Chapter 1003

line: "【2】 Yan Boguang fell flat on his face on the grass across the river; though he looked embarrassed, he wasn't seriously hurt. He got up snarling, and seeing Hu Xiaotian display such divine might, he felt even more awe, daring not to complain." No Chinese.

Translation: Yan Boguang fell onto the grass on the opposite bank, landing flat on his face; though he looked embarrassed, he wasn't seriously hurt, he got up snarling, seeing Hu Xiaotian display such divine might, he felt even more awe, daring not to complain.

We need to keep meaning, not add extra. Let's produce a concise but faithful translation.

"Yan Boguang fell onto the grass on the opposite bank, landing flat on his face; though he looked embarrassed, he wasn't seriously hurt, he got up snarling, seeing Hu Xiaotian display such divine might, he felt even more awe, daring not to complain."

line: "【10】 Check if any info omitted: 'fell flat on his face' was captured. 'though he looked embarrassed, he wasn't seriously hurt' was good. 'he got up snarling' was good. 'seeing Hu Xiaotian display such divine might, he felt even more awe, daring not to complain' was good." No Chinese.

line: "【11】 Yan Nujiao planted her feet on the ground, first checking if her brother was injured; she of course knew Hu Xiaotian did this to help." No Chinese.

Translation: Yan Nujiao planted her feet on the ground, first checking if her brother was injured; she of course knew Hu Xiaotian did this to help.

Note: "We need to keep..." Actually line 【15】 is a note similar to 【10】. We need to output English translation without Chinese.

line: "【16】 Yan Boguang whispered, 'Little sister, let's find a chance to escape.'" Good.

Translation: Yan Boguang whispered, "Sis, let's find a chance to escape."

line: "【19】 Yan Nujiao frowned slightly and said, 'No, we all escaped together; we should watch out for each other.'" Good.

Translation: Yan Nujiao frowned slightly, saying, "No, we escaped together; we should watch out for each other."

line: "【22】 Yan Nujiao turned and came to Hu Xiaotian's side, seeing him lay Xue Lingjun across his knees, take out a porcelain bottle from his waist, pick up a pill and prepare to put it to her lips, and asked curiously, 'What is this?'" Good.

Translation: She turned and came to Hu Xiaotian's side, seeing him lay Xue Lingjun across his knees, take a porcelain bottle from his waist, pick up a pill ready to put it to her lips, and asked curiously, "What is this?"

line: "【26】 Check: 'put it to her lips' was correct." Good.

line: "【27】 Hu Xiaotian said without raising his head, 'Blood-washing Pill!'" Good.

Translation: Hu Xiaotian didn't even look up, saying, "Blood-Cleansing Pill!"

line: "【30】 Yan Nujiao said, 'She has been poisoned by the All-Red River; to detoxify, we must use the appropriate remedy.'" Good.

Translation: Yan Nujiao said, "She's been poisoned with River of Crimson; to detox we need the right antidote."

line: "【33】 Hu Xiaotian, hearing her name the poison outright, supposed she must know the antidote, lifted his gaze and fixed it on Yan Nujiao, saying, 'Help me save her!'" Good.

Translation: Hu Xiaotian, hearing her name the poison outright, guessed she knew detox methods, stared at her and said, "Help me save her!"

line: we need to ensure no Chinese. Let's check: "【36】 Yan Nujiao said, 'You'd better not touch her hands.' Her gaze fell on Xue Lingjun's hands, which were completely stained red and were already spreading toward her elbows. Her warning came too late; Hu Xiaotian was holding one of Xue Lingjun's hands, yet he showed no sign of being stained by the red toxin. Yan Nujiao secretly marveled, realizing Hu Xiaotian's body possessed some resistance to poison. She quickly put on deerskin gloves, signaled Hu Xiaotian to hold one of Xue Lingjun's arms, took an iron box from her deerskin pouch, opened it, and poured out several yellow-green leeches." No Chinese.

