The legend begins with becoming a white deer.

"Father, no, this can't be done!"

In the pavilion of the Imperial Garden, King Bilin paused slightly, looking at Yuan Yao's serious expression.

"Yao'er, what's wrong? Isn't Father's suggestion good? Don't you really like that white deer?"

"Yao'er likes Xiaobai, but..."

Yuan Yao hesitated for a moment, but still shook her head firmly: "Xiao Bai doesn't like being restrained, it will be unhappy if this happens."

"Restriction?"

King Bilin raised an eyebrow and chuckled, "How could that be? Father will provide it with the best fodder, the most comfortable dwelling, and assign dedicated servants to attend to it day and night. Whatever it wants to eat, Father will get it for it. With such good care, who would dare to restrain it?"

"But isn't that a form of constraint?"

Yuan Yao lowered her head, her voice low.

What she really wanted to say was that the so-called constraints were just like her own situation. She seemed to have a lot, but in reality, she had lost her most precious freedom. Otherwise, she wouldn't have run around and ended up being captured.

Yuan Yao felt she didn't like that feeling, and Qi Ji naturally wouldn't either.

Moreover, Qi Ji is different from her. As a mythical beast, he is naturally adapted to the mountain and forest environment. Yuan Yao felt that Qi Ji should live freely in the outside world and in nature, instead of living like her in a seemingly gorgeous but actually restrictive palace.

"Father, Little White doesn't like living in the palace. I wanted to bring it back in the first place, but it didn't want to. If you send someone to forcibly bring it to the palace, it will definitely resist, and then I won't like Father anymore."

Yuan Yao reached out her little hand and grabbed Bi Lin Wang's sleeve.

"Little White belongs to the mountains and forests. It should run freely among the green hills and clear waters so that it can be happy. Father, please don't catch it, okay?"

In the pavilion, King Bilin silently looked at his youngest daughter, and he could naturally see the determination and pleading in Yuan Yao's eyes.

With a complex sigh, King Bilin reached out and patted Yuan Yao's head, then remembered what Lin Qin had said to him earlier.

"You silly girl..."

King Bilin sighed deeply, a helpless yet indulgent smile on his face.

"Alright, alright, Father's previous decision is null and void. We won't send anyone to capture that white deer anymore. Is that alright?"

Bilin Wang gently scratched Yuan Yao's delicate nose with his hand.

"Thank you, Father! Father is the best!"

Upon hearing that her father had changed his mind, Yuan Yao jumped up with joy and then gave King Bilin a big kiss on the cheek.

King Bilin was amused by his daughter's sudden affection and laughed heartily. He reached out and ruffled Yuan Yao's hair, his face full of loving smiles.

Originally, capturing the white deer was just a casual idea of ​​his, not a necessary action. Since it would upset his youngest daughter, King Bilin naturally wouldn't stubbornly continue with it.

However, King Bilin did not know that although he had given up the idea of ​​capturing the white deer and bringing it back to the palace, it did not mean that others would give up.

After the news that King Bilin had bestowed the title of "Auspicious Beast" upon the white deer spread throughout the Bilin Kingdom, this magical white deer, which had saved many people from the flood, also came into the sights of various forces.

These forces don't care about what King Bilin thinks.

... ... ....

In the northwest of the Bilin Kingdom lies the Chi Kingdom, which borders it, separated by a mountain range.

The capital of the Red Kingdom was built on a vast Gobi Desert, with city walls made of huge black stones, exuding a rugged and fierce aura.

In the royal palace, the Red King sat on a throne covered with animal skins, drinking large gulps of strong liquor from a bowl. He was burly, with a full beard and fierce, wolf-like eyes.

This Red King has been on the throne for fifteen years.

He was savage and direct, believing in the supremacy of force and preferring to solve everything with his fists. Under his rule, the military strength of the Red Kingdom grew stronger day by day, but this also caused deep enmity with the neighboring Qingsu Kingdom and Xi Kingdom.

For fifteen years, war raged between the three kingdoms, and people were displaced.

The massive flood that swept through several countries not long ago appeared to be caused by the collapse of the Wanzhen Cang Dike, which was jointly caused by the three kingdoms of Qingsu, tide, and Chi. However, the real mastermind behind it all was the Chi King.

He secretly sent people to blow up the key parts of the dike, hoping to use the flood to defeat the armies of Qingsu and Xi in one fell swoop.

"What did you say? A white deer, an auspicious beast, has appeared in the Kingdom of Bilin?" The Red King put down his wine bowl, his sharp eyes fixed on the soldier who had brought the news below, his voice rough and hoarse.

"Your Majesty, it is absolutely true."

The soldier respectfully replied, "King Bilin has officially bestowed upon that white deer the title of auspicious beast. It is said that this white deer is intelligent and can walk on water, saving many people from floods. Moreover... it is not a domesticated animal of the Bilin royal family; it is a wild white deer."

