My Taoist buddy has practiced surrogacy

Chapter 1432 Spread
Looking at the tattered clothes, Ling Xue felt a surge of despair and anger. She grabbed a shard of broken porcelain from the ground and cut her palm, blood dripping from her finger onto the floor.

"My maternal clan was murdered because of the emperor's suspicion of my high achievements. How could I allow myself to be manipulated again!" Ling Xue's voice was cold and resolute. Just then, Zhou Xing, the leader of the secret guards, climbed in through the window. He was covered in blood, clearly having just survived a fierce battle.

Zhou Xing quickly dealt with the eunuchs, then pulled out a blood-stained copy of "Records of Officials' Conduct" from his robes. "Princess," Zhou Xing said, "I have been infiltrating the enemy's camp for three years. This 'Records of Officials' Conduct' can help you break through this predicament."

The candlelight flickered as Ling Xue and Zhou Xing leaned against the couch. Ling Xue used a gold hairpin to remove an old scar beneath Zhou Xing's collarbone—a mark left five years ago when Zhou Xing shielded her from an arrow during her demotion. Their eyes met, and a unique emotion filled the air.

Ling Xue used the witchcraft case as a pretext to return to the imperial court. She was dressed in plain clothes, her eyes resolute and sharp. Zhou Xing, disguised as her medicine boy, followed behind her.

In the imperial court, Ling Xue publicly exposed evidence that the Minister of Revenue had embezzled military funds. However, the Second Prince suddenly produced a "secret letter from the Eldest Princess treasonous with the enemy," attempting to frame Ling Xue.

Seeing this, Zhou Xing leaped forward, snatched the assassin's knife, and held it to the Second Prince's neck. His eyes were cold and fierce as he said, "Three years ago, the princess saved you from a pack of wolves in the hunting grounds. Today, you repay kindness with enmity?" The Second Prince turned pale with fright and dared not utter a word.

During a nighttime visit to the Imperial Observatory, Ling Xue discovered that Zhou Xing was actually an expert in astrology and divination. Zhou Xing touched the marks on her wrist and said softly, "Does Your Highness know your destiny? With Ziwei in its temple position, one must undergo tribulations before ascending to the throne." Ling Xue looked at Zhou Xing, a complex emotion welling up in her heart.

Ling Xue decided to burn down her ancestral hall to create a fake "divine punishment" phenomenon. Zhou Xing, with red eyes, carried her out of the fire. His back was burned and ulcerated, but he never let go of the hand that was holding Ling Xue's skirt.

"Next time you trick me into dying together, at least start three-quarters of an hour early," Zhou Xing said. Ling Xue felt a surge of emotion; she knew Zhou Xing cared about her.

While Ling Xue was negotiating with the Northern Frontier general, Zhou Xing, disguised as a groom, cut off the supply lines. As he turned around, Ling Xue ripped off his outer robe, revealing his body covered in old wounds. New wounds overlapped with old scars, like a cruel map.

At the victory banquet, Ling Xue was poisoned. As the poison took effect, she crushed the jade cup in her hand and sneered, "Did you think I would only resort to crying and complaining to the emperor? The Ministry of War has already replaced the water source three times with clean ones." Zhou Xing looked at Ling Xue, his heart filled with admiration.

To lure the enemy out, Ling Xue willingly allowed herself to be imprisoned in the imperial prison. Zhou Xing disguised himself as a jailer every day to deliver meals, passing messages inside. Ling Xue carved the character "Zhou" on a brick wall, but Zhou Xing secretly smoothed it down.

"If I go mad and kill the king, you must be the first to shoot me through the heart," Ling Xue said. Zhou Xing felt a sharp pain in his heart; he knew Ling Xue was doing this to protect him.

When the enemy besieged the city, Zhou Xing led his elite warriors to open the city gates and fight a bloody battle. Ling Xue climbed the city wall and beat the war drum; her hair was blown about by the fierce wind, and her gaze was firm and resolute. Zhou Xing turned around and saw her cloak fluttering like a phoenix spreading its wings, and a surge of power welled up in his heart.

On the day the city fell, Zhou Xing shielded Ling Xue from a poisoned arrow. Before he lost consciousness, he placed the tiger tally into Ling Xue's arms and weakly said, "This time... at least it wasn't a moment too late." Ling Xue looked at Zhou Xing, tears welling up in her eyes.

Ling Xue ascended the throne amidst mountains of corpses and seas of blood. The moment she sat on the throne, the hatred and pain in her heart reached their peak. She angrily smashed the imperial seal, only to have Zhou Xing kneel and hold the broken jade.

