The Passerby Female Supporting Character – Chapter 62
by Little PandaTeaming Up
Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.
This morning, Song Linlin didn’t go to morning class. Instead, she followed an Elder and the dense crowd ahead to a special place. Before them seemed to be an ordinary forest, but in reality, hidden beyond the space of this area was a Secret Realm.
This was the entrance to the Profound Yin Realm. Unless one possessed strength great enough to shatter the space here, a special “key” was needed to open the Secret Realm.
It wasn’t yet the official opening time for the Profound Yin Realm. Because a large number of Demon Beast lived inside the Secret Realm – encountering one or two might be easy to handle, but these Demon Beast often appeared in packs, according to various Shixiong and Shijie1 who had entered before – many people were taking advantage of the gathering crowd, wandering around trying to recruit more teammates.
After all, there was strength in numbers. Even if one’s own strength wasn’t great, as long as enough people banded together, they could barely manage to deal with the Demon Beast appearing in packs.
Opportunity often hid beneath danger. The Inner Cores2 of these Demon Beast were good stuff, and stronger Demon Beast often guarded rare Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures3. Even knowing the level of danger involved, many people would still choose to take the risk, venturing out to hunt powerful Demon Beast.
“Shimei, would you like to form a team with us? We already have five members, three of whom are at the Golden Core Stage. We’ll definitely be able to gain a good harvest in the Secret Realm!” A sweet-looking female disciple approached Song Linlin, attempting to recruit both her and Chi Qianning.
Song Linlin stood in the crowd, especially next to Chi Qianning, who looked formidable just by appearance. Naturally, quite a few people had already asked if they wanted to team up, and this current person was no different.
However, the aura Chi Qianning emanated was too pressuring, making people subconsciously afraid to approach, only daring to steal glances from afar. Song Linlin beside her seemed much easier to talk to, so people kept coming up to Song Linlin, trying to recruit her into their small teams.
Song Linlin sighed and once again refused the Shijie before her. “Thank you for your kind offer, Shijie, but we don’t plan on teaming up with others for now.”
At the same time, she couldn’t help sighing inwardly. This was already the tenth-something person she had refused. Even after seeing her turn down everyone who had asked before, some people still wouldn’t give up and would run over to ask again.
It was rare for Song Linlin to talk to so many people, especially since some of them were quite strong fellow disciples. These people were usually quite proud; when would they ever take the initiative to talk to someone like Song Linlin, who had little presence?
Finding it troublesome, Song Linlin moved a bit closer to Chi Qianning, shoulder to shoulder, and looped an arm around the other’s arm.
These people wanting to team up kept coming continuously. Song Linlin’s throat was almost dry from talking to them; she really didn’t want to interact with these people anymore.
“Why are all the people who want to invite you to team up coming to ask me instead? It’s so annoying…” Song Linlin muttered softly into Chi Qianning’s ear, clinging to her arm.
This time, for the Profound Yin Realm, Chi Qianning had proactively suggested going in together with Song Linlin. Anyway, there were no Realm4 restrictions inside; she could come and go freely.
Song Linlin was worrying about the dangerous main storyline plot that would unfold after the Profound Yin Realm opened, so naturally, she couldn’t refuse the proposal. The book’s villain, Hong Ye, was about to make her appearance. With her own rudimentary skills5, if she was unlucky enough to run into Hong Ye, she’d definitely be instantly killed6 in a single encounter.
Bringing Chi Qianning along meant they could support each other. If nothing else, at least it provided more assurance of safety. So, when the day the Profound Yin Realm opened arrived, Song Linlin came to the Secret Realm entrance with Chi Qianning to wait.
The tactic of sticking close to Chi Qianning indeed worked. Many people who had looked like they wanted to chat with Song Linlin now stopped halfway, hesitating where they stood, unsure whether to continue approaching.
After hesitating, most of them regretfully chose to leave. Only a scattered few chose to continue forward, but before they could even speak, Chi Qianning merely glanced at them coolly. The unspoken words got stuck in their throats, and ultimately, they could only retreat silently and leave.
