Jafar's request was nothing to Li Ming. After all, Jafar wasn't Aladdin—he had a foundation in magic. Although he was now just a small-time apprentice despite his age, teaching him magic would be much simpler. Li Ming didn't even need to instruct him personally; handing him a Spellbook for self-study would suffice.
However, Li Ming was somewhat curious. "Weren't you more interested in wealth and power?" Stroking his chin, Li Ming seemed to recall something as he said, "I remember you even wanted to marry the princess, ascend the throne, and become the ultimate winner in life."
Puzzled, Li Ming asked, "What? Have you suddenly given up on power and decided to return to the path of magic?"
In the world of Aladdin—or rather, in Agrabah—there was a peculiar law: a princess could only marry a prince.
Li Ming was unaware of this law, but Aladdin, who had lived in Agrabah most of his life, knew it well. So when he heard Li Ming bluntly mention that the Grand Vizier wanted to marry Princess Jasmine—the beautiful, wealthy, and noble princess—to reach the pinnacle of life, his first reaction was to look at Jafar with an expression that said, "Are you joking?"
Jafar, meanwhile, stared at Li Ming with a mix of embarrassment and horror: I only secretly plotted this in my heart—I never told a soul! How do you know? Is this mind-reading?
Seeing the dramatic shifts in their expressions, Li Ming inexplicably felt he might have said something wrong and asked in confusion, "What's going on with you two?"
Aladdin glanced at Jafar, and when he noticed the other looking back at him, he silently lowered his head without a word.
Aladdin knew very well that he was just a street thief, a nobody at the bottom of society. But the two men before him? One was the Grand Vizier, second only to the Sultan, someone whose mere sneeze could crush him to death.
The other, though dressed plainly, clearly commanded such deference from the Grand Vizier that Aladdin knew he was still out of his league.
Add to that the fact that Jafar's scheme involved the Sultan's throne—how could he dare to speak carelessly in front of such powerful figures? One wrong word, and he'd be dead before he knew it.
If that happened, his corpse could be dumped deep in the desert, and no one would ever know what truly occurred. Wouldn't that be unjust?
So, Aladdin could only pretend to suffer from temporary deafness, adopting an expression that said, My attention is completely captivated by the sand beneath my feet—I have no idea what you two are talking about.
Aladdin's reaction earned Jafar's understanding and approval. After all, Jafar had also started as a petty thief at the bottom before gradually working his way up to grand theft—kingdom edition. When it came to life-and-death matters like this, unless there was enough at stake, the best move was to stay as far away as possible.
But while Aladdin had clammed up, Li Ming seemed determined to get to the bottom of things. How was Jafar supposed to handle that?
Helpless, faced with Li Ming—who held his life in his hands—Jafar could only twitch his lips and say, "In Agrabah, a princess can only marry a prince. So my chances of marrying Princess Jasmine are zero."
Li Ming paused. In his mind, the King of Agrabah seeking a suitable match for his daughter made sense. But...Li Ming could understand—what parent wouldn't worry about their daughter's future, fearing she might struggle to put food on the table?
But such matters should be handled privately. What was the point of writing it into the legal statutes?
Laws were supposed to be the moral baseline everyone followed. Yet the King of Agrabah treated legislation like a joke.
What next? Would his laws dictate how many breaths of air people could take? Utterly ridiculous.
Still, Li Ming had no interest in debating household matters with the King of Agrabah. After all, the entire kingdom belonged to him—he could pass whatever laws he pleased. It wasn't Li Ming's concern.
Besides, if they really dug into it, the king might be the one losing out.
Take Jafar, for example. He was, at the very least, a mage. If he managed to win Jasmine's heart and they had children, Jafar would undoubtedly teach them magic.
If one of their descendants turned out to be a magical prodigy, they might even elevate Agrabah into the "City of Mages." By then, the kingdom would reap unimaginable benefits.
But what did the princess's marriage have to do with Jafar's return to the path of magic?
As a mage who had climbed the ranks to Grand Vizier by deciphering the king's whims, Jafar could read Li Ming's expression with ease.
With a sigh, his face twisting in bitterness, Jafar slowly explained, "I want control of Agrabah—and to conquer more kingdoms. In the end, it all ties back to magic."
Li Ming blinked in confusion. This was new—he'd never heard of a throne being linked to magic.
Gesturing for Jafar to continue, Li Ming listened intently.
To outsiders, magic might seem mysterious and noble. But behind the scenes, it was sustained by vast resources.
Without them, relying solely on meditation and discipline, progress in magic was as slow as a snail's pace.
And Jafar? In his youth, he'd been a thief. By sheer luck, he'd stolen a spell cultivation book. But how could a man who survived by stealing meals afford the resources to practice magic?
