The legend begins with becoming a white deer.

The magistrate of Qingniu County was surnamed Zhou, with the given name Tong. He was short and stocky, with dark skin and a round belly. His blue satin official robe was stretched taut.

He was the true mastermind behind this poisonous scheme of hoarding grain and seizing land.

Qingniu County is located on the frontier, with high mountains and distant lands, and Zhou Tong had long harbored the ambition to dominate the region.

As long as he can control all the thousands of acres of fertile land outside the town, with land and grain, plus his authority as county magistrate, he will be the undisputed local tyrant, and his family will be a wealthy and powerful clan for generations.

Just now, his nephew, Boss Liu, scrambled back to the county office, saying that a demonic deer had cast a spell, and all the grain in the fields had ripened instantly. Zhou Tong spat on the spot, thinking that this good-for-nothing had drunk too much and was seeing things, and was more of a hindrance than a help.

However, given that this involved six months of planning, he dared not be careless. He immediately summoned all the county yamen runners, and more than a hundred people came over in a grand procession.

But as soon as he reached the entrance of the town, Zhou Tong suddenly stopped and froze on the spot.

"What...what's going on? This can't be happening!!"

Wherever you look, there is no trace of drought.

The once cracked and hardened land now has a moist, dark brown hue.

The once withered and brittle rice seedlings, which would break at the slightest touch, now stand tall and graceful, with full and heavy ears of grain. When the wind blows, layers of green waves of wheat rise up, and the fragrance of grass and trees fills the air.

This is no illusion.

Zhou Tong's eyes widened instantly, and then following his nephew's trembling finger, he saw the young monk on the ridge of the field, and the huge white deer standing quietly.

His gaze skipped over the illusory spirit and fixed intently on Qi Ji, his eyes filled with surprise and a growing greed.

This white deer is absolutely gorgeous.

Its entire body is snow-white with gold markings, and its antlers gleam. It is extraordinary and clearly not an ordinary creature.

Zhou Tong's inner greed was instantly ignited.

If one could capture such a magnificent deer, one could either present it to one's superior in exchange for a promotion, or keep it to tame as a mount—what a wonderful thing that would be!

For a moment, Zhou Tong forgot the unbelievable nature of the wild grain in the fields. He immediately shouted angrily, "What a demonic deer! How dare it use sorcery and spread rumors in this county! Men, seize this demonic deer! And kill that wild monk who spreads rumors! Anyone who dares to stop it will be treated as an accomplice and thrown into prison!"

"You mustn't do that, sir!"

The people were immediately in uproar.

Someone knelt down first, and then groups of people followed suit, pleading, "This is a deer, a divine deer that has come to save our lives! Your Excellency, you mustn't harm it!"

"Yes, sir, this is a divine deer that descended from heaven. Disrespecting it will bring retribution."

"You mustn't, sir! You can't lay a hand on it!"

"presumptuous!"

Zhou Tong's face darkened. These peasants dared to obstruct his plans; they were truly despicable.

"Get out of my way, all of you! Anyone who dares to utter another word will be arrested along with you. Now, do it!"

Upon receiving the order, the constables immediately grabbed their fire-and-water sticks and waist knives and rushed towards the ridge of the field.

Seeing this, Xu Ling quickly stepped in front of Qi Ji, his brows furrowed tightly.

He turned to Qi Ji, his voice low and anxious: "Lord Bai Lu, they are government officials. If we fight, it will be quite troublesome. Perhaps... we should retreat first?"

Qi Ji rolled his eyes inwardly.

(﹁"﹁)

Are you a little monk who has practiced martial arts for nothing? People have come to your door to arrest and kill you, and you're still thinking of retreating.

It's just a little over a hundred people, isn't it?

"That kid is unreliable. Forget it, I'll do it."

Qi Ji was too lazy to waste words, and the antlers on his head lit up with a golden-green halo.

The next second, the four large poplar trees, each as thick as two people could hug, beside the ditch and the edge of the field suddenly trembled.

The tree trunk rose up section by section, the branches twisted and turned, and the thick roots rose from the soil. In the blink of an eye, they transformed into four tree figures that were over ten meters tall.

The trunk is its body, the branches its arms, and the gnarled roots its feet; the whole thing radiates a faint, woody glow.

"Thump, thump, thump..."

The tree-man strode forward quickly.

"!"

This scene stunned everyone present.

The constables at the front turned pale instantly, their hands holding knives trembling, and they dared not step forward again.

"What is this thing? Has the tree come to life? Or am I just hallucinating?"

Before they could even turn and run, the treant's thick branches swung down.

"Oh my god!"

"Ugh!"

"Help! This isn't a hallucination!"

Just like an adult picking up a three-year-old child, a single sweep of a branch sent seven or eight constables flying, crashing onto the ridge of the field and groaning in pain.

Knives, spears, and clubs were scattered all over the ground, making it impossible to even get close.

The four tree-men rampaged wildly, and the more than one hundred people were powerless to resist, scattering and fleeing in all directions, crying out for their parents.

Two of the tree-men headed straight for the temporary granary at the town's entrance.

That was originally Zhou Tong and Boss Liu's grain storage base, a sturdy earthen wall and wooden shed, but in front of the Tree Man, it was as flimsy as paper.

With a powerful slam and pull, the earthen wall collapsed with a crash, and the wooden shed shattered into pieces.

