The Passerby Female Supporting Character – Chapter 69
by Little PandaSong Linlin is Dead?
Evidently, this was Song Linlin’s identity token, but now it was shattered.
Moreover, looking at the cracks, it was clearly not accidentally dropped and broken by the wearer. The identity token was made of special materials; a simple fall from a height wouldn’t break it.
The cracks spread from a single point in the center; this identity token had been shattered by a sharp object striking its middle.
Why would an ordinary disciple, with nothing better to do, deliberately stab an identity token with a sword?
Anyone with a brain would realize that the possibility of the token being destroyed by its owner was minuscule. It was highly probable that they had encountered enemies at the scene, and this token was pierced and shattered during the wearer’s fight with those enemies.
As for evidence, the bones nearby that hadn’t completely burned away were the best proof. It was very likely that after the enemy dealt with this guardian squad, they chose to destroy the corpses and erase all traces to eliminate evidence.
This token was located far from the area consumed by flames, luckily escaping being burned along with everything else.
How the enemy managed to escape was still a question. Surely they didn’t just kill people and then jump off a cliff? This would require careful investigation later.
And now, Chi Qianning held this shattered token. She looked at the three characters on it; it was just a name, yet the more she looked, the more glaring it became. For a moment, she was speechless, her throat choked with a bitter sensation, unable to speak, suffocating.
Ye Tingran also saw the name. To think this was actually Song Linlin’s identity token! Her expression immediately turned grim as well, looking at the token in disbelief.
If Song Linlin’s token was here, then she was very likely a member of the squad guarding this place.
And this guardian squad had probably already……
She didn’t speak. The news that her close friend was very likely dead stunned Ye Tingran, unable to believe how things could have turned out this way.
How could this be? That woman who snatched the Tongyou Fruit didn’t even kill me, so how could she kill these people?!
Ye Tingran dismissed this possibility. That person clearly looked down on those low-strength disciples; she shouldn’t have made a move.
Then who else could it be?
Could it be that woman who initially came to the secret realm to cause trouble?
Or perhaps other enemies hiding in the dark, undiscovered by everyone, who killed them and then immediately fled or hid.
For a moment, neither Chi Qianning nor Ye Tingran spoke. The former was squatting on the ground, her expression hidden from the others, while Ye Tingran wore a frown, looking stunned.
With these two silent, the others, who didn’t know Song Linlin, could still sense the heavy atmosphere and thus fell silent, no one daring to speak up.
Chi Qianning lowered her head, staring at the jade token, her mind a blank. Her fingers gradually tightened, the tips turning white from the force. The sharp edges of the broken token pressed into the soft flesh of her palm, almost piercing the skin and digging into her flesh, yet she felt no pain.
The three characters “Song Linlin” on the jade token became more glaring the more she looked. Her eyes were fixed on the token, desperately trying to convince herself she had misread it, that this definitely wasn’t Song Linlin’s.
How could it be? How could Song Linlin be here?
She refused to believe it. This definitely wasn’t Song Linlin’s. She must have misread it!
Yet, no matter how carefully she looked, those three characters remained unchanged. Her vision gradually blurred, a bitter taste spreading from her throat, making it difficult to breathe.
This was a bitterness Chi Qianning had never experienced before, spreading from her throat down to her heart. Her vision blurred; something welled up in her eyes, and then a drop of water fell onto the jade token.
It clearly wasn’t raining, so why did a drop of water fall?
It wasn’t until she felt the sensation of liquid streaking down her cheek that Chi Qianning reached up with her other hand. Her fingers touched the wetness on her cheek; the liquid was still warm. Looking at her hand, her fingers were stained with transparent water droplets.
She had only ever experienced wiping a handful of blood from her face when her head was broken and bleeding. This time, it was a transparent liquid. Chi Qianning was stunned for a long while before she belatedly realized that these seemed to be her own tears.
So this is what crying felt like?
No, she was, after all, someone with a fearsome reputation. How could she cry in front of so many people?
Chi Qianning raised her hand to wipe away the tears with her palm, yet they seemed endless, flowing more profusely the more she wiped.
She could only keep repeating the wiping motion. Chi Qianning couldn’t control the flow of tears, just as she couldn’t deceive her own eyes that the name carved on the jade token wasn’t Song Linlin’s.
With this thought, the tears, initially just a drop or two, suddenly intensified. A sour, astringent feeling clogged her throat and airways, and her nose could barely draw in air. She could only gasp for breath.
Yet, the moment she parted her lips, a sob escaped uncontrollably from her throat. Chi Qianning wanted to suppress it, not to cry out in front of others, but she still couldn’t control it at all.
Holding the jade token inscribed with Song Linlin’s name, how could Chi Qianning not understand? Finding the shattered token here meant the wearer was, of course, very likely to have met a grim fate……
The feeling of being an observer was different from experiencing it firsthand. When something like this truly happened to her, she was utterly unwilling to believe that Song Linlin was already dead.
