The legend begins with becoming a white deer.

The debate raged on in the Golden Palace. Although the ministers had different strategies, they were surprisingly united in their bottom line.

The banditry in Luohui City must be completely eradicated. The dignity of the border city cannot be trampled upon by outlaws, and the laws of the royal family cannot be ignored by desperate criminals.

King Bilin, seated high on his dragon throne, raised his hand and gently pressed down, instantly silencing the commotion in the hall.

"Prefect Chen Yao of Linyan County had already received a report from the refugees and dispatched county troops to Luohui City. Perhaps the chaos has subsided by now, or perhaps the fighting is still ongoing. In any case, Luohui City has suffered a calamity, with civilians killed and wounded, the treasury empty, and both the people's livelihood and the city severely damaged. Furthermore, many of the bandits occupying the city are remnants of gangs that were previously wiped out. Tracing back to the source, the imperial court also made a mistake."

King Bilin paused, his gaze sweeping over the assembled officials below: "My intention is to allocate funds, provisions, and supplies to Luohui City to provide relief to the dead and wounded, replenish the granaries, and select a group of capable officials to fill vacancies such as city garrison commander and county magistrate, so as to stabilize the border city's order as soon as possible."

"Your Majesty is wise!"

The ministers all bowed and echoed his sentiments.

By providing relief to the people and rectifying official corruption, the government not only reassured the border residents but also demonstrated the royal family's responsibility, which drew no objections from the public.

Upon receiving the decree, the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Personnel immediately mobilized.

The inventory of money and grain, the selection of officials, and other matters were carried out in an orderly manner. Once the continuous snow and wind subsided and the roads were passable, the transport team could set off for the northwest.

They waited for three days.

As the snowstorm in the mountains gradually subsided and the post road became barely passable, the convoy escorting the supplies was just about to set off when the second wave of messengers from Linyan County rushed into the capital and went straight to the palace to request an audience.

The Imperial Study.

"Your Majesty, the rebellion in Luohui City has been quelled!" The messenger knelt in the hall, his breath coming in short gasps.

Upon hearing this, King Bilin's face lit up with joy: "Oh? Prefect Chen acted swiftly. What were the casualties among the prefectural troops?"

"Your Majesty, it was not the local troops who quelled the rebellion."

The messenger looked up, his tone carrying a hint of surprise, though he already knew: "It was...it was that auspicious white deer that pacified Luohui City. By the time the prefect's troops arrived, the bandits had already been slaughtered, and the city had been stabilized by the people themselves."

"What?! A white deer, an auspicious beast!"

King Bilin sat up abruptly, and many of the guards in the hall also looked surprised.

The messenger dared not delay and quickly reported the whole story he had heard from the people of Luohui City: Bai Lu entered the city alone, rampaged through the city and killed the bandit leader. The people then rose up to wipe out the remaining bandits. Former magistrate Tang Fei was executed in public for aiding and abetting the tyrant. Now the city is under the temporary control of order by the local gentry and elders.

Finally, he added: "The people in the city did not recognize the auspicious beast, and all called the white deer the Deer God, saying that it was sent by heaven to save them from suffering."

The hall fell silent for a moment.

King Bilin was stunned for a long time before letting out a long sigh, his eyes filled with even more admiration.

"Hahaha, this white deer really does surprise us every time!"

King Bilin slapped his desk, looked up and sighed. A turmoil that should have been quelled by their royal family had actually been resolved by a strange beast.

If it weren't for his promise to his youngest daughter, Yuan Yao, not to force or confine Qi Ji, allowing him to roam freely in the world, King Bilin would have truly considered bringing this wondrous and auspicious beast into the royal family to be cared for.

"Well, it's a good thing anyway. In that case, the supply convoy will set off as planned."

King Bilin quickly regained his senses and ordered, "Tell Chen Yao to properly resettle the people, and once the appointed officials arrive, to restore the defenses and livelihoods of Luohui City as soon as possible."

After the officials had received their orders and left, he tapped his fingertips on the imperial desk and fell into deep thought again.

The matter of Luohui City can be announced to the world.

Firstly, it serves as a warning to wandering martial arts sects not to disregard the laws of the imperial court and to refrain from occupying cities and causing chaos.

