The world around Lin Yue felt unreal.
She sat up slowly in the glowing lotus river, her wet hair clinging to her face. The water was cool but gentle, as if carrying her instead of letting her drown. Above her, the sky shimmered with countless stars, far brighter than anything she had ever seen back on Earth.
In the distance, tall mountains rose like pillars, their peaks wrapped in silver clouds. Strange lights flickered within the mist — glowing cranes, floating lanterns, and what looked like stars falling slowly to the ground.
Her heart raced.
"This… this can't be real," Lin Yue whispered. "I must be dreaming."
But the pain in her chest from the fall was sharp, and the cold water biting her skin was too real to deny.
She pushed herself onto the riverbank, her legs trembling. The earth was soft beneath her fingers, glowing faintly like moonlit sand. And there, resting gently beside her, was her paintbrush.
It was glowing.
Her familiar brush, the one she had used every night in her small apartment, now pulsed with a soft silver light.
Lin Yue reached for it with shaky hands.
The moment her fingers wrapped around the handle, the glow spread — first to her hand, then into her chest.
She gasped. For a second, she felt as if the world itself was breathing with her.
The trees around her stirred, though there was no wind. The river rippled, though no stone had been thrown. The lotus petals floated toward her, forming a circle, as if bowing to her presence.
"What… is happening to me?" she murmured.
Almost without thinking, she lifted her brush. A strange pull inside her guided her hand. She bent to the ground and brushed a few lines in the sand. The glowing bristles left trails of light instead of ink.
She drew a simple shape — a butterfly.
For a moment, it looked like nothing more than a glowing sketch. But then, the light pulsed, the lines rose from the ground, and the butterfly flapped its wings.
It lifted into the air. Alive.
Lin Yue's mouth fell open.
The glowing butterfly circled around her once, then flew into the night sky, leaving behind tiny sparks like falling stars.
Her heart pounded so loudly she could hear it.
"My brush… it can bring paintings to life?"
She tried again. Her hand moved quickly this time, drawing the shape of a long blade. When she finished, the sketch lifted into her hands — a real sword, gleaming and sharp. The weight of it was heavy, cold, solid.
She stared at it in disbelief.
Then the glow faded, and the sword dissolved into silver dust.
Lin Yue dropped to her knees, clutching the brush tightly. Tears blurred her vision.
"I don't understand… Why me? Why am I here?"
Before she could think further, a sudden sound broke through the silence.
The air shook with a distant boom, like thunder. Lin Yue looked up. From the mountain pass, streaks of light cut across the night sky. They weren't stars. They were swords.
Figures dressed in flowing robes descended gracefully, each one standing upon a glowing sword that carried them through the air. Their hair streamed behind them, their eyes sharp as blades.
Cultivators.
Lin Yue froze. Her breath caught in her throat as they drew closer.
One of them, a tall young man in azure robes, landed before her. His aura pressed against her like the weight of a storm.
His eyes narrowed as he studied the glowing brush in her hand.
"You… mortal girl," his voice was calm but cold, "what kind of power do you wield?"
Lin Yue stumbled back, clutching the brush against her chest. Her lips trembled, but no words came out.
The cultivators formed a circle around her, their swords glowing faintly in the night.
And though she wanted to deny it, Lin Yue realized the truth.
She was no longer just a painter. She was holding a power that did not belong to this world.
And that made her a target.
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✨ End of Episode 2