ry, old man. I was reckless and accidentally bumped into you."The old man smiled faintly, not angry at all. Instead, he said gently, “Ahead should be Huaiyuan Town. Are you a child from the town”Thoug...The sun was setting, beyond the town of Huaiyuan.

By now the road out of the village was sparsely populated, with few people in sight. As if by chance, a group of children stood at the end of the path, clearly divided into two sides, separating themselves from one another.

Let me know if you have any other text you'd like translated!

One child, half a head taller than the others, with sharp features, was yelling at one of them.

"Zhang Daniu, a man of his word, since you have already lost one round, if we win this one, from now on whenever you meet me in town, you all have to call me big brother! And from now on, you can't pester Xiaocui anymore!"

The kid nicknamed Da Niu, who was already stout at a young age, snorted when he heard this: “Alright, Liang Xiaogou, you got lucky and won a round by using tricks just now. This round, I won’t go easy on you!”

The Liang surname child, hearing this, rolled his eyes and immediately said: "The last round was your question, this round should be mine to set."

How to compare

> "Who can climb Mount Wenliang first!"

"A word is enough!"

As soon as the words were spoken, that little boy named Liang dashed out. The one called Daniu was stunned for a moment, then cursed and chased after him.

............

As twilight descended, the mountain path grew eerily quiet. A child hurried through the woods, with a pointed nose, thin lips, sword-like eyebrows, and star-shaped eyes. He possessed an uncanny air of cunning for his young age. This was the same boy who had wagered against the ox earlier, named Liang Yan. He suddenly stopped in his tracks and glanced at the sky.

"I never expected to be fighting with the big guys until now. If I don't go back, my father will probably start nagging me again..."

But then he thought again: “The surroundings of the summit had been tampered with at some point. If I rashly went up, I would only end up wandering around. This must be the formation that the village master mentioned. That day, I luckily discovered a secret passage leading straight to the top. Da Niu didn't know its secrets, so this time, I was sure to win!”

Thinking that he could sit firmly as the leader among the children in the town from now on, Liang Yan's heart couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement.

"Forget it, this time I'll just go quickly and return quickly. I'll climb to the top of the mountain and have some fun with the big bull first, then rush home as soon as possible. It won't delay too much time, at most there will be some punishment!"

With his mind made up, Liang Yan exerted himself with his legs, bending down and sprinting wildly. This mountain path was already well-trodden for him.

As I was running, I suddenly felt a gentle force push me. Before I could react, my feet slipped out from under me and I fell backwards. When I finally looked up, a tall figure stood before me.

The visitor wore an ornate hat, a coarse linen robe, long boots, and a hemp rope around his waist with a tattered cloth pouch tied to it. He had his eyes closed tightly, leaned on a stick in his right hand, and was actually a blind old man.

Liang Yan steadied himself, got up from the ground, and said with some apology: "I'm sorry, old man. I was reckless and accidentally bumped into you."

The old man smiled faintly, not angry at all. Instead, he said gently, “Ahead should be Huaiyuan Town. Are you a child from the town”

Though his voice was soft, for some reason it gave Liang Yan a sense of peace. He respectfully replied, "Old man, you guessed right. I live in town."

The old man, upon hearing this, stroked his chin and said, “It’s so late now that you’re running up the mountain, there must be something important, right You young people don't need to worry about me, this old geezer, just go about your business.”

Liang Yan hesitated, glancing at the branch in the old man's hand. The old man seemed to sense his apprehension and added, "Don't worry, child. I have been traveling for many years, relying solely on this branch to guide my way. I will never lose my path."

After hearing this, Liang Yan looked at him with some surprise. From the beginning to now, Liang Yan always had a feeling that although this old man kept his eyes closed all the time, he felt like he was being seen through. This feeling was really strange, making him feel uneasy.

"Well then, young one, I shall be taking my leave. The mountain path is treacherous, so take care, old man." Liang Yan learned the manner of a travelling merchant, bowed his fist, and turned to head up the mountain.

Wen Liang's mountain wasn't very high, at most it could be considered a small hill. But being delayed halfway by this old man, and adding Liang Yan's inexplicable panic in his heart, when they reached the entrance of the secret passage he remembered, the moon was already halfway up the sky.

That should be it.

Let me know if you have other text you'd like me to translate!

Liang Yan pushed aside the plants at the entrance of the cave, but the next moment he was stunned. The entrance was completely blocked by a pile of rubble.

"What on earth is going on It's over, this has all been for nothing!"

The content within the tags village was sparsely populated, with few people in sight. As if by chance, a group of children stood at the end of the path, clearly divided into two sides, separating themselves from one another.Le...