My Taoist buddy has practiced surrogacy

Chapter 1454 Light
A fierce wind, carrying the salty seawater, swept towards the isolated fishing village like an enraged beast. The dilapidated thatched huts swayed precariously in the storm, seemingly on the verge of being uprooted. Inside, the woman in labor had her face contorted in agony; large beads of sweat rolled down her pale forehead, soaking her disheveled hair. The midwife's hands moved hurriedly and frantically, and when she finally delivered the infant, she was nearly knocked to the ground by a pair of strange eyes—the left eye was as dark as an abyss, the right pupil as clear as glass, the heterochromatic gaze shimmering with a mysterious light in the dim lamplight.

The news spread like wildfire throughout the village. Villagers gathered outside the thatched hut, pointing and whispering. Some said it was an ominous sign, bringing disaster to the village; others believed it was a special mission bestowed by heaven. Just as the discussions reached their peak, a distinguished-looking marquis quietly appeared. Dressed in fine robes, with sharp eyes, he scanned the crowd and, citing the child's "destined for premature death," forcibly demanded a replacement.

Zhou Xingtian's fate was thus rewritten. He was stuffed into a coarse cloth bundle and brought to the door of the fisherman Zhou family. His foster mother took him in with trembling hands, her eyes filled with fear and pity. From then on, Zhou Xingtian grew up in the fishing village. To conceal his heterochromatic eyes that had brought him trouble, he wore a worn-out silk blindfold all day long, only daring to secretly remove it when no one was around.

Ling Xue was a shaman in the fishing village, having learned medicine and divination from her elders since childhood. She often carried a bamboo basket, traversing the intertidal zone to gather herbs, her slender figure appearing and disappearing amidst the waves. One day, she came to the beach as usual, only to unexpectedly discover Zhou Xingtian sitting alone on a reef. At that moment, the boy removed his blindfold, gazing up at the sky where seagulls soared, his heterochromatic eyes reflecting the shimmering, golden light of the waves, like two bottomless pools.

The sea breeze lifted the hem of his tattered clothes, revealing a jade pendant with intricate dark patterns at his waist. Ling Xue's heart stirred, and she stepped forward to ask, "Where did you get this jade pendant?" Zhou Xingtian looked down at the jade pendant and shook his head blankly, "I've worn it since I was a child, and I don't know its origin." Ling Xue gently stroked the patterns on the jade pendant, feeling that there must be some mystery behind it.

A sudden epidemic swept through the fishing village, and many villagers contracted a strange disease, suffering from persistent high fever and cough. Ling Xue stayed by the patients' bedsides day and night, brewing herbal remedies in an attempt to control the spread of the epidemic. However, the illness worsened, and her herbs seemed to have little effect. Late at night, she saw Zhou Xingtian squatting by the campfire, holding a few ordinary artemisia plants in his hands, intently preparing some kind of concoction.

Out of curiosity, Ling Xue secretly observed his actions. She watched as Zhou Xingtian mixed artemisia with several other herbs and simmered it in a ceramic pot. Soon after, a strange aroma filled the air. Even more surprisingly, the symptoms of those who drank the decoction gradually lessened. Ling Xue observed him discreetly for several days and discovered that whenever the boy touched the herbs, his pupils would change color, reflecting the medicinal properties, as if he were communicating with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

One night, a torrential downpour brought thunder and lightning. Ling Xue was praying in the ancestral hall for the villagers' safety when a bolt of lightning struck, snapping off a corner of the offering table. In that instant, Zhou Xingtian's dark pupils shone brightly, accurately predicting the location of the lightning strike. The two huddled under the leaky eaves, closing the distance between them considerably. For the first time, Zhou Xingtian voluntarily removed his blindfold, revealing his captivating heterochromatic eyes, and said earnestly, "I see things others cannot."

Looking into his eyes, Ling Xue felt a surge of inexplicable trust. She recalled a rare constitution recorded in ancient texts—"Yin-Yang Bipolar Eyes." Could this young man before her possess such a constitution? To verify her thoughts, Ling Xue began to peruse various ancient books, hoping to find more information about "Yin-Yang Bipolar Eyes."

The peddler's boat brought a tattered ancient scroll. The writing was blurred and illegible, but it was vaguely related to celestial phenomena. Ling Xue immediately recognized it as a fragment of a long-lost star chart, marked with a description of an island ruin containing an object capable of altering destiny. Just as she was about to examine it more closely, she felt a gaze fixed on her from behind. Turning around, she saw Zhou Xingtian. His emerald eyes were fixed on a certain spot on the scroll, his fingertips unconsciously tracing the jade tablet.

"Are you interested in this too?" Ling Xue asked. Zhou Xingtian nodded: "I feel a strange connection between it and me." The two decided to follow the clues to explore the island ruins. They took a small boat to the mysterious island, which was shrouded in a thick fog, making it impossible to see the path ahead.

