My Taoist buddy has practiced surrogacy

Chapter 1408 Pretending
Looking at him, Ling Xue felt a sharp pain in her heart. She swallowed a pill to temporarily seal her memories and said, "From now on, we are strangers. This calamity will end here."

The moment the formation collapsed, Zhou Xing forcibly used a secret technique of the Haoqing Sect to erase Ling Xue's image from his mind. However, he did not notice that Ling Xue had secretly hidden a wisp of his soul in her hairpin.

When the tribulation lightning struck, the two were a hundred miles apart. Zhou Xing looked up at the sky and chuckled to himself, "Three hundred and forty-four tribulations, all for naught." Ling Xue silently shed tears in her heart. She knew that although they had survived this tribulation, they had paid a huge price.

After returning to the Haoqing Sect, Zhou Xing became a ruthless machine, diligently cultivating every day. Meanwhile, Ling Xue fought her way through the Demon Abyss Purgatory, constantly improving her strength.

The two met again on the battlefield of ten thousand demons. Zhou Xing pierced Ling Xue's chest with his sword. Ling Xue smiled and crushed the divine soul in the hairpin, saying, "Zhou Xing, you won't even give me hatred."

Zhou Xing felt a sharp pain in his heart as he watched Ling Xue fall. But he didn't know why he felt this way, because he had already forgotten Ling Xue.

Soon after, the nine thousand tribulations were completed, and the two stood before the ascension platform, gazing at each other in silence. At this moment, Ling Xue suddenly tore open the void, revealing the small world of the three hundred and forty-fourth tribulation—the Great Abyss Kingdom had long since turned into scorched earth and ruins.

Looking at the ruins, Zhou Xing felt a strange sadness well up inside him. He didn't know why he felt this way about this place. Ling Xue, on the other hand, watched Zhou Xing silently, her eyes filled with deep affection.

Finally, the two stepped onto the Ascension Platform. Zhou Xing ascended the immortal steps first, while Ling Xue fell into the Demon Abyss. But in that instant, Zhou Xing suddenly turned back, and Ling Xue also stopped. Separated by a sea of ​​spider lilies, their pupils reflected each other's past lives.

At this moment, they finally understood that although they had endured great hardship in this ordeal, they had also left an indelible mark on each other's hearts. They only wondered if they would ever meet again in the future…

Zhou Xing slowly awoke, feeling excruciating pain all over his body. He struggled to get up and found himself in a dilapidated prison cell, his body covered in festering wounds that emitted a pungent odor. Looking down, he saw the four bloody characters "regicide and treason" branded on his chest, while outside the window, the bells announcing the new emperor's ascension to the throne were ringing out.

Just then, a woman in plain clothes carrying a medicine chest burst into the cell. The woman was Ling Xue. She looked at Zhou Xing and sneered, "A remnant of the Chen Kingdom dares to call himself a prince?" With that, she used silver needles to seal several of Zhou Xing's major acupoints. At the instant the acupoints were sealed, a blood-red tribulation lightning count appeared simultaneously in both of their consciousnesses—[Tribulation 345].

Zhou Xing was startled, but he didn't show it. He feigned a weak cough, secretly probing Ling Xue's meridians with a secret technique of the Demonic Sect. He discovered suppressed demonic energy within Ling Xue's body, but at that moment, footsteps sounded outside; it was the jailers coming to search.

Ling Xue reacted quickly. She shook some pain-relieving herbal powder from her sleeve and sprinkled it on Zhou Xing's body, then said, "This medicine can relieve your pain." Zhou Xing's heart skipped a beat. He knew that Ling Xue was cooperating with his acting, so he groaned in response.

After the jailer left, Zhou Xing said to Ling Xue, "Since we are in the same predicament, perhaps we can cooperate." Ling Xue looked at him without speaking, but her eyes revealed a thoughtful expression.

Ling Xue forced Zhou Xing to swallow the deadly poison "Soul-Locking Powder," but secretly used the Demonic Sect's antidote to neutralize its effects. She looked at Zhou Xing and mocked, "The life of a subjugated slave should be in my hands." Zhou Xing did not resist; he knew Ling Xue must have her reasons for doing this.

