Chapter One, Northern Song Dynasty "Divine Bird"

At that moment, Li Zhang reached out to pull up his clothes, only to discover that his ankle had swollen into a large lump. Strangely, although he had the memories of the previous Li Zhang in his mind, he could not recall how he had been injured. However, this was not the time to dwell on such thoughts. He first examined his ankle and found that it was merely a soft tissue swelling caused by a sprain, which should heal after some time.

With shimmering silver light and wings emitting black smoke, accompanied by a whirring sound? Li Zhang stood there in a daze after hearing Li Er's description, as he felt that what Li Er was describing was not a divine bird, but rather a crashed airplane. In fact, he had previously encountered an air disaster while on a flight, and he thought he was doomed, only to find himself waking up again in the Northern Song Dynasty.

Li Zhang was taken aback upon hearing the name "Li Er," as he did not recall knowing a little girl by that name, especially one who had just called him "brother." However, at that moment, he felt an unusual familiarity with the name Li Er, as if this girl were someone very close to him. This contradictory feeling left him in a state of profound confusion.

Falling luggage, screaming crowds, and a cabin filled with oxygen masks; a series of fragmented images flashed through Li Zhang's mind. What troubled him even more was the sense of weightlessness and fear. Finally, when a loud "boom" echoed, Li Zhang suddenly shouted "Help!" and sat up abruptly from his bed.

Moreover, merely relying on Li Er's description may not be entirely accurate. To ascertain whether that divine bird is indeed an aircraft, it would be best to see it in person. However, Li Zhang then thought of another question: where has this so-called divine bird flown off to now?

I have traveled through time, I have actually traveled through time! This thought kept swirling in Li Zhang's mind, because as soon as he woke up, he discovered that another person's memories had unexpectedly appeared in his mind. This person was also named Li Zhang, but he was only twelve years old. In his brief life, the memories were not many, and the memory of hunger had run through his entire life. Apart from that, the rest were just some memories of family and friends.

"Brother, what is wrong? Please don't scare Li Er, okay?" Seeing Li Zhang staring with wide eyes and not speaking, the dirty little girl beside him was also frightened to tears, with two streaks of tears washed down her small face.

"Brother, what is wrong with you, what is wrong with you..." As Li Zhang's anguished cries echoed, Li Er anxiously held onto him, repeatedly asking questions. However, Li Zhang felt as if Li Er's voice was growing fainter, and images flashed through his mind like a revolving lantern. Ultimately, he could no longer endure the excruciating pain and fainted, his eyes rolling back.

Seeing that her brother finally called out his own name, this made Li Er's small face turn from sadness to joy. Then, like a little adult, she reached out to touch Li Zhang's forehead, and then joyfully exclaimed: "Great! Brother, you are no longer burning up. I will go make you some food!"

Looking at this messy and dilapidated small room, Li Zhang couldn't help but let out a bitter smile once again. He then propped himself up and got out of bed. Unable to put weight on his right foot, he could only hop on one leg out of the room. Outside, he found a rather large courtyard, where a thatched shed had been set up. Inside the shed, Li Er was cooking over a fire, and the black smoke rising from the stove made her cough continuously, further dirtying her small face.

I... I am Li Er!" As soon as Li Zhang's words came out, the small hand gripping his arm tightened noticeably, and then a slightly trembling, slender body leaned against his arm, clearly indicating that the owner of this body appeared to be very nervous

Brother, how could you forget? Yesterday, you took me and Brother Douzi to the riverside to pick elm seeds. At that time, you were up in the tree picking, while Brother Douzi and I were collecting them from below. Suddenly, there was a loud rumble in the sky, like thunder, and then an enormous divine bird appeared. Everyone was looking up at the sky, but you couldn't see clearly from the tree, so you wanted to jump down. As a result, you slipped and fell. No matter how we called you, you wouldn't wake up, which scared both me and Brother Douzi terribly." At this moment, Li Er widened her eyes and looked at Li Zhang as she replied, unable to comprehend why Li Zhang would not remember what happened yesterday.

Before Li Zhang could make sense of the situation, he suddenly heard a rustling sound beside him. Immediately after, a cold little hand touched his arm, sending chills down his spine. After all, it was pitch dark around him, and suddenly having a hand touch him was just like a classic scene from a horror movie. Even though he was quite bold, he was still significantly frightened.

Seeing the hard work of Li Er, Li Zhang could not help but jump over to help her with the fire. Although it seems simple to start a fire, there are actually techniques involved. One cannot stuff too much firewood into the stove at once, as it would only extinguish the flames. Conversely, using too little would prevent the fire from catching. Additionally, one must pay attention to the ash in the bottom of the stove; if it gets blocked, the fire will not burn vigorously.

