"Dad!"
Cao Erzhu jolted upright in bed, cold sweat bursting across his brow.
He swept his gaze around. Wasn't this the blacksmith shop? It was only far more spacious than the one he had seen before. No, that wasn't right!
Er Zhu lowered his head and spread out his hands.
His hands had become shorter, his feet shorter, and his field of vision lower. "Have I... gotten shorter?"
Clang! Through the wall, the sound of hammering iron pounded against his eardrums.
The instant Cao Erzhu heard it, he shuddered, knowing it was time to practice. On instinct, he thumped over and pushed open the door.
"Sorry, Dad, I overslept..."
His words abruptly froze.
Why was Dad built like a giant? Even standing up, he only reached the man's waist.
He had not washed up or looked in a mirror, but recalling the fact that he had just "gotten shorter," Cao Erzhu's thoughts stirred.
Have I gone back to the past? Is this a dream?
Dad stood bare-chested before the blacksmith shop, wearing only a cloak—early in the morning, in the dead of winter. Clearly, he had yet to begin hammering and needed the warmth.
Normally, if he was about to swing the hammer, he would certainly take off the cloak. It hindered his movements far too much.
"No."
Cao Erzhu quickly came to his senses again.
Dad was actually sober. In the past twenty-odd years, that had only happened three or five times, right? Judging by his current height...
When he was thirteen? "I... went back to when I was thirteen?"
It really did seem like a dream! Cao Erzhu thought clearly.
Before Dad could speak, he heard a voice emerge from his own mouth that did not match his thoughts. It was still very childish:
"It was mainly because