Love Me if You Dare: Pristine Darkness

Kuang kuang kuang – the harsh sound of metal being struck.

Jian Yao coughed up a mouthful of water and opened her eyes. The foul taste of water mixed with iron was in her mouth. Her clothes were wet and plastered to her body, making her feel extremely uncomfortable.

Bo Jinyan was still holding her tightly. He regained consciousness and moved slightly, then asked in a low voice, “How are you?”

Jian Yao replied, “I’m okay. How about you?”

He replied, “I’m also okay.”

In truth, anyone stuck in such an oil tank for an entire evening and who almost drowned would not feel good.

Both of them looked up. A very bright light was slipping through the crack in the oil tank cover. Clearly, day had broken. And they were stranded somewhere.

Someone was pounding on the cover of the oil tank.

Was it friend or foe?

Jian Yao and Bo Jinyan remained silent, waiting.

The cover was finally broken through. A very dirty, very red man’s hand reached in, took hold of the iron sheet, and forcefully lifted it up and outwards.

“Hey! Are you guys dead or alive?” The man’s voice sounded vaguely familiar; they had heard it yesterday.

“Kick it open,” Bo Jinyan calmly ordered.

Jian Yao kicked repeatedly at the cover until she finally kicked it open. Instantly, the sunlight poured in and she saw a youthful face.

It turned out to be one of the ruffians on board the boat the day before. His face was unnaturally pale, as if it had been soaked in water for the night. He stared at them with wide eyes.

Jian Yao steadied herself and helped Bo Jinyan climb out of the tank. It was then that she realised they were in an unfamiliar place. They were on a river bank consisting of craggy rocks. The sun was high overhead, and all around them were green hills and mountains. There was no one else around apart from the three of them, and no sign of any boats.

Jian Yao whispered to Bo Jinyan, “He’s Yue ge’s underling.” Then, she asked that man, “Why are we here? Where is this place?”

With a dejected expression, that person replied, “Smiling Snake, the police mounted a sneak attack yesterday, and everyone else is probably done for! I clung to this oil tank and drifted here.” He was fairly young, and as he said this his eyes reddened. “Everyone is dead! Or, they have been arrested by the police! If not for me, the two of you would also be finished!”

Jian Yao kept quiet. Bo Jinyan was also silent for a moment before he dryly said, “Many thanks.”

The gears in Jian Yao’s head had been turning for some time. In a gentle voice, she asked, “What’s your name?”

The man replied, “My name is Ah Hong.”

Jian Yao smiled faintly and said, “Ah Hong, where are we now?”

Ah Hong said, “It’s really good luck that you guys met me! Last night, it was so dark and the current was so swift, I couldn’t see where I was going clearly, but I still managed to bring you here. This place is Zhizi Zhou*. Don’t worry, it’s a very safe place. Let’s hurry up and look for our people.”

*T/N 知子洲 (Zhizi Zhou) – not sure if this is the same as 知子罗 (Zhizi Luo), which was apparently a prosperous ancient city and centre of politics and trade of the Nujiang river basin. The Nujiang river runs through northwest Yunnan and south Tibet. It is now a very quiet village.

Jian Yao was startled. Firstly, she searched her memory, but had no impression of the place named ‘Zhizi Zhou’. Secondly, based on what Ah Hong had said, was this place one of Buddha’s Hand’s strongholds?

She dropped her hand to her side and subtly squeezed Bo Jinyan’s hand. Bo Jinyan immediately squeezed back to indicate that she should play it by ear and seize any opportunities to act.

However, since there was only one opponent . . .

It was a no-brainer*. The two of them could not possibly allow him to take them to ‘meet’ with the others, and fall into a trap once again. Naturally, their top priority was to get in touch with Zhu Tao.

*T/N 用脚趾头想 (yong jiao zhi tou xiang) – lit. to think with your toes. Basically means the question is so simple, you can figure out the answer by thinking ‘with your toes’.

Ah Hong eyed them and asked, in a neutral tone, “Is it still with you?”

Jian Yao sized him up before replying, “Yes.” Although they had handed over their guns and daggers on the boat, they were still carrying their backpacks.

Unexpectedly, this Ah Hong was not completely brainless. He seemed to hesitate, doubtful, then pulled out his gun and aimed it at them, saying, “Hold on to it well and follow me. You . . . make sure you don’t try anything funny!”

“Don’t worry, we won’t do anything.” Jian Yao slowly raised her hands and walked ahead, while knocking into Bo Jinyan with her body as she did so. Bo Jinyan followed behind her and said softly, “Ok, you first*.” Since Ah Hiong was right at the back, he didn’t hear the words clearly and yelled, “What are you guys muttering about?” Jian Yao replied, “Nothing.”

*T/N He said this in English.

At the end of the river bank was a densely forested mountainside. Beyond the mountain’s slope could be seen the indistinct shapes of buildings scattered here and there on the higher ridges. Jian Yao pulled Bo Jinyan up the slope; it was not easy to walk up. At this point, Ah Hong also had no option but to climb up using both hands and feet. Just as Jian Yao turned to look at him, Bo Jinyan said, “Brother Ah Hong, since Yue ge has been brought down, what plans do you have now?”

Ah Hong lowered his head, seemingly stumped by Bo Jinyan’s question. After a pause, he said, “I’ll bring you guys back! Then I’ll get credit for it; don’t you think I’ll be able to climb up the ranks?”

The three of them came to a steep incline. It had probably rained the night before, as the ground beneath their feet was all muddy. There was a stretch of collapsed mud and rocks at the foot of the rocky wall in front of them; evidently, a mudslide had occurred. Thus, Jian Yao was even more cautious as she walked forward.

