After breaking up with my girlfriend, I became a Great Sage of the Demon Clan.

"Hey, look how anxious you are. Are you getting impatient just thinking about getting married, huh?"

The old man looked at Zhou Yan's bare feet.

Zhou Yan hurriedly replied.

"It's hot, so this is comfortable to wear."

The old man nodded without saying a word.

This is not the modern era. In ancient times, it was very normal for farmers to be barefoot. Even when the Eastern Xia Federation was first established, some farmers would wash their feet for the New Year and their children would carefully clean them and find that they could dig up half a basin of sand from their father's feet.

This has been mentioned in textbooks. They also say that in ancient times, farmers often went hungry and did physical labor, so living to fifty was considered a long life, and dying in their thirties or forties was normal (which is why it was common for people to marry in their teens, become fathers at fifteen, and grandfathers around thirty in ancient times).

The biggest piece of evidence is that most people experience dental problems between the ages of thirty and forty.

The reason is that under the living conditions in ancient times, people would die around the age of thirty or forty, and their teeth did not need to be strong enough to last for fifty or sixty years.

"Okay, I'll give you more herbs later, and I'll ask Old Huang next door to weave you a pair of straw sandals."

The old man walked over to Zhou Yan and patted him on the shoulder.

"Okay, keep up."

The old man started walking towards the back of the village. He looked thin and weak, and his gait was not full. He swung his legs forward and soon left the village.

Behind the village lies a range of mountains, teeming with medicinal herbs and wild animals. Half of the village's population makes a living by hunting and gathering firewood.

The mountain forest was full of paths made by living people. The old man helped Zhou Yan identify herbs, telling him about the appearance, effects, toxicity, and market price of various wild fruits, such as hemostatic herbs, poisonous herbs, and wild fruits.

Zhou Yan subtly inquired about the current dynasty.

According to the original version of "The Legend of the White Snake", the era in which Bai Suzhen and Xu Xian made love should be the Tang or Southern Song Dynasty. However, since Bai Suzhen has not yet cultivated herself, we should push the timeline back a thousand years.

The thousand years before the Tang Dynasty was the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, and the thousand years before the Southern Song Dynasty was the Eastern Han Dynasty.

That's right, it's the Eastern Han Dynasty that split into the Three Kingdoms at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty.

If it were the Eastern Han Dynasty, Zhou Yan didn't know if the Zhuge Liang of today was even an adult. He might still be a little boy who would cry at the slightest provocation. He also didn't know if that traitor who had served three masters had already learned to betray others.

Did the young Cao Cao develop a fetish for married women?

Oh, by the way, Zhou Yan heard that there are two versions of Zhuge Liang's wife, Huang Yueying: one says she was very beautiful, and the other says she was very ugly. He really wants to see her for himself.

And then there's Diao Chan; I wonder if this girl is as beautiful as the legends say.

But the result was very disappointing for Zhou Yan.

According to the old man who was looking for medicine, the current dynasty is called Da Meng. In the 36th year of the current Anli era, the world is at peace and the weather is favorable.

Da Meng does not belong to any dynasty that Zhou Yan knew of before the Eastern Xia Federation: ∩〕⌒～'·◎.

However, this was not too surprising. When Zhou Yan went to kill Pudu Cihang, the dynasty was on the verge of collapse and its fate had been ruined by the evil monk. It did not belong to any dynasty in Zhou Yan's memory.

The Qingjing Mosque was already distorted and destroyed in the past.

"This is river grass..."

The old man who had brought Zhou Yan to a mountain stream picked up a blade of grass from the stream and waved it in front of Zhou Yan.

"This herb can reduce internal heat and detoxify, and it's especially good for treating internal heat. It costs three copper coins a plant in the county town. If you find one, you can cover your food expenses for the day."

Three copper coins could buy two large bowls of corn porridge, which was enough for an ordinary person to eat and drink for a day.

The old man placed the large river grass in the small medicine basket behind him, then walked around the stream looking for other wild herbs. However, he didn't find any other wild herbs, but he did see the end of the stream, where five burly men dressed in black with bamboo baskets at their waists walked over.

Zhou Yan, who was standing by the river but hadn't gone into the water, suddenly brightened up.

Of the five burly men who came over, three had bamboo baskets around their waists containing snakes, one of which was a pure white snake with translucent red eyes.

Zhou Yan took a step forward, and the old man by the stream hurriedly said.

"Silly boy, what are you doing! These are high-ranking officials from the county town, don't go and get into a fight with them!"

