The legend begins with becoming a white deer.

The next day, as dawn broke, Qingxi Town on the border of Suyan Kingdom suddenly became lively.

A large group of people entered the town from the entrance, led by a cloud-carriage, followed by a large number of bodyguards and martial arts practitioners with swords at their sides, their expressions grim.

A long line followed in the middle, with more than a hundred children of all ages. Some timidly tugged at the clothes of the person in front of them, while others looked around nervously with a hint of curiosity.

There were originally more than two hundred stone sculptures of children, but because it was too inconvenient to transport and move them, the group decided to temporarily hide them in the ruins of Blackstone Castle. After destroying the human traffickers' headquarters and rescuing all the children inside, they would be buried together at the end.

The passersby on both sides of the street were all stunned when they saw this large group of people entering the town.

"Where did these people come from? There are quite a few of them, and they don't look like ordinary people."

"They're probably martial arts practitioners who've traveled all over the country and mingled in the martial arts world. Didn't you see those guys with knives? They all look like you can't mess with them."

"Why are there so many children?"

"Could they be child traffickers? They don't seem like it. Who would brazenly walk around with a child?"

A low murmur arose from the crowd.

Before they could discuss it for long, a huge white deer walked into Qingxi Town from the back of the group, and the noise immediately stopped.

"My goodness, look! What a huge white deer! No, this white deer is so beautiful! Wow, look at its antlers, and it even has golden stripes on its body!"

The common people who did not know Qi Ji were filled with horror.

A deer of this size, with white skin and gold stripes, looks exceptionally noble; it's simply unheard of.

A very few discerning individuals who recognized Qi Ji gasped in shock, their hearts pounding.

Could this be... the White Deer, the eleventh spirit beast in the world that has been making headlines lately?!

... ... ...

As soon as Su Yanji entered the town, he booked the largest restaurant in town, Qingxi Restaurant.

The three courtyards, including the woodshed and empty rooms in the back, were all cleared out to house the rescued children.

"For those whose parents are still alive, I will find out their addresses one by one and send someone to take them home."

She stood on the steps in the courtyard and announced to everyone, "If any of you are orphans and homeless, the Wanhua Merchant Guild will take you in. From now on, the guild will take care of all your needs, including food, clothing, shelter, and transportation."

"President Su's gesture is truly commendable; I admire it!"

"I was just worried about what would happen to these kids. As expected of Chairman Su, you've thought of everything."

"This is a great act of kindness, Chairman Su. Like I said, if you ever need anything, just let me know, and I'll be happy to help!"

The group of martial arts practitioners who followed him all praised him.

Most people who roam the martial arts world are hot-tempered, quick to avenge wrongs, and skilled at fighting and killing. However, they are rarely good at taking care of their families, handling the aftermath, and managing trivial matters. But that doesn’t mean they are unaware of the importance of such things.

Su Yanji's move has resolved their concerns.

Xu Ling stood to the side, hands clasped together, and softly chanted a Buddhist mantra, his eyes filled with admiration.

Qi Ji squatted in the small garden on the side of the restaurant, munching on the tender grass that had just been picked, his heart not feeling much.

Whether in a past life or this one, those with power, influence, and wealth are always able to accomplish more.

At the same time, Qi Ji also remembered that at dawn, Shu Si brought the two children to say goodbye to him.

"This clone won't last much longer. I'm sorry, I need to take the child back to my main body first. But I'll also be going to the human traffickers' headquarters later."

"Yo~"

Qi Jilu cried out, his meaning simple: he was reminding Shu Si to remember not to forget to come looking for him later.

In truth, what Qi Ji really coveted were the six precious medicinal plants from Shu Si's place, but he didn't expect to miss out on such a benefit.

Shu Si seemed to see through Qi Ji's thoughts and couldn't help but chuckle: "Don't worry, I will definitely come to find you. This is related to the injuries of my main body, and I will never forget it. Be careful on your side too. Don't underestimate the strong among humans. As one of the ten major sects among humans, Wanfo Temple has far more powerful people than the human strong people you have encountered in the past."

