Neil, Dr. Black, Magic…
“Brother… today… I fought…”
In his dazed state, Jian Yi heard voices, accompanied by waves of dull pain throbbing in his head.
“Brother, Dick and the others mocked me for being a child without parents, so I fought back hard today. Aunt Linda baked rye bread with berries today—it was incredibly delicious!”
Neil’s incessant chatter, combined with the headache, irritated Jian Yi to no end.
He struggled to open his eyes and vaguely saw a thin, small figure sitting by the bed.
“Brother, you must try it when you wake up. Brother, when will you wake up?”
Neil’s voice gradually grew despondent.
“Shut up.”
Jian Yi forced out the words, feeling as though he had swallowed a burning coal. His dry throat made him uncomfortable.
He distinctly remembered dying in a horde of zombies during the apocalypse—so how could he still make a sound?
When darkness had descended, it felt like he was drowning in the sea, unable to breathe.
A faint green glow flickered above him, and he desperately swam toward that light before losing consciousness. The next thing he knew, he was here.
Neil stared at Jian Yi on the bed in astonishment, as if seeing him for the first time, before large tears began streaming down his cheeks.
“Brother? Brother, you’re finally awake! You’ve been lying in bed for a month.”
“Water.” Jian Yi rasped.
Neil immediately poured a cup of warm water and, supporting Jian Yi’s head, carefully helped him drink. His throat finally felt a little better.
“Brother, rest for a while. I’ll get you something to eat.”
Neil gently laid him back down and hurried out of the room with pattering footsteps.
As dusk approached, warm light streamed through the window, illuminating the somewhat shabby room. The sound of a fire crackled outside.
Jian Yi warily observed the medieval-style surroundings.
There were no familiar modern appliances, nor any electric lights.
The room contained only a table, a few wooden stools, and two large wooden chests.
On the wooden table sat a crudely made clay pot and two matching cups, while a half-used candle stood crookedly in a nearby candlestick.
This was not a wealthy household.
Jian Yi was certain he had never been here in his over thirty years of life, nor did he recognize that dark, skinny boy.
He struggled to prop himself up, but his body refused to obey.
What had happened?
Staring blankly at his own body, he noticed there were no calluses on his palms from countless battles, his hands were clean and unblemished without a single scar, and his arms bore no gruesome marks.
A cold sweat broke out on his back.
This didn’t seem to be his body!
Yet, he seemed to possess his own consciousness…
The answer was on the tip of his tongue. Jian Yi forced himself to stay calm.
Having lived through the apocalypse, possessed abilities, and witnessed all sorts of unimaginable events, something like soul transmigration didn’t seem like such a big deal.
“Brother, are you still awake?”
Jian Yi looked at Neil, who was carefully approaching the bedside with a bowl of mixed-grain porridge.
“Brother, let me feed you.”
Still unsure of the situation, Jian Yi didn’t want to interact with any strangers.
He refused Neil’s offer and slowly scooped the porridge into his mouth himself.
Neil watched Jian Yi eagerly.
It was good that he could eat. Many elderly people in the village fell ill, couldn’t eat, and eventually wasted away until they died.
Their parents had passed away unexpectedly six months ago, leaving Neil with only his older brother as family. If his brother remained unconscious, Neil truly didn’t know what he would do.
“Brother, does your head still hurt?”
“Brother, I’ll visit Dr. Black tomorrow to have him treat you again.”
Neil kept talking to himself, whether Jian Yi responded or not didn’t matter to him.
“Brother, would you like to eat a bit more?”
Jian Yi shook his head, and Neil took the bowl to the outer room.
The sun had set, leaving the room in deep gloom where only the outlines of objects were barely visible.
Neil lit a candle, tidied himself up briefly, removed his shoes and climbed onto the bed, wrapping himself tightly in the blanket.
Jian Yi wanted to refuse sharing the bed, but seeing how happy Neil looked, he couldn’t bring himself to say it.
“Brother, when your wound got infected and you developed a high fever, Dr. Black said you might not make it. I was terrified.”
Neil let out a soft sigh and continued speaking.
“Later, I found a wood element stone in mother’s small box that finally brought your fever down.”
“Your wound hadn’t been healing well, but after that fever, it finally started showing signs of recovery. Yet you remained unconscious – everyone said you’d suffered brain damage and might never wake up.”
Neil gazed deeply at Jian Yi as if he might disappear if he looked away for even a moment.
Jian Yi spoke stiffly, still not fully accustomed to this role.
“I’m feeling quite well now, don’t worry.”
“Mhm!”
“Brother, you will get better, right? You definitely will get better!”
Neil answered his own question, yawned, and began recounting all sorts of things that had happened during the month Jian Yi was unconscious.
Moths circled and danced around the candle flame, casting flickering shadows on the walls as his voice gradually softened, eventually turning into light snores.
Jian Yi looked through the window at two moons hanging high in the night sky. In the distance, shadowy tree branches swayed while some animal howled softly.
This truly was a vibrant world…
No zombies, no mutated plants.
Sleeping beside a stranger, Jian Yi had prepared himself for a sleepless night.
But the rustling of wind through branches sounded like a lullaby, and combined with physical exhaustion and dizziness, he gradually fell into deep sleep.
When he woke again, the sun was already high, and Neil had disappeared somewhere.
The blanket Neil had used was neatly folded, and the room appeared to have been tidied up.
