The Passerby Female Supporting Character – Chapter 38
by Little PandaWhy is there a snake in the clothes?
After quickly finishing lunch, Song Linlin, adhering to the principle of not wasting, ate until her plate was clean. Shen Wanyi, solely focused on going to pick up her spirit pet, only took a couple of hasty bites. Seeing Song Linlin was finished, she immediately led her away.
The two walked among the sect buildings. Song Linlin watched Shen Wanyi walking ahead. This young lady from a wealthy family was clearly in a very good mood, practically bouncing as she walked, the bells on her wrist jingling incessantly.
Song Linlin didn’t have her energy and followed lazily behind. Because she wore a bamboo hat, the noon1 sun didn’t reach her eyes, but the external light was still too bright, making Song Linlin squint involuntarily.
She spoke to Shen Wanyi, who was bouncing along ahead, her tone also faint. Honestly, on an afternoon like this, Song Linlin felt the most suitable activity was to go home and take a nap.
“Shen Wanyi, are you sure someone will deliver the item later?”
The sun was a bit strong right now, and Song Linlin didn’t particularly like standing outside waiting foolishly on such a sunny day. Especially since she had spent all these days on the mountain, where the temperature was cool and refreshing, perpetually shrouded in a thin mist. The sunlight, weakened after passing through the fog, truly made it warm in winter and cool in summer.
Shen Wanyi turned back from ahead, looking very confident, and patted her chest, saying, “Relax! Since they said this time, they definitely won’t be late!”
“Alright then.”
Song Linlin could only hope the person Shen Wanyi found was reliable enough not to stand them up2; otherwise, it would be a complete waste of time. What couldn’t she do with that time instead?
Because the item was being transported from the outside world, it definitely had to be sent to the Outer Sect3 first. Only after being inspected there and deemed okay would they approve its transmission to the Inner Sect4.
The two arrived at the teleportation point. Disciples on duty usually guarded this place to prevent any dangerous individuals or items from mixing into the Inner Sect, and also to prevent Inner Sect disciples from sneaking out.
Within the sect, especially the Inner Sect, entering and exiting was not as convenient as in the Outer Sect. It required using short-distance teleportation arrays, and each activation of the array consumed resources.
In the Inner Sect, unless one received a mission requiring leaving the sect or had approval from an Elder, miscellaneous personnel could not casually run out of the Inner Sect.
This approach saved resources and protected the disciples’ safety. After all, unless someone was audacious5 enough to kill their way into the Xuanyun Sect’s Inner Sect, the sect interior was the safest place.
Naturally, Song Linlin and Shen Wanyi didn’t have a permit to leave the sect, so they could only stand near the teleportation array and wait dryly, eagerly watching the crowds coming and going nearby.
Fortunately, the outcome was just as Shen Wanyi had said. The two didn’t wait long before seeing two men dressed in menial worker6 attire appear at the teleportation array, carrying a very securely packaged wooden box between them, one in front and one behind.
The man walking in front saw Shen Wanyi waiting not far away and immediately said respectfully, “Miss Shen, the item sent by the Shen Family for you has arrived!”
The wooden box was sealed tightly shut. Song Linlin couldn’t see what the spirit pet inside looked like and could only curiously circle the box once. Only then did she notice that quite a few talismans were stuck onto the box.
Shen Wanyi didn’t pay attention to these details and said to the two menial workers, “Very good, just carry it directly to my place!”
She led the others towards her residence. Song Linlin had never been to Shen Wanyi’s place before, but looking at the passing scenery along the way, she could clearly feel this place was definitely better than her own.
Finally, the group arrived at a place halfway up the mountain. Shen Wanyi pushed open the courtyard gate. Song Linlin followed the two menial workers inside. The moment she saw the scenery within, Song Linlin was shocked. Why did this place actually come with a garden?!
Not only were there all sorts of ornamental plants, but while walking inside, Song Linlin even saw a small artificial mountain and a pond.
