David Sutton shivered involuntarily and looked down to check his body.

His body was perfectly intact.

He quickly turned around, only to see Mr. Lewis walking along the long street without looking back, as if he had never noticed David Sutton's presence from beginning to end.

Something is strange about this!

David Sutton's eyes darted, and he stopped worrying about his own body, instead following behind Mr. Lewis.

When they reached the crossroads, Mr. Lewis turned right.

Directly ahead stood a grand and imposing Buddhist temple.

Da Ci'en Temple?

David Sutton recognized the temple at a glance. At the same time, he realized that he was currently in Jinchang Ward of Wannian County.

Da Ci'en Temple was one of the three major translation sites in Chang'an, and also the ancestral temple of the Faxiang School.

It was the most magnificent Buddhist temple in Chang'an, and also one of the royal temples built by imperial decree of the Li Tang royal family.

In the 22nd year of Zhenguan, Crown Prince Li Zhi—who is now the emperor, historically known as Emperor Gaozong of Tang—searched all over Chang'an for a suitable location to pray for the soul of his late mother, Empress Wende. He finally decided to build Da Ci'en Temple within Jinchang Ward, on the ruins of the old Jialan Temple. Although its history was not long, because Xuanzang translated scriptures here, it became a sacred place in Buddhism.

That's right, the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, one of the landmark buildings of later-day Xi'an, would be built here in the future.

Mr. Lewis bypassed the main gate of Da Ci'en Temple and entered the temple through a side door.

David Sutton closely followed him, arriving at a desolate construction site.

He remembered that this construction site was originally intended for a pagoda after Da Ci'en Temple was completed. But after Emperor Taizong passed away last year, the project was halted. If his memory was correct, this abandoned pagoda site was where the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda would later stand. He wondered if this unfinished pagoda was the famous Giant Wild Goose Pagoda.

Anyway, regardless, the pagoda project had been stopped.

There was not a single person at the site; it was cold and deserted.

Mr. Lewis walked under a big tree, dug a hole, put a bundle inside, and then covered it with loose soil.

Finally, he moved a stone from the side and pressed it on top.

After finishing, Mr. Lewis brushed the dust off his body, stood beside the stone, patted it twice, and revealed a strange smile.

At that moment, the bizarre sun in the sky suddenly shone even brighter.

Mr. Lewis's body, under the sunlight, gradually faded away...

David Sutton suddenly opened his eyes, cold sweat streaming down his forehead.

He had just had a strange dream!

Sunlight streamed in through the window; it was already morning.

He lay in bed and could clearly hear Miss Lane scolding Hei Sanlang in the courtyard. Who knows what trouble it had gotten into last night.

David Sutton rubbed his face hard with both hands, then turned over and jumped out of bed.

Barefoot, he reached for the clothes at his bedside, putting them on as he walked out.

Something felt off—why were these clothes so tight?

They had fit perfectly yesterday, but today... As he reached to open the door, there was a ripping sound, and the clothes tore.

Standing by the door, David Sutton was a bit dazed.

"Why are you just standing there?"

Miss Lane walked in holding a bamboo basket and saw David Sutton standing dumbly at the door.

She muttered something, turned to head into the side room, but after a couple of steps, she suddenly stopped and turned to look at David Sutton.

"Ami, why do you look like you've gotten taller?"

"Really?"

David Sutton stepped out of the room, still looking bewildered.

Hmm, it did seem like he had grown taller!

He used to be about 177 centimeters tall.

When Miss Lane stood in front of him, she would reach his mouth. But now, Miss Lane only came up to his shoulder. Unless Miss Lane had shrunk, he must have grown taller—by about three or four centimeters.

"I don't know either. These clothes fit just right yesterday, but today, for some reason, they've become too small."

As David Sutton spoke, he raised his arm to show the tear under his armpit.

Miss Lane glanced at it and smiled, shaking her head. "If you've grown, you've grown. You're about as tall as your father now. Hmm, I'll go look for something that might fit you. Take off your clothes and I'll alter them for you."

Her eyes were a little red, but her face was beaming with a bright smile.

David Sutton didn't think much of it, took off his clothes, and walked out of the room bare-chested.

Hei Sanlang ran up excitedly, wagging his tail at David Sutton.

David Sutton reached out and rubbed the dog's head, then walked to the well beside the kitchen.

By the well, there was a wooden basin already filled with clean water. There was a wet towel, a cup, a pig bristle toothbrush, and a box of green salt. The pig bristle toothbrush was one of David Sutton's few achievements over the past year. However, it wasn't easy to promote this thing, and making it wasn't as simple as he had thought.

Miss Lane made toothbrushes at home and sold them at Sun's General Store.

The profits weren't great, but it helped supplement the household income. If they wanted to promote it on a large scale, they'd need the right timing and enough capital. For now, just selling in Chongde Ward was enough.

David Sutton brushed his teeth, washed his face, and finished his morning routine.