My Taoist buddy has practiced surrogacy

Chapter 1404 Secret Message
Before he could react, the splattered ink, as if alive, burrowed into his palm. He felt a sharp pain, and a black mark appeared on his palm. At the same time, a funeral tolling sounded from the direction of the Duke's mansion, its mournful tolling seeming to tell of endless sorrow.

Zhou Xing put down his brush and hurried to the Duke's mansion. Inside the mourning hall, white candles flickered, creating a solemn and dignified atmosphere. Ling Xue, the eldest daughter of the Duke's mansion, dressed in plain clothes, knelt beside the coffin, placing a blood-stained jade hairpin into the mouth of the deceased. Zhou Xing looked closely and saw that the person in the coffin bore a striking resemblance to Ling Xue, clearly her twin sister.

Just then, the demonic energy within Zhou Xing suddenly went out of control. He felt a surge of heat rising in his heart, and the world before his eyes began to distort. Ling Xue seemed to sense his abnormality and silently pricked his fingertip with a silver needle. A drop of blood fell into the teacup, creating purple ripples.

The two went to a side hall for a private talk. Zhou Xing noticed a fragment of a secret scroll from the Demonic Sect slipping from Ling Xue's sleeve. His heart tightened, and Ling Xue also noticed Zhou Xing's gaze. Outside the window, a dark figure flashed by—it was the commander of the secret guards. He had a blue scale tattoo on his neck, identical to the one on the body of the Ning Kingdom's Grand General who had died suddenly three years ago.

The day of the imperial examination results arrived, and Zhou Xing, with his talent and wisdom, deservedly became the top scholar. However, just as he was filled with joy, he was accused of plagiarism. The chief examiner publicly displayed a letter written in blood, containing secret correspondence between Zhou Xing and the Northern Di. Ling Xue stood aside, sneered, and after careful examination, discovered that the handwriting was completely identical to her deceased sister's dying words.

Zhou Xing and Ling Xue decided to investigate the matter together. Following the clues, they arrived at a brothel. In a secret room within the brothel, they discovered a strange array. To break the array, Ling Xue bit her fingertip and drew a talisman with her blood. Just then, a girl who looked exactly like her appeared in the mirror. The girl smiled and asked her, "Sister, do you know the art of substituting fate?"

The two continued their investigation and arrived at the library. There, they encountered danger. To save Ling Xue, Zhou Xing took a poisoned arrow. As the poison took effect, demonic patterns appeared all over his body, and he was in excruciating pain. Seeing this, Ling Xue publicly ripped open her collar, revealing the demonic sect mark beneath her collarbone, and said, "If you're going to arrest someone, arrest two! I'll share this crime with the top scholar!"

To uncover the truth, the two infiltrated the imperial mausoleum. On the murals in the underground palace, they discovered the symbol of the Haoqing Sect from three hundred years ago. Zhou Xing used his literary talent to carve the Dragon-Suppressing Pillar, attempting to unravel its secrets. However, Ling Xue suddenly pierced his palm with a golden hairpin, coldly saying, "Senior brother, do you still remember the last reincarnation, when you personally refined me into the array's core?"

Just then, the Imperial Advisor led the Imperial Guards to surround and annihilate them. To protect Zhou Xing, Ling Xue activated the Reverse Star Formation. From the bronze coffin rose a woman who looked exactly like her. The woman had a cinnabar mole at the corner of her eye; she was none other than the real, deceased eldest daughter of the Duke.

Zhou Xing and Ling Xue fled to the Star Gazing Platform, where Ling Xue forcibly merged their twin bloodlines. Amidst the wild dance of her purple hair, she poured half of her cultivation into Zhou Xing's body. Suddenly, the Celestial Sphere of the Imperial Observatory shattered, revealing the boundary-suppressing stone buried in this realm by the Demonic Sect.

In the imperial court, Zhou Xing publicly rewrote the "Ode to Mountains and Rivers." As the new ode was completed, the ink transformed into a golden dragon, coiling around him. Stepping on the illusory dragon gate, he loudly questioned the emperor: "Your Majesty, can you hear the dragon's roar like weeping?" At this moment, black pus and blood seeped from under the dragon throne, a truly terrifying scene.

