The legend begins with becoming a white deer.

"Blackstone Fortress?"

Upon hearing the name, Xu Ling was first taken aback, then frowned, somewhat doubting whether he had misheard.

Are you sure it's these three words?

"I'm sure."

The girl nodded, her voice soft but firm: "I've heard them mention this name several times, saying they'll send it over there once they've collected enough."

Xu Ling touched his bald head, looking puzzled: "That's not right... I passed by there a few months ago. It was a pretty big mountain goods trading company, which also served as a mule and horse inn. They specialized in buying medicinal herbs and furs, and there was a constant stream of merchants coming and going. It looked quite legitimate."

"Yo~"

Qi Ji let out a low groan, a hint of obvious disdain flashing in his golden eyes.

The meaning is very clear: it means "You idiot".

Qi Ji flicked his tail lightly, first sweeping over the neatly stacked pile of firewood in the corner of the yard, and then over the row of tanned animal hides hanging under the eaves.

Following Qi Ji's movements, Xu Ling looked over, then suddenly slapped his bald head, realizing what was happening.

That's right! This Guiqiao Manor in front of us is a legitimate business dealing in leather and timber, isn't it? The more open and respectable the business appears on the surface, the better it is as a cover to deceive people.

Human trafficking organizations that have been operating for so many years would never openly admit to wrongdoing.

"Lord White Deer, you are truly amazing. I almost got stuck on a dead end." Xu Ling scratched his bald head and chuckled.

Qi Ji ignored him and with a slight thought, the human traffickers hanging in mid-air were pulled down by tree branches and crashed heavily in front of Xu Ling.

Thick branches wrapped around their hands and feet, tightening slightly and making a soft creaking sound.

Qi Ji nodded to Xu Ling, signaling him to continue the interrogation.

Xu Ling understood, cleared his throat, and asked in a deep voice, "I'll ask you one more time, are these children to be sent to Blackstone Fortress?"

The people on the ground initially gritted their teeth, stubbornly resisting, their eyes darting around as they refused to speak.

But the next second, the branches wrapped around their limbs suddenly tightened, making their bones creak and groan, as if they were about to shatter.

One of the tall, thin men was the first to give in. With a crisp crack, his left arm bone snapped. He screamed in agony, crying out, "Yes! Yes! Yes! It's Blackstone Fortress! That's one of our branches! Please stop! Please stop! My bone is broken!"

"Blackie, you dare say that!"

Zhou the Scarface immediately shouted angrily, "The organization won't let us get away with leaking our hideout!"

"That scarred guy isn't very bright."

Qi Ji inwardly complained.

If you don't speak, you'll die right now.

I said, at least I can live a little longer, I can't even figure this out.

Ignoring their infighting, the ethereal spirit pressed on, "Where is your headquarters? And who's in charge behind Blackrock Fortress?"

The tall, thin man, his face covered in sweat from the pain, shook his head repeatedly, looking utterly miserable: "I really don't know... We lowly underlings from a small mountain village are only responsible for capturing people and delivering goods, and liaising with the people from Black Stone Fortress. As for what's going on above us, how could we possibly know..."

"You smug monk! Don't get too cocky!"

One of the human traffickers, who had been silent until now, suddenly spat, his eyes flashing with malice as he glared fiercely at Xu Ling: "Our organization has been operating for decades, and the power behind us is beyond your imagination. You think you and a beast with a few tricks up your sleeve dare to oppose us? Our organization is full of experts. We've been discovered before, but those meddlesome fools have all been killed. Even the top masters of the martial arts world are useless against us. Hahahaha, when the higher-ups arrive, you'll know what's what. We'll grind you to dust!"

Qi Ji's golden eyes swept over the man with the triangular eyes indifferently, his emotions completely unmoved.

With a slight thought, two sharp, thin branches suddenly shot out from the ground, piercing the triangular-eyed man's throat and heart with two soft "plop" sounds.

The man's eyes were wide open, but he didn't utter a sound. His head lolled to the side and he was lifeless.

Just as the remaining people were about to scream in fright, the branches around them tightened all at once.

After a few muffled thuds, they all died, as did the other human traffickers who were hanging.

Thick tree roots surged from the ground, carrying the sinful corpses as they slowly sank into the soil. In no time, the courtyard was completely cleared of all traces, leaving only a faint smell of blood that dissipated in the wind.

The children huddled under the eaves, their faces pale with fright, but they bit their lips tightly, afraid to make a sound.

The spirit looked at the smooth ground and sighed softly.

