The legend begins with becoming a white deer.

In a wide valley deep in the mountains, the vegetation had been trampled flat, and a desolate atmosphere permeated the air.

In the center of the valley, an exceptionally tall figure stood motionless.

It was a woman, about two meters tall, with broad shoulders and a thick back. Her muscles were taut and firm, and her torso was covered in rough, tanned leather armor. Her forearms were covered with old scars.

In her right hand she held a crescent-shaped scythe, its blade gleaming with a cold, sharp light, and the sharpest point even bore a few dark brown bloodstains that had not been wiped clean.

Her long, jet-black hair was casually tied back. If you only looked at her angular face with high brow bones and her strong physique, no one would mistake her for a woman at first glance, but rather a burly man.

Her eyes were closed, her breathing was deep and slow, and the more than three hundred armored soldiers around her, armed with swords, spears and halberds, also held their breath and walked very quietly. The only sound in the valley was the rustling of leaves in the wind.

This person is none other than Chi Lan, a female general in the Red Kingdom army known for her decisive and ruthless tactics.

A moment later, a rapid whooshing sound came from the depths of the forest, and dozens of figures leaped over, their movements swift and silent as they landed, kneeling on one knee before Chi Lan.

"General!"

The leading man spoke in a deep voice: "We have searched all three mountain valleys on the west and northwest sides, thoroughly examining the area within a radius of more than ten miles, but we have not found any trace of the auspicious white deer."

Chi Lan suddenly opened her eyes, her gaze sharp as a knife.

Her voice was deep, unlike the delicate voice of an ordinary woman; instead, it had a rough, metallic quality: "If there's nothing on the west and northwest, then go to the north and northeast and continue searching."

Upon hearing this, someone below hesitated and said, "General, we've been searching for three days and haven't even seen a trace of a deer... Could we be going in the wrong direction?"

"impossible."

Chi Lan's tone was resolute.

"The people in Blackstone Town have already interrogated the White Deer. The last footprints of the White Deer were heading towards this mountain range. However, this mountain range stretches for more than a hundred miles, with dense forests and complex terrain, so they can only gradually narrow their path inward."

She paused, her long scythe tapping lightly on the ground, stirring up fine dust: "That's settled then. Send another twenty squads to continue searching in the north and northeast. Once a trace of the white deer is found, immediately fire the Cloud Piercing Arrow to send a message. No one is allowed to take action without authorization."

"Yes"

Several leaders responded, but one of them, with a grave expression, added, "General, there's something else. During our search, we encountered many martial arts practitioners, a mixed bag. Among them, the Changfeng Escort Agency had quite a few people, and their leader seemed to be a young master from the Yunyan Kingdom. Also... we ran into Yan Lie, one of the Ten Evils, who was known as the Mountain-Splitting Axe."

Chi Lan frowned immediately upon hearing this.

The subordinate continued in a low voice, "We had a small conflict with Yan Lie and lost five brothers. That guy has a terrible temper and is incredibly strong. One swing of his axe can cut a person in half, knife and all."

The valley fell silent for a moment.

"Yan Lie..."

Chi Lan gritted her teeth, anger flashing in her eyes. She had naturally heard of the title "Mountain-Splitting Axe" and knew about Yan Lie. Even as a female general of the Crimson Kingdom, she was wary of him.

"Ranked sixth among the ten villains in the martial arts world, he was born with superhuman strength and his martial arts skills made him almost invulnerable to swords and spears. Back then, the Jingguo sent five hundred armored soldiers to surround him, but in the end, not only did he break through the encirclement, but the general in charge of the troops was also cleaved in two by him with an axe. He himself only suffered minor injuries."

Recalling the information he knew about Yan Lie, Chi Lan took a deep breath and suppressed his murderous intent.

"Never mind him for now. Our priority is to capture the auspicious white deer alive. There's no need to waste our energy on this vicious man. Pass down the order: if you encounter Yan Lie's men, take a detour and do not provoke them."

"Yes"

Upon receiving the order, a group of armored soldiers quickly dispersed from the valley and disappeared into the dense forest in different directions.

