My Taoist buddy has practiced surrogacy

Chapter 1397 Hesitation
Zhou Xing was shackled and trapped in the prison van, his eyes filled with anger and unwillingness.

Three months ago, he was the crown prince of the Eastern Palace, second only to the emperor and above everyone else. However, a conspiracy had brought him to an irretrievable end. His father, the emperor, believed the slander and determined that he had colluded with the enemy country, so he demoted him to a commoner and exiled him to the wilderness.

Now, he was being escorted to the desolate northern border like a lost dog. The people along the way pointed at him and cursed him. Zhou Xing knew that all this was the enemy's conspiracy, but he was powerless to resist.

Suddenly, a hail of arrows shot from the front, and the escorting soldiers fell to the ground one after another. Zhou Xing was shocked, not knowing what had happened. At this moment, a masked female assassin appeared in front of him, with a sword in her hand flashing with cold light, stabbing at Zhou Xing.

Zhou Xing closed his eyes instinctively, but the expected pain did not come. He opened his eyes and found that the female assassin's sword stopped in front of his throat. The female assassin looked at Zhou Xing, a hint of hesitation flashed in her eyes, and then she retracted the sword.

"Why... don't you kill me?" Zhou Xing asked.

The female assassin didn't say anything, but stretched out her hand and tore off the protective red rope around his neck. Half of the broken jade pendant rolled out of Zhou Xing's arms and fell to the ground. Zhou Xing looked at the jade pendant, and a complex emotion surged in his heart.

This jade pendant was a relic left to him by his mother, and it was also a token of love between him and Ling Xue. Ling Xue was his former maid in the East Palace, and they grew up together and had a deep relationship. However, after he lost power, Ling Xue disappeared.

"Who are you?" Zhou Xing asked the female assassin.

The female assassin did not answer, but turned around and disappeared in the wind and snow. Zhou Xing looked at the direction where the female assassin left, and his heart was full of doubts.

Zhou Xing was imprisoned in a dungeon, which was dark, damp, and filled with a foul smell. His fellow inmates told him that only serious criminals were imprisoned here, and few of them could get out alive.

Zhou Xing knew that the enemy would not let him go easily, and they would definitely find a way to get rid of him. Sure enough, a few days later, someone brought him a cup of poisoned wine. Zhou Xing looked at the poisoned wine and sneered in his heart. He knew that this was the enemy's conspiracy, but he also knew that he could not die like this.

Just when Zhou Xing was about to drink the poisoned wine, the mysterious female assassin appeared again. She knocked over the poisoned wine and began to examine Zhou Xing. Zhou Xing found that the female assassin had a silver needle hidden in her fingertips, and she was testing his blood.

"Who are you? Why did you save me?" Zhou Xing asked.

The female assassin still didn't say anything, but took out the antidote from her bosom and fed it to Zhou Xing. After Zhou Xing took the antidote, he felt much better.

"Thank you for saving my life, may I know your name?" Zhou Xing asked.

The female assassin was silent for a moment, then said, "My name is Ling Xue."

Zhou Xing was stunned. He didn't expect that the female assassin in front of him was Ling Xue. He looked at Ling Xue carefully and found that there was indeed a familiar look between her eyebrows.

"Ling Xue, is that you? Why are you here?" Zhou Xing asked.

Ling Xue looked at Zhou Xing, a trace of pain flashed in her eyes, and said: "Your Highness, don't you recognize me? I am your maid in the East Palace."

Zhou Xing suddenly realized, and he remembered Ling Xue. It turned out that during the time she disappeared, she had been protecting him in secret.

"Ling Xue, thank you. But why did you save a useless person like me?" Zhou Xing asked.

Ling Xue said, "Your Highness, you are wronged. I believe that there will be a day when you will be vindicated."

Ling Xue told Zhou Xing that she had discovered a shocking secret. In the imperial palace of the capital, there was a mysterious man's room with his birth date and puppet substitute enshrined in it, and the walls were covered with bloody spells.

Zhou Xing was shocked when he heard Ling Xue's words. He knew that the enemy was using evil magic to curse him. In order to uncover the truth, Zhou Xing decided to sneak into the enemy camp with Ling Xue.

The two men took advantage of the night and quietly came to the enemy camp. They avoided the patrolling soldiers and found the mysterious room. When Zhou Xing saw everything in the room, his face became very ugly.

Sure enough, as Ling Xue said, there were his birth date and puppet substitutes, and the walls were also engraved with bloody spells. Zhou Xing was furious, and he swung his sword to destroy these things. However, the moment he touched the spell, a powerful force bounced him back.

It turned out that the enemy had set a trap on the talisman. At this moment, Ling Xue suddenly attacked, using blood as a trigger to activate the forbidden technique of the Haoqing Sect. A ray of light flashed, and the mark of the Demon Sect appeared on Ling Xue's palm.

