The Passerby Female Supporting Character – Chapter 41
by Little PandaCoincidence
Song Linlin1 leaned back, her eyes fixed on the person opposite her, filled with utter disbelief. She deeply suspected she had either misheard or the person across from her was pulling her leg.
Seriously, would any respectable person actually have a name as casual as Zhang San?
At the same time, she couldn’t help but look Zhang San up and down again. This outfit didn’t look cheap at all. The young girl looked fair and clean, not like a child from an ordinary family.
Song Linlin could understand if children from common villages were called things like Li Goudan or Wang Ergou2. After all, the cultural level of people living in the countryside in this world wasn’t high; they couldn’t come up with names that had much depth.
Coupled with poverty, children were prone to dying young, so giving them a “base name” carried the implication of being easy to raise. Only when the child reached adulthood would they be given a more pleasant-sounding courtesy name3.
But the one before her now…
Song Linlin looked left and right; she just couldn’t believe this girl’s parents would give her such a name.
“Is this…” Song Linlin mulled it over for a long time, still finding it hard to ask, probing tentatively, “Is this your real name?”
“You didn’t just make up a name to fool me, messing with me, did you…”
Zhang San looked at her, pouted slightly, and retorted with some dissatisfaction, “Why would I lie to you? My grandfather gave me my name. The character ‘San’ represents the concept that ‘Three gives birth to all things’4. I’ve been called Zhang San since I was little.”
“Uh… okay, my bad. I was ignorant.”
Although she said that, Song Linlin couldn’t stop looking at her with a strange expression. If this girl’s grandfather could come up with such an odd name, what was his name?
Song Linlin forced a serious expression, unable to contain her curiosity. Looking at Zhang San, she softened her tone and asked, “Fellow Daoist5 Zhang San, I wonder if I might know the names of your esteemed elders?”
Zhang San didn’t overthink it; it wasn’t some big secret, easily found out with a little inquiry. So she nodded readily and replied, “Sure. My grandfather’s name is Zhang Hengyi6.”
That name sounded much more normal, even having some meaning one could delve into. However, upon hearing the name “Hengyi,” Song Linlin couldn’t help the corner of her mouth twitching again. A peculiar thought surfaced. Although she repeatedly told herself internally that discussing others’ names was impolite, Song Linlin couldn’t suppress her curiosity.
So she cleared her throat twice, glanced at the nearby trees as if nonchalant, and asked, “And your esteemed father’s name?”
“Mm, my father’s name is Zhang Yun’er7.”
Song Linlin fell silent instantly, sitting bolt upright, forcefully suppressing the corners of her lips that desperately wanted to curve upwards. She mentally ran through every sad thing that had ever happened to her in this life before managing not to laugh in front of Zhang San.
This family… the grandfather was One, the father was Two, the child was Three. Song Linlin was at a loss for words regarding this naming convention. And why did the first two names actually sound quite decent at first listen, only for the style to abruptly change8 when it got to Zhang San, becoming so simple and blunt?
Following this naming logic, Zhang San should have been called Zhang Something-Three, right? That would match the other two.
“If you had a younger sibling, wouldn’t they have to be called Zhang Si9?”
Song Linlin spoke, unable to control her urge to laugh again as she did. Fortunately, Zhang San didn’t seem to mind. She shook her head, propping her face in her hands on the table, and said, “Our family has always had only one child per generation for several generations. But if there were a next one, Grandfather planned to name them Zhang Daoyun10.”
“Is that so…”
Song Linlin clicked her tongue, unsure whether to feel regretful or relieved that the next person had escaped the name Zhang Si. She stood up from her seat. Most people had already left the morning session area; only Song Linlin and Zhang San remained seated. Song Linlin patted Zhang San’s shoulder and said:
“Get up, the morning session is over. Everyone’s almost gone. We should leave too.”
“Oh, okay.”
Zhang San stood up and followed Song Linlin out of the area. Along the way, she looked around curiously. This was the first time she had ever been so far from her own sect, and moreover, she had come to the Xuanyun Sect.
