My Taoist buddy has practiced surrogacy

Chapter 1436 Dream
Zhou Xing did not forget the people's livelihood. Under the guise of "imperial tours," he secretly surveyed the land and implemented modern land reform policies. He distributed some noble lands to landless people, enabling them to live and work in peace. However, these measures aroused dissatisfaction among some old nobles, but they dared not openly oppose them and could only grumble in secret.

Five years later, Ling Xue gave birth to her eldest son. During the sacrificial ceremony, gunshots suddenly rang out. It turned out that assassins from the Song Kingdom had come to seek revenge. Zhou Xing stepped forward without hesitation, taking the bullets for Ling Xue. On his deathbed, Ling Xue cried and said to him, "Your Majesty, go in peace. I will complete our great cause."

Ling Xue ascended the throne, becoming known in history as Emperor Wu of Liang. Sitting on the dragon throne, gazing at her assembled ministers, she was filled with emotion. Recalling her time with Zhou Xing, she became even more determined in her resolve. She would lead the Liang Kingdom to prosperity and strength, realizing their shared dream. Under her rule, the Liang Kingdom ushered in new opportunities for development, and the people lived in peace and contentment, a time of renewal and prosperity.

The back garden of the Yongning Marquis's residence featured rugged rockeries and a clear lake. The warm spring sunshine made one drowsy, yet Ling Xue found herself drawn to the lakeside. She was the daughter of a merchant, visiting the Marquis's residence with her mother. She should have stayed in her room, but the garden was so exquisite that she had unknowingly wandered to this secluded spot.

Ling Xue bent down to pick a wildflower by the lake, but the moss underfoot was slippery, and she stumbled and fell into the water. The icy lake water instantly submerged her. She struggled in the water, water choking her nose, and her vision blurred. She frantically waved her arms and shouted, but in this remote place, who would come?

Zhou Xing, indulging in play today, skipped his teacher's lessons and hid behind the artificial hill to secretly drink a few cups of wine. Now slightly tipsy, he suddenly heard a splashing sound. Looking in the direction of the sound, he saw a woman floating in the lake. Without thinking, he leaped into the lake.

Zhou Xing swam to Ling Xue's side, grabbed her, and struggled to swim to shore. Once ashore, Ling Xue was barely breathing. Ignoring any secrecy between men and women, Zhou Xing pressed on her chest to give her air. After a long while, Ling Xue coughed up some lake water and slowly opened her eyes.

Seeing that she was awake, Zhou Xing breathed a sigh of relief and turned to leave. Ling Xue, however, grabbed his sleeve, her voice weak but firm: "I will never forget your life-saving grace, my benefactor, and I swear to repay it."

Zhou Xing stopped and looked at the woman before him, her eyes resolute despite her wetness, and felt a touch of emotion within him. He nodded, said nothing more, and left.

Ling Xue returned home and caught a cold, developing a persistent high fever. While ill, she embroidered a peace charm day and night to thank Zhou Xing for saving her life.

One day, Zhou Xing's father, Marquis Yongning, met Ling Xue's father in the imperial court. Marquis Yongning casually mentioned that his son had saved a merchant's daughter, and Ling's father hurriedly brought generous gifts to express his gratitude. When he saw the peace charm embroidered by his daughter, he was moved and proposed to repay her with his body.

Upon learning of this, Zhou Xing vehemently opposed the marriage. He felt that his social status was far too different from Ling Xue's, and that there was no romantic feeling between them; the marriage was absolutely unacceptable. However, the Marquis of Yongning, citing "bond of gratitude," forcibly arranged the marriage.

On the day of their engagement, Zhou Xing, with a cold face, threw a dead jade pendant at Ling Xue's feet. Ling Xue picked it up with tears in her eyes and said softly, "Though this jade is cold, my heart is still warm." Zhou Xing felt a pang of pity, but still remained silent.

Ling Xue was well aware of Zhou Xing's prejudice against her. In order to be worthy of him, she got up at dawn every day to practice calligraphy and reading. Her ten fingers developed calluses from holding the pen, but she never complained.