As they ventured deeper into the island's heart, they encountered numerous traps. Once, Ling Xue accidentally took a wrong step and nearly fell into the abyss. At that critical moment, Zhou Xingtian's Xuan Tong suddenly emitted a light, discerning the flow of water in the hidden passage, and he pulled her back in time. Continuing onward, they soon discovered a bronze box engraved with twin pupil totems in the center of the altar. However, activating the mechanism required two beams of light of different wavelengths to simultaneously illuminate the groove.

Ling Xue and Zhou Xingtian exchanged a glance, simultaneously releasing their gazes. A beam of dark light and a beam of emerald light intertwined, perfectly matching the requirements of the groove. With a muffled sound, the bronze box slowly opened, revealing half a tiger tally and a yellowed letter inside. The writing on the letter had faded somewhat, but some important information was still legible: "My son... return quickly..." The signature was none other than the private seal of the current Marquis of Zhenbei.

On their return journey, they were ambushed by assassins clad in black. These killers were highly trained, their every move deadly. In the ensuing melee, Ling Xue was struck by a poisoned arrow while protecting Zhou Xingtian. She staggered, nearly falling. Seeing this, a flash of anger crossed Zhou Xingtian's eyes, and for the first time, he autonomously controlled his pupils to unleash their oppressive power. A black storm erupted from his left eye, engulfing his enemies; his right eye shot out a beam of blue light, tearing through the night sky. The assassins who approached him were all repelled.

After escaping to an abandoned fishing boat with the severely injured Ling Xue, Zhou Xingtian loosened his clothes to treat her wounds. At that moment, the birthmark on his chest, perfectly matching the shape of the jade pendant, rose and fell with his breath as if alive. As Ling Xue traced the location of the antidote on his back with seawater, she touched a cold metal implant—someone had planted a tracking Gu worm in him when he was a child.

“So that’s how it is…” Zhou Xingtian muttered to himself. He realized that his identity was far more complex than he had imagined. At that moment, footsteps sounded outside, indicating that the enemy had not given up the pursuit. They had to find a way to escape their predicament as soon as possible.

That night, following the clues of the tiger tally, he infiltrated the Marquis's mansion. Dark clouds filled the sky, foreshadowing an impending storm. Zhou Xingtian stood atop the corner tower, looking down through the window at everything familiar, his heart filled with mixed emotions. Suddenly, his extraordinary eyes activated, revealing his biological father performing a ritual in a secret chamber. Ninety-nine life-extending lamps floated within the bronze cauldron; each extinguished lamp corresponded to the death of a substitute. And the wick of the newest lamp was burning with his own birth date and time.

Meanwhile, Ling Xue, disguised as a female healer, infiltrated the Marquis's dungeon to rescue someone. She groped her way through the dark, damp environment, finally finding the true heir, imprisoned for many years—a dying puppet with cloudy eyes. The mark on his neck was the exact opposite of the pattern on Zhou Xingtian's jade pendant. It turned out they had been substituting for each other all these years. When the double-sided compass pointed to the direction of Zi (子), Zhou Xingtian shattered the roof tiles and leaped onto the altar. The moment his Xuan Tong shattered the illusion of the formation, the old Marquis trembled as he crushed the jade cup: "Indeed… I didn't choose the wrong vessel back then." His voice was filled with complex emotions, both relief and fear.

The final showdown unfolded on the observatory. Zhou Xingtian stood in the center, his left and right eyes reflecting the trajectories of the sun and moon respectively. He channeled the earth's dragon energy into his pupils, forming a yin-yang symbol. The powerful surge of energy shattered all the surrounding soul-controlling puppets, freeing the souls that had been manipulated.

The dying marquis revealed the truth: the so-called incompatible fates were actually a conspiracy involving twins vying for the throne. The true eldest son was born blind, while he used the heterochromatic son as a living vessel to prolong his wealth and glory. Upon seeing this, Ling Xue threw out a poisoned silver needle to seal his meridians: "The cycle of heaven has come to pass; it's time for him to wake up."

As dawn pierced through the clouds, Zhou Xingtian chose to sink the jade pendant into the whirlpool of the sea. He turned and took Ling Xue's hand, leading her towards the newly built fishing boat: "The scenery to see is yet to come." The sea breeze ruffled the velvet flowers in the girl's hair, and she smiled as she tied the newly made mermaid silk eye mask back around his waist. From then on, they embarked on a new journey to explore the unknown world and write their own legendary story. And those heterochromatic eyes would forever remain a unique mark in their hearts.