The two disguised themselves as a traveling physician and a medicine boy, sneaking into the new emperor's birthday banquet. At the banquet, Ling Xue publicly exposed the poisoning plot of a former Chen dynasty official, instantly drawing everyone's attention. As assassins suddenly attacked from the shadows, Zhou Xing crushed a crossbow bolt with his bare hands, the unique ice patterns of the Haoqing Sect appearing in his palm.

Ling Xue caught a glimpse of the ice patterns and her heart skipped a beat. She quickly used her golden needles to seal the acupoints on Zhou Xing's body and lied to the outside world, saying, "This person's old injury has relapsed, so we must not move him." Everyone believed her and did not suspect anything.

Back at their lodgings, Zhou Xing asked Ling Xue, "Why did you help me conceal my identity?" Ling Xue replied coldly, "I just didn't want our plan to fail before it even began." Although she said that, she already had a different feeling for Zhou Xing in her heart.

During a nighttime raid on the mass grave, Zhou Xing was burned by the stench of rotting corpses. Without hesitation, Ling Xue cut her wrist and fed him her blood, saying, "Your life must be spared to lure the snakes out." Zhou Xing felt a warmth in his heart; he knew that Ling Xue was gradually beginning to trust him.

Suddenly, a black iron coffin, reserved for the royal family of the Chen Kingdom, appeared from the ground. Ling Xue used her blood as a catalyst to open the coffin lid, only to find a female corpse curled up inside, bearing the same face as Zhou Xing. The words "Sacrifice" were branded on the female corpse's neck. Zhou Xing's fragmented memories surged, and his head throbbed with pain.

Just then, the new emperor's personal guards suddenly appeared. Ling Xue decisively took Zhou Xing hostage, and as the blade pressed against his throat, she whispered a reminder: "The third brick in the southeast corner of the canal." Zhou Xing understood; he knew there must be some important clue there.

As agreed, the two found the bricks at the irrigation ditch and discovered some hidden secrets. They realized that a huge conspiracy seemed to be lurking behind it all.

To evade capture, Ling Xue opened "Huichuntang" in the slums to distribute medicine. Zhou Xing, on the other hand, disguised himself as a mute pharmacist and secretly used demonic flames to incinerate the bodies of those infected with the plague.

One day, a poisoned beggar arrived at Huichuntang. Ling Xue deliberately used the wrong medicine to lure out the snake gang members, and Zhou Xing seized the opportunity to freeze the snakes with ice magic. During the fight, Ling Xue's silver hairpin accidentally fell to the ground, and Zhou Xing instinctively used his body to protect the hair ornament.

This subtle gesture made them both a little embarrassed, but they both knew that this was not the time for sentimentality. They quickly returned to dealing with the crisis.

However, misfortune never comes singly. On a stormy night, Ling Xue forcibly opened the secret chamber of the imperial mausoleum. The nine eternal lamps hanging from the ceiling reflected an illusion of the two fighting side by side in their past lives. When Zhou Xing touched the mural, he triggered a mechanism. Ling Xue leaped to block the poisoned hidden weapon, their clasped hands stained with blood.

Zhou Xing felt a pang of heartache seeing Ling Xue's injured state. He held Ling Xue's hand tightly and said, "Why were you so foolish?" Ling Xue smiled weakly, "I told you, your life must be spared to lure the snake out of its hole."

From the murals, the two learned that the Empress Dowager was actually a sorcerer who orchestrated the downfall of the Chen Kingdom. Ling Xue decided to play along; she feigned capture and sent Zhou Xing, disguised as her personal guard, into the palace.

While Zhou Xing confronted the Empress Dowager in the Imperial Study, he deliberately triggered the Demonic Sect's restrictions. Taking advantage of the chaos, Ling Xue released his sealed spiritual power, and the two faced off against a hundred assassins back-to-back. During the battle, Zhou Xing shielded Ling Xue from an arrow that pierced her chest. Ling Xue, her eyes red with anger, roared, "I'll make you pay for this alive!"

Seeing Ling Xue's furious expression, Zhou Xing was deeply moved. He endured his injuries and continued fighting alongside her. Ultimately, the two successfully defeated the assassins, but they too found themselves in dire straits.

