Pristine Darkness

Chapter 134

So, we finally see the end of the Masked Killer. What did you all think of him/ them? We then move forward in time to check in on two members of our Scooby Gang. What do you think? Will Ding Mo give everyone a happy ending? Read on to find out . . .

**********

Translator: shl

Editor/ Proofreader: Anks

**********

"I never thought . . ." he said, gasping for breath, "that I would lose this shot to you."

"I foresaw it long ago," Bo Jinyan said. "All thanks to you, I spent close to a year in darkness, so my eyes adjust to darkness more readily than yours."

Derrick smiled again, then his arm slowly lifted up, with the gun in hand. Bo Jinyan frowned minutely and used his body to shield Jian Yao, all the while training his gun on Derrick. His finger slowly tightened on the trigger.

But Derrick suddenly closed his eyes with a pained expression and groaned softly. After a fair length of time, he opened his eyes and fixed them on Bo Jinyan and Jian Yao. Unexpectedly, he smiled.

To Jian Yao, it was a rather strange smile.

There was sorrow, there was peace, there was the gentle relief of having finally shed all the treacherous pretense.

He said, "So it turns out that he has always been like this, letting you stand behind him."

Jian Yao was slightly stunned. Bo Jinyan's expression remained unchanged.

Derrick raised his gun and shot himself in the temple.

The earth once again resumed its silence; only the rain continued splashing around their legs. Then, from the river bank near the overhanging cliff, they saw the flashlights and heard the calls of numerous police officers searching for them. Bo Jinyan swiftly pulled Jian Yao into his arms. The two of them held each other tightly. Behind them, the waterfall plunged into the darkness of night, and the deep water was quiet and still. The rocks in the pool stood, silent and upright, glimmering with a pristine beauty in the darkness. Just like eyes, always staring.*

*T/N This symbolic presentation of the deep pool with rocks first occurs in , where Bo Jinyan describes justice as being like such a deep pool. This is the metaphor which gives rise to our translation of the title of this novel, 'Pristine Darkness'. In the end, even in darkness, justice will prevail. The relevant lines are extracted below:

You know, justice is like a deep pool under the moon, in which are cold rocks.

In the darkness, the clear and crystalline light of the water is always present.

Although there are times when the water becomes muddy, or turbulent,

in the end, the water will settle so the rocks can be seen, and the clouds will scatter so the moon will shine brightly.

——

A few days later.

This was a secluded sanatorium in the outskirts of Beijing. It was sunset, and the golden beams, tinged with a rosy blush, illuminated the entire grassy lawn. There was hardly anyone around.

Someone sat by herself on a white bench, gazing at the white pigeons which were swooping over the grass. She had been sitting there for a long time, a fragile figure who did not even know how much time had passed.

Far behind her, her manager and assistant stood wordlessly, looking at the desolate figure.

"She's still unable to go back to work?" the manager asked.