My Taoist buddy has practiced surrogacy

Chapter 1376 Try your best
Zhou Xing and Ling Xue stood in front of the ascension platform, looking at the mysterious entrance to the upper realm, their eyes full of determination. To ascend to the upper realm, one must go through 9,999 tribulations, and each tribulation is in a different small world. At this moment, they are about to step into the world of the first tribulation.

Zhou Xing felt the world spinning around him, and the scene in front of him changed dramatically. He was now in a dilapidated hut in an ancient world. The furnishings in the house were simple, and there were several unfinished paintings hanging on the walls. Zhou Xing realized that he had become a poor painter. Although his life was hard, his love for painting had not diminished at all.

In order to make a living, Zhou Xing would set up a stall on the street every day to sell paintings. His painting skills were superb, and the flowers, birds, fish, insects, landscapes and people he painted were all lifelike, attracting many passers-by to stop and watch. However, there were very few people who were willing to pay for his paintings.

One day, Zhou Xing was painting on the street as usual, when he suddenly heard a commotion. He looked up and saw a girl in gorgeous clothes walking slowly towards him, surrounded by people. This girl was Ling Xue, the concubine of the Shangshu Mansion, who had transformed into Su Wanrou.

When Su Wanrou passed by Zhou Xing's stall, she saw a painting he was working on, "Fishing Alone on a Cold River". She stopped, with admiration in her eyes, and asked, "Is this painting by you, sir?" Zhou Xing stood up and replied respectfully, "It was painted by me." Su Wanrou nodded and said, "Sir, you have superb painting skills, and this painting has a profound artistic conception. I wonder if you would be willing to paint a portrait for me?" Zhou Xing was delighted and said quickly, "Thank you for your appreciation, Miss. I will do my best."

Zhou Xing followed Su Wanrou back to the Shangshu Mansion. While painting for her, he found that although Su Wanrou was born in the Shangshu Mansion, she was very gentle and modest, without the slightest bit of arrogance. Su Wanrou also appreciated Zhou Xing more and more, and the two had a good chat while painting.

Su Wanrou knew that her stepmother had always regarded her as a thorn in her side and wanted to find a chance to get rid of her. She heard that her stepmother had framed many people in a very cruel way. In order to protect herself, she deliberately introduced Zhou Xing to her stepmother, hoping to find a way out for herself with the help of Zhou Xing's identity.

Zhou Xing was brought to his stepmother, who saw that he had an extraordinary temperament and superb painting skills, and wanted to use him to gain benefits for herself. She forced Zhou Xing to forge a famous painting from the previous dynasty to please his superiors. Zhou Xing was reluctant, but he did not dare to offend his stepmother, so he had to bite the bullet and agree.

Late at night, Zhou Xing was in distress in his study. At this time, Su Wanrou quietly came to the study. She saw Zhou Xing's dilemma and secretly used her spiritual power to repair the fake painting. At the same time, she also hid some evidence in the painting to expose her stepmother's crimes.

Soon after, the stepmother gave the painting to her superior. After seeing the painting, the superior praised the stepmother highly. However, when the painting was presented to the emperor, the emperor discovered the dark patterns in the painting. It turned out that these dark patterns were anti-counterfeiting marks that Ling Xue had engraved on Zhou Xing's pen in advance. The emperor was furious and ordered a thorough investigation of the matter. The stepmother's crimes were revealed one by one and she received the punishment she deserved.

To thank Zhou Xing for his help, Su Wanrou gave him a jade pendant embroidered with gold thread while teaching him noble etiquette. She said affectionately, "Mr. Zhou, thank you for your help many times. This jade pendant is my little token of my appreciation." Zhou Xing took the jade pendant and looked at Su Wanrou, feeling a warm current in his heart.

With his outstanding painting skills and the help of Su Wanrou, Zhou Xing gradually emerged in the capital and was named the "Imperial Painter". However, he did not know that all this was arranged by Ling Xue.

Ling Xue deliberately let Zhou Xing witness the false scene of Su Wanrou being "kidnapped by bandits" while he was painting the imperial mausoleum murals. Zhou Xing was extremely anxious, and regardless of his own safety, he went to the meeting alone to rescue Su Wanrou.

When he found Su Wanrou, he found that it was all a trap. It turned out that Su Wanrou was being hunted by her stepmother's forces. Zhou Xing stood by Su Wanrou without hesitation and fought against the enemy with her.

In order to help Su Wanrou completely get rid of the persecution of her mother, Ling Xue tampered with the genealogy of the Shangshu Mansion and made Su Wanrou a legitimate daughter. At the same time, she used the magic sect's secret technique to eliminate the backlash marks accumulated in Zhou Xing's body due to the frequent use of spiritual power.

In order to save Zhou Xing from poisoning, Su Wanrou painted a picture of Phoenix Nirvana with her blood. The picture was so radiant that it alarmed the upper world. Zhou Xing felt a powerful force in his coma, and the blood of the Demon Sect in his body was further awakened.

