The nine-coloured deer looked back and licked her face, comforting the saddened woman.

  Suddenly, Li Qingshan realised the nine-coloured deer was probably a legendary “mount”, except the master who rode on her back was far too flimsy, such that it was easy to neglect her. Perhaps the relationship between a master and their mount was not like a master and a servant as he had imagined. After all, they did spend a lot of time together.

  He abruptly came up with a childish thought, Do all the powerful cultivators in the Human realm have mounts? I can’t lose to them in terms of fanciness then. Speaking of which, that kid Fengyuan should be pretty fine. A pure phoenix and one that’s close to the fourth heavenly tribulation. It’s perfectly justified for a son to carry his father on his back too.

  “Achoo!”
In the World of the Five Continents, on the continent of otherfolk, the Featherfolk King Li Fengyuan rubbed his nose forcefully within Clouded city that hovered above the clouds. Little did he know that he had already been designated as a mount for his good-for-nothing father.

  Li Qingshan smiled in satisfaction and asked, “How do you know each other? Why is this place called White Deer country?”
The nine-coloured deer could not help but think back to a very, very long time ago…
“Save me! Save me!”
The young hunter’s calls for help echoed through the mountains and forests in despair as he sank bit by bit into the swamp, paying a price for his impulses as a young man. His hunting hound circled around beside him, but there was nothing it could do. Suddenly, it turned around and began barking madly at the depths of the forest.

  The young hunter tried his hardest to raise his head and peer into the woods, only to see a white deer walk out. Her antlers were like coral as its snowy-white fur glimmered with specks of colour. Even when he stared into the eyes of death, the young hunter was still astounded by her elegance and beauty. He pleaded with the white deer, “Please, save me!”
The white deer blinked its eyes and stepped over the water in the swamp gently, arriving before him and extending an antler towards him.

  The young hunter gripped the antler firmly and was dragged out of the swamp, gasping for air as he laid on the ground. He promised to the white deer in the depths of the swamp. “Thank you. I will definitely pay you back!”
Very soon, he upheld his promise, arriving by the swamp once more with a gift.

  The white deer sensed his good will and accepted the gift. At the same time, she became curious about this strange lifeform.

  From then onwards, the young hunter would frequent the depths of the forest and bring items that only humans possessed to the white deer, whether it was a piece of salt or a bamboo flute…
The white deer collected precious herbs in return, and they gradually became friends. Not only did they exchange gifts, but they even played in the forest together, spending many wonderful moments together.

  The white deer experienced unprecedented joy, and the young hunter gradually became wealthy through the white deer’s gifts, even marrying a wife. He understood exactly how precious and rare white deer were. If other hunters found out about this, the consequences would be unthinkable, so he kept this a secret the entire time, but it roused his wife’s suspicion. One time, she followed him secretly into the forest and saw the white deer. She was discovered by the white deer as well.

  The young hunter introduced her to the white deer. “This is my wife.‘’
The white deer was rather disappointed. The way the woman looked at her left her rather uneasy.

  When the young hunter returned home, his wife tried to persuade him. “What a beautiful white deer. Look at its horns and fur! If you offer it up to the lord of the country, you don’t have to go into the mountains and hunt anymore!”
The young hunter was very furious. He scolded his wife fiercely, but the seed had already been planted in his heart.

  Gradually, he was no longer young, no longer possessing the same impulses as before. Wrinkles began to appear on his forehead. He matured with each passing day, gaining several kids.

  Whenever he encountered people wealthier than him, his wife would mention this. The hunter gradually stopped scolding her too. The seed in his heart sprouted, turning into a terrifying thought. If I offer it up to the lord of the country, I won’t have to worry about anything for the rest of my life!

  After hesitating for a very long time, he prepared a trap and poison, making his way towards the swamp in the forest again.

  Before long, the white deer was locked up in a cage and delivered before the lord of the country. She was filled with sorrow and fury. She did not understand why the hunter would do this. They had known each other for all these years! Not only had she saved his life, but she had even given him a plentiful life, so why was he still not satisfied? Was this what humans were?

  The subjects were all amazed by the white deer’s beauty. One of them sucked up to the lord. “Your majesty, if you place the antlers in your study, it’ll definitely be a pleasant sight to behold! My lady, look at this fur. It can definitely complement your beauty. The deer blood and meat is most nourishing. Princess Yaozhu has always suffered from delicate health, so it’s perfect for…”
At this moment, the little princess hiding behind her mother suddenly called out, “I’m not eating it!”
The white deer raised her head, and everyone looked at her. She panicked, choking back sobs. “She’s already… so sad… Y… you still want to… eat her?”
The white deer widened her eyes. The lord of the country smiled and rubbed her head. “Yaozhu, it’s just a deer. There’s no need to be so sad.”
The lady smiled. “This deer is splendid. It doesn’t seem to be a regular wild beast. I don’t know if it knows sadness, but I can’t leave my dear daughter sad. How about this? We’ll move it to the garden of beasts. If we have the time, we can even appreciate it. I have plenty of fox-fur robes. I don’t need one made from deer fur.”
As a result, the white deer was spared, but she lost her freedom. She was saddened by the betrayal of her friend, so she refused to eat or drink, silently waiting for her death.