Song Linlin suddenly found herself at leisure. She finally didn’t have to be questioned by a queue of people one after another, which made her very satisfied.
Song Linlin continued to hide beside Chi Qianning with peace of mind. A unique empty space formed in this area; anyone who walked nearby subconsciously stopped and chose to stay away.
Ignoring the probing gazes from all directions, there were no annoying people bothering them up close either. Chi Qianning’s gaze was fixed in a certain direction, seeming to penetrate through space itself, vaguely sensing something incredibly tempting there.
This feeling definitely came from the Tongyou Fruit, no doubt. Only something of this caliber could emit such faint traces of its aura even across two layers of space.
Chi Qianning had originally been half-believing, half-doubting. Now, after sensing this aura, she was certain that what Song Linlin had said before was all true, not just made-up nonsense. The Xuanyun Sect truly hid a Tongyou Fruit within it.
That Song Linlin could even know this kind of information… then it was quite reasonable that someone else found out, leaked it, and attracted some reckless fool who didn’t know their own limits to come snatch the Tongyou Fruit.
Even now, Chi Qianning still didn’t believe anyone other than herself would dare to try and steal this thing.
Her thoughts wandered slightly. It wasn’t until a female voice sounded nearby that Chi Qianning snapped back to reality, her gaze turning towards the person who actually dared to approach.
The person who came was precisely Ye Tingran. She had probably just arrived and hadn’t teamed up with anyone yet. From a great distance, she had spotted the vacuum in the crowd at a glance. Chi Qianning’s features were too easy to recognize; she saw immediately that it was Lin Qianqian, and beside Lin Qianqian was Song Linlin.
She guessed the two probably had a good relationship; the last time she saw Lin Qianqian, she had also been very close with Song Linlin.
“Song-shimei.” Ye Tingran first greeted the more familiar Song Linlin, then looked towards Chi Qianning, nodding to her as well, “Lin-shimei.”
Song Linlin naturally noticed Ye Tingran immediately too. However, her gaze carefully scanned behind the other person. Seeing no sign of Zhiyu this time, she asked curiously, “Ye-shijie, where is Zhiyu-shijie? Why don’t I see her?”
“Zhiyu obtained a Cultivation Method7 very suitable for her from the Mirror Moon Secret Realm last time. She’s still in Closed-door Seclusion8 and probably won’t make it to the Profound Yin Realm this time,” Ye Tingran explained slowly.
Although the rule for this Profound Yin Realm was that all disciples below the Nascent Soul stage who hadn’t entered before must come, there were always exceptions.
If you happened to be in a period requiring mandatory seclusion, you could apply to an Elder for leave. Of course, this didn’t mean you could skip just because you were about to break through a simple technique or move; the Elder would judge whether to approve the leave based on individual circumstances.
Song Linlin wasn’t cultivating any profound techniques at all, so naturally, she couldn’t use this reason to escape the Profound Yin Realm this time.
She could only envy Zhiyu in her heart for two seconds; the other person happened to be able to escape the dangerous main storyline plot. Then, Song Linlin remembered she had been standing here for half a day and hadn’t seen any sign of Shen Wanyi. That girl had a bell tied around her wrist that jingled when she walked; logically, she should be easy to find.
After learning about Zhiyu’s situation, Song Linlin couldn’t help but suspect Shen Wanyi might not have come either. So, Song Linlin continued asking, “What about Shen Wanyi? I’ve been here a while and haven’t seen her.”
Hearing this, a worried expression appeared on Ye Tingran’s face. She said, “Shen-shimei is still recuperating. The injuries she sustained in the Mirror Moon Secret Realm last time haven’t healed yet. She’s still resting quietly and cannot use her Spiritual Energy freely.”
The Mirror Moon Secret Realm was too dangerous…
Song Linlin didn’t know whether to call Shen Wanyi lucky or unlucky. She must have been injured quite badly in the Mirror Moon Secret Realm, but thankfully, her life wasn’t in danger, and she also conveniently avoided this current Secret Realm.