After going through so many things, Su Wanrou and Zhou Xing's feelings became deeper and deeper. However, their feelings were restrained by the rules of the immortal sect. According to the rules, disciples of the immortal sect cannot have feelings with mortals, otherwise they will be severely punished.

Zhou Xing decided to publicly propose to Su Wanrou. He expressed his love to Su Wanrou despite everyone's opposition. Su Wanrou was deeply moved and she agreed to Zhou Xing's proposal. However, their actions aroused the dissatisfaction of the Immortal Sect, and the Immortal Sect ordered them to be hunted down.

During the escape, Su Wanrou was hit by the magic of the immortal sect in order to protect Zhou Xing. Half of her body was petrified and she was in critical condition. Zhou Xing looked at Su Wanrou and was heartbroken. He roared: "If the way of heaven is ruthless, then it is against heaven!" He tore the thundercloud apart with his bare hands to save Su Wanrou.

At this moment, Ling Xue's true form appeared. She said coldly, "How can you ascend to heaven if you haven't yet broken the calamity of love? You must cut off the ties of love, otherwise you will all be severely punished." Zhou Xing felt very painful when he heard Ling Xue's words. He looked at Su Wanrou and said, "I will not give up on you."

Zhou Xing decided to end the disaster of this world in advance. He used the magic of the Demon Sect to reverse time and space. However, his action was retaliated by the world. Su Wanrou's body gradually dissipated and turned into dots of light.

Zhou Xing held Su Wanrou's remaining soul, grief-stricken. He sealed Su Wanrou's remaining soul into his own life-defining paintbrush. From then on, the tip of the paintbrush bloomed with blood-red plum blossoms, as if telling the love story between them.

Ling Xue watched all this and felt a little sorry. She secretly divided Zhou Xing's love tribulation into 9,999 strands and said, "Each strand must be experienced in a different small world." Zhou Xing looked at Ling Xue with determination in his eyes and said, "I will definitely complete these tribulations and then come back to find her."

At this time, thunderbolts came down from the upper realm. Thick lightning bolts struck Zhou Xing, but he did not flinch. He used his body to protect the paintbrush that contained Su Wanrou's remaining soul.

After an unknown amount of time, Zhou Xing and Ling Xue returned to the gate of Haoqing Sect. They smiled at each other, as if they had experienced a long dream.

The two sat in front of the mountain gate, brewing tea and discussing. Zhou Xing hid the brush that contained the remnant soul of Su Wanrou in his sleeve, and Ling Xue had a half-stub of wolf hair inserted diagonally in her hair. They looked back on the experience of this calamity, feeling a lot of emotion in their hearts. At this time, the call of a fellow disciple came from a distance. Zhou Xing chuckled and said, "It's time to find the next calamity." Ling Xue nodded, and the two walked hand in hand into the distance.

During the flight, a piece of apricot blossom accidentally fell from Ling Xue's sleeve. Zhou Xing reached out to catch it and found that the apricot blossom was actually the world they had experienced during their tribulation. He chuckled, adorned the petals on Ling Xue's temples, and said, "In this life, I will accompany you through the world of mortals."

Behind them, a new calamity quietly emerged on the stone tablet of Haoqing Sect: "The 8762nd calamity: never parting until old age." Zhou Xing and Ling Xue walked towards the unknown calamity hand in hand, their eyes filled with determination and expectations for the future.

In the Haoqing Sect, Zhou Xing and Ling Xue stood in front of the ascension platform, looking at the upper world shrouded in clouds and mist, their eyes full of determination. To ascend to the upper world, one must go through 9,999 tribulations, and must experience tribulations in different small worlds. At this moment, they are about to step into the world of the first tribulation.

After a while of spinning, Zhou Xing felt that the scene in front of him had changed drastically, and he was now in a strange ancient world. It was prosperous and lively, but also a bit simple. Zhou Xing found himself a poor scholar living in this shabby thatched cottage. His parents were frail and sick, and their life was very hard.

In order to make a living, Zhou Xing went out to chop wood every day. One day, he came to the market in the town to sell the wood he had chopped. The market was bustling with people coming and going. Zhou Xing was busy greeting customers when he suddenly heard a scream. He looked in the direction of the sound and saw a frightened horse running around in the market, about to hit an old woman.

Zhou Xing didn't think twice and rushed over to pull the old woman away. But the frightened horse didn't stop and continued to run wildly. At this moment, Zhou Xing saw a familiar figure flashing on the attic. Looking closely, it was Ling Xue. At this time, Ling Xue turned into an embroiderer named Shen Xiuyi.

Shen Xiuyi stood in the attic, watching everything that happened downstairs, secretly admiring Zhou Xing's actions. A few days later, Shen Xiuyi came to Zhou Xing's home to express her gratitude. She brought some exquisite snacks and fabrics, and chatted with Zhou Xing's parents.