On the sect path, Song Linlin walked ahead, glancing at Zhang San beside her. This girl seemed interested in everything along the way. Song Linlin passed through here every day for the morning session and had long grown accustomed to the surrounding scenery; she didn’t see what was so fascinating now.
Could it be that this Zhang San wasn’t from the Xuanyun Sect? Otherwise, these were all places one would pass frequently. Only disciples entering the Inner Sect for the first time would look around curiously like she was now.
“Zhang San, you’re not a disciple of the Xuanyun Sect?” Song Linlin asked casually.
“Mhm.”
Zhang San nodded. “I’m not from this Yingzhou Region. This time, my grandfather was responsible for escorting sect disciples to the Mirror Moon Mystic Realm in Guanzhong. I secretly tagged along behind him, but Grandfather still found me out.”
“Grandfather wouldn’t let me go with them to Guanzhong. Since we happened to pass through the Xuanyun Sect’s territory on the way, he told me to stay here in the Xuanyun Sect for this period, and he’ll come pick me up after the Mirror Moon Mystic Realm event ends.”
Speaking of this, Zhang San couldn’t help sighing. It had taken considerable effort for her to sneak out of the sect. She had originally wanted to go with her grandfather to Guanzhong to see the excitement. The Mirror Moon Mystic Realm was about to appear, which was a major event. Large numbers of cultivators would surely gather in Guanzhong then, and several major sects would convene.
Unfortunately, even though she had managed to run away, thinking her grandfather would surely take her along, he had instead left her alone in the Xuanyun Sect. This made Zhang San very disappointed.
However, she didn’t harbor any thoughts of resistance. Zhang San had never been this far away before. Since her grandfather wouldn’t take her to Guanzhong, staying in the Xuanyun Sect was still better than being sent back to her own sect.
Song Linlin nodded, getting the gist of the situation from these few words. In summary, a kid wanted to play, didn’t want to stay cooped up in the sect, heard a mystic realm was opening, and wanted to join the excitement.
Anyway, Song Linlin wasn’t interested in that kind of bustling place. More people meant competition for resources, which inevitably meant danger. It was safest for her to stay within the sect.
As for this Yingzhou Region, it was a general term for a large area including the Xuanyun Sect’s sphere of influence, similar to names like the West Sea. In even more ancient times, this area belonged to the territory of the Ying Kingdom, but unfortunately, Ying Kingdom had long since perished in those ancient great wars, so this region came to be called Yingzhou.
“The morning session is over. Where are you going now?” Song Linlin turned to ask Zhang San.
“I don’t know either.”
Zhang San wasn’t familiar with this place. Now that her grandfather was gone, no one would require her to cultivate. For a moment, she really didn’t know what to do. She could only ask Song Linlin, “What about you?”
“Me?”
Song Linlin raised a hand to stroke her chin. She genuinely didn’t know what she was going to do. She had spent the last twenty-odd days busy doing sect missions, and she was somewhat tired of that work. Anyway, Song Linlin didn’t plan on accepting any missions these days.
So, what should she do now? Cultivation? Forget it. Song Linlin lacked the motivation to cultivate. As for other things, she couldn’t seem to think of anything. After pondering for a long time, Song Linlin realized she didn’t even have a single hobby. Her free time was usually spent going home to sleep.
“I guess I’ll just head back to my place…” Song Linlin couldn’t think of anything else to do, so she could only say this. “Where are you staying? I’ll take you back first, then I’ll go back.”
“Alright.”
Zhang San nodded. She had indeed planned to check out her accommodation first, but she had run into Song Linlin on the way and ended up attending the morning session with her.
She spoke, “I’m staying over at Ziting Residence11.”
Song Linlin understood. She knew this place; it was specifically reserved for accommodating outsiders.
It wasn’t far from here, and the environment there was excellent. Many wisteria flowers were planted outside the buildings, looking beautiful from afar. However, since Song Linlin previously lacked a suitable reason, she hadn’t felt comfortable going in for a look.
Now, she had a legitimate reason to go check it out.