Song Linlin, having never seen such a scene, felt too embarrassed to ask much and could only silently continue forward. The garden area wasn’t small; the group walked for two or three minutes before finally reaching the residence.
Since they could afford to build a garden, the interior decoration of the house naturally wouldn’t be bad either. Shen Wanyi lived here daily and didn’t think much of it, but it truly gave Song Linlin a small shock from the rich young lady.
Compared to her own place, her little hut really counted as a humble dwelling.
“Alright, just put it here!” Shen Wanyi pointed to an empty space.
“Okay.”
The two menial worker disciples immediately put down the wooden box they were carrying and started taking out tools they carried to dismantle it. Their movements were quick; in no time, they had removed all the sealing talismans and nails around the box.
Now it could be opened.
Shen Wanyi wanted to open the box herself, but just in case, fearing some hidden danger, it was still the two menial worker disciples who opened it.
Standing to the side, Song Linlin also stared curiously at their actions. As the wooden box lid was opened, the little creature inside saw the sunlight outside and immediately let out a cry.
The sound was quite young and tender. One man carefully lifted the spirit pet out with both hands and placed it on the ground.
This time, Song Linlin finally got a clear look at the spirit pet’s appearance. Its body size was about that of an ordinary house cat, its limbs weren’t long, its whole body was covered in fluff, and its two ears were large. It even had wings.
Song Linlin really couldn’t describe this creature’s appearance well; in short, it didn’t resemble any species from Earth. However, its looks weren’t bad; it certainly looked quite cute.
“Miss Shen, the item has been delivered. We two will take our leave now.” The menial worker disciple cupped his hands towards Shen Wanyi and spoke respectfully with his head lowered.
Shen Wanyi’s attention was now entirely on her newly acquired spirit pet. She casually tossed a bag of something to one of them, presumably the reward for this time.
She nodded and said, “Mm, this matter was handled well. You may go.”
Having received the reward, the two naturally bowed in thanks again, then thoughtfully took the dismantled wooden box with them, not leaving Shen Wanyi to worry about dealing with the trash.
Shen Wanyi reached out and grabbed the clearly still dazed spirit pet, holding its body with both hands, picked it up, and then walked towards the room.
“Let’s go, we’ll chat in the room. My Xiao Xiao is sleeping in the room too,” Shen Wanyi turned her head and said to Song Linlin.
Song Linlin had no objections and followed the person ahead into the bedroom. As soon as Shen Wanyi entered the room, she called inside, “Xiao Xiao, stop sleeping!”
Her voice fell, and then Song Linlin saw a ball of milky yellow that was originally curled up on the quilt suddenly move. Immediately after, it flew up, flapping its wings, and approached Shen Wanyi.
Only when Xiao Xiao got closer did they realize Shen Wanyi was holding another one of its kind in her hands. The two little creatures looked quite similar, the only difference being the color of their fur. Moreover, Song Linlin felt this Xiao Xiao must have been meticulously raised; its appearance looked significantly more refined and plump than the one just caught.
Xiao Xiao first flew two circles around Shen Wanyi, then its round, glistening eyes looked first at the newly arrived companion, then occasionally at Song Linlin, who was a stranger to it.
One had to admit, this little creature was indeed very cute, fluffy all over, and plump from being well-fed by Shen Wanyi.
Placing the spirit pet in her hands onto the table, Shen Wanyi sat on a stool and looked at Song Linlin, saying, “Hehe, my Xiao Xiao is very cute, right!”
Song Linlin sat down beside her, looking at the constantly flapping Xiao Xiao, and nodded, “Indeed quite cute.”
Such fluffy and round creatures were inherently hard for people to refuse.
“This newly arrived one didn’t have good nutrition in the wild. After I carefully feed it for a few months, it definitely won’t look as thin as it does now!” Shen Wanyi said.
Xiao Xiao also landed on the table. It habitually went to nuzzle Shen Wanyi’s hand and stuck out its tongue to lick her fingers.
Shen Wanyi stroked Xiao Xiao’s thick fur all over; it was simply like a plush ball. Furthermore, she very generously said, “Song Linlin, do you want to try petting it? It feels really good!”
