Song Linwei

Biodata

Power Progression

Appearance

Song Linwei is repeatedly noted for her white attire, exceptional beauty, and composed bearing. She travels in a precious carriage drawn by eighth-rank Gold-Scaled Great Dragon Steeds, a visible sign of her standing and resources 245.

• Often wears white robes and a white skirt, likened to a hibiscus blooming in snow 245.
• Has bright eyes and a flawless white face; she appeared somewhat haggard after difficulties at Di Luo Plain 245.
• Later wears a fitted white outfit, white-soled jade-patterned boots, and a high ponytail secured with a silver clasp 261.
• Her arrival draws immediate attention, and other young talents formally greet her as “Miss Song” 246 261.
• When commanding the Northern Border Shang Soul Directorate in secret, she wears silver-white battle armor and a bright silver phoenix-patterned mask, concealing both her face and voice from her subordinates 289.
• During the Flying Dragon Gorge operation, her white robe, silver armor, and mask are stained with blood after she sustains grave injuries in battle 290.

Personality

Song Linwei is restrained, observant, and selective in her dealings. At Emperorfall City, she patiently speaks with prospective talents one by one while silently judging their value, intending to gather capable people beneath her wing 246.

She is notably protective of Chen Cheng. She calls him “a fine sapling,” asks Baili Hong to prevent the Mysterious Sword Sect from harming him, and would rather concede a deadly wager than let him risk himself immediately after a breakthrough 218 246 247. Her concern is tempered by respect for his character; she recognizes that he would not accept outside intervention to manipulate the outcome of a serious fight 219.

Though she can be courteous in private, Song Linwei is cold and unresponsive toward strangers who crowd around her seeking favors or access to her methods 250. She also values confidentiality and is visibly moved when Chen Cheng tells her that he has revealed his Appraisal Technique to no one else 250.

Behind her noblewoman cover identity, Song Linwei is a cautious imperial commander tasked with investigating hidden forces behind the Northern Border’s prolonged war. She conceals her identity even from many of her own personnel and weighs battlefield risks carefully rather than gambling needlessly with subordinates’ lives 245 289 300.

She places considerable faith in Chen Cheng’s judgment and potential. Although Deputy Commander Yuwen Tuo challenges her decision to rely on Chen Cheng during the Flying Dragon Gorge crisis, she refuses to alter a plan she judges strategically necessary 289.

Abilities & Resources

Patronage and Talent Recruitment

Song Linwei possesses sufficient wealth and influence to support martial artists’ cultivation and to attract resource-starved talents.

• Invites young talents to accompany her to Emperorfall City 224.
• Offers Chen Cheng formal sponsorship, including cultivation resources and compensation for completed tasks 245.
• Her initial sponsorship arrangement provides Chen Cheng with three fourth-order Qi-Deriving Pills and ten Northern Emperor Currency each month, while preserving his freedom to refuse unwanted assignments 245.
• Provides Chen Cheng with sixty pieces of fourth-tier Strange Tiger Jerky after his victory over Jiang Shuqin, twice the original thirty-piece wager 224.
• Her support is expected to make fifth-order nourishing resources accessible to Chen Cheng 252.
• Her reputation causes young talents to seek her patronage at the Northern Emperor Demon-Subduing Sect’s entrance-selection gathering 246.
• Her sudden departure from Snowtread Manor temporarily interrupts the delivery of Chen Cheng’s promised follow-up resources, causing him to worry for her safety rather than doubt her intentions 252.

Appraisal Insight

Song Linwei can identify flaws in a Mountain Aperture, though she is impressed by Chen Cheng’s superior Appraisal Technique 250.

• Correctly recognizes that a Mountain Aperture has a problem, drawing widespread attention 250.
• Warns Chen Cheng that an ability as useful as his Appraisal Technique could invite danger if exposed 250.

Imperial Authority and Soulshatter Office Resources

Song Linwei’s greatest resource is her authority within Great Shang’s imperial system.

• Oversees the Northern Border Shang Soul Directorate and acts under imperial authority as an envoy 245.
• Uses the Soulshatter Office to investigate Northern Border threats and to recruit exceptional talents for the court 245.
• Appoints Chen Cheng as a Subordinate Sixth Rank Trial Hundred-Household Officer after witnessing his strength, with a potential promotion to Principal Fifth Rank Thousand-Household Officer if he can prove his achievement in slaying Yin Chi 265.
• Provides Chen Cheng with an official document, token, high-rank pill stipends, and superior cultivation lodging after his appointment 265.
• Commands Directorate personnel in the field while concealing her face and true identity behind a phoenix-patterned mask 289.

High-Status Connections

Song Linwei commands enough prestige that major figures treat her with exceptional caution and respect.

• Baili Hong agrees to intercede with the Mysterious Sword Sect at her request 218.
• The chief elder and general manager of Emperorfall City’s South Outer City personally receives her arrival 246.
• Rumors attribute her wealth to an overseas trading clan with resources “rivaling a nation,” though this is a deliberate public cover rather than her true identity 245 246.
• Her exact identity is treated as sensitive; her associates advise against probing into it without her consent 224.
• Her stated public persona is that of a cold and aloof noblewoman from an overseas family connected to the Imperial Capital 245.