Zhou Yan's expression changed, and he immediately stopped. The burly men in black who were walking towards him looked at Zhou Yan and the old man, exchanged glances, and left with a sense of superiority.

You'll get a foul mouth if you talk to those country folk.

Once the men in black had left, the old man walked from the stream to Zhou Yan's side, muttering to himself.

"These lords from the county town are here again. I wonder which village in the vicinity will suffer."

Zhou Yan looked at the old man and asked.

"Suffering? These guys are here to collect, um, taxes?"

Zhou Yan had heard that many officials in ancient times would invent various pretexts to increase taxes. Were these men in black here to collect taxes?

The old man shook his head.

"Just collect taxes, these guys are here to kidnap young virgins."

The old man said to Zhou Yan.

“A month ago, Wang Tong’s third daughter and Er Gou’s youngest daughter were both kidnapped by these people. They said they were going to the county town to be maids for the lords. I just don’t understand. The lords in the county town want so many young virgins. They come to kidnap them every few days and don’t even allow the girls’ parents to go to the town to meet them.”

The old man patted his head again.

"Never mind, never mind, I don't have a daughter anyway."

"Young man from the Chu family, let's go, let's continue gathering herbs."

Zhou Yan's expression suddenly changed, and he clutched his stomach with both hands.

"Oh dear..."

Zhou Yan clutched his stomach and cried out.

The old man looked at Zhou Yan in surprise.

Zhou Yan's legs trembled.

"I... I have a stomachache, I feel... a bit uncomfortable."

The old man immediately took out several herbs from his medicine basket that Zhou Yan didn't recognize.

Zhou Yan hurriedly shook his head.

"No, no, no, it's probably just a normal stomach upset. I'll go back and rest for a bit. This medicine is so expensive, so please don't give it to me."

The old man had no suspicions.

"Alright, Chu boy, you go back first. I'll buy some steamed buns for you tonight. Hey, when did you develop an appetite?"

Zhou Yan thanked him profusely and left, clutching his stomach.

After taking only a few steps, Zhou Yan slowly stretched out his body, and once the old man could no longer see him, Zhou Yan returned to his normal posture.

Following the route the men in black had taken, Zhou Yan deliberately avoided the old man and went to a nearby hilltop.

Not worried about any danger, Zhou Yan quickly followed the paths people had made and found the footprints of the men in black.

These men in black were wearing official boots with solid soles, while farmers and hunters like Zhou Yan were either barefoot or wearing straw sandals. As a result, the footprints of these officials in boots were very conspicuous on the road.

The footprints have been found; now it's time to rescue the person.

Zhou Yan now has two trump cards that even a demon-level awakened person probably can't defeat: one is the Gouchen Sword Qi, which should be usable three times, and the other is the Plain Cloud Banner, which he has been nurturing in his spiritual platform and can now be used twice.

With these two treasures, rescuing Bai Suzhen shouldn't be too difficult.

Zhou Yan followed the footprints step by step forward. After descending the mountain, Zhou Yan was surprised to find that the footprints had turned into hoofprints.

This group of men in black came here on horseback, but they left their horses at the foot of the mountain. Now, when they leave, they naturally leave on horseback.

Hey!

Zhou Yan cursed under his breath and galloped away following the hoofprints.

Chapter Twelve: Alchemy

On a small path.

Six guards in black uniforms (five going up the mountain, one watching the horses) gently kicked the flanks of their horses to control their gallop.

The six guards in black robes were all elite soldiers skilled in archery and horsemanship. Therefore, during the horseback riding, the one at the front was the squad leader, who was the highest-ranking member of the squad. Behind him were the two confidants of the squad leader, and the three behind him were newbies with no status.

A trusted aide behind the corporal rode up to his own corporal and spoke.

"Brother Li, we've had good luck today. We caught a long snake of good quality. When we get to the Imperial Observatory Taoist temple in Beiyang County, the Celestial Master of the Imperial Observatory will definitely reward us."

Corporal Li Yang, who was in charge, slowly straightened his chest.

"Well, if Zhang Tianshi sees the snake spirit we captured this time, he might be in a good mood and write a letter. If I become a squad leader someday, you two can also be promoted to sergeants."

The two trusted subordinates, who were currently only low-ranking members of the Black-Clad Guards, immediately spoke up.

"Please put in a good word for me with Zhang Tianshi, Sergeant."

Corporal Li Yang burst into laughter.

"Once I've finished this task, I'll take you to visit the Yan Hong Lou."

