Chapter 1340

"Where is the Emperor?" Hong Beimo still cared about Long Xuan'en's whereabouts.

Translation: "Where is the Emperor?" Hong Beimo still cared about Long Xuan'en's whereabouts.

: We need to keep quotes? The Chinese includes quotation marks. We should translate the quoted speech with quotes. Use English quotes. So: "Where is the Emperor?" -> "Where is the Emperor?" Then rest. No Chinese.

Thus: "Where is the Emperor?" Hong Beimo still cared about Long Xuan'en's whereabouts.

Make sure to keep punctuation.

: Hu Xiaotian slowly set down the Chazan: "Dead!" He glanced at Hong Beimo and said, "Mr. Hong should know better than anyone, right? He doesn't have long to live; if it weren't for discovering that you were deceiving him, he wouldn't have left you a loophole. All these things were given to me by him." No Chinese.

Translation: Hu Xiaotian slowly set down the teacup: "Dead!" He glanced at Hong Beimo and said, "Mr. Hong should know better than anyone, right? He doesn't have long to live; if it weren't for discovering that you were deceiving him, he wouldn't have left you a loophole. All these things were given to me by him."

We need to keep the word for tea cup as Chazan. So "Hu Xiaotian slowly set down the Chazan: 'Dead!' He glanced at Hong Beimo and said, 'Mr. Hong should know better than anyone, right? He doesn't have long to live; if it weren't for discovering that you were deceiving him, he wouldn't have left you a loophole. All these things were given to me by him.'"

line: fine.

: Hong Beimo did not doubt Hu Xiaotian's words, and carefully put away the two sheets of paper. No Chinese.

Translation: Hong Beimo did not doubt Hu Xiaotian's words, carefully keeping the two sheets of paper.

: Hu Xiaotian suddenly felt like he was trying to take skin from a tiger; cooperating with Hong Beimo was unavoidable. Hong Beimo wanted only the imperial mausoleum; as for other matters, he didn't care—whether Long Xuan'en was on the throne or Qiqi was

Translation: Hu Xiaotian suddenly felt like he was making a deal with a tiger; cooperating with Hong Beimo was unavoidable. Hong Beimo wanted the imperial mausoleum, and as for other matters he didn't care—whether Long Xuan'en was on the throne or Qiqi was emperor, no matter who held the realm, as long as they supported him in continuing to build the mausoleum, he would support them. Yet Hong Beimo had struggled for many years, and the mausoleum remained unfinished; it was likely not just a problem of finances and manpower, perhaps he still hadn't overcome the technical difficulty.

line: fine.

Thus: "whether Long Xuan'en was on the throne or Qiqi was Emperor". We'll keep Emperor capitalized.

Hu Xiaotian, relying on intuition, judged that these few pages of the Alchemy Cauldron Chapter from Opening of Heaven and Earth were the key. As for why the late emperor always kept these pages hidden, he must have long realized that these pages had nothing to do with the so-called elixir of immortality, and had early on seen through Hong Beimo's lies. These pages thus became Long Xuan'en's trump card to blackmail Hong Beimo; now that they are in his own hands, they have become his own opportunity.

Translation: Hu Xiaotian, relying on intuition, judged that these few pages of the "Opening of Heaven and Earth" — the Alchemy Cauldron Chapter — were the key. As for why the late Emperor always hid these pages, he must have early on seen that they had nothing to do with the so-called elixir of immortality, having already seen through Hong Beimo's lies; these pages thus became Long Xuan'en's trump card against Hong Beimo, and now that they are in my hands, they have become my opportunity.

line: fine.

Thus: "Hu Xiaotian, relying on intuition, judged that these few pages of the Opening of Heaven and Earth — the Alchemy Cauldron Chapter — were the key. As for why the Laohuangdi always hid these pages, he must have early on seen that they had nothing to do with the so-called elixir of immortality, having already seen through Hong Beimo's lies; these pages thus became Long Xuan'en's trump card against Hong Beimo, and now that they are in my hands, they have become my opportunity."

Hong Beimo said, "Other people are easy to deal with, but that demoness is not under my control."

Translation: Hong Beimo said, "Other people are easy to handle, but that Demoness is not under my control."