After saying that, Shu Si spread her sleeves, her body transformed into a wisp of dark blue smoke, wrapped the two children, and leaped into the woods, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

... ... ...

Inside the restaurant, Su Yanji arranged for everyone to rest for half an hour before setting off again.

Qi Ji, on the other hand, was not tired at all. With his current physique, he could stay energetic even if he stayed up for three days and three nights without having fought a battle.

Qi Ji didn't know where the Qingliao section of the Wanzhen Cangdi was, so he could only wait for the main group to lead the way.

Suddenly, Qi Jilu's ears twitched, and it stopped leisurely munching on grass, turning its head to look at the corridor not far away.

He saw that the little monk Xuling was facing away from him, talking to the girl who had told him about his master's whereabouts the night before.

"Little Master, you don't look much older than me. Won't it be dangerous to go to those bad guys' hideout?" The girl's voice was soft and filled with worry.

Xu Ling raised his hand and touched the Buddhist beads around his neck, speaking with the seriousness of a little adult: "Although I am only twelve years old, I have been practicing Buddhism since I was a child, and now I am capable of fighting against ordinary first-rate masters. You don't need to worry, young lady. Moreover, at dawn I had Lord Bai Lu accompany me back to the underground palace of Black Stone Fortress to search it, but we did not find my master's remains. Duan Chi also confessed that he had never seen any other monks come here."

He paused, then lowered his voice: "So, barring any unforeseen circumstances, my master is probably being held at headquarters. I have to go there no matter what."

Of course, the ethereal being had considered the worst-case scenario.

We cannot give up until we find the body.

Looking at his stubborn expression, the girl gently bit her lip: "Then you must take good care of yourself. I'm still hoping you'll come back safely and help me find my brother."

"Speak," the girl said, lowering her head slightly and speaking in a slightly shy voice, "By the way, my name is Lin Sui'er."

"My Buddhist name is Xuling."

Xu Ling nodded emphatically, his face open and honest, the certainty of a monk written all over his face: "A monk does not lie. I have made this promise to you. As long as I can return alive, I will definitely keep my word."

Upon hearing this, Lin Sui'er felt a little relieved, grabbed her skirt, and ran upstairs.

The spirit stood still, silently watching Lin Sui'er's back, and only turned around after a full minute.

As he turned his head, he saw Qi Ji lying on the grass not far away, his golden deer eyes looking at him playfully.

(* ￣︶￣)

For some reason, even though it was a deer, Xu Ling could read a hint of mischief in its eyes, which made his cheeks flush.

"Lord White Deer!"

The young monk Xuling was both ashamed and annoyed, and quickly walked over.

"How dare you eavesdrop on people's conversations? That's incredibly rude of you."

"Yo~"

Qi Ji raised his eyelids slightly, letting out a low deer-like cry through his nose, tinged with obvious amusement.

"I wasn't eavesdropping, it's just that my ears are too good, it's hard not to hear."

Qi Ji called out to Xu Ling again, and gently swept the ground with the tip of its tail, the meaning of which couldn't be clearer.

"Little monk, you'll probably have to leave the monastic life someday."

Xu Ling wasn't Shu Si and couldn't accurately understand Qi Ji's meaning, but she inexplicably felt that these words must be embarrassing for her. Her face turned even redder, and she muttered, "This humble monk is not talking to you anymore," before turning around and running away quickly.

Half an hour passed in the blink of an eye.

In this short period of time, Su Yanji, together with several merchants on this trip, spent a lot of money to purchase more than fifty carriages and temporarily hired more than a dozen reliable women to take care of the children.

She had intended for her own people to take care of her.

Last night, I sent a message by carrier pigeon to my maid, Zhuya, asking her to bring people over.

However, the town where Qi Ji met was at least a day and a half away from Suyan Kingdom. The human traffickers' headquarters couldn't be delayed any longer; anything could go wrong if they waited too long. They had no choice but to make do for now.

Several businessmen who accompanied the group also stayed behind to help with the arrangements.