“What you want is the empire, not the altar,” Zhou Xing said. Ling Xue looked at Zhou Xing, and her heart gradually calmed down.

On the eve of the coronation ceremony, Zhou Xing left a letter and ran away. Ling Xue chased after him on horseback to the edge of a cliff, only to tear off half of his blood-stained undergarment. Looking at the words on the undergarment, "Your subject is ultimately a blade in His Majesty's hand," tears welled up in her eyes.

Three months later, the Northern Di surrendered. Ling Xue saw Zhou Xing leading a camel in the envoy's procession, a wolf tooth ornament from the grasslands adorning his forehead. Zhou Xing looked at Ling Xue and smiled slightly.

Ling Xue left the palace under the pretext of patrolling the border. In a felt tent on the grassland, she found Zhou Xing teaching children Chinese characters. By the campfire, Zhou Xing spread out the scar on his palm and said, "The grassland physician said this is called the 'Wild Goose Returning Pattern,' which means I am destined to travel between the north and south."

During the battle between the two countries, Zhou Xing shielded Ling Xue from a poisoned arrow. He smiled as he swallowed the black blood in his throat: "Back in the Cold Palace, we said that next time we'd die together, we should remember to arrive three quarters of an hour early. This time, it was just enough to make tea." Ling Xue looked at Zhou Xing, her heart filled with emotion and heartache.

In their later years, Ling Xue and Zhou Xing were buried together at the Observatory. In their joint coffin, Ling Xue held the tiger tally, while Zhou Xing lay buried beside her, half a steamed bun from the Cold Palace pressed against his chest. The tombstone was blank, only engraved with two rows of sword marks and a star map. Their story, with the passage of time, became a legend.

As an outer disciple, Ling Xue was required to clean the spirit plant garden daily. That day, as usual, she was working in the garden when she inadvertently touched an ancient stele. In an instant, a strange power surged into her sea of ​​consciousness, where a phantom of a jade spirit field appeared. At the same time, a mechanical voice rang in her mind: "Spirit Plant System activated."

Not long after, the sect distributed Foundation Establishment Pills, and Ling Xue received one as well. Looking at the pill in her hand, she suddenly thought of the Spirit Plant System and an idea struck her. She buried the Foundation Establishment Pill in the system's spirit field and watered it with spirit spring water every day. Three days later, a miraculous thing happened: the pill actually sprouted a Vermilion Fruit seedling.

With the outer sect competition approaching, Ling Xue was provoked. Undeterred, she publicly displayed a century-old blood ginseng produced by the system. The ginseng's appearance caused a sensation. Its quality and medicinal potency far exceeded everyone's expectations. Upon seeing this, the elder immediately decided to make an exception and accept Ling Xue as a disciple of the Medicine Hall.

The Medicine King Valley ruins opened, and Ling Xue entered with the group. Inside the ruins, she used her Spirit Plant System to poison the guardian beast with the Bone-Rotting Flower. The group entered the alchemy room, but triggered an ancient restriction. Just as everyone was in panic, Ling Xue discovered that her system's spiritual field could absorb the array's spiritual energy. She calmed her mind and successfully deciphered the incomplete alchemy recipe.

Upon returning to her sect, Ling Xue began attempting to refine Restoration Pills. Using the Purple Cloud Mushroom refined by the system as her main ingredient, she successfully refined a top-grade Restoration Pill with pill patterns after seven attempts. The fragrance of the medicine permeated the three peaks, and Zhou Xing, the chief disciple of the sword cultivator who was in seclusion, slightly twitched his brow, and ripples appeared on the teacup in his hand.

Zhou Xing arrived at the pharmacy, wanting to ask for some pills. He tossed out half a piece of Xuanbing Iron and said, "In exchange, I'll give you three bottles of Concentration Elixir." Ling Xue chuckled and took out an improved version of Concentration Dew, refined from millennium-old ice marrow, from her system. As the stopper was opened, frost flowers suddenly bloomed on Zhou Xing's sword sheath, as if issuing a warning.

The Myriad Demon Realm opened, and Ling Xue and Zhou Xing entered together. They agreed to meet at Broken Dragon Cliff. However, Ling Xue accidentally triggered an ancient sword formation. Sword energy roared towards them, and Ling Xue hurriedly used the system's spiritual field to protect herself. Just then, she discovered that the Starfall Iron Companion Grass that Zhou Xing had been searching for was growing at the formation's core.

