Early dawn of a new day, Chang Long woke up to the pleasant scent of flowers or perhaps perfume; she could not be sure. All she knew was that the fragrance made her feel refreshed. Following the aroma, she found Zhang Yijie busily brewing something in a clay pot.

"What are you doing, Brother Jie?"

Chang Long asked as she stood at the doorway of the room where Zhang Yijie was concocting medicine. In her childlike form, she was rubbing her eyes drowsily, not fully awake.

"Oh, Chang Long, I'm brewing the potion to lift the curse on you. It needs to simmer all night until it thickens and can be molded into pills."

Zhang Yijie replied with a smile, his face covered in sweat.

"Is the pleasant smell coming from the potion in the pot?"

Chang Long asked, sniffing the air.

"That's right. Ah! It's ready. Would you like to try molding it yourself!" Zhang Yijie looked at the potion in the pot, which had thickened and begun to solidify. He lifted the pot off the fire, washed his hands, and wiped them with a clean cloth before reaching into the pot to mold the medicine into pills.

"That's... the size of a ping pong ball!" Chang Long's eyes widened when she saw the size of the pills Zhang Yijie was carefully molding.

"Here, take it all in one go!"

Zhang Yijie handed her the ping-pong-sized pill along with a cup of warm tea. Chang Long, with a pale face, looked between the pill and Zhang Yijie's face before asking with a grimace,

"Can't I bite it in half?"

"Hahaha, as long as you eat it all, you can bite it into as many pieces as you want!"

Zhang Yijie laughed heartily at Chang Long's expression. She sighed in relief and accepted the pill.

The first bite released a burst of the fragrant smell, and the pill tasted slightly sweet and bitter. The more she chewed, the more aromatic it became, overwhelming her senses. Chang Long continued to eat the pill until it was gone, then gulped down the tea in one go before exhaling heavily. Her exhausted demeanor made Zhang Yijie laugh again.

Soon after, Chang Long began to vomit a black, oil-like liquid and eventually passed out from the ordeal. Zhang Yijie carried her to a wooden bed in the room, watching over her as her body slowly changed back with satisfaction.

When Chang Long opened her eyes, she looked at the thatched roof of the small hut in confusion. She remembered taking the medicine Zhang Yijie had given her, vomiting, and then passing out. She quickly sat up and inspected her hands, finding them to be adult-sized again. Then, she checked her arms and legs before running to find a mirror to see her entire body.

"Phew! I'm back to normal."

Chang Long exhaled through her nose in relief. She had finally returned to her original form. Zhang Yijie entered the room and greeted her.

"Your original form looks very elegant, Chang Long."

"Th...thank you, Brother Jie!" Chang Long pursed her lips as she smiled shyly. Although she had received many compliments before, Zhang Yijie's praise felt special.

"Now that you've returned to your original form, where do you plan to go next?"

Zhang Yijie smiled gently as he asked.

"I want to travel. I aim to explore every corner of this game's world."

Chang Long replied, smiling back.

"That sounds wonderful. In my youth, I also traveled extensively to collect herbs from all over the world."

Zhang Yijie's eyes sparkled as he recalled the past, the joy of those times seeming to return to him once more as his eyes glistened.

"Back in the day, you're talking like you're not young anymore!"

Chang Long said, arching an eyebrow in surprise.

"Hahaha, I'm definitely not young anymore. I'm 82 now. That's why I chose to live a peaceful life here on Mount Longshan!"

Zhang Yijie replied, laughing heartily when he saw the shocked look on Chang Long's face. He observed her closely, noting that aside from surprise, there was no trace of greed or malice in her expression.

"Master Chang!"

Peach Blossom called out loudly, making the two who were talking by the clear stream turn to look. They saw Peach Blossom running towards them.

"Eek! Master Chang is back to normal. I'm so happy!"

Peach Blossom exclaimed, throwing herself into Chang Long's arms. Zhang Yijie was taken aback by the young girl's boldness. Chang Long pushed Peach Blossom's head away and scolded her softly.

"You should be more modest. How can you just hug people like that!"

"Oh, come on, Master Chang, I'm not just anyone. And speaking of others, aren't they awake yet?"

Peach Blossom asked while still clinging to Chang Long. She looked around and saw no one else nearby.

