Love Me if You Dare: Pristine Darkness

Chapter 19

That Xie Min was able to find these bleached bones under the yellow mud was entirely accidental, but also fortunate.

She had been on the run in the mountains for 2 days. If it were not for her adaptable nature and tenacious persistence, she would not have been able to hold on for so long, and would have been captured by the police much earlier. However, she also knew that the police net was being drawn tighter and tighter. If she were unable to find Tong Sheng before then, and since the police had no evidence to convict Yao Yuange, she might never have this opportunity again.

She had to find her daughter even at the risk of her life!

That evening, for some unknown reason, she had ventured to the area near Sanqing San (Mount Sanqing)*. She didnt know whether it was some mysterious force which had drawn her there, or mere coincidence. However, when she saw those three big characters, San Qing San, she had been struck by a sudden realisation. Thereafter, she had climbed up the slopes like a madwoman, searching, always searching.

*(T/N Mount Sanqing is a sacred Taoist mountain located in Jianxi Province. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Sanqing for more details)

Later, when she had reached this slope, she saw the bare patch of land which was quite sparsely covered with dead leaves.

All these years, due to her search for Tong Sheng, she had tried everything, and had also watched numerous investigative documentaries. When many people dump dead bodies in the wilderness, they would first dig up the soil, bury the body, then cover it with soil. The result would be a patch of land which would look relatively fresher than its surroundings, as well as more neatly arranged, revealing clear signs of something having been buried there.

She knelt down and touched that patch of soil with fingers that were already heavily calloused and bruised.

Then, she began to dig. She used the crude branches near her, as well as her own hands.

Until white bones were revealed.

Xie Min panted with low breaths and made every effort to break free. However, even though she fought fiercely, she was no match for Yao Yuange, who had the robust strength of a ruthless and ferocious man. He pinned her against a tree, smirked at her, and then plunged a knife into her stomach.

She let out a smothered gasp of pain. Trembling, she grasped his hand in one move, and asked, Which one . . . is Tong Sheng? My daughter Tong Sheng?

Yao Yuange was startled for a moment, then gave a smile that chilled Xie Min to the bone.

Who knows? There were so many girls . . .

Ahhh . . . Xie Min howled, sounding more like a wild beast than a human being. Even Yao Yuange was shocked. He looked at her coldly, deciding to indulge her emotions for a moment, when he suddenly heard the sound of footsteps on the mountain side, coming down from the summit, not far from them. Thinking quickly, he covered Xie Mins mouth and muttered, Shut up. Ill sort you out in a little while. Then, he rapidly kicked the soil and leaves around him towards the pit she had created, although his efforts were not very successful in covering up the traces of her actions. He immediately dragged Xie Min into a cave under a nearby overhanging rock.

Jian Yao and two criminal investigators searched the slopes slowly. Upon receiving Xie Mins phone call, the technical specialist had immediately locked on to her position, which was this area on the slopes of Sanqing San. However, since she had turned off her phone straight after hanging up, there was no way to pinpoint her position more precisely. At present, seven to eight teams of police officers were diligently searching the slopes. They had also contacted Bo Jinyan and Fang Qing who had been at the Yao household, and were now rushing to the mountain.

Originally, the three of them were about to walk past this area without stopping. The surroundings were quiet, and nothing seemed out of place. However, after taking two steps, Jian Yao had suddenly stopped.

The slope below them was lush with green trees. A clear view of the area was not possible. However, when she looked up, she could see Sanqing Temple directly opposite her, in a straight line with this mountain slope. Moreover, just below on the slope, there was an exceedingly open area. She had no doubt that anyone standing there would have an unobstructed view of the temples main hall directly opposite.

(T/N We are not quite sure how the temple is built such that the temple is directly opposite upslope and someone downslope can see into the temples main hall. Perhaps it is a double-story building, or very large?)

Jian Yao stilled abruptly as a sudden intuition welled up in her heart.

This was a . . . a place where spiritual forces resided.

Lets go down and take a look, she said to the other two investigators.

The three of them slid down the slope. They had merely taken a few steps when all of them were rooted to the spot.

There were clear traces that the soil had been excavated. The two criminal investigators exchanged glances and immediately drew their guns. As they approached the disordered branches and soil, they could see the white bones gleaming faintly. Jian Yao followed closely behind, her mind in turmoil.