Translation: Yan Nujiao warned, "You'd better not touch her hands." Her gaze fell on Xue Lingjun's hands, already completely red, the redness spreading toward her elbows; she warned too late—Hu Xiaotian was holding one of her hands, yet showed no sign of the red toxin staining him, Yan Nujiao secretly amazed, it seemed Hu Xiaotian's body had some poison resistance; she quickly put on deerskin gloves, signaled Hu Xiaotian to hold one of Xue Lingjun's arms, took an iron box from her deerskin pouch, opened it and poured out several yellow-green leeches.

We need to keep details: deerskin gloves, deerskin pouch, iron box, and yellow-green leeches.

line: we need to check: "【41】 The leeches were somewhat smaller than usual; she placed them on Xue Lingjun's arm, and they quickly began to suck blood. Not long after, their bodies started to swell and turn red. After sucking the poisonous blood, she put the leeches back into the iron box, dusted them with a little medicinal powder. The leeches immediately began to vomit blood, their bodies rapidly shrinking. Repeating this many times, she watched Xue Lingjun's hands fade from red to white, using this method to expel the toxin from her body." No Chinese.

Translation: The leeches were smaller than usual; she placed them on Xue Lingjun's arm, they quickly began sucking blood, soon their bodies swelled and turned red after gorging on toxic blood; she put them back in the iron box, dusted them with a little medicinal powder, the leeches immediately vomited blood and shrank; repeating this many times, she watched Xue Lingjun's hands fade from red to white, using this method to expel the poison from her body.

line: "【44】 After doing all that, Yan Nujiao took out a greenish pill and stuffed it into Xue Lingjun's mouth. She whispered, 'Her life will be fine, but after leaving here she must continue taking the medicine for three days to fully cleanse the toxin from her body.'" Good.

Translation: After doing all that, Yan Nujiao took out a greenish pill and stuffed it into Xue Lingjun's mouth, whispering, "Her life will be fine, but after leaving here she must keep taking medicine for three days to fully cleanse the toxins from her body."

Hu Xiaotian then recalled that his first meeting with Yan Nujiao had been at Heishi Village; she got along well with Mengzi there, and apparently she had learned quite a few detoxification skills from Mengzi while staying there.

Translation: Hu Xiaotian then recalled that his first meeting with Yan Nujiao had been at Black Stone Stronghold; she got along well with Mengzi, and apparently had learned many detox techniques from him there.

line: "【50】 Yan Boguang watched from afar, secretly sighing that his sister was meddlesome. Taking advantage of Hu Xiaotian and the others being preoccupied, he thought he should just escape quickly; why bother helping them? Yet he also knew his sister's stubborn temperament meant that once she decided something, he could not change it." Good.

Translation: Yan Boguang watched from afar, secretly sighing that his sister was meddlesome; while Hu Xiaotian and the others were preoccupied, he should just escape quickly—why help them? But he also knew his sister's stubborn temperament meant once she decided something, he couldn't change it.

line: "【53】 Hu Xiaotian said, 'Thank you!'" Good.

Translation: Hu Xiaotian said, "Thanks!"

line: "【56】 Yan Nujiao shook her head and said, 'No thanks.' She turned her gaze to the blood-red river, pursed her lips, and said, 'We must leave this place quickly; the All-Red River is a secret poison of the Variegated Gate, and there are likely Variegated Gate ambushes nearby. Once they find us, things will become troublesome.'" Good.

Translation: Yan Nujiao shook her head, "No need to thank me." She glanced at the blood-red river, pursed her lips, and said, "We must leave quickly; River of Crimson is a secret poison of the Variegated Gate, there are likely Variegated Gate ambushes nearby—once they find us, things will get troublesome."

line: "【59】 Hu Xiaotian's heart jumped upon hearing the three words 'Variegated Gate.' He whispered, 'Isn't it a sect renowned on par with the Five Immortals Sect?'" Good.