Song Linlin immediately said enthusiastically, “Okay, I’ll take you there!”
The two headed towards Ziting Residence together. It was still early, so Song Linlin wasn’t in a hurry to go back. Anyway, Chi Qianning never asked what she got up to outside12 each day, so returning a bit later didn’t matter.
They reached a quiet area, a place few people usually visited. A small river appeared in view. Crossing the stone bridge, Ziting Residence was on the other side.
Song Linlin looked at the building before her. It clearly wasn’t meant for just one person. She turned to Zhang San and asked, “Which room are you in?”
“Um…” Zhang San thought for a moment before saying, “It should be the third one.”
Song Linlin then led her to find the third house. Pushing open the main gate revealed a small courtyard with an elegant environment. Further inside was the living area: a living room, two bedrooms, a washroom, and even a kitchen. The entire place occupied a considerable area, definitely better than where Song Linlin lived.
“Wow, this place is really nice,” Song Linlin commented.
This house had clearly been empty for some time, yet it was spotless13, indicating that someone must come regularly to clean it. The plants in the courtyard were also meticulously trimmed.
Song Linlin sat down on the soft couch14 in the living room, leaning back without any ceremony. Zhang San sat on a chair not far away, taking out her personal belongings one by one from her Qiankun Ring15.
The items taken out were all placed on a nearby table. Song Linlin propped her head on her hand, watching from the side. The first things brought out were various small bottles and jars; Song Linlin didn’t know what they contained, but she couldn’t be bothered to ask.
Until Zhang San somewhat strenuously took out a large item. It was a bronze cauldron16 glowing with a faint cyan light. The body of the cauldron was carved with patterns, and a Yin-Yang Taiji symbol17 was imprinted in the center.
Seeing this object placed on the floor, reaching almost half a person’s height, Song Linlin’s interest was piqued. She scrambled up from the couch, immediately approached Zhang San’s side, walked a circle around the object, then squatted down for a closer look before looking up and asking, “What is this thing?”
Zhang San wore a strange expression, seemingly unable to believe someone wouldn’t recognize this item. Her tone was odd, “You actually don’t know? Haven’t you seen one before?”
“Uh… I really haven’t.”
Song Linlin felt looked down upon, but wasn’t it perfectly normal for a low-level Golden Core disciple like herself not to have seen much of the world?
“Alright then.”
Zhang San shook her head; it seemed Song Linlin truly didn’t know. She slowly explained, “This is an Alchemy Cauldron. I didn’t expect to be left behind in another sect when I came out this time, so I only have a few spare ones in my Qiankun Ring. The one I usually use back in my sect is much better than this.”
“Alchemy Cauldron?” Song Linlin was startled. She looked at the cauldron, then at Zhang San. Song Linlin couldn’t help her jaw dropping as she asked in astonishment, “You know alchemy? You’re an Alchemist?!”
It wasn’t surprising Song Linlin reacted so strongly. Alchemists, like Formation Masters, were very rare professions. The probability of an ordinary person even becoming a cultivator wasn’t necessarily even one in ten, and the probability of a cultivator becoming an alchemist was even smaller.
To become a qualified alchemist and successfully refine pills, an alchemy apprentice needed basic sensitivity to fire and wood attribute spiritual energy[ to constantly perceive the changes within the alchemy cauldron.
Of course, this could be trained from a young age, but the path of alchemy emphasized master-disciple and family inheritance. If you didn’t have family in the trade, unless you were exceptionally talented, you likely wouldn’t even get your foot in the door in this lifetime.
Song Linlin remembered that among her peers, perhaps Zhiyu had some potential as an alchemist, but she was only at the level of refining simple-effect pills at most. She couldn’t necessarily handle more complex pill formulas, so she couldn’t be considered a true alchemist, more like someone pursuing it as a hobby.
Looking at the clearly professional alchemy cauldron before her, Song Linlin couldn’t help but click her tongue twice in amazement. This Zhang San was only fifteen, yet she was already an alchemist. Being able to use such a large cauldron seemed very impressive.
