The Passerby Female Supporting Character – Chapter 72
by Little PandaI’d like to see about that
Yishui City was a typical small city in Jiangnan1. It wasn’t large, nor was its population numerous; at best, it could only be considered a medium-sized city. However, Song Linlin’s days here were quite comfortable.
In a flash, more than a month had passed. A cultivator’s physique was different from that of an ordinary person. Even without taking any medicinal remedies to aid healing, relying solely on the body’s natural recovery speed, after so many days, Song Linlin was no longer in the state she had been at the very beginning—unable to even get out of bed, unsteady on her feet. The injuries all over her body had healed about seventy to eighty percent, and standing up was certainly no problem.
Currently, the only injury on Song Linlin that was slow to heal was the saber wound. This was probably because it was an external wound; without medicine, relying solely on the body’s own recovery was still a bit too much to ask.
However, as long as Song Linlin didn’t make any major movements and didn’t touch the wound, she wouldn’t feel much, which was undoubtedly much better than the constant pain at the beginning.
Song Linlin had been staying in the rear courtyard of the Lianxiang Lou2 for over a month. During this time, she had even helped the establishment drive away two troublemaking hooligans. Everyone was astonished that she was actually a Golden Core stage cultivator. Those two troublemakers had never seen such a display and were immediately scared out of their wits3, fleeing the Lianxiang Lou by scrambling and crawling, not even daring to bring people back for revenge.
Apart from a few Nascent Soul stage old ancestors in seclusion within certain factions, Golden Core stage cultivators were already among the strongest openly acknowledged powers in Yishui City. Now, everyone knew that a Golden Core stage expert was holding down the fort in the Lianxiang Lou. Several factions that used to collect protection fees everywhere no longer dared to trouble the Lianxiang Lou. This made the Madam ecstatic; she wished she could put Song Linlin on a pedestal.
Today, Song Linlin was sitting in the main hall on the first floor of the Lianxiang Lou, as usual. If she wanted to eat anything, she just had to call an attendant over to order, and the people in the establishment would respectfully bring the items to her.
On the stage, several women were performing songs and dances for the guests to enjoy with their drinks. Anyway, since she didn’t have to pay for any of this food, Song Linlin didn’t stand on ceremony with the Madam, always ordering a large table full of dishes for herself alone.
However, it was early morning now, and Song Linlin didn’t have much of an appetite. Waking up so early was purely because she wanted to get up and take a walk. Her body hadn’t fully recovered yet. In the past, Song Linlin would definitely have been unwilling to exercise much, but now, to recover faster, Song Linlin had to walk around more every day.
Song Linlin beckoned to an attendant standing not far away. Without even needing to speak, the attendant immediately and cleverly scurried over, bowing respectfully to ask what Song Linlin would like for breakfast.
These days, Song Linlin had eaten too much rich food4; recently, she preferred lighter things. She didn’t have much appetite in the morning, so after some thought, she finally said, “Hmm… I’ll just have a pot of Lingxiang Tea5.”
Lingxiang Tea was a common type of tea in the Jiangnan region. Its fresh taste carried a unique sweetness from Lingxiang leaves, making it very suitable for drinking at this time.
Song Linlin rested her chin on her palm, her elbow on the table, her eyes idly watching the dance on stage. Her mind, however, involuntarily began to drift, her thoughts wandering far away6.
She had already stayed in this place for over a month. Her body was almost healed now, at least enough to withstand the jolting of a journey. Perhaps at first, she had been interested in this unfamiliar place, but now she had grown tired of it and was already considering when to set off back to her sect.
Song Linlin idly peeled a grape for herself. The grape pulp was juicy, sweet, and sour, tasting quite good. However, as Song Linlin casually turned her head, she saw a man adorned in gold and silver at a table, with three women seated with him.
One of the women, whom he had his arm around, picked a grape, peeled off its skin, and, holding the glistening, juicy fruit, flirtatiously teased the man. Even feeding a grape could turn into a scene of playing hard to get.
Song Linlin was disgusted by these four people, and instantly, the grape didn’t taste good anymore. She hadn’t forgotten where she was now; such occurrences weren’t strange here.
“I should just sit for a bit longer and then head out early.”
Song Linlin spent most of her time wandering around the city. Staying in the Lianxiang Lou made her feel uncomfortable all over; compared to here, being outside was more interesting.
