[The Person Who Walked Out of the Oil Painting]

[A Man Who Walked Out of an Oil Painting]

Du Wei refused to let the servants wait on him as he got dressed, and even when he bathed, he locked the door.

Standing before the mirror, Du Wei gently parted his hair, revealing the tiny, short... horn atop his head.

"This Chris... couldn't he have made this thing look a little better?" Du Wei sighed. It seemed he would have to be careful from now on not to let anyone touch his head.

Fortunately, the horn was small and short. As long as he fluffed up his hair a little, it could be hidden... Du Wei's hair was long. And besides... from now on, he would need to wear hats now and then.

As he looked at himself in the mirror, a rather amusing and strange thought suddenly arose in Du Wei's heart...

The pair of eyes Chris had given him...

Yes, the Charm Eyes. To Du Wei, this was absolutely not some boring magic for making women fall in love with him... It was a highly effective... instant hypnotic technique.

Du Wei could not help recalling the time he had bargained with that demon's servant...

When faced with terms offered by someone who could speak for a demon, what did Du Wei want most?

At that moment, what Du Wei had truly wanted to blurt out was:

I want to go back!

Go home! Back to that original world!!

That world had his parents, his friends, the girl he liked, and everything that belonged to him!

And this world, though it was mysterious, interesting, and brimming with magical fantasy... was not his home in the end.

If it were possible, Du Wei would not have hesitated to say that he wanted to go home!

So Du Wei cautiously asked Chris, "Excuse me, do you know any spatial magic or anything like that?"

Then Du Wei asked, as simply as he could, "I was wondering whether spatial magic could take me from this place to another world... I've always been very curious about such things."

Chris had naturally been somewhat surprised.

Oh, no, no—he was not incapable of using spatial magic.

For a demon's servant with an almost infinite lifespan, his breadth of knowledge was already unmatched in the world.

What could he possibly not know?

But Chris was still curious. Pursuing the mysteries of spatial magic was a dream for many master mages... but for a child barely in his teens, one who had not even enjoyed the pleasures of life... making such a request was undoubtedly baffling.

"I know some spatial magic... but I cannot use it."

That was Chris's answer. The demon's servant then gave a brief explanation, and Du Wei immediately understood.

"I am imprisoned here." Chris smiled. "If I could use spatial magic, I would have escaped long ago."

That made perfect sense.

Du Wei nodded, and with that, his hope of returning home was shattered.

Fortunately, he had grown accustomed to this world over many years and had developed some ability to adapt. Du Wei was not as disappointed as he had imagined he would be. After pondering briefly, he made his request. "Then, I want to learn magic."

The young noble pointed to his own head. "I believe I have talent when it comes to spiritual power. But... there's a problem with my sensitivity. I can't sense the fluctuations of magical elements around me."

And then...

And then Du Wei gained a horn!

What was it like...? Du Wei touched his head as he stared at himself in the mirror...

It was like... adding an antenna to a radio with poor signal reception!

That horn was Du Wei's antenna! From then on, it allowed him to smoothly sense the magical fluctuations around him! In fact... because of the horn, his sensitivity would be far greater than that of other mages.

That was Chris's gift.

Perhaps because Du Wei's request had been too simple—so simple that even the powerful demon's servant felt a little embarrassed—Chris said, "Your request is simple. As part of our bargain, I will not let you suffer a loss, my little friend. So, I can give you something extra... Among the things I mentioned just now, you may choose any one."

Ah, the "Charm Eyes," the formidable "Dragon Heart," and the strange arts of hearing others' thoughts and seeing through their disguises...

Naturally, as a man—a most standard, ordinary man!

Du Wei chose the Charm Eyes.

Just imagine it: using those electric eyes to slay all the beauties under heaven. That was rather wicked too, wasn't it?

As for the heart of a giant dragon... Du Wei had no intention of turning himself into a muscle-bound brawler.

And hearing other people's thoughts, seeing through disguises... Du Wei found that even more boring. That was something politicians needed. He had no interest in it.

So... Du Wei chose the Charm Eyes.

A kind of advanced hypnosis.

Whether it was a formidable female mage or a pure and holy saintess, neither could escape the hypnosis of those eyes.

However... there was only one weakness...

They only worked on women!

•

Closing his eyes and drawing a deep breath, Du Wei spread his arms, opened his palms, and felt the world around him with all his heart.

The helpless bewilderment he had felt before was gone!

That feeling of gaining nothing was gone too.

Everything around him now seemed exceptionally clear to Du Wei! His spiritual power spread out in endless waves, as though invisible feelers could reach every inch and every corner of the room! The drip-drip of falling water, even a tile in the corner corroded by water stains, or the bursting of a bubble in the bathtub...

Clear! This feeling of clarity was simply wonderful!

Du Wei could not help but let out a moan.

He still did not know magic, but under the effect of his spiritual power, he merely made a slight beckoning gesture. Immediately, countless droplets gathered in his palm, condensing into a tiny ball of water.

The water ball remained gathered without dispersing, crystal-clear as it slowly rolled about in Du Wei's palm...

"This... is magic... It feels pretty good." Du Wei could not help gently closing his hand...