The Xuanyun Sect also had a dedicated alchemy department, but she heard there weren’t many disciples there, though their living standards were much better than ordinary disciples like herself.
“You really know alchemy?” Song Linlin still found it hard to believe.
“Why would I lie to you?”
Zhang San directly tossed a small jade bottle to Song Linlin. Song Linlin quickly reached out and caught it, staring blankly at Zhang San, not understanding the intention.
“It’s a gift for you. Inside is a bottle of Third-Grade Ice Condensation Pills. I just refined them a few days ago; the medicinal potency is still well-preserved,” Zhang San said nonchalantly, as if the precious pills she had just tossed were merely some useless trinket.
Song Linlin’s jaw completely dropped in shock. She opened the lid, and a thick wave of cold energy immediately emanated from the jade bottle, along with the unique clear fragrance of medicinal pills.
Even through the bottle, she could sense the dense medicinal potency within the pills. This would definitely be a great item for someone who cultivated ice-attribute techniques or cultivation methods.
Song Linlin couldn’t use them, but she remembered clearly that in the Exchange Hall, even the lowest type of Third-Grade pills cost around one thousand-plus Contribution Points per bottle.
Now, Song Linlin looked at Zhang San as if seeing a Living Bodhisattva18. To think she would casually give away something like this.
Zhang San was still there, continuing to take out her personal belongings one by one from her Qiankun Ring. Song Linlin moved closer to her, tugged on Zhang San’s sleeve, and said sincerely, “I can’t use this. Can I take it to sell?”
Zhang San frowned slightly. Song Linlin’s heart skipped a beat. Thinking about it carefully, she felt her suggestion was indeed inappropriate. These were pills someone had gifted her, yet she was thinking of selling them. That was too unscrupulous.
“Forget…”
Before Song Linlin could finish, Zhang San asked doubtfully, “If you take it to sell, people would actually buy it?”
Anyway, Zhang San didn’t quite understand. In her sect, everyone knew alchemy. Who would buy pills refined by other fellow disciples? If you wanted them, you just refined them yourself. The only relatively difficult thing to solve was probably the pill formulas; those had to be exchanged for contribution points.
Moreover, their main focus was alchemy; combat strength wasn’t a high requirement. The pills they refined themselves might not even be usable by them and were all handed over to the sect in exchange for contribution points.
“Of course people will buy them!” Song Linlin knew very well that many in the sect cultivated ice-attribute methods. She had seen someone selling these in the Exchange Hall before, and they sold for three thousand contribution points straight away.
The Exchange Hall was where disciples bought things. Everything was sold there. You could buy items from the sect, but those were definitely more expensive, though the advantage was a complete inventory.
There would also be people setting up stalls in the Exchange Hall after obtaining good items while out, selling all sorts of miscellaneous things. You could haggle, but the quality varied greatly.
Song Linlin felt too embarrassed to set up a stall herself; she was only selling one item, and setting up a stall required paying a fee. For a hard currency19 like pills, it was best to sell them directly to the sect; the buy-back prices were very high.
“Well, you can try selling it then,” Zhang San said, still somewhat clueless. The fact that pills she refined could actually be bought by someone was a novelty to her too.
Song Linlin looked at the jade bottle. “No need, you keep it yourself.” Zhang San had no desire for money; she wasn’t short on it. What intrigued her most was that something she made for practice could actually be sold.
Song Linlin accepted the jade bottle. “Alright then.”
Now her gaze towards Zhang San was truly like looking at a living Bodhisattva. Just like Shen Wanyi, she was such a good person! It seemed being late today was well worth it; at least she met a kid who could refine Third-Grade pills at such a young age.
Since she had accepted the gift, Song Linlin felt too embarrassed to just stand by and watch. She helped Zhang San tidy up her things. The items all looked strange and peculiar; presumably, they were all things needed for alchemy.
After leaving Ziting Residence, Song Linlin walked towards the Exchange Hall in high spirits. She arrived at the Exchange Hall’s recycling counter. The person on duty today was a middle-aged man. Song Linlin stated directly, “I want to exchange this bottle of pills for contribution points.”