At the same time, Song Linlin couldn’t help but start feeling scared again. The Secret Realm in the main storyline last time was already so dangerous; this time, the book’s villain was making her debut – the danger level would definitely be higher than the Mirror Moon Secret Realm.
Especially since there was no escaping this time.
“By the way, I just arrived and haven’t teamed up yet. Song-shimei, Lin-shimei, would you like to join me?” Ye Tingran looked at Song Linlin and Chi Qianning, smiling warmly.
Song Linlin immediately took two tactical steps back. Was she kidding? How could she dare be on the same team as Ye Tingran? In the plot, those who teamed up with Ye Tingran, including those in the central area of the Secret Realm, mostly ended up dead9. Ye Tingran, being the protagonist, naturally wouldn’t die, but Song Linlin didn’t want to eagerly rush towards a restart. Staying near the protagonist was a high-risk affair.
So she immediately chose to refuse, saying firmly, “No, Ye-shijie, I’ve already teamed up with someone else, so I can’t join you. You should look for other people!”
Song Linlin hadn’t teamed up with anyone at all, but to avoid Ye Tingran, the words came out without thinking. After hearing this, Ye Tingran could only nod regretfully. Since Song Linlin had already teamed up with others, she naturally couldn’t invite her again. It seemed she could only find other people to team up with.
“Alright then.” Ye Tingran wasn’t discouraged. She nodded. “I’ll be going then. The Secret Realm is about to open, I need to find others to team up with first.”
“Okay, goodbye Ye-shijie!” Song Linlin replied immediately. She didn’t forget to add a warning, “Shijie, don’t run towards the central area, it’s very dangerous there.”
Song Linlin couldn’t say more specifics, but anyway, she had warned the other party not to go near. Whether the other party listened, however, couldn’t be guaranteed.
Ye Tingran didn’t think much of it, assuming it was just a normal friendly reminder. After all, the closer to the center, the stronger the Demon Beast; staying away from the center did indeed guarantee safety.
Once Ye Tingran left, her outstanding strength naturally attracted many people eager to team up with her. As soon as she moved away, she was immediately surrounded by others.
Song Linlin pointed at Ye Tingran’s retreating back and said to Chi Qianning beside her, “See her? Once we enter the Profound Yin Realm, we have to walk around her. It’s too dangerous near her!”
Chi Qianning just glanced silently at the other’s back a couple of times, showing no interest in asking for details.
The author has something to say:
Finished writing last night and set a scheduled post, but ended up setting the time for the wrong day’s evening (dizzy). Only just discovered it now. Will make up for the missed updates from the past few days later.
Footnotes
- 师兄师姐 | shīxiōng shījiě | Senior Brother / Shijie. Terms used to address fellow disciples who joined the sect earlier.
- 内丹 | nèidān | Inner Core / Beast Core. A condensation of energy found within Demon Beast or cultivators, often valuable for cultivation or alchemy.
- 天材地宝 | Tiāncái Dìbǎo | Lit. “Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures,” a common term for rare, valuable natural items (herbs, minerals, fruits, etc.) used in cultivation, alchemy, forging, etc.
- 境界 | jìngjiè | Realm / Stage / Level. Refers to a cultivator’s level of power or attainment.
- 三脚猫的功夫 | sān jiǎo māo de gōngfu | Lit. “three-legged cat’s kung fu,” meaning clumsy, amateurish, or basic skills.
- 秒杀 | miǎo shā | Lit. “second kill,” internet slang originating from gaming, meaning to kill or defeat instantly.
- 功法 | gōngfǎ | Cultivation Method/Technique. A specific set of practices or principles used to cultivate spiritual energy or power.
- 闭关 | bìguān | Lit. “close the gate/pass.” Refers to isolating oneself for intensive training, cultivation, or meditation, often for breakthroughs.
- 死了个七七八八 | sǐle ge qīqībābā | Lit. “died seven seven eight eight,” meaning most of them died, or seven or eight out of ten died. Conveys a high casualty rate.
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