Early in the morning, there weren’t many customers in the Lianxiang Lou. Ignoring those four eyesores, the main hall was quite peaceful. Song Linlin moved to a seat further away, where she couldn’t hear the commotion from those four. The world instantly became much quieter.
The pot of Lingxiang Tea she had ordered was soon brought over by a serving girl. Song Linlin picked up a cup and poured herself some hot tea. Drinking a cup of warm tea early in the morning was a very enjoyable thing. As the sweet, clear tea went down, her mouth filled with the fragrance of plants, and even Song Linlin’s mood brightened considerably.
She was already thinking about where to wander when she went out later. Yesterday, Song Linlin had visited a famous temple in the city. The temple was located on a mountain on the outskirts of the city. Song Linlin’s leisurely round trip took her the better part of a day, and the most efficacious prayer at the temple was for a good marriage.
Unfortunately, Song Linlin had no particular feelings about this aspect. While other women were burning incense and praying to the Bodhisattva8 to grant them an ideal husband, only Song Linlin was earnestly praying for her own safety, and she even bought a protective talisman on the side.
As for whether it was truly effective, Song Linlin couldn’t say. But it wasn’t expensive. She hadn’t touched the forty taels of silver she had previously received for selling herself; her food and drink were mostly covered by the Lianxiang Lou, and she rarely spent money otherwise, so she still had plenty of silver left.
Song Linlin yawned out of boredom, twirling a strand of her long hair with her fingers, hesitating whether to go on an outing to a garden on the city outskirts today or to go boating and fishing in the more distant Bishui Lake9.
At this moment, outside the Lianxiang Lou, a woman in a light blue dress stood still. She looked down at the direction the needle of the compass in her hand was pointing. Confirming that the needle was aimed at the Lianxiang Lou, she immediately furrowed her pretty brows.
Clearly, the Lianxiang Lou before her was a brothel10, and the largest one in all of Yishui City. It was morning now, so the entire building looked somewhat deserted; such places only became lively at night.
Yun Daozi had explained that the compass’s precise range was only within ten meters of the target. Chi Qianning looked left and right. Only the massive Lianxiang Lou stood here; there were no other buildings. That meant the person she was looking for was inside this brothel.
Although Chi Qianning disliked such places, she still walked towards the main entrance, holding the compass. Early in the morning, the Lianxiang Lou had few customers, so as soon as Chi Qianning entered the building, she was immediately spotted by several attendants and serving girls stationed in the main hall.
The attendants in the building were just about to greet the newly arrived customer and show her to a seat when they realized the person who had come was a beautiful woman. Her face was cold, her brows slightly furrowed, clearly showing her impatience with this place.
The attendants immediately stopped in their tracks. The aura emanating from the woman made them subconsciously reluctant to approach her, especially since she practically had “keep strangers out” written all over her. The few attendants could only exchange glances, and in the end, none of them dared to approach her proactively.
It was clearly a brothel, yet now a cold-faced woman had entered, especially so early in the morning. It was hard not to let one’s imagination run wild. Incidents where a husband hadn’t returned home all night, and his wife came to the brothel to catch him, had happened in the establishment more than a few times.
Most of the customers who had chosen to stay overnight in the building were still asleep. If a woman came to catch someone, it would inevitably cause a commotion and would surely wake up most of the customers.
Today’s business is probably going to be difficult, the attendant thought silently.
The hour was still early, but there were still some customers who had woken up early and hadn’t left. Most of these people were seated in the first-floor main hall where meals could be served and in the private rooms on the second floor. Now that a woman had suddenly appeared in the building, even though she was just standing quietly at the entrance, she immediately attracted the attention of several people near the door.
There was no other reason than the fact that this suddenly appeared woman was simply too eye-catching. She wore a simple, elegant light blue dress, her silver hair was simply coiled, with the loose strands cascading down to her lower back. Her exquisite face was unadorned by any makeup, yet it was breathtakingly beautiful11. Those red eyes were especially striking.
Not only were the men sitting near the entrance stunned, but their female companions also stared blankly at that face, unable to muster any feelings of jealousy, only thinking how such a cold and beautiful face could exist in the world.
That person exuded a natural air of coldness, especially when her red eyes swept across the room, making the few men who were peeking at her not dare to harbor any disrespectful thoughts.
One attendant, fearing she would go room by room to catch adulterers, which would definitely wake all the customers resting in the building, braced himself12 and approached the entrance, saying:
“Miss13, may I ask what brings you to our Lianxiang Lou?”
He politely inquired about her purpose, using his most respectful tone.