One after another, bulging sacks of grain rolled down from a height, many of them breaking open and spilling their contents all over the ground.

The people looked closely and their expressions changed drastically.

Where is that new or good grain?

The grains were yellowish and dark, many of them clumped together, with specks of mold hidden inside. When the wind blew, a faint musty smell wafted over.

"My goodness, this is moldy food!"

"Just as the young master said, this heartless person actually wants to sell us this kind of grain!"

Angry whispers arose from the crowd; any lingering hesitation they had felt earlier vanished completely.

Zhou Tong and Boss Liu were already terrified.

Looking at the four enormous tree-men before him, and then at his men scattered in a mess, Zhou Tong lost all his former magnanimity as a county official. His legs trembled, and cold sweat streamed down his dark face.

"Monster, monster..."

His voice trembled, and he no longer cared about food or land. He turned around and tried to escape into the town.

Boss Liu was so frightened that his fat trembled, and he scrambled and stumbled behind him, wishing he had two more legs.

Qi Ji glanced at the two of them.

Now that he had made his move, how could he let them get away like that?

Qi Ji was never a compassionate savior.

Qi Ji would never hesitate to retaliate against anyone who treated him as prey and tried to capture him for profit.

With a slight thought, the tree-man on the far left suddenly moved.

The tangled tree roots crawled rapidly across the ground, faster than a galloping horse, and caught up with the two in just a few steps.

The thick branches, like spears, pierced through the abdomens of the two men with two soft, thudding sounds.

"Ughhhhhh~~~~"

A heart-wrenching scream pierced the sky.

The tree branch impaled the two people and hurled them violently behind them.

"Bang—"

The two men crashed heavily into the collapsed grain warehouse, landing right on a pile of moldy grain.

Fresh blood gushed out, mixed with yellowed, clump-like moldy grains, staining the area red.

The two men were still alive, lying weakly on the pile of grain, groaning for help, but the surrounding people just watched coldly, and no one stepped forward.

Despite all his scheming, he ultimately perished in the very grain he hoarded—a fitting retribution.

Xu Ling stood by the edge of the field, looking at the devastation inside the granary, and softly murmured a Buddhist chant, his brows slightly furrowed.

He turned to look at Qi Ji, his tone tinged with reluctance: "Lord Bailu... isn't this a bit too cruel? Although they deserve their punishment,... it would be better to hand them over to the authorities."

Qi Ji turned his head, his golden eyes sweeping over him indifferently.

Government officials?

The county magistrate was the highest-ranking official in the area and was the instigator of this whole affair.

Moreover, his actions were never to uphold justice or to judge anyone's sins.

Qi Ji didn't have that kind of free time.

He killed the two men for a very simple reason: they had ordered his capture.

"Yo~"

He didn't offer any explanation, only letting out a soft deer call as a response, before turning and walking towards the distant mountains and forests.

Xu Ling scratched his bald head, looking at the wounded soldiers scattered on the ground and the messy granary, feeling a bit of a headache.

Having said that, he didn't dare to delay any longer. He lifted the hem of his monk's robe and hurriedly chased after Qi Ji in the direction he had left.

"Lord White Deer, please wait for this humble monk!"

The people stood in the fields, looking at each other, unable to come to their senses for a long time.

Finally, an elderly man with white hair and beard sighed and waved his hand, "Let's all work together to clean this up first. This matter... needs to be reported to higher authorities."

Subsequent developments happened faster than anyone had anticipated.

Qingniu County belonged to a small country with a small territory. The news was reported up the chain of command, and it reached the ears of the prefect in just two days.

Upon hearing the keywords "white deer," "spell to produce grain," and "killing the county magistrate," the prefect was so frightened that cold sweat soaked his back.

He is far more knowledgeable than Zhou Tong, who is like a frog in a well.

Now everyone in the world knows that an eleventh mythical beast, the white deer, has appeared!

Even a hunting party of tens of thousands of heroes could not defeat him.

The princes of Yunyan, one of the five great powers, all died at its hands.

A mere county magistrate dares to capture a spirit beast? He's practically courting death!

The prefect dared not be negligent in the slightest and personally led his men to Qingniu County at full speed.

Upon arrival, he immediately ordered a thorough investigation of Zhou Tong's entire clan, including those local gentry who colluded with him to hoard grain and exploit the villagers. All of them were investigated and their homes were searched. The evidence was irrefutable, and no mercy was shown.

He also specially summoned all the townspeople, stood on the high platform at the town entrance, and loudly proclaimed in public: "Fellow villagers, the white deer that appeared earlier is not a demon, but the eleventh celestial spirit beast in the world, known as the White Deer Auspicious Beast. It controls the vitality of all trees and saves people from drought and famine. Zhou Tong, being greedy and despicable, dared to offend the auspicious beast. He has truly courted death!"

Upon hearing this, the people suddenly understood.

The mythical white deer is practically a living deity.

When the people looked back at the full, heavy ears of grain in the fields, recalling the scene of their miraculous escape from dire straits, their awe and gratitude for the white deer deepened even further.

"The Beast Lord's kindness is boundless..."

Someone uttered a phrase first, and then the people bowed and paid their respects towards the mountains and forests.

The name of the auspicious white deer has since taken deep root in the Qingniu County area.