To completely resolve the crisis, Zhou Xing volunteered to jump into the Soul Refining Cauldron. Ling Xue simultaneously detonated three hundred explosive talismans. Amidst the thick smoke, Zhou Xing grabbed Ling Xue's wrist and chuckled, "This time, we finally don't have to pretend to be strangers." Ling Xue clasped his fingers behind hers, and the two plunged together into the abyss of karmic fire.

After returning to the Haoqing Sect, Zhou Xing spent his days sitting alone on the cold jade bed, cultivating the Forgetfulness Technique. Ling Xue melted his broken sword into a bell and hung it on the eaves of the medicine hut. One day, as Zhou Xing crushed the communication jade slip, Ling Xue suddenly pressed a scalding hot pill into his palm. Zhou Xing winced in pain, his brow furrowing. Ling Xue sneered, "Even a prince of Chen can't withstand a burn?" As she spoke, she secretly healed the wound with her fingertips.

Soon after, the alarm for the completion of the Nine Thousand Tribulations sounded. Ling Xue tore open the void on the Ascension Platform, revealing the small world of the Three Hundred and Forty-Fifth Tribulation—a twin ice lotus bloomed on the scorched earth.

Zhou Xing gazed at the "Death Together" sword mark that the two had carved side by side in their past lives, now appearing on the lotus heart. Suddenly, he reached out and grabbed Ling Xue's wrist as she tried to pull away. Ling Xue looked at Zhou Xing, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes. The two smiled at each other across the misty other shore, their long black hair entwined with the tribulation lightning mark that bound their hands together.

From that moment on, they weathered the storm together, their bond deepening in the process. In the future, they will face many more trials, but they are no longer afraid, for they know they will always be there for each other.

Zhou Xing slowly awoke to find himself in a magnificent palace. He looked down at his clothes; the gold-embroidered prince's robes were particularly dazzling. At that moment, a personal attendant hurried over and whispered in his ear, "Your marriage ceremony with the princess of the Northern Frontier will be held in three days."

Zhou Xing was startled. He looked around and saw a border defense map spread out on the table. Just then, the words "[346th Tribulation]" suddenly appeared in blood in his mind. A familiar yet strange feeling welled up in his heart. He knew that this was yet another tribulation.

Meanwhile, Ling Xue slowly opened her eyes in the Ling Kingdom's royal palace, thousands of miles away. She wore a black dragon robe, exuding an imposing aura. She gripped the jade seal tightly in her hand, then smashed it violently in the hall, making a crisp sound.

"Immediately send troops to the Moon Kingdom, and tell them that I, the Emperor, wish to welcome back my younger brother, the hostage." Ling Xue's voice was cold and resolute, echoing throughout the hall. The assembled officials trembled, and no one dared to voice their opposition.

Soon, the envoys of the two countries faced off at the border. Zhou Xing stood among the Yue Kingdom's delegation, watching the Ling Kingdom's envoy, silently pondering his next move. Suddenly, he shot a poisoned arrow from his sleeve, aiming directly at the Ling Kingdom's commander. However, unexpectedly, Ling Xue caught the poisoned arrow with her bare hands.

The two stared at each other across the crowd. Ling Xue's dripping black blood corroded the floor tiles, but Zhou Xing noticed the Haoqing Sect mark on her collarbone, identical to his own. At that moment, they both realized that the other was the key figure in their tribulation.

Upon returning to the Yue Kingdom's palace, Zhou Xing, in his capacity as crown prince, requested an imperial decree to thoroughly investigate the embezzlement of military funds. He knew that a massive conspiracy must be hidden behind it. After some investigation, he discovered that all those involved wore mithril waist badges belonging to the Ling Kingdom's royal family.

Late at night, Zhou Xing sneaked into the imperial study, hoping to find more clues. There, he encountered Ling Xue, who was also out on a nighttime raid. Ling Xue looked at him and sneered, "The Crown Prince of Yue Kingdom's lightness skill is still so clumsy."

Zhou Xing wasn't angry; he knew Ling Xue was deliberately teasing him. The two began searching for clues in the imperial study and soon discovered some crucial evidence. They decided to work together to uncover the conspiracy.

