The legend begins with becoming a white deer.

"Hoo-ha~~Hoo-ha~~Hoo-ah~~"

The heavy breathing, the bushes in the forest like wildly growing blades, scraped the bald, muscular man's bare arms and cheeks, leaving bloody marks, yet he didn't dare slow down even for a second.

Every step he took was accompanied by excruciating pain throughout his body, with a constant, piercing cramping pain in his lower abdomen, as if a red-hot iron was being plunged into the cracks of his bones, causing his face to contort in agony.

But he dared not stop, fearing that the damned mad deer would catch up.

The scene from before is still lingering in my mind.

The herd of sika deer, which should have scattered and fled at the sight of people and only knew how to graze on the grass, almost became the Grim Reaper who sent him to hell. The pain from the deer hooves constantly stepping on his body still lingered in his nerves.

"You beasts, remember this! One day I'll chop off your legs and cut off your deer hooves one by one!"

The bald, burly man gritted his teeth, his eyes brimming with anger and hatred.

Of all the animals, the one he hated most intensely was the little white deer!

That harmless-looking little thing smashed one of his eggs.

The excruciating pain and the utter humiliation that utterly humiliated him gnawed at his internal organs like venomous snakes.

"Bastard...you little beast..."

The bald, burly man gritted his teeth, squeezing out muffled curses, each word laced with blood and foam: "I will definitely kill you, I will skin you alive, pull out your tendons, and chop you into mincemeat to feed the wild dogs."

This burning hatred, deep within his bones, somehow overwhelmed the excruciating physical pain and became the only force propelling him forward.

He didn't know how long he had been stumbling and running until the wooden cabin hidden deep in the forest finally appeared in front of him. His tense nerves suddenly relaxed, and he staggered to the door.

His clothes were soaked with sweat, and the cold wind in the forest made him shiver.

The bald, burly man pushed open the wooden door and was about to step inside when, in the next second, he seemed to be frozen in place, as if under a spell.

Inside the wooden house stood ten men and women, all clad in gleaming black armor, with swords at their waists and crossbows in their hands. They exuded an aura of battle-hardened blood, and even just standing there, their presence was suffocating.

"They are royal guards from the Kingdom of Bilin!"

The bald, burly man's pupils contracted, and a chill even more intense than when he was being chased by the deer ran from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.

Without the slightest hesitation, he turned and was about to flee into the dense forest.

"Trying to run? No way!"

The moment he moved, a sharp whooshing sound rang out from behind him.

A long whip, its trajectory unclear, flew in and instantly wrapped around the bald, muscular man's neck.

The force of the whip was far beyond what ordinary people could achieve. He was pulled back like a wild dog being grabbed by the scruff of its neck and slammed heavily to the ground.

Before the bald, burly man could struggle to his feet, a boot covered in heavy armor stomped hard on his right leg.

"Click—"

The crisp sound of bones cracking, accompanied by screams, echoed throughout the wooden cabin.

The male guard stomped his foot, looking at the bald, burly man sweating profusely in pain, and said in a cold, hard voice, "We went through so much trouble to find this place, how could we let you escape?"

The excruciating pain caused the bald, muscular man to convulse. He looked at the ten royal guards who had surrounded him, his eyes filled with overwhelming despair.

"I'm asking you."

The lead guard stepped forward, his long sword drawn half an inch from its sheath, the chilling glint making his face deathly pale: "Where is Princess Yuan Yao? I'll give you one chance to tell me. If you don't, I'll show you what it truly means to wish you were dead."

The voice was completely flat, yet it carried an undeniable ruthlessness.

The bald, burly man opened his mouth, looking at the ruthless royal guards before him. Then, thinking of his broken leg, his crippled body, the deer herd in the dense forest, and the little girl, despair completely overwhelmed him.

"Don't kill me, I'll talk."

... ... ...

In another part of the dense forest, on a gentle slope beside a stream.

A doe was lying on her side, carefully using her teeth to bite the arrow shaft that was still stuck in the side of the old doe, and slowly and steadily exerting force outward.

The arrowhead, barbed, caused the doe's body to tremble violently with each inch the arrow was pulled out. Suppressed and painful cries escaped her throat, and warm blood gushed from the wound, instantly staining the grass beneath her red.

The does around them stood quietly, their ears perked up, constantly watching for any movement. Every now and then, they would lower their heads and nuzzle the neck of the old doe, comforting their companions in their own way.

Finally, with a muffled thud, the blood-stained arrow was completely pulled out.

The doe took a long breath, her previously tense body instantly collapsing as she weakly lay on the ground, her eyelids barely able to lift, barely managing to maintain steady breathing.

Although the arrow wound was not fatal, it severely damaged his bones and muscles, and he would be unable to get up and run for a while.

Logically, having just been attacked by humans and even drawn blood, the deer herd should have immediately moved their habitat away from this dangerous area.

However, the doe, who was the leader of the herd, was so badly injured that she was unable to migrate long distances. So the entire herd stopped and quietly stayed around the doe, resting and recovering their strength while remaining alert to any disturbances around them.

Yao Yao sat beside Qi Ji, her small body curled up in a ball, her fair face still bearing traces of tears. It was clear that the life-or-death ordeal she had just experienced had terribly frightened her.

Fortunately, there was no real danger.

The little girl held onto Qi Ji's soft fur tightly with one hand the whole time, and even now that they were safe, she refused to let go.

She gently rested her small face against Qi Ji's side, her big eyes filled with complete dependence, as if as long as she stayed by this little white deer's side, she wouldn't have to be afraid of any danger.

Qi Ji was currently engrossed in eating the tender green grass around him.

The skill [Agile Burst] was activated twice in succession, which turned the tide of the battle, but the consumption of Spirit Points was also real.

Now that the crisis has temporarily subsided, he must seize every second to eat and replenish the spiritual energy points he has consumed.

No one knows when the next danger will strike.

The surrounding doe also occasionally lowered their heads to graze on the grass, silently replenishing the energy they had expended in the fight.

On the gentle slope, the only sounds were the soft crunching of grass and the slow flow of the stream, a rare moment of peace amidst the tense atmosphere.

Only the three fawns, innocent and carefree, had completely forgotten the danger they had just faced. They were frolicking and chasing each other on the grass, occasionally letting out their tender cries, adding a touch of liveliness to the oppressive atmosphere.

It's just strange.

The three fawns frolicked across the meadow, but as soon as they got close to Qi Ji's direction, their carefree bodies would instantly stop, their round black eyes revealing a hint of instinctive fear. They would even subconsciously slow their pace and hurriedly turn around to the side furthest from Qi Ji, not daring to approach the little white fawn that looked about the same size as them.