Ahead of him

They left Que Village early the following day, before dawn had yet to break and the sky was only starting to lighten with the hint of an orangey glow.

People were only beginning to rouse, a few residents dotted the streets, traveling lazily in the biting frost of early day.

When Yuan Xuelan and Liu Sumeng left the inn, an old man seated in the corner of the lobby barked at them as they were about to leave through the entrance. 

"You lads off to find that fucking beggar?"

Yuan Xuelan reigned in his annoyance, turned around with a neutral expression. "Beggar?"

"Mo Fei. That shitty beggar was and still is a sly piece of work I tell you. I wouldn't trust a single damned thing he utters out of that fucking mouth of his."

"...I see," Yuan Xuelan responded, a little taken aback by the man's crass words. But he bowed respectfully anyway. "Thank you for your kind warning. We will keep that in mind when we come across Mister Mo."