The Passerby Female Supporting Character – Chapter 1

The world’s malice towards passersby is too great.

The surroundings were an overgrown forest, the moon was obscured by thick layers of clouds, and it was pitch-black all around, with very low visibility. Occasionally, a cold wind would sweep through, and in the distance, the cries of unknown birds could be heard, further adding a sense of oppression to this eerie atmosphere.

The sudden rustling sound of crushed leaves broke the silence. Even though the sound wasn’t loud, it was still very noticeable in this deathly quiet place.

            

Ahead, a man and a woman dressed in nightwear [夜行衣 | yèxíng yī | attire suitable for stealth] turned back. The girl had a slightly helpless look in her eyes, and the boy furrowed his brows.

Song Linlin stood awkwardly in place, embarrassed, and waved her hand at them, mouthing silently without making any sound, to indicate: “Didn’t see clearly, will definitely be careful next time.”

Only then did the two in front turn back around, and the three continued to cautiously walk through the pitch-dark forest.

            

Song Linlin silently followed behind the two, feeling somewhat resigned to fate. On this dark and windy night, walking in the bleak and desolate forest, it was hard not to have some negative associations.

Today was Song Linlin’s second day after entering the book. She had the misfortune of becoming a mere background character in a female protagonist novel, with a description not exceeding twenty words. She was only briefly mentioned by name upon her initial appearance, and the second mention was in the sect’s records, stating “the team suffered heavy losses,” of which she was one of the casualties.

In the original book, this was the part of the story where the female lead first descended the mountain for training. Unluckily, Song Linlin was assigned to the same team as the female lead. The originally simple task’s difficulty spiked, with an anticipated highest-level enemy at the early Golden Core stage hiding their true strength, which was actually nearing the Nascent Soul stage.

            

On her side, most of the ten-person team were novices who had just advanced to the Foundation Establishment stage, and Song Linlin was just a half-baked talent barely reaching Foundation Establishment through consuming elixirs.

If they really faced that big boss, it’s estimated that with just one simple move, the opponent could send Song Linlin to restart many times.

Imagining that scenario, Song Linlin couldn’t help but shiver. Having grown up in the 21st century and never having encountered any dangerous situations, facing such a deadly plot, she hesitated without any doubt.

            

I must think of a way to escape!

Thus, Song Linlin volunteered to accompany the female lead and a powerful senior brother from the team to the outskirts of the city to gather information.

Having read the original work, Song Linlin remembered very clearly that the big boss hiding in the suburban base had long known about the main characters’ investigation. Therefore, he deliberately released information to lure these greenhorn disciples into a trap, planning to catch them all in one swoop at the end.

            

And tonight, the female lead planned to conduct the final probe. If the strength of the mission target was within their capability to handle, then they would rush in the next day to eliminate evil for the good of the people.

Song Linlin took the initiative to join this probe, primarily to escape from this dangerous main storyline. She did not want to become cannon fodder [炮灰 | pàohuī | a disposable character or victim].

The second reason was to indirectly remind the female lead that this mission was not as simple as it appeared. If it were as they anticipated, she wouldn’t possibly vanish.

            

To implement this plan, Song Linlin first needed to find an excuse to get away, leave the female lead’s sight, and then create traces of a struggle to pretend she was captured by the enemy.

As for why she didn’t quietly leave on her own, of course, it was because the other two had higher cultivation levels than her half-baked self. Trying to escape silently? Better just wash up and go to sleep…

Song Linlin sighed lightly and thought helplessly: “I can only help you this far; the rest is up to you.”

            

At first, she considered whether to directly warn the female lead that the information they had was incorrect, and the other party had released false information. In reality, the opponent’s level was beyond what this group of novices could compare to.

But Song Linlin had no evidence to prove this. She was just an ordinary disciple—where would she get the sources to know these things?

It simply couldn’t withstand scrutiny, and it might even expose her strangeness. Song Linlin could only give up and adopt a more roundabout approach.

            

The destination for tonight, Luofeng Temple, was not far away. Song Linlin felt the timing was about right, so she proactively quickened her pace and caught up with the female lead, Ye Tingran [葉聽然 | Yè Tīngrán], lightly tugging on a corner of her clothing.

Ye Tingran turned her head, her eyes filled with confusion as she looked at Song Linlin. Song Linlin tried her best to put on an embarrassed expression, leaned close to her ear, and whispered, “Ye shijie [師姐 | shījiě | senior sister or elder female apprentice], can I go relieve myself? I really can’t hold it in anymore!”

Song Linlin clutched her lower abdomen, awkwardly continuing, “You and Liu shixiong [劉師兄 | Liú shīxiōng | senior brother Liu] go ahead, I’ll catch up with you soon!”

            

“You…”

Ye Tingran was momentarily speechless, but seeing Song Linlin’s desperate look and her frequent mishaps along the way, the words she wanted to say were swallowed back down. She didn’t think much of it and just assumed Song Linlin was scared.