How could it be? She had only lost sight of her for such a short time; how could she have died so easily?
What kind of joke was this?!
Her heart felt as if it were being repeatedly cut by a blunt knife. The blockage in her airway brought on mild oxygen deprivation, causing her head to spin slightly.
The more she tried to suppress her sobs, the more the bitter, dull ache accumulated. The sorrow gathered too much, and finally, it could no longer be suppressed; immense grief erupted all at once.
Chi Qianning no longer cared that others were present, feeling only that she was about to break down. Tears streamed down like pearls from a broken string, and her sobs were no longer deliberately stifled. Her body, unable to support itself, knelt on the ground.
The sharp edges of the jade token pierced her palm, and blood instantly gushed out, dyeing the token red before dripping onto the ground.
Chi Qianning tasted her tears—bitter and salty. Yet, this bitterness was nothing compared to the anguish constricting her heart.
How did things turn out this way?
She refused to accept such an outcome.
“I’m sorry…… I’m sorry……” Chi Qianning murmured intermittently in a low voice.
The sharp edges of the jade token dug almost deep enough to touch bone, yet she felt no pain.
Chi Qianning was filled with regret. She hunched over, pressing the hand holding the token to her heart, and said, whether to the token or to the Song Linlin who couldn’t hear her, “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have disobeyed you……”
If she hadn’t gone to snatch the Tongyou Fruit, hadn’t left Song Linlin’s side, things would surely be different. How could Song Linlin possibly have met with an accident?
Chi Qianning could barely speak, overwhelmed and drowned by extreme self-blame. She could only keep repeating her apologies through choked sobs.
She was the one who had harmed Song Linlin. Knowing Song Linlin’s strength wasn’t high, how could she have let Song Linlin go out alone at a time like that?
She shouldn’t have left Song Linlin, nor should she have gone to snatch the Tongyou Fruit.
“I’m sorry…… It’s all my fault, I couldn’t control myself…… How could I let you be out there alone……”
The people standing around looked at each other, watching Chi Qianning collapse to the ground, her sobs incessant, her hands covered in blood that stained her clothes.
They were all astonished that someone could cry like this, as if they had lost the most important person in their life. The feeling of such sorrow permeated the air, and for a moment, no one dared to approach or disturb her, all looking at the nearby scorched earth with complicated expressions.
After a good while, someone finally stepped forward. Her hand rested on Chi Qianning’s constantly trembling shoulder. She sighed and consoled, “The dead cannot be revived, you……”
However, before she could finish her words, Chi Qianning, beneath her, seemed to have been provoked by something. She suddenly turned her head, her scarlet eyes filled with fury, glaring fixedly at the person who had just spoken.
The next moment, Chi Qianning waved her hand. Not only did she fling off the hand resting on her shoulder, but the person also felt a force strike her body. She was immediately knocked down, her back slamming heavily onto the ground.
With that wave of Chi Qianning’s hand, she nearly made the person vomit blood from the impact.
No one present reacted in time; they only felt a gust of wind, and the next second, that person was down, lying on the ground coughing violently, having suffered internal injuries from the fall.
Chi Qianning’s red eyes stared dangerously at the person, her entire being exuding a ruthless aura. Though tearstains still marked her face, she looked terrifyingly grim. She spoke, enunciating each syllable, questioning, “Who said she’s dead?”
The person lying on the ground suddenly began to tremble. Meeting Chi Qianning’s gaze, she didn’t dare to reply, her face deathly pale. At this moment, she felt as if she had been targeted by some extremely dangerous entity.
That Lin Qianqian wanted to kill her!
She didn’t even dare to breathe. The premonition of her own impending death screamed warnings in her mind. She had no doubt that the other party would suddenly strike and kill her in the next instant.
Just then, Ye Tingran suddenly reached out and pressed down on Chi Qianning’s forearm, forcing the hand Chi Qianning had raised back down.
“Lin Qianqian, think about Song Linlin. Don’t be impulsive,” Ye Tingran said.
Chi Qianning fell silent for a few seconds. Just before the person lying on the ground was about to break down, she finally withdrew her gaze, no longer looking at her.
The dangerous aura she had just exuded was too terrifying. Now that it had subsided considerably, everyone around breathed a sigh of relief. The atmosphere eased, and the person on the ground was drenched in a cold sweat, feeling as though she had narrowly escaped death. She quickly shot Ye Tingran a grateful look.
Ye Tingran shook her head, indicating it was nothing. Then, she looked around at the others, making eye contact. Everyone nodded, understanding that Ye Tingran was signaling them not to speak carelessly.
After this incident, the others only dared to look at Chi Qianning with fearful eyes. Her current state was clearly not right; how could they dare say anything more to provoke her?
