My Taoist buddy has practiced surrogacy

Chapter 1419 Ripples
In the blazing firelight, the two stood back to back, facing the enemy together. Their teamwork was impeccable, as if they had returned to the days when they lived together in the mountains.

After the war, peace returned to the land. The coronation ceremony was solemn and joyous. However, the new emperor, Zhou Xing, threw off his crown and ran towards the palace gate amidst the gasps of the civil and military officials.

He spotted Ling Xue in the crowd. Ling Xue was using the jade pendant from years ago as a mirror, fixing her hair. Zhou Xing ran to Ling Xue and hugged her tightly.

Ling Xue tore off her phoenix robe, revealing her hunting attire underneath. The two rode together on a warhorse, trampling the memorials scattered on the ground. They arrived at the mountain forest where they first met, and built a wooden house there.

Years later, the white-haired Ling Xue remained mischievous. She buried the wooden hairpin Zhou Xing had made for her in the manner of a hunter, and then carved the words "Zhou Ling" on the joint tombstone.

A gentle mountain breeze swept by, swirling up pine needles scattered across the ground. It seemed to whisper their love story, a love that transcended social class and even death, a love that will forever flow through these green hills and clear waters.

The torrential rain pounded against the French windows, making a crackling sound. Ling Xue huddled in a corner of the leather sofa, her hands clutching her torn silk nightgown, her body trembling uncontrollably. Zhou Xing had just returned from a high-speed car chase, and his reckless behavior still lingered in her mind.

Zhou Xing staggered into the room, reeking of alcohol and with glazed eyes. He slammed an ice pack onto the coffee table in front of Ling Xue, a mocking smile playing on his lips: "What are you pretending to be so high and mighty for? You're nothing more than a cage my father bought for five million."

Ling Xue's heart clenched, and tears welled up in her eyes. Seeing that she didn't speak, Zhou Xing leaned closer, his fingers lightly tracing her collarbone, where there was a bruise left from when he lost control last time. He suddenly lowered his voice, a hint of provocation in his tone, and said, "I won thirty million in this race. Guess how we'll spend the prize money?"

Ling Xue turned her head away, not wanting to look at him. Zhou Xing, however, wouldn't let her go. He grabbed Ling Xue's chin, forcing her to look directly into his eyes: "Speak up, are you mute?" Ling Xue shook off his hand and said coldly, "I don't want to know." Zhou Xing sneered and released her.

At three in the morning, the entire villa fell silent. Ling Xue tiptoed to Zhou Xing's room, and after confirming that he was fast asleep, she quietly slipped inside. Moonlight streamed through the window onto the desk, and she immediately spotted the confidential racing club file.

Her hands trembled as she opened the file. Suddenly, a photograph caught her eye. It was a picture of the scene from her father's construction site accident five years ago; the image was horrific and unbearable to look at. Below the photo was the name of the investigative reporter, and that name overlapped with an encrypted number in Zhou Xing's phone contacts.

Ling Xue's heart sank to the bottom, a sense of foreboding washing over her. Suppressing her panic, she secretly slipped the photo into her clothes and hurriedly left the room.

The yacht party was bustling with activity. Ling Xue stood in a corner, watching Zhou Xing chatting and laughing with others on the deck. Suddenly, a girl in a white dress deliberately bumped into him.

The girl spilled champagne on Ling Xue's custom-made dress. She quickly wiped it with a handkerchief, saying, "I'm sorry." But her eyes defiantly met Ling Xue's gaze. Ling Xue noticed a sapphire necklace on her collarbone; upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a pigeon blood ruby, a family heirloom of the Zhou family.

Ling Xue was startled, but before she could speak, Zhou Xing had already walked over. He frowned and said to the girl, "Lin Xiwei, watch your words and actions." The girl lowered her head in grievance, and Zhou Xing sighed helplessly.