Fortunately, he used a few simple spells to infiltrate the circles of power. Leveraging his authority, he gradually amassed the resources a mage needed, climbing step by step to become Agrabah's second-in-command.
Yet this was precisely why Jafar knew that to advance further in magic, being second wasn't enough. Whenever the commoners offered up something valuable, the king always took first pick. Jafar was left with scraps—things the ruler didn't want or care for.
With the best resources siphoned away, how could he possibly cultivate his magic?
That was why he wanted to overthrow the king and seize the throne for himself.
He'd even planned how to invade neighboring kingdoms after taking power—all to secure more resources.With a larger territory under his jurisdiction, naturally more people would help him gather resources for his magical cultivation. Wouldn't his magical prowess skyrocket as a result?
However, at present, if the mage senior Li Ming could instruct him on magical cultivation, why would Jafar bother with the arduous task of stealing a kingdom? With that time, he might as well stay honestly in the laboratory building studying the fascinating magic.
Moreover, magic isn't for the faint-hearted—it's dangerous stuff. Having Li Ming's guidance versus figuring it out alone are completely different matters, you know.
After explaining his wholehearted pursuit of magic, Jafar looked at Li Ming with pitiful eyes.
Li Ming stroked his chin. He was somewhat skeptical of Jafar's explanation. Wanting to be the boss might have something to do with gathering resources, but there was definitely also a lust for power involved. After all, authority—well, heh.
But none of that concerned him. As long as Jafar provided convenience, Li Ming didn't mind teaching some simple magic. After all, Jafar was just an apprentice—what profound spells could he possibly learn? A few tricks to get by would suffice.
Thinking this, Li Ming nodded slightly and said, "I have my own research to conduct and no time to keep you by my side teaching magic."
Jafar was taken aback, unsure what Li Ming's nod of agreement and subsequent rejection meant, when he heard Li Ming continue, "But I can lend you my Spellbook. Note down what you don't understand, and I'll set aside time periodically to answer your questions."
As soon as the words fell, Jafar excitedly prostrated himself before Li Ming and said, "Thank you, my generous master."
Li Ming was somewhat unaccustomed to Jafar's kneeling gratitude. Gesturing for him to rise, he waved his hand to open a Portal to Aladdin's home and said, "Aladdin, take your treasures and go home."
Nearby, Jafar glanced at Aladdin with a look that suggested he had something to say.
Aladdin was a sharp fellow. One look at Jafar's expression and he guessed the other might still want to kill him to keep the secrets of the Cave of Wonders and his plot for the throne of Agrabah.
Terrified, he grabbed his bulging satchel filled with gold and jewels and darted through the Portal.
Just as Aladdin passed through the Portal, the magic carpet, for some inexplicable reason, decided it wanted to follow Aladdin and leave.
Li Ming was immediately displeased.
If not for last night's experience of flying all night, Li Ming might not have cared whether he had the magic carpet or not—after all, he could fly on his own, faster and more agilely than the carpet.
But after nearly exhausting his magical energy from flying, Li Ming's perspective had shifted somewhat.
Normally, Li Ming wouldn't mind turning into black mist and flying around—he could afford that much magical expenditure. But if his energy suddenly ran out during a fight—given that his close-combat skills were at a pitiful bronze-tier level—heh, what pose should he strike to surrender while preserving his handsome face?So, it was only natural for Li Ming to come up with the idea of creating a flying tool. However, most flying tools required him to provide Magical Power—what difference did that make from directly flying, which also consumed magical energy?
Coincidentally, the magic carpet could fly on its own without consuming additional magical energy. There was no way Li Ming would miss such an opportunity.
Seeing the magic carpet daring to leave on its own, Li Ming grabbed it and threatened fiercely, "Little thing, you're coming with me from now on, or I'll burn you to ashes."
Aladdin, who had just returned home, overheard Li Ming's threat to the magic carpet. His face twitched, and after hesitating for 0.1 seconds, he reluctantly handed his satchel to Li Ming. Summoning his courage, he bowed his head and said, "Honorable Mage, may I use this gold and jewelry to buy the magic carpet?"
Li Ming looked at Aladdin in confusion. Before he could even ask "why," Aladdin explained, "I know these jewels mean nothing to you, but the magic carpet saved my life in the cave. I can't just watch it get burned. I'm willing to trade all my wealth for its freedom."
"Though your kindness is admirable, you really don't seem to have much sense," Li Ming rolled his eyes and said irritably. "If I really wanted to burn the carpet, why would I bother talking to it?"
He glanced at the magic carpet in his hand and curled his lips in disdain. "This thing looks more like a picnic blanket. I have no interest in flying on it. I just want to study how it manages to fly without anyone supplying magical energy, so I can create my own ideal flying tool in the future."
