The legend begins with becoming a white deer.

The town's largest restaurant, Lin Yun Lou, has now been entirely booked by the Wan Hua Merchant Guild.

The rescued children were settled in upstairs guest rooms by the staff. Most of them were fast asleep after the bumpy and frightening journey.

In the open space behind the restaurant, Qi Ji stood under the old locust tree, his neck slightly tilted, his golden deer eyes filled with impatience and pressure as he stared at the old man holding a dagger in front of him.

Qi Ji barely managed to refrain from lashing out with his tail.

The old man surnamed Yang had been standing beside him for quite a while, brandishing the dagger at his leg three or four times. The blade rubbed against the fur with a rustling sound, but he couldn't even make a cut.

"Old Yang, what are you dawdling about for?"

Su Yanji leaned against a pillar, arms crossed, watching speechlessly: "It's just drawing some blood, how come it's taking so long?"

"Ahem, President, it's not that I'm being slow."

Old Yang looked embarrassed and waved his hands repeatedly while holding the dagger: "It's because the skin and flesh of this spirit beast, the white deer, are just too tough. As soon as I touch the knife, its muscles tense up involuntarily, becoming as hard as cast iron. The blade can't penetrate it at all. Look—"

As he spoke, Old Yang gritted his teeth and used his dagger to slash Qi Ji's hind leg.

Qi Ji's deer ears perked up instantly, his muscles tightened instinctively, and his blood and qi circulated slightly throughout his body.

Despite being soft fur and flesh, it was as solid as a wall of bronze and iron at this moment.

With a soft "clang," the dagger's blade grazed the fur, but didn't cut a single hair. Instead, the impact made Yang Laohu's mouth feel numb and sore.

"Um?"

Su Yanji raised an eyebrow, as if she had figured something out.

She took a few steps forward, her gaze falling on Qi Ji's face. Qi Ji's eyes instinctively darted away, but he quickly forced himself to keep them hidden.

Su Yanji looked at Qi Ji with a mischievous smile: "Tsk tsk, the eleventh most powerful spirit beast in the world, the White Deer who can bury thousands of enemy troops, is acting like a child. White Deer, are you afraid of pain? I heard that during the great war between the three kingdoms of Bilin, Chi, and Hong, you charged straight into the enemy ranks amidst thousands of troops and personally killed the Chi King. You must have been injured then, right? How come now a mere dagger is more powerful than those powerful bows and crossbows in the army?"

"Yo—!"

└(＞o＜)┘

Qi Ji was so embarrassed and angry by Su Yanji's words that he instinctively stomped his deer hoof.

With a loud "bang," several cracks appeared on the bluestone pavement. Then, with a sudden flick of its tail, the air was sucked in with a loud bang, the whole thing carrying a sense of shame and annoyance at being caught out.

"That despicable woman!"

Qi Ji was momentarily embarrassed and awkward.

To be honest, he couldn't explain what happened either.

When facing the Red Kingdom's army, the battlefield was filled with arrows and spears, but he didn't feel anything. He charged forward and killed as he was told, and he didn't feel anything when he was injured.

But at this very moment, with someone holding a knife close to his side and trying to bleed him little by little, he instinctively resisted, his muscles tensing uncontrollably.

But this woman saw right through it!

Seeing this, Su Yanji smiled even more, but wisely refrained from further teasing.

She turned and instructed, "Zhuya, go and fetch that precious herb."

After speaking, Su Yanji took out a dagger from her sleeve. The scabbard was decorated with intricate cloud patterns, making it look exquisite.

"This is the 'Jade-Slaying Dagger' from Zhuotian Pavilion. It can cut through gold and jade as easily as cutting through rotten wood, and even ordinary precious armor cannot withstand it."

Su Yanji unsheathed the blade, which gleamed with a cold, clear light, and looked at Qi Ji.

"Lord White Deer, you'll take the precious medicine later. I'll handle the blood draw myself. I promise it'll be quick and won't hurt much."

Su Yanji spoke in a gentle tone, just like coaxing a child who was afraid to take medicine.

"..............."

Qi Ji could easily tell that this was a joke, and immediately felt looked down upon.

"Yo~!"

Qi Ji raised his head and let out a clear cry, his voice carrying a hint of determination and arrogance.

He doesn't like being looked down upon.

Taking the blood money was a deal that had already been agreed upon, and Qi Ji would not go back on his word.

"I just lost control and was inexperienced. Do you really think I'm afraid of pain? What's a little blood? I've charged through thousands of battles."

Qi Ji swept his entire body with energy, his fluffy tail stretched out and then curled up, so fast that it left afterimages.