Ling Xue manipulated a caravan to blockade the grain transport route, hiding three thousand black iron coffins beneath the decks of the grain ships. When the Vice Minister of Revenue led troops to search the area, a demonic cultivator with the same face as the deceased sat up from one of the coffins, plunging the capital into panic.

To resolve the issue once and for all, the two stormed the sacrificial altar. Zhou Xing used his literary energy to trigger the Nine Heavens Thunder Tribulation, while Ling Xue stepped onto the blood sacrifice formation and leaped into the thunderclouds. As the second bolt of purple lightning struck, three hundred marriage certificates covered with the character "休" (meaning "divorce") flew out of her sleeve, each carrying memories of her past life.

In the illusion, Zhou Xing relived the memories of three hundred reincarnations. Each time, he personally pushed Ling Xue into a deadly predicament at the most crucial moment of her tribulation. In the final instance, he held Ling Xue's corpse and laughed: "Nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine tribulations, in the end, I have defeated you."

In reality, Ling Xue coughed up black blood and stuffed her natal demon core into Zhou Xing's mouth. The Imperial Preceptor seized the opportunity to activate the Demon-Binding Chains, but Zhou Xing tore open a rift in the void with his bare hands and shouted, "This time, I'll take the heavenly punishment for you!" At this moment, the outline of a fragmented immortal bone appeared behind him.

The two were trapped in a time rift. Zhou Xing used his literary energy to write a contract of "living and dying together." Taking advantage of his unpreparedness, Ling Xue changed the contract to "living together but not dying together." A drop of blood from her fingertip fell onto his clothes, blooming into a twin lotus pattern.

Finally, the tribulation lightning condensed into a golden inscription, recording the sins of the two through nine hundred and forty reincarnations. Zhou Xing broke his scholar's pen, and the ink at the tip transformed into a black dragon that devoured the inscription. Ling Xue threw her hairpin into the sky and laughed, "The storybook 'The Tribulations of the Mortal World' that I secretly read back then, it turns out the ending was already engraved in our souls."

As the ascension passage opened, Zhou Xing imprinted the final protective rune on Ling Xue's brow. Just then, a hand covered in cursed seals reached out from the depths of the clouds, grabbing his ankle and dragging him downwards. Ling Xue swiftly thrust her golden hairpin into that hand, shouting, "Zhou Xing, this time you go first!"

Zhou Xing looked at Ling Xue, his eyes filled with reluctance, but he knew this was a process they had to go through. With a flash of light, he slowly ascended. Ling Xue stood below, watching his retreating figure, a resolute smile on her face. Nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine tribulations—they had endured hardships in different small worlds, yet with each reincarnation, their bond had deepened. Whether they would successfully ascend to the upper realm this time, and what challenges they would face, remained to be seen…

Zhou Xing felt a sudden dizziness, and his mind was flooded with unfamiliar and chaotic memories. When he opened his eyes, he found himself in a luxurious palace. The carved bed and exquisite curtains all indicated the noble status of the owner. Before he could fully process everything, a commotion arose outside the door.

"Young Master, run!" a frantic voice rang out. Zhou Xing had no time to think and instinctively rushed towards the door. He saw a group of black-clad assassins attacking him, their blades flashing. Relying on the memories of this body, Zhou Xing used the footwork Ling Xue had taught him, nimbly weaving through the crowd. Just then, a figure suddenly appeared in front of him, slashing the assassin's throat with a dagger, blood splattering onto his clothes.

Zhou Xing looked closely and saw that it was Ling Xue. However, Ling Xue was dressed as a man, disguised as his guard. The two stood back to back, while the assassins seemed to have suddenly lost their target and looked around. It turned out that the residual spiritual power of this body had triggered a restriction, and black runes appeared on the assassins' necks, instantly turning into black mist and dissipating.