At this moment, she was fiercely attacked from behind. She felt a chill down her back but was unable to turn around in time. Someone grabbed her by the neck and now held a blood-stained dagger to her throat.

Damn it . . .Damn it . . . Yao Yuanges panted breaths struck against her face. The two criminal investigators turned around and were shocked upon witnessing the situation. They yelled furiously, Let her go! Yao Yuange, youre already surrounded, you cant escape!

Jian Yao stood still, not moving a muscle. When she looked down, she could see Yao Yuanges feet shifting from side to side. He was clearly flustered. However, his arms were very powerful and pretty soon, Jian Yao found herself a little out of breath. Moreover, she did not dare to make any sudden moves, as his dagger was very close to her throat. One careless move and she could die.

Allow me to go, Yao Yuange shouted, Otherwise Ill kill her! In any case, one more wont make a difference!

The two criminal investigators could only continue to point their guns at him without taking action. After a while, one of them took out his walkie-talkie and quickly reported the situation.

Out of the corner of her eye, Jian Yao glimpsed a cave behind them, with what seemed to be a body lying inside. It did not make even the slightest movement. Whoever it was seemed to be dead. She swallowed slowly, and said unhurriedly, Yao Yuange, listen to me. Even though youve taken me hostage now, it will only buy you a temporary respite. You will not be able to escape. Every escape route that you can think of will be blocked. Every person whom you can contact will be monitored by us. Youre accustomed to living a prosperous life, but, from today onwards, you will have to hide; you wont be able to contact your family, and youll be forced to live like the poor people you despise so much. They will beat you up, they will mess with you, just as you did with them. In the end, you will have nowhere to go, and no one to turn to. Release me, and come to the police station to give an honest account of yourself. If you do this, your women, and your only son, may still be able to have a relatively good life. Do you understand what Im saying?

Yao Yuange shouted, You shut up! What do I care about them? What do I care!

How can you not care? Jian Yao said softly, They are your only family. This family, this home, that you have worked so hard to maintain, will eventually fall apart. Do you really not want to care about it, not want to watch over it, and not even care if you add the name of a fugitive to it, so that everyone in the family is finished?

Yao Yuange breathed heavily without saying anything.

At this moment, the sound of approaching footsteps was heard. Taken by surprise, Yao Yuange moved his dagger closer to Jian Yao until she felt the sting of pain at her neck. She knew she could not wait any longer. She had taken the opportunity, while speaking, to survey the surroundings. Next to them were hard rock walls, while the soil beneath their feet was loose. The rock walls were pitted with cavities. If she managed to duck into those, she might be able to escape the investigators bullets as well as Yao Yuanges knife blade.

Perhaps, she had experienced too much turbulence in her life that Jian Yao was not the least bit alarmed. Instead, she focused all her attention and energy on dealing with the situation.

The investigators had already reported the situation as it unfolded before them. Speeding down from the slope above, Bo Jinyan saw from afar that Yao Yuange was holding someone hostage in front of a cave mouth. His heart sank, and his mouth tightened into a thin line; he had never met such a stupid and repulsive suspect! Yao Yuange actually thought that he, this fourth-rate killer*, could take Mrs. Bo hostage?! It was as improbable as a sow climbing a tree!

(T/N the actual words are eighteenth-string killer)

Closer, even closer. Bo Jinyan and Jian Yao met each others eyes. Her eyes were calm and steady, as if her confidence had grown with his presence. Bo Jinyan saw that she was in good condition, yet his heart still dropped into the pit of his stomach. Moreover, when he observed she was facing this life-threatening situation with her wits and great courage, his love and tenderness deepened. His eyes became extremely cold and penetrating.

Then, Bo Jinyan stood not more than 10 metres away from them, unspeaking, unmoving.

Jian Yao glanced to her left and nodded slightly at him.

He blinked at her once, then his face suddenly took on a furious expression as he said, Yao Yuange! Release my wife! How many more innocent people have to get hurt because of you!

Unexpectedly, these words made Yao Yuange excited. He did not acknowledge Bo Jinyan, and sneered, Your wife? Haha, a police officers wife, ha!