"Hehehe, it's not easy for them to get up. They didn't go to bed until after midnight last night,"

Zhang Yijie replied on behalf of Chang Long. He had stayed up all night brewing medicine and had seen how much fun the group was having in the garden before they finally went to sleep.

"Wow! So, this is the real Chang Long. Up close, you're really good-looking. No wonder Siegfried is so protective!"

Hero and Jane approached, greeting them. They had woken up and seen Chang Long, now back in her adult form, talking with the Miracle Doctor.

"Now we know that Chang Long has a lot more hidden. Being a child had many limitations,"

Jane chuckled softly, examining Chang Long and her outfit with interest. She thought it might tear when she grew into an adult, but it remained intact without a scratch, except for the cloak, which was already tattered.

"My outfit doesn't wear out. And I can't wear anything else besides this,"

Chang Long answered Jane's unspoken question.

"Oh! Now that you're back to normal, where should we go next?"

Jane smiled.

"We? Don't tell me you two are coming with us!"

Peach Blossom asked, looking displeased. She noticed Jane quickly became close with everyone in the group, especially her brothers.

"We're not following you, we're following Chang Long!"

Jane retorted playfully, sparring verbally with Peach Blossom.

"No way! I won't let you come along!"

Peach Blossom protested, clinging tightly to Chang Long's arm.

A pointless argument ensued between Peach Blossom and Jane, loud enough to wake the others. The Miracle Doctor, Zhang Yijie, laughed heartily, thinking that this morning was livelier than any other. In a good mood, he returned to the hut to prepare breakfast for everyone, humming a tune. The thought of everyone leaving soon brought a touch of sadness to the Miracle Doctor, who had lived alone for so long. The lively atmosphere was about to disappear with the departure of Chang Long and her friends.

"Everyone, come and eat!"

Zhang Yijie called out. Everyone rushed to the hut in hunger, even Peach Blossom and Jane stopped their bickering and ran over.

During breakfast, they discussed their next destination, knowing that returning to Longshan City was impossible. They had provoked trouble with the horse and would be met with a hostile reception if they went back.

"How about exploring Mount Longshan? There are hundreds of peaks waiting for someone to conquer them!"

Zhang Yijie suggested.

"That's right! There are a lot of strange-looking monsters on Longshan Mountain. Plus, we might stumble upon some fun mysteries too,"

Lidded Wet Trash Can immediately agreed.

"It sounds interesting, but I will automatically go offline in a few minutes,"

Chang Long said, looking at her wristwatch. Everyone then checked their watches and realized they each had less than ten minutes left online.

"Oh no, you guys are logging off already? That sucks. Jane and I still have a whole day of online time left!"

Hero said, sounding frustrated.

"Why don't you log off in the city and meet back here? The Black Horse Guild won't know it was you guys who sniped them,"

Oliang suggested.

"That's true, but how will we get back up here without getting lost?"

Jane asked with a frown.

"Hehe, that's perfect. Then you won't be able to follow and bother my Lord Chang,"

Peach Blossom giggled, pleased at the thought of Jane not showing up to annoy her.

"Don't be like that, Peach Blossom. Those two are Chang Long's friends and they saved her life,"

Siegfried scolded his younger sister for being rude to Chang Long's friends.

"Did you hear that? We saved your precious Lord Chang, so you better be polite to us!"

Jane said triumphantly, while Peach Blossom pouted and turned away, ignoring her.

"I can have Tai Yang pick you up. He and I can move freely within Longshan City's territory," Zhang Yijie offered.

"Then Brother Jie can come explore with us, right?"

Valentine said happily.

"Eh?"

Zhang Yijie was surprised. He often went out to collect herbs around Longshan City, but he did not expect to be invited on an adventure. He felt both surprised and happy.

"Brother Jie is speechless!"

Oliang said, watching the doctor seriously consider Valentine's proposal.

"C... can I really go?"

Zhang Yijie asked softly, excitedly. Tai Yang, lying nearby, also seemed very happy.

"Of course. Ah! The system's alerting me. See you in 1 hour, real world time!"

Chang Long quickly set the time, and then her and Siegfried's group slowly faded into white light.

"We should go too, or we won't make it,"

Hero urged. They said goodbye to Miracle Doctor Zhang Yijie and headed back to Longshan City, with Tai Yang leading them down the mountain. Meanwhile, Zhang Yijie, looking very excited, quickly packed necessary supplies, such as dried food and herbal medicine, all the things an old man like him could think of, preparing for Chang Long's group's return.