The man, who had been lounging lazily on a reclining chair, put down the cattail leaf fan in his hand and straightened up slightly. He picked up a nearby brush pen and started recording something on paper. He asked, “What pills? What grade?”
“Third-Grade pills, Ice Condensation Pills,” Song Linlin replied truthfully.
“Oh?”
Only then did the man, whose attitude had been lax, slightly raise his eyes and observe Song Linlin. He felt this person looked quite young. He had initially assumed she was just here to exchange ordinary items, not expecting it to be a bottle of pills, and Third-Grade ones at that.
Not many people came to trade such things.
He couldn’t help asking one more question, “Did you refine these?”
“No, no.”
How could Song Linlin dare claim such a thing? She still didn’t know the first thing about alchemy. “A friend of mine refined them.”
This time, the middle-aged man nodded and didn’t ask further. The Exchange Hall had dedicated appraisers who would estimate the appropriate contribution points based on the item’s value. However, if you felt the price was too low, you could change your mind and not exchange the item.
Song Linlin handed him the small bottle. He took it to a room behind him for the professionals inside to appraise. Soon, the man came out again, very quickly.
He said, “One bottle of Third-Grade Ice Condensation Pills, excellent quality, medicinal potency well-preserved. Valued at three thousand five hundred sect contribution points. Do you want to exchange?”
“Three thousand five hundred?”
Song Linlin was slightly surprised. This was five hundred points higher than the bottle she had seen before. Presumably, Zhang San’s pills were of better quality, so the price was naturally a bit higher. This was an unexpected bonus.
Without hesitation, Song Linlin nodded, “Exchange.”
Anyway, she hadn’t cultivated any ice-attribute techniques; keeping this item was useless to her. On the contrary, the medicinal potency would gradually dissipate over time. It was better to exchange it for contribution points sooner rather than later.
“Alright.”
The man lowered his head and continued recording, writing down the transaction details clearly. After successfully exchanging the bottle of pills and receiving this huge sum, Song Linlin went home contentedly.
She was in a great mood now, her steps feeling much lighter. Song Linlin strolled leisurely, pushed open her door, and shouted inside, “I’m back!”
When she went to the bedroom and saw Chi Qianning, Song Linlin moved a chair to sit beside her, leaned in close with a mischievous grin, and said, “I met a really young alchemist today.”
Chi Qianning listened quietly without expression, waiting for Song Linlin’s continuation. Unaffected by her silence, Song Linlin went on, “She’s so young! Only fifteen and already able to refine Third-Grade pills, and the best quality kind too!”
“She’s such a good person! She actually gave me a bottle of Ice Condensation Pills. I couldn’t use it, so I took it to exchange for contribution points, and guess what? Those pills were worth three thousand five hundred points!”
“I only earned about a thousand points doing sect missions for a whole month! Is being an alchemist really that profitable?!”
“It’s just that her name is a bit strange, called Zhang San.”
Song Linlin rambled on nonstop. After listening, Chi Qianning thought for a moment and said, “Then she probably isn’t from the Xuanyun Sect.”
“Eh, how did you know?” Song Linlin hadn’t told her Zhang San wasn’t from the Xuanyun Sect.
Chi Qianning took a sip of tea, put down the cup, and said lightly, “The Xuanyun Sect isn’t a specialized alchemy sect; it can’t cultivate disciples like that. Someone with that kind of talent wouldn’t stay here either; they would definitely have been poached by those alchemy sects long ago.”
That was stated rather bluntly, with a hint of mockery, but Song Linlin admitted it was indeed true. After all, the Xuanyun Sect was a cultivation sect, naturally emphasizing cultivation above all else.
As for Chi Qianning mocking her own sect, Song Linlin felt indifferent. She wasn’t the Sect Master; what others said didn’t concern her.
Chi Qianning thought for a moment more and continued, “She’s probably from Medicine King Valley. The people there are most skilled in alchemy. The surname Zhang… there happens to be a Zhang lineage there that is very famous for its attainments in alchemy.”