Secondly, it can also serve as a warning to those ambitious individuals who still harbor illusions and want to capture the White Deer. Even the entire city's bandits have fallen into its hands, so how could ordinary forces easily succeed?

However, it is now deep winter, making it difficult to transmit government orders, and many post roads are frozen.

King Bilin said to the eunuch beside him, "Make a note of this first, and then draft an edict to be issued to all counties and prefectures after the snow melts in the spring."

After saying that, he remembered something else and asked the messenger, "By the way, where has that white deer gone?"

"Your Majesty, the people say it left the city that very night, and judging from the tracks, it should have entered the Duanchen Mountains."

... ... ...

Duanchen Mountain Range.

Qi Ji was fast asleep under a thick, ancient pine tree. Occasionally, fine pine needles would drift down in the wind and cling to his snow-white fur, like scattered pieces of jade.

Qi Ji had been pleasantly surprised during his stay in the mountains these past few days.

He had assumed that in the depths of winter, this mountain range would be similar to those he had encountered before, a scene of withered yellow. However, he was surprised to find that the Duanchen Mountain Range had a unique terrain with warm and humid valleys. Large areas of pine, cypress, and oak trees were evergreen species, so even in the dead of winter, the forests remained lush and green, with abundant vegetation, making it convenient for eating and resting.

Qi Ji simply stopped and decided to stay in this mountain range until winter was over.

The clouds gradually dispersed, and the warm sunlight shone down, casting shimmering silver light on the snow. The snow on the ground melted slowly at a rate imperceptible to the naked eye, and the chill in the air dissipated somewhat.

"call--"

Qi Ji yawned comfortably, slowly opened his eyes, stood up and shook his body, causing pine needles and leaves to fall in a flurry.

Qi Ji could clearly feel that his body size had increased again.

His shoulders and back are nearly two meters high, his muscles and bones are heavier, and his strength is more profound.

Just two days ago, he successfully accumulated 100 spiritual points and completed another physical enhancement. Although he did not gain any new minor skills, his physical strength has indeed reached a new level.

"If I keep growing like this, will I end up looking like an elephant, or even taller than a giraffe?" Qi Ji thought to himself with a smile.

When that time comes, his size alone will be intimidating enough, not to mention his strength, defense, and recovery ability, which will far exceed the racial stats of beasts of the same size—that's a qualitative difference.

"Yo~~~"

Qi Ji stretched and began to nibble on the tender evergreen shrubs around him. After filling his stomach, he started his daily routine of "patrolling the mountain".

The Duanchen Mountains are much larger than the Qingling Mountains where he first stayed, with continuous peaks and ridges, deep valleys and ravines, and a much more lush vegetation.

Qi Ji leaped and bounded through the woods, his snow-white figure darting across the treetops and streams, startling flocks of birds in flight.

When he encounters wild rabbits or roe deer hiding in the snow, he will mischievously paw at them with his hoof, scaring the little animals into jumping up and running around in a panic. They chase after him angrily, but can't even catch a glimpse of him, and in the end, they can only stand there kicking their legs and yelling.

Playing and frolicking as they ascended, Qi Ji soon reached the highest peak on the eastern side of the Duanchen Mountain Range.

Here, the view opens up dramatically, and looking down, you can see most of the mountains and forests, scattered villages, and winding mountain roads.

Looking out over the mountains, the outline of Luohui City's walls can be seen in the distance. Shifting the gaze, the official road, which stretches like a gray ribbon across the open field, can also be clearly seen by Qi Ji.

Qi Ji strolled leisurely to the edge of the cliff, looked down at the scenery outside the mountain, and was about to rest for a while before heading back when his gaze suddenly stopped.

"Um?"

On the distant official road, a long procession appeared, slowly making its way towards the Duanchen Mountains.

Qi Ji initially thought it was an ordinary caravan, but the next second, his enhanced eyesight clearly revealed the shape of the caravan.

There were more than a dozen unusually large wagons in the caravan, each about ten meters long and three or four meters high, with square and heavy bodies that were completely covered.

What's most striking is that there's nothing in front of these cars.

There are no horses to pull the cart.

A cow without a tether.

It drove steadily and independently on the official road.

Qi Ji's pupils contracted slightly as a word from his past life uncontrollably popped into his mind: bus?