The legend begins with becoming a white deer.

As the morning light of winter dawned over the green-tiled rooftops of Yunqi Town, the wooden doors of Qingle Restaurant creaked open, and warm white steam carrying the aromas of noodles and tea drifted into the street.

Behind the counter, the shopkeeper Zhang Feng fiddled with the abacus beads, the clattering sound never masking the smile on his lips.

The numbers in the ledgers turned page after page, amounting to almost half a month's worth of daily income. He knew all too well the reason for this windfall—last night, the auspicious beast, a white deer, appeared at his door and then leaped into the mountains and forests. But the townspeople were unwilling to disperse immediately; everyone wanted to absorb the auspicious beast's divine aura. They turned around and flocked into the Qing Le Restaurant where Qi Ji had stayed, ordering food, drinking, and making a ruckus until the wee hours of the morning.

Fortunately, he was always reliable and had enough ingredients prepared for winter, so there was no embarrassing situation of having no dishes to serve.

Even so, the warehouse was already 80-90% empty, so before dawn he sent two employees to go and buy more stock.

"Manager Zhang, you've been grinning from ear to ear since early this morning. Looks like you had a very fruitful night."

An aged voice came from the doorway. Zhang Feng looked up, quickly stood up, and bowed, saying, "Mayor Li, you've finally arrived! Please come in. The crab roe buns were just steamed this morning and are still warm."

The visitor was Li Zhengde, the mayor of Yunqi Town. He had white hair and beard and was wearing a worn cotton robe. He sat down familiarly at the table by the window.

After the waiter brought the tea and snacks, he took a sip of hot tea and said with a smile, "Last night I was also in the crowd, watching the white deer walk away in the snow. When I turned around, I saw your restaurant packed with people. I knew you had made a fortune."

Zhang Feng smiled and poured tea for the old man: "Haha, thanks to the auspicious beast, thanks to the auspicious beast! Speaking of which, this is also the good fortune of our Yunqi Town."

Li Zhengde nodded, tapped the table with his fingertips, and suddenly said, "Old Zhang, I have an idea. Why don't we hold a sacred beast festival every year around this time, prepare fresh fruits and delicacies, and offer sacrifices? Maybe the white deer will remember our good intentions and come every year? If this can be done, how could our Yunqi Town not prosper?"

Zhang Feng's eyes lit up, and he nodded repeatedly: "This is a great idea. The arrival of auspicious beasts is a very good omen. Holding a festival is not only to express gratitude, but it can also attract many merchants and people. It will be of great benefit to our town. I think this can be done. We'll discuss the details later."

As the two were chatting animatedly, footsteps came down the stairs, and a plump middle-aged man in a brocade robe came down. It was Zhong Chang, the peddler who had been staying at the restaurant recently.

He spotted Zhang Feng behind the counter at a glance and immediately smiled and cupped his hands in greeting: "Manager Zhang, congratulations!"

Zhang Feng quickly returned the greeting, saying modestly, "Congratulations, congratulations! It's all thanks to the auspicious beast."

The two exchanged a glance, both understanding each other without saying a word.

Last night's event not only brought Qingle Restaurant real money, but also immense prestige.

It is only because it is now the dead of winter that travelers on official and commercial roads have stopped, and news travels slowly. Otherwise, in less than half a month, not only the surrounding counties, but the whole country would probably know that there is a Qing Le Restaurant in Yunqi Town where the auspicious white deer once stayed.

"Master Zhong, what brings you here today?" Zhang Feng asked, noticing his luggage.

"We're setting off to ship the goods today."

Zhong Chang sighed: "There's still a batch of goods to deliver before the end of the year, and we can't afford to delay it. It's just a pity that the bridge outside the town is broken, so we have to take a detour of dozens of miles of mountain roads, which will take some time and effort."

Zhang Feng nodded in agreement: "Yes, that bridge has been collapsed for almost a month. The craftsmen said it would be repaired no earlier than next month, and if we're unlucky, it might even be delayed until spring. Taking a detour in the dead of winter is not an easy way to travel."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a young man stumbled in from outside the restaurant, his face flushed. He was Zhong Chang's attendant.

Upon seeing Zhong Chang, he excitedly shouted, "Boss, boss, the bridge... the bridge outside town is finished!"

