The boy looked to be about ten years old, rather short, but with a big round head. His features were quite delicate, though he was dark-skinned and skinny. His jet-black eyes darted around, full of cleverness. This child was none other than the Billy whom Lily Thompson mentioned from time to time.

“Billy, you’re here!” When James Thompson saw Billy, he gave a faint smile. Billy’s surname was Dou, with the nickname Billy. He was two years younger than James Thompson, originally an orphan. Two years ago, he fainted from hunger at James Thompson’s doorstep, so James Thompson took him in and had treated him as a younger brother ever since.

“Big brother, how’s your injury? Yesterday when you were unconscious, you nearly scared me and Lily Thompson to death!” Billy ran up to James Thompson, concern showing on his face as he asked.

“It’s nothing serious, just hurt my foot. I’ll probably need a few days to recover.” As James Thompson spoke, he lifted his clothes to let Billy take a look. His foot was still badly swollen, but fortunately, the bone wasn’t injured. Otherwise, given the current medical conditions and James Thompson’s financial situation, he’d have to prepare for being disabled.

“Billy ge, this is for you!” At that moment, Lily Thompson brought over the half bowl of millet porridge she’d saved for Billy. Billy’s eyes lit up, and after thanking Lily Thompson, he gulped it down, even licking the bowl clean so thoroughly it didn’t need washing.

“Big brother, since you’re hurt, just rest at home these next few days. I’ll find a way to get you something good to eat and help you recover!” After licking the bowl clean, Billy reluctantly handed it back to Lily Thompson, then patted his chest and promised James Thompson. James Thompson had always taken care of him, and now it was his turn to look after James Thompson.

After speaking, Billy turned to leave, but James Thompson called out, “Wait a moment. You saw the divine bird yesterday too. What are people saying on the street? Does anyone know where the divine bird flew to?”

James Thompson kept wondering if the divine bird was actually an airplane. But Lily Thompson didn’t know much, so he wanted to ask Billy, because Billy wasn’t alone—he had more than a dozen orphans behind him. Although James Thompson wasn’t an orphan, he was the leader of this group, who spent their days on the streets and were always well-informed.

At the mention of the “divine bird,” Billy perked up and replied, “Big brother, you’re asking the right person! I heard from Chou Niang and Huozi that everyone in Kaifeng Prefecture saw the divine bird yesterday. They say it landed on a dirt hill by the Bian River. Lots of people went to see it yesterday, and now everyone on the street is talking about it—even the authorities have been alerted.”

Hearing that this so-called “divine bird” had caused such a stir, especially with the authorities involved, James Thompson couldn’t help but frown. He worried that if the authorities intervened, they might block the news, and ordinary people wouldn’t be able to see the divine bird. How would he verify if it was an airplane?

“Big brother, everyone on the street is talking about the divine bird. If you’re interested, I’ll have Huozi and the others ask around more, and I’ll tell you what I find out this afternoon!” Billy could tell James Thompson cared a lot about the divine bird, so he spoke up again.

Billy’s words were exactly what James Thompson wanted to hear. He nodded, and Billy ran out of the courtyard. As he left, he slipped half a piece of pastry into Lily Thompson’s hand, making her beam with joy. No wonder she was always close to Billy—whenever he had something tasty, he never forgot Lily Thompson.

Watching Billy leave, James Thompson fell into deep thought. From Billy, he’d learned something important: the divine bird had landed on a dirt hill by the Bian River not far away. James Thompson knew that place—it was about ten or so li from his home. Kaifeng was on the plains, with no real mountains nearby, but there were some low dirt hills covered in dense woods. James Thompson had gone there before to forage for wild vegetables.

A distance of ten or so li wasn’t far; even on foot, you could make a round trip in half a day. But James Thompson looked at his sprained ankle and sighed—he’d hurt himself in the worst possible place. Even if his hand were injured, at least he could move around freely and go see what the divine bird really was.

Since he couldn’t go, James Thompson gave up on the idea of seeing the divine bird for now. He looked around the familiar yet unfamiliar courtyard. This was James Thompson’s home, but also a ruined temple—or rather, a charity mortuary. A charity mortuary was a place for storing unburied corpses. For example, in the main hall next to James Thompson, several eerie coffins were stored. Even though James Thompson couldn’t see into the main hall from where he sat, he still felt uneasy.

James Thompson never dreamed he’d one day be living with corpses. Luckily, there was a side room next to the main hall, which served as their bedroom. Otherwise, they’d have to sleep with the coffins.

Still, it was a place to stay. After surveying the courtyard, James Thompson began to plan for the future. He had two tasks: first, to recover from his injury; second, to survive. Of course, on top of these, he also had to take care of Lily Thompson and Billy, and figure out whether the divine bird was really an airplane.