Hu Xiaotian looked at Hong Beimo, half-believing, half-doubting his words.

Translation: Hu Xiaotian looked at Hong Beimo, half-believing, half-doubting his words.

Hong Beimo said, "She is temporarily imprisoned in the Numinous Heaven Palace on Mount Piaomiao; the monk Wuwu is responsible for guarding her. If you want to rescue her, you can only rely on yourself."

Translation: Hong Beimo said, "She is temporarily imprisoned in the Ethereal Peak's Numinous Heaven Palace; Bu Wu the monk is guarding her. If you want to rescue her, you can only rely on yourself."

line: fine.

Hu Xiaotian said, "If anything happens to her, you will never obtain the complete Alchemy Cauldron Chapter."

Translation: Hu Xiaotian said, "If anything happens to her, you will never obtain the complete Alchemy Cauldron Chapter."

Hong Beimo chuckled, "The Alchemy Cauldron Chapter may not be as important as you imagine; do you think using it to blackmail me will force me to comply?" He coldly stared at Hu Xiaotian and said, "If I truly cared about such things, I would not have helped the Princess eliminate Long Xuan'en."

Translation: Hong Beimo chuckled, "The Alchemy Cauldron Chapter may not be as important as you imagine; do you think using it to blackmail me will force me to comply?" He coldly stared at Hu Xiaotian and said, "If I truly cared about such things, I would not have helped the Princess eliminate Long Xuan'en."

We need to use Princess, Long Xuan'en.

Hu Xiaotian smiled, "Long Xuan'en can no longer be sustained; even with your abilities, you cannot prolong his life. Helping Qiqi seize the throne was also a reluctant choice." He stood up, took two slow steps, and said, "In the 17th year of Jiafeng, at Jiangdu's Qixia Lake, fireballs rained from the sky. They sparked heavenly flames; the fire spread over thirty li, reducing everything it touched to rubble, with countless casualties..." He paused deliberately, then turned to face Hong Beimo.

Translation: Hu Xiaotian smiled, "Long Xuan'en can no longer hold on; with your abilities you cannot prolong his life. Helping Qiqi seize the throne was also a reluctant choice." He stood up, took two slow steps, and said, "In the seventeenth year of Jiafeng, at Kangdu's Qixia Lake, a heavenly fireball fell. It sparked a heavenly fire, the flames spreading thirty li, turning everything to rubble, casualties countless..." He paused there deliberately, then turned to face Hong Beimo.

We need to use Jiafeng? Not in glossary; we keep as Jiafeng (maybe it's an era name). We'll keep as "Jiafeng". Use Kangdu, Qixia Hu.

Hong Beimo's expression turned grave as never before, his deep eyes fixed firmly on Hu Xiaotian.

Translation: Hong Beimo's expression turned unprecedentedly solemn, his deep eyes fixed firmly on Hu Xiaotian.

Hu Xiaotian said, "Back then, Qixia Lake became Qixia Mountain. The things that fell back then should lie beneath Qixia Mountain; could the choice to build the imperial mausoleum there have ulterior motives?"

Translation: Hu Xiaotian said, "The Qixia Lake of those years has become Qixia Mountain. What fell back then should lie beneath Qixia Mountain; was the choice to build the imperial mausoleum there motivated by some ulterior purpose?"

We need to use Qixia Hu, Qixia Shan.

Hong Beimo couldn't help but chuckle as his thoughts were laid bare.

Translation: Hong Beimo couldn't help but laugh when he saw through his thoughts.

Hu Xiaotian said, "Some say that back then, immortals manifested their power and the troops of Great Kang provoked the heavenly deities, thus suffering that calamity. But I know it's not anything like that."

Translation: Hu Xiaotian said, "Some say it was divine manifestation that angered the heavenly deities, causing the Dakang troops to suffer that disaster. But I know it's not that at all."

We need to use Dakang.

Hong Beimo said with interest, "Oh, I'm actually somewhat interested in hearing that."

Translation: Hong Beimo said intriguingly, "Oh, I am actually interested in hearing that."

