The legend begins with becoming a white deer.

It was already past midnight, and the deep night had spread out like ink, but the city of Luohui was still brightly lit.

Clusters of torches and oil lamps lit up the streets and courtyards, brighter than ever before.

In just two hours, the city's layout was completely transformed.

The people spontaneously picked up sticks and knives, and together with the rampaging white figure, slaughtered all the bandits and wicked wanderers who had occupied the city.

The bloodstains in the streets and alleys had not yet dried, but the gloom that had been weighing on everyone's hearts had largely dissipated with the death of the bandit leader.

At this moment, flames blazed brightly in the courtyard in front of the castle.

Magistrate Tang Fei, his face bruised and swollen, was tightly bound to a wooden pillar with thick hemp rope, his hair disheveled, and his official robe torn to shreds.

Looking at the hateful faces around him, he trembled violently, crying and begging for mercy at the top of his lungs: "Fellow villagers, I was forced! Those thieves held knives to my neck, I had no choice but to obey! I'm innocent—"

"innocent?"

From the crowd, a kidnapped village woman stepped forward, her eyes bloodshot, and pointed at him, shouting angrily, "When you led thieves to our village to arrest people, why didn't you say you were innocent? My father and my brother were beheaded on the spot just because they resisted you. You corrupt official who aided and abetted the wicked, do you even deserve to say you're innocent?"

"Exactly, if you were truly innocent, why did you flee with that Su Laosan when the bandits were routed?"

Another woman stepped forward, her voice trembling: "When the city magistrate died in battle, you hid in your mansion and dared not come out. When the bandits ravaged the people, you helped them run errands and deliver messages. You are not a county magistrate; you are just the lackey of these villains."

The accusations came crashing down like stones.

"I........."

Tang Fei opened his mouth, but was speechless.

Of course he knew what he had done; he was just afraid of dying and wanted to live. But now, looking at the furious stares of the people around him, he realized that he couldn't escape.

As the torch drew closer, the dry firewood crackled and popped.

Flames spread up the ropes and wooden pillars, and soon a piercing scream rang out, but the sound was quickly drowned out by the angry shouts of the crowd.

Under the old locust tree not far away, Qi Ji stood quietly, watching the distorted figures in the firelight, his heart filled with mixed feelings.

This was the first time, in both his past and present lives, that he had ever witnessed someone being burned alive.

The scene was far from pleasant, even tinged with primal, bloody violence, but he could clearly sense the pent-up anger of these people.

If an official fails to protect the people and instead bullies the weak and aids the wicked, he will eventually fall from grace elsewhere, even without this incident.

The flames gradually died down, and the courtyard fell into a brief silence.

Someone turned around first, their gaze falling on the snow-white figure under the locust tree.

One, two, ten, a hundred...

All the people in the square turned around and looked at the giant deer.

Even now, many people still find it unbelievable.

But the facts are right before our eyes: the one who saved Luohui City, killed those villains, and avenged their blood feud was none other than this white deer.

Unfortunately, none of them recognized Qi Ji.

Whether they knew each other or not was unimportant, because at that moment, everyone present felt a deep sense of gratitude and awe.

An elderly man with white hair and beard stepped out from the crowd; he was a highly respected local gentry.

The old man straightened his clothes, faced Qi Ji's direction, and slowly knelt down. His aged yet powerful voice echoed throughout the courtyard: "Thank you, Deer God, for your divine intervention! Thank you, Deer God, for saving the people of Luohui City from suffering!"

"Thank you, Deer God!"

"Thank you, Deer God, for avenging my son!"

Amidst the rustling sound of fabrics, the entire crowd knelt down, their shouts echoing through the night.

Some had red eyes, some were shedding tears; the pain of losing loved ones and the frustration of enduring humiliation finally found an outlet at this moment.

Qi Ji blinked, feeling a mix of amusement and exasperation.

"Following the titles of Celestial Deer and Auspicious Beast, I now have the title of Deer God."

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

[Current Legendary Spirit Points: 27/30]

The system notification tone sounded at the appropriate time.

Qi Ji was immediately delighted upon hearing this.

With 27 Legendary Spirit Points, he's only 3 points away from his second evolution. Once he has them all, he'll gain a brand new ability.

"Being kind to others is really good; it has benefits and a future. Yes, I am kind ヽ(￣▽￣)ﾉ"

Qi Ji's mood improved considerably, and he didn't intend to stay any longer.