The rest of the black-clad guards perked up and their faces lit up with joy. Yan Hong Lou was the largest brothel in the county town, and the girls inside were incredibly beautiful.

With the help of horses, the six guards in black robes entered Beiyang County, the largest town in the vicinity, before nightfall.

It wasn't dark yet, but it was already gloomy. Some businesses had already started lighting lanterns outside their shops, especially the Yan Hong Lou in the county town. The lanterns in front of the building were brightly lit, and several pretty girls were sitting on the second floor beckoning customers. When the guards in black robes passed by Yan Hong Lou, they couldn't help but glance at the pretty girls on the second floor a few times before swallowing their saliva and leaving.

We need to get down to business now. Once that's done, these women won't be able to escape.

The Imperial Observatory was located in the center of Beiyang County.

A Taoist temple named Jingtian Temple was built on this site. It has pavilions and towers, beautiful gardens, and dozens of shrines with statues of different gods. Every year, the county town of Beiyang holds sacrificial ceremonies, and festivals are held at Jingtian Temple.

When the six guards in black robes arrived outside Jingtian Temple, several young Taoist boys dressed in Taoist robes came out to hang lanterns, and the sounds of singing and dancing could be heard coming from inside the open gate.

Li Yang, the squad leader, knew that the abbot of Jingtian Temple liked to watch plays, so he would keep various traveling opera troupes around to sing for him until he got tired of them before allowing them to leave.

Corporal Li Yang dismounted and clasped his hands in greeting to a young Taoist boy who had hung a lantern on his head.

"Young Taoist priest, please tell Master Qingxu that Li Yang has arrived."

The young Taoist boy with the lantern glanced at Li Yang and nodded slightly.

"You wait here."

The young Taoist priest entered Jingtian Temple. A quarter of an hour later, he came out and nodded to Li Yang.

“My master is willing to see you. Please come with me.”

Corporal Li Yang straightened his clothes and walked into Jingtian Temple.

Not far away.

Zhou Yan, whose legs were a little numb from running, approached Jingtian Temple in the darkness.

No one would expect a young man in tattered, dirty clothes to walk from a distance, and the few guards in black robes who didn't go in chatted at the entrance of Jingtian Temple.

"We've struck it rich this time."

"You think if our eldest brother went in and showed the white snake we found to Master Qingxu, how excited would Master Qingxu be?"

"What's there to get excited about? Master Qingxu is an Imperial Astronomical Bureau Taoist from the capital. He's truly skilled in alchemy. Who knows when he might refine an elixir of immortality and be able to return to the capital to serve His Majesty from this wretched place."

"Hey, we Black-Clad Guards are supposed to be doing some great things, like slaying demons and monsters and licking blood from the edge of a knife. I never thought that His Majesty would send us to catch snakes."

Hidden in the shadows, Zhou Yan glanced at the group of black-clad guards chatting. These guards were also very perceptive; as soon as Zhou Yan glanced at them, several of them turned around to look at him. However, seeing Zhou Yan's ragged appearance, they turned back to continue their conversation.

This county town has no shortage of beggars; it's a waste of time to bother with them.

Zhou Yan stealthily walked to the outer wall of Jingtian Temple, out of the sight of the Xuan Yi Guards. Then, with his feet on the wall, he used his earth spirit ability to walk to the top of the wall at a 90-degree angle. He scanned the area from the top and spotted his target: Li Yang, the Xuan Yi Guard squad leader being led away by a young Taoist boy. He then jumped down from the top of the wall.

Zhou Yan's feet landed on the ground without making a sound.

The earth spirit talent bestowed upon Zhou Yan by the Goddess Houtu has already allowed him to merge with the earth. No matter how high he jumps, he will not make a sound or die.

Of course, this is on the premise that it hits the ground; if it hits a tree, then it's all over.

The defenses of Jingtian Temple were not strong. After landing, Zhou Yan carefully followed the various cover to move forward, but after walking for a long time, he did not encounter a single patrolling Taoist.

Zhou Yan quickened his pace, because he had already located Li Yang's position when he was on the wall, so he soon caught up with Li Yang and the little Taoist boy.

Upon reaching this position, Zhou Yan began to relax, switching from external breathing to internal breathing, while simultaneously pushing the earth spirit's abilities to their limit, connecting himself to the earth with his feet.

We are inseparable.

At this moment, Zhou Yan clearly felt that he had lost his normal physical state and was more like a stone than a human being.

The stone, carrying the young Taoist boy and Li Yang, led them to a small courtyard.