Pristine Darkness - Chapter 110

“My wife saw that you have mud on your boots, and the mud is splashed all over your trouser legs. Yesterday, the rain in the daytime was not heavy. It only started raining heavily early in the night. After midnight, the rain stopped. Today, the sky is clear and the ground is all dry. In order for there to be so much mud on your boots, you must have gone out last night. Recently, there has been no major incident in the jianghu, and nothing happened last night, either. I think that the probability of an event which requires the boss of Buddha’s Hand to go out in the middle of the night to investigate it is extremely small. It is more likely that a subordinate was sent out.

What’s more, looking at this inn, courtyard, and the furnishings, the boss is someone with good taste, who is tidy and pays attention to detail. He would definitely not come out to meet a guest without first cleaning the mud off his boots.

You have oily fingers and your body smells of food. Do you want me to explain? You were called out to meet us as you were eating your steamed bun and had no time to wipe your fingers. Would the members of Buddha’s Hand dare to treat their own boss this way? Even if I wanted to meet myself, Smiling Snake, I would not go so far as to refuse to allow my boss to finish eating.

There’s no need to say too much about the other things. You paused a lot while you were speaking, and I guess you were looking to Sheng ge, unable to decide what to do; you drink this first-class Tieguayin tea with big gulps, I heard your noisy drinking; you lose your temper at the drop of a hat and allow your underlings to point their guns at me. All these . . . are not consistent with what a real boss should be.”

Kun ge’s eyes grew large, but Qin Sheng laughed. Jian Yao was still a little anxious – Bo Jinyan was showing off his ability so clearly, and she could not tell if this would be a blessing or a calamity. . . .

“Then, according to you, what should a real boss be like?” A low, gentle voice sounded from behind everyone.

Zhao Kun and Qin Sheng were both taken aback, and the others who were holding guns looked apprehensive. That person held up a hand, preventing them from speaking out, and proceeded to walk over slowly. Zhao Kun immediately stood up and offered his seat. That person sat down in a leisurely fashion and looked at Bo Jinyan, seated opposite him.

Even as Jian Yao’s heart leaped in agitation, she carefully assessed the man.

He looked to be only 32 or 33 years old, very tall, and of ordinary appearance. However, his eyes were incredibly dark and brilliant. He wore a long, unlined tunic made of linen, with linen trousers, and his hands were very slender and fair. He seemed to possess an indescribable temperament. Could one say that he looked ferocious? Not at all, he even looked extremely calm. However, did one feel that he was easy to get along with? No, not at all. He was clearly especially quiet, but looking at him would cause one to tremble in apprehension.

Bo Jinyan unhurriedly tapped his fingers on the chessboard, and then he smiled.

He said, “A real boss, a boss whom I, Smiling Snake, would follow, must be calm and unwavering, with a resolute will. He would plan and execute his schemes from afar, without needing to personally spend the night running around and getting muddy. He is cautious and does not trust people easily. However, once his trust has been gained, then it would be plain sailing to a high position* and grand ambitions*. On the other hand, if one betrays him, then one would be ruthlessly* hunted down to and left to die without a proper grave*.

*T/N 青云直上 (qing yun zhi shang) – lit. rising straight up in a clear sky; 乘风破浪 (cheng feng po lang) – lit. to brave the wind and the billows, to have high ambitions; 赶尽杀绝 (gan jin sha jue) – lit. to kill the last one, to exterminate, ruthless; 死无葬身之地 (si wu zhang shen zhi di) – lit. to die without a burial site/ to die as a pauper.

He has exceedingly good taste. Although I can’t see, I think his clothes, how he presents himself, his temperament, would be vastly different from these reckless simpletons.

Within these past ten years, Buddha’s Hand was able to rise rapidly to become the strongest organisation in the southwest. Moreover, the police are absolutely unable to figure out its routines and methods. The boss must have extraordinary intelligence, perception, patience, and ferocity, to be able to achieve this.”

Qin Sheng sneered and said, “This bullsht . . .” Before he could finish speaking, that man glanced at him and he shut up. When Zhao Kun, who was next to him, saw this, he could not help laughing before berating him softly, “Stupid cnt.” People are praising the boss, and you called them bullsh*t, isn’t this saying the boss is not so great right in front of him? If that isn’t stupidity, then what is it?

