The Prince of Virtue's eyes instantly narrowed. What was he looking at, exactly?
A behemoth had sprung out of the vase he was holding in his hand, and it was growing bigger and bigger in mid-air, and the golden light it was emitting was becoming more and more intense. A gust of wind, with him at the center, suddenly exploded outward with a blast and swept toward everything in the surroundings. Not a single person could stand still. Everyone was shocked to see the scene unfolding right before their very eyes.
When everyone finally got a good look at the behemoth, they all trembled from head to toe and couldn't help but hurriedly throw their weapons down. Then, every one of them fell to their knees onto the ground, still trembling all over.
It had a dragon head, antlers, dragon eyes, elk body, dragon scales, and was riding atop the auspicious clouds, looking incredibly majestic. With its golden eyes, it looked down on everything with a stately air. Its arrogant demeanor was so overwhelming that it had brought everyone to their knees.
"Ki, ki, kirin…"
"Yes, yes, it is the divine beast, kirin…"
"The Chosen One!"
"The Prince of Virtue is actually the Chosen One!"
"Ah—!!!"
A kirin! The behemoth hovering in mid-air at this moment was none other than the legendary kirin, also known as the auspicious beast.
The Prince of Virtue was also shocked at the scene before him. The scene right before his eyes was so incredible, so unbelievable, but yet, it was actually happening.
The kirin let out another angry roar, and to the crowd surrounding it, it spurted out a jet of fire from its mouth! Every place the jet of fire landed went up in flames and smoke, and everything turned into ash without a single trace left behind!
After the kirin was done spitting fire, it floated in mid-air and looked down at the Prince of Virtue and saw the silhouette of a man standing still in one spot while holding a vase in his arms.
The Prince of Virtue felt incredibly intimidated when the kirin's gaze landed on him, and his body stiffened. He wanted to kneel down, but his body wouldn't move. However, the next moment, the kirin let out a long howl, turned into a golden light, and then, like a meteor, crashed into the vase that the Prince of Virtue was holding in his arms. Once again, it became the picture on the vase.
There was still golden light in the surroundings as the Prince of Virtue looked around in silence. He was in the center of the entire place, and the surrounding area had become an empty land. Everything had ceased to exist. Those people who had been out to kill him just a moment ago, as well as the trees and rocks on the ground, had all been burned to nothing by the flames of the kirin!
Once again, in his ears, the Prince of Virtue seemed to hear the airy and slow voice of that woman named Tian Miao.
"As you… wish."
The golden light in the surrounding area gradually faded away, and the place was once again plunged into darkness.
When he was in darkness, the Prince of Virtue didn't despair. Never had he before, and he all the more reason not to now. His heart was swelling with infinite hope.
The Prince of Virtue tightly hugged the vase in his arms, though his hands wouldn't stop trembling. And there was simply no way he could calm the excitement in his heart.
The next moment, he raised his head to look up at the heavens, and a smile formed on his lips.
As I wished.
Thank you, celestial being.
...
Over the next few days, many people saw a ray of golden light rising in the sky. And this marked the beginning of a miracle.
Ten days later, the missing Prince of Virtue appeared in the imperial city with many fanatical followers trailing behind him. Every single person's eyes were ablaze with excitement as they stared at the Prince of Virtue. None were able to take their eyes off him. The Chosen One, the Prince of Virtue! The miracle that had happened earlier on was all because the Prince of Virtue was blessed with the protection of an auspicious beast.
The kirin had appeared, and with it an auspicious omen had arisen.
All the people worshipped him, and he stood high in public favor.
Fifteen days later, the Prince of Virtue was crowned Emperor, and he ascended the throne and changed his country's name to Qi.
...
Kong Hou was using a small hammer to pound on a nail beside the door frame. As she worked on repairing the door frame, she turned around to ask Tian Miao, "Boss, don't you have to go this time? Don't we have to help you?"
"No need. It's easier this time," Tian Miao yawned. Then she turned around to go upstairs.
The room on the right at the end of the second floor was Tian Miao's, and in the middle, there were two rooms. One was occupied by Dong Xiao, and the other one was occupied by Kong Hou. The other rooms were completely empty. The first floor, on the other hand, was filled with various items on display, and that large vase had been one of the items on display.