The legend begins with becoming a white deer.

Under the ancient pines and cypresses in the inner garden of the royal palace, Qi Ji was curled up and dozing off.

The snow on the ground had not yet melted, and the cold was bone-chilling; most people could not stay there for long, but Qi Ji was completely unaffected.

Within a two-meter radius of Qi Ji, the remaining snow was quietly melted by the warm body heat emanating from him, revealing the white-gray floor tiles underneath, like a dry circle drawn in the snow.

Not far away in the corridor, a palace painter was bent over his desk, his brush tip dipped in ink, his expression excited.

In the past few days, he has painted four auspicious beast paintings, each one a labor of love.

Ever since Bai Lu entered the palace, King Bilin had given him special permission to accompany him in painting, and he knew that his opportunity had come.

Nowadays, who in the entire Kingdom of Bilin does not know the auspicious beast, the white deer?

If these paintings were to be circulated, they would surely be passed down for centuries, and he himself might even become famous throughout the world because of them.

As the painter was pondering this, he suddenly saw the white deer in the snow raise its head, its ears standing straight up, looking towards the northwest side of the palace, as if it had smelled something.

He paused, his hand holding the pen sullen, dismissing the thought, assuming that Qi Ji would simply change his posture and lie down again so he could continue drawing.

But who would have thought that the next second, Qi Ji would stand up, gather his strength in his limbs, and leap out like a white rainbow, disappearing at the end of the palace wall in a few bounds.

"Huh, what's going on...?!"

The artist stood frozen in place, forgetting to put down his brush.

The patrolling guards were also stunned, looking at each other in bewilderment, wondering why the auspicious white deer had suddenly left. But they didn't pay much attention, assuming that Qi Ji had just decided on a whim to run around the palace.

Qi Ji ran quickly toward the northwest of the palace, his nose catching the familiar scent of medicine in the air as he ran.

"There's no mistake, this is the scent of a precious medicine, but why...?"

Qi Ji felt something was strange.

It was true that the scent was from a precious medicine; he couldn't be mistaken. However, the scent wasn't fixed in one place; it was moving rapidly. Especially as Qi Ji ran in this direction, the scent's movement speed actually increased, and it was almost in the same direction as him.

"What's going on?"

Curious, Qi Ji pushed off with his feet and leaped after him.

On the palace road ahead, a man dressed as a guard was clutching a precious herb and running at full speed, using his lightness skill.

This person is Yuan Shuying's confidant, named Fu Xiao, who is most skilled in light body techniques and extremely fast.

As Fu Xiao ran, he kept an eye on what was happening behind him.

Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of a white figure rapidly approaching his location, and he immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

"It worked! The princess's method was indeed effective; the auspicious white deer has really caught up with us."

Fu Xiao dared not be negligent. He gathered his strength and increased his speed again. Following the pre-planned route, he leaped over the high walls of the palace in a few bounds.

Qi Ji watched as Fu Xiao scaled the high wall ahead. His keen eyesight allowed him to accurately spot the precious medicine in Fu Xiao's hand, and he even saw the look in Fu Xiao's eyes as he looked at him.

Qi Ji frowned slightly, instinctively feeling that something was amiss.

It's true that the precious medicine is in this person's hands, but logically, someone would use a box or bag to carry the precious medicine, so why would they hold it directly in their hand? Could they be a thief who broke into the palace to steal the precious medicine?

The problem is that Qi Ji has been in the palace for the past few days and has not smelled any precious medicines in the palace.

Of course, this might be because the precious medicine was sealed in a well-sealed box, preventing Qi Ji from smelling it.

But Fu Xiao's behavior really made Qi Ji feel that something was wrong.

"Why do I feel like this person is deliberately trying to lure me out of the palace?" Qi Ji thought to himself.

He then wondered if some group of people wanted to capture him and were deliberately using the precious medicine as bait.

In the past, Qi Ji might have turned and left, but recently he has undergone three consecutive physical enhancements in a short period of time. His strength, speed, stamina, and physical defense have all been greatly improved, and he no longer takes ordinary forces seriously.