Zhou Xing practiced archery at the training ground, and Ling Xue secretly watched from under the eaves. She was filled with admiration for Zhou Xing's handsome figure. But when Zhou Xing saw her, he coldly remarked, "Merchant's daughters always love to spy." Hearing this, Ling Xue's eyes filled with pain, and she silently left.

Not long after, Zhou Xing was framed by a纨绔 (a spoiled, dissolute young man) and imprisoned in the ancestral hall. Ling Xue was frantic with worry upon learning this. Ignoring the late hour and heavy dew, she scaled the wall to the ancestral hall and used her body heat to warm Zhou Xing's spoiled food. Looking at this foolish girl before him, a crack began to appear in the ice in Zhou Xing's heart.

Zhou Xing's cousin, jealous of Ling Xue, plotted to frame her, causing the unsuspecting Zhou Xing to witness the fake "Ling Xue meeting with a scholar in secret." Enraged, Zhou Xing tore up the marriage certificate in public.

On her way back to the manor, Ling Xue was attacked by bandits. Although she knew no martial arts, she used her hairpin to slash the clothes of one of the assassins in self-defense. It was later discovered that these assassins were sent by her enemies to silence her, and were not Ling Xue's doing.

After learning the truth, Marquis Yongning rebuked Zhou Xing for his recklessness. Zhou Xing was filled with remorse and, late at night, rode after her to the Ling family's villa. He saw Ling Xue gently bandaging a maid's wound, her eyes filled with concern. A pang of pain shot through him; he realized he had wronged her.

When war broke out on the frontier, Zhou Xing volunteered to go to war. Upon learning this, Ling Xue risked her life to sneak into the palace to submit a memorial, requesting to join the army on the grounds that she was "well-versed in military strategy." The emperor, moved by her courage, granted her request.

On the battlefield, the enemy, cunning as they were, laid an ambush. Zhou Xing's army was trapped, and he was grazed by a poisoned arrow. Seeing this, Ling Xue disregarded her own safety and rushed into the enemy ranks to save him. In the chaos, Ling Xue's hair was disheveled, but her eyes were fixed only on Zhou Xing.

At the celebration banquet, Zhou Xing publicly inlaid the fragments of the marriage certificate into a jade pendant, put it back around Ling Xue's neck, and said affectionately, "This pendant is only now warm." Tears welled up in Ling Xue's eyes, and she smiled happily.

After their marriage, Zhou Xing resigned his noble title to go into business, and together with Ling Xue, they ran a trade route connecting the north and south. They worked hard together, and their business grew bigger and bigger.

One day, a maid discovered that the Crown Princess had secretly subsidized the dowry of a poor family while doing the accounts. Zhou Xing pretended to be angry and argued, but actually secretly added double the amount of money. The two smiled at each other, and their feelings for each other deepened.

On the day Ling Xue gave birth, Zhou Xing knelt before Buddha all night, praying for the Bodhisattva's blessing. When the baby's cry came from the delivery room, he rushed in excitedly, took the blood-stained gold scissors, cut the umbilical cord, and his clothes were soaked with tears.

As time went by, Zhou Xing and Ling Xue walked hand in hand through countless days and nights, and their love story spread among the people, becoming a beautiful tale.

The rain in Jiangnan, like silver threads, wove a dense net of sorrow. Ling Xue knelt on the cold, damp flagstones, listening to her father's heavy declaration, "The Ling family owes Master Zhao three hundred taels of silver. You will be used to pay off the debt. Don't blame me."

Her mother silently wept, stuffing a faded purse into Lingxue's hand; inside was a broken hairpin. Lingxue was dragged towards the Zhao residence by a rough old woman. Her fingertips dug into the mud, trying to grasp at the last shred of freedom, but that small hope was ultimately crushed mercilessly.