The water ball shattered. Droplets rolled down and flowed away, vanishing.

He could already begin to sense magical elements. In this bathroom, Du Wei could easily sense and control water elements to a basic degree.

Now, the only thing he needed was to learn incantations!

With abundant magic power and sharp perception, if he learned a certain number of incantations as well...

Then he could be considered a mage in the true sense of the word.

Du Wei stayed in the bathroom for a full two hours. By the time he had dressed neatly and returned to the study, the old steward Hill's legs had gone sore from standing.

"Young Master, your dinner..."

"I'll eat in the study." Du Wei waved a hand. Seeing the old steward open his mouth as if to speak, Du Wei suddenly smiled and cut him off. "All right, my dear steward. I know Father has ordered you to keep a close watch over me, but don't worry. For the next year, I will strictly obey Father's orders. I won't take a single step beyond the castle grounds, nor will I interfere with any of the territory's businesses... As for my monthly expenses, don't worry. I won't be holding out my hand to you for money."

After a pause, Du Wei looked into the old steward's eyes. "I don't resent my father... I understand very clearly that from his position, he isn't merely a father—he is also the head of the family! Sometimes, Father might not have the heart to punish his own son this way, but as the family head, he has no choice but to do it. I understand."

The old steward was stunned... The few conventional words of comfort he had prepared were all blocked by Du Wei.

Now he understood as well. This young master was absolutely no fool. He was merely an oddity whose way of thinking differed from ordinary people's.

The old steward was about to take his leave when Du Wei asked another question. "That wooden cabin I ordered built before I left some days ago..."

"It has been completed." The old steward immediately replied, "It was built entirely according to your requirements. You may inspect it tomorrow."

"Thank you. I'm very satisfied." After saying that, Du Wei's gaze drifted elsewhere, signaling with this gesture that the steward could leave.

Once the study door had closed, Du Wei climbed the ladder, casually pulled down a book on astrology from the towering shelves, and quietly began to read.

Soon, it was midnight.

When the midnight bell rang, Du Wei stretched hard, then checked whether the door was locked. Finally, he brought over the ladder and took down the oil painting on the wall.

It seemed the castle servants had done their cleaning duties conscientiously. There was not a trace of dust on the painting. Du Wei looked at the pair of eyes in it.

After midnight, those eyes had come "alive," watching him with anticipation.

"All right, we haven't seen each other for so many days. You must have been waiting anxiously." Du Wei smiled. "Last time, I already examined the secret chamber below, and I saw what Grand Astrologer Semel left behind... Now, I have obtained an incantation—an incantation that can set you free."

This was Du Wei's first time casting magic, so he could not help feeling a little uneasy.

Almost unconsciously, he imitated the way the mages he had seen cast spells... spreading his arms slightly, his expression solemn as he chanted the incantation in a low voice...

What Du Wei did not notice was that his gestures and movements at that moment closely resembled that little silly girl Vivian.

After the chant was complete, Du Wei suddenly sensed a mysterious force around him stirring...

Then, Du Wei clearly felt an undercurrent appear within his abundant spiritual power... as though an invisible straw were swiftly drawing away a wisp of his spiritual power...

And then...

A faint gleam burst from his fingertips. With a whoosh, that light was sucked into the oil painting!

...That should count as success, right?

Du Wei took two steps back and quietly watched the painting before him.

Boom!

A tongue of flame shot out from the painting, and it immediately began burning up... Du Wei jumped in fright!

Of course he knew this painting was a family antique! If it burned down, that old steward would probably lodge another complaint with his father.

But Du Wei did not even have time to pick up the cup of water on the table and douse the painting, because the flames were far too fast! Far too fierce!

With that single boom, the entire painting turned to ashes in the flames! Then the fire drifted upward, floating from the tabletop all the way down to the floor... Ashes scattered, flames leaped.

Then Du Wei saw a pale, snow-white leg lightly step out of the flames...

Skin white as frost and snow, so tender it seemed that a gentle pinch would squeeze water from it... exquisite toes like ten pearls, and a small jade-like foot.

A pair of legs that even the most discerning lecher would have to call perfect! Slender, firm, straight, and round...

A crimson robe, as vivid as spring roses! Beneath that red robe, the snowy white skin was all the more dazzling!

Then came silver hair, white as snow! Her graceful body was enveloped beneath that light red robe... From the exposed neck and the faintly swelling curve of her chest... one could not help but wonder... whether she wore anything else beneath that robe?

And above that was her face!

This was the third time Du Wei had seen such a face!

The first time was in the secret chamber below, within the two-hundred-year-old magic array left behind by the great astrologer Semel, where he had seen Semel's own phantom!

The second time had been Joanna—the powerful female mage, the icy beauty!

The third time was now!

Her face clearly lacked Joanna's coldness and pride, yet it brimmed with a tranquil allure. Her gaze drifted softly, far gentler than Joanna's eyes.

Du Wei was already dumbstruck!

White hair, breathtaking beauty, a scarlet robe...

The woman stepping out from the flames consuming the oil painting before him... was, unmistakably... undeniably...

Semel herself—the great female astrologer!!