"Wild?"

The Crimson King's eyes lit up immediately, and he slapped his thigh: "Great, fantastic!"

He stood up, his face revealing a greedy, determined look: "A mythical beast! Legend has it that when a mythical beast appears, it brings good fortune and ensures victory in battle. If this mythical beast had been by my side when the two kingdoms were flooded, I would have already chopped off the heads of the generals of Qingsu and Xi."

"Pass on my order: immediately select three hundred of the most elite warriors, skilled in stealth and hunting wild beasts, to infiltrate the Kingdom of Bilin and, at all costs, capture that auspicious white deer for me."

"Your Majesty, you mustn't!"

A general standing nearby quickly stepped forward to dissuade him, his face full of worry: "Just a few days ago, King Bilin sent a messenger to our capital, accusing us of destroying the Wanzhen Cang Dike and causing a great flood, and demanding that we compensate them for their losses. We have already fallen out with Qingsu and Xi Kingdoms. If we fall out with Bilin Kingdom as well, it will be very detrimental to our Chi Kingdom."

"unfavorable?"

The Crimson King sneered, his eyes filled with disdain.

"That white deer isn't even a member of the Bilin royal family. Why can they bestow a title upon it, but I can't capture it? As the king of the Crimson Kingdom, I must obtain what I desire."

He waved his hand sharply, his tone leaving no room for argument: "No need for further discussion, get on it immediately! Whoever can bring that white deer back alive, I will bestow upon him the title of Marquis of Ten Thousand Households."

Seeing the Red King's unyielding demeanor, the general could only sigh helplessly, bow, and accept the order before leaving.

... ... ...

At the same time, the Hong Kingdom in the north of the Bilin Kingdom also received the same news.

The royal palace of Hong Kingdom was completely different from that of Chi Kingdom, exuding exquisiteness and luxury in every aspect.

In a side hall of the inner palace, Queen Hong was sitting by the window, stroking a gentle white deer.

Her greatest hobby in life was raising deer, so she specially built a deer park in the palace, covering an area of ​​twenty or thirty acres, where she kept all kinds of deer. Among them, the most precious were the few white deer with snow-white fur that were by her side.

However, the white deer she raised, although their fur was white, were otherwise no different from ordinary sika deer and had no special abilities whatsoever.

"The auspicious white deer..."

The queen put down the mulberry leaf in her hand, her eyes filled with longing: "It understands human nature, has the power to walk on water, and can even save people in floods... This is the real white deer. Compared to it, the ones I raise are just ordinary mortals."

The more she thought about it, the more tempted she became, and she immediately got up to go find Prince Hong.

King Hong was handling state affairs in his study when he saw the Queen rushing in. He quickly put down his brush and asked with a smile, "My dear consort, what's wrong? Why are you in such a hurry?"

The Queen walked to King Hong's side, took his arm, and said coquettishly, "Your Majesty, have you heard? A white deer, an auspicious beast, has appeared in the Kingdom of Bilin! I want that white deer! You must help me bring it back!"

Upon hearing this, King Hong looked troubled: "My dear consort, I'm afraid this is not a good idea. That white deer is now a sacred beast of the Bilin Kingdom. If we rashly try to capture it, we will offend the Bilin Kingdom."

"What's wrong with it?"

The queen pouted: "That white deer isn't kept by their Bilin Kingdom's royal family; it's wild. Since it's wild, whoever catches it gets to keep it. Besides, I've raised so many deer, and all I'm missing is this one real auspicious beast. Your Majesty, please grant my request~"

Seeing the Queen's pitiful appearance, King Hong's heart softened immediately.

His most beloved person in his life was this queen, and he almost always obeyed her every whim.

He sighed helplessly, "Alright, alright, I really can't do anything with you. Since that white deer doesn't belong to the Bilin royal family, I might as well send someone to take a look. But I can't guarantee whether we can catch it."

"Thank you, Your Majesty! You are so kind!" The Queen immediately beamed and kissed the King on the cheek.

King Hong shook his head and then ordered a well-trained team to secretly travel to the Kingdom of Bilin to find the auspicious white deer.

Besides the neighboring countries of Chi and Hong, many other forces also had their own ideas after learning the news.

There were martial arts sects that coveted the white deer's supernatural powers of riding the waves, local powerful families who wanted to offer the white deer to the king in exchange for wealth and glory, and even some merchants who traveled all over the country who also had the idea of ​​capturing the white deer.

Even the head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) of the "Changfeng镖局" (Changfeng Escort Agency), who was currently escorting a batch of goods within the territory of Bilin Kingdom, couldn't help but stop drinking when he heard the guests in the tavern talking about the auspicious beast, the white deer, and a glint of shrewdness flashed in his eyes.