The legend begins with becoming a white deer.

The moment the purple mist churned and swirled within the grayish-white smoke, Changchunzi's expression changed drastically, and he shouted urgently, "Junior brother, step back! This mist is poisonous!"

Xuan Muzi reacted extremely quickly. Before he finished speaking, he had already gathered his energy and retreated. In an instant, his true energy surged out from his dantian and condensed into a semi-transparent energy shield around his body, keeping the poisonous mist out.

He continued his retreat, his left palm held steady, and gently pushed out into the sea of ​​fog.

This palm strike lacked any fierce or powerful force; instead, it transformed into a gentle, continuous palm wind that surged outwards like layers of tides, pushing the pervasive poisonous mist to both sides and revealing the empty woodland in the center.

Yan Lie's figure had vanished without a trace.

Qi Ji turned his head to look down at the waterfall. In the instant when the mist surged, his keen senses detected a breath falling down the waterfall.

"Yo"

Qi Ji let out a low cry towards the waterfall, indicating that Yan Lie must have jumped off the waterfall.

Changchunzi had more or less guessed it. He lightly swayed his whisk, stroked his beard, and sighed, "He must have jumped off the waterfall. That's quite decisive. No wonder I always heard in the past intelligence that Yan Lie of the Mountain-Splitting Axe often got into conflicts with people and was besieged by forces many times, but he was always unharmed. This impulsive yet clear-headed decisiveness, even if it's for evil, I have to say that this person is troublesome. Well, since he has escaped, let him be."

Changchunzi held Daoist beliefs and was not overly attached to killing.

Qi Ji naturally had no intention of pursuing Yan Lie.

He had been engaged in fierce battles and was exhausted. Yan Lie was also quite strong, so chasing after him would be too risky.

Moreover, Qi Ji's hind leg is injured, which affects his running speed. The situation below the waterfall is unknown, and those human pursuers might be below. Only a fool would jump down the waterfall.

Only Xuan Muzi looked regretful, slapping his thigh: "What a pity! Yan Lie has committed many evils. If we could get rid of him today, it would be like removing a scourge from the martial world. It's just that my strength is not enough."

After saying her regretful words, Xuan Muzi immediately turned to look at Qi Ji. The regret on her face vanished instantly, and her eyes lit up, as if she were a completely different person.

The cold and stern demeanor he had displayed when facing the enemy was completely gone. He moved lightly to Qi Ji's side, his face full of undisguised delight. His enthusiasm was as if he had seen a rare treasure, a stark contrast to his previous demeanor when fighting the enemy.

Xuan Muzi's gaze swept over Qi Ji, then his expression suddenly changed. He noticed the wound on Qi Ji's hind leg and his brows furrowed with heartache. He instinctively reached out to touch the wound, exclaiming, "Ouch, ouch, how did you get so badly injured? Does it hurt? Let me...!"

Qi Ji was already somewhat repulsed by Xuan Muzi's overly enthusiastic manner. When he saw Xuan Muzi reach out, he felt a chill and without thinking, he lifted his hind leg and, with a clever move, kicked Xuan Muzi in the stomach.

"Oh!"

Xuan Muzi was completely unprepared and staggered back several steps before falling heavily to the ground.

Seeing this, Changchunzi shook his head with a wry smile, thinking to himself that his junior brother's old habit of being unable to move when he saw spirit birds and exotic beasts had indeed not changed at all.

He stepped forward slowly, took out a celadon medicine bottle from his robes, waved it at Qi Ji, and said gently, "This is a wound medicine, most effective for stopping bleeding and promoting tissue regeneration. Young friend Bai Lu, how about I apply the medicine for you?"

"Yo"

Qi Ji nodded.

Compared to Xuan Muzi's unrestrained manner, Chang Chunzi's measured and discreet behavior made him feel much more at ease.

Seeing that Qi Ji didn't reject his senior brother, Xuan Muzi, who was sitting on the ground, was filled with envy. He quickly got up and moved closer, rubbing his hands together, wanting to help hand over the medicine. However, he was afraid of getting kicked again, so he could only watch longingly from the side, looking like a follower who wanted to help but was afraid of being disliked.