Translation: Hearing the three words "Variegated Gate," Hu Xiaotian's heart jolted; he whispered, "Isn't it a sect equal in fame to the Wuxian Sect?"

line: "【62】 Yan Nujiao nodded and said, 'Exactly, but that's just the Variegated Gate's self-proclaimed title. What qualifications do they have to be mentioned alongside the Five Immortals Sect?'" Good.

Translation: Yan Nujiao nodded, "Exactly, but that's just the Variegated Gate's self-proclaimed title; what right do they have to be mentioned alongside the Wuxian Sect?"

line: we need to check: "【65】 Hu Xiaotian's gaze suddenly locked onto the distance; in the woods over fifty zhang away, Lan-colored fire burst forth, spreading quickly like a twisting serpent, almost instantly blocking their path. The fire's hue was Lan with a white tint, utterly unlike ordinary flames. Following his gaze, Yan Nujiao looked over and murmured, 'Shuihuo Wuqing! It seems the chief senior disciple of the Variegated Gate, Du Tianhuo, has arrived!'" No Chinese.

Translation: Hu Xiaotian's gaze suddenly locked on the distance; from the woods over fifty zhang away, blue flames burst forth, spreading quickly like a twisting giant snake, almost instantly blocking their path. The flames were blue-white, unlike ordinary fire; Yan Nujiao followed his gaze and murmured, "Water and Fire Unfeeling! It seems the Variegated Gate's chief senior disciple, Du Tianhuo, has arrived!"

Suddenly, Lan-colored fire burst forth, its hue Lan with a white tint.

Thus translation: "Hu Xiaotian's gaze suddenly locked on the distance; from the woods over fifty zhang away, Lan-colored fire burst forth, spreading quickly like a twisting giant snake, almost instantly blocking their path. The fire's color was Lan with a white tint, unlike ordinary fire; Yan Nujiao followed his gaze and murmured, 'Water and Fire Unfeeling! It seems the Variegated Gate's chief senior disciple, Du Tianhuo, has arrived!'"

line: "【73】 Note: we should keep the nickname as pinyin 'Shuihuo Wuqing' rather than translating it." No Chinese.

line: "【75】 She murmured, 'Shuihuo Wuqing! It seems the Variegated Gate's chief senior disciple, Du Tianhuo, has arrived!'" Good.

But we need to keep the exclamation mark. We'll do: "She murmured, 'Shuihuo Wuqing! It seems the Variegated Gate's chief senior disciple, Du Tianhuo, has arrived!'"

Now line 19.

line: "【80】 Hu Xiaotian secretly reflected that he had once joined forces with Xi Yan in Yongdu to slay the three senior disciples of the Variegated Gate; to the outside world, it appeared that all three had died at his hands, thereafter earning him a deep grudge with the Variegated Gate. He had actually prepared for this, knowing the Variegated Gate would eventually come seeking revenge, but he had not expected them to strike while he was on an envoy mission to Xichuan. The Blade Demon and the Variegated Gate arrived one after another, and he did not know who had leaked his whereabouts to them, drawing so many formidable foes." Good.

Translation: Hu Xiaotian secretly reflected that he had once teamed up with Xi Yan in Yongdu to kill the three great disciples of the Variegated Gate; to the outside world, it seemed all three had died by his hand, thereafter he and the Variegated Gate became bitter enemies; he had actually been prepared, knowing the Variegated Gate would sooner or later come for revenge, but he hadn't expected them to strike while he was on a mission to Xichuan—Blade Demon and the Variegated Gate arrived one after another, and he didn't know who had leaked his whereabouts, drawing so many formidable foes.

line: "【84】 Check: 'Blade Demon and the Variegated Gate arrived one after another' was correct." Good.

line: "【85】 Yan Boguang rushed over in a panic, saying, 'Bad, bad! The road out is completely blocked by fire; it seems they intend to trap us here to die.'" Good.