He’s a child with good living habits, Jian Yi thought, squinting at the sky – thankfully, only one sun hung there now.
Outside was a courtyard surrounded by low stone walls, beyond which lay vast open ground and an extremely tall tree. Birds chirped incessantly outside the window.
Footsteps approached, and Jian Yi’s gaze instantly sharpened as he stared at the door.
“Brother! I’ve brought Dr. Black back!”
Neil rushed into the room carrying a large case, setting it down with a thud on the wooden table. A middle-aged man in a white shirt followed him inside.
Jian Yi observed him discreetly while Black similarly assessed Jian Yi’s condition.
“Dr. Black, my brother’s head still seems to hurt a bit.”
Neil poured a glass of water for Dr. Black, then dutifully stood by Jian Yi’s bedside to help him sit up halfway, thoughtfully placing a pillow behind his back.
Dr. Black sat on a wooden stool and took a sip of water.
“Lai Yi, congratulations on regaining consciousness. Last time I visited, little Neil was crying so hard he looked like a messy kitten.”
Dr. Black teased Neil, who glared back at him, making the doctor shrug.
Only then did Jian Yi learn the original body owner’s name. Since he had inherited this body, it seemed he should also inherit the name “Lai Yi”.
“Lai Yi, could you describe what kind of pain you’re feeling?”
“Some dizziness, and a dull ache.”
“I see.”
Dr. Black nodded, walked to the bedside, and raised his hand to press against Lai Yi’s forehead.
Lai Yi frowned and tried to avoid the touch, but a warm sensation emanated from Dr. Black’s palm. The dizziness in his brain eased, and the dull ache that had persisted since he woke up yesterday disappeared completely.
A healing ability?!
Lai Yi found this strange, but judging from Neil’s calm expression, abilities seemed to exist in this world too.
What kind of place had he come to?
“All done,” Dr. Black lowered his right hand, a faint glow briefly visible.
“Feeling better?” Dr. Black smiled at Lai Yi.
“Much better.”
“Your head sustained serious injuries. Fortunately, you woke up successfully, though there might be some aftereffects.” Dr. Black pointed to his own head.
“Currently, you’ve mostly recovered. Make sure to get plenty of rest going forward. I’ll leave you some potions to relieve the dizziness – take them until they’re finished.”
Dr. Black opened his wooden case, which contained various bottles and jars of different colors. After rummaging through it for a moment, he pulled out two potion bottles.
“Twice daily, one spoonful each time.”
Neil treasured the medicine, tucking it carefully into his clothes while nodding vigorously. Then he pulled a small pouch from his pants pocket, poured its contents into his palm, selected several shiny silver coins from among more than ten brownish-yellow coins, and handed them to Dr. Black.
“Wishing you a speedy recovery!”
Dr. Black accepted the silver coins, his smile becoming more genuine.
Neil saw Dr. Black out, returning after a while with a spoon. He handed the potion to Lai Yi for him to take.
While accepting the medicine, Lai Yi subtly tried to gather information.
“What does Dr. Black use for treatment? I felt much better just from him touching my forehead.”
“Brother, are you talking about magic?”
Magic…
At the mention of magic, Neil’s eyes began to sparkle, finally showing the innocence appropriate for a child.
“The village doctor couldn’t cure your illness. That night your fever was so severe, I begged Uncle Hagrid to take me to town to find a doctor. Uncle Hagrid brought Dr. Black back with him.”
“Dr. Black’s hands glow. When I asked Uncle Hagrid, he told me this doctor knows magic and would cure you.”
“What kind of magic does he use?”
“I think it’s wood element.”
Neil scratched his head, tucking his overly long bangs behind his ear.
“Brother, I’ll get you something to eat.”
After listening to Neil, Lai Yi fell into deep thought.
Back in the third year of the apocalypse, he had awakened a wood element ability. Although somewhat limited, it was better than nothing – at least he could accelerate seed germination and growth.
This world possessed magic. Could he assume that his own ability might also be usable here?
Lai Yi drank the same multigrain porridge as last night, contemplating trying to activate his ability when no one was around. But for now, the most important thing for him was to get out of this bed.
After eating, Lai Yi felt he had regained a bit of strength. After Neil’s unsuccessful attempts to persuade him otherwise, he supported Lai Yi as he slowly stood up.
He refused Neil’s offer to continue helping him walk and, leaning against the wall, made his way bit by bit toward the outside of the house. Neil followed closely behind him like a worried little tail.
Lai Yi walked out of the bedroom, passed through the living room, and finally reached the yard.
It was likely early summer, with lush greenery all around.
They lived in a two-story cottage built from stones and wood. Perhaps due to some past events, the roof of the second floor looked tattered and worn.
Jian Yi bet that if it rained, the second floor would definitely leak.
The yard was overgrown with weeds, and the low stone wall he had seen last night was missing many stones and leaned somewhat crookedly.
“Brother, are you tired?”
Before Lai Yi could answer, Neil ran back into the house and brought out a reclining chair with a backrest, placing it in the shade. He then looked at Lai Yi eagerly.
Unable to refuse, Lai Yi had no choice but to sit down.
Soaking up some sun wouldn’t be so bad.
Neil was like a diligent little bee, fetching a blanket one moment and water the next, finally quieting down only when Lai Yi closed his eyes.