The night was as dark as ink, thick and impenetrable. Inside the general's mansion, however, lights blazed, and a tense atmosphere hung over everyone like an invisible net. Suddenly, the silence of the night was shattered by the sound of horses' hooves and shouts of battle. A group of men in black, like ghosts, stormed into the mansion. Zhou Xing, hiding in the shadows, watched helplessly as his family members fell one by one, their blood staining the ground. His father—the renowned general, now sternly wounded—stood guard at the gate, desperately trying to protect his last remaining loved ones.

"Go!" With his last ounce of strength, the father pushed Zhou Xing toward the entrance to the secret passage. Just then, a slender figure appeared before them—it was Ling Xue. She was a woman betrothed to Zhou Xing and had come to visit her future in-laws. Seeing this, she rushed over without hesitation, grabbed Zhou Xing's hand, and dragged him into the nearby storage room. Outside came the sounds of hurried footsteps and searching; the two held their breath, afraid to make a sound.

After the group left, Ling Xue quickly made a decision: "I know a secret passage that leads out of the city." With that, she led Zhou Xing through the winding, narrow path, running at full speed. Occasionally, they heard the shouts of pursuers behind them, but they skillfully avoided them. Only after they reached the city gates did the two breathe a sigh of relief. However, the road ahead was long, and unknown dangers still awaited them.

After escaping the city, Zhou Xing and Ling Xue arrived at a remote village. To avoid attracting attention, they disguised themselves as an ordinary refugee couple. During the day, Ling Xue went out to gather wild fruits and dig for wild vegetables to make a living; at night, she stayed by the simple thatched hut, keeping watch for any movement around them. Zhou Xing was greatly shocked by the sudden change in his life, becoming silent and often lost in thought.

By chance, Zhou Xing discovered that Ling Xue was not only skillful but also knowledgeable in herbal medicine. It turned out that her grandfather had been a traveling healer, and she had learned a great deal of medicine from a young age. One day, Zhou Xing was bitten by a venomous snake, and the wound quickly swelled up. In this critical situation, Ling Xue calmly treated the wound, using a homemade herbal dressing to detoxify him. Watching Ling Xue busily tending to the wound, Zhou Xing felt a surge of warmth in his heart, a feeling he had never experienced before.

As time went by, their relationship subtly changed. From initial unfamiliarity to gradual familiarity, and then to mutual dependence. On a quiet night, bathed in moonlight, Zhou Xing mustered his courage and said to Ling Xue, "Thank you for saving my life. If it weren't for you, I would be dead long ago." Ling Xue smiled gently, "We are husband and wife; supporting each other is only natural." These words were like a spring breeze caressing his heart, stirring ripples within Zhou Xing's soul.

Days passed, and beneath the surface of their seemingly peaceful life, undercurrents surged. One night, several mysterious visitors arrived in the small village to gather information. The characteristics they described bore a striking resemblance to the men in black who had raided the village that day. Sensing impending danger, Zhou Xing decided to uncover the truth. He secretly followed the visitors to an abandoned temple and overheard a shocking conversation—it turned out that the mastermind behind all of this was a powerful minister in the court, who had orchestrated the conspiracy out of jealousy for the general's growing power.

Upon learning the truth, Zhou Xing was filled with rage and wanted to return immediately to seek revenge. But Ling Xue stopped him: "Now is not the time. We are too weak; acting rashly will only lead to our deaths." She suggested that they first find evidence to expose the treacherous officials' crimes, and then unite with righteous people to fight against the evil forces. So, the two began to gather clues everywhere, preparing to act when the opportunity arose.

During this time, Zhou Xing used his military strategy knowledge to train the villagers' self-defense force, while Ling Xue used her medical expertise to treat wounded soldiers and civilians. Their actions gradually won the trust and support of the locals, and a small resistance force was quietly taking shape.

After careful planning, Zhou Xing led a group of villagers to infiltrate a military camp near the capital. Their goal was to steal an important military deployment map, one of the key pieces of evidence proving a treacherous minister's intention to rebel. On the night of the operation, the moonlight was bright, but not as bright as the hearts of the people. With his extraordinary courage and wisdom, Zhou Xing successfully evaded the patrols and entered the commander's tent, finding the map. Just as they were about to leave, an unexpected event occurred—a sentry noticed something amiss and sounded the alarm.

The entire camp erupted in chaos, flames soaring into the sky. In this critical moment, Ling Xue stepped forward to draw the enemy's attention while directing everyone to scatter and break through. She herself led most of the pursuers away, running in the opposite direction. Using her familiarity with the terrain and her skill in using herbs to create smoke and confuse the enemy, they finally escaped the encirclement and reunited at the agreed-upon location. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when they saw Ling Xue return unharmed, especially Zhou Xing, who hugged her tightly, his eyes filled with gratitude and love.

After returning to safety with the evidence they had obtained, the group discussed how to present it to the emperor to expose the true face of the treacherous officials, considering that submitting the memorial directly might be intercepted.