The Passerby Female Supporting Character – Chapter 28

Grievance

Early in the morning.

Song Linlin forced her eyes open through sheer willpower. This, of course, wasn’t because she needed to use the restroom, nor because she’d decided to dedicate herself to diligent cultivation; it was simply because she had to attend morning class!

            

Within the Xuanyun Sect, different instructors typically took turns teaching morning classes each day. As the saying goes, “The whole day’s work depends on a good start in the morning”​¹. The morning class wasn’t scheduled particularly early, allowing disciples some time for seated meditation beforehand.

There was no explicit rule requiring everyone to attend morning classes, but for new disciples like Song Linlin—this batch was mostly at the Foundation Establishment stage—unless they were preparing for closed-door cultivation​² to breakthrough, everyone was expected to attend.

The daily content of the morning class completely depended on the instructor’s whim. Sometimes it involved simple insights from enlightenment​³, other times it taught practical spells, which were very useful for these new disciples.

            

Therefore, no matter how much Song Linlin wanted to stay in bed, she had to get up now. Even though she had advanced to the Golden Core stage, some of her shixiong and shijie at the Golden Core stage occasionally attended morning classes. If she, without reason, were absent, it would be too suspicious.

As soon as she opened her eyes, she noticed that Chi Qianning, whom she was holding in her arms, also had her eyes open. Unlike Song Linlin’s blurry gaze, the other’s eyes were clear, though the look she gave Song Linlin was a bit complex.

“Did you not sleep all night?” Song Linlin asked with a confused expression.

            

“I did.”

Chi Qianning looked at her resentfully. “I distinctly remember someone saying they would lull me to sleep last night, but ended up lulling themselves to sleep instead.”

Did that happen?

            

Song Linlin had just woken up, and her mind wasn’t very clear to begin with. Moreover, she had been suddenly woken up last night, so she really couldn’t remember clearly. She could only vaguely say, “I’m sorry, I guess I was too sleepy…”

She released Chi Qianning, sat up, and stretched. Waking up in the morning feeling refreshed was related to her cultivation; if she were in the modern world, Song Linlin would only want to die if she had to get up at this hour.

Song Linlin got out of bed and went to find her uniform for disciples of the Xuanyun Sect. Within the sect, only those with the rank of elder or higher could dress as they pleased; everyone else had to wear attire corresponding to their status.

            

While rummaging through the wardrobe, Song Linlin said to Chi Qianning, who was still in bed, “I’m going to morning class soon. You can wait for me here.”

“Until when?” Chi Qianning propped her chin on one hand, watching Song Linlin’s bustling activity.

“Hmm… that’s hard to say.”

            

Song Linlin pulled out a uniform, thought for a moment, and explained, “It depends on how long the instructor wants to speak. Usually, it should be around one shichen​⁴ or so. Anyway, I’ll definitely be back before lunch.”

After all, giving daily lectures was just a sect duty. Most instructors were busy with their own cultivation and would just casually lecture to meet the minimum time requirement before leaving.

Of course, it wasn’t impossible that some instructors would get carried away with their lectures and drag it out until Wu Hour​⁵ before dismissing the class, but this was a rare occurrence.

            

“Okay,” Chi Qianning replied indifferently.

Song Linlin found a concealed spot to change her clothes. She had previously been wearing Chi Qianning’s dress, but now that she was back in the sect, she couldn’t wear such “flowery and showy”​⁶ things.

“What about your dress?” Song Linlin held up the dress, hesitating about whether she should wash it before returning it.

            

Chi Qianning, however, didn’t really care about a piece of clothing. She glanced at it and then looked away, “Just leave it there.”

After getting ready to leave, Song Linlin turned back one last time before leaving and instructed, “I’ll be back right after morning class. Don’t wander around.”

“Got it.”

            

Chi Qianning wasn’t too pleased to hear her instructions; it always felt like an adult pacifying a child before going out.

Seeing that she agreed, Song Linlin felt a little more at ease. Then, she walked out the door and quickly headed towards the location of the morning class.

She was already one of the late ones, and the front seats would certainly be taken by now. However, this suited Song Linlin just fine. Sitting at the front meant she couldn’t let her mind wander; it was better to be at the back, perfect for “fishing in troubled waters.”​⁷

            

Song Linlin entered five minutes before the morning class was about to start. As expected, most of the seats were filled. She nodded with satisfaction, intending to find a place in the last two rows.

But then, a familiar voice came from the front, “Linlin-shimei, over here!”