Zhou Xing rushed to the rescue but accidentally triggered a restriction and was injured by sword energy. Strange black patterns appeared on his wound, and his condition was extremely critical. Ling Xue risked her life to collect a poisonous herb and used the system to purify it. She discovered that it required the use of alchemical fire as a catalyst to neutralize the poison, but this would expose the system's secrets. To save lives, she couldn't care less about the consequences.

During his healing process, Zhou Xing's sword intent resonated with the system. Silver-leaf grass imbued with sword energy suddenly sprouted in his spiritual field. The two studied ancient texts and deduced that this was the lost "Sword Gall Grass," which required Zhou Xing's natal sword essence to mature. Meanwhile, at the Medicine King Valley's alchemy grand gathering, Ling Xue decided to refine a Five-Rank Fusion Spirit Pill. However, someone tampered with the furnace, adding demonic blood sand. Just when everyone thought the alchemy was about to fail, the system's spiritual field automatically generated a purifying light barrier, neutralizing the toxicity of the demonic blood sand.

At this moment, Zhou Xing arrived, bringing news of the strange occurrences at the Sword Tomb. He presented a box of black iron that had been nurtured for a hundred years, saying, "This can protect the alchemical fire." Ling Xue opened the box and discovered that it contained star-patterned steel that could absorb alchemical poison.

When fusing the Sword Gallbladder Grass, a thunderous aura was triggered. Zhou Xing swung his sword, cleaving the storm in two; sword energy intertwined with the pill's fire, forming a Tai Chi totem. The boundary of the system's spiritual field quietly expanded by three zhang, and the two's divine senses unexpectedly connected. In this wondrous state, they worked together to complete the refining of the Spirit Fusion Pill.

The demonic cultivators launched a night raid on the medicinal field, their target the nearly ripe Nine-Turn Exquisite Fruit. Zhou Xing, sword in hand, met the attack, shattering the demonic banner. However, Soul-Devouring Insects flew out from the fragments, attacking Ling Xue. At the critical moment, the system activated a defensive array, turning the Soul-Devouring Insects against the demons.

The two traced the trail to the ruins of an ancient battlefield, discovering a demonic cultivator's conspiracy to create a Blood Pill. Ling Xue used the system to analyze the method to break the Blood Infant Gu, which required a sword cultivator's heart's blood as a catalyst. Zhou Xing didn't hesitate to cut his own blood, and at that moment, his sword soul resonated with the system in a special way.

During the final battle, the Blood Pill detonated demonic energy. Ling Xue transformed the Spirit Field into a domain, circulating it to draw upon the star power of the Sword Tomb. The two forces merged to form a Yin-Yang Array, and the system manifested the phantom of the ancient Shennong, cultivating demonic energy into raw materials for the Blood Pill.

After the incident subsided, the sect rewarded those who had contributed. Ling Xue refused the position of sect leader, instead inscribing her improved cultivation technique into the system's spiritual field. Zhou Xing left a sword mark in his sword intent that read, "Waiting for you to refine all the poisons in the world."

The system unlocked a new function, and Ling Xue discovered that she could cultivate sword spirit grass. She planted a fragment of meteorite iron into the spirit field, while Zhou Xing secretly placed his natal sword tassel inside. When the first sword-shaped spirit plant bloomed, the two experienced a sudden enlightenment amidst the sound of swords and the fragrance of elixirs.

Later, a strange change occurred in the medicinal field. Ling Xue sensed the connection between the system and Zhou Xing's sword heart, and she planted a sword-shaped seed in the spiritual field. In the distance, Zhou Xing flew by on his sword, and the incense bell hanging from the hilt suddenly glowed. From then on, on their path of cultivation, they continued to explore higher realms in harmony with their sword and pill.

Zhou Xing was selling sesame cakes on the street as usual when a mysterious man in black suddenly appeared and forcibly shoved a bronze griddle into his hands. Before he could react, he was dragged into an ancient town shrouded in mist.

Meanwhile, Ling Xue was inside a blood-red pavilion, with a water mirror floating in front of her. The mirror reflected Zhou Xing making pancakes with flour produced from the system's spiritual field. A slight smile played on her lips, and with a flick of her finger, Zhou Xing's stall was instantly surrounded by vengeful spirits.

Zhou Xing was startled by the sudden appearance of the vengeful spirits surrounding him, but quickly regained his composure. Just then, he noticed the scallions in the pot transform into golden light, dispelling the spirits. It turned out that Ling Xue had deliberately left a glimmer of hope.

