The legend begins with becoming a white deer.

Blood Blade's men had already been routed by Qi Ji's earlier actions, causing their formation to collapse and putting them at a disadvantage.

Now, with the appearance of more than a dozen experts from the Qingyang Dao Sect, it has become the last straw that broke the camel's back.

Swords flashed, and Taoist robes fluttered.

In less than two minutes, the shouts of battle completely subsided.

All the Blood Blade henchmen who stubbornly resisted fell into the turbid floodwaters, their blood staining the water's surface a dark red.

A shirtless man, seeing the situation was not good, tried to swim away. He had only swum a few feet when an old Taoist priest with white hair and a youthful face, standing on the roof, pointed at him from a distance.

"laugh"

A condensed, sword-like azure energy burst forth, silently piercing his heart.

The shirtless man froze, fell straight into the water, and was swept away by the flood in the blink of an eye.

"Master Changchunzi, thank you for saving our lives! Our...our leader is still fighting to the death with Blood Blade himself. That demon is extremely ferocious. Please, Master, come and help us quickly!" A guard from the Bilin Kingdom, whose left arm had been severed at the shoulder, kowtowed deeply to the old Taoist priest, pleading for help.

The old Taoist priest, known as Changchunzi, lightly swept his whisk and said calmly, "No need."

He looked up towards the direction deep within the town where the breathing had subsided, and said calmly, "Blood Blade is dead."

As soon as he finished speaking, his gaze shifted, passing over the crowd, and landed on the striking white figure in the floodwaters.

Qi Ji stood alone in the three-meter-deep torrent, his snow-white fur resembling falling snow under the gloomy sky, forming a stark contrast with the surrounding murky water.

As soon as Changchunzi's gaze fell upon it, the other disciples of Qingyang Dao Sect and the guards of the other Bilin Kingdom also followed his gaze.

"It's that white deer!"

Someone recognized him immediately.

"It was it that suddenly rushed out and killed several of Blood Blade's men, giving us the upper hand."

Amid the gasps of amazement, there was also an undisguised sense of doubt.

"But... how can a deer stand so steadily in floodwaters? And how can it be so fast? I saw it chasing people through the water with my own eyes before, and its hooves barely sank in."

"The world is vast and full of wonders. Throughout history, the spiritual energy of mountains and rivers has naturally given birth to many rare and exotic beasts. This white deer is extraordinary and must be a rare species born with extraordinary power."

Amidst the murmurs, Changchunzi lightly touched the ground with his toes, his figure rising gracefully like a willow catkin.

His movements were incredibly graceful. He stepped on the undulating waves and floating logs, and in a few leaps he traversed dozens of feet of water, landing silently on a half-submerged log in front of Qi Ji and Lin Qin.

A hint of surprise flashed in Qi Jilu's eyes.

"This old Taoist's jumping ability is amazing!"

Having witnessed the battle between Xue Dao and Lin Qin, Qi Ji had already seen the so-called lightness skill, but compared to Chang Chunzi at this moment, they were nothing.

Qi Ji felt that Chang Chunzi's explosive jumping power was no less than his own.

You should know that it has four legs, while humans only have two.

Qi Ji was momentarily surprised by the level of lightness skill that martial arts practitioners among humans could achieve.

What also made him shudder was that he sensed an aura from this seemingly otherworldly old Taoist priest that was several times more powerful than the Blood Blade.

It was a sense of oppressive stability, like that of a mountain, which made his muscles tense instinctively, even though the other party did not show any hostility.

Just in case, Qi Ji didn't plan to stay here any longer.

Before Changchunzi could utter a single word, he suddenly turned around, his four hooves pounding the water, and like a white gust of wind, he sped off towards the outskirts of town.

Changchunzi stood on the broken log and did not try to stop them.

He draped his whisk over his arm, his eyes filled with a mixture of curiosity and scrutiny as he quietly watched Qi Ji's retreating figure as he walked through the water, until the white silhouette disappeared into the distant rain before letting out a soft sigh.

"The world is indeed full of wonders. Apart from the Ice Soul White Tiger in the Frosty River, this is the first time I have seen a strange beast that can run so freely on the water."

After saying that, Changchunzi turned around, looked at Linqin, whose face was as pale as paper, and nodded slightly: "Young friend Lin, we meet again. How have you been?"

"Master Changchunzi."

Lin Qin forced herself to stand up straight and bowed with her hands clasped.

... ... ...

Qi Ji was extremely fast, and he rushed out of the town's boundaries in just two minutes.

He waded through the water and arrived at the place where he had previously hidden the wooden basket containing the baby.

The baby in the basket was fast asleep, its little face rosy, its little mouth still unconsciously smacking, and a tiny raindrop clinging to its long eyelashes. It was completely unaware of the fierce battle that had just taken place in the town.

Qi Ji looked at the baby's peaceful sleeping face, a complex expression flashing in his deer-like eyes.

He turned to look at the town behind him, shrouded in floodwaters and rain.

"I almost forgot about the important matter."

Qi Ji was so focused on avoiding the unfathomable Chang Chunzi that he forgot that the reason he brought this child with him was to find a human to whom he could entrust his care.

Lin Qin was a royal guard of the Bilin Kingdom, and his status was not low. It was perfectly feasible to hand the baby over to him, not to mention that she had just saved his life.

And then there's this group from the Qingyang Dao Sect.

Although Qi Ji was wary of Changchunzi, he was only wary of the other party's strength. In truth, the other party should also be someone to whom this baby could be entrusted.

With that thought in mind, Qi Ji no longer hesitated.

He lowered his head, picked up the wooden basket, turned around, and jumped back towards the town.

... ... ...

They are currently in town.

Lin Qin was bandaging his wounds with the help of his subordinates. He was in very poor condition, with more than a dozen wounds of varying sizes all over his body. The deepest wound even had the bone faintly visible.

"Chief, hold on, just a little longer, and we'll take you back to Jinhua City for treatment soon."

Changchunzi stood aside, his brows furrowed, carefully examining Linqin's complexion. He said in a deep voice, "It's very serious. Your injuries have damaged the foundation of your martial arts. If you don't strengthen your foundation in time, let alone return to the royal city, you probably won't last three days. Even if you survive by chance, your cultivation will be difficult to improve in the future, and there is even a risk of regression."

As he spoke, he took out a jade bottle from his bosom, uncorked it, and poured out three pure white pills that emitted a faint medicinal fragrance.

"This is the Nine-Flower Qi-Nourishing Pill from my Qingyang Dao Sect. It is most effective in healing injuries, restoring Qi, and stabilizing the foundation. Take one pill first, and then take one of the remaining two pills each day. Your injuries should stabilize in three days."

"Nine-Flower Nourishing Essence Pill?"

A hint of surprise flashed in Lin Qin's eyes, clearly indicating that she had heard of the renowned name of this pill. She quickly cupped her hands in thanks, saying, "This is a priceless treasure of your sect. Daoist Master, you are so generous. Lin Qin..."

Before he could finish speaking, a white figure darted out of the rain and landed in front of everyone.

The guards around them were startled and instinctively drew their weapons. When they saw that the newcomer was the white deer that had just left in a hurry, they all froze on the spot.

Qi Ji placed the wooden basket gently on the ground with it in his mouth.

"Yo"

Qi Ji looked up and called softly to Lin Qin and Chang Chunzi, then gently pushed the cradle with his deer hoof.

Curious, everyone crowded around to take a look and saw an infant lying in a cradle.

Everyone looked at the baby, then at the white deer. What was going to happen...?