The legend begins with becoming a white deer.

Deep in the mountains and forests, a snow-white fawn was leaning against a big tree, panting heavily.

"Finally...finally...we're rid of those two wolves...thank goodness, I was so scared!"

Qi Ji was so exhausted that his limbs were trembling, and it felt like his lungs were stuffed with a ball of burning red cotton, making each breath a burning pain.

This was the first time in his life, including his previous one, that he had escaped death. The intense stimulation of life and death, combined with the sustained burst of energy after his physical enhancement, had exhausted all his strength. Now, all he wanted to do was collapse on the ground, close his eyes, and sleep soundly until the end of time. He didn't even want to eat a single blade of grass.

"No, I can't sleep yet."

Qi Ji shook his deer head violently, his reason holding back his body's instincts.

He was surrounded by an unfamiliar forest. If he fell asleep and then passed by a carnivore, all his hard-won escape from death would be for nothing.

Just then, icy rain fell from the sky, hitting his white fur. A chill ran through him, and Qi Ji immediately shivered. He forced himself to stay awake and found a small tree hole nearby where he could shelter from the rain and where there were plenty of green plants.

"Let's rest here for now."

The warmth of the tree hollow made Qi Ji breathe a slight sigh of relief, and his trembling limbs gradually calmed down.

During the previous life-or-death chase, he clearly felt the wolf's claws grazing his hind legs. It was truly a matter of life and death, and Qi Ji still felt his heart pound just thinking about it.

Fortunately, it was all over for the time being, but the relief of surviving the ordeal didn't last two seconds before a wave of annoyance arose in Qi Ji's heart.

Because he has now separated from the herd of deer.

Although Qi Ji has undergone systematic physical enhancement and his running speed and endurance are now comparable to those of an adult deer, the importance of the deer herd still remains.

Qi Ji wasn't stupid. The reason he was able to escape was not only because his mother intercepted him, but also because there were only three wolves.

One of them even stopped the pursuit after catching his unfortunate brother.

If he were to encounter another pack of wolves, four or five at once, Qi Ji wouldn't be entirely confident of escaping. With the herd of deer around, there would be some protection, at least enough to draw some of the attention away from the predators.

Although thinking this way is a bit selfish, Qi Ji can only choose the option with the highest guarantee of survival, after all, he is just a little deer right now.

"I wish I could grow a year older."

Qi Ji looked at his own body, which was about the size of a medium-sized dog and rather thin. In the natural food chain, this was not much of a threat.

However, Qi Ji was not too discouraged. Although he was still young, this experience had fully shown him that the physical enhancement brought by the 100 spiritual points from the system was a real and tangible effect.

As long as he can grow up smoothly, and with the strengthening of his physique, he will eventually be able to face those carnivores with sharp teeth and claws and strong bodies without fear.

"But there's no use thinking about this now. Let's get some sleep first and try to find the deer herd again tomorrow."

The rain outside was getting heavier and heavier. Qi Ji's tense nerves could no longer hold on. He closed his eyes, and an intense feeling of exhaustion immediately overwhelmed his consciousness, causing him to fall into a deep sleep.

... ... ...

He slept soundly all night, and the rain outside continued to fall all night until the sky began to lighten and the morning dew mixed with the scent of fresh grass after the rain drifted into the tree hollow, at which point the pattering rain finally stopped.

Qi Ji opened his eyes, and the next second, an overwhelming feeling of hunger swept over his consciousness.

Without saying a word, Qi Ji immediately began to gnaw on the surrounding green plants.

That's the advantage of herbivores; as long as there are forests, they don't have to worry about going hungry, unlike carnivores, who, although powerful, often go hungry one day and have a full meal the next.

After eating a lot of green plants, Qi Ji also drank a lot of the morning dew.

"Spirit Points +1"

As the feeling of fullness arose within him, a beautiful voice from the system rang in Qi Ji's mind.

In the past, the feeling upon hearing this voice wasn't very strong; at most, it carried a sense of anticipation. But after escaping death yesterday, Qi Ji now feels several times more anticipation and longing for the future when he hears this voice again.

"I don't need to worry about lifespan for now; my safety is my top priority. At my current rate of development, I need to eat again about 3-4 hours after I'm full each day. Subtracting the time I need to sleep, I can gain 3-4 spiritual points a day if things go smoothly. If I calculate it at 3 points, I can undergo another physical enhancement in a little over a month."