Changchunzi gently cleaned the wound, applied the medicine powder evenly, tore off a clean piece of clothing, and carefully bandaged it. He instructed, "Don't overexert this leg these days. Rest for a few days and it will be fine."

"Oh dear, senior brother's medicine isn't enough."

Xuan Muzi immediately responded, her tone carrying a hint of seduction.

"Our Qingyang Dao Sect's Jade-Gathering and Muscle-Regenerating Powder is truly a treasure. Applying it for three days will allow the wound to heal and scab over, leaving no scar. Bai Lu Bao... oh no, young friend Bai Lu, why don't you come with us to the Qingyang Dao Sect? I'll personally apply the medicine for you every day, okay?"

"Yo"

Qi Ji shook his head decisively, letting out a low, refusal.

He let out a soft cry to Changchunzi as a way of thanking him for the medicine, then turned and left, his steps steady and showing no sign of the sluggishness caused by his injury.

When they reached the riverbank, Qi Ji lightly touched the water with his hooves, his figure moving like a wisp of white smoke as he traversed the current. The white deer's silhouette was reflected in the shimmering waves, as agile as a mythical beast that had stepped out of a painting.

Xuan Muzi, standing on the shore, stared wide-eyed and instinctively raised his foot to chase after them, but Chang Chunzi grabbed him by the back of his collar.

"Junior brother, calm down."

Xuan Muzi's face fell, and he turned back pitifully: "Senior brother, why didn't you try to persuade it earlier? If we could bring this spirit deer back to the Dao Sect, it would be a good thing for our entire sect."

Changchunzi smiled and shook his head, looking in the direction where Qi Ji disappeared into the forest, and said, "This deer is very intelligent. It can probably guess what you're thinking. It left on its own, which means it has no interest. Beasts of heaven and earth should belong to this vast wilderness. Nature is the best place for them. Today, we were able to save its life and make a good connection. That's enough. If there is an opportunity in the future, it may go to Qingyang Dao Sect as a guest."

Xuan Muzi nodded, understanding the reasoning, but gazing at the grove of trees, her face was still filled with regret and longing.

Changchunzi said helplessly, "Next time you encounter a beast that suits your taste, you'd better keep your expression in check. You're too easy to frighten them."

"That was just my true feelings."

Xuan Muzi retorted, sticking his neck out: "Cultivating the Tao is about cultivating the mind. The most important thing is to be true to oneself. Sincerity is the highest form of Tao. I genuinely love these spiritual creatures. I'm not pretending. Why should I hold back?"

Changchunzi shook his head helplessly, too lazy to argue with him, and turned to walk towards the mountain path after putting away the medicine bottle.

He knew perfectly well that the look in his junior brother's eyes just now, to put it bluntly, was no different from that of a lecherous man seeing a stunningly beautiful woman; it would be strange if the beast hadn't been scared away.

... ... ...

On the other side, Qi Ji made his way through the forest and streams without encountering any human pursuers, and safely made his way out of the mountain range.

The martial artists who had chased Qi Ji and survived searched the mountains for half a day but couldn't find a single hair on him. Gradually, they gave up hope and retreated from the mountains in twos and threes, heading towards a small town called Qingxi Town outside the mountains.

After several days of enduring wind and dew in the mountains, everyone was exhausted and just wanted to go into town to rest and recuperate before making any further plans.

But no one expected that when they were still two miles from the town, they could see a large, dark mass of people standing on the open ground outside the town. They were clad in bright armor, with spears and lances everywhere, numbering more than three thousand. They were the regular army of the Bilin Kingdom.

The leading general reined in his horse and stood at the front of the formation. When he saw the group of martial arts practitioners approaching, he immediately waved his hand, and his soldiers pressed forward in an encirclement.

The general shouted sternly, "You martial artists of the Jianghu, how dare you hunt down the auspicious white deer, a beast bestowed by the imperial decree of my Bilin Kingdom! Do you have no respect for the laws of Bilin Kingdom? You simply do not respect my Bilin Kingdom at all! Guards, seize them all!"

The faces of the martial arts practitioners changed drastically. They dared not linger any longer and immediately began to use their skills to scatter and flee.

Some who had originally planned to rest in town for a few days and adjust their condition before venturing into the mountains to search for the white deer had to abandon the idea now, wishing they had more legs, and fled as fast as they could...