第5章

吃饭的时候，我注意到老伯一直在旁边忙碌着，虽然他和大家交流不多, but seems to be very knowledgeable about the local area. During a break, I walked over to him and asked: “伯伯，这个镇子叫神木镇，是有什么特殊的传说 or something about 神木 (sacred tree)?”

老伯 chuckled, his eyes twinkling. “小伙子，你问对人了。我们镇子的名字 and history are deeply tied to a '神木'. Actually, it's not a tree anymore, it's a ruin now. But the legends about it are passed down from generation to generation.”

He paused, then lowered his voice slightly. “According to the legend, our ancestors discovered a mysterious stone tablet in the mountains thousand years ago, and near the tablet, there was a giant ancient tree, the '神木'. The tablet and the tree and mountains have a magical connection, protecting the town and its people for centuries. But something happened hundreds years ago, the tree withered and turned into stone, and the tablet disappeared. But the legends still persist, and some old sayings are still passed down.”

“有什么 old sayings 吗？”我 curiosity was piqued.

“有很多，”老伯说，他的目光望 seemed very far away, at the dark mountain range in the distance. “比如，‘黑塔耸立，迷途者归’。还有‘神木哭泣，厄运降临’。”