Zhou Xing discovered glowing mycelium hidden in the basin. Out of curiosity, he fed the mycelium to the hungry female ghost. After the ghost ate it, it transformed into a guiding lantern.

Inside the Blood Pavilion, Ling Xue witnessed this scene and angrily crushed her teacup. She decided to confront Zhou Xing herself. She arrived at the Bluestone Alley, holding an oil-paper umbrella. As the copper bells hanging from the umbrella ribs rang, Zhou Xing's griddle suddenly flipped over on its own, catching the attacking bone claws.

The two faced off in the fog, and Zhou Xing noticed that his dough was beginning to ooze black blood. In a moment of crisis, he had a flash of inspiration and shaped the dough into a small dog. The blood-stained dough figurine wagged its tail and lunged at Ling Xue's skirt. Ling Xue snorted coldly and shattered the dough dog with a flick of her sleeve.

Zhou Xing escaped into an abandoned Stove God temple, where he encountered the "Stove God" disguised as a system. The Stove God made a contract with him, agreeing to exchange the ability to foresee danger once for every seven cakes he made.

Upon learning of this, Ling Xue sent someone to deliver rotten meat filling. Zhou Xing, seizing the opportunity, mixed the rotten meat with the antidote herbs from the system's spiritual field, creating an antidote pie.

Late at night, Zhou Xing heard the pancake maker whisper, "Three miles east." He followed the sound and dug out a bronze key engraved with the character "Ling." Ling Xue stood in the shadows, watching the melting ice crystals in her palm, which reflected the scene of Zhou Xing making a deal with another woman.

Zhou Xing made both sweet and savory wedding cakes for the ghost bride. However, Ling Xue secretly replaced the salt container, causing the savory cakes to turn into a corrosive substance, leading to chaos.

Zhou Xing saw through the trap and used the mistake to lure away the pursuers with pickled bamboo shoot filling. The fermenting smell unexpectedly activated the purification array of the ancient town, forcing Ling Xue to appear and suppress the riot.

The two made their first physical contact beneath the collapsed archway. Blood seeping from Zhou Xing's clothes stained Ling Xue's cuffs. Just then, the system popped up a golden option: "[Bind with a Life-or-Death Companion]?"

Ling Xue activated Blood Moon Mode, turning all customers into bloodthirsty monsters. Zhou Xing flipped the pancakes, forming a Bagua formation, the clattering of the spatula creating a requiem.

Suddenly, the system's spiritual field bore a fruit of redemption, and Zhou Xing fed it to Ling Xue without hesitation. The moment the fruit entered her mouth, Ling Xue recalled the erased past—a hundred years ago, she had personally taught the little beggar (the system's avatar) how to make the first batch of cakes.

As the decisive moment arrived, Ling Xue transformed her natal magic weapon into a giant griddle and smashed it towards the ancient town. Zhou Xing leaped into the boiling pot and used the system's essence blood to create a passage connecting to the mortal world.

Back in reality, Zhou Xing discovered that the pancake cart was always loaded with steaming hot pancakes. One day, as he was closing up shop, a bronze bell covered in frosting slipped out of an oil paper package.

Ling Xue became the new owner of the snack street, and her shop always smelled of the same scallions as Zhou Xing's. The two pretended to be meeting for the first time, and she deliberately picked a fight: "The edges of your pancake are burnt."

A system notification sounded simultaneously in their minds: [A Daoist bond detected, unlocking a two-player kitchen instance]. Under the moonlight, two griddles hovered in the air, gently colliding and producing a clear, melodious sound. From then on, they continued this wondrous bond in a unique way, intertwined with reality and the game.

The newly appointed Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) Zhou Xing was in high spirits at the Qionglin Banquet, but an old wound beneath his court robes throbbed with pain. He excused himself to change and went to a side hall. There, he encountered Ling Xue, a skilled embroiderer being bullied. Ling Xue huddled in a corner, clutching a half-burnt charcoal pencil, drawing herbal diagrams on a silk handkerchief.

Zhou Xing's heart skipped a beat. He stepped forward and untied his own red silk ribbon, using it to wrap the ink-stained wound around her neck. When he saw the purplish-blue whip marks on Ling Xue's wrist, he was stunned. A hint of panic flashed in Ling Xue's eyes as she hurriedly said, "I fell while learning to ride." But she forgot to disguise her Adam's apple as a man.

Zhou Xing understood, but didn't expose her. To express her gratitude, Ling Xue stuffed the blood-stained handkerchief back into his sleeve.