Aoshima in Another World

"Beep, beep, beep..."

"Beep, beep, beep..."

Yan Qingshan was awakened by the alarm, but the moment he opened his eyes, he immediately sensed that something was wrong. Pain—excruciating pain all over his body. The worst was his left shoulder; even the slightest movement brought bone-deep agony.

"Intelligent Brain Dawn is at your service..."

In his groggy state, Yan Qingshan heard a familiar yet strangely unfamiliar electronic voice in his mind. Before he could fully wake up, he fell unconscious again. His mind turned upside down as countless streams of information collided and intertwined.

"Dou Qi... Northwestern Continent... Jia Ma Empire... Magical Beast Mountain Range... Qingshan Town... Myriad Medicine Hall... herb-gathering team... mercenary group... Hiss~~~"

When Yan Qingshan woke again, his head was still spinning. He barely managed to sit up and lean against the wall, but the movement made him bare his teeth and hiss in pain. His left shoulder was throbbing unbearably.

Countless fragments of memory churned through his mind. Recalling that dangerous experience, he subconsciously reached up to touch the shoulder near the left side of his neck. Though it had already been wrapped in bandages, he could still faintly feel the wound's terrifying severity beneath the white gauze.

He opened his eyes and looked around. An unfamiliar environment, unfamiliar place names, and all those things that were both familiar and strange in his memories clearly told him one thing: he had transmigrated, arriving in a world that should have existed only in a novel—the Dou Qi Continent.

This was a world of Dou Qi. There was no flashy, dazzling magic here; there was only Dou Qi, cultivated to its very peak!

Yan Qingshan, a medical apprentice at Myriad Medicine Hall in Qingshan Town, Magical Beast Mountain Range, Jia Ma Empire, Northwestern Continent, possessed five stages of Dou Qi.

That was his current identity. He was not the descendant of some great clan, nor did he possess the bloodline of extraordinary ancestors. He was merely a descendant of a mercenary family at the very bottom of the Dou Qi Continent.

His parents were both dead, which was rather like the standard opening for certain novel protagonists, but there was no blood feud to avenge. It could only be said that life was never easy for the weak.

"Dawn, scan my physical condition!"

After shaking his muddled head, Yan Qingshan reconstructed his worldview and barely accepted his circumstances. Though he had no idea why the thing in his head had followed him here, he instinctively began using his intelligent brain at once.

Intelligent Brain Dawn was a groundbreaking creation from Blue Star in the modern era. Every modern person possessed one, and it could serve in place of identification while helping people adapt to the faster pace of modern life.

It was an epoch-making invention that ushered human society into a new age, an age of greater efficiency.

Recording, storage, analysis... assistance with work. With Dawn's formidable computational power, humans could undertake work of greater intensity and precision.

Centered on its human host, Dawn could completely record everything perceived in the surroundings, including sounds, images, scents, and even genetic-level data for analysis.

As a groundbreaking creation, it was not something like a supercomputer. Or rather, it had no physical form. Calling it a high-tech product was less accurate than calling it a program or a stream of information.

Using an external source of information, scientists had edited and integrated an entirely new "program" into the human brain, giving each person an auxiliary intelligent brain called "Dawn."

Dawn was unquestionably a century-defining invention. The initiative that promoted it had been named the Dawn Project, symbolizing hope—the hope of stepping into a new era. It was even said to have some mysterious connection to the legendary forbidden domain of God, the realm of the soul.

Yan Qingshan had once thought such claims were nothing more than rumors, but now it seemed that they might not have been wild speculation after all.

"Cough, cough..."

Yan Qingshan leaned weakly against the headboard and shook his heavy head. He needed some peace and quiet. He needed time to properly process what had happened to him.

"Beep! Beep! Beep!"

The electronic tone echoed through his mind, though there was no sound in the room. This illusion-like sensation was extremely unpleasant. It was a warning signal that only appeared when Intelligent Brain Dawn, connected to his soul, was operating at a certain capacity; under normal circumstances, this never happened.

Dawn's operating speed was nearing its critical threshold, making his head feel hot and painful. Countless streams of information raced chaotically through his mind, giving him a taste of what those photographic-memory prodigies from his previous life must have felt—an agony much like hyperthymesia.

"Your limbs have sustained minor injuries. Your left shoulder is severely damaged, and your clavicle is fractured. Take high-grade Blood-Nourishing Healing Powder; estimated recovery time: 172 hours..."

"A three-dimensional model appeared in his mind. The numerical streams that poured forth like a waterfall eventually formed detailed data."

"Best recovery plan under current conditions: Jade Root Flower, Withered Bone Grass, Yellow Lotus Essence, Heavenly Star Vine..."

"I never thought something like this would happen to me. Transmigration, huh? Still, I got lucky—I'm a medical apprentice!"

Yan Qingshan's body still ached faintly as he breathed slowly, but after calming himself, he relaxed considerably. Having a plan to speed up his recovery was the best news he could have hoped for.

A medical apprentice at Myriad Medicine Hall in Qingshan Town might be insignificant to the powerful figures of the continent, but it was truly a good identity for him. At the very least, it was better than being an ordinary mercenary or a member of some minor family.

Dawn operated based on a database, and that database relied on materials and knowledge to form a complete system. His identity as a medical apprentice gave Yan Qingshan a deep understanding of basic medicinal ingredients. This knowledge was the most precious thing he possessed.