Meanwhile, news spread through the city that Ling Xue, the daughter of a salt merchant, had been falsely accused of treason and was about to be taken to the execution ground. Zhou Xing's heart stirred, and he sneaked into the prison under the cover of night. In the dimly lit cell, he saw Ling Xue chained up. Ling Xue sensed someone entering and abruptly looked up, her eyes filled with vigilance. The two exchanged a glance and simultaneously used blood as a medium to unleash a combined attack spell. In an instant, the prison wall melted through, and they escaped in the chaos. After escaping, Zhou Xing led Ling Xue to hide in a secret chamber of the Marquis's mansion. Strange runes were carved on the stone walls of the chamber. As soon as Zhou Xing approached, the runes glowed, revealing a fragment of the "Hao Qing Jue" manual. The two sat cross-legged and began to regulate their breathing. During this process, Zhou Xing and Ling Xue were surprised to find that their spiritual energy complemented each other in their small world, and Zhou Xing's yang fire could neutralize the backlash from the yin energy within Ling Xue's body.

To help Ling Xue clear her name, Zhou Xing, using his status as the heir apparent, forcibly seized the canal transport business. On the day of their maiden voyage, the fleet was sailing on the river when they were suddenly attacked by river pirates. The pirates, like wolves and tigers, pounced on the fleet. Zhou Xing was prepared; he took out gunpowder, lit it, and blew up the pirate ships. However, in the flash of the explosion, he glimpsed a hidden weapon in Ling Xue's sleeve, gleaming with the eerie blue light unique to the Demonic Sect.

Soon after, the salt tax ledger disappeared, becoming irrefutable evidence of Ling Xue's treason. Zhou Xing and Ling Xue decided to infiltrate the Chamber of Commerce's secret chamber to search for clues. Inside, they discovered a strange array, with the salt tax ledger at its center emitting an eerie light. They exchanged a glance and simultaneously lunged for the ledger. The moment it was torn apart, scaly ash scattered, as if concealing some unspeakable secret.

To find more clues, the two disguised themselves and attended a black market auction. At the auction, a bronze box left behind by the King of Yue caught their attention. Just as they bid on the box, they were attacked by a sneak arrow. Zhou Xing reacted quickly, catching the arrow with his bare hands. At this moment, Ling Xue recognized that the arrowhead's pattern was the same as the curse mark on the assassin's neck, suggesting a huge conspiracy was hidden behind it.

The Yin energy within Ling Xue suddenly went berserk, her eyes turning cold and crazed as she attacked Zhou Xing. Zhou Xing knew Ling Xue had lost her mind, and to avoid harming her, he forcibly restrained himself with the Haoqing Soul-Locking Chains. In her madness, Ling Xue inadvertently uttered fragments of memory: "You dug up my spirit bones during the Three Hundred Tribulations."

To suppress the evil spirits, the two traveled to the ancient battlefield to collect remnant souls. From these souls, they learned that the Yue Kingdom's dragon vein had been replaced by demonic cultivators, and the clues pointed to the imperial tomb. So, the two infiltrated the imperial tomb. Inside the underground palace, they encountered a bronze terracotta warrior who looked exactly like Zhou Xing. Just as they approached the terracotta warrior, they triggered a mechanism, unleashing a hail of poisoned arrows.

In this critical moment, Zhou Xing used his wisdom to decipher the mechanism using the directions of the Twenty-Eight Mansions. However, when they opened the coffin, it was empty. Suddenly, the family heirloom jade pendant at Ling Xue's waist resonated, displaying esoteric script from the Demonic Sect, indicating "Dragon Liver Location." Following the guidance, the two arrived at the sword-forging furnace and discovered half a rusty dragon tendon.

To uncover the truth, Zhou Xing and Ling Xue infiltrated the courtesan's banquet. At the banquet, they discovered that the salt envoy was actually a traitor from the Demonic Sect in disguise. This traitor possessed a bizarre physique, able to freely switch between seven puppets. Upon closer inspection, Zhou Xing noticed that the curse mark behind his ear was identical to that of the assassin, clearly indicating that he was behind it all.