Zhou Xing looked at Ling Xue, his heart was filled with emotion. He knew that Ling Xue had exposed her identity in order to save him.

"Ling Xue, thank you. But what should we do?" Zhou Xing asked.

Ling Xue said: "Your Highness, we can't stay here any longer. The enemy will soon find us, we must leave as soon as possible."

The two left the enemy camp and returned to the dungeon. However, what they didn't know was that the enemy's conspiracy had just begun.

Soon after, urgent news came from the border. Three hundred thousand enemy cavalrymen were stationed at the border, threatening to exchange the prince's head for peace. The imperial army was vulnerable and was defeated again and again.

Zhou Xing knew that he could not just sit there and wait for death. He decided to use his life to exchange for the peace of the country. However, Ling Xue disagreed with his idea.

"Your Highness, you can't go. This is just an enemy conspiracy, they won't really let you go." Ling Xue said.

Zhou Xing looked at Ling Xue and said, "Ling Xue, I am the prince, and I have the responsibility to think about the country and the people. If my death can bring peace to the country, I am willing to do it."

Ling Xue looked at Zhou Xing's determined eyes and was deeply moved. She knew that she could not change Zhou Xing's decision. So, she decided to face this crisis together with Zhou Xing.

The two disguised themselves and mixed into the refugee group, trying to get close to the enemy's military camp. When they arrived near the military camp, they discovered a shocking secret.

Bloody smoke rose in the enemy's military camp, and the enemy commander turned out to be the national teacher who Ling Xue had poisoned. It turned out that all this was a conspiracy of the national teacher, who wanted to kill Zhou Xing by borrowing a knife.

Zhou Xing and Ling Xue were discovered by the enemy and surrounded. Just when they were in a desperate situation, Zhou Xing suddenly awakened the magic power of the Demon Sect. His eyes became sharp, and a powerful aura emanated from his body. Zhou Xing crushed the national master's life weapon with his bare hands, then stepped on the national master's heart and said, "Do you think you can control everything? Today, I will make you pay for what you did."

Just as Zhou Xing defeated the Imperial Master, the Nine-fold Thunder Tribulation of the Haoqing Sect came crashing down. The purple lightning struck Zhou Xing and Ling Xue like a giant dragon.

Ling Xue looked at Zhou Xing and said, "Your Highness, I cannot let you bear the thunder tribulation alone. I want to fight alongside you."

After that, Ling Xue used the secret technique of the Immortal Doctor to channel half of the thunderstorm into her meridians. Her black hair instantly turned to snow, but she still gritted her teeth and persisted.

Zhou Xing looked at Ling Xue, his heart filled with emotion. He held Ling Xue's hand tightly and said, "Ling Xue, with you by my side, I'm not afraid of anything."

The two supported each other in the thunder tribulation and endured the bombardment of thunder together. Zhou Xing's magic pattern and Ling Xue's medical immortal art intertwined into a yin-yang formation diagram to resist the attack of the thunder tribulation.

However, the power of the thunder tribulation was too strong, and the two gradually began to be unable to hold on. Just as the last thunderbolt struck, Zhou Xing used his body to protect Ling Xue.

After the thunder, Zhou Xing and Ling Xue fell to the ground. When they opened their eyes, they found that they had survived the thunder tribulation. Zhou Xing's white hair turned black, and Ling Xue fainted.

After the disaster, Zhou Xing and Ling Xue did not choose to return to the palace. They knew that it was full of conspiracies and struggles. They decided to live in seclusion among the people and lead an ordinary life.

The two came to a small town and opened an inn. Zhou Xing would chop wood and fetch water every day, while Ling Xue would laugh and call him a "big fool".

One day, Ling Xue opened the cabinet and found the blood-stained prince's python robe. She stroked the python robe, and a flash of memory flashed in her eyes. At this moment, Zhou Xing walked in from outside.

He saw the dragon robe in Ling Xue's hand and said with a smile: "If Madam wants a phoenix crown and a bridal robe, just grab a wedding dress for your husband."

Ling Xue blushed, hit Zhou Xing, and said, "You are the only one who talks nonsense."

Children outside the window ran past chasing candied haws, and the copper pot was stewing poisonous grass from the dungeon. All the suffering and hardships in the past have become the past. Zhou Xing and Ling Xue knew that they still had 9,993 tribulations to overcome together. But they believed that as long as they were with each other, there would be no difficulties that could not be overcome. They would spend the rest of their lives hand in hand in this small town, watching the prosperity and loneliness of the world.

In the bustling town market, Zhou Xing was sharpening a knife skillfully. He was tall and strong, wearing a coarse cloth shirt, with a simple and honest face. The stall owners around him were used to calling him "big fool", and he always responded with a smile, as if this name was nothing to him.

Zhou Xing was the only one who dared to slam the table with a butcher knife when the Overlord of Zhendong was collecting protection money. His burly figure and sharp eyes made the Overlord of Zhendong dare not provoke him easily.