Zhang San is from Medicine King Valley?
After hearing Chi Qianning’s analysis, Song Linlin nodded. It indeed made a lot of sense. Zhang San was most likely from Medicine King Valley.
Wait a minute, Song Linlin suddenly remembered something. Back in Yuanqing City, in front of Ye Tingran and Zhiyu, in order to capture that pharmacy owner, she had pretended to be Zhang San from Medicine King Valley!
At the time, Song Linlin had just randomly fabricated a name to bluff people, but then Zhiyu told her that there actually was someone named Zhang San in Medicine King Valley.
Song Linlin hadn’t thought much of it before. She had absolutely nothing to do with20 Medicine King Valley; impersonating Zhang San once surely wouldn’t matter.
No way… could the Zhang San she met today actually be the Zhang San from Medicine King Valley?!
The author has something to say:
Spoke nonsense and it came true.
Footnotes
- 宋霖霖 | Sòng Línlín
- 李狗蛋 (Lǐ Gǒudàn), 王二狗 (Wáng Èrgǒu) | Examples of extremely rustic and “lowly” nicknames (狗蛋 Gǒudàn = dog egg, 二狗 Èrgǒu = second dog). Such “base names” (贱名 | jiànmíng) were sometimes given to children in poorer, rural families in the past, believing a humble name would make the child easier to raise and less likely to attract misfortune or the attention of evil spirits.
- 字 | zì | A courtesy name or style name given upon reaching adulthood in traditional Chinese culture, used in formal situations or by peers.
- 三生万物 | sān shēng wàn wù | Lit. “Three gives birth to the ten thousand things (i.e., everything)”; A concept from the Dao De Jing (Tao Te Ching), suggesting that from the fundamental principles (often interpreted as One/Dao, Two/Yin-Yang, Three/Interaction or Harmony) all existence arises.
- 道友 | dàoyǒu | Lit. “Dao friend”; A common polite term of address between cultivators.
- 张恒一 | Zhāng Héngyī | Heng means constant/persevering, Yi means one.
- 张蕴二 | Zhāng Yùn’èr | Yun means contain/accumulate, Er means two.
- 画风突变 | huàfēng tūbiàn | Lit. “painting style suddenly changes”; Internet slang describing a sudden, unexpected shift in tone, style, or atmosphere.
- 张四 | Zhāng Sì | Si means four.
- 张道韫 | Zhāng Dàoyùn | Daoyun is a more conventional and elegant-sounding given name.
- 紫汀居 | Zǐtīng Jū | Lit. Purple Bank Residence (汀 means small sandbank/islet).
- 鬼混 | guǐhùn | Lit. “ghost mix”; Colloquial term, often meaning loafing around, messing about, or sometimes engaging in dubious activities. Here, it’s used lightly by Song Linlin to mean her general activities outside her room.
- 一尘不染 | yī chén bù rǎn | Lit. “not contaminated by a speck of dust”.
- 软榻 | ruǎntà | A soft couch or daybed.
- 乾坤戒指 | qiánkūn jièzhi | Lit. Heaven and Earth Ring; a common type of spatial storage ring in Xianxia fiction, used to store items in a separate dimension.
- 青铜炉鼎 | qīngtóng lúdǐng | A cauldron, often used for alchemy (炼丹炉 | liàndān lú) or other cultivation practices in Xianxia.
- 阴阳太极纹 | yīnyáng tàijí wén | The familiar Yin-Yang symbol representing complementary forces.
- 活菩萨 | huó púsà | Bodhisattva: an enlightened being in Buddhism who delays nirvana to help others. Used colloquially to mean a very kind, compassionate, and generous person.
- 硬通貨 | yìng tōnghuò | Lit. “hard currency”; A stable and widely accepted commodity or currency.
- 八竿子打不着 | bā gānzi dǎ bù zháo | Lit. “can’t reach even with an eight-pole length”; An idiom meaning completely unrelated or irrelevant.
Thank you sm for new chapter ! ! !