The legend begins with becoming a white deer.

As soon as the night of the Lunar New Year spilled over the eaves of Yunqi Town, the entire town came alive.

Seventy percent of the residents were walking in the same direction, turning back home from various parts of the streets and alleys.

The New Year's Eve dinner, which they had painstakingly scraped together every day, was now being held carefully in their hands. The rim of the porcelain bowl was so hot that their fingertips turned red, but no one was willing to slow down even a fraction of a second.

Even elderly men with canes walk briskly, while gray-haired women hurry along carrying food baskets. The streets are filled with the soft sounds of footsteps and urging voices, as everyone shares the same thought: if we're too late, the auspicious white deer will be gone, and we'll miss out on this good fortune.

In the open space in front of Qingle Tower, Qi Ji stood quietly under the eaves in the lamplight, watching the endless stream of people, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

The people spontaneously formed a long queue. Those who came forward bowed, holding food platters in both hands, their expressions awe mixed with undisguised anticipation. They gently placed the steaming dishes on the bluestone slab in front of him, their movements so light as if afraid of disturbing him. When they stepped back, they bowed again, as if offering sacrifices to a god.

Qi Ji wasn't stupid; he had already figured it out after the initial surprise.

Ancient people revered ghosts and gods. Today, his appearance in the restaurant was probably mistaken by the crowd as an auspicious beast or deity descended to earth.

These New Year's Eve dinners are offerings they make, praying for favorable weather and family peace in the coming year.

"Being worshipped as a god, this feeling is really strange," Qi Ji thought to himself.

Qi Ji stood still, lost in thought for only a moment, but the people closest to him in the front row panicked first.

The faces of the group turned pale instantly, their fingers clenched tightly, and they looked at each other with fear in their eyes—could it be that the auspicious white deer found their coarse food unpalatable?

Just as everyone's hearts were in their throats, Qi Ji lowered his head, picked up a piece of steamed meat from the plate, and began to chew slowly and deliberately.

"call…….."

Seeing this, the people in the front row almost simultaneously breathed a sigh of relief, their backs damp with a thin layer of sweat.

Thankfully, the auspicious white deer didn't reject their food.

Seeing Qi Ji finish all the dishes, the faces of the people in the front row quickly lit up with ecstatic joy.

Qi Ji didn't feel any psychological burden.

Food delivered to your door—why not take it?

At worst, he could hunt a few ferocious large wild animals in the deep mountains and leave them near the town, which would at least make up for the favor of the meal.

(￣～￣) Chew!

One dish after another was placed in front of me: stewed meat until tender, steamed cakes until soft and fluffy, and stir-fried vegetables that were refreshing. The cooking skills varied, but without exception, they all carried the warmth of everyday life.

Compared to the cold and raw meat, these foods feel warm and comforting in the stomach, without any sense of rejection.

Qi Ji lowered her head and ate calmly, her long eyelashes drooping down and casting a faint shadow under the lamplight. Her elegant posture made the onlookers hold their breath even more.

The crowd was filled with a variety of emotions.

When someone saw that a white deer had taken a bite of their vegetable, they were overjoyed and shook the arm of the person next to them, their mouth agape.

Those at the back of the line stood on tiptoe, looking ahead with anxious expressions, hoping the line would move faster so that the auspicious beast wouldn't be full before it was their turn.

Beside the crowd, a woman in a cloth skirt kept glancing towards the alley entrance, twisting her apron between her fingers and muttering under her breath, "Why isn't he here yet... This damn man, did he fall into the ditch? He's taking forever to even bring out a plate of fish."

As the auspicious beast devoured plate after plate of food, the woman was sweating with anxiety. Just as she was about to turn back and urge it on, she saw a figure stumbling and running towards her from the alley entrance.

It was her husband, the man holding a large plate of steamed fish in both hands, protecting it tightly, so much so that he could hardly breathe.

"You're finally here! Hurry up, hurry up!"

The woman immediately went to greet them, and the couple, one on each side, carefully squeezed to the front and respectfully placed the fish at the very front.