“Alright then, go quickly and come back soon. Catch up with us as soon as you can.”

            

“Okay! Thank you, shijie!”

Seeing the other party agree, Song Linlin immediately turned and ran to the nearby bushes. Using such a clumsy and foolish excuse to sneak away was truly embarrassing, but Song Linlin wasn’t particularly clever to begin with. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have ended up as a background character in the book.

Once out of Ye Tingran’s sight, Song Linlin drew her sword and randomly slashed at the surrounding plants. At first glance, the area was full of marks from being slashed by a sharp sword, but it didn’t seem intense enough and felt somewhat fake.

            

“Should I make some more marks on the ground?”

Song Linlin pondered to herself, and once she made up her mind, she acted quickly. Her shoe soles scuffed against the grass-covered ground as she retreated with her sword, occasionally slashing at the weed piles by the roadside.

She pretended that she and the enemy had a fight and then gradually moved away. Of course, she couldn’t overdo it, as her mediocre skills would ensure she’d be captured by the enemy soon enough.

            

Feeling she had done enough, Song Linlin sheathed her long sword and inserted it back into its scabbard, quite satisfied with her “masterpiece” after a few minutes of work.

“Should be able to fool them, right?”

Unable to think of any overlooked details for now, Song Linlin decided not to make it too difficult for herself and instead quickly sneaked away. For the next few days, she would find a cave in the outskirts of the city to lie low, and after a couple of days, she would go into the city to gather information.

            

As for what to do afterward?

Song Linlin could only decide to consider future matters in the future. For now, she needed to safely get through the opening sacrificial plot and protect her little life at the moment.

Walking in this pitch-black suburb, the cloudy sky grew thicker, and the environment, which already had low visibility, became even darker. Fortunately, Song Linlin was a cultivator, and her vision had improved, allowing her to barely make out the surroundings.

            

She looked up at the dark night sky, feeling somewhat strange about how the day seemed off.

Normal natural phenomena shouldn’t be like this, and the deeper Song Linlin walked, the more she felt the surrounding yin energy [陰氣 | yīn qì | negative or cold energy] becoming dense.

Even the strange bird calls had suddenly disappeared at some point, leaving the surroundings silent except for her own footsteps, with no other sound emanating.

            

Song Linlin felt a wave of panic. When there were three people, the terrifying atmosphere wasn’t as apparent as it was now. She hesitated, wondering whether she should turn around and choose another direction.

However, in the next moment, a sense of weightlessness struck. The grassland, with weeds as high as her knees, appeared flat, but Song Linlin stepped into nothingness and fell straight down.

“Ahhhhhh!!!”

            

Song Linlin was in freefall for several seconds before she hit the ground. Unfortunately, the ground was not flat but sloped downward, causing her to roll several times before gradually coming to a stop.

Her entire body felt as though her bones had fallen apart, to the point where Song Linlin couldn’t pinpoint where it hurt the most. She gasped a few breaths, and her chest immediately ached a few times.

Faced with this scene, Song Linlin didn’t know whether to be grateful for her luck, having fallen from such a height without dying, or to complain about why she was so unlucky to walk on flat ground and still fall into a cave.

            

“Why is there a cave in this damn place?!”

Song Linlin couldn’t help but complain. Her whole body was aching, and lying on the ground was indeed uncomfortable. She unfastened the long sword from her waist and used the scabbard as a support to barely stand up.

“Hoo…”

            

Leaning on the sword, Song Linlin gently exhaled, fearing that any large movement might pull her muscles, which would inevitably cause a wave of pain.

Seeing that she could stand up, she felt a bit relieved, as this meant she hadn’t fallen too seriously. The worst-case scenario hadn’t happened. If she had fallen into this hidden cave and broken her leg bones, it would have been a disaster.

The cave wasn’t entirely dark; there were some unknown plants emitting blue phosphorescence. Song Linlin looked up at the hole she had fallen through, but all she saw was pitch black.

            

It seemed impossible to climb back up…

Staying here wasn’t a solution either. She could only lean on her long sword and slowly walk forward. Although it was called a cave, it was more like a tunnel. Initially, the area wasn’t large, but as she walked further, it gradually widened, with all sorts of strange plants growing freely everywhere.

Song Linlin didn’t dare to touch those plants lightly; they looked bizarre. What if they were poisonous? She had to act cautiously.

            

After walking for almost half an hour, the monotonous scenery along the way was particularly boring. Song Linlin was beginning to doubt whether this place had an exit when she suddenly heard the faint sounds of human voices from afar.

The voices came from a great distance, and in this vast cave, the echo was severe. It was impossible to understand what they were saying, but she could vaguely distinguish two middle-aged male voices and one female voice.

This discovery excited Song Linlin. Her body no longer hurt as much as when she first fell, so she quickly quickened her pace towards the source of the voices.

            

An exit covered with dense plants appeared before her eyes, with purple vine-like plants hanging down just enough to block the exit.