At this moment, the financial manager rushed over with a tablet, pointed to the abnormal transfer records on it, and said, "Young Master, both overseas remittances have flowed to the Lin Group." Zhou Xing's face instantly turned gloomy. Just as he was about to speak, Lin Xiwei suddenly fainted.

A flurry of panic ensued, and Ling Xue followed them to the hospital. Outside the emergency room, she overheard a doctor whisper, "Miss Lin's uterus is as thin as paper; she will have difficulty conceiving again." Ling Xue's heart tightened, recalling the prenuptial agreement that Zhou's father had made Lin Xiwei sign, which explicitly required them to have two children within three years.

This series of events made Ling Xue feel as if she had fallen into a huge conspiracy, and that she, the canary in the gilded cage, had become a pawn on someone else's chessboard.

The underground parking garage reeked of gasoline. Ling Xue was startled when she saw Lin Xiwei stuff a medicine bottle into Zhou Xing's pocket. She was about to stop her when she accidentally activated the dashcam.

A video flashed across the screen, showing footage of Zhou Xing's car accident three years ago. Ling Xue stood in the corridor of the mental hospital, her legs weak, almost collapsing to the ground. The head nurse's testimony echoed in her ears: "Young Master Zhou visits the bipolar patient in room 305 every month."

Filled with doubt, Ling Xue decided to check the medical records. When she finally found the file, its contents shocked her. The patient's characteristics perfectly matched the scar on Lin Xiwei's wrist.

Just then, Zhou Xing gripped the steering wheel, his eyes filled with madness, and said to Ling Xue, "Ling Xue, do you really think you're taming a vicious dog?" Ling Xue looked at him, her heart filled with mixed emotions. It turned out that she had been kept in the dark all along, believing she was controlling Zhou Xing, when in reality she was just a pawn in someone else's game.

Inside the ancestral hall, candlelight flickered. Ling Xue knelt on the ground, before whom lay the shattered ancestral tablets that Zhou Xing had smashed. Zhou's father sat in the main seat, his face grim: "Three million bought not only docility, but also absolute loyalty."

Ling Xue gritted her teeth, her heart filled with anger. Just then, the psychiatrist approached with a report and softly reminded her, "Your episodes always happen on the nights the young master races cars." Ling Xue was startled. Could her illness be related to Zhou Xing's reckless driving?

Back in her room, Ling Xue rummaged through a hidden compartment and found her antidepressants. The bottle was empty. Holding it, she felt utterly lost. Outside the window, drone footage showed Lin Xiwei keeping a body double who looked remarkably like Zhou Xing on her private island.

All of this made Ling Xue feel as if she were in a giant maze, with secrets hidden in every corner. She decided to uncover the truth and stop being a puppet being manipulated.

Thick smoke billowed from the fire scene. Ling Xue, her wedding dress trailing behind her, struggled to find Zhou Xing amidst the flames. Finally, she found him unconscious in a corner. She pressed a wet towel to his face and desperately dragged him to safety.

As firefighters broke down the door, Ling Xue saw the silver chain Lin Xiwei was holding on Zhou Xing's wrist melting. Her heart tightened; she didn't know what Lin Xiwei was planning. In the emergency room, the cardiac monitor emitted a piercing shriek. Lin Xiwei smiled through the glass, a smile that sent chills down Ling Xue's spine. She waved two plane tickets to Iceland in her hand and said, "Time to change the bird's cage."

Ling Xue stared at her, her anger finally reaching its peak. Just then, half of Zhou's father's notarized will was charred. The lawyer pointed to the signature area and said, "There's Miss Ling's fingerprint on the last page." Ling Xue was startled. Could she still be connected to Zhou's father's will?

This fire seemed to have burned away all pretense, making the secrets hidden in the shadows even more elusive.

The atmosphere in the courtroom was solemn and dignified. Ling Xue stood in the witness stand, displaying her psychiatric diagnosis, and calmly said, "I suffer from intermittent hysteria, and everything I do is controlled by electroconvulsive therapy." Zhou Xing, who was in the audience, suddenly stood up, his eyes filled with surprise and doubt.