Hearing this voice, Song Linlin looked up towards the front and saw Zhiyu waving at her. Ye Tingran was sitting next to her. The seats were arranged for groups of three, and there just happened to be one spot left there.

            

Since she had been actively greeted, Song Linlin couldn’t refuse. Her wish to sit in the back and “fish in troubled waters” was dashed, and she had no choice but to walk towards their seats.

But it was still okay. This wasn’t the very front, but the middle rows; otherwise, Song Linlin would have had to find a way to decline.

After Song Linlin sat down, Zhiyu said with a light smile, “Song-shimei, did you wake up late? Ye-shijie and I saw that you were late, so we saved a seat for you.”

            

Song Linlin gave a reluctant smile, sounding not very happy, “Thank you so much, Zhiyu-shijie, but you don’t need to save a seat for me next time!”

Ye Tingran also looked at her and said, “Song-shimei, last night I successfully submitted the report for this training mission. However, the elder on duty seemed surprised that we actually killed an enemy in the late Golden Core stage.”

“Because the difficulty of the mission exceeded expectations, and we still successfully completed it, everyone’s sect contribution points will be doubled as a reward.”

            

“I specifically mentioned to the elder that Song-shimei played a crucial role. Our two’s contribution points will be higher than the others. And since I was the team leader, and in their eyes, I killed Xing Jiu, I additionally received a chance to enter the second floor of the Scripture Depository​⁸.”

“This reward should have been yours, Song-shimei. So, what kind of cultivation technique or skill are you looking for? I’ll find one for you when I go.”

Song Linlin immediately waved her hands in refusal, righteously saying, “No, no, no! Ye-shijie, you need this opportunity more than I do! I don’t have much need for that. If you feel indebted, you can find another opportunity to compensate me later.”

            

Entry to each level of the sect’s Scripture Depository was restricted. Most of the books on the first floor could be exchanged for with sect contribution points, while each higher level required fulfilling certain specific conditions to enter.

Song Linlin really had no interest in increasing her strength. Moreover, in the original plot, Ye Tingran also received this opportunity and obtained a very suitable technique for the early stages.

It was better for her not to randomly change the plot, otherwise, who knew what kind of butterfly effect it might trigger.

            

Ye Tingran didn’t expect her to refuse so readily, and could only nod, “Then I’ll transfer all the contribution points I received this time to you, Song-shimei. Don’t refuse this; I still have plenty left, more than enough.”

“Alright then.”

Song Linlin did indeed need this. Living within the sect, whether it was for food, cultivation, or resources, basically everything had to be exchanged for with contribution points, and contribution points could only be obtained by doing tasks.

            

Because her strength was previously weak, she had only done those simple tasks. Song Linlin’s sect contribution points were pathetically few, only enough to ensure her survival. Overall, she was still poor.

Having more money now was naturally better.

This reminded Song Linlin that perhaps she should go to the Scripture Depository. It contained not only books for cultivation, but also various herbal compendiums, historical anecdotes, and so on.

            

She had nothing to do in the afternoon and evening, and could find some books to pass the time.

Soon, the time for morning class arrived. The instructor on duty today was a kind-looking old man with a long beard who spoke very gently.

Song Linlin remembered him. He was a nice old man. Most of the time during class, he would talk about various experiences from his youth, occasionally sharing insights about enlightenment. It was quite interesting to listen to as a story.

            

Today, he was telling everyone about his youthful journey to the West Sea to seek the Dao, and the story of how he followed a powerful Venerable​⁹ named Bai Cong​¹⁰ for cultivation.

Of course, he didn’t treat it purely as a storytelling session; he also elaborated on some insights gained during the cultivation process. After an hour, his story about cultivating with Venerable Bai Cong was almost over.

Song Linlin was very satisfied. She hadn’t learned anything practical this morning, just listened to the story. The story wasn’t completely finished, and the instructor was about to leave, but most of the audience were teenagers, and naturally, someone curiously asked, “Deacon Li​¹¹, what happened to Venerable Bai Cong later? I’ve never heard of this title.”

            

Deacon Li stopped, his gaze looking towards the horizon, a melancholic expression surfacing in his eyes. He sighed and said regretfully, “After I left the West Sea, I returned to the sect. I originally planned to visit Venerable Bai Cong again in a few years, but three years later, I heard news of his death.”