Chi Qianning glanced at him coolly. Her gaze held no emotion, merely a simple look at the person who had spoken beside her, yet the inherent coldness she exuded still startled the attendant.
The attendant suddenly regretted having asked. He was afraid he would anger her. Although the woman opposite him was plainly dressed, she still exerted more pressure on him than those of high status.
“Looking for someone.”
Chi Qianning spoke faintly. She had already put away the compass. The compass’s range was ten meters; since it was confirmed the person was in this building, the compass was no longer needed for guidance. She could find Song Linlin entirely on her own.
Hearing this answer, the attendant inwardly cursed, Oh no. The worst-case scenario had indeed happened. This woman was here in the brothel looking for someone. It was obvious who she was looking for; only those playboys would stay out all night in a brothel.
“It’s bad enough these married playboys come to the brothel, but to even have someone come looking for them, how shameful if word gets out,” the attendant grumbled internally.
To protect the establishment’s business and reputation, he naturally, subconsciously, didn’t want her to search room by room. So, he proactively and attentively asked:
“What is the name of the person you are looking for? What are their distinguishing features? Perhaps I might have some impression and can take you directly to him!”
Having an attendant lead her directly to the correct room would cause much less disruption than letting her search on her own. He had a general idea of most people who stayed overnight in the establishment; as long as she said the name, he would surely know which customer it was.
“No need.”
Chi Qianning directly bypassed the attendant, no longer wasting time with him. She didn’t need anyone’s help at all; she could find Song Linlin just by her scent.
She lifted her foot and walked towards the interior. Chi Qianning could sense Song Linlin was nearby; Song Linlin’s unique scent was very strong in the surrounding air.
“Hey! Miss!”
The attendant hadn’t expected her to just walk off like that, completely ignoring him. He quickly called out, having to follow behind her, wanting to try and persuade her a bit more, lest she really blow things up.
However, when the attendant tried to speak again, he bizarrely found that he couldn’t utter a word. No matter how hard he tried, no sound came from his throat.
This gave him a huge fright. What was happening? Had he become mute?!
The attendant looked bewildered, but an answer surfaced in his mind: it must have been that woman just now! She thought he was too noisy, so she made him mute.
The attendant felt like crying but had no tears. Now, never mind for the sake of the establishment’s business, even for his own voice, he had to follow her, begging that this woman would show mercy and let him speak again after she found her person.
The first-floor main hall was very large. Her exchange with the attendant had attracted the attention of those seated near the door, but some areas were still too far away to hear the commotion at the entrance.
Chi Qianning searched for the source of the scent and quickly locked onto a direction. She walked towards it, and sure enough, after rounding a thick wooden pillar, she saw a familiar back of a head in a corner.
From the entrance, this angle would have been blocked by the wooden pillar, so Chi Qianning hadn’t spotted Song Linlin at first glance. Now, without the obstruction, even with just the back of a head, Chi Qianning immediately recognized it as Song Linlin.
At this moment, Song Linlin was still propping her cheek with one hand, the other holding a cup full of tea, her eyes still idly staring at the stage.
This was a corner spot she had specifically chosen, quiet enough. Few people would actively choose to sit in such a remote place like her; here, she couldn’t see those annoying people.
Chi Qianning walked towards Song Linlin. After experiencing the grief of mistakenly believing her dead, and the anger after the soul-revival failed, when Yun Daozi told her Song Linlin wasn’t dead at all, Chi Qianning simply couldn’t describe her feelings at that moment.
So, she had taken the compass given by Yun Daozi and, despite not having slept for over a month due to rushing around searching for materials, had left the Extreme North Land at her fastest speed and come to this small Jiangnan city.
At this moment, truly finding Song Linlin, Chi Qianning could no longer see anyone else in her eyes. She almost couldn’t believe it was real, afraid it was just a dream. She subconsciously lightened her steps, approaching Song Linlin without making a sound.
Song Linlin was completely unaware of the situation behind her. She continued to stare blankly at the stage, though she didn’t know what was being performed, lost in her own thoughts about where to go next.
But to Chi Qianning, who was behind her, it looked as though the other person, showing only a side profile, was intently watching the performance on stage.
Chi Qianning followed Song Linlin’s gaze and glanced at the stage to the side. She saw a woman with Western Regions descent14 in a red dress, performing an exotic dance.
An eyesore, Chi Qianning judged.