The plan Dawn had provided was the best one after analyzing his current circumstances.

Jade Root Flower, Withered Bone Grass, Yellow Lotus Essence, and the like could all be found at Myriad Medicine Hall. They were not precious herbs, and he could acquire them easily. This was the best plan available to him at present.

"Now that I have a treatment plan, all I need are the ingredients. Luckily, this body still has the status of a medical apprentice and receives a monthly quota of medicinal herbs. That makes things much easier."

Yan Qingshan struggled to sit up. Myriad Medicine Hall's powdered medicine was quite effective; he should have no trouble walking with a crutch now.

"This is... Yellow Lotus Essence!"

Just as he was about to rise, Yan Qingshan noticed that he was still holding something. It was a pale yellow medicinal herb resembling polygonatum. At the same time, several memories flashed rapidly through his mind.

"Something's wrong. Could it be..."

Yan Qingshan had just been rejoicing over the reduced cost of treating his injuries. Though Yellow Lotus Essence was merely a low-grade medicinal ingredient, it could sell for over a hundred gold coins at a medicine shop, making it rather valuable. Yet as he looked at this piece of Yellow Lotus Essence, he instinctively felt that something was off.

Carefully, he lightly scratched its surface with his fingernail. As a small portion of the yellowish outer layer peeled back, a trace of blood-red color was revealed beneath it.

"This is... Blood Lotus Essence!!!"

Yan Qingshan stared at that nearly imperceptible patch of crimson, hurriedly bringing it to his nose for a sniff. A peculiar scent with a hint of blood filled his nostrils. The moment he smelled it, he felt more alert, and a glimmer of excitement appeared deep in his eyes.

"Hahaha, Blood Lotus Essence! It's actually Blood Lotus Essence! Now I can recover from my injuries ahead of time."

Yan Qingshan could not help but feel elated. The plan Dawn had provided was the best under his current conditions, and the information it supplied only concerned things he already possessed or could easily obtain. Items he did not have, or those that were rare and precious, would automatically be filtered out and ignored.

Yan Qingshan had not possessed Blood Lotus Essence before, so the original plan naturally did not account for it. But now that it had appeared in his hand and could be confirmed for use, a new plan would naturally be generated, giving him a better option.

Blood Lotus Essence was an exceptionally rare high-grade medicinal ingredient. It generally grew alongside Yellow Lotus Essence, but its numbers were exceedingly scarce.

The two were almost identical in appearance, yet their value and effects were worlds apart. Yellow Lotus Essence was only an ordinary low-grade medicinal ingredient, while Blood Lotus Essence was a rare and precious high-grade one. Its deceptive appearance made it extremely difficult to identify, so it was scarcely seen on the market.

The Yellow Lotus Essence Yan Qingshan had planned to obtain could nourish his blood and help wounds scab over and heal quickly, but its effects were insignificant compared to Blood Lotus Essence. With this piece of Blood Lotus Essence, Yan Qingshan could recover quickly without leaving behind any hidden injuries. He would not need to spend more than seven days, over 170 hours, recuperating.

"Big Brother Qingshan, why are you getting up by yourself!"

Yan Qingshan struggled to rise from the bed when a familiar female voice called out behind him. He looked up to see a delicate face that felt familiar yet somewhat strange.

"Xiao Yi Xian!"

Yan Qingshan spoke tentatively. The girl before him was only eleven or twelve years old, dressed in a pale white gown. Though she was not breathtakingly beautiful, she could still be considered a rare beauty.

Her gently smiling face exuded a fresh and ethereal air. That distinct temperament immediately lent her a unique charm.

The girl was still young, and her figure had not fully developed, but her graceful contours had already begun to show. In particular, her willow-slim waist, tightly bound by an emerald-green sash and slender enough to fit in one hand, made one's gaze linger. Her frailty and delicacy stirred an instinctive desire to cherish and protect her.

This girl was an orphan adopted by Boss Yao of Myriad Medicine Hall. She was also a medical apprentice there, and her name was Xiao Yi Xian—a beautiful name.

"Big Brother Qingshan, where are you planning to go!"

Seeing that Yan Qingshan seemed to be preparing to leave, Xiao Yi Xian hurried to his side and carefully extended her jade-like hands to support his arm, preventing him from falling.

Yan Qingshan quickly withdrew his somewhat heated gaze. Beauty was all well and good, but healing his injuries was more important right now. "I'm going to the medicine hall. Could I trouble you to help me?"

"Boss Yao said that in your condition, you need to rest properly. It would be best if you moved around less..."

Xiao Yi Xian did not refuse, but as she helped him along, she could not help trying to persuade him. She had no other intentions; she was simply worried about his injuries.

The medicine hall of Myriad Medicine Hall was not far from Yan Qingshan's quarters, yet the short journey felt unbearably long to him. The image of the girl beside him was deeply imprinted in both his eyes and his mind.

"We're here, Big Brother Qingshan. Take this crutch. I still have other things to do!"

After helping Yan Qingshan to the medicine hall, Xiao Yi Xian took a crutch from nearby and handed it to him. With a radiant smile, she turned and left to help in the front hall.

Yan Qingshan watched her retreating figure and smiled unconsciously. Such a beautiful, adorable girl, like a little spirit, truly made one reluctant to harm her. No wonder so many mercenaries in the original story liked her.