Hu Xiaotian said, "The vast universe is boundless; the place where we now live is merely a speck among billions of stars. Who knows how many beings like us exist out there—perhaps they are far smarter and stronger than us, strong enough to pilot spacecraft through space. One day, their spacecraft malfunctioned, forcing an emergency landing here. They landed in the outskirts of Jiangdu's Qixia Lake, but were mistaken for a monster, prompting the Great Kang emperor to mobilize troops and attack. Although the beings aboard possessed powerful technology and devastating weapons, they faced opponents numbering in the thousands or millions, and their energy eventually depleted. In the ensuing battle, Great Kang suffered heavy casualties, while the spacecraft crew also sustained losses; their craft was buried, most of the crew killed, and the few who managed to escape had to confront the reality of surviving on this alien land."

Translation: Hu Xiaotian said, "The vast universe, boundless and endless—our place of existence is merely a speck among billions of stars. Who knows how many beings like us exist out there, perhaps smarter and stronger than us, strong enough to pilot spacecraft through space. One day, their spacecraft malfunctioned and were forced to land here. Landing in the outskirts of Kangdu's Qixia Lake, they were mistaken for a monster, prompting the then Dakang Emperor to rally troops and launch an attack. Although those aboard the spacecraft possessed powerful technology and devastating weapons, they faced opponents numbering thousands to tens of thousands times more, and their energy eventually ran out. In the battle, the Dakang side suffered heavy casualties, but the spacecraft side also lost many; their ships were buried, most of the crew killed, and the few who escaped had to face the reality of surviving on this alien land."

We need to use Kangdu, Qixia Hu, Dakang, Emperor.

Thus: "Landing in the outskirts of Kangdu's Qixia Lake, they were mistaken for a monster, prompting the then Dakang Emperor to rally troops and launch an attack."

Hong Beimo remained silent, quietly gazing at Hu Xiaotian.

Translation: Hong Beimo said nothing, silently gazing at Hu Xiaotian.

Hu Xiaotian said, "Speaking of this, it has been a full 150 years; if the survivors of that spacecraft were still alive today, they would be nearly 200 years old. I believe some of them have already taken root here, reproduced, and in their hearts perhaps still long to return to their homeland."

Translation: Hu Xiaotian said, "Speaking of this, it has been a full 150 years; if the survivors of the spacecraft were still alive today, they'd be nearly 200 years old. I believe some of them have already taken root here, reproduced, and in their hearts perhaps still long to return to their homeland."

Hong Beimo said, "Sir Hu, you really know how to tell tales—pure fantasy. I can't help but applaud you; it's no wonder people say Sir Hu is a genius beyond compare. As a child, others took you for a deaf-mute simpleton, yet they didn't expect Sir Hu to be great wisdom in humble guise; upon enlightenment, you not only mastered qin, chess, calligraphy, and painting, but also acquired a miraculous medical skill that turns decay into marvel. Aside from the Ghost Medicine Talisman, it seems no one else can rival you. However, Sir Hu, before your enlightenment, the Ghost Medicine had already died; can you explain who taught you your medical art?"

Translation: Hong Beimo said, "Sir Hu, you really know how to tell tales—pure fantasy. I can't help but want to applaud you. No wonder they say Sir Hu is a genius unparalleled; when you were born, others took you for a deaf-mute simpleton, yet they didn't expect Sir Hu to be great wisdom in humble guise. Upon enlightenment, you mastered the qin, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and possessed a miraculous medical art that turns decay into marvel. Aside from the Ghost Medicine Talisman, it seems no one else can compare. But Ghost Medicine had already died before your enlightenment; Sir Hu, can you explain who taught you your medical art?"

line: fine.

Thus: "Hong Beimo said, 'Sir Hu, you really know how to tell tales—pure fantasy. I can't help but want to applaud you. No wonder they say Sir Hu is a genius unparalleled; when you were born, others took you for a deaf-mute simpleton, yet they didn't expect Sir Hu to be great wisdom in humble guise. Upon enlightenment, you mastered the qin, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and possessed a miraculous medical art that turns decay into marvel. Aside from the Ghost Medicine Talisman, it seems no one else can compare. But Ghost Medicine had already died before your enlightenment; Sir Hu, can you explain who taught you your medical art?'"

Hu Xiaotian smiled, "Sir Hong doubts my origins?"

Translation: Hu Xiaotian smiled, "Sir Hong doubts my origins?"

line: fine.

