It has been 4 months since Qing Shan found himself in his predicament. He was currently around 6 years old and was enrolled in a prestigious school were the nobility and rich attended. Every day his servants would wake him up at 6 AM and he would attend school until 4 PM. They weren't taught math or science like back in his world, but rather martial arts, reading, art, and classical philosophical works. There was an emphasis on physical might and 'refined' cultural studies.

He had decided to try to blend in and gather information, but it became quickly apparent that there was a very big obstacle in his way. He couldn't read or speak the language! Being a former CEO of a multibillion-dollar company he was fluent in a dozen different languages, yet even he couldn't make heads or tales of this strange tongue.

It took him months of listening, studying, and carefully observing others before he was able to get it down to a level where he could casually talk, but by then it was far too late. He was now well known throughout the school as the idiot too stupid to learn how to talk. Even though he now knew how he didn't have anyone to converse with and hence he normally kept silent unless directly addressed.

His days were hard as the black sheep of the powerful Long family. Normally even as incompetent as he was nobody would dare to mess with him because of his background, but it was well-known that his family didn't give a damn about him. As long as nobody took things too far and severely injured him, then it was fair game. They only cared for him because it would make them look bad otherwise. Your 'face' or reputation was a very serious matter within this world. An insult to a family could easily lead to a blood feud and fights to the death rather than just a casual curse back like back in his old one.

Qing Shan was currently rolling to his next class when someone knocked into him. His poor crafted wheelchair went tumbling to the ground with him along with it. His books and school supplies scattered across the ground.

He heard a small round of chuckles around him. He was in the large courtyard where the kids were allowed to intermingle and relax in between class times. He was far from alone as there was always a host of them, and yet not one offered him a helping hand. Not that he expected one, as this wasn't the first time this has happened. Getting harassed in the hallways, being beaten up, having his stuff go missing, he was no stranger to bullying whether it was this life or the last.

He didn't cry though. After all, he was a grown man regardless of what his physical state currently was. These childish acts couldn't put him down. These wet behind the ears brats were wasting their time, they were merely annoying flies he'd have to deal with until he graduated. He didn't know what he was going to do after that, but he still had plenty of time to figure out a plan. He didn't want to merely survive in this world, he wanted to thrive.

As he was contemplating his plans for the future he was blindsided by a kick to the face.

"What's wrong, retard? Need a hand?" A mocking voice taunted from above him. It was Shen Yu one of his most common bully. Although his talents were subpar, his backing was powerful. While not one with a background in cultivation and not a member of the Four Noble Families or the Eight Clans, his father was part of the Eastern Alliance, a group comprising of rich and powerful leaders among the people. They had a massive amount of following with deep roots. No field of supplies and manufacturing didn't have the shadow of their influence in the east.

He chose to ignore him as he always did and continued to gather his school supplies. Quite hard to do considering he couldn't move his legs, but he had grown used to it these past months. He had decided, once he gathered enough money he would make his home wheelchair friendly, these shoddy ones can barely go anywhere without almost falling over every bump in the road. With all his knowledge and advanced methods, surely he could strike it rich with modern innovations?

"Hey, I'm talking to you, and I expect a reply, or did you forget how to talk again?" He felt another kick, this time on the back of his head, the heel grounded into his skull and smeared mud and grass all over his face. Shen Yu and his small gang took their time to beat him until they got bored and left. Thankfully, it didn't take that long and he still had time to get to class before the teacher showed up.

"Alright class, line up and head towards the training field, today we shall do some sparring to see how well you all have mastered your techniques!" The teacher leads the entire class out in single file to a large grassy plain. There were a hundred wooden posts on the right, a huge running track on the left, and targets for archery in the far back center. They went to an empty spot and got paired up. He sat alone as usual on the side to observe, though he was actually reading a book he borrowed from the library.

It was a book on plants, where to find them, their common uses and other details. Far too boring for anyone else to have an interest, and not something focused on in school. He would beg to differ though. Sure, they weren't the most exciting of things to read about, but he always had a craving for knowledge. If you weren't learning and improving then you were stagnating and wasting life.   

It was even more fascinating once one considered the fact that he was in a new world! This was pretty much every nerd and scientist's wet dream! As a man who personally had an interest in space programs and searched for alien life, this was the closest he has ever been in all is years. They weren't "Alien" in the traditional sense, but he'd take what he can.