“Can I touch it?” Song Linlin also looked at Xiao Xiao with novelty.
“Of course, you can!”
Shen Wanyi chuckled, “Many people have petted it, they all say it feels very good.”
Saying this, she directly picked up Xiao Xiao and placed it in front of Song Linlin, very generously saying, “Go ahead and pet it. It’s just that Xiao Xiao really likes licking people recently, it might lick your fingers.”
Xiao Xiao, placed in front of Song Linlin, also stared at her with big, watery eyes. Because Shen Wanyi often took it out with her, this little creature wasn’t afraid of people; having been petted a lot, it could get close to anyone.
Song Linlin was also a bit tempted. She looked at this fluffy ball, especially since it had a pair of wings. This was the first type of spirit pet Song Linlin had ever seen, so naturally, she was very curious.
Moreover, Xiao Xiao’s appearance just made people want to touch its thick fluff.
However, before Song Linlin could even reach out her hand, she inexplicably felt the little snake that had been quietly wrapped around her arm the whole way start to move. The cool, smooth scales slid against the thin inner layer of her clothing. It didn’t drill straight out from the cuff, but instead crawled up along her forearm.
This startled Song Linlin. There was still an outsider present! She was terrified the little snake would suddenly pop out. Plus, the feeling of something cool and slippery drilling its way up towards her upper body wasn’t pleasant either. She immediately raised her hand to press on her arm, trying to pinch the snake’s body to stop it from moving, but she couldn’t hold it at all.
Finally, the little snake drilled out directly from Song Linlin’s collar. It looked at Song Linlin, its eyes full of resentment, as if it had been neglected. It only glanced briefly at Xiao Xiao on the table before retracting its gaze.
Although it hadn’t done anything, Xiao Xiao seemed to have received some kind of fright at this moment. It immediately flapped its wings and fled from Song Linlin’s side, plunging straight into Shen Wanyi’s embrace, shrinking its head and not daring to look back.
Even the spirit pet that had clearly been in a dazed state in the new environment seemed to freak out, suddenly flying up and hiding under a chair far away, its body still trembling non-stop.
“What the…”
Song Linlin looked at the unfolding situation, momentarily unsure of what to do.
Shen Wanyi hugged Xiao Xiao in her arms, completely bewildered. She noticed the thing at Song Linlin’s collar and was instantly shocked, exclaiming in astonishment, “Holy Sh%t8!”
“Song Linlin, why is there a snake in your clothes?!”
The author has something to say:
Little Snake: Don’t pet it, pet me.
Footnotes
- 午时 | wǔ shí | 11:00–13:00 or 11 AM–1 PM; Part of the traditional Chinese 12 double-hour (时辰 | shíchen) system for dividing the day.
- 放…鸽子 | fàng… gēzi | Lit. “release pigeons”; Idiom meaning to stand someone up, to break an appointment.
- 外门 | Wài Mén | Outer Sect/Gate; Usually the area of a sect housing outer disciples, with less strict rules and lower status compared to the Inner Sect.
- 内门 | Nèi Mén | Inner Sect/Gate; The core area of a sect, usually housing elite disciples, elders, and important facilities, with stricter access.
- 胆大妄为 | dǎn dà wàng wéi | Lit. “big guts reckless action”; Idiom meaning audacious, daring, reckless, bold and presumptuous.
- 杂役 | záyì | Menial worker, odd-jobber; Often refers to disciples handling basic labor tasks within a sect.
- 离谱 | lípǔ | Lit. “off the musical score”; Modern slang meaning outrageous, ridiculous, excessive, unbelievable.
- 卧槽 | wò cáo | Lit. “reclining trough”; A very common and versatile slang exclamation derived from vulgarity (我肏 | wǒ cào – I f%ck). Expresses shock, surprise, frustration, or amazement, similar in intensity and usage to “f%ck,” “holy sh%t,” or “damn it” in English depending on context.
Lol, the snek is warding off potential rivals 😆