He showed no sympathy for these human traffickers, and simply shook his head: "Amitabha, my martial arts skills are indeed not high, and I may not be able to do anything to your organization, but you can't even recognize the spirit beasts of heaven and earth, yet you dare to claim that there are many masters. You should reincarnate in your next life and be a good person. Good, good."

Xu Ling turned around and searched the manor inside and out. He found a large, covered carriage parked in the backyard. It was much longer than a regular carriage, and the carriage was covered with straw. It was obviously used to transport children.

When he returned to the front yard and saw more than twenty children of all sizes, all thin and pale, he couldn't help but feel worried again.

"Lord Bailu, we're going to Black Stone Fortress. We can't possibly take so many children with us."

He scratched his bald head, looking helpless: "But...where do we put them?"

The ethereal spirit has already asked them one by one.

These children were not the children of the local mountain people, and some of them, like the boys who were discovered before, had already lost their parents when they were arrested.

Even if they hadn't been killed, these young children wouldn't have been able to say where they lived.

Qi Ji lay under the big tree, also feeling that this matter was a bit troublesome.

However, he was a deer and could not speak, so he naturally left such troublesome matters to the little monk Xuling.

"Luckily, I met this little ethereal monk on the way. Otherwise, it would have been quite difficult for me to deal with these children if I had encountered human traffickers on my own. It's good to have someone to help me out."

Qi Ji stretched and yawned.

It's getting late, so leaving is out of the question. Anyway, there's plenty of grain and cured meat stored at the manor, and Xu Ling is good at taking care of the meals. It's not a bad idea to let the children stay here for the night.

At the same time, a thought flashed through Qi Ji's mind.

If he were still within the territory of Bilin Kingdom, the matter would be much simpler. He could simply approach King Bilin and ask him to help him settle things properly, without having to bother with anything.

"Speaking of which, I haven't been traveling very fast since I left Bilin Kingdom, so the distance shouldn't be too far. Should I make a full-speed trip to Bilin Kingdom and bring some people over?"

As Qi Ji thought this, he looked up at the ethereal spirit not far away.

Xu Ling was squatting on the ground wiping away the tears of the younger child when he suddenly met Bai Lu's calm gaze. His heart skipped a beat, and he jumped up, waving his hands frantically, "Lord Bai Lu, you...you're not thinking of leaving me behind and going to Black Stone Fortress by yourself, are you? That won't do! That person just said their organization has many experts. If a powerful one really comes looking for us, I can't handle it. You absolutely can't leave!"

(¬_¬)ﾉ

Qi Ji remained silent.

He doesn't even know exactly where Blackstone Fortress is, how can he go there by himself?

This little monk has a first-rate ability to fill in the blanks.

However, Qi Ji also took the opportunity to abandon the idea of ​​returning to Bilin Kingdom.

This round trip takes too much time. It doesn't bother him, but humans don't have that kind of speed.

If we delay for a day or two, the Black Stone Fortress will receive the news and move the child, which would only make things worse.

Seeing that Qi Ji didn't move, Xu Ling breathed a sigh of relief. After pondering for a moment, he said, "Lord Bai Lu, how about this? Tomorrow, let's follow the main road to the nearest town and see if there are any charitable organizations or reliable wealthy families that can temporarily take in these children. Staying in this human traffickers' den is not a long-term solution. If someone from their organization comes to pick them up, it will only cause more trouble."

"Yo~"

Qi Ji let out a soft groan, which was taken as agreement.

As night deepened, the lights of the mountain villa gradually came on.

The children huddled in the warm main hall, still somewhat reserved, but at least they were no longer confined to the dark and damp cells.

Xu Ling spent half a day in the kitchen cooking a large pot of steaming hot rice porridge, the aroma of rice mixed with the smell of meat filling the entire courtyard.

Qi Ji lay under the old locust tree not far from the children, his golden deer eyes gazing at the deep night sky, when suddenly a system voice sounded in his mind.

Congratulations on obtaining Legendary Spirit Points! Legendary Spirit Points +1

[Current Legendary Spirit Points: 44/120]

Qi Ji blinked his doe-like eyes and turned to look at the children drinking porridge. He noticed that most of them were watching him as they ate, their innocent eyes brimming with pure emotion. Although they didn't say anything, Qi Ji sensed a strong positive emotion emanating from these children...

(If you have time, handsome men and beautiful women, remember to give it a five-star review after reading. It's located on the left side of the middle of the first page before the first chapter, where the score is displayed. Click on it and you'll see five empty stars, then you can vote.)