The dock was neither particularly large nor particularly small, with shops, carriage services, and everything else one might need. Dawn had yet to break, so there were not many people around.
Zhong Xingwen had the boatman bring him ashore. After paying, he climbed the stone steps onto the dock.
A chilly gust swept past, making Zhong Xingwen shiver again after days without proper rest. He stretched his limbs, then strode away.
His destination was not far now. Zhong Xingwen headed toward the edge of the dock, where quite a few carriages stood. Several drivers rose to their feet, thinking he wanted to hire one.
"Hey, sir! Where are you going? Need a carriage?" "Sir, take mine! His horse is old and scrawny!"
"Hey, that's no way to put it! As the saying goes, an old horse knows the way. Mine knows these roads!"
The drivers gathered in twos and threes to solicit his business. Zhong Xingwen looked at the first man who had spoken and approached him.
"Sir, I would like to ask for directions!"
Directions, then.
The others immediately lost interest. Apparently, he would not be hiring a carriage. Most of the elderly driver's enthusiasm faded too, but he was not about to ignore the man.
"Ask away, young fellow. There isn't a road around Great River Mouth that I don't know!"
Zhong Xingwen nodded, took ten copper coins from inside his robe, and handed them to the old driver.
"May I ask how to get to Qingtang County in Dingfeng Commandery?"
The old driver accepted the coins, a smile appearing on his face.
"You know how things work, young fellow! Here, take the road out of the river-mouth dock and follow it west, and you'll reach Dingfeng Commandery. But there's been a landslide on the mountain stretch of