Thus: "Hu Xiaotian smiled, 'Sir Hong doubts my origins?'"

"It's not only Sir Hu who possesses such extraordinary imagination." Hong Beimo's gaze turned icy: "I know your origins very well; don't think you can stop me—no one can."

Translation: "It's not only Sir Hu who possesses such unimaginable imagination." Hong Beimo's gaze turned icy cold: "I know your origins very well; don't think you can stop me—no one can stop me!"

We need to use Sir Hu.

Thus: "\"It's not only Sir Hu who possesses such unimaginable imagination. \" Hong Beimo's gaze turned icy cold: \"I know your origins very well; don't think you can stop me—no one can stop me! \""

Hu Xiaotian inwardly wondered, "How do you know my origins if I don't tell you? Could it be that Hong Beimo sees himself as the same as me? Or does he think his appearance is meant to stop me from repairing that possibly existing spacecraft?" Hu Xiaotian said, "I can't be bothered to stop you; I just want to rescue my people and leave this place. As long as you release my people, we'll live separately—you do as you please, how does that sound?"

Translation: Hu Xiaotian inwardly wondered, "How do you know my origins if I don't tell you? Could it be that Hong Beimo sees himself as the same as me? Or does he think his appearance is meant to stop me from repairing that possibly existing spacecraft?" Hu Xiaotian said, "I can't be bothered to stop you; I just want to rescue my people and leave this place. As long as you release my people, we'll live separately—you do as you please, how does that sound?"

we didn't output because it's instruction? Actually we have 【93】 instruction line. We need to output it as well. It contains English sentences with quotes? It has single quotes inside. It's fine.

Hong Beimo said, "In just two hours, we'll be escorting the Princess to Dragon Ling Scenic Spot; you can join my group and use the chance to ascend Piaomiao Peak. Monk Bu Wu always secludes himself to meditate at midnight, so if you want to rescue her, this is your best chance."

Translation: Hong Beimo said, "In two hours, we will accompany the Princess to Dragon Spirit Victory; you can mingle with my troops and seize the chance to ascend Ethereal Peak. Bu Wu the monk closes his gates at midnight; if you wish to rescue her, this is the best opportunity."

We need to use Princess, Dragon Spirit Victory, Ethereal Peak, Bu Wu.

Thus: "Hong Beimo said, 'In two hours, we will accompany the Princess to Dragon Spirit Victory; you can mingle with my troops and seize the chance to ascend Ethereal Peak. Bu Wu the monk closes his gates at midnight; if you wish to rescue her, this is the best opportunity.'"

Hu Xiaotian nodded. "Thank you!"

Translation: Hu Xiaotian nodded, "Thank you!"

Hong Beimo added, "If you dare to go back on your word, I will guarantee that not a single one of your followers will be left alive. Moreover, do not think that the naval forces you have stationed in Yunze can threaten us; if you provoke me, I may well reenact what happened years ago at the banks of Qixia Lake."

Translation: Hong Beimo added, "If you dare to renege, I will guarantee that not a single one of your subordinates remains alive. Moreover, do not think the navy you stationed at Cloud Marsh can threaten us; if you anger me, I may well reenact what happened at Qixia Lake's edge back then."

We need to use Cloud Marsh, Qixia Hu.

Thus: "Hong Beimo added, 'If you dare to renege, I will guarantee that not a single one of your subordinates remains alive. Moreover, do not think the navy you stationed at Cloud Marsh can threaten us; if you anger me, I may well reenact what happened at Qixia Lake's edge back then.'"

Hu Xiaotian's heart sank; Hong Beimo was clearly threatening him. What happened at the banks of Qixia Lake? Back then, the troops of Great Kang and the uninvited guests who fell from the sky fought desperately, suffering heavy casualties, all because the enemy might have possessed devastating weapons. Has Hong Beimo already produced similar weapons? If so, his tens of thousands of naval troops, if they were to attack Fisheryang City, would have hardly any chance of victory.

Translation: Hu Xiaotian's heart sank; Hong Beimo was clearly threatening him—what happened at Qixia Lake's edge? Back then, the Dakang troops and the heavenly invaders who fell from the sky fought desperately, suffering heavy casualties, all because the enemy might have possessed devastating weapons. Has Hong Beimo already manufactured such weapons? If so, his tens of thousands of naval troops, if they attacked Yuyang City, would have not even a sliver of chance to win.