Upon arriving at the Zhao residence, Ling Xue was assigned to do laundry. In the dead of winter, a thin layer of ice had formed in the water vat; her fingers turned bright red the moment she touched it. Suddenly, the mistress's cat, carrying a string of fish, darted across the corridor. Ling Xue couldn't dodge in time and knocked over a glass lamp. Hot wax splattered onto the back of her hands, burning them with blisters. The mistress, her eyes wide with rage, poked Ling Xue's forehead with a gold hairpin and cursed, "You worthless wretch, not even as good as a cat!" On New Year's Eve, while others were reunited with family and staying up late, Ling Xue huddled in the woodshed, gnawing on a moldy cornbread. Through a crack in the window, she saw Zhou Xing riding a tall horse, clad in brocade robes and a jade belt, tossing a bunch of plum blossoms to a beggar on the street. At that moment, Ling Xue felt a mix of emotions; her fate was worlds apart from Zhou Xing's.

The wealthy Zhao, a lecherous man, harbored evil intentions towards Ling Xue. Taking advantage of his drunken state, he broke into Ling Xue's room. Ling Xue struggled desperately, and in her panic, bit his ear. Enraged, Zhao ordered his men to tie her to a pillar, intending to punish her severely.

At this moment, Lady Yongning passed by the Zhao residence. Seeing that Ling Xue's face was covered in blood but her features were delicate, she felt pity and exchanged Ling Xue for a silver hairpin. As she left, the mistress sneered, "Don't forget you're a runaway slave."

Ling Xue was taken to the Zhou family home, where Zhou Xing's mother made her sign a marriage certificate. Ling Xue trembled as she took the pen and drew a crooked sparrow on the certificate. Zhou Xing glanced at the smudged ink and sneered, "Ugly thing, worthy of me?"

On their wedding night, the red candles flickered. Zhou Xing used the tip of his sword to lift Ling Xue's veil, coldly saying, "Sleep on the foot couch. Don't have any unrealistic fantasies." Ling Xue silently retreated to the foot couch and lay down fully clothed. In the middle of the night, Zhou Xing called out "A Xue" in his sleep. Ling Xue was startled, thinking he was still thinking about his ex. Little did she know, this "A Xue" was herself, only Zhou Xing had never seen her after she fell into the water years ago and had never recognized her.

Zhou Xing despised Ling Xue's status as a servant girl and deliberately made her perform a dance at the banquet. Ling Xue had no choice but to bite the bullet and perform her hometown's tea-picking dance. The guests burst into laughter, and Zhou Xing sarcastically remarked, "Truly unfit for public display."

On Mid-Autumn Festival night, Ling Xue gazed at the full moon, her heart filled with longing for her family far away. She secretly went to the ancestral hall and wept before the moon. Zhou Xing happened to witness this and, noticing the old scar on her wrist, felt a pang of emotion. But when he saw Ling Xue wiping his birth mother's memorial tablet, he scoffed, "Are you worthy to offer sacrifices to her?"

One day, a torrential downpour began. Ling Xue saw Zhou Xing return drunk and kindly went to help him, but he shoved her away. Zhou Xing roared, "Don't touch me, you lowly slut!" Ling Xue stumbled and fell to the ground. Looking at her disheveled state, Zhou Xing felt a pang of pity, but his words remained sharp.

When Zhao the rich learned that Ling Xue had been sold to the Zhou family, he was filled with resentment and sent men to set fire to the Zhou family's silk shop. The fire spread rapidly, and Ling Xue, hearing that Zhou Xing was trapped inside, rushed into the flames without hesitation. She searched frantically through the thick smoke and finally found the unconscious Zhou Xing. She struggled with all her might to drag him out of the inferno, but her own back was burned and torn open.

While treating Ling Xue's wounds, the doctor noticed a birthmark on her shoulder. Zhou Xing suddenly remembered the little girl clutching a broken hairpin twelve years ago—the drowning girl he had rescued back then was none other than Ling Xue.

Overwhelmed with remorse, Zhou Xing knelt before Ling Xue's bedside, holding the tattered marriage certificate, and sobbed, "I've lost Xue twice..."

