The legend begins with becoming a white deer.

Qi Ji stepped into the courtyard, his dark, deer-like eyes scanning the entire area warily.

The path underfoot is paved with smooth bluestone slabs. There are piles of chopped firewood in the corner of the wall, an old stone mill on the west side, and a stone table and benches under the old locust tree in the corner of the courtyard.

As far as the eye can see, there are only simple wooden and stone artifacts.

There was no cement-paved ground, no gleaming metal pipes, not a trace of plastic products, let alone wires and streetlights—things ubiquitous in modern society.

"So...human society in this world is biased towards ancient times?"

The thought had just formed in Qi Ji's mind when a very faint sound came from the direction of the main house.

The intermittent, trembling voice, filled with grievance, was the little girl's crying.

Qi Ji listened with a heart full of doubt.

"Is the human scent I'm smelling a little girl?"

Qi Ji lightly hoofed his way toward the main house.

The further he walked, the clearer the crying became, and the scent that had drawn him there grew stronger and richer.

When Qi Ji reached the door, he found that the heavy solid wood door was not locked at all, but only slightly ajar, leaving a gap that allowed him to squeeze through sideways.

Qi Ji paused, his deer ears twitching warily. After confirming that there was no other sound from inside except for the little girl's suppressed sobs, he gently pushed open the wooden door with his head.

The door hinges made a very soft creaking sound, and the scene inside the room came into his view.

The furniture was all solid wood, with an intricately carved eight-immortal table and two chairs. A wooden shelf stood against the wall, displaying a variety of miscellaneous tools. There was not a trace of modern furniture, which completely confirmed his earlier conjecture about ancient society.

A little girl was tied to the pillar in the very center of the house.

She looked no more than five or six years old, wearing a brocade jacket embroidered with lotus patterns. The fabric was luxurious and the colors were elegant, clearly indicating that she was not from an ordinary family.

Her jet-black hair, styled in two buns, was now mostly loose. Her slender white arms and waist were tightly bound to the pillar with thick hemp rope. Her small body was curled up in a ball, her face covered with tears, and she was sobbing softly.

The little girl's crying stopped abruptly the moment the wooden door creaked open.

She looked up, her big, teary eyes wide open, tears clinging to her eyelashes, staring blankly at the white fawn that had suddenly wandered in.

The little girl's crying expression was quickly replaced by surprise.

Looking at her like this, Qi Ji thought to himself, "Could this be a kidnapping by robbers? Or a case of human trafficking?"

These questions flashed through Qi Ji's mind for a moment, but he was soon drawn to the smell in the room.

On the table inside the room were three potted plants, each containing a blooming white snow lotus.

The petals are as white as jade, layer upon layer, with a faint glow at the edges. It is clearly an extraordinary flower and a rare and precious medicine. The fragrance that attracted Qi Ji was emanating from here.

"This is it."

Qi Ji suppressed his inner desire and quickly looked around the room again.

The room was empty. Apart from the little girl who was tied up and unable to resist, there was no sign of life, let alone any lurking danger.

Confirmed, there is no danger.

Without further hesitation, Qi Ji pushed off the ground with all four hooves and instantly rushed to the table. He stretched his neck, opened his deer mouth, and accurately snatched one of the blooming snow lotuses. With a little force, he bit off the whole flower, chewed it twice, and swallowed it.

Soon, a warm and powerful energy surged down his throat and into his limbs. Even though Qi Ji wasn't hungry at all, he could clearly feel the warmth spreading through his body, and every pore on his body seemed to open up instantly.

"Spirit Points +35"

A systemic voice appeared in my mind.

Upon hearing this, Qi Ji's eyes immediately lit up with surprise.

As expected, his instincts were right; the snow lotus was useful to him and could also increase his spiritual energy points.

Overjoyed, he disregarded everything else and immediately picked up the remaining two snow lotuses and ate them.

"Spirit Points +31"

"Spirit Points +32"

Including the 1 point of spiritual energy gained after waking up and eating in the morning, Qi Ji has now accumulated 99 points of spiritual energy, and is only 1 point away from the next physical enhancement.

Qi Ji squinted comfortably, feeling both happy and physically.

The pure energy transformed from the three snow lotuses seeped into every inch of his flesh and blood, making him feel an indescribable sense of comfort throughout his body. He felt that his four legs had become stronger than before.

He was overjoyed, filled with indescribable satisfaction.

Not only can precious medicine increase spiritual energy points, but its own effects can also nourish the body and strengthen muscles and bones. In this way, it is much more cost-effective than eating a full meal and increasing spiritual energy points little by little.

The only pity is that this precious medicine is clearly not something that can be found everywhere in the forest. It belongs to rare and exotic plants that are hard to come by, and it may not be easy to find it again.

In high spirits, Qi Ji finally remembered the little girl who was still tied up in the house.

He turned his head and saw that the little girl had stopped crying completely and was staring at him with her round almond-shaped eyes, her eyes full of undisguised curiosity.

Her little face still bore traces of tears, her nose was red, and her big, watery eyes made her look incredibly pitiful.

Qi Ji trotted over and circled around her.

Upon closer inspection, although the fabric of the little girl's clothes clearly indicated that she was from a wealthy family, it was definitely not modern clothing.

Qi Ji sighed inwardly, "It seems that, barring any unforeseen circumstances, this world truly is an ancient one. It's a pity that my dream of becoming a protected animal and lying down is now gone."

He was a little disappointed, but not much, since he had still gained three precious medicines this time.

Qi Ji's gaze fell on the hemp rope binding the little girl. The knot was not complicated and would not be difficult to untie.

Seeing the little girl's red, swollen eyes, Qi Ji felt a pang of sympathy.

Although she is human, a little girl shouldn't be a big deal.

Qi Ji leaned forward, and under the girl's slightly tense but unwavering gaze, he precisely bit one end of the rope with his deer-like mouth and suddenly pulled his head back.

With a "snap," the knot loosened, and the hemp rope that had bound the little girl for so long fell to the ground.

The little girl stared at the rope lying on the ground, then at the deer in front of her, her big eyes wide with surprise.

The little girl took a step forward and subconsciously reached out her little hand, wanting to touch Qi Ji's fluffy head.

Qi Ji instinctively became wary, and with a push of his four hooves, he jumped back two steps, avoiding her hand.

He wasn't here to meddle; he already had the Snow Lotus and his Spirit Points had increased, so there was no need for him to stay any longer.

"Little girl, your ropes have been untied. Now it's up to you."

Qi Ji shook his ears, turned around and ran outside.

"Ah, wait a minute!"

A little girl's soft, urgent voice called out from behind.