Then, Bo Jinyan said, “I see that you are a very clever person with bright prospects. And, it can be said that you saved me and my woman. Do you want to follow me in future?”

He said these words unhurriedly, in a deep voice, with a small smile. All of this was inexplicably provocative. Ah Hong froze before replying, “I . . . I’ll think about it when it’s time.”

However, he did not expect that his hesitation would invite even more of Bo Jinyan’s praise. He smiled faintly as he said, “Not bad, cautious and far-sighted. I was not mistaken, you are clearly a talented person. Why didn’t I have someone like you among my subordinates previously? At these words, Ah Hong laughed and said, “Snake ge, you flatter me.”

Jian Yao listened silently from the side. Snake ge . . . if An Yan and Fang Qing heard this form of address, they would laugh until they suffered internal damage. However, Bo Jin yan had managed to deceive the flower cannibal and a criminal gang, and made it look like child’s play. Sure enough, as she looked at the gun in Ah Hong’s hands, he was no longer holding it so firmly. Clearly, he had relaxed his vigilance.

Embarrassment washed across Ah Hong’s face. Jian Yao counted silently: 1, 2, 3 . . . Ah Hong slowly put down his gun and smiled. WIth a heroic air, he said, “Snake ge, as you’ve said, I’m still following Yue ge’s orders, just being careful. I’m not going to use the gun on you again. Let’s go!”

Bo Jinyan said, “That’s right!” Jian Yao smiled as she looked at him and said, “Thanks for trusting us!”

Ah Hong said, “This is as it should be!”

The three of them continued on their uphill climb. Jian Yao focussed her attention on helping Bo Jinyan, and Ah Hong would also lend a helping hand occasionally. All the wariness among them seemed to have disappeared, and the atmosphere was harmonious. Bo Jinyan kept chatting casually with Ah Hong, asking him about his hometown, and how many years he had been with the organisation. Ah Hong answered all his questions systematically and in great detail. It was only when Bo Jinyan asked about the organisation of Budda’s Hand that Ah Hong became tight-lipped. He was clearly under strict orders to maintain secrecy. He only said, “Hey, Snake ge, don’t ask anymore. When we get there, won’t you know everything anyway?” Bo Jinyan nodded and said, “That’s fine, I’m just . . . impatient.”

They soon reached a stretch of muddy ground that was slightly more level. Although they were still on an incline, they could see patches of relatively dry ground. They sat down to rest. As they had no water, they could only pant heavily.

Ah Hong asked, “Snake ge, what’s your primary business?” He probably wanted to understand more about the ‘bright prospects’ that awaited him in future.

Bo Jinyan and Jian Yao sat side by side. Hearing this question, he patted her bottom in what seemed to be a very natural action, laughed and said, “My primary . . .” Out of the blue, his face changed and he exclaimed, “Damn it!”

Jian Yao looked at Ah Hong.

Ah Hong asked quickly, “What’s wrong?”

Bo Jinyan’s face was full of anxiety. “I seemed to have dropped it in the oil tank!”

“Ah?” Ah Hong also became anxious as he heard this, and unconsciously turned to look at the riverbank below the mountain slope. Before he had time to register anything, Jian Yao pounced on him and knocked him to the ground. She ruthlessly twisted his wrists behind him and lifted up his head to slam it against the ground. Ah Hong was bleeding profusely from his nose and his mind was totally scrambled. However, he was strong and hefty, and he was struggling furiously. “What are you doing?” he asked. Jian Yao landed a series of punches on his face, and while they were fighting, the sleeve of his right arm drew up and she could vaguely make out a tattooed pattern. She had no time to scrutinise it, but there was something very familiar about it. In the meantime, Bo Jinyan had been groping his way towards them. Although he could not see, he could discern their positions from what he heard. His sense of direction was incredibly accurate, and with one move sideways, he landed on Ah Hong’s legs, pressing them down firmly.

Jian Yao raised her fist to deal Ah Hong a heavy blow. At the same time, she wanted to grab his wrist for a closer look at the tattooed pattern – who knows, it could shed some light on the secrets of Buddha’s Hand! No one imagined that she would suddenly hear the faint sound of something crumbling and moving, at her side, under her feet!

“Jian Yao!” Bo Jinyan snarled, having already let go of Ah Hong and throwing himself towards her. Jian Yao grabbed hold of him in one move and their bodies collided with a tree. Then, in a flash, the mountainside beneath them caved in. It was terrible, as if Judgement Day had come. Whether it was because the mountainside was already on the verge of collapse due to being inundated by rain, or their fighting had overwhelmed the already weakened surface, this mountainside was now experiencing a landslide!

Ah Hong screamed, “Ahhhh ———”, but he could not react in time. He rolled down the slope together with the rocks and mud for dozens of metres, before finally striking the boulders on the river bank, then being struck repeatedly by falling earth and stones. His entire body was bloody and still.

Because Bo Jinyan and Jian Yao had reacted quickly, they were shielded by the firmly rooted tree and ‘hung’ there on the half-gone slope. However, they were still in danger from the steady stream of rocks and mud hurtling towards them. Jian Yao intended to use her body to protect Bo Jinyan, but who knew that he would instead hug her tightly and turn his back to take the impact of the mud and rocks while yelling hoarsely, “Don’t move!” Jian Yao was completely unable to pull herself free. There was only one thought in the haze of her mind: he’s always like this. Even if he’s highly intelligent, or even if he’s totally lacking in skill. As long as she’s in danger, he will rush forward, unheedingly, just like a real man, and also like a stubborn child.