Pristine Darkness

Chapter 112

How are we all doing? Hang in there, keep washing your hands and staying at home as far as possible! Big hugs to everyone!

While Bo Jinyan and Jian Yao are with Buddha's Hand (Song Kun), Ding Mo gives us a closer look at the 5 luohans. They are an interesting bunch, although some are more terrifying than others. Any ideas as to who the masked killer might be?

SPOILER NOTICE! The PD team will be running a competition soon with bonus chapters as prizes. You might want to think through all that is revealed about the 5 luohans in these few chapters to get a head start on the competition 8-) 

**********

Translator: shl

Editor/ Proofreader: Anks

**********

After Bo Jinyan and Jian Yao had left, silence seemed to fall over the yard. His face indifferent, Zhao Kun stood up and said, "Not playing anymore, I'm going to have a smoke." Qin Sheng looked up at the clock and said, "I should go and see to the accounts."

Zheng Chen had already left with Song Kun. No matter who he met, Zheng Chen would always be very close by to protect him. Gu An chuckled softly, as if laughing at his companions' sudden evasive behaviour. He also walked out of the yard.

Zhao Kun lived in a black, detached house next to the inn. His nature was such that he liked quiet and simplicity, so there was hardly any decoration, and the walls were plainly painted. He loved gardening, so the entire yard was crawling with green, causing this dark house to be quite eye-catching.

However, his woman was sloppy and crazy. She was 30 years old and had also committed crimes. Due to one opportune incident, she had met and fallen in with Zhao Kun, and had stayed with him till the present. Although Zhao Kun sometimes fooled around outside, this woman did not care. After all, she was the one living in the house. She is the woman of one of Buddha's Hand's Five Luohans; how many people in the jianghu would have to address her as 'elder sister-in-law'?

When Zhao Kun returned home that day, he heard the woman dancing in the room, and he reckoned she was still drinking. He did not greet her but went straight to his own room. The woman was not allowed into this room, which was full of firearms. Several brothers from Buddha's Hand had visited it to admire the contents and were full of praise.

Zhao Kun lit a cigarette and sat by the window to smoke. In these past few years, his tobacco addiction had worsened, and drugs too had come into the picture. He felt like his lungs were about to rot, leaving behind a huge cavity. But, today, he smoked with some measure of anxiety, one cigarette after another, all the while staring at the building next door - the inn of Buddha's Hand.

No gunshots were heard, and the figures of those two people did not appear anywhere.

After Zhao Kun had finished smoking, he sat in the boss's chair behind the table. The taste of nicotine made him feel relaxed, and he smiled faintly as he rested his hands behind his head. What came to mind was the first time he had stood outside Bo Jinyan's yard. Through the window, he saw the blurred silhouettes of the two people. Then, he threw his cigarette butt into the mud and turned his head to tell his subordinates, "They are most probably the police. Tomorrow, report this to the boss, then get rid of them."

However, these two people had now become the hot new upstarts of Buddha's Hand.

Their lives were really long.

Zhao Kun smiled meaningfully.

At the same time, Qin Sheng actually did return to the accounts office on the first floor of the inn, where he observed several of the accountants working under him settling the accounts. From a young age, Qin Sheng had always liked everything to do with numbers, and had even achieved an Accounting Certificate and become a Certified Public Accountant. Later, when he joined Buddha's Hand, his presence caused Buddha's Hand to grow more powerful*. After working together for more than two years, Buddha's Hand felt at ease giving him control over all the financial issues. If one were to ask who among the Five Luohans was most likely to have the trust of Buddha's Hand, Qin Sheng reckoned it would be himself. Ahh . . . Buddha's Hand could not do without him. It could even be said that, since he controlled the accounts, he controlled part of the lifeline of Buddha's Hand.