That man smiled slightly and held his hand out to Bo Jinyan. “I am Buddha’s Hand.”

Since Bo Jinyan could not see, his hand naturally did not move. In a surprising move, Buddha’s Hand patiently said, “Let’s shake hands.”

Bo Jinyan stretched out his hand and shook hands with that man. His voice showed his excitement as he said, “I . . . am Smiling Snake.”

Jian Yao watched silently from beside him.

Who knew that Buddha’s Hand would look at her and ask, “Who’s this?”

Bo Jinyan smiled faintly and rested his hand on her shoulder. “My woman, my eyes. She has been with me since I drifted into the jianghu, my one and only beloved sweetheart.”

In truth, Bo Jinyan had uttered such words before in bed. However, Jian Yao did not expect him to go into ‘Smiling Snake mode’ and channel his personality, saying the words so freely and naturally with a hint of unrestrained rashness. Still, she managed to smile coldly and nod her head in acknowledgement of Buddha’s Hand while saying, “Boss.” She maintained her persona of a cold-faced female killer.

Buddha’s Hand laughed and said to Bo Jinyan, “Wah, while drifting with her, did you drift into bed, too?”

Bo Jinyan broke into loud laughter as he continued to hold Jian Yao’s waist tightly, giving the impression that he was very unsettled by the implication, and at the same time, was very fond of Jian Yao.

Buddha’s Hand asked, “Where is it?”

Bo Jinyan replied, “In the yard of the place we stayed at last night. Face west and dig for about two and a half feet. You’ll find it.”

Buddha’s Hand gave Zhao Kun a look, whereupon he immediately left, taking several people with him. Buddha’s Hand smiled faintly and said, “You have brought me something I wanted. Buddha’s Hand has Buddha’s heart and I have always made a clear distinction between reward and punishment, gratitude and grudges. What do you hope for as repayment?”

Bo Jinyan was briefly silent before smiling slowly. Jian Yao also smiled faintly in concert with him.

“I hope . . .” said Bo Jinyan, “to stay in Buddha’s Hand and rise rapidly to a high position, to run wild.”

——

Jian Yao and Bo Jinyan returned to that room.

Jian Yao asked, “Will he believe us?”

Bo Jinyan replied, “If he didn’t believe us, we would be dead by now. In fact, if they had even the slightest suspicion about us, we would have died several times already from the time we stepped into this inn.”

Jian Yao recalled how he had dealt with the crowd of gangsters just now, and the frank assurance with which he had spoken. It all felt like a dream. This guy, he really had no fear in any situation, ‘run wild’ indeed . . .

Bo Jinyan changed the topic of discussion abruptly. “However, with the caution and severity with which Buddha’s Hand operates, someone should already have been sent out to investigate everything about me, Smiling Snake.”

Jian Yao was taken aback. “What do we do now?”

“Oh . . .” Bo Jinyan chuckled. “The two of us are missing, and the police must be in a frenzy right now looking for us. Moreover, the killing of Smiling Snake, the decimation of his gang, the attack on and sinking of Yue ge, these would all definitely have been kept secret by the authorities, in order to avoid alerting the enemy inadvertently. At this time, out of the blue, there are people inquiring about Smiling Snake all over the place. Since Zhu Tao was able to obtain the precious information in those notes, he’s clearly intelligent. The gangsters on the boat not only did not die but were also captured by the police. Zhu Tao must know that I’m posing as Smiling Snake. Now, someone is suddenly asking about information on Smiling Snake, what does that show? Zhu Tao will surely see through their plans, feed them false information, then follow the clues to find us. Mrs Bo, we are saved.”

Huh? Jian Yao blinked several times. According to him, this was not only not a bad thing, but it was even a good thing? Could it be that even this was part of his plan? This guy, even when coming up with a plan, he was the absolutely perfect schemer. She felt more at ease. Taking Bo Jinyan’s hand, she asked, “So, Mr Bo, what should we do now?”

Bo Jinyan squeezed her hand and casually said, “Mrs Bo, we will continue our subterfuge as Smiling Snake and Rattlesnake and become part of Buddha’s Hand. Before they figure out our true identities, we will find the masked killer who has hidden himself in Buddha’s Hand. He knows our faces, and has probably already recognised us by now. However, the masked killer will never actually accept a position as anyone else’s underling. As a first-rate psychopathic serial killer, criminals like Buddha’s Hand will seem to him to be nothing more than idiots. Therefore, he will certainly not disclose his true identity to Buddha’s Hand. He would also have his misgivings which prevent him from exposing our identities immediately. So, using Buddha’s Hand to deal with the masked killer, and taking a gamble to walk on the knife’s edge, is our way of survival.”

