Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Ji Xia suppressed the absurdity in her heart and focused her gaze on the young man gathering herbs before her—Wang Er.

She was very familiar with this face.

Countless novice players had been deceived by this seemingly helpful "guide NPC" into being sent to black-market mines or even various dens of vice.

This was also one of the little "surprises" the fully immersive open-world game *Two Principles Painting Scroll* had in store for new players.

The NPCs in the game, while operating on fixed programs, also had their own ulterior motives. Players could easily be tricked by them if they weren't careful.

Just look at Wang Er now. His eyes were brimming with undisguised awe and greed, staring at Ji Xia as if she were a rare treasure, his tone urgent and almost fawning:

"I-Immortal! You've just arrived, you must be unfamiliar with this place! I am Wang Er, and I would be honored to guide you. The capital city of Bianjing is just ahead, very lively!"

He spoke of guiding her, but where he would actually lead her was another matter entirely.

In her previous life, Ji Xia had sensed something was off, so she coldly refused Wang Er and chose to enter the city on her own.

However, in this life, with her appearance transformed by the "Divine Cloud Brocade," it probably wouldn't be so easy to shake off Wang Er.

The benefits of the Sacred Artifact, Ji Xia hadn't experienced yet, but the drawbacks were already making themselves known.

Hmm, she still needed to solve the appearance problem first...

In a flash of thought, Ji Xia already had a plan.

She lowered her eyelashes, softening her voice, even adding a touch of perfectly measured timidity: "Really? Then... then I'll trouble Brother Wang Er. I just arrived here, and I am... indeed a bit scared."

This face paired with this tone was, in Wang Er's eyes, no different from a glittering mountain of gold.

Wang Er struggled to contain his excitement, nodding repeatedly: "Don't worry, Immortal! Follow Wang Er, and I guarantee you'll live in luxury in Bianjing City!"

He turned to lead the way, seemingly towards Bianjing City, but actually looking for an opportunity to pull out the handkerchief laced with knockout drugs he had hidden.

Seeing Ji Xia let her guard down, following him with complete trust.

A vicious glint flashed in Wang Er's eyes. He suddenly whirled around, intending to drug Ji Xia.

However, Ji Xia was faster!

Already prepared, the moment Wang Er turned and exerted force, Ji Xia had already slipped like a ghost into the opening he left exposed.

She didn't rely on brute force, but on the explosive power generated from her waist and legs, her elbow striking Wang Er's neck with precise and ruthless force!

"Ah!"

The sneer on Wang Er's face instantly froze, transforming into disbelief and shock.

His body swayed, then went limp, collapsing to the ground, splashing up a few drops of muddy water.

Ji Xia slowly retracted her elbow, looking down at the unconscious "guide NPC" on the ground.

The ethereal system voice sounded: "Congratulations, World Painter - Ji Xia, for seeing through and subduing the human trafficker - Wang Er, completing the hidden novice quest: [The Trap in the City Outskirts]. Rewards have been sent to your inventory."

This was actually a hidden quest. In her previous life, she had missed it to save trouble.

Ji Xia focused her mind, summoning the system interface visible only to her.

A semi-transparent reward list appeared before her eyes:

"Wang Er's Drugged Handkerchief" x1

"Small Spirit Ink Bottle" x2

[Acclaim for "Shrewdness"] x1

"Spirit Coin" x50

Spirit Coins were the currency in *Two Principles Painting Scroll*. 50 coins weren't much, barely enough for a meal at a restaurant in Bianjing City.

In *Two Principles Painting Scroll*, players also needed to eat regularly, otherwise they would fall into a weakened state.

In a weakened state, not only would their combat power decrease, but they would also be prone to illness.

Once ill, medical fees would be another huge expense.

Of course, players who didn't want treatment could simply wait to die.

However, the death penalty in *Two Principles Painting Scroll* was severe. It would randomly drop items already held and deduct the most precious resource: Spirit Ink capacity.

*Two Principles Painting Scroll* didn't have a traditional leveling system. Spirit Ink value was equivalent to mana. The higher the capacity, the more fragments—equivalent to skills—one could use, and consequently, the stronger their combat power.

Increasing Spirit Ink capacity wasn't easy, so players valued their lives and wouldn't die lightly.

Having lived through this once before, Ji Xia also knew another piece of information.

Each death in the game would cause damage to one's spirit in reality.

Once the Descent Day arrived, the more times a player died in the game, the more susceptible they were to being corrupted into monsters.

Ji Xia pulled her thoughts back, carefully examining the item details—

Item: "Wang Er's Drugged Handkerchief"

Quality: Common

Effect: When used on a non-elite target (including World Painters), has a chance to inflict the "Sleep" status, lasting up to 30 seconds. Effect is broken upon taking damage. Remaining Uses: 3/3.

Description: The "professional tool" of the human trafficker Wang Er, still carrying the scent of cheap knockout drugs.

-

Item: "Small Spirit Ink Bottle" x 2

Quality: Common

Effect: Use to immediately restore 10 points of Spirit Ink value.

Description: A small bottle containing basic Spirit Ink, an essential supply for World Painters.

-

Title: [Acclaim for "Shrewdness"]

Effect: Greatly increases initial favor with some merchants in Bianjing City.

Description: Your "shrewd" feat of seeing through the scam has spread within a small circle. Merchants appreciate customers who don't get swindled.

-

"The drugged handkerchief... not a bad little tool."

Ji Xia then looked at the special reward. This title seemed ordinary, but used well, it could have surprising effects.

Ji Xia lifted her gaze to Bianjing City, sifting through memories of her past life.