"If you don't believe me, you can play with the carpet anytime," Li Ming pointed at Jafar. "I'll be staying in Agrabah for a while. Jafar will let you know where I am."
With that, Li Ming didn't care whether Aladdin believed him or not and waved his hand to close the Portal.
The moment the Portal closed, Jafar, who had been holding his tongue, pondered thoughtfully. He couldn't help but feel that Li Ming was being unusually kind to Aladdin—not only allowing him to safely obtain enough treasure through the Portal to live comfortably for generations but also permitting him to visit the magic carpet anytime?
Moreover, his tone didn't sound like that of a lofty mage at all.
Jafar decided he should first figure out Li Ming's attitude toward Aladdin before deciding whether to eliminate the boy. Otherwise, the consequences could be severe.
After some thought, Jafar cautiously asked, "Master, does he know about... our affairs?"
"He knows about your affairs," Li Ming said dismissively, knowing exactly what Jafar was worried about. "Besides, so what if he does? Do you really think anyone would believe the words of a petty thief?"
Jafar lowered his head in apparent deference, making sure Li Ming couldn't see his expression. "But Master, Aladdin knows Princess Jasmine. He might tell her about me. If Jasmine believes Aladdin and informs the Sultan, I fear it could delay your plans to gather magical materials."
Li Ming narrowed his eyes at the back of Jafar's head, his lips curling slightly in disdain. "Jafar, I know what you're thinking. Let me be clear—I do find Aladdin likable. As for why..." He paused, recalling everything he had done to return home, then shook his head bitterly, murmuring as if to himself or perhaps explaining to Jafar, "Because Aladdin is kind."
Hearing Li Ming's explanation, Jafar felt an inexplicable chill and buried his head even lower.
What one cannot obtain becomes the most precious. Jafar understood this principle well. So when Li Ming spoke of Aladdin's kindness with a tinge of envy, he knew full well that Li Ming was far from a kind man himself.
Li Ming took a deep breath, pushing his memories aside. "Just focus on gathering the magical materials for me."
With that, he waved his hand and opened the Portal, gesturing for Jafar to hurry into the Cave of Wonders.
Seeing this, Jafar sighed deeply in his heart. At this point, no matter what kind of person Li Ming was, for the sake of magic and his own life, what choice did he have but to obediently enter the Cave of Wonders and collect the materials?
After sending Jafar inside, Li Ming maintained the Portal to allow him to come and go as needed. Meanwhile, he sat on a magic carpet, pulling the Genie Lamp from his satchel and giving it a quick polish.
As he did, a swirling blue smoke erupted from the lamp, coalescing into a towering blue giant—human from the waist up but wispy smoke below.
Crossing his arms, the giant looked down at Li Ming and boomed in a rough voice, "O mighty summoner, I shall honor my promise and grant you three wishes. Speak your desires."
Li Ming stared at the familiar-looking Genie, instinctively patting the magic carpet to rise higher—craning his neck like this would give him a crick.
Once level with the Genie, it suddenly struck him why the guy looked so familiar: Will Smith!
Wait, this guy played the Genie? Since when?
Scratching his head, Li Ming glanced at the wristband that symbolized his ownership and the Genie's constraints, then studied the Genie's hairstyle and little mustache. Without thinking, he blurted, "Nice hair. The mustache's pretty sexy too."
"Aha!" The Genie's eyebrows shot up as he flashed a bright grin, running a hand over his braid. "You've got the best taste of any summoner I've met." He shrugged, then smirked. "Too bad I still only get you three wishes."After speaking, the Genie instantly shrank to normal human size, twisting its waist as if doing warm-up exercises while asking, "Respected mage, our small talk is over. Let's get to work. Now, state your first wish."
"Can I make my third wish first?" Li Ming looked at the Genie with a half-smile.
Puzzled, the Genie flew up to Li Ming and scrutinized him closely: Dark-leaning magical energy? Probably a mage corrupted by darkness and consumed by greed, trying to use the third wish to wish for three more wishes.
"Listen here, mage," the Genie pointed at Li Ming with a disdainful expression, "You only get three wishes. That's the Genie's rule. No one can make a fourth wish from a Genie."
Li Ming shrugged. "I know the Genie's rules. Not only that, but I also know you can't bring people back from the dead, can't kill or commit arson, and can't make someone fall in love with another."
"You seem quite knowledgeable about Genies. I like summoners who know the ropes—saves me from constantly explaining the rules."
Rubbing its chin, the Genie floated closer to Li Ming and asked curiously, "You have an order for your wishes? That's rare. Or rather, I've never encountered it before. Most people who find me already know what they want and blurt it all out at once." Rubbing its hands together, the Genie made an "OK" gesture and said, "You can wish this way if you like, but remember—once you've made two wishes, the third one takes effect immediately."
