Ominous Path

Yue YongBeijing United Publishing Co., Ltd. · ChinaJul 2025

3.6

Word count: 225K words
Chapters: 14

Summary

When a grave was relocated, an unidentified set of white bones was dug up; the police verified it as newspaper editor Dang Daming, who had disappeared 18 years earlier. The literary youth Lu Zhenhui, the bestselling author Lin Yuqiu, and the Federation of Literary and Art Circles chairman Bai Huaiyu all seem to be inextricably linked to this case.

When the youth Chen Yuan learned that he had been abducted and sold, he began a difficult journey to find his relatives. Lin Yuqiu finally saw the child she had lost for many years, was overjoyed, invited media outlets of all kinds, and held a grand relative-recognition ceremony to acknowledge Chen Yuan. Although the mother-son relationship grew better and better, Chen Yuan discovered that things were not as simple as he had thought, and set out alone on the road to find the truth.

As the police investigation continued to deepen, the incredible truth also gradually surfaced...

Editor's review

A Perilous Journey is a suspense novel that uses an old cold case as a thread and intertwines the search for relatives with a puzzle of identity. The novel begins with white bones dug up during a grave relocation, which leads to the case of a newspaper editor who disappeared eighteen years earlier. Through the youth Chen Yuan's search for relatives and the relative-recognition ceremony and other plotlines, it places figures from the literary world alongside clues about abduction and trafficking, creating narrative tension driven forward along multiple lines. In handling suspense, Yue Yong focuses on everyday details and the layer-by-layer peeling back of character relationships, allowing readers, while following the police investigation, to also feel the complex psychology of the people involved regarding family affection and the truth. It is suitable for readers who like social suspense and prefer slow-burn buildup and twist endings, and also suitable as a genre novel for commuting or concentrated weekend reading. When reading, pay attention to the information gaps among different characters' perspectives on the same event; this is both the pleasure of deduction and the entry point for understanding the gray areas of human nature.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who like social suspense and deduction involving old cold cases
Readers who feel emotional resonance with the themes of searching for relatives and abduction and trafficking
Novel readers who prefer multi-line narration and reversals in character relationships
Commuters looking for a Chinese suspense work they can read in concentrated sittings

Not a good fit for

Hardcore crime readers who only want fast-paced, action-heavy scenes
Readers who feel uncomfortable with heavy themes such as abduction and trafficking or disappearance
Readers who prefer pure literary lyricism and dislike suspense structures

Reading tips

First read through in chapter order; where character relationships are complex, note names and identities as you go for easier cross-reference later.
When reading the plot around the relative-recognition ceremony, look back at earlier details about Chen Yuan's origins to better appreciate the foreshadowing of the reversal.
If the case timeline feels confusing, first sort it out along the main line of the police investigation's progress, then go back to the characters' recollection passages.

About the publisher

Beijing United Publishing Co., Ltd. China · Founded in 1993

Beijing United Publishing Co., Ltd. is a publisher known for its literature and history titles, with 2,065 books in the collection. Its publishing covers foreign literature, contemporary Chinese prose and essays, history, folk literature, and cultural books. Its list ranges from Sima Qian's complete edition of the Records of the Grand Historian to foreign classics such as The Book of Disquiet, All Quiet on the Western Front, Snow Country, The Stranger, and Jean-Christophe, as well as modern Chinese works including Teahouse and Dawn Blossoms Plucked at Dusk. Its authors and translators include Yasunari Kawabata, Fernando Pessoa, Erich Maria Remarque, Jin Xinyi, Zhou Miao, and Chen Chao. Public information is limited, but its catalogue reflects a balance between Chinese and foreign literary classics and historical and cultural works.

版权信息
第一章无名白骨
第二章母子认亲
第三章贪污旧案
第四章打开心结
第五章文坛大侠
第六章新书发布
第七章指认现场
第八章致命饭局
第九章雨夜较量
第十章寻找生父
第十一章投河自尽
第十二章视频罪证
第十三章悲凉结局

FAQ

Is this book a standalone story or part of a series?

According to available information, A Perilous Journey is presented as a single suspense story, unfolding around the white-bones case and Chen Yuan's search for relatives, and is not marked as a series work. Readers can start directly with this book without reading others beforehand.

Is the suspense focus on solving the case or on character relationships?

Both are equally important. The police investigation drives the truth to the surface, but the involvement of figures such as the literary youth, the bestselling author, and the Federation of Literary and Art Circles chairman with the case, as well as Chen Yuan's doubts after the relative recognition, constitute the main tension. Readers who like social-relationship deduction will find it more immersive.

Will the ending explain all the clues clearly?

The information only states that as the investigation deepens the truth gradually surfaces, without specifying the ending details. When reading, focus on the characters' information gaps and motives; that way, even if some clues are left open, it will not affect understanding of the story's main thread.

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About the author

Yue Yong Author · Chinese · 1979

Yue Yong was born in 1979 in Nan County, Hunan Province, and is a native of Shishou, Hubei. He is a member of the China Writers Association, vice chairman of the Jiangmen and Taishan writers' associations, and deputy editor of Jiangmen Writers. He began publishing in 1996 and has written more than three million characters, with over thirty published books, thirteen of which are included here. He is known for crime and mystery fiction and also writes social novels. His representative works include the Strange Cases series and the Strange Murder series, including Night Walk, Thirteen Murder Cases, and Thirteen Crimes, as well as The Fatal Path. His writing centers on criminal investigation and mystery plots, with tight pacing and dense suspense, and has won him a readership in the mystery genre. He also takes part in local literary organizations and editorial work. Public information on his personal background and literary influences is limited.