——

At the same time, someone was having a discussion on them.

In the small town, in an even more secluded building, Buddha’s Hand sat at a table, quietly smoking a cigarette. Four men sat on the sofa next to him. This was the secret place where the leaders of Buddha’s Hand held their meetings; ordinary people were not allowed to enter at all.

Zhao Kun spoke up. “Ah Sheng, the two of us finally met them today, what do you think?”

Qin Sheng said, “That man is very intelligent, as well as scheming and heartless, but . . “

“But what?”

Qin Sheng smiled briefly. “I think he looks somewhat stupid, and what he says is very stupid. There’s a fake naivety, haha.”

Zhao Kun also laughed. He looked at Buddha’s Hand and noticed that a small smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

“Ah Kun, when you returned last night, you suggested killing them. Now, what do you think?” Buddha’s Hand asked.

Zhao Kun was sitting on the arm of the sofa, his arms behind his head, and leaning against the wall. He replied, “No need to kill him, he is not the police.”

Of the other two men who had remained silent, one was in his thirties, with pale skin, and a clean and bright appearance. However, he was clothed in leather, his hair was dyed blonde, and his temperament was highly cruel and headstrong. He hummed softly, then coldly asked, “How can you be sure?” This man’s name was Gu An. Among those present, he and Zhao Kun were the most cruel and headstrong, so they had a mutual dislike of each other.

The other person was only 27 or 28 years old, a thin man clad in black whose name was Zheng Chen. Among those present, he was the only one carrying a gun, and he sat closest to Buddha’s Hand. No matter what anyone said, he steadfastly stared at the table in silence with half-closed eyes, as if he was dozing off.

In the face of Gu An’s doubt, Zhao Kun merely smiled and said, “Even if I told you, you would not understand. Do you really not trust our boss’s judgement?”

Gu An glared coldly at him then looked at Buddha’s Hand.

Even though he was identified as Buddha’s Hand, his name in the jianghu was Song Kun. He extinguished his cigarette and said, “Ah Kun is right, they are not the police. In recent years, of all the undercover agents that we have encountered, which of them has not been low-key and humble*? They might work hard to advance, but they would never expose their sharp edges, their dangerous qualities. Were any of them like this Smiling Snake, greedy, callous, and egotistical? He may be blind, but he’s more intelligent than all of you. His personality sticks out too much.” He smiled and said, “Ah Sheng is right, he’s a little naive in his belief in his infallibility, and his EQ does not seem very high. But, it’s precisely because of this that I dare to make use of this person. If someone has no shortcomings, such that it is hard to grasp his personality, then this person is not showing his true self. Such a person I would rather kill than to have him by my side.”

*T/N 夹着尾巴做人 (jia zhe wei ba zuo ren) – lit. be a human with a tail.

Qin Sheng, Zhao Kun, and Zheng Chen all nodded. Gu An smiled and said, “The boss is best at perceiving things accurately.”

“But . . .” Qin Sheng asked, “his eyes, are they really blind?”

Gu An said, “Isn’t it as simple as getting Wen Rong here and asking him about it?”

Wen Rong arrived very soon.

There was one more unoccupied sofa in the room. When Wen Rong entered, he greeted everyone with a slight smile, then sat on the vacant sofa. What Song Kun was most pleased about in recent years was these five subordinates, whom the jianghu had christened ‘The 5 Luohans*’ of Buddha’s Hand. He looked at Wen Rong and asked, “That Smiling Snake has visited your clinic. Is he really blind?”

*T/N 罗汉 (luo han) – an abbreviated form of 阿罗汉 (ah luo han). Refers to an arhat (Sanskrit), a holy man who has left behind all earthly desires and concerns and attained nirvana (Buddhism).

Wen Rong took the cigarette Ah Kun offered him and inhaled deeply before lifting his head to reply, “I didn’t check specifically. However, it should be genuine. I carefully observed his bearing, his words and actions, He can’t possibly be faking it so well.”