Having communicated with the others through glances, Ye Tingran then lowered her head again to look at Chi Qianning. She had long felt that this woman who often appeared with Song Linlin not only had a unique appearance but also possessed formidable strength. When the other party had suddenly attacked just now, Ye Tingran hadn’t reacted at all, which was why she hadn’t been able to stop Chi Qianning.
She could understand Chi Qianning’s current feelings. Song Linlin’s life or death was unknown; a sudden emotional outburst was not incomprehensible.
Now, only Ye Tingran dared to speak to Chi Qianning. Ye Tingran naturally had to console Chi Qianning first, so she said, “No one wishes for anything to happen to Song Linlin. She is our fellow sect member, and moreover, my friend. I naturally don’t want anything to happen to her either.”
“So, being impulsive now is useless. It’s said, ‘We need to see them alive, or see their corpse if dead.’1 Since we haven’t even seen a body, we naturally can’t conclude she’s dead.”
“We know nothing about the situation here. Why don’t we go gather some clues? Investigate what exactly happened here, and who started the fire.”
Ye Tingran spoke unhurriedly. She possessed a unique temperament; her voice was gentle yet carried a firmness. This calmness of hers could influence those around her, and even someone in Chi Qianning’s state listened to her words.
What she said made a lot of sense. Merely grieving here was useless. Chi Qianning fell into deep thought, and the scene quieted down. After several seconds, Chi Qianning softly uttered a name:
“Wenxin Cult……”
In the Profound Yin Realm, Chi Qianning clearly remembered that someone claiming to be the Wenxin Cult Leader’s own daughter had also wanted to snatch the Tongyou Fruit. Later, she was captured alive by the guardian elder, and then Chi Qianning, finding her too noisy, directly chopped off her head.
That woman had appeared alone in the secret realm at the time, but that didn’t mean she came alone. Young ladies from such factions would surely have servants or protectors accompanying them when they went out!
Yet she had appeared by herself. Her accomplices were very likely hiding outside the secret realm. Upon noticing the commotion within the secret realm, or after waiting for their mistress to appear for a long time without success, they found an area with weak defenses and fled.
“Wenxin Cult?”
Hearing this name, the others also nodded. They had all escaped from the secret realm and knew that initially, a woman had attacked the guardian elder, and that person had claimed to be from the Wenxin Cult.
“Indeed, it’s very possible. That woman might have had accomplices from the Wenxin Cult outside the secret realm,” Ye Tingran said.
Only then did Chi Qianning release her bloodied palm, wiping the blood-stained jade token clean with her sleeve. Then, she picked up the other fragments of the jade token from the ground, piece by piece.
She carefully put these things away. These were the last things Song Linlin had left behind. Chi Qianning stood up, didn’t look at the others again, and headed back in the direction they had come from.
At a time like this, Chi Qianning had no intention of hiding anything from the others anymore. She directly vanished from before everyone, leaving the others to stare at each other blankly.
“She…… disappeared???” someone exclaimed.
Ye Tingran mused, “That was teleportation.”
“Huh? Didn’t Lin Qianqian enter the secret realm with us? That’s a magical technique that only those at the Nascent Soul stage can partially master, right?!”
The requirement for the secret realm was entry only for those below the Nascent Soul stage, but didn’t Lin Qianqian just now completely fail to meet that requirement?
“Hmm…… Perhaps she used a teleportation talisman? Such talismans are precious, but not impossible to obtain.”
The crowd was baffled and could only assume this was the case.
Chi Qianning did not go back to the entrance of the secret realm but returned to the residence she shared with Song Linlin.
Standing at the doorway, she took a deep breath, then mustered the courage to push open the main door, still clinging to a sliver of unrealistic hope that upon opening the door, she would see Song Linlin inside.
With a creak, the main door was pushed open. Chi Qianning looked inside. Everything remained as it was when she and Song Linlin had left. Chi Qianning then went to the bedroom. In a daze, she seemed to see Song Linlin sprawled on the bed reading storybooks, but when she looked closely, it was still empty.
Chi Qianning quietly observed everything around her. After a good while, she left the room. The main door was closed again. To prevent anyone else from entering, Chi Qianning directly placed the strongest restriction she could muster on it.
Then, she left the Xuanyun Sect without looking back.
Song Linlin’s consciousness was heavy, and sharp pains pulsed from her stomach. She knew this was the wound left after she had been stabbed. All around was dim. She struggled to open her eyes a slit, only to see an unfamiliar scene.
“Where is this?”
The author has something to say:
Xiao Song: Suddenly appears
Writing this update, I fell asleep. It’s almost finished, so I’ll reflect on my recent laziness. I’ll try to be more diligent later!
You’d think after suffering from a near death experience like this she’ll grow a backbone