"Yo"

Qi Ji let out a low cry to the crowd as a response, then turned around, lightly touched the ground with its four hooves, and disappeared into the end of the street in a few leaps.

"The Deer God is gone..."

"It truly is a divine deer, appearing and disappearing without a trace."

"I really don't know where the Deer God came from; we're so grateful to it!"

The people looked in the direction where Qi Ji had disappeared, and they all stood up, their faces still filled with lingering awe and emotion.

Someone asked in a low voice, "Old Zhang, what... what should we do next?"

At this question, everyone fell silent.

The city garrison commander of Luohui City was killed in battle, and most of the defending soldiers were lost. The granaries and treasuries were emptied by bandits, and even the county magistrate was executed in public.

The vast border town was now practically ownerless.

The old man, known as Elder Zhang, stroked his beard and said in a deep voice, "Everyone, don't panic. The most urgent task is to stabilize the order in the city, take stock of the casualties, seal the treasury, and let each household resume their livelihood. Tomorrow, we will send someone to the prefectural city to see the prefect and ask him to allocate grain and troops to take over Luohui City."

"Yes, Old Zhang is right. Before, those bandits blocked the mountain and the road, so the news couldn't get out at all. Now that the bandits have been cleared out, the road is naturally open again."

No sooner had he finished speaking than several strong men stepped forward from the crowd: "Don't worry, Elder Zhang, we'll set off first thing tomorrow morning and make sure the letter reaches the Prefect."

Someone in the crowd sighed again: "I wonder how those villagers who escaped a while ago are doing. The mountain roads are dangerous, and with the heavy snow, I hope they are safe."

No one knew that the group of refugees who had fled over mountains and valleys had already met Qi Ji on the road and obtained horses. Some of the faster ones had already ridden all the way to Linyan County City and reported to the county governor the news that Luohui City had been occupied by bandits and that the city's garrison had been killed in battle.

When the prefect learned of this, he was furious.

Luohui City is a key border town, adjacent to the Duanchen Mountains and close to the border of the Chi Kingdom. How could it allow a group of bandits to occupy the city and become kings?

He immediately mustered three hundred county soldiers, prepared them overnight, and set off for Luohui City early the next morning.

Meanwhile, he learned from the refugees that many of the bandits in Champa were remnants of gangs that had been previously wiped out by the imperial court, and all of them were wanted criminals with warrants issued for their arrest.

The prefect dared not delay and immediately wrote a letter, sending it by fast horse to the patrol office in the Kingdom of Bilin, which was responsible for searching for fugitives.

The matter was reported up the chain of command. When the patrol inspectorate saw that the border city had fallen and a large number of wanted criminals had gathered, they dared not suppress it. They reorganized the case files and sent them to the capital as soon as possible.

Within just a few days, news of Luohui City's occupation by bandits reached King Bilin's desk.

The capital city, the Golden Palace.

King Bilin sat solemnly on the dragon throne, surrounded by civil and military officials who were whispering amongst themselves.

"Your Majesty, Luohui City is the northwest gateway of our dynasty, and it is only a mountain away from the Chi Kingdom. We must not lose it!" A military general stepped forward first, his voice booming.

"Your subject requests the imperial decree to immediately dispatch troops to encircle and suppress the bandits and recapture Luohui City."

"General Li, please calm down."

Another civil official stepped forward with a frown: "Luohui City is located right next to the Duanchen Mountain Range. The mountains are deep and the forests are dense, and the terrain is complex. Those bandits are already outlaws of the martial world. If they see the army approaching, they will just hide in the mountains, and it will be difficult to wipe them out. In my opinion, it would be better to send a small number of royal experts first to stabilize the situation and find out the bandits' situation before sending the main army to follow. That would be the safest approach."

"It's safe, but it's too slow!"

Another minister countered: "Even experts need time to travel, and large armies need time to set out. By the time both sides arrive, the bandits may have already looted everything and fled to the Red Kingdom. It would be better to directly dispatch border troops, press the border with heavy forces, and sweep through in one fell swoop, saving time and effort."

"No!"

The Minister of Revenue immediately stepped forward, his face grave: "The cold winter is not yet completely over, and the transportation of provisions is difficult. The army suffers great losses from long marches. Mobilizing troops in winter costs several times more than usual. How can we just mobilize them? I hope Your Majesty will think twice and not act rashly."

They argued back and forth in the imperial palace.

Prince Bilin tapped his fingertips on the imperial desk, his gaze fixed on the somber sky outside the palace, his brows furrowed, unable to make a decision for the moment.