Translation: Yan Boguang came running up in a panic, saying, "Bad, bad, the way out is completely blocked by fire; it looks like they want to trap us here to die."

line: "【88】 Yan Nujiao took out a silk handkerchief, moistened it with her carried waterskin, and reminded everyone to follow her method of covering mouth and nose to avoid inhaling too much toxic smoke." Good.

Translation: Yan Nujiao took out a silk handkerchief, wetted it with her carried waterskin, and reminded everyone to follow her method: cover mouth and nose to avoid inhaling too much toxic smoke.

line: "【91】 Hu Xiaotian happened to have a mask on hand, which offered better smoke protection than her method; he took one and gave it to Xue Lingjun to wear." Good.

Translation: Hu Xiaotian carried a mask, its anti-smoke effect better than hers; he took one and gave it to Xue Lingjun to wear.

line: "【94】 Upon hearing that the trouble might come from the Variegated Gate, Yan Boguang lamented, 'Where exactly did you provoke all these formidable foes? Today you've brought disaster upon us.'" Good.

Translation: Hearing the trouble might be from the Variegated Gate, Yan Boguang lamented, "Where exactly did you provoke all these powerful enemies? Today you've dragged us into misery."

line: "【97】 This time Hu Xiaotian did not retort; although Yan Boguang is unpleasant, the predicament of the brother and sister today is indeed his doing." Good.

Translation: This time Hu Xiaotian didn't retort; although Yan Boguang is unpleasant, the predicament of the two siblings today is indeed his doing.

line: "【100】 Yan Nujiao bit her lip and said, 'This has nothing to do with him.'" Good.

Translation: Yan Nujiao bit her lip and said, "This has nothing to do with him."

line: "【103】 Yan Boguang, somewhat bewildered, opened his mouth wide, unable to understand why his sister was protecting an outsider, and shouted, 'If it weren't for him inexplicably coming to cause trouble, how could we have drawn so many demons?'" Good.

Translation: Yan Boguang gaped, bewildered why his sister would protect an outsider, and shouted, "If it weren't for him inexplicably showing up to cause trouble, how would we have drawn all these demons?"

line: "【106】 Yan Nujiao said, 'The Variegated Gate came after us solely because of me.'" Good.

Translation: Yan Nujiao said, "The Variegated Gate came after us solely because of me."

line: "【109】 Yan Boguang and Hu Xiaotian both stared at her, bewildered; Hu Xiaotian felt even more confused, wondering why Yan Nujiao was comforting him, given they had only met twice." Good.

Translation: Both Yan Boguang and Hu Xiaotian stared at her, bewildered; Hu Xiaotian felt even more confused, wondering why Yan Nujiao was comforting him—they had only met twice before.

line: we need to ensure no Chinese. Let's check: "【112】 Yan Nujiao gathered her courage and said, 'Three months ago I encountered a bad man who intended to take advantage of me; he laced my food with drugs, but I saw through it and instead subdued him with medicine. Since he begged piteously, I softened and let him go, never expecting him to be unrepentant and continue stalking me to harm me. I was trapped by him and his accomplices, and in desperation I used the beacon-smoke needles my father gave me to shoot them down. Unfortunately one escaped; later I learned that the one I killed was the son of Du Tianhuo, who is known as Shuihuo Wuqing, a senior disciple under the Variegated Gate's Beize Lao Guai, having truly inherited the old master's teachings. Naturally, after losing his son he would not let it rest, and I believe he has come this time to avenge his son.'" No Chinese.

Translation: Yan Nujiao gathered her courage and said, "Three months ago I met a bad guy who tried to take advantage of me; he slipped poison into my food, but I saw through it and instead subdued him with medicine. Since he begged piteously, I softened and let him go, never expecting he would refuse to give up, continuing to stalk me hoping to harm me. I was trapped by him and his companions, and with no choice I used the beacon-smoke needles my father gave me to shoot them down—unfortunately one escaped. Later I learned those I killed were Du Tianhuo's son; Du Tianhuo, nicknamed Shuihuo Wuqing, is a senior disciple of the Variegated Gate's Northern Swamp Old Monster, having truly inherited the old monster's teachings; having lost his son, he certainly won't let it go—I think he's come this time to avenge him."