A sense of anticipation rose in Qi Ji's heart, and his steps became lighter; days with something to look forward to were truly different.

After filling our stomachs, it was time to get down to business—finding the deer herd.

If it were an ordinary three-month-old fawn, separated from its herd and spending the night in an unfamiliar forest, it would be panicking and spinning around in circles, unable to do anything but moan, and would eventually become food for carnivores.

But Qi Ji was different. He possessed human consciousness, reason, and the ability to think. He clearly remembered the general direction in which the deer herd had fled yesterday.

"It should be in that direction."

Qi Ji confirmed the wind direction and the location of the sunlight, went through yesterday's route in his mind, and quickly locked onto the location where the deer herd was most likely to go.

Instead of rushing forward, he slowed his pace and walked carefully.

The two deer's ears kept twitching, constantly capturing any movement around them. Their noses were also constantly sniffing every scent in the air, trying to detect the presence of the herd while remaining vigilant against other animals that might threaten them.

Speaking of which, the sense of smell is one of the biggest differences between humans and animals.

During his time as a deer, Qi Ji had long since become accustomed to the body's keen sense of smell.

Although it's unclear whether a sika deer's sense of smell or a dog's is better, Qi Ji's sense of smell is enough to help him distinguish many things.

After walking cautiously for almost half an hour, Qi Ji's nose suddenly caught a very peculiar scent.

"Hmm? What is this? Why does it smell so... tempting?"

That's right, it's all about enticing, or more accurately, luring deer.

Qi Ji wrinkled his deer nose hard. He smelled an aroma that tantalized his body with an intense desire. His instincts were screaming wildly, as if urging him to find it and devour it.

Even the Spirit Pearl within his body reacted somewhat. Qi Ji had a vague feeling that the source of this scent was related to the Spirit Pearl.

If he eats it, he should get significantly more Spirit Points than if he ate ordinary grass to fill his stomach.

"That's the direction..."

Qi Ji turned his head and looked in a certain direction. He hesitated for only two seconds, but his reason could not overcome the strong desire coming from his body.

Qi Ji decided to go and take a look.

He slowed his pace, lowered his body, and, using the bushes as cover, carefully made his way towards the direction from which the scent was coming.

The further you go, the clearer the scent becomes, and the stronger the longing grows.

When he pushed aside the last vine blocking his way, the sight before him stunned him instantly.

"This is a human house!"

At the edge of the dense forest, there was a small cabin made of wood and thatch, with a fence surrounding the small yard. Faint smoke was still rising from the chimney, and the scent that he craved so desperately was coming from this cabin.

Humans?!

Qi Ji's hair stood on end instantly, and he subconsciously took half a step back, hiding behind the vines.

During the time he traveled here, he had been following deer herds in the mountains and forests, and had never seen any humans. He didn't even know what kind of world he had traveled to.

Is it modern?

Or is it ancient times?

If this were modern times, his snow-white sika deer would definitely be a nationally protected animal. If he were discovered, he might be taken directly to a zoo, where he would be sheltered from the wind and rain, have fresh grass to eat every day, have no worries about food and drink, and never have to fear wolves, insects, tigers, or leopards again. It would be a paradise where he could just lie down and relax.

But if it were ancient times... Qi Ji's heart skipped a beat.

In ancient times, white deer were considered auspicious animals and were hunted as tribute by high-ranking officials and even the royal family. If they were lucky, they would be kept in captivity; if they were unlucky, they might be hunted to death and not even be able to save their lives.

He suppressed his anxiety, held his breath, and sniffed the air intently, carefully distinguishing the scents for a long time.

There was indeed a human presence in the house, but only one, very faint, with no other human scent. There were also no signs of hunting dogs or other livestock in the yard. The surroundings were quiet, with no unusual activity except for birdsong and the sound of the wind. For the time being, it seemed safe.

Qi Ji hid behind the vines, looking at the small wooden house, his mind in turmoil.

On one hand, there was an ingrained wariness of humans as apex predators; on the other hand, there was that irresistible scent that tantalized his senses, and his curiosity about this world.

He desperately wanted to know the era he was in, and he also desperately wanted to know what it was that could give him such a strong response from the Spirit Pearl.

After hesitating for a long time, Qi Ji finally made up his mind. He carefully emerged from behind the vines, tiptoed, and slowly made his way towards the human hut...