The legend begins with becoming a white deer.

As night fell completely, the wind and snow intensified.

The howling north wind whipped up heavy snow that pelted the entire mountain forest. The thick branches creaked under the weight of the snow, and the beasts and birds that were occasionally seen during the day had long since vanished.

The Siberian jay huddled in the crevice of the rock and fell silent.

The hare curled up in its burrow.

Even the most resilient lone wolf found a sheltered spot and curled up into a ball.

The only sounds in the entire mountain forest were the raging wind and snow, and everything was waiting for this cold wave to pass.

Qi Ji stood on a gentle slope, snowflakes falling on his snow-white deer fur, melting away in an instant.

With his current physique, this bit of wind and frost couldn't penetrate his body at all, and he couldn't feel the slightest bit of cold. But he couldn't just sleep in the open all night like this, otherwise when he woke up at dawn, his body would probably be half buried in the snow.

"Let's choose this place."

Qi Ji looked around and saw that there were neither spacious caves nearby nor tree hollows where he could take shelter, but he was not worried about not finding a place to shelter from the wind and snow.

With a thought, Qi Ji's antlers began to glow, and golden-green energy ripples slowly spread through the darkness.

Under the influence of the power of [All Trees Pay Homage], the surrounding snowfield quickly began to move.

"Rustling sound~~~"

The thick tree roots, buried deep under the snow, were the first to break through the soil, like countless supple arms intertwining and piecing together.

The surrounding shrubs and shrubs bent and twisted, their branches overlapping in layers along the curve of the hemisphere, and fine vines wrapped around and sealed off the gaps.

In a short while, a hemispherical wooden house, about ten feet tall, stood steadily in the snow, with only a small opening about one person's height for entry and exit.

"Phew~~~ Done."

Qi Ji walked around the wooden house.

To be honest, the house wasn't exactly fancy; the traces of the branches being pieced together were obvious. At best, it was just a sturdy shack. But looking at it, he felt a real sense of accomplishment.

If he had such skills in his previous life, he could have made a living by building structures and would have been well-off. He wouldn't have needed to worry about making a living.

"Unfortunately, my basic abilities are still not strong enough. If they were stronger, the effect of [All Trees Paying Homage] would be even better. Then I wouldn't just be able to build such a rough shed, but I would be able to build a real, decent wooden house."

Qi Ji sighed slightly, then lowered his head and went into his wooden house, where the howling wind and snow outside were instantly blocked by most of them.

The greenhouse wasn't particularly warm, and the chill still seeped in through the gaps in the branches, but it was more than twice as comfortable as the biting north wind outside.

Qi Ji walked to a spot in the wooden house and casually scratched at the snow under his feet with his deer hoof.

The thick, hard snow was as soft as cotton under his hooves, and a large patch was easily cleared away, revealing patches of moss and tender grass buried underneath.

This location wasn't chosen randomly by Qi Ji; there's plenty of usable vegetation beneath the snow layer.

"Click-clack"

(￣～￣) Chew!

Qi Ji lay down and slowly chewed on the fresh, tender vegetation he had just dug up.

The wind and snow outside continued incessantly, occasionally punctuated by the distant howls of wild animals, but Qi Ji paid no heed. There were hardly any creatures in these mountains and forests that dared to provoke him.

I ate until I was full in one go, and then a beautiful and familiar voice rang in my mind.

[Spirit Points +1]

"Mmm~~~ I always feel so comfortable after eating. Indeed, for animals, a full stomach is the most essential happiness."

A feeling of fullness mixed with relaxation washed over him, and Qi Ji squinted contentedly, listening to the sound of wind and snow outside. Just as he was about to close his eyes and rest, his ears suddenly twitched.

"Um?"

The sound of countless footsteps echoed across the snow, layer upon layer, delicate yet orderly, numbering at least twenty or thirty, slowly approaching the wooden house.

"Are they here to steal my place?"

Qi Ji frowned slightly, inwardly cursing his bad luck.

In the freezing cold, fighting for a sheltered den is common among animals. He didn't intend to be polite, so he stood up, bracing himself on his limbs, ready to go out and get rid of these clueless creatures.

But just as I reached the door, I heard a few faint, trembling calls of deer outside, carrying the chill of the wind and snow, sounding timid and hesitant.

"Hey, that voice..."

Qi Ji paused, then peered outside.

Amidst the swirling snow, over thirty sika deer stood not far away, their necks hunched, covered in snow, with tiny ice crystals clinging to their eyelashes, looking disheveled and frail.

The lead stags, their antlers like branches, were staring warily at the hemispherical wooden house that had appeared out of nowhere, their eyes filled with confusion and instinctive longing.

They had lived in this forest for half their lives and had never seen anything so strange, but they clearly sensed that this place could block the deadly cold wind.

But when they saw Qi Ji come out of the wooden house, the lead stag suddenly stopped, and the entire herd stopped in unison, even their breathing became soft.

The doe stayed close to the calf, and the buck tensed his muscles, neither daring to take another step forward.

Only a few fawns, shivering from the cold and starving, couldn't help but let out soft, mournful cries, burrowing under their mothers' bellies. Their soft, pitiful moans echoed in the wind and snow, making one's heart clench.

Qi Ji recognized it; it was the same herd of deer he had encountered on the frozen lake during the day.

"I've run into this herd of deer again."

If it were any other animal, Qi Ji would have driven it away without hesitation, but now...

His gaze swept over the little creatures huddled together, trembling, and ultimately, out of consideration for their kind, he did not have the thought of driving them away.

Qi Ji raised his neck and let out a low, peaceful deer call, gently nodding his head toward the entrance of the wooden house.

The meaning is clear: Come in.

The lead stag paused for a moment, then tentatively took two steps forward. Seeing that Qi Ji stood still without any intention to attack, it turned around and let out a low neigh.

In no time, the deer filed in and carefully slipped into the wooden house.

Fortunately, Qi Ji had built a spacious enough area beforehand, which could barely accommodate more than thirty deer, although it was much more crowded than before, and even the air felt a bit warmer.

Qi Ji ignored them and turned back to where he had been lying, closing his eyes to rest.

But before two minutes of quiet could be heard, there was a rustling and grinding sound, mixed with the sound of slight chewing.

Qi Ji opened his eyes and couldn't help but chuckle.

"this.........."

The adult sika deer were gathered around the inner wall of the wooden house, gnawing on the bark of the branches. Judging from their ravenous appearance, Qi Ji judged that the deer herd had probably been delayed in foraging during the day by the wind and snow, and now they were so hungry that they wouldn't even leave the hut where they were hiding.

Several fawns also wanted to come over and nibble, but they were too small and couldn't squeeze past the adult deer at all. They could only circle around on the outside, letting out a pitiful little cry.

Seeing this, Qi Ji stood up and walked towards the deer.

When the little ones saw him approach, they immediately shrank back in fear, obediently lying on the ground, not daring to move, their ears drooping tightly, their innate fear etched into their bones.

Qi Ji paid no attention to their fear. The deer's hooves landed on the snow and easily dug through the thick snow.

In no time, a large patch of fresh, green vegetation was revealed, and the crisp scent of grass instantly filled the wooden house.

"Oh?!"

The fawns twitched their noses, no longer caring about being afraid, and immediately pounced on it, burying their heads and taking big bites.

The adult deer nearby, seeing this, also realized what was happening.

It turns out there was food hidden under the snow in this place!

They immediately stopped gnawing on the bark of the wooden house, lowered their heads, and began to dig at the snow around them with their hooves.