Su Yanji suddenly felt her hand go empty as Qi Ji's tail wrapped around the broken jade dagger.

Qi Ji took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his body's instincts, keeping his muscles as relaxed and defenseless as possible, and then, gripping the dagger, he slashed it sharply at the target.

"Pfft~"

The sharp blade successfully pierced through the fur and the flesh beneath, cutting a gash about an inch long.

Crimson blood immediately gushed out.

(＞д＜)

Qi Ji suppressed the [Breath of Life] skill within his body, preventing it from being passively activated.

If the [Breath of Life] were allowed to operate freely, his wound, which he had painstakingly created, would probably heal on its own in less than two seconds.

"Yo!"

Qi Ji called out to Su Yanji, urging her to hurry up and get started.

Although somewhat surprised by Qi Ji's actions, Su Yanji reacted quickly, taking out a jade bottle from her sleeve and holding it below the wound.

Up close, a refreshing and subtle fragrance wafts over you; it's not strong, but it's deeply soothing.

Upon closer inspection under the sunlight, tiny specks of gold shimmered within the crimson blood, appearing as if fragments of gold were mixed into it as it flowed.

"As expected of the blood of a divine beast of heaven and earth..."

Su Yanji sighed softly, catching the food steadily in her hand, not daring to spill a single drop.

In no time, the three-inch bottle was filled.

Su Yanji had just put the jade bottle away when she saw Qi Ji's leg wound heal rapidly. In the blink of an eye, not a single scar could be found, and his fur was as smooth as ever.

Seeing this, Su Yanji sighed inwardly once again.

This kind of self-healing and regenerative power is truly unique in the world.

"President."

Just then, Zhu Ya ran over carrying a brocade box. She opened the lid, and inside was a medicinal herb radiating spiritual energy.

Qi Ji's eyes lit up, and he immediately stepped forward, lowered his head, and snatched the precious medicine in his mouth. After chewing it a few times, he swallowed it.

A gentle and mellow energy instantly melted within his body, flowing through his limbs and bones.

O(≧▽≦)O

A hint of satisfaction flashed in Qi Ji's golden eyes, and his tail swayed slightly involuntarily.

Su Yanji carefully sealed the jade bottle, tucked it into his bosom, and then looked up and smiled, "Now that the deal is done, let's head to Black Stone Fortress. I know that place; it will probably take you a lot of effort to find it yourself. I'll take you there."

Qi Ji was slightly taken aback.

This is different from the deal we discussed before; he never said he wanted her to see him off.

However, when the young monk Xuling learned that Su Yanji was willing to send them off, his eyes immediately lit up with joy, and he nodded repeatedly.

"That's wonderful, Benefactor Su, you are so kind!"

Xu Ling turned to Qi Ji, his face a mixture of expectation and helplessness: "Lord Bai Lu, Benefactor Su is kind enough to help us, so we shouldn't refuse. Besides, I really don't want to drive that carriage anymore; my bones are about to fall apart."

"................"

Qi Ji stared at the monk speechlessly and let out a soft groan.

The meaning is clear: "This time you don't need to take care of those children, you don't need to drive, you can run there."

At this moment, Xu Ling didn't know if she was on the same wavelength as Qi Ji, but she immediately understood what Qi Ji meant.

His face fell, and he pointed at the cloud-carriages of the Wanhua Chamber of Commerce.

"Lord Bailu, it's not that I'm lazy, it's just that this is the first time I've seen such an ingeniously crafted large mechanical vehicle. I'm really curious and longing to ride in it. If you have the chance, don't miss it. Besides, my master once said that it's not good to refuse someone's kindness by being cold to them. So let's agree to help Benefactor Su."

Qi Ji looked at the little monk Xu Ling with the same expression as a teenager seeing a novel toy in the marketplace.

Qi Ji sighed inwardly.

"Forget it, I don't know where Black Stone Fortress is anyway. I need someone to lead the way. It's good that Su Yanji is willing to help. At least she seems more reliable than this little ethereal monk."

"Yo~"

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

Next, Su Yanji began to arrange manpower.

Most of the guild members stayed in the town to look after the children, while the remaining elites went with her to Blackrock Fortress.

Half an hour later, an exquisite cloud-carriage slowly drove out of the town.

Because of his large size, Qi Ji did not get on the car, but slowly followed behind it, walking at a leisurely pace.

At the city gate and along the official road, countless passersby stopped to watch as the snow-white giant deer followed the carriage of the Wanhua Merchant Guild.

They were all dumbfounded.

This news quickly spread like wildfire, reaching every corner of the country through post stations, taverns, and passing merchant caravans.

Figures and groups of people gathered, following the trail.