At the other end of the market, Ling Xue was carrying a load on her shoulder, shouting, "Fresh, hot tofu!" Her voice was clear and melodious, like a silver bell. Her presence always attracted many customers.

Zhou Xing's meat stall was separated from Ling Xue's tofu stall by three fishmongers. Whenever Ling Xue's tofu was sold out, Zhou Xing would always "just happen" to cut an extra half pound of pork belly, and then use the excuse of "mistake" to sell it to Lao Li, who was closing the stall, at a low price. Lao Li was always happy to accept it, because he knew that Zhou Xing was helping Ling Xue.

On this day, Ling Xue came to the accounting office to settle accounts as usual. The master looked at her account book and frowned. "Girl, why don't the accounts match? Did you embezzle the money?" the master asked sternly.

Ling Xue felt very aggrieved. She clearly did not embezzle the money, but the account inexplicably did not match. At this moment, Zhou Xing kicked in with two bloody knives. His eyes were full of anger, like a vicious dog guarding its food.

"I slaughtered three pigs, and the bones can prove that she didn't take even a piece of tofu!" Zhou Xing said loudly. His voice was like thunder, shocking the accountant.

The accountant looked at Zhou Xing with some fear. He did not expect that this seemingly simple butcher would fight so hard for a tofu-selling girl. In the end, the accountant did not pursue Ling Xue's responsibility.

One night, a heavy rain poured down. Zhou Xing's meat stall was washed clean by the rain, but he had no intention of sleeping. He squatted in front of the chopping board, wiping a rusty iron sword. He found this sword by chance in a corner. He felt that although the sword was rusty, it seemed to have a mysterious power.

When Ling Xue brought the freshly ground soybean juice, she caught a glimpse of the pattern on the hilt. She was shocked to find that the pattern matched the token of the Haoqing Sect. Just as she was about to take a closer look, Zhou Xing hurriedly covered the sword with a rag.

"It's just some scrap metal I picked up." Zhou Xing lied. He didn't want Ling Xue to know the secret of the sword, because he himself didn't know where the sword came from.

However, the peaceful days did not last long. One day, Ling Xue was molested by a gangster. Zhou Xing saw this and his eyes widened in anger. He threw a dagger and pierced the gangster's crotch accurately. But when he retracted his strength, the magic pattern on his palm suddenly lit up.

Zhou Xing was terrified, fearing that his identity would be exposed. That night, he broke the sword into pieces and sank the pieces into the bottom of the well.

Ling Xue noticed Zhou Xing's abnormality. While Zhou Xing was away, she fished out the broken iron from the well. She used a tofu mold to reshape the sword, and hummed a tune to piece the broken pieces together into a jade pendant. When she saw the magic rune on the jade pendant, she was thoughtful.

Soon after, a plague broke out in the town. People were sick one after another, and their bodies were lying on the streets. Ling Xue found the medical book left by her master and decided to help those sick refugees.

When Zhou Xing saw Ling Xue was going to the epidemic area, he volunteered to be the corpse carrier. He carried the coffin and walked through the alleyway where corpses were piled up, without a trace of fear in his eyes.

At night, the two sneaked into the funeral home. They dissected the body and found that the internal organs were purple, obviously poisoned. When Ling Xue was recording the characteristics of the corpse spots, Zhou Xing suddenly pinched her wrist.

"There's a familiar smell of medicine in the blood... I remember it—" Zhou Xing said. There was a trace of pain and confusion in his eyes, as if he recalled something terrible.

At this time, the county magistrate led his troops to seal off the city and catch the "source of the epidemic". Zhou Xing relied on his own strength to swing a butcher knife and cut off the iron lock. He took Ling Xue and some infected refugees and fled to the mountain temple.

Ling Xue applied fermented bean curd to the wound to reduce inflammation, while Zhou Xing went out to hunt rabbits to supplement the patient's nutrition. The two supported each other in the difficult situation and faced the disaster together.

In the mountain temple, the situation became increasingly critical. Ling Xue looked at the dying refugees and felt very sorry for them. She decided to take a risk. She drank the Heart Rot Powder to force out the poison, and then cut her wrist to prepare an antidote using the devil's blood.

Zhou Xing felt heartbroken when he saw Ling Xue cutting her wrists. He chewed up ginseng roots to stop her bleeding, and used his bloody fingertips to draw the Haoqing Sect's healing formula on her forehead.

However, their actions attracted the enemy's attention. The Imperial Master led his soldiers to siege the Mountain God Temple. Zhou Xing blocked the rain of arrows with his body, while Ling Xue threw a poisoned tofu brick and smashed the Imperial Master's head.

Just when they thought they had won, Zhou Xing suddenly covered his head in pain. His memory began to recover, and he remembered his true identity - he was a disciple of the Haoqing Sect of the Demon Sect, and was going through a tribulation.