Just in case, Su Yanji also left behind the five members of the Five Forms Guard who were originally responsible for protecting her safety to guard Qingxi Town and protect these children.

To be honest, Qi Ji was a little surprised when he heard about this arrangement.

Needless to say, the human trafficking headquarters is extremely dangerous, and Su Yanji actually dared to leave her personal bodyguard behind; that takes extraordinary courage.

Of course, these are other people's opinions, and Qi Ji has no say in them.

Soon, the team set off again.

More than fifty horse-drawn carriages drove out of the town one after another, each carriage carrying six or seven people.

The group heading to Wanzhen Cangdi consisted of nearly two hundred people, which was significantly less than the maximum capacity of a horse-drawn carriage.

The reason for bringing so many carriages was not to show off, but because the human traffickers' headquarters might be holding even more children, so it would be easier to take them away after they were rescued.

... ... ...

In the cloud-carriage at the very front, the three elders of Xishan sat on either side, their expressions solemn.

"President Su."

The elder at the head spoke in a deep voice: "If the Wanfo Temple, one of the ten great sects, is truly behind this group of human traffickers, then the defenses at the Xuan Yin Grotto are far superior to those at Black Stone Fortress. Our two hundred men might not be enough."

"Of course I know that."

Su Yanji sat in the main seat and smiled slightly: "But our true reliance on this trip has never been our numbers."

She looked up, her gaze passing through the car window and landing on the white figures strolling leisurely alongside the convoy outside.

"Our true and strongest reliance is the spirit beast, the white deer."

The three elders of Xishan exchanged a glance and nodded silently.

They still vividly remember the overwhelming pressure of life they felt last night.

With the eleventh supreme spirit beast in the world possessing such combat power, the number of people is truly secondary.

Su Yanji tapped the table lightly with his fingertips: "Last night I worked through the night to sort out all the confessions I had pried out of Duan Chi and the evil monk. I have a pretty good grasp of the terrain, defenses, and manpower of the Xuan Yin Grottoes. I have also figured out the action plan. Whether it succeeds or not depends not on us, but on Lord Bai Lu."

"Oh?" The three elders looked curious.

The elder at the head couldn't help but ask, "Excuse my boldness, but how come Chairman Su is so familiar with the white deer spirit beast?"

"We met a few times before by chance, so we're friends."

Su Yanji spoke casually, but to the three elders of Xishan, it was no ordinary matter.

The three elders all showed a hint of envy on their faces.

To be able to befriend a spirit beast is a kind of good fortune that not everyone has.

Su Yanji suddenly changed the subject and said with a smile, "Speaking of which, I still have some white deer blood on hand."

Upon hearing this, the three elders were startled. The blood of the spirit beast white deer!

"I know a grandmaster of alchemy who, if combined with rare medicinal herbs, can refine a batch of top-grade pills that prolong life."

Su Yanji looked at the three of them and said calmly, "So, seniors, if you are willing to join my Wanhua Merchant Guild, you will naturally have a share in the future matters concerning pills."

The three elders of Xishan were stunned for a moment, then a glint of light flashed in their eyes.

Su Yanji's move was clearly an attempt to recruit them.

But the three elders of Xishan did not object.

They were already nearing the end of their lives, which is why they had the idea of ​​obtaining the blood of the white deer. Now they can achieve their goal without doing anything and even join a major merchant guild. Why not?

"President Su, if you don't mind that we three are old and useless, we three brothers are willing to serve you like dogs and horses!"

Outside the convoy, Qi Ji strolled leisurely, his deer ears twitching slightly.

He heard every word of the conversation inside the cloud-carriage.

Qi Ji immediately rolled his eyes.

"This Su Yanji is truly a businessman. No wonder he was willing to leave the Five Form Guards behind. It turns out he's recruiting soldiers here. The key is that what he's using to win over others is my blood."

Qi Ji muttered to himself.

Was the amount of blood given to Su Yanji back then too cheap?

If I had known, I should have asked for one more precious herb.