  One night, the white deer heard a rustle from outside the garden. A tiny figure had climbed over the walls, almost falling down. Many places on her dress had been torn open, which made her seem a little miserable. She was the youngest princess.

  She arrived bside the white deer and pulled out a great handful of flowers, plants, and vegetables, still with soil and roots. She placed them before the white deer one by one as she said.

  “Little deer, I heard you don’t like to eat things. There’s a lot of things I don’t like to eat either, like lamb. The taste is so overwhelming. Pork, beef… But there are a lot of delicious vegetables, like spinach, cabbage…” She listed out a great number of vegetables like no one’s business before asking, “What kind of vegetables do you like? I can go and pick them for you. I know it’s horrible to be locked up. I broke another jade handle and mother…” She rambled on about a great deal of things before changing the topic back naturally, “So don’t be sad. I will take good care of you. Once I get a little older, I’ll definitely release you.”
The white deer stared at her for a very long time before finally lowering her head and eating. She just settled down in the garden of humans.

  The little princess gradually grew up, accompanied by the white deer every single day, spending their time together closely. The people of the country jokingly referred to her as the white deer princess.

  The white deer had recovered her strength a long time ago. The coloured specks on her body became brighter and brighter, such that she could leap over the high walls easily now, but she stayed behind because of the princess.

  One day, as they played around in the garden, a valiant woman in light armour descended from above. “Woah, there’s actually a nine-coloured deer here! How fortunate! Little girl, is this your deer? How much do you want for it? I’ll buy it from you.”
The white deer could not help but take a step back. She could sense the terrifying power of this woman.

  “Big sister, she’s not for sale.” The princess shook her head.

  The woman pinched the princess’ cheeks. “Little sister, you sure are a smooth talker. You don’t seem poor, so how about this? If you give it to me, I’ll give you eternal youth.”
Right when the white deer felt slightly worried, she heard the princess say, “Big sister, I don’t want that.”
The woman pinched her cheeks with both hands and pulled them. “Tsktsk, how young. You still don’t know the value of youth. You’re going to regret this once you turn old.”
The white deer waved her antlers around forcefully, fending off the woman’s hands.

  “Big sister, I won’t regret it. You should go! If the guards discover you, it’ll be bad.”
“Hah, you sure are a nice person, little girl. No wonder this little deer also wants to protect you too. If I separate you against your will, I’ll be the one who comes off as unreasonable. Since that’s the case, you can both come with me!” The woman kicked up a great gust of wind, sweeping the princess and the white deer away and vanishing into the horizon. She left behind a single message. “I, Chao Tianjiao, am taking this girl and deer away!”
Ever since then, the white deer princess became a legend. Many years later, the lord of the country approached the end of his life, and an army surrounded the city. Even after several months, they failed to take down the place, so they swore they would definitely massacre the entire city once they breached the walls.

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  At this moment, the princess rode over on a white deer. The deer’s antlers shone brightly, completely illuminating the night sky, which made the enemy army panic, afraid to launch another attack.

  And thus the country was preserved. To commemorate this and in hopes of further protection, they renamed themselves to White Deer country. For a moment, it became a habit to keep deer. It even became a part of the country’s law that deer were revered.

  Before the lord of the country’s deathbed, the princess swore she would protect this city forever, to never let anyone invade this place.

  ……
At this moment, Li Qingshan’s ears twitched. A ruckus rang out from the eastern gate, becoming louder and louder. The sounds of cries, wails, and arrows whistling through the air appeared. Gradually, flames began to rise.

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  People called out again and again, “Kill the incompetent ruler! Butcher the white deer!” That was the chant of the rebels.

  “The rebels have entered the city!”
The nine-coloured deer looked back and let out a snort in contempt.

  “Father, Yaozhu will be breaking her promise.” Ruan Yaozhu prayed silently towards the sky. “Jiu’er, let’s go!” She took out a Green Jade bookmark from her sleeve and passed it to Li Qingshan. “I’ll give you this bookmark. Hopefully, I can see you again in the Myriad sect.”
Li Qingshan accepted the Green Jade bookmark. “Let’s just say you’re lending this to me.”
“Alright.” Ruan Yaozhu smiled. With a few bounds, the nine-coloured deer vanished into the horizon.

  The noise in the city grew louder and louder. Lanterns lit up one by one in the Flower Fragrance parlour as flames rose up into the air in the surroundings.

  Li Qingshan clutched the Green Jade bookmark firmly and paced around under the peach tree, uncertain whether it could survive the flames tonight. He let out a gentle sigh and rose into the air slowly, overlooking the chaotic city. Houses were set alight one by one as deer were slaughtered one after another.

  “Save me, senior! Please, save me!”
The lord of White Deer country was trapped inside a tall building by the “ants” that he spoke of. He only had around a dozen guards around him with the magicians nowhere to be seen. He had used multiple techniques already, such that his powers were depleted. If he tried to fly, he would definitely be shot down by arrows. He looked at Li Qingshan in the sky and called out loudly for help.

  Li Qingshan glanced over before never looking back again. He grabbed Zhu Yingcai on the tower and flew off towards the Myriad sect. He felt a little eager inside. Perhaps that place would be a little different from what he imagined.