No one knew that, centered on this valley, the surrounding mountains and forests, spanning dozens of kilometers, had already been flooded with all sorts of people, like a net cast.

There are martial arts practitioners from various schools and sects.

There were hunters and mountain dwellers who were hired at great expense.

There were also many lone travelers, all drawn by the name "Auspicious Beast White Deer".

Some people have found deer hoof prints in the mud, clear and elegant, indeed the tracks left by a white deer, but these footprints are always intermittent.

Sometimes it leaves a clear imprint on the mud, and sometimes it suddenly disappears, no matter how hard you look for it.

This is because Qi Ji travels very casually. Sometimes, when he's in the mood, he'll suddenly jump dozens of meters in a certain direction, or go directly by water, or use his [Spirit Foot] to jump onto a big tree to move.

This unusual way of walking is a headache even for hunters who are good at tracking footprints. If they are lucky, they can find some traces of Qi Ji, but if they are unlucky, they will be completely in the dark and can't find anything at all.

... ... ...

On the rugged mountain path, three men from the martial arts world were trudging forward, their feet sinking into the mud. They were all covered in sweat, their clothes were torn to shreds by tree branches, their stomachs were rumbling, and their steps were unsteady.

"Damn, this white deer is really good at hiding."

The man on the left leaned against a tree trunk, panting and cursing irritably, "We've been chasing them since yesterday, and the footprints are here and there, but we haven't even seen a single deer hair. Damn it, I haven't eaten anything all day, and I'm starving."

The skinny man next to him grinned, trying to make the best of a bad situation, and said, "Just bear with it a little longer. Once we catch this auspicious white deer, we can sell it to those high-ranking officials and nobles for a sky-high price. Then I can buy a big mansion, take a dozen wives and concubines, and live a life of luxury every day."

"Look at you, so pathetic!"

The burly man in the middle laughed heartily and patted the single-edged sword at his waist.

"If it were me, I'd book the best restaurant in town, serve them all sorts of delicacies, and eat until I'm stuffed."

The first person to speak took a few breaths, his eyes revealing a hint of longing and anticipation: "If I get this money, I'll join a major sect, learn the finest martial arts, and become a martial arts master, famous throughout the land. That's what real prestige is."

"That's a good idea, I'll go too."

"I still think buying ten women would be best."

The three of them chatted amongst themselves, each dreaming of their own meteoric rise to success, and their pace quickened involuntarily.

"Hurry up, hurry up! More and more people are going into the mountains to look for the white deer. If you're a step too late, you won't even get a taste of the soup!"

The three of them walked forward, cursing and swearing, without one of them even glancing up at the sky.

Above them, on an ancient tree that required several people to encircle, a snow-white deer was perched in the center of a thick horizontal branch.

This is precisely the auspicious white deer they were searching for in pursuit of their respective dreams.

Qi Ji lay lazily on the tree branch, his head resting on his front legs, his ears slightly twitching, clearly hearing the conversation between the three people below.

Only when the footsteps of the three people faded into the distance and disappeared completely into the woods did he slowly raise his head, a knowing glint in his deer-like eyes.

"Searching for the white deer in the mountains... So many people have been looking for me all along?"

Qi Ji's senses now far surpass those of ordinary wild beasts; he can hear every rustle of grass and wind in the forest. However, he still cannot sense the presence of living people from miles away. If these three hadn't happened to pass by under the tree, he wouldn't have known that this mountain range had become so lively.

I had planned to find a quiet place to rest for a while and enjoy a leisurely life, but now it seems I can't stay in this mountain anymore.

"What a hassle."

Qi Ji flicked his snow-white antlers, and with a gentle push of his limbs, his body leaped from the horizontal branch like a white feather, landing lightly on the branch of another large tree more than ten meters away.

Without stopping, he used the layers of tree canopy for cover and his own [Spirit Foot] skill to leap and dart through the shadows of the trees, silently heading into the depths of the forest.

Qi Ji chose the northeastern part of this mountain range.

That area was precisely the search zone that Chi Lan had ordered to deploy a large force to cover.