Strategic Command

Song Linwei is an experienced planner who coordinates intelligence, battlefield operations, and covert missions.

• Secretly enters the Northern Emperor Demon-Subduing Sect to investigate an undisclosed matter connected to the wider Northern Border conflict 245.
• Determines that her forces must delay the enemy at Flying Dragon Gorge while Chen Cheng attempts to capture the Marquis of Northern Suppression’s wife, Bai Fengyi 289.
• Rejects Yuwen Tuo’s proposal to break out with a separate force because it would alert the Marquis and ruin the operation’s only viable chance of success 289.
• Continues supplying Chen Cheng with intelligence on Shattered Leaf City, the Northern Border rebellion, and the expected security of the Shanhai Sect 261 301.

Equipment / Items

• Precious carriage drawn by eighth-rank Gold-Scaled Great Dragon Steeds 245.
• Fourth-tier Strange Tiger Jerky, used as a wager and reward for Chen Cheng 224.
• Silver-white mask and dark-red cloak used while visiting the Ghost Market with Chen Cheng 249.
• Silver-white battle armor and a bright silver phoenix-patterned mask used while commanding the Northern Border Shang Soul Directorate in secret 289.

Relationships

• Chen Cheng — Patron, trusted ally, and Soulshatter Office subordinate. She initially values his potential, later sponsors him, safeguards his interests, grants him an official position, and repeatedly shows open concern for his safety 218 245 246 250 261 265. Chen Cheng in turn accepts her sponsorship, aids her operations, and rescues her from the Flying Dragon Gorge disaster 245 289 290.
• Baili Hong — Initially a powerful associate whose assistance she requests to protect Chen Cheng. Their relationship later deteriorates into a serious conflict, and Baili Hong joins Qi Tiankui’s ambush against Song Linwei and Chen Cheng on Di Luo Plain 218 251.
• Qi Tiankui — Opponent in a wager over the Shipwreck Ruins at Azureglow Bay; he pressures her to provide a fighter for a lethal match and later participates in an ambush against her 246 251.
• Jiang Shuqin — Participates in a martial contest arranged under Song Linwei’s thirty-piece Strange Tiger Jerky stake. Song Linwei also keeps track of Jiang’s progress at Di Luo Plain 224 245.
• Ji Jingyou — One of the young talents invited to travel with her; he remains at Di Luo Plain to cultivate in seclusion before the entrance selection 224 245.
• Qing Chan — Her close attendant and aide. Song Linwei gives Qing Chan private instructions during Chen Cheng’s match and later assigns her to assist with Chen Cheng’s alternate sect arrangements 218 261.
• Night-Illuminator — A white cat that gives Chen Cheng an amber-gold crystal after eating his Treasure Fish; Song Linwei explains that it likely considers Chen Cheng a friend 225.
• Yuwen Tuo — Deputy Commander of the Northern Border Shang Soul Directorate. He resents Song Linwei’s appointment and openly disputes her reliance on Chen Cheng during the Flying Dragon Gorge operation, though he cannot refute her strategic reasoning 289.
• Baili Jueluo — The Marquis of Northern Suppression and a principal enemy of Song Linwei’s Directorate. His rebellion and ambush at Flying Dragon Gorge nearly kill her 289 290.
• Bai Fengyi — Baili Jueluo’s wife and Baili Qin’s mother. Song Linwei’s plan depends on Chen Cheng capturing Bai Fengyi to disrupt the Marquis’s rebellion; Bai Fengyi ultimately helps Song Linwei escape 289 290.
• Lu Zhenting — A grateful ally of Chen Cheng whose extraordinary generosity and family wealth draw Song Linwei’s suspicion during her covert investigation into those profiting from the Northern Border war 300.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Seven Sects Grand Competition

Song Linwei takes an interest in Chen Cheng during the competition, privately asking Baili Hong to ensure that the Mysterious Sword Sect does not harm him. Her visible partiality prompts Shen Wanqing to reassess Chen Cheng’s significance 218.

When Qiu Tongtian initially refuses to grant Chen Cheng a place despite his victory, Song Linwei wants to speak for him but hesitates over how to intervene 221.

Emperorfall City Invitation

At a gathering on Cloud Sea Cliff, Song Linwei announces that she will travel to Emperorfall City and invites the assembled young talents to join her. Chen Cheng declines the journey but accepts a contest against Jiang Shuqin after Song Linwei offers thirty pieces of fourth-tier Strange Tiger Jerky as the stake 224.

Chen Cheng wins using physical strength and resilience alone. Song Linwei rewards him with sixty pieces of jerky and a parting gift, expressing admiration for his potential 224.

Sponsorship of Chen Cheng

Five months later, Song Linwei arrives in a dragon-steed carriage and invites Chen Cheng aboard. She offers to sponsor him with resources and task compensation, and Chen Cheng accepts because of the opportunities this arrangement provides 245.