The two tracked the traitor to an abandoned Taoist temple, where they encountered the old Taoist priest guarding it. The priest immediately recognized Ling Xue's identity as a merchant and even gave them a divination slip that read "Truth or Falsehood is hard to discern." As they parted, the priest stared at the jade pendant at Zhou Xing's waist with a sinister smile, which made Zhou Xing feel uneasy.

Later, Ling Xue was imprisoned in a water dungeon. Zhou Xing was extremely anxious and, in order to rescue her, he ventured deep into the core of the demonic array. Just when he thought he had found Ling Xue, he discovered three identical Ling Xues appearing before him. Each Ling Xue claimed to be the original, and Zhou Xing carefully examined them, discovering that the true form had the unique sword callus marks of the Haoqing Sect's senior sister on her fingertips.

After some investigation, Zhou Xing and Ling Xue finally exposed the Salt Transporter's conspiracy. The Salt Transporter attempted to open the Demon Sect's ruins using a blood sacrifice of ten thousand people, but at that moment, lightning and fire descended from the sky as punishment for his evil deeds. Zhou Xing seized the opportunity to absorb the lightning and fire, transforming it into crimson gold patterns—a new divine ability he awakened in the small world.

While destroying the demonic lair beneath the Taoist temple, the two discovered inscriptions left by disciples of the Haoqing Sect three hundred years ago. Ling Xue deciphered the warning, "The tribulations of love are the most devastating to the heart." At this time, the ruins of the demonic sect appeared, sparking a struggle among various factions. Zhou Xing and Ling Xue saw a young child trapped within the ruins and rescued him without hesitation.

Rescuing the children had exhausted their spiritual energy. Just then, the guardian of the ruins presented them with a life-or-death challenge: kill all the cultivators present or destroy their own cultivation. Zhou Xing gritted his teeth and crushed his spiritual root, wanting to sacrifice himself to save everyone's lives. However, Ling Xue forcibly transferred half of her cultivation to him, smiling as she asked, "Who won and who lost this bet?"

After the calamity ended, a celestial messenger appeared in the sky to guide them. The messenger accused Ling Xue of possessing a demonic seed and attempted to capture her. Seeing this, Zhou Xing swung his sword, severing the messenger's whisk and revealing the Haoqing Sect's mark. The messenger sneered, "After three thousand reincarnations, you still can't let go?"

Back in the secret chamber of the Marquis's mansion, the scene of the sect's forbidden area was recreated. In the illusion of their memories, the two saw that they were struggling in similar timelines during each tribulation. In one reincarnation, Zhou Xing, to preserve Ling Xue's soul, had personally pushed her into the Soul Refining Cauldron.

As the nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine tribulations came to an end, a blood-red crack appeared in the sky. Zhou Xing engraved the final protective spirit rune into Ling Xue's brow and whispered, "This time, it's your turn to ascend first." Ling Xue looked at Zhou Xing, her eyes filled with reluctance. Just then, a familiar sword cry from three hundred years ago echoed from the depths of the clouds, as if telling of the bond between them that transcended reincarnation.

Zhou Xing slowly awoke, finding his surroundings utterly unfamiliar. He found himself in a dilapidated study, dimly lit and filled with the musty smell of old books. Looking down, he saw that he was wearing a faded blue robe, and on the table lay a writing brush and some legal documents.

Just then, a commotion arose outside the door. Zhou Xing got up and pushed open the door, only to see a bustling crowd on the street. A prostitute was being whipped in the street by yamen runners, surrounded by a group of onlookers, but no one dared to speak up to stop it. Zhou Xing's heart tightened, and he quickly stepped forward to inquire. A passerby sighed, "She accused officials and businessmen of collusion, but she was framed instead."

Filled with righteous indignation, Zhou Xing looked at the prostitute and shouted, "I'll write your complaint; go ahead and beat the drum to appeal for justice!" A glimmer of hope flashed in the prostitute's eyes, and she nodded. Zhou Xing returned to his study, wrote furiously, and soon finished a complaint, handing it to the prostitute.

However, things did not go smoothly. Ling Xue, disguised as a restaurant chef, brought over a pot of "Ice Soul Brew." She secretly wiped the rim of Zhou Xing's teacup, leaving a water stain.