After the fire, Zhou Xing's attitude towards Ling Xue completely changed. He taught Ling Xue to write, and although she wrote very slowly, she traced the character "Zhou" a hundred times.

To help Zhou Xing with his accounting, Ling Xue invented abacus formulas. Zhou Xing was delighted to see her intelligence. Once, he publicly ate the ink stain from her lips and laughed, "Silly girl, even more foolish than the moonlight."

One day, Zhao, the wealthy man, led soldiers to the Zhou family's residence, intending to seize Ling Xue. Zhou Xing glared angrily, drew his sword, and held it to Zhao's neck, shouting, "She is now the Lady of Yongning Marquis! Try touching her!" Zhao trembled with fear and dared not utter another word.

Zhou Xing's mother initially held a strong prejudice against Ling Xue, but seeing her son's deep affection for her, she gradually changed her attitude. She handed the Marquis's golden seal to Ling Xue and said with emotion, "I was blind to have mistaken a rough gem for a stone."

Ling Xue did not disappoint her mother-in-law's expectations. She improved the loom, making Jiangnan cloth a bestseller in the Western Regions. Bank Manager Zhou chuckled, pinching her chin, and said, "Little steward, it's time to collect tuition."

On New Year's Eve, the Zhou family was brightly decorated. A maid ran in to report, "The Crown Princess is pregnant again!" Zhou Xing was overjoyed and carried Ling Xue to the rooftop to watch the fireworks. Amidst the dazzling lights, the old scar on Ling Xue's ear reflected the starlight, like a winding Milky Way. After enduring hardships, they finally ushered in their own happy time, and from then on, their love would last forever, and they would stay together for life.

A fierce wind, accompanied by torrential rain, lashed the earth like a thousand arrows, causing the mountains and forests to groan in agony under its ravages. Zhou Xing, the fallen royal orphan, was now cornered by a group of assassins in black. His longsword was already dulled, his clothes soaked with blood and rain, each wound seeming to mercilessly devour his life.

Just as he was about to collapse from exhaustion, a dark figure gracefully swept across the cliff top. The figure wore a black robe that fluttered in the wind, like a spirit of the night. She swiftly formed hand seals, and in an instant, a powerful force surged from her palms, controlling the torrential rain and transforming it into sharp water blades that shot towards the assassins like lightning. Before they could react, the assassins were pierced by the water blades, screaming as they fell to the ground.

Zhou Xing struggled to lift his head, his gaze falling on the person who had saved him. Beneath the black robe, a stunningly beautiful face was revealed, with eyes as bright as cold stars, radiating a captivating light.

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

The woman in black robes did not answer directly, but coldly said, "I smell the aura of a true dragon on you. I am Ling Xue. You can trust me; I can help you reclaim the throne that is rightfully yours."

Zhou Xing was startled. He knew he carried the heavy responsibility of restoring his country, but now he was alone and weak. How could he realize this seemingly unattainable dream?
Ling Xue seemed to see through his thoughts and led him to a secluded cave. Inside the cave, a campfire flickered, and Ling Xue slowly spoke: "I can sense the flow of fortune, and the fortune within you is exactly what I desperately need. I will help you seize the throne, and you will repay me with your fortune, how about it?"

Zhou Xing frowned, about to refuse, when Ling Xue reached out and gently touched his forehead with her fingertips. In that instant, images flashed through Zhou Xing's mind—Ling Xue's past memories. He saw Ling Xue's tragic experience a hundred years ago, when she was severely injured by a Taoist priest for absorbing the rebels' luck and was forced to live in seclusion deep in the mountains.

“I have no choice. If I cannot prolong my life, I will be obliterated by the rules of heaven and earth. And you, without my help, will find it difficult to stand firm in this chaotic world.” Ling Xue’s voice was low and firm.

Zhou Xing looked at her, his heart filled with mixed emotions. In the end, he nodded and swore a blood oath with Ling Xue: to join hands to conquer the world, and neither of them would betray the other.

Following Ling Xue's advice, Zhou Xing disguised himself as a merchant and quietly infiltrated the bustling capital city.