Chang got up from the game console, stretched a little, and went to the bathroom. Hearing sounds from Chang's room, Moddang knocked and entered just as Chang came out of the bathroom. Moddang held a phone, which seemed to have someone waiting in the line.

"Who is it?"

"It's the master,"

Moddang replied, handing the phone to Chang.

"Make me a bowl of porridge, quickly. I have an appointment,"

Chang instructed before picking up the phone.

"An appointment this early in the morning!"

Moddang looked at her young lady, puzzled. It was only five in the morning. She then left the room to ask Aunt Im to make the porridge.

"Dad!"

"My dear, why did it take you so long to answer the phone?"

The voice on the other end responded anxiously.

"It's you, Dad!"

"Of course, it's me. Who else would you expect it to be, some young man?"

"Uh-huh."

Chang's response left the person on the other end speechless for a moment before firing off a barrage of questions.

"Who is he? How old is he? Who are his parents? How did you meet? Why didn't I know about this!"

"Your questions are overwhelming, Dad. I was just joking. Did you call for something important?"

Chang quickly moved the phone away from her ear and asked her father's purpose.

"I'm worried about you. I still have three more days in Australia, and I miss you terribly. Don't you miss me at all? You never call?"

her father complained, sounding hurt.

"Not really. You do this all the time, so I'm used to it,"

Chang responded coldly.

"Whose child is this? You're so cold-hearted!"

Her father retorted, sarcastically.

"That's enough, Dad. My porridge is here. Take care of yourself,"

Chang cut the conversation short as she saw Moddang enter her room with a tray holding a bowl of porridge.

"What's this, Chang? We've only talked for a few minutes, and you're already hanging up? You're the meanest. I called because I miss you so much... Mister Pich, watermelon…"

"What's that?!"

Chang asked sharply upon hearing a woman's voice suddenly interrupt. Her father quickly covered the microphone, but not in time.

"Oh, it's room service. She's Thai, surprisingly. She brought the watermelon I ordered," Pichaya, Chang's father, explained, trying to sound as normal as possible.

"Uh-huh…"

Chang responded shortly, making her father sigh in relief.

"Dad!"

Chang called.

"Yes, my dear!"

Pichaya replied, sounding cheerful now that his daughter's tone had softened.

"When you get back, we're going to have a long talk!"

Chang's voice suddenly turned harsh, startling her father as his eyes widened.

"Wait, Chang!"

That was all Pichaya managed to say before the line was abruptly cut off.

"What did your father say, Miss?"

Moddang asked, handing the bowl of porridge to Chang.

"Nothing much,"

Chang replied briefly before quickly finishing her bowl of porridge. Once Moddang left, she logged back into the game immediately, as it was nearly time for their scheduled meeting.

When Chang Long entered the game world, she found that Oliang and Wet Trash Can were already online. Fortunately, the automatic logout saved the last location they were at. Chang Long smiled at her two seniors and then noticed Miracle Doctor Zhang Yijie, who was fully prepared and petting Tai Yang.

"Where are Jane and Hero, Oliang?"

Chang Long asked, seeing Tai Yang still there.

"They're here. The moment an hour was up, they logged back in immediately,"

Oliang answered. Soon after, everyone was present. Zhang Yijie then unfolded a map of Longshan Mountains that he had made himself and began to recommend interesting places to visit.

"I don't recommend this area. It has a strange atmosphere. Just passing by made Tai Yang restless. I didn't see any monsters around, and the place is gloomy with dense trees, making it hard to see anything even during the day,"

Zhang Yijie said, pointing to the darkest spot on the map.

"Let's go there then,"

Chang Long decided, marking the spot on the map.

"I just said I don't recommend it,"

Zhang Yijie scratched his head, confused by Chang Long's decision.

"We can visit ordinary places anytime, but our Chang Long never misses unusual spots!"

Wet Trash Can laughed, and everyone nodded in agreement.

"Ah, are you scared, Brother Jie?"

Peach Blossom teased.

"No way. Lead the way, Tai Yang!"

Zhang Yijie retorted, his cheeks tinged slightly pink. He instructed Tai Yang to lead them to the mysterious place that even he had never explored. Chang Long's group chuckled as they followed along.

-----

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