"Brother, you are awake, that is wonderful!" As soon as Li Zhang opened his eyes, he heard a cheerful voice of a little girl, both strange and familiar, calling out. Immediately after, a dirty little face appeared in front of him. However, at that moment, Li Zhang's gaze lacked any focus, as his mind was already in a state of chaos.

In the early fifth year of Tianxi, a divine bird appeared in the world, its color silver-white, with wings that emitted smoke and fire as it soared through the sky, eventually descending to the west of the capital city

Brother ~ Wuwu ~ Brother ... ... '' Just as Li Zhang fell into a coma, a little girl's intermittent calls still echoed in his ears, mixed with some sobbing. It was amidst these calls that Li Zhang finally slowly opened his eyes once again

"God... Godbird? What is that?" Li Zhang, upon hearing Li Er's words, widened his eyes in disbelief and asked, while simultaneously feeling a very ominous premonition in his heart

The divine bird... Li Er seemed unsure of how to explain, pausing for a moment before continuing, "The divine bird is simply the divine bird; everyone in the city of Kaifeng says so, and many people witnessed it at the time. With a loud bang, a shimmering silver divine bird appeared in the sky, its two wings emitting black smoke, and it even let out a strange cry of 'woo woo,' which was quite frightening!

"The Wild Records of the Heavenly Books of the Northern Song Dynasty"

"The kerosene at home has run out, brother, how could you forget?" At this moment, the little girl named Li Er spoke again, her tone filled with confusion, as she always felt that something was off with her brother, yet she could not pinpoint what exactly was wrong.

This is not right either. In my situation, it should be a soul crossing, but how did the airplane come here? At this moment, Li Zhang thought to himself. In his previous life, he had read some novels about crossing over and knew that there were two types: soul crossing and physical crossing. He was currently a soul attached to Li Zhang's body, but how did the airplane appear now?

Where is this? Who am I? What just happened?" Li Zhang, who had just awakened, looked around with a bewildered expression, three question marks popping up in his mind. However, all he could see was darkness, nothing visible, and the air was filled with an unpleasant musty odor. Yet, Li Zhang always felt a sense of unreality, as if there was a gap in his mind, always sensing that something was missing.

It was through the memories of this child that Li Zhang discovered he had actually traveled through time, for he was no longer in the twenty-first century of the later generations, but rather in the Song Dynasty a thousand years ago. This place is the capital of the Great Song, Kaifeng Prefecture. From this, it can be concluded that it is still during the Northern Song period. However, Li Zhang's pitifully limited memories do not reveal who the current emperor is; otherwise, he would have been able to ascertain the exact era in which he finds himself.

Watching the figure of the raccoon bouncing away, Li Zhang could only manage a helpless smile. He then lowered his head to examine his own body, and indeed, he had shrunk significantly, transforming from a man in his thirties into a twelve-year-old child. A dirty and tattered garment wrapped around his frail and small frame, and he occasionally felt sharp pains in his right ankle.

It was not until this moment that Li Zhang took a look around the environment. He saw that it was a very narrow small room, with the bed beneath him occupying most of the room's area. Apart from that, there was no other furniture. The walls were dark, and there were cobwebs everywhere on the ceiling and in the corners. The bedding on the bed was also dark and shiny, emitting a musty odor that was exactly the same as the smell he had encountered when he first woke up.

"Don't cry, Li'er... Brother is just a bit confused because he got hurt!" At this moment, Li Zhang finally raised his head and forced a smile at the little girl in front of him. According to the memories of another Li Zhang, this girl named Li'er should be his younger sister. Although they have a father, he is a gambling addict who is rarely home, so usually, it is just the two of them relying on each other.

Li Er was very happy to see her brother cooking for her. When the water boiled, she grabbed a handful of millet from a small jar beside her and tossed it into the pot. After a moment of hesitation, she grabbed another half handful and added it to the pot, then carefully covered the jar. Li Zhang, observing from the side, noticed that there were only about two handfuls of millet left in the jar, barely enough to cover the bottom.

"Who are you?" Li Zhang felt a sense of relief upon hearing the little girl's voice, but then he asked in confusion. His mind was blank, and he had no idea where he was, not even remembering who he was. The surrounding darkness made it even more difficult for him to discern.

"Turn on the light!" At this moment, Li Zhang was eager to see the surrounding environment and to find out who this raccoon was, which is why he spoke up again.

Xiaomi's small fire burns, a handful of firewood can last for a while, at this moment Li Zhang finally spoke up and asked: "Li'er, how did I get injured? After I woke up, I couldn't figure it out at all?"

"Kerosene? Oil lamps? Who still uses these things now?" Li Zhang was momentarily taken aback by Li Er's words, but soon after, he suddenly felt a loud "bang" in his head, which caused him to cry out in pain, curling up with his hands clutching his head.

"Brother, are you awake?" At that moment, a tender voice suddenly emerged from the darkness, suggesting it was a little girl, her tone filled with immense surprise.