Li Xiaoya hurried into a narrow alley. The moment he entered, he suddenly glanced back. There was no one behind him, but just as he turned his head, he caught a glimpse of a dark shadow ducking behind a corner. Someone really was following him, and a cautious, skilled tracker at that. Li Xiaoya surveyed his surroundings, then strolled forward with a nonchalant air. At a fork, he turned without hesitation, as though that had been his destination all along. Suddenly, he glanced back again. Still no one.
This little fellow really is careful! He nearly spotted me! Scarface Chen thought as he hid against the wall. Judging that enough time had passed, he cautiously poked half his head out and caught sight of the hem of Li Xiaoya's clothes disappearing into another alley. He was about to follow when he suddenly heard Li Xiaoya call, "Hey! Brother Yang! Are you home?!" At that, Scarface Chen immediately ducked back.
Then came footsteps and the creak of a door opening, followed by what sounded like an adult's voice. "Is that you, young Brother Li?!"
Yet there was no one else at the other end of the alley. Li Xiaoya stood there alone, pressed close to the wall, making the sounds of a conversation with "Brother Yang" while slowly backing away. He had actually mastered the art of vocal mimicry, the only impressive skill his swindler of a master had ever taught him. Before long, Li Xiaoya had retreated to the end of the alley. He called loudly, "Brother Li, don't stand outside! Come in and have a seat!" Then he immediately switched back to his own voice. "Sure!" He made the sound of a door closing, then jogged away on tiptoe.
Hearing the door close, Scarface Chen stirred. He hurried out of hiding and raced to the mouth of the alley, only to find it deserted, with nothing but a few tightly shut doors. Which house did that brat go into? Never mind! I'll wait until he comes out! This place is secluded, just right for making my move! Having decided, Scarface Chen sprang lightly up and hid on a beam beneath the eaves nearby.
Leaving Scarface Chen to wait there like a fool, Li Xiaoya emerged from the alley, let out a soft breath, and chuckled. "Take your time waiting!" He looked around, saw that no one was paying attention to him, and headed out of town. Along the way, everyone who knew him watched him warily. Even when he greeted them first, no one responded, as though terrified of falling for another scam.
The sight left Li Xiaoya feeling rather downhearted. Looks like I really can't stay in Treasure Immortal Town anymore!
After walking for about a quarter of an hour, Li Xiaoya left town, entered a small grove, and came to a low rock face thick with waist-high shrubs. He carefully parted the shrubs and approached a waist-high stone leaning against the rock face, its surface seemingly weathered by wind and rain. After cautiously looking around to make sure no one was nearby, he wrapped his arms around the stone and actually lifted it. It looked as though it weighed over a thousand jin, yet he handled it as easily as a piece of wood, without the slightest strain. Could Li Xiaoya have been born with divine strength, able to lift a thousand jin at such a young age?
Li Xiaoya set the stone aside, revealing a waist-high opening in the rock face. He stooped and crawled inside, then turned back to pull the stone into place. As it turned out, the stone really was a hollowed-out piece of wood, its exterior carved and painted to resemble rock. Unless someone deliberately knocked on it or leaned close to examine it, they would never have guessed it was anything but stone.
Although it was a Mountain Cave, the interior was not dark, and it was quite spacious. The whole Mountain Cave was shaped like an overturned bowl, with even its highest point low enough to touch with an outstretched hand. Its walls were remarkably smooth, pierced by a dozen or so small holes of varying sizes. Looking out through them, one could see the silhouettes of flowers and grass; presumably, plants had been placed outside the openings to conceal them from prying eyes. A thick layer of dry rice straw covered the ground. In one corner stood a bed raised slightly on wooden supports, topped with straw and a woven mat, with a heavily patched quilt neatly folded upon it. The bed took up roughly a third of the floor. Beside it stood a low table holding several bowls, chopsticks, plates, and a small iron pot. A small bamboo basket sat beside the bed, with a few garments neatly folded inside. Apart from these, there was nothing else of note in the Mountain Cave.
Li Xiaoya had discovered this Mountain Cave by accident while fleeing a beating. Of course, the disguised stone had not been there then, but shrubs had covered the entrance. With his pursuers hot on his heels, he had plunged into the bushes to hide. Exhausted from the chase, he had leaned backward, only to find nothing behind him, and thus discovered the Mountain Cave. Inspiration struck, and he crawled inside at once. The Mountain Cave was very dry and had already looked just like this, with the holes in its walls already made, as though someone had lived there before. After escaping that ordeal, Li Xiaoya immediately decided to move here from town. While living in town, people he had swindled often came knocking to teach him a lesson. Though he escaped every time, the things in his home inevitably suffered. Besides, it was easy for people to follow him home in town. Several times, someone had crept up on him while he slept, and he had nearly met with disaster. Only the traps he had set outside his house had saved him from those predicaments. After discovering this fine spot, he had originally intended to stay a while before moving back to town, but once he began living in the Mountain Cave, he discovered its advantages. Not only was it secluded and safe, it was warm in winter, cool in summer, and very dry. He settled down there without worry and even added a disguised wooden stone at the entrance.
Li Xiaoya kicked off his shoes, plopped down on the edge of the bed, and took several oilcloth packages from inside his clothes. Setting them on the table, he muttered to himself, "Heh heh! I secretly packed away so much while I was eating. This'll last me several meals!"
Li Xiaoya divided the food among the plates, covered them, and left them on the table. Then he flopped onto the bed and stared blankly at the ceiling, pondering the person who had followed him earlier. Who on earth did I offend? Why is someone following me again? Zhang Dafu shouldn't be able to find such a skilled tracker. A few petty thugs at most. I haven't offended anyone lately, either! Strange...
As he mulled it over, he drifted off to sleep without realizing it.
He slept for more than two hours. By the time Li Xiaoya woke, it was nearly evening. He stretched. "That was a good sleep! Time to start practicing!"
Li Xiaoya pulled two small cloth bags from beneath the table and strapped them firmly to his calves. He shifted his feet from side to side to test them, then said with satisfaction, "About time to add another half jin. Three jin of iron sand is already easy. Tomorrow I'll go get some more from Blacksmith Zhang!"
Then he spent a good while peering outside through a ventilation hole. Only after making sure no one was around did he crawl out of the cave and carefully put the wooden stone back in place.