“Venerable Bai Cong loved to uphold justice throughout his life and was a person of integrity. It’s truly a pity that he was killed by evil people in the end…”

This ending clearly surprised everyone. In Deacon Li’s description, Venerable Bai Cong was powerful and righteous, yet such a powerful person had died.

            

“Who… who killed him?” a male voice asked softly.

Deacon Li’s originally gentle face became much more serious. He paused for several seconds before uttering two words: “Hong Ye​¹².”

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“I’m back!”

            

Song Linlin pushed open the door, carrying several books in her hand. These were some leisure books she had just detoured to the Scripture Depository to find. The rental price for these books was also very cheap, as hardly anyone ever read them.

She walked into the bedroom. Chi Qianning had gotten off the bed and was now sitting at the tea table. She turned her head as soon as she heard the movement at the door.

Song Linlin looked at her relaxed appearance and then asked, “Have you been sitting here all this time?”

            

“Mm,” Chi Qianning nodded lightly.

“I see.”

Song Linlin looked at her, tossed the books onto the bed, and lay down horizontally herself. The Scripture Depository was quite far from her residence, and she was a little tired from walking. Now she just wanted to lie down. While looking at Chi Qianning, she asked, “Weren’t you bored?”

            

Even Song Linlin herself felt that after resolving the Luofeng Temple incident, once she returned to the sect, she had nothing to do except attend morning classes every day.

Of course, this was also because she was too lazy to cultivate. Others were busy improving themselves after morning classes or doing some simple tasks.

Only Song Linlin would immediately return to her room and lie down after morning class.

            

“Of course, it’s boring,” Chi Qianning said.

Song Linlin was speechless at this answer, inexplicably feeling the vibe of a beauty guarding an empty room alone. This gave her a sense of guilt. Thinking, she said, “Um… then let’s find something to do this afternoon.”

She had originally planned to lie around at home all day, but that seemed a bit too decadent. She should be a little more diligent.

            

“What did you bring back?” Chi Qianning had noticed that Song Linlin was carrying something when she came in.

Chi Qianning stood up, approached Song Linlin, and sat down beside her. Song Linlin, who had been lying down, also sat up, pulled out a book, and while flipping through it, said:

“Today, the morning class instructor told us about his journey to the West Sea to cultivate in his youth. He mentioned a person, and then I found this book in the Scripture Depository that happened to write about that person, so I brought it back.”

            

“Oh?”

Chi Qianning stared at her fingers turning the pages, showing a bit of interest. She asked, “Who did he mention?”

“Wait a moment…”

            

Song Linlin quickly searched, finally stopping at a page in the middle of the book. “Found it! It’s this!”

Following the direction of her finger, Chi Qianning’s gaze landed on the page. She raised an eyebrow unconsciously, then retracted her gaze and asked, “Have you finished reading it?”

“Not yet, I’ve read part of it.”

            

A section of it said, while facing Chi Qianning, “She’s so terrifying! For some snow lotus​¹³, she killed an entire family, staining the snow mountain red.”

As someone who had read the plot, Song Linlin only knew that this person would appear later as a powerful villain, but she didn’t know about this person’s earlier deeds.

Chi Qianning narrowed her eyes slightly and said casually, “Are you afraid of her?”

            

“I think any normal person who knows about her deeds would be afraid of her.” Song Linlin said, shrinking her neck at the same time.

Luckily, she had absolutely nothing to do with that person. She could only silently pray for Ye Tingran in her heart, since it was Ye Tingran who would have a conflict with that big villain later on.

Song Linlin glanced at Chi Qianning and suddenly felt that since she was so powerful, she might have met that villain. She immediately asked curiously, “Chi Qianning, have you ever met that person called Hong Ye?”

            

Chi Qianning was silent for two seconds before saying, “I have.”

“Can you beat her?”

Chi Qianning didn’t want to deal with Song Linlin anymore and gave a perfunctory reply, “I can’t.”

            

“Whoa!”

“Then we should stay far away from her! This person is too ruthless; it’s best not to get close!” Song Linlin said in alarm.

Then Song Linlin felt like she received a glare. She saw Chi Qianning suddenly move closer, those red eyes staring straight at her, her gaze resentful, “What about me? Do you think I’m ruthless?”

            

Song Linlin felt like she heard a trace of inexplicable grievance in these words. She couldn’t help but cup the other’s beautiful face with both hands and pinch it, dazed by her beauty, and indignantly said, “How could that be?! Who said you’re ruthless? What a blind fool.”

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The author has something to say:

Double standard behavior.

            

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