This beginner’s city, modeled after the *Along the River During the Qingming Festival* painting, housed a fragment of Mysterious Brilliance-level civilization—the Inspiration Pen.

In her previous life, Ji Xia had only heard rumors of it; this time, she seemed to have a chance to obtain it.

Of course, the most urgent matter at hand remained solving the problem of her far-too-striking appearance.

Ji Xia ignored the unconscious Wang Er lying on the ground and walked to the riverbank.

The river water reflected her face.

A light drizzle dotted its surface with rippling circles—yet it couldn’t blur even slightly the peerless elegance of that visage.

Skin fairer than snow, eyes and brows like ink-wash paintings.

Every line appeared meticulously carved by the laws of heaven and earth—so flawless it seemed inhuman. Even this serene, mist-shrouded riverside scene seemed reduced to mere backdrop for her.

Ji Xia gazed silently for several seconds, then let out a soft, derisive snort—her tone indecipherable as either admiration or mockery: “Truly… perfect.”

In the next instant, she scooped up a handful of the river’s cold water and splashed it onto her face.

Droplets rolled down her lustrous cheeks; a few damp strands of ink-black hair clung to her temples. Far from appearing disheveled, it only added a touch of pristine beauty—like a lotus emerging from water.

Ji Xia stared blankly at the increasingly ethereal reflection shimmering in the water, her gaze slowly shifting downward—to the mud at the river’s edge.

It was a murky yellowish-brown, turned to mush by the rain, mixed with rotting aquatic plants and unidentifiable filth.

The scent of riverbed silt intertwined with decay, emitting a nauseating, sour stench.

Yet Ji Xia showed not a trace of disgust. Calmly, she reached her hand toward that patch of sludge.

Just as her fingertips neared the mud, the hem of her white robe—manifested from the *Divine Cloud Brocade*—trembled almost imperceptibly.

Ji Xia naturally noticed the subtle shift—but acted as if unaware, her fingertips continuing downward without hesitation, scooping up a handful of sticky, slippery, foul-smelling mud.

These hands bore slender fingers with well-proportioned joints, their tips faintly pink. Now, they formed a stark, jarring contrast with the filthy sludge cradled in her palm.

This sight was nothing short of a desecration of beauty.

“Hum—”

Her white robe trembled more noticeably—emitting a faint, clear hum, as if protesting.

A faint arc lifted the corner of Ji Xia’s mouth. Her voice wasn’t loud—but it was unmistakably clear: “If I smear this mud on my body, my shoulders, my face… no matter how flawless something is, it’ll just look like a piece of dog shit…”

With a twist of her wrist, she smeared that handful of mud directly onto the pristine hem of her robe.

A glaring stain instantly bloomed.

The robe’s trembling intensified abruptly—faint rosy light flickering urgently around her.

Ji Xia acted as if she heard nothing, scooping up another handful and smearing it across her chest—then her shoulder.

Her movements were unhurried—carrying a kind of cold cruelty, like a vandal defacing a masterpiece, inch by inch sullying an immortal’s garment with mud.

When she reached out again—scooping up an even larger handful, her fingertips coated with that nauseating stickiness, slowly raising it toward her own neck and cheek—

“Stop!!!”

A sharp, thin voice—mingling heartache and fury—abruptly rang out.

A palm-sized figure, outlined by pure white light and flowing rosy clouds, suddenly burst forth from Ji Xia’s white robe, hovering between her and that handful of mud!

The little being glowed with a soft, holy radiance—but its form was merely the phantom of an exquisitely crafted robe, like a living “paper doll.”

“Stop! Stop right now!” The “paper doll’s” voice carried a sob—her glassy, oversized eyes brimming with utter崩溃. “Filth! Filth! You actually use such disgusting things to defile… defile the Splendor of Civilization! Do you know what this is? Do you know who I am…?”

“I know.” Ji Xia calmly interrupted, her mud-smeared hand steady in mid-air—leisurely regarding the tiny creature finally forced into view. “You are the Sacred Artifact Spirit.”

The “paper doll’s” imposing demeanor faltered: “…Huh?”

Ji Xia looked at her—eyes glinting with quiet, cunning triumph. “I was wondering how long you’d keep hiding before showing yourself.”

The “paper doll” understood.

The rosy light around her flickered violently—as if a human’s blood pressure had spiked in rage.

“You… you did it on purpose!” She was both furious and exasperated—her voice rising. “Just to force *me*, this spirit, to appear?!”

“Otherwise?” Ji Xia took a step closer—gazing down with quiet authority at the puffed-up “paper doll”—and said, “You belong to me now—and I’m in trouble. Shouldn’t you, this ‘Splendor of Civilization,’ be of some use?”

She pointed at her own face—whose stunning beauty remained unmistakable even beneath scattered mud—and said, “Make this face look normal.”

The “paper doll” snapped, “You look perfectly normal right now!”

Ji Xia didn’t waste words—stating flatly, “Fine. Seems you and I are alike—we both like this stinky river mud.”

The little creature trembled even more—like a sheet of paper in a gale. She cried out, “Who’s like you! You wretched human! You shameless ruffian! Don’t you dare… don’t you dare again…”

Ji Xia said idly, “No choice. If you won’t help me, I can only rely on mud to cover up this face.”

The “paper doll” stared at that lump of mud—and finally broke, her voice cracking with sobs: “Don’t do anything rash! I… I’ll help you!”

--------------------

Occasional Mini Theater Appears—

Yun Ling: She’s not human!

Wang Er: Yeah, yeah, right!

Ji Xia: [Rolls eyes]

Red envelopes are dropping in the comment section~