He was reading in peace ad halfway through the book when a high pitch whine distracted him. 

"Hey, isn't this a bit too unfair? How come we all have to work hard and sweat under the sun while he gets to leisurely sit down enjoy a book while watching us suffer? Tell him to get off his lazy butt and come join us" A young girl complained loudly to the teacher while glaring at Qing Shan. She had silky black hair and was dressed in a high-quality robe, it was obvious even from afar that she was from a well-off family. A small child whose looks were absolutely adorable, it was clear she would grow into a beauty. Yet, on that small round face was a stern look filled with aggression.

"Miss Yue, that is-" The teacher looked as baffled as the rest of the class. Why was this young lady stirring up trouble? How did she expect a cripple to fight?! Get up and come fight? Was he supposed to crawl over?

"He can not walk, Miss Yue, I can't-"

"Can't or won't? Are the words of I, Ying Yue, of the Noble Yue family just wind passing through your ears? Or is it the fact that I'm not qualified enough to order you?" This little girl, what sharp and dangerous words are coming out of her mouth? She not only is daring enough to command a teacher in front of the entire class but is also using her background to pressure him. If he denied her it would be taken as a challenge to one of the Four Noble family! Even the headmaster of the school would not dare do such a thing, to say the least of this lowly teacher.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

"Of course, Young Miss, a thousand apologies, Young Miss. I wouldn't dare, wouldn't dare. This one was wrong and will heed your command immediately." In front of this, sharp-tongued she-devil in disguise the teacher's pride crumpled like a house of cards in the wind. Bowing deeply more like a servant than a majestic teacher of the great Iron Mountain School.

He quickly went over to Qing Shan.

"Qing Shan, hurry up and go to the field, it's your turn!"

"Fei Quan, you're up"

"Actually teacher, I was hoping to get some pointers from Young Master Long?" With a sweet tone, Ying Yue asked the teacher politely as if the earlier episode of her outburst was nothing more than a mirage. Not daring to backtalk this black bellied young miss the teacher quickly agreed and backed away to referee. (see post author note)

Qing Shan slowly rolled his way to the field confused. He shared a class with Ying Yue, he remembered the name of all his classmates and basic information about them, a basic skill for someone in a leadership position in his past, but she was always a timid girl. Where did this fiery temperament come from and why was she glaring at him like they were dating and he slept with her mom?!

'Young lady, when did this one offend you? That you would go out of your way to seek such troubles with him?'

The outcome was as everyone expected, he had gotten the shit kicked out of him. While her appearance belies her as a delicate flower, looks were deceiving as her blows were heavy as hammers, even considering how people here were stronger than in his previous world, and she did not have a shred of mercy even for a cripple. In fact, if his eyes weren't deceiving him she was taking a sadistic joy out of his pain.

"Pathetic, that's all you got? Where did all that pride of yours go?"

With an awful sneer, she left him in the field, bloody and beaten, and went to join her friends. They too were taken aback by her brutal actions. Sure the other kids bullied him and occasionally beat him up, but at most he got bruises, and he was never one to cry in pain, hence it didn't seem as bad. What she did was on a whole other level. His nose was bleeding, there were tears on his clothes and gashes on his exposed arms and face, and most likely had a broken arm. He didn't look like a kid doing sparring, he looked like he got mauled by wild dogs.

The teacher gave a hesitant look towards her back before calling for a doctor to treat him. Qing Shan was silent the entire way. Sure, his broken arm hurt and his body ached, but he was more stunned by her violent reaction and how far she took it than his wounds. He had some dangerous hobbies after all and was a far cry from a stranger to injuries. His lab probably exploded more times than he could count! 

Even as he racked his head he couldn't recall how he might've offended her. He got to go home early after they gave him a cast for his arm and some healing cream.

His servants retrieved his wheelchair after being informed of how he had a training accident and pushed him home. Normally he would insist on doing it himself, but if you have never done it before, just know that rolling yourself on a wheelchair with only one arm was seriously tiring, not to mention on rough terrain and with such a poorly made one where the wheels weren't perfectly circular.

Back in his shack Qing Shan pulled out the book he was previously reading before the incident. After finishing the book he got out the cream he received from the doctor. It was a pale green with many yellow specks floating within. He rubbed some on his finger before taking a light sniff of it. After observing it and feeling it's consistency he decided to give it a small lick.