As it spoke, the Genie instantly changed into messenger attire and said, "Please state your third wish." Pausing, it pointed at the Genie Lamp and added playfully with a wink, "Don't forget the necessary procedure before making a wish—rub the lamp first."
Li Ming tossed the Genie Lamp in his hand a few times, gave it a rub, then smiled at the Genie and said, "My third wish is to grant freedom to the Genie standing before me."
The Genie froze, staring at Li Ming in utter bewilderment. After a moment, it dug at its ear, wearing a forced—or rather, ingratiating—smile, and hesitantly asked, "Sorry, I must have misheard. Could you repeat your third wish?" Li Ming shrugged and casually repeated the wish.
This time, as Li Ming restated his wish, the Genie not only stared intently at his lips with eager anticipation but also enlarged its ears and cupped its hands behind them for better hearing.
Only after Li Ming finished speaking did the Genie, after a long daze, shoot into the sky like its rear was on fire, singing and dancing, even setting off fireworks in broad daylight as a celebratory backdrop.
Freedom—this was what the Genie had always yearned for but could never attain.
Usually, everyone who found the Genie Lamp and made wishes, after getting what they desired, would only crave more, racking their brains to squeeze out hundreds or thousands of additional wishes from the Genie. Who would ever waste a precious wish like this?
The Genie had long grown accustomed to such situations and no longer held extravagant hopes.
But now, although Li Ming still had two wishes left to make, freedom was already within reach. This made it impossible for the Genie to suppress the joy in his heart.
If he didn't vent a little, the Genie would go mad from the pent-up excitement.
Of course, as an ancient creature—or an immortal being—the Genie was well aware that no one would go to such lengths to find the Genie Lamp just to set him free. So he knew full well that the remaining two wishes Li Ming had would likely be extremely difficult to fulfill.
Perhaps they would be challenges—hellish challenges at that. But even if they were as elusive as flowers in a mirror or the moon reflected in water, they still represented a glimmer of hope.
After a long while, the Genie, having vented his emotions, returned to Li Ming's side in high spirits. With a grin he couldn't possibly suppress, he rubbed his hands together and asked, "Honorable Mage, what are your remaining wishes? Power? Wealth? Or strength?"
After a moment's thought, the Genie—who had seen through the ways of the world—felt it necessary to offer Li Ming a word of caution. With a smile that revealed his back teeth, he said, "Honorable Mage, believe me, no one is ever satisfied with such things. You'll be trapped in an endless cycle of desire until the day you die of old age."
Li Ming nodded dismissively, "I know. I don't need to rely on wishes to gain power. I prefer the strength cultivated through my own practice—it makes me feel more secure."
Taking a deep breath, Li Ming gazed at the Genie Lamp with a look of longing and anticipation, forcing himself to remain calm as he asked, "If I want to go home, my real home, can you help me achieve that?"
The question of returning home was something Li Ming had contemplated ever since he realized he was in Aladdin's world. If the Genie could grant his wish, he would casually make a second wish—to return home while also setting the Genie free.
If the Genie couldn't fulfill his wish, Li Ming could still rely on the third wish he had previously planned to win the Genie over. It was a win-win situation.
"Go home? Your real home?" The Genie was baffled by Li Ming's request.
What kind of wish was this? Could it be that this mage owned multiple properties and didn't know where his real home was? Or had he lost his memory and forgotten where home was? Surely no one would dare stop a mage of his caliber from returning home.
Closing his eyes, the Genie carefully sensed for a moment before opening them wide in disbelief. "What's going on? I can't sense where your home is!"
He, the Genie, might not claim omniscience, but he was one of the most powerful beings in this universe. And yet, he couldn't even locate the home of the very person who intended to grant him freedom?
This left the Genie both confused and embarrassed. Sheepishly, he asked, "Respected Mage, do you... remember where your home is?"
The Genie's question made it clear he couldn't fulfill the wish. Li Ming shook his head bitterly. "If going home isn't possible, then forget it. I'll figure it out myself. Can you get me some alcohol? I feel like drinking."
The Genie waved his hand and conjured a mug of beer for Li Ming. Seeing the mage lost in thought, he opened his mouth several times as if to ask something but ultimately decided not to disturb him.
Just as the Genie was about to return to the lamp, Li Ming suddenly spoke up. "Genie, keep me company for a while."
The Genie thought for a moment. Truth be told, he wasn't eager to return to the brass confines of the lamp either, especially since he couldn't help Li Ming.
But since Li Ming had asked, the Genie was more than happy to chat. After all, he'd been cooped up in the lamp for so long he was practically developing claustrophobia.
After downing a large gulp of beer, Li Ming suddenly narrowed his eyes as a thought struck him. "If one Genie can't fulfill my wish, what about two Genies working together?"