The three people in the room were all stunned.

Town Mayor Li Zhengde was the first to frown: "What nonsense are you talking about? I asked the foreman the other day, and they said the stones haven't even been prepared yet, how could it be repaired?"

"Really, Mayor Li, it's really fixed!"

The young man waved his hands anxiously, panting, and said, "We originally planned to scout the way, but when we got to the canyon, we saw a new bridge standing there, but... it just didn't look like it was built by human hands."

He hesitated for a moment, then lowered his voice: "We've been thinking, maybe... it was that white deer beast that did it last night."

These words shocked everyone present.

Zhang Feng and Li Zhengde exchanged a glance, both seeing shock in each other's eyes.

Zhong Chang made a quick decision: "Let's go take a look."

The four hurriedly headed east of the town, encountering villagers along the way who, having heard the news, were all heading towards the canyon in groups.

When they arrived, there were already many people standing on the shore, all looking up at the other side of the canyon with disbelief on their faces.

The canyon east of Yunqi Town is more than ten feet wide, with steep cliffs on both sides. Normally, only a century-old stone bridge connects the inside and outside, serving as the throat of the town to the outside world's official road.

A few months ago, a flash flood caused cracks in the bridge. After several heavy snowfalls in winter, a large portion of the bridge collapsed last month, completely cutting off traffic.

The townspeople had to travel dozens of miles along mountain roads to get out, which was extremely difficult.

But at this moment, a brand-new wooden bridge is steadily spanning the canyon.

This bridge is three times wider than the original stone bridge. The bridge body is not made of ordinary mortise and tenon bricks and stones, but is made of countless thick ancient trees that are naturally interlocked. The surface is also wrapped with fine vines. It does not look very regular, but it has a sense of solidity that is as a whole.

At both ends of the bridge, there are four large trees that take three people to encircle, their roots deeply embedded in the cliff edge, resembling naturally formed bridge piers.

The most striking feature is the faint, scattered marks on the bridge surface—clear deer hoof prints that stretch from one end of the bridge to the other, as if a white deer had once trod across it.

Li Zhengde walked forward shakily, his feet landing on the bridge surface, which felt flat and solid, without the slightest wobbling.

He walked a few steps along the bridge, squatted down, and touched the deer hoof prints, his fingers trembling.

Zhang Feng and Zhong Chang also walked onto the bridge, their fingertips tracing the natural wood grain of the bridge. They looked at each other and saw the answer in each other's eyes.

"It seems... it really was the work of that auspicious white deer."

Zhong Chang spoke first, his voice filled with awe: "In all my years of traveling around the country, I have never heard of a bridge being built overnight by human power."

"I had heard rumors before that the auspicious white deer could control plants and trees and bring life to all things. I thought it was just a folk tale, but seeing it with my own eyes today, I know it really has supernatural powers," Zhang Feng nodded in amazement.

Li Zhengde stood up, facing the vast mountains and forests across the bridge, straightened his robes, solemnly clasped his hands and knelt down, his voice loud and devout: "Li Zhengde, the mayor of Yunqi Town, on behalf of all the people of the town, thanks Your Excellency Bailu for your protection. Our town will never forget this kindness and virtue!"

Upon seeing this, the surrounding people also knelt down, and their voices of gratitude echoed throughout the valley.

A cold wind swept across the bridge, carrying snowflakes, and the branches swayed gently, as if in silent response.

Meanwhile, far from Yunqi Town, Qi Ji was slowly making his way along a mountain path deep in the mountains, stepping on the snow.

Last night, after leaving the town, he coincidentally came to the canyon east of the town. Seeing that the broken bridge was blocking the way, he used the ability of "All Trees Paying Homage" to make ancient trees grow and build a bridge.

Suddenly, a familiar system voice rang in my mind.

Congratulations on obtaining Legendary Spirit Points! Legendary Spirit Points +1

[Current Legendary Spirit Points: 24/30]

Qi Ji paused slightly, then realized that his actions the previous night had had an effect.

"It's 24 o'clock already. Before I knew it, the next 30 points for evolution are not far away. I should be able to start a new round of evolution soon."

Qi Ji shook the antlers on his head and continued walking deeper into the forest...