Soon after, Zhou Xing was forced into an engagement with the princess of the Northern Frontier. On their wedding day, countless crossbow bolts suddenly shot out from the bridal sedan chair. Zhou Xing reacted swiftly, shattering the bolts with a flick of his sleeve. Just then, Ling Xue arrived amidst a rain of blood, laughing loudly, "Snatching a bride is indeed something I, the Emperor, excel at."

The two faced the assassins back-to-back, their blades striking Zhou Xing with a metallic clang. Ling Xue glanced at Zhou Xing, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes, but they had no time to think further, focusing solely on the immediate crisis.

After the war, the imperial physician's expression changed drastically when he examined Zhou Xing's pulse. Zhou Xing possessed the "Heart-to-Heart Gu," a unique artifact of the Ling Kingdom's royal family. Upon learning this, Ling Xue pulled open her collar to reveal the Gu pattern on her chest and said, "From now on, your pain is my pain."

To uncover the truth, the two ventured together to the imperial mausoleum to unravel its mysteries. The mausoleum was riddled with traps, and they proceeded with extreme caution. Suddenly, Ling Xue accidentally triggered a mechanism and was swallowed by an ancient demonic array.

Seeing this, Zhou Xing didn't hesitate to use his blood as a guide to enter the core of the formation. In the illusion, he saw fragments of memories of the two fighting side by side in their past lives. He felt a surge of excitement and reached out his hand to Ling Xue in the illusion.

Just then, the core of the formation revealed a "Blood Alliance Scroll" signed by the ancestors of the two nations three hundred years ago. The seal of the Haoqing Sect leader was clearly visible at the end of the scroll. Looking at the scroll, the two understood the reason behind everything.

After breaking the formation, the two returned to reality. However, at this time, the Emperor of the Moon Kingdom suddenly died, and the court was in turmoil. Ling Xue amassed troops in the capital and forced Zhou Xing to ascend the throne.

Zhou Xing looked at Ling Xue, laughed, and threw the imperial seal at her feet, saying, "Why don't we share this vast empire?" Ling Xue looked at the imperial seal on the ground, her heart filled with mixed emotions. She looked at Zhou Xing and said, "Do you think I care about this throne?"

In the imperial court, an old minister revealed the truth behind the murder of Haoqing Sect disciples and the usurpation of power by the ancestors of both nations. Zhou Xing and Ling Xue were shocked upon hearing this. It turned out that such a deep-seated grudge lay hidden behind all of this.

As everyone was discussing this, a blood-red curse mark suddenly appeared on Zhou Xing's forehead. He pointed his sword at Ling Xue's throat. Ling Xue, however, neither dodged nor avoided it. She gripped the blade and laughed, "Go ahead and do it. It'll give you your freedom."

Zhou Xing looked at Ling Xue, his heart filled with struggle. He didn't know what to do; on one hand, there was the mission of his sect, and on the other hand, there were the feelings that were gradually growing in his heart.

Just then, a drought of unprecedented severity struck the border region between the two countries. Foul-smelling black water gushed from dry wells, plunging the people into panic. Zhou Xing and Ling Xue decided to put aside their past grievances and work together to overcome this disaster.

The two drank from the source of the disaster-stricken water, and Zhou Xing used his demonic flames to burn away the poisonous pool. Ling Xue, however, fed him the last half-pot of water, saying, "If we're going to die, we'll die together. This is our destiny."

To save the people, the two used a forbidden technique of the Haoqing Sect to reverse the course of the world. However, the Heavenly Dao would not tolerate it, and eighty-one bolts of purple lightning struck down. Zhou Xing spread his arms to shield Ling Xue from the lightning tribulation, and from his charred body floated the soul lamps from when the two first entered the sect three hundred years ago.

Historians from both countries recorded: "In the second year of Jinghe, the Crown Prince and the Empress retired together." However, a legend of the immortal couple riding cranes circulated among the people.

Zhou Xing sat in front of a thatched hut on the mountaintop, polishing two bronze keys. Ling Xue, smelling strongly of medicine, pushed open the wooden door and said, "The Northern Frontier has sent another princess for a marriage alliance."

Zhou Xing smiled, tossed the keys to her, and said, "Go ahead and see what this is."