During this meeting, Song Linwei reveals that “Song Linwei” is an alias. She is the Eldest Princess of Great Shang, titled Radiant Splendor, and the commander of the Northern Border Shang Soul Directorate. She further explains that she is infiltrating the Northern Emperor Demon-Subduing Sect under a false identity to investigate a secret matter and recruit court talent 245.

She tells him that Di Luo Plain has not been going smoothly and that Shi Kaishan was severely injured there, while Jiang Shuqin and Ji Jingyou remain behind to cultivate after gaining a major opportunity 245.

Azureglow Bay Wager

At the Northern Emperor Demon-Subduing Sect entrance-selection gathering, Qi Tiankui demands that Song Linwei provide a combatant for a match in which both sides must fight to the death. Chen Cheng volunteers to fight for her, while Song Linwei tries to stop him out of concern for his safety 246.

When Chen Cheng leaves the decision to her, Song Linwei recommends abandoning the match rather than forcing him to fight while newly advanced. Public mockery of Chen Cheng immediately angers her 247.

The wager concerns the exploration rights to the Shipwreck Ruins at Azureglow Bay. Song Linwei’s side had won the first sword-qi match through Ji Jingyou, but Qi Tiankui imposes exceptionally harsh rules for the second match in an attempt to force her forfeiture 246.

Trust and the Di Luo Plain Ambush

Song Linwei accompanies Chen Cheng to the Ghost Market. After witnessing his Appraisal Technique, she warns him to keep it secret; Chen Cheng confirms that she is the only person he has told, and she says she is happy to receive that trust 249 250.

During their journey across Di Luo Plain, Chen Cheng discovers that Qi Tiankui and Baili Hong have arranged an ambush intended to kill both him and Song Linwei 251.

Reunion

Song Linwei later approaches Chen Cheng directly after learning of the danger he faced at Snowtread Manor. Relieved to find him unharmed, she says she can finally rest easy and brings news concerning two matters he had asked her to investigate 261.

She informs Chen Cheng that his father survived a Death Squad Camp mission, earned military merit, and was later dispatched to Shattered Leaf City as a camp captain’s personal guard. However, the city is surrounded by Northern Yin forces, and his current fate cannot yet be confirmed 261.

Song Linwei also warns Chen Cheng that the Northern Emperor Demon-Subduing Sect’s entry requirements are unfavorable to him, but promises to arrange another route into a sect on Di Luo Plain if necessary 261.

Soulshatter Office Appointment

After Chen Cheng passes the Northern Emperor Demon-Subduing Sect’s assessment and demonstrates overwhelming combat ability, Song Linwei asks him privately whether he was responsible for slaying Yin Chi 264.

She appoints him a Subordinate Sixth Rank Trial Hundred-Household Officer of the Soulshatter Office, supplying an official token, document, pill stipend, and better cultivation residence. She also promises a substantial promotion should he prove his role in Yin Chi’s death 265.

Before departing on a dangerous mission, Song Linwei tells Chen Cheng that his current strength is insufficient for her work and urges him to continue cultivating steadily rather than involve himself in her affairs 266.

Flying Dragon Gorge Operation

As the Marquis of Northern Suppression prepares to rebel, Song Linwei mobilizes the Northern Border Shang Soul Directorate near Whale-Fishing Pass. Chen Cheng learns that her forces have set an ambush at Flying Dragon Gorge, where the outcome of the operation may determine the survival of the Northern Border 284 289.

Song Linwei orders her force to delay the enemy while Chen Cheng attempts to capture Bai Fengyi, the Marquis’s wife. Deputy Commander Yuwen Tuo objects to entrusting so much to Chen Cheng, but Song Linwei maintains that any conventional breakout would expose their intentions and guarantee defeat 289.

The operation collapses into a bloody battle after Baili Jueluo proves prepared for their plan. Song Linwei is gravely wounded, poisoned, and cornered, but Chen Cheng arrives in time to aid her escape. Bai Fengyi uses a powerful poison to incapacitate the Marquis temporarily, allowing the group to flee 290.

Northern Border Aftermath

While recovering from the Flying Dragon Gorge battle, Song Linwei remains with Chen Cheng and receives innate Primordial Qi from him over several days 300 301.

She later informs him that Shattered Leaf City has fallen to the rebellion. Although Chen Shi’s fate is ominous, she notes that some soldiers escaped after staging a revolt within the occupied city, leaving open the possibility that he survived 301.

Song Linwei reassures Chen Cheng that the Shanhai Sect is unlikely to face immediate invasion for at least half a year. However, she remains increasingly discouraged by the scale of the Northern Border war and the collapse of the Directorate’s position 301.

She eventually returns to the Imperial Capital, informing Chen Cheng through Lu Zhenting that her next return may coincide with the day she leads troops on a northern expedition 307.

Notable Quotes

“He is a fine sapling.” 218

“I am the Eldest Princess of Great Shang, bearing the title Radiant Splendor.” 245

“I am very happy that you can trust me this much.” 250

“It is wonderful that you are all right.” 261

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