After beating him for so long, Zhang Dafu was truly exhausted. He squatted on the ground, panting. "You... what idea do you have?"
Xu Er edged over cautiously, covering his bruised, swollen eye. His mouth twisted with pain as he said through gritted teeth, "Boss! Let's do what the Ten Thousand Fragrance Tower and the Welcome Inn did. Give that brat a beating so he won't dare come here again!"
Zhang Dafu shook his head like a rattle-drum. "No! The Four Directions Inn has been in business for a hundred years. I can't afford to lose face like that!"
Seeing his reaction, Xu Er crouched beside him and whispered, "We don't have to beat him here at the inn. We can get someone to do it elsewhere. Just give him a warning!"
Zhang Dafu lowered his voice. "Would that work?"
Xu Er glanced around and, seeing no one nearby, motioned for Zhang Dafu to lean closer. He whispered into his ear, "I have a cousin who's a minor leader in the Heavenly Money Gang. We can have his men corner Li Xiaoya and beat him up. Every time Li Xiaoya dares come here, we'll send my cousin to give him another beating. After a few rounds, let's see whether he still has the nerve!" He finished with a snigger.
"Good! That's what we'll do!" Zhang Dafu slapped Xu Er on the shoulder, then suddenly seemed to remember something and cleared his throat. "I'll leave this to you. Do it well, and I'll reward you handsomely! I really can't stand that Li Xiaoya anymore!"
"All right, boss! Leave it to me!" Xu Er declared, thumping his chest.
"Good! Just make sure you don't cause any serious trouble!"
"Don't worry! I know what to do!"
Watching Zhang Dafu walk away, Xu Er sneered inwardly. Li Xiaoya, let's see how you escape death this time!
Meanwhile, Li Xiaoya emerged from a pawnshop, holding a necklace. As he put it back around his neck, he muttered to himself, "I had to waste so much breath before he'd give it back. Did he really think I couldn't recognize something valuable? If I hadn't needed to fill my belly, I never would've pawned it!" He glanced around and, finding no one nearby, held it up for a closer look. The entire chain was silvery white, but it was not made of silver. Exquisitely crafted and polished perfectly smooth, it held a black, gemlike pendant that looked somewhere between metal and stone. Strangely, sunlight striking the pendant produced no reflection at all. It definitely isn't a gemstone or anything like that, but it must still be precious, Li Xiaoya thought. He carefully tucked the pendant inside his clothes, then tugged his collar over the chain. Only then did he set off down the street.
The pawnshop owner, Yang Baojin, watched Li Xiaoya's retreating figure coldly. Turning, he beckoned to the apprentice beside him. "Qin San! Watch the shop for a moment. I'll be right back!"
Qin San answered respectfully, but inwardly he grumbled, That old fox must be scheming to get his hands on the necklace. That Li boy is probably in for trouble.
Yang Baojin entered the back room, where a vicious-looking, middle-aged man in close-fitting warrior's clothes was already seated, a knife scar marking his face. "Scarface Chen! The usual arrangement this time!" Yang Baojin sat down beside him and spoke indifferently, a trace of ruthlessness flickering through his eyes.
Scarface Chen chuckled. "What caught your eye, Shopkeeper Yang? What do you need my help with?" A gleam of greed flashed in his eyes.
"A necklace. A silvery-white chain with a pendant holding a black stone. It should be something out of the ordinary!" Yang Baojin wasted no words and described the target.
"Good! With your eye, Shopkeeper Yang, you certainly wouldn't misjudge it! Who's the mark? Is he a prickly one?" Scarface Chen asked with a cold smile.
Yang Baojin took a sheet of paper from inside his robe and handed it to Scarface Chen. "This brat. His name is Li Xiaoya, a little street hoodlum. Nothing prickly about him!"
Scarface Chen unfolded the paper to find a portrait of Li Xiaoya. It was so lifelike that the boy himself might almost have been standing before him. After studying it briefly, Scarface Chen tucked the portrait inside his clothes, stood, and cupped his hands. "Your skill with brush and ink gets more impressive by the day, Shopkeeper Yang. The usual arrangement, then: fifty-fifty! I'll take my leave!"
"Go ahead!" Yang Baojin returned the gesture without trying to keep him. Clearly, this was far from the first time the two had done such a thing.
Scarface Chen chuckled and left through the back door.
Li Xiaoya wandered down the street, muttering, "I can't go back to the Four Directions Inn for a while. That fool Zhang won't let me have an easy time of it! What am I supposed to do? Do I really have to join the Heavenly Money Gang and start committing crimes? Or should I leave and go somewhere else?" The thought filled him with frustration.
Of all the places Li Xiaoya had stayed over the years, Treasure Immortal Town was the one where he had remained longest. It was not a large town. Its center consisted of just two streets crossing from east to west and north to south, and it stretched only ten-odd li across. It had a population of just over thirty thousand and not even a town wall. Since his swindler master had died, Li Xiaoya had stayed here for more than two years. Almost every shop, large or small, had fallen for his tricks and been cheated by him. Mentioning his name made the townspeople grind their teeth in anger. Fortunately, he only swindled people out of food and drink, and he was young and never did anything as bad as stealing or robbery, so they generally let him be. Some kindhearted souls even offered him relief, but the brat actually refused it, claiming that as the sole successor of the Leisurely Gate, he could not accept gifts and had to earn his meals with his wits. After a while, no one bothered with him anymore, leaving him to flourish or perish on his own.
The Heavenly Money Gang was the small town's only underworld gang, with barely a hundred members. They bullied men, harassed women, and committed every sort of wicked deed. Rumor had it that they often disguised themselves as bandits to rob passing merchants and travelers. With all their crimes, the authorities should have wiped them out long ago, but their leader was the nephew of Treasure Immortal Town's mayor. The two colluded like wolf and jackal, filling the town with smoke and foulness. The Heavenly Money Gang was clever, however, and deliberately cultivated good relations with influential locals and Lineages, allowing its members to live comfortably enough. Having spent so long scraping by in Treasure Immortal Town, Li Xiaoya had gradually gained a little reputation. Even the gang leader had heard of his swindling skills and considered him useful. He had actually sent men to approach Li Xiaoya, offering him a position as a minor leader if he joined. Li Xiaoya did not refuse outright, instead parrying their demands as though practicing tai chi. He claimed he was too young and feared becoming a burden to the gang, stubbornly stalling rather than joining. During their latest approach, the gang leader had finally begun to lose patience and threatened to teach Li Xiaoya a lesson.
At that thought, Li Xiaoya sighed. Suddenly, he felt as though someone was following him. Could it really be such a coincidence? Is it someone from the Heavenly Money Gang? His steps quickened. Whoever it is, I'll slip away first. The reason he had managed to swindle people in Treasure Immortal Town for over two years without serious trouble was that he acted cautiously, cheating people only out of food and drink, never money or valuables. Otherwise, he would have been driven out of town long ago.