The initial joy of finding Song Linlin was diluted. Discovering that the other person was indeed frequenting a brothel, and even seriously watching a scantily clad woman dance, Chi Qianning felt an nameless jealousy and annoyance creep into her heart.
She had toiled and rushed around for Song Linlin for a month, and as a result, Song Linlin was here, visiting a brothel?!
Chi Qianning had the urge to kill everyone here, but in the end, she suppressed the emotions in her heart and continued towards Song Linlin, deciding to question her personally.
Song Linlin was still daydreaming, but her peripheral vision keenly noticed someone approaching her. She subconsciously turned her head to see who it was.
The newcomer wore a light blue dress, with long, silver-white hair. Those scarlet eyes were also staring right at her. Song Linlin saw her face clearly, met her gaze, and then froze for a moment.
Song Linlin just stared straight at the other person, dumbfounded, especially since that person had stopped right beside her. Song Linlin looked up at her, her breath catching.
This face was truly magnificent15. In all her years, Song Linlin had never seen anyone so beautiful; it felt as if the other person was in a different dimension from everyone else around.
However, when Song Linlin thought back carefully, she couldn’t remember such a special young lady in this Lianxiang Lou. Those so-called top courtesans16, compared to this one, immediately paled in significance.
Since she wasn’t from the establishment, she must have come in from outside. Ordinary young ladies wouldn’t just wander into a brothel for no reason. Song Linlin quickly made a connection: the other person was very likely here to find someone.
As for who she was looking for, it was obvious.
Who could be so foolish as to leave such a beautiful wife at home and then run off to a brothel? Isn’t that just plain crazy?
Song Linlin complained internally.
LP: Wait, Does SL have a memory issue or is CQ just in disguised???
Footnotes
- 江南 | Jiāngnán | A geographical and cultural region south of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River in China, known for its picturesque scenery and distinct culture.
- 怜香楼 | Liánxiāng Lóu | Literally “Pavilion of Cherishing Fragrance,” a common euphemistic name for a brothel.
- 吓破了胆 | xià pò le dǎn | Literally “scared (until their) gallbladders burst,” an idiom meaning to be terrified or scared witless.
- 大魚大肉 | dà yú dà ròu | Literally “big fish big meat,” an idiom referring to a rich, sumptuous, or greasy meal.
- 菱香茶 | Língxiāng Chá | Literally “Water Chestnut Fragrance Tea.”
- 心思飘到了天外 | xīnsi piāo dàole tiānwài | Literally “thoughts drifted beyond the heavens,” an idiom meaning one’s mind has wandered off or is lost in thought.
- 什麽鬼 | shénme guǐ | Literally “what ghost/devil?” A colloquial exclamation expressing surprise, confusion, or annoyance, similar to “What the heck?” or “What on earth?”
- 菩萨 | Púsà | Bodhisattva; an enlightened being who postpones their own nirvana to help others achieve enlightenment. In popular Chinese religion, Bodhisattvas are often prayed to for various blessings.
- 碧水湖 | Bìshuǐ Hú | Literally “Jade Water Lake” or “Clear Water Lake.”
- 青楼 | qīnglóu | Literally “green/blue mansions/towers,” a traditional and often euphemistic term for a brothel or high-class house of courtesans in ancient China.
- 摄人心魄 | shè rén xīn pò | Literally “seizing one’s soul,” an idiom meaning captivating, breathtaking, or soul-stirringly beautiful/intense.
- 硬着頭皮 | yìngzhe tóupí | Literally “hardening the scalp,” an idiom meaning to force oneself to do something difficult or unpleasant; to bite the bullet.
- 姑娘 | gūniang | A common term for a young lady or unmarried woman.
- 西域血統 | Xīyù xuètǒng | “Western Regions” (西域 | Xīyù) is a historical term referring to regions west of China, often Central Asia or further. “Descent” implies features distinct from Han Chinese.
- 這張臉生得實在是偉大 | zhè zhāng liǎn shēng de shízài shì wěidà | A colloquial and somewhat exaggerated compliment. “伟大” (wěidà) usually means “great” or “mighty” in a more profound sense, but here it’s used informally to mean exceptionally, stunningly beautiful.
- 花魁頭牌 | huākuí tóupái | “花魁” (huākuí) refers to the most beautiful and talented courtesan, the “queen of flowers.” “頭牌” (tóupái) means “top star” or “main attraction.” Together, they denote the leading courtesan in a brothel.
It was clear she lost her memory when they were selling her, she said last thing she remember was going out for training mission that was at start of story