Zhou Xing's mother took Shen Xiuyi's hand and said with emotion: "My child studies hard all day, and I don't know when he will have a way out." Shen Xiuyi smiled slightly and said: "Madam, don't worry. I think Mr. Zhou has an extraordinary temperament and will have a bright future." As she spoke, she inadvertently glanced at the "Strategy Essay" on Zhou Xing's desk and secretly used her spiritual power to repair his torn clothes.

Zhou Xing was very grateful for Shen Xiuyi's help, and he also had a better impression of her. While Shen Xiuyi was chatting with him, she was observing him quietly to make sure that he would not encounter any accidents during the tribulation.

Time flies, and the day of the imperial examination is getting closer. Zhou Xing studied hard day and night. With his solid knowledge and outstanding literary talent, he stood out in the provincial examination and won the first place. The whole village cheered for him, and Zhou Xing also became the first genius in our dynasty to "win the first three places".

At the Qionglin Banquet, the lights were bright and the dignitaries gathered together. Zhou Xing, wearing a brand new official uniform and acting calmly, became the focus of everyone's attention. However, what he didn't know was that Ling Xue had planned all this.

It turns out that the imperial examination examiner had deliberately made things difficult for Zhou Xing, wanting to suppress this poor scholar. After Ling Xue learned about this, she secretly cast a spell to control the examiner's dream. In the dream, the examiner saw the various retributions he had suffered for suppressing Zhou Xing, and woke up in shock. From then on, his attitude towards Zhou Xing changed 180 degrees. Not only did he not make things difficult for him, he also praised his test paper.

Shen Xiuyi sat in the corner of the banquet, watching Zhou Xing being surrounded by people, with a gratified smile on her face. She stood up, walked to Zhou Xing, presented him with a jade pendant embroidered with gold thread, and said, "Mr. Zhou, congratulations on your success in the imperial examination. I hope you will have a bright future." Zhou Xing took the jade pendant and said gratefully, "Thank you Miss Shen for your help all the time. I will definitely remember it in my heart."

Just when Zhou Xing was immersed in joy, Ling Xue discovered a problem in his horoscope. It turned out that during Zhou Xing's tribulation, his horoscope lacked the "love tribulation". If it was not supplemented in time, it would have a great impact on his ascension. Ling Xue frowned, thinking secretly about how to let him go through this tribulation.

Soon after, the emperor summoned Zhou Xing. The atmosphere in the hall was solemn and dignified. The emperor praised Zhou Xing's talent and immediately appointed him as the imperial guard. Although Zhou Xing had doubts in his heart, he still accepted the order.

However, what he didn't know was that all this was arranged by Ling Xue. Ling Xue deliberately guided Zhou Xing to save the emperor who was attacked by an assassin, and then facilitated his entry into the palace as an official. She knew that only by putting Zhou Xing in a complex palace environment could he better experience the tribulation of love.

Shen Xiuyi was able to enter the palace as an embroiderer. She took the opportunity to teach the concubines embroidery skills and frequently came into contact with Zhou Xing. Every time she saw Zhou Xing, her heartbeat would involuntarily speed up. Zhou Xing also cared more and more about this gentle, kind and talented embroiderer, and the relationship between the two gradually heated up unknowingly.

However, there were always many disputes in the palace. Some imperial censors noticed the relationship between Zhou Xing and Shen Xiuyi and impeached him for "privately giving and receiving things with a commoner girl". For a time, public opinion was in an uproar, and the emperor also called Zhou Xing in to reprimand him.

Zhou Xing knew that he and Shen Xiuyi were different in status, so in order to avoid causing her more trouble, he had to publicly distance himself from Shen Xiuyi. However, one night, when he passed by Shen Xiuyi's residence, he saw her secretly embroidering with her own blood to pray for the seriously ill queen mother. At that moment, Zhou Xing's heart was deeply touched, and he realized for the first time that his feelings for Shen Xiuyi had gone beyond the scope of ordinary friends.

The prime minister's son has long coveted Shen Xiuyi's beauty and talent. Hearing that Shen Xiuyi and Zhou Xing have a close relationship, he becomes jealous and plots a conspiracy.

He sent someone to frame Shen Xiuyi for treason and then imprisoned her. Zhou Xing was extremely worried when he learned about this. He did not believe that Shen Xiuyi would do such a thing, so he risked his life to break into the imperial prison to plead for her.

When Zhou Xing saw Shen Xiuyi, his heart suddenly clenched. Shen Xiuyi was covered in wounds and leaned against the wall weakly. Zhou Xing hurried forward to check her injuries. Shen Xiuyi looked at Zhou Xing with deep affection in her eyes. She choked and said, "Mr. Zhou, I... I have always loved you." When Zhou Xing heard this, the red line of love in his body trembled instantly.

At this time, the emperor's condition worsened and he was on his deathbed. In order to save the emperor and Zhou Xing, Shen Xiuyi burned her own life essence to complete the unfinished dragon robe embroidery. The gold thread on the dragon robe turned into a rosy glow, covering the entire palace.