Ling Xue looked at him, her heart unmoved. From the very beginning, she had been a caged bird cultivated by the Zhou family to control Zhou Xing, but now, she wanted to break free of this cage.

By the window of the private jet, Lin Xiwei handed over a glass of champagne. Ling Xue smiled and pushed the glass away, saying calmly, "The pregnancy report was photoshopped, but the voice in the recording is genuine." Lin Xiwei's face instantly turned pale.

Finally, Ling Xue reached the top floor of the mental hospital. She tossed the torn checks into the wind, the sounds of sirens and wheelchairs crunching on the gravel road echoing behind her. She knew that this canary in her cage was finally about to spread its wings and fly.

Princess Ling Xue of the Great Yuan Kingdom was always unruly and willful. During a winter hunt, she rode her horse recklessly, completely disregarding palace rules and taboos. In her wild gallop, she actually broke into the forbidden Hanmei Pavilion.

Inside the Cold Plum Pavilion, a cold wind howled, and plum blossoms trembled on the branches. Ling Xue reined in her horse and saw a young man in white kneeling and copying scriptures in the icy snow. The young man was none other than the crippled and sickly young master, Zhou Xing. Ling Xue's gaze swept over him and saw that the medicine furnace beside Zhou Xing was bubbling with dark brown medicine, and the characters in the scriptures were strong and vigorous, sharing a similar spirit with the plum branches in the cold winter.

A hint of mockery arose in Ling Xue's heart. She raised her hand and shot out a golden arrow. The arrow whistled past like a meteor, instantly severing the jade hairpin in Zhou Xing's hair. Zhou Xing's body trembled slightly, but he remained seated. However, the broken hairpin cut a plum branch, and a drop of blood fell into the medicine furnace, creating a tiny ripple.

"How dare you be so rude, young lady!" Zhou Xing's bodyguard roared, drawing his sword. Ling Xue, however, showed no fear, instead letting out a soft laugh. Just then, Zhou Xing suddenly coughed violently, the blood gushing from his throat staining the annotations of the *Discourses on Salt and Iron* in his hands. Ling Xue's smile froze; she hadn't expected her prank to cause this young man such pain.

That night, the imperial physician came to report that the young master's old ailment of coughing up blood had relapsed. Ling Xue, for some unknown reason, secretly sneaked into the young master's bedchamber. In the flickering candlelight, she saw Zhou Xing's pale fingertips clutching a faded sachet, still murmuring "Eighteen Cities of the Western Frontier" in his unconscious state.

During the Spring Festival ceremony, Ling Xue deliberately overturned Zhou Xing's wheelchair. The metal mechanism beneath his dark robe emitted a screeching sound, and Zhou Xing nearly fell over. Ling Xue was startled and instinctively reached out to support him, but touched the gruesome arrow wound on his lower back.

Zhou Xing glanced at her coldly, then, to everyone's astonishment, began playing chess with Ling Xue using his crippled left hand. The black and white pieces clashed on the board like a thousand troops charging into battle. Looking at the young man before her, Ling Xue felt a surge of admiration.

Later, Ling Xue discovered that Zhou Xing would be sketching border maps at the observatory every day. Curious, she approached, but accidentally disturbed the astrolabe. Instantly, Zhou Xing's old wound, which hadn't healed for twenty years, flared up, and he clutched his chest in pain. In a panic, Ling Xue used her hair ribbon to stop the bleeding. Moonlight streamed down, illuminating their intertwined shadows, as if a strange affection was blossoming within them.

However, undercurrents were stirring in the court. The prime minister sent someone to deliver a calming soup laced with poppy seeds, intending to harm Zhou Xing. Upon learning this, Ling Xue smashed the medicine bowl without hesitation. But Zhou Xing sneered, "Is Your Highness sure you want to save your enemy?" Ling Xue was shocked. She didn't understand why Zhou Xing would say that, but she knew she couldn't stand by and watch him die.