Furthermore, if the attack is carried out in the capital, the opponent will be at a disadvantage in every way.

However, once outside the city, with forests everywhere, Qi Ji's [All Trees Pay Homage to the Source] would be even more effective.

Thinking about it this way, it seems like I'm not at a disadvantage either way.

Once Qi Ji made up his mind, he didn't hesitate any longer. He leaped up, his snow-white figure sweeping over the several-foot-high wall, and followed after them at a leisurely pace.

Outside the palace, Fu Xiao saw Bai Lu jump over the palace wall, and the last trace of tension in his heart disappeared. He thought to himself that the precious medicine was more attractive to Bai Lu than he had expected.

Fu Xiao dared not delay for even a moment. He gripped the precious medicine tightly, identified the direction of the auction house, and ran towards it with all his might.

... ... ...

Meanwhile, the auction venue in the north of the city was bustling with activity.

The Wanhua Chamber of Commerce had been preparing for a long time, and every item they offered for auction was exceptional.

Su Yanji personally presided over the event, dressed in a dark long dress. Her words were crisp and her demeanor was measured. She always managed to bring the atmosphere to a climax, prompting the guests below the stage to compete for bids.

"The twelfth lot – a set of one hundred gilded bronze wine vessels with a hundred beasts."

As Su Yanji finished speaking, two servants carried a large platter onto the stage. When the red silk was lifted, a low gasp of surprise immediately rose from below the stage.

One hundred wine vessels were neatly arranged on the plate, all gilded. Each vessel was decorated with a different animal in relief, such as a tiger, a leopard, a deer, or a crane. They were all different in form and lifelike. The whole set was a perfect whole and exuded a magnificent and luxurious aura.

"This set of wine vessels was made by Zhuotian Pavilion, one of the ten major sects in the world. There are one hundred wine vessels, and each one is carved with a beast. Each beast is different and no two are alike."

Su Yanji's voice was clear and bright: "Starting price: two hundred taels."

The nobles and dignitaries below the stage were all tempted, and even the King of Bilin, who was in the main seat, nodded slightly.

This set of wine vessels is grand in design and auspicious in meaning, making it most suitable for royal banquets.

After several rounds of bidding, Prince Bilin finally won the bid with 1,100 taels of silver.

Seeing that the royal family had intervened, the others wisely stopped scrambling for the prize.

After all, such a complete set of important artifacts is indeed most suitable for the royal palace to collect.

Two more exquisite items then appeared.

One of them is the famous sword "Zhan Chi" forged by the renowned swordsmith Mo Qianfeng in his later years. When the sword is drawn from its sheath, it shines brightly, attracting many martial arts enthusiasts to bid for it.

The other item is a string of seven-colored glass pearls from the Western Sea. Each pearl is round and smooth. It is said that wearing it close to the body can calm the mind, soothe the nerves, and nourish the body. It is a treasured possession of women.

Ultimately, the Demon-Slaying Sword was acquired by a military family in the capital, while the string of seven-colored pearls fell into the hands of a wealthy foreign merchant.

"That sword that slays demons is indeed a fine one." King Bilin, sitting in the main seat below the stage, sighed softly, his tone filled with regret. He had also just made a bid.

Queen Ning Shu, standing to the side, smiled and shook her head: "The royal family already has quite a few famous swords in its collection. Why fight for and snatch everything? It would only make the royal family lose its dignity."

As she spoke, she turned her head to look at Yuan Yao beside her. Seeing the little girl propping her chin up with her hands, her eyelids almost drooping, she couldn't help but laugh: "This child is still too young. She has no interest in these things at all."

Queen Ning Shu then turned to Yuan Shuying on the other side and said gently, "Shuying, why didn't you bid on that string of Western Sea pearls? I remember you've always liked Western Sea pearls."

"Your subject thinks it's just average," Yuan Shuying said casually, but her gaze subtly swept towards the direction of the venue's entrance.

She tapped her fingertips lightly on the handrail, thinking to herself, "Yan Lie, we should be here by now."