After doing all this, both of them had sweaty palms, but they looked at each other with eyes full of peace.

Such scenes were constantly playing out in the crowd.

More and more people arrived carrying their food platters, and the food dishes were piled up on the bluestone slabs, with steam and the aroma of food filling the whole street.

Qi Ji ate for a good half hour before finally feeling a satisfying fullness in his stomach, and at the same time, the familiar system voice appeared.

[Spirit Points +5]

"Huh?! +5?"

Qi Ji was immediately taken aback upon hearing this.

Normally, he would only gain 1 point of spiritual energy after eating grass and trees and finishing his meal. But today, after eating human food, he gained 5 points directly.

What's going on?

Qi Ji wondered to himself: Could it be that the spiritual pearl within him is picky about its ingredients? Is food prepared by humans more beneficial to him than wild plants and herbs? Or is there something about these foods that I don't know about?

Qi Ji didn't know if it was true or not, but a thought popped into his mind—why not come again tomorrow?

However, Qi Ji nipped this idea in the bud.

This is not the materially abundant modern world. In ancient times, people had little wealth, and a single New Year's Eve dinner was a labor of love.

Upon seeing the auspicious beast for the first time, they were willing to offer sincere sacrifices.

Perhaps I could tolerate it the second or third time.

But as time goes on, no one's food comes from thin air. If you provide for others for free, sooner or later the respect will turn into a burden, and it will only damage the impression.

Having figured this out, Qi Ji no longer had any intention of staying any longer.

Suddenly, the antlers on his head glowed with a warm, golden-green light, spreading a faint halo in the night.

Before anyone could react, Qi Ji suddenly exerted force with his hind legs, leaping dozens of meters away. With a few bounds, he sped towards the mountains outside the town, his white figure drawing an arc in the night before disappearing into the distance in an instant.

"Respectfully seeing off Your Excellency, the White Deer!"

The quick-thinking villagers immediately knelt down, bowed their heads, and shouted loudly. More people followed suit and bowed down, their voices echoing throughout the town.

Some people who had just squeezed to the front row and hadn't even had time to put down their food plates looked at the empty bluestone ground, pounded their chests in regret, and stomped their feet repeatedly, lamenting that they were too slow and hadn't been able to let the auspicious beast eat a bite of their food, and hadn't even shared in the good fortune.

Qi Ji rushed out of the town, and a pleasant notification sound rang in his mind.

Congratulations on obtaining Legendary Spirit Points! Legendary Spirit Points +2

[Current Legendary Spirit Points: 23/30]

"I've obtained legendary spirit points. Hehe, I've really hit the jackpot tonight," Qi Ji thought to himself with a delighted mood.

Their bellies were full and warm, and they received an extra sum of money.

Qi Ji pondered to himself.

From this perspective, visiting the human town at this time of year and enjoying a meal at a local's house is a sure-fire way to make money.

And if we come back next year, we might be able to get even more [Legendary Spirit Points].

After accumulating experience many times, Qi Ji gradually figured out the mechanism of his Spirit Pearl system.

The same group of people and the same event cannot repeatedly generate [Legendary Spirit Points].

Just like the food offering by the people of Yunqi Town today, it only counts as one event in the judgment of the Spirit Pearl in Qi Ji's body. It can only be triggered once to obtain the reward of [Legendary Spirit Points]. If he wants to get [Legendary Spirit Points] from this group of people again for this event, he will have to wait a year.

If there are still so many, or even more, people sincerely make offerings at that time, the number of [Legendary Spirit Points] obtained will increase several times over.

"However... it's not a long-term solution to rely solely on the people's unilateral offerings."

Qi Ji pondered.

To maintain a strong positive emotional connection with people, simply showing up isn't enough; you have to offer tangible rewards.

As Qi Ji walked, he thought to himself that he had originally planned to go back to the deep mountains to hunt a few large beasts and leave them around the town as a thank-you gift.

But just as he was looking ahead, Qi Ji suddenly noticed something. After observing it for a moment, he immediately had an idea.

"This is... I have an idea. Let's do it this way. It's a good way to repay the townspeople for the meal they offered me."