Song Linlin cautiously approached the exit, unable to see the outside situation clearly through the vines, but the indistinct voices were now very clear.

“Surrender, demon woman! Today, you were encountered by my brother and me; it’s your fate to perish. Stop struggling, so we can send you on your way more painlessly!”

            

Another middle-aged man responded with a sinister laugh, which sounded anything but kind: “Heh heh heh! It’s a pity for such a good skin… But today, my brother and I are determined to eliminate evil for the people!”

Song Linlin was baffled: What kind of Soul Hall elder? [魂殿長老 | hún diàn zhǎnglǎo | or: Soul Palace; refers to an organization from the fantasy novel 《Battle Through the Heavens》 by the author Tian Can Tu Dou (I’m not sure)]

They said they were doing it for the people, but why did it sound like something a villain would say?

            

Wait, something felt amiss; it seemed like a fight was about to break out!

Being a newcomer who had just reached the Foundation Establishment stage, it was better for her to keep her distance. If she were accidentally injured in their battle, it would really be a disaster.

Song Linlin quietly stepped back two steps, but then her long sword accidentally struck the stone wall with a “bang,” producing a crisp sound of metal clashing.

            

All outside sounds suddenly paused, and for a moment, so did Song Linlin’s heartbeat.

Oh no!!!

She had been discovered!

            

“Who’s there?! Sneaky, come out quickly!” The man who had previously laughed harshly shouted sharply in Song Linlin’s direction.

Right now, Song Linlin wanted to play dead or find a crack to crawl into, but considering the consequences of being caught by them herself, she braced herself, pulled aside the vines covering her, and walked through a tall patch of grass to appear before the others in confrontation.

The first thing she saw were two middle-aged men exuding a strong aura of demonic energy. The two looked about seventy percent alike, both with standard villainous appearances, and the pressure they emitted made Song Linlin shiver.

            

“It’s over, this time I’ve gotten into big trouble! I’ve stumbled into a hellish plot where the big shots are fighting!”

Song Linlin felt that her bad luck was really over the top. Why did this world have to be so malicious towards passersby?!

Was it that no matter how she tried to escape, she couldn’t avoid the storyline trope of opening sacrificial plot?

            

“Wearing the robe of a Xuanyun Sect disciple…”

The middle-aged man, who seemed to be the elder brother, glanced at Song Linlin and then disdainfully withdrew his gaze, saying to his brother, “Just a rookie at the Foundation Establishment stage, not worth bothering about. Once we kill that woman, we can easily finish her off too.”

Upon hearing this, Song Linlin first felt that she was definitely doomed, then sharply noticed that they mentioned another person, prompting her to turn and look in another direction.

            

She saw a woman standing not far away, wearing a red long dress adorned with delicate silver chains. Her long silver hair cascaded down to her waist, gently swaying with the passing breeze.

The woman seemed to sense Song Linlin’s gaze and slightly turned her head, casting a sidelong glance.

Her complexion bore a slightly sickly pallor, her silver hair was like snow, and her red eyes held a cold indifference and a hint of disregard. She didn’t pay much attention to the person who had suddenly appeared, merely giving a bland glance before withdrawing her gaze.

            

At this moment, Song Linlin finally saw the woman’s face clearly and was instantly struck by her beauty, feeling that she was completely different from the two villainous middle-aged men. Just standing there, she was mesmerizing and impossible to look away from.

Such a person could probably only be matched by the female lead, Ye Tingran!

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The author has something to say:

            

Starting a new story, please add to your favorites. This is my first time writing with an ancient setting, so please forgive my kindergarten-level writing TwT.

Cultivation Levels: Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Divine Transformation, Integration, Great Ascension, Tribulation Transcendence.

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LP: The cultivation levels are nostalgic! I remember reading black bellied female protagonists slapping faces as a teenager! Although, I really hate that the male leads are always somehow more powerful…

            

Explanation about the cultivation levels:

Qi Refining (煉氣 | liàn qì)

• The initial stage where cultivators begin to refine and absorb spiritual energy.

Foundation Establishment (築基 | zhùjī)

            

• The stage where cultivators lay the foundation for future cultivation, stabilizing their energy.

Golden Core (金丹 | jīndān)

• At this stage, cultivators condense their spiritual energy into a golden core, enhancing their power significantly.

Nascent Soul (元嬰 | yuányīng)

• A stage where the cultivator’s soul becomes more prominent, allowing for greater spiritual control and abilities.

Divine Transformation (化神 | huàshén)

            

• The stage where cultivators transform their divine sense, gaining higher perception and control over spiritual energy.

Integration (合體 | hé tǐ)

• At this level, the cultivator integrates their body and soul, achieving greater harmony and power.

Great Ascension (大乘 | dàchéng)

• A high stage of cultivation where the cultivator prepares for the final breakthrough to immortality.

Tribulation Transcendence (渡劫 | dù jié)

            

• The final stage where cultivators face heavenly tribulations to transcend mortality and achieve true enlightenment or immortality.

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