That night.
Reeking of alcohol, Xu Taiping returned to the inn with Huang Que.
But just as he was about to go upstairs, two beggars suddenly blocked his path, holding out their chipped bowls in unison.
"Young master, have a heart. Spare us a couple of coppers."
"Young master, we haven't eaten in days."
"Scram, scram! You dare beg from me? Are you asking for a beating?"
The drunken Huang Que waved his fist at them.
But the two beggars were not frightened off, and kept following them, prattling incessantly.
"Stop following us."
Xu Taiping turned and glared at them, deliberately releasing a little of his fluctuating aura.
The two beggars immediately stumbled back several steps in fright.
Yet just as Xu Taiping turned away, the younger beggar swiftly scooped up a handful of mud from the ground and smeared it onto him.
"That'll teach you rich folk to look down on people through your dog's eyes!"
With that, the two beggars took their bowls and sticks and turned to flee.
"Forget it, forget it. Just go back and wash it off. Don't stoop to their level."
Xu Taiping was about to give chase, but Huang Que grabbed him, slung an arm around his shoulders, and pushed him into the inn.
"All right."
Xu Taiping cast a casual glance at the two fleeing beggars, then nodded.
Inside his room at the inn.
Xu Taiping changed out of his mud-stained clothes.
But instead of immediately taking them to be washed, he pulled a mud-smeared note from a pocket.
He unfolded it and found a clearly written line:
"Everything is ready. Meet at the Sweet Soup Shop on Fortune and Prosperity Street tomorrow between three and five in the afternoon."
After reading it, Xu Taiping conjured a flame at his fingertip