The assassination attempt during the autumn hunt plunged the palace into chaos. Seeing Zhou Xing in danger, Ling Xue unhesitatingly pushed him into the icy lake. However, she herself was struck by an assassin's arrow, her clothes stained crimson with blood.

Feverish Ling Xue clutched Zhou Xing's sleeve, murmuring about the fireworks she had seen in the northern frontier as a child. Zhou Xing looked at her, a touch of emotion stirring within him. He tore open a memorial and wrote a prescription to stop Ling Xue's bleeding. At that moment, a hidden iron key fell from a secret compartment, revealing half a map of the western frontier's defenses.

While tidying Ling Xue's clothes, Zhou Xing discovered the broken arrowheads she kept close to her body. Memories flooded back: three years ago on the battlefield in the Western Frontier, the girl who, surrounded by enemy troops, still bravely shot arrows appeared before him. On that stormy night, Zhou Xing removed his mask for the first time, and the burn scar on his left cheek fit perfectly with the jade pendant at Ling Xue's waist.

At the Winter Solstice banquet, Ling Xue, in front of all the officials, threw the "Ten Strategies for Border Defense" compiled by the Junior Tutor into the fire. Everyone was shocked, wondering why the Third Princess would be so audacious. Zhou Xing looked at the burning ashes, a trace of pain flashing in his eyes. But just then, Ling Xue pulled out a charred, handwritten copy from her sleeve. It turned out that this was the truly effective strategy to save the Western Frontier.

While Zhou Xing was being tortured and interrogated in the torture chamber, Ling Xue was extremely anxious. She disguised herself as a female healer and sneaked into the torture chamber, using a rare fragrance from the Western Regions to awaken the Gu worms inside Zhou Xing's body. Zhou Xing coughed up black blood, but smiled and placed the antidote pill into Ling Xue's palm.

The two searched for a way to end the war in the library, but triggered a trap. To save Zhou Xing, Ling Xue shielded him with her own body, blocking a poisoned arrow. Zhou Xing looked at the unconscious Ling Xue, his eyes filled with heartache. He used his teeth to open a hidden compartment and retrieved the tiger tally and the blood-stained marriage certificate that had been sealed away for many years.

The Northern Barbarians invaded, and the situation was critical. Ling Xue rode her horse, shattering thirty miles of icy river, to deliver Zhou Xing's strategy for peace and war to the border. When she returned, she brought back a broken arrow stained with blood, an old item that Zhou Xing had carried with him for twenty years.

In the imperial court, Zhou Xing publicly tore open his inner robe, revealing crisscrossing scars. He delivered a passionate speech, using his own experiences to illustrate the cruelty of war and the preciousness of peace. Ling Xue drew her ancestral sword, severed a dragon pillar, and roared, "Anyone who dares to speak of peace today will first have to step over my corpse!"

On a stormy night, Ling Xue, soaked to the bone, burst into the Grand Tutor's residence. There she found Zhou Xing burning all the medicinal prescriptions. He chuckled hoarsely, "Back when the Western Frontier City fell, I too stood in the rain watching the city walls crumble." A sharp pain pierced Ling Xue's heart; she knew that Zhou Xing's sorrow was far deeper than she could imagine.

Ling Xue knelt before Fengqi Palace, pleading for a marriage alliance. Upon learning this, Zhou Xing, in his wheelchair, stormed through the nine palace gates, tearing open his robes before the Emperor to reveal the map of the Western Frontier tattooed on his chest. "Your Majesty," Zhou Xing said firmly, "the war in the Western Frontier can be resolved, but the princess cannot go for a marriage alliance."

On the day the two left the palace together in a carriage, Ling Xue broke her gold hairpin in two. Zhou Xing embedded the broken piece of bronze into the armrest of her wheelchair and, amidst the bumpy ride, drew her eyebrows. "From now on, I will live and die with you," Zhou Xing whispered.