We need to use Dakang, Qixia Hu, Yuyang Cheng.

Thus: "Hu Xiaotian's heart sank; Hong Beimo was clearly threatening him—what happened at Qixia Lake's edge? Back then, the Dakang troops and the heavenly invaders who fell from the sky fought desperately, suffering heavy casualties, all because the enemy might have possessed devastating weapons. Has Hong Beimo already manufactured such weapons? If so, his tens of thousands of naval troops, if they attacked Yuyang City, would have not even a sliver of chance to win."

Hu Xiaotian said: "You can rest assured, I, Hu Xiaotian, have always been a man of my word; as long as I rescue Xi Yan, I will give you another page. After you release my men, you will receive the fourth page. After I confirm that everyone has escaped safely, I will give you the final page of the Ding Cauldron chapter, and I will also keep this matter secret from Qiqi in front of her; it will not be leaked to anyone else."

Hong Beimo nodded and said: "It's a deal!"

The water of the Jade Pool had mostly dried up, exposing large areas of the lakebed; under the moonlight, there was actually a lot of white bone reflecting light. For hundreds of years, many wronged souls have also been buried beneath this imperial lake's waters. A temporary wooden bridge has been built from the west bank to Piaomiao Mountain, and Qiqi walked across it accompanied by everyone; besides Hong Beimo, Quan De'an, Ren Tianqing, and Mu Rongzhan were all present.

After disguising himself, Hu Xiaotian followed behind the troop, gazing at Qiqi at the front; his feelings were extremely conflicted, and he and Qiqi had ultimately ended up on opposing sides.

The crowd arrived before the statue of the dragon drinking water; Qiqi stopped, gazing at the massive dragon head, her mind repeatedly flashing back to the scene when she and Hu Xiaotian first came here to explore, a faint sense of guilt welling up, which grew stronger as time passed.

Meng Zizai said: "Your Highness, is this the place?"

Qiqi nodded and said: "This is the place." She turned to Quan De'an and said: "Eunuch Quan, you and the others wait here; Mr. Ren and Mr. Hong, follow me inside."

Yes!

Hong Beimo directed his men to guard around the dragon's head, deliberately glanced at Hu Xiaotian, and pointed to the front-right.

Hu Xiaotian jumped down from the planks like everyone else, stepping on the mud toward the rear-right of the dragon's head.

Qiqi, Hong Beimo, and Ren Tianqing entered the dragon's ear secret passage; Hong Beimo held up the Night Pearl to illuminate her. Earlier, Hu Xiaotian and Xi Yan had discovered the upper secret chamber; although they had taken the Seven-Star Chain, the opened entrance had not sealed, and this gap let Qiqi infer that Hu Xiaotian had previously entered here and obtained the Seven-Star Chain.

The three followed Hu Xiaotian's previous route into the secret chamber; Hong Beimo examined the carvings on the wall, finally understanding how Hu Xiaotian knew so many secrets—someone had long ago recorded everything here.

Qiqi's expression was indifferent as she approached the altar, softly reciting the inscription on the square cauldron: "In the seventeenth year of the Auspicious Abundance era, at Qixia Lake in Kangdu, heavenly fireballs fell, sparking heavenly fire; the blaze spread thirty li, reducing everything it touched to rubble, countless dead and wounded—alas! What crime have the commoners committed? I have specially cast this cauldron to suppress disaster and subdue demons, praying to heaven to bless Dakang..." After finishing the reading, she gave Hong Beimo a meaningful glance; though she said nothing, he understood her implication: she was saying that his purpose in building the imperial mausoleum on Qixia Mountain lay precisely here.

Ren Tianqing tapped the underside of the huge cauldron and said softly: "The inside should be hollow."

Qiqi nodded; Hong Beimo approached and, together with Ren Tianqing, pushed the square cauldron, lifting the stone slab to reveal a pit. Last time, Hu Xiaotian had moved the cauldron by himself, and compared to that, his inner strength is clearly superior by quite a bit. (To be continued~^~)