No one understood what Bo Jinyan was doing by agitating Yao Yuange. The criminal investigator at the side kept his gun aimed at Yao Yuange, and made no sound. Jian Yao also looked at Bo Jinyan, who was rubbing his fingertips against each other.

Fang Qing stood behind Bo Jinyan. In a low voice, only loud enough for the two of them to hear, he said, I will rescue her. Bo Jinyan appeared not to have heard him. Fang Qing turned and walked off. Bo Jinyan took a step forward and continued his harangue, You beast! Beast! Youve enslaved so many women, and hurt so many innocent girls! Are you even human?

He took another step forward, even closer to them. However, he made sure he did not obscure the angle by which someone behind him could take a shot.

Yao Yuange just smirked. Bo Jinyans face was mottled red and white as he yelled in agitation, Your wife, Minglan, is even taking the blame for your crimes! She says that all those people were killed by her! What kind of man are you, letting a woman take the rap for you! If you have even a shred of conscience, let my wife go, then come back and confess everything!

Yao Yuanges expression flickered, and he kept his eyes fixed on Bo Jinyan.

Just then..

Jian Yao grabbed his arm in one swift move and wrenched it to the side. Yao Yuange gasped in pain, and dropped the dagger. Jian Yao seized the opportunity to dodge and dropped to one side, escaping his hold.

Bang - Gunshots broke the silence, speeding closer from a distance. Jian Yao could only hear the hum of the bullets reverberating in her ears. When she looked up, she saw Yao Yuange looking at the bloody holes in his chest with a disbelieving expression on his face.

Everything happened so quickly.

A dagger, aimed for his heart on the left of his chest, suddenly appeared at that exact moment. No one knew when Xie Min, gasping and bloodied, had unexpectedly sprung up from the ground.

I . . . Yao Yuange spat out a single word before falling to the ground. At the same time, Xie Min also fell to the ground with her dying breaths.

Jian Yao was pulled up from the ground and held tightly. She leaned into the familiar embrace of a pair of slender arms and relaxed, circling her arms around his waist. Bo Jinyan looked down at her with eyes that were shining like stars. She immediately understood that despite his excellent acting skills in portraying a calm and composed manner, he had actually been highly worried. Just as she was considering saying a comforting word or two, he had already lowered his head and kissed her forehead.

Her heartbeat was still racing as she whispered, Mr. Bo, Im fine.

Of course, he said softly. Im here.

Fang Qing tossed the sniper rifle away and ran down the mountain slope. His partner, who was following close behind him, suddenly remarked, Youve never missed your target. This time, when you shot him, he would have been in agony for more than 10 hours before dying.

Fang Qing smiled coldly as he said, You must not have seen clearly. I was aiming for his wrist, but missed.

As Bo Jinyan held Jian Yao close, they looked at the ground together and saw Yao Yuange lying still, as if he had already breathed his last. However, Xie Min was still gasping weakly. The criminal investigators were slowly approaching her with guns drawn.

My daughter . . . No one expected it when she suddenly cried out, her body shot upwards like that of a dead fish, and hit her head on a rocky outcrop at the side. Blood immediately poured out as she fell back once more to the ground.

Bo Jinyan let go of Jian Yao and rushed across to lift her from the ground. Xie Min, Xie Min!

Xie Min opened her eyes slightly and looked at him. She focused solely on him, and unexpectedly smiled. I . . . another day . . . I cant bear it . . .

The criminal investigators all remained silent. Bo Jinyan looked intently at her and said, Yes, I know.

Jian Yao suddenly felt unspeakably sad because of his words: I know.

With her blood-stained hand, Xie Min grasped Bo Jinyans hand and said, I beg you . . . Bo Jinyan . . . you said you would cleanse all injustice . . . look for my daughters bones . . . bury them together with mine . . .

All right, Bo Jinyan replied. Ms. Xie Min, I promise you I will do this.

After a while, Bo Jinyan stood up. The criminal investigators examined Xie Min and found no signs of life. Fang Qing stood behind them, motionless.

Bo Jinyan turned and hugged Jian Yaos shoulder. They held hands and walked away from the scene. Looking up, the sky was already dark. A single star lit up the sky. That brilliant and serene light seemed to be gazing at the earth, gazing at the silent world of men.