line: "【116】 We need to keep: Beize Lao Guai for the Beize Lao Guai term; Shuihuo Wuqing for the Shuihuo Wuqing term; Du Tianhuo for the Du Tianhuo term; Variegated Gate for the Variegated Gate term; beacon-smoke needles for the beacon-smoke needles term." Avoid Chinese.

line: we need to check: "【117】 Upon hearing his sister's words, Yan Boguang felt righteous indignation and said, 'That shameless scoundrel deserves to die; how dare he use such vile, despicable means against my little sister!' As he spoke, he encountered Hu Xiaotian's icy, contemptuous gaze. Yan Boguang naturally understood why Hu Xiaotian looked at him with such contempt, for he himself had done the same thing. If Du Tianhuo's son deserved death, then Yan Boguang himself was surely no better off. He fell silent, his expression extremely embarrassed. It was only when such things happened to his own kin that he felt a twinge of regret." No Chinese.

We need to correct the typo: the name should be Hu Xiaotian.

Translation: Hearing his sister's finish, Yan Boguang couldn't help but feel indignant, saying, "That shameless bastard deserved to die—daring to use such vile, lowly means against my sister!" As he spoke, he met Hu Xiaotian's icy, contemptuous gaze; he naturally understood why Hu Xiaotian looked down on him, for he himself had done the same thing; if Du Tianhuo's son deserved death, then he himself surely wasn't worth saving either; he fell silent, his expression extremely awkward. Only when such things happen to one's own kin does he feel a twinge of regret.

line: we need to ensure no Chinese. Let's check: "【122】 Yan Nujiao told Hu Xiaotian, 'This matter is none of your business; if today it is indeed Shuihuo Wuqing Du Tianhuo himself who has come, he will surely not let me live or die in peace. I will hold him back, and you should leave if you get the chance.' She bit her lip with difficulty and said, 'I know you don't like my second brother, but he is the only male descendant of our Yan family; if anything happens to him, my parents will be grief-stricken. If you have the chance, could you take him with you?'" No Chinese.

Translation: Yan Nujiao told Hu Xiaotian, "This has nothing to do with you; if today it's Shuihuo Wuqing Du Tianhuo himself coming, he'll surely hound me relentlessly—I'll hold him back, you take the chance and leave first." She bit her lip, difficulty in her voice, saying, "I know you don't like my second brother, but he's the only male in our Yan family; if anything happens to him, my parents will be heartbroken—if you get the chance, could you bring him along?"

line: "【126】 Note: we should keep the phrase as pinyin 'Shuihuo Wuqing Du Tianhuo' (nickname followed by name)." No Chinese.

line: "【127】 Hu Xiaotian felt a surge of emotion; although Yan Nujiao and Yan Boguang share the same father, the siblings' temperaments are worlds apart. Yan Boguang's character is despicable and not worth mentioning, while Yan Nujiao is a kind, loyal, good girl." Good.

Translation: Hu Xiaotian felt a surge of emotion; although Yan Nujiao and Yan Boguang share the same father, the siblings are worlds apart—Yan Boguang's character is petty and worthless, while Yan Nujiao is a kind, loyal good girl.

line: "【130】 Yan Boguang said, 'Little sister, you don't need to beg him; I will not abandon you alone. We live together or die together.' At this critical moment, his despicable self showed a few shining points, which does not waste his sister's affection." Good.

Translation: Yan Boguang said, "Sis, you don't need to beg him; I won't leave you behind—we live or die together." At this life-or-death juncture, his worthless self showed a few shining points, not wasting his sister's affection.

line: "【133】 Hu Xiaotian said, 'Enough talk; with a formidable enemy before us, our only chance is to work together to survive the crisis. Let's go; as long as we stay united, we may yet find a way out of this predicament.'" Good

Translation: Hu Xiaotian said, "Cut the nonsense; with a powerful foe before us, we must unite and cooperate to have any chance of surviving—let's go; as long as we stand united, we might yet escape this predicament."

