pervert, agreeing rashly might make the rest of her life worse than death.
"What, unwilling?"
Arden urged her to decide quickly. "If you're unwilling, forget it. I can prepare a coffin for you for free—"
"Wait! I'm willing, I'll do anything!"
In the end, Yiji's desire to survive overcame her worries about the future.
At the very least, she needed to live first. Besides, Arden didn't seem like a bad person.
"Very good!"
Arden nodded in satisfaction, then exchanged for the Great Restoration Pill from the system shop and fed it to Yiji.
…..
"Mm…"
Yiji's body twisted restlessly.
She could feel her damaged body rapidly recovering after swallowing the pill, but the accompanying numb, itchy sensation was difficult to endure.
"Don't move around. Just endure it for a bit," Arden instructed.
"Mm."
Fortunately, the sensation didn't last long. Once everything passed, Yiji felt that she could move again.
Huff…
Yiji lifted the blanket, wanting to sit up from the bed—but the next moment, she shrank back under it.
It wasn't that something was wrong with her body; she realized she wasn't wearing anything at all—not even underwear.
Even though she was a clone born for combat, she was still a girl—and girls could feel shy.
"Thank you for saving me!"
Yiji's voice carried a hint of softness.
"Mm? What did you just call me?"
Arden raised an eyebrow, slightly displeased.
"C-call you… M-Master?"
Recalling the condition, she had agreed to earlier, a blush crept onto Yiji's delicate face.
From now on… do I belong to the man in front of me? At least he looks like a normal person.
She couldn't help but feel worried about her future fate.
"Uh… just call me Brother Arden or Brother Xu."
The title "Master" sounded nice, but it was fine if only he heard it. If she called him that in front of Ju Fufu or Yixuan, he'd never hear the end of it.
"Okay, Brother Arden?" Yiji obediently changed how she addressed him.
"Right. Oh, I haven't formally introduced myself yet. I'm the second disciple under Sect Master Yixuan of Yunkui Summit—Arden. And you, what's your name?"
Although Arden already knew her name and they had established a master–servant relationship, they hadn't formally introduced themselves on the surface.
"Twiggy!"
"Twiggy, huh… From now on, your name will be Yiji. Do you understand?"
According to Arden's plans, she would continue to exist under the identity of 'Yixuan's relative.' A name change was necessary—it symbolized bidding farewell to the past and welcoming a brand-new future.
"Yiji? I understand!"
Yiji nodded obediently.
"Good. Very good!"
At the moment, Yiji seemed extremely compliant, showing no signs of yandere tendencies. Arden was very satisfied.