"Peppermint, lavender, chamomile, and yarrow." 

Carelessly he threw it behind him onto his bed. It was a subpar cream. He probably wasn't worth bringing out their better stuff so they just gave him this cheap jar and let his own natural healing do most of the work. The work of an amateur, the ingredients weren't properly mixed and the yellow parts of the yarrow weren't even grinded judging by how the bits were so large and oddly shaped.

He and rolled to the back of his shack. It looked like a mess. Small potted plants and all manner of filled jars dangled from the ceiling on ropes, in the walls there were shelves attached to a pulley system not unlike a water well. It was filled to the brim with tools and miscellaneous objects. While he was an unloved child of the Long family, he was still a member of the main branch, and as such was provided a stipend every month. It was small in comparison to his siblings or of the other noble families, but it was still more than what peasants would make in half a year. He didn't careless spend it on food or other luxuries, but rather on tools and materials. All these junk and piles of trash in others eyes were important research materials and treasures in his. 

He had a grand ambition after all. He didn't seek to merely survive, but rather to thrive in this strange new world he has found himself in. Even if they weren't "aliens" in the traditional sense he was still surrounded by otherworld beings who didn't seem to follow the rules of physics as he knew them to be. He wasn't content to let the world pass him by. Humans gained dominance over the world not because we were the strongest, but because we were the smartest! We didn't just adapt to our environment we learned and commanded nature itself to submit under our will.

From simpleminded cavemen who hunted and wandered aimlessly to farming and mastering fire. We sought higher knowledge. We gained dominion over all, our grasp even reached the stars and heavens above. How could he be content to just be a farmer? How far could humanity progress with "magic" under our control and all these new "mystical" materials under our noses? Some days he was too excited to sleep. He wonders if this was how kids felt back when man first reached the moon?

It took a lot of time, work, and money, but he had made a rudimentary and disabled friendly lab.

He cranked a wheel on the side to lower one of the shelves. He grabbed a few small bowls, a stone mortar and pestle, and plucked a few leaves from a few different plants hanging above him. He rolled to a large wooden table on his right before placing everything down.

Three leaves were placed in a bowl on top of a small stove on the side, letting it slowly roast. Qing Shan wrapped his hands with a thick cloth before grabbing a metal cup and placing it over a lit candle, throwing in a small chunk of wax the size of his thumb. He let it melt before taking it off the flame and have it gently cool to room temperature.

Placing it down he grabbed his other leaves and started to grind them up in the mortar. With smooth and practiced motions he quickly was left with finely powdered herbs. Transferring the content to a small bowl he filled it a quarter of the way with water before adding Agris extract. It was needed as a bonding agent to mix the oil and herbal infusion. Pouring in the oil and slowly stirring the concoction until it thickened, he let it cool completely before applying it to his wounds. 

It was multiple times more effective than the cheap stuff that the school provided him. If he was being perfectly honest he was quite proud of his cream. It might not have been anything amazing, especially considering his PhDs and academic records, but you need to keep something in mind.

He had to make it all from scratch and by himself. With his Medical degree he could diagnose and treat illnesses with ease, identifying causes and finding a solution was easy, he could even perform surgery if need be, but in this world that didn't mean jack. He had no tools, he had no medicine, there was no modern pharmacy here for him to give prescriptions too, and the concept of germs and cells weren't even discovered yet. Many people even still believed evil spirits caused certain diseases! 

Even if he had a profound knowledge, his mind a steel trap not allowing him to forget whatever he has read, it was almost useless if he couldn't find a way to apply it. Just because he was knowledgeable in an area didn't mean he knew how to use or create everything that it involves. Which F1 racer knows how to design or build their own car? Which World class chef had the know how to make his own stove and fridge?

He had studied medicine overboard, acquiring his degree in the United States. Western and Eastern medicine take very different approaches. He had tried to combine what he learned in his past life with the traditional Eastern method and the cream was one of his more promising personal recipes. He only wishes he had access to more materials, but his budget was too limited to acquire some of the magical stuff. He wonders how alchemy worked here. What principles did they work on and were they as miraculous like in the novels? How could a pill bring one back from the verge of death? 

 So many questions, so little time. He still had to return the book now that he was done with it, and more research to conduct. He couldn't wait for school tomorrow.