Yan Nujiao's beautiful eyes showed a hint of joy; she had just seen Hu Xiaotian's martial arts and knew his skills were superb. If he agreed to join forces with them, the brother and sister, their chances of escaping would naturally be greater. Everyone clings to life; if not driven to desperation, no one would willingly seek death.

Translation: A flicker of joy appeared in Yan Nujiao's beautiful eyes; having just seen Hu Xiaotian's martial skill, she knew he was strong—if he were willing to join forces with her and her brother, their chances of escape would certainly improve. Everyone clings to life; no one in desperation would willingly seek death.

Yan Nujiao said: "Shuihuo Wuqing usually selects a suitable environment before striking, laying poison in the river water; those unaware of the truth often get poisoned there. If they manage to pass this stage, he will use Azure Nether Flame to set the mountains ablaze, surrounding his opponents. Normally people choose to walk downstream along the river to avoid the fire, and he often sets an ambush along their escape route."

Translation: Yan Nujiao said, "Before acting, Shuihuo Wuqing usually picks a suitable environment, laying poison in the river; those unaware often get poisoned there; if they survive that, he ignites the mountains with Azure Nether Flame to surround his foes; normally people would follow the river downstream to flee the fire, but he tends to ambush them on their escape route."

Shuihuo Wuqing and Azure Nether Flame.

Yan Boguang said: "Let's head into the fire zone, seeking victory amidst danger; perhaps we can escape Du Tianhuo's pursuit."

Translation: Yan Boguang said, "Then we'll go into the fire zone, seeking victory in danger—perhaps we can dodge Du Tianhuo's pursuit."

Yan Nujiao looked toward Hu Xiaotian, obviously seeking his opinion.

Translation: Yan Nujiao looked at Hu Xiaotian, evidently seeking his opinion.

Hu Xiaotian said: "Going downstream, we can't escape by hiding; only when he appears and attacks do we have a chance to defeat him." He then picked up Xue Lingjun and led the way, swimming downstream along the river.

Translation: Hu Xiaotian said, "Going downstream won't let us hide; only when he shows up and attacks do we have a chance to defeat him." Having said that, he lifted Xue Lingjun and led the way downstream along the river.

Yan Boguang stared blankly at his back, then whispered to his sister: "Nu Jiao, this person is completely untrustworthy; he will never help us."

Translation: Yan Boguang stared blankly at his back, whispering to his sister, "Nujiao, this guy is utterly untrustworthy; he definitely won't help us……"

Yan Nujiao said: "Whether you believe it or not, I've decided to go forward with him."

Translation: Yan Nujiao said, "Whether you believe it or not, I've decided to go with him all the way."

Yan Boguang stammered, "I... I..." Seeing his sister already far off, he panicked and chased after her, shouting, "Hey! Wait for me—we agreed to share the same boat, wait for me!"

Translation: Yan Boguang stammered, "I… I…" Seeing his sister already far off, he panicked and chased after her, shouting, "Hey! Wait for me—wasn't it agreed we'd share the boat? Wait for me……"

These past few days have been overwhelming; the author no longer explains the reasons and dares not promise how many updates, only saying that more code means more updates. Unfortunate souls without a buffer, when faced with events, can only tearfully rush. The First Update has been delivered, and there will definitely be more tonight. (To be continued. If you like this work, please come.)

Translation: These past two days have been overwhelming; Zhangyu won't explain the reasons, dares not guarantee how many updates, can only say more code means more updates—those unfortunate souls without stored chapters can only tearfully rush; the first update is delivered, there will surely be more tonight. (To be continued. If you like this work, please come.)

Note: 'more code means more updates'; 'unfortunate souls' is the translation of the slang term; 'tearfully rush' translates the verb; 'First Update' corresponds to the term for the first update; and the parenthetical means '(To be continued. If you like this work, please come.)'

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