Tomb raiders: You stole my little Qilin?

Wu Wei observed Wu Erbai's expression and, seeing that he had returned to his calm demeanor, seized the opportunity to speak: "Dad, actually, my younger brother is here too, he's waiting at the door."

Wu Erbai lifted his eyelids and glanced at him, his eyes seeming to understand everything.

He snorted coldly and said, "They're already at the door. If I don't invite them in, it would make me, Wu Erbai, seem impolite."

Wu Wei knew that Wu Erbai was willing to see him, so he responded and quickly left the study.

Outside the courtyard gate, Zhang Qiling was still standing beside the car, his posture ramrod straight.

Black Bear leaned against the car door and, seeing him jog out, raised his voice from afar: "How was it, Second Master?"

Wu Wei was running a bit too fast, and stopped in front of Zhang Qiling: "Brother, Boss Hei, my dad invites you in."

As the three men crossed the courtyard, Hei Xiazi lowered his voice and said to Wu Wei, "Is Second Master Wu going to hold a joint trial?"

Wu Wei gave a wry smile and didn't reply.

Wu Erbai has moved from the study to the main hall.

The maid placed several cups of freshly brewed tea on the mahogany coffee table. The aroma of tea filled the air, and the white porcelain cups gleamed warmly in the light.

Wu Erbai sat in the main seat, his back straight, his hands folded on his knees, his expression calm and composed, as if he were receiving a guest.

Zhang Qiling stepped into the main hall, his steps unhurried.

The two people looked at each other across the coffee table, and a subtle tension filled the air.

"Clan Chief Zhang. Master Hei." Wu Erbai spoke first, his tone polite and measured.

When Wu Wei heard the title "Clan Chief Zhang," his heart skipped a beat.

Wu Erbai was revealing his hand. He not only knew Zhang Qiling's identity, but he was also deliberately making it public.

But Zhang Qiling's expression remained unchanged, and he nodded slightly: "Second Master Wu".

Hei Xiazi called out "Second Master Wu" and then sat down in the guest seat.

"Chief Zhang has been traveling around for years, rarely settling down in Beijing. He told me about the Qixing Lu Palace incident from all three provinces. I am very grateful to Chief Zhang for his help along the way."

Wu Erbai picked up his teacup, his tone indifferent.

"Of course," Zhang Qiling said. "Wu Wei is a member of the Zhang family."

Wu Erbai's eyebrows twitched very slightly as he put down his teacup: "His surname is Wu."

"I know," Zhang Qiling said calmly. "I'm not taking him away. I'm just teaching him some things; he should learn."

After a two-second silence, Wu Erbai seemed to be weighing the weight of his words, then suddenly smiled slightly:

"The things from the Zhang family are naturally good things. It's good fortune that the Zhang clan chief is willing to teach them."

He then changed the subject, saying, "It's just that Xiao Wei has been with me since he was little and is used to eating the Wu family's food. He might not be used to eating the Zhang family's food."

"He can eat it well," Zhang Qiling replied earnestly. "He ate two bowls of rice last night."

Wu Erbai's expression subtly changed, and his gaze drifted towards Wu Wei.

Wu Wei almost choked on his tea, unable to tell whether Zhang Qiling was serious or just trying to sabotage him.

Black Bear, standing to the side, suppressed a laugh while muttering under his breath, "That's because I, Black Bear, am good at cooking."

Wu Erbai withdrew his gaze: "Clan Chief Zhang is quite observant."

"Master Wu has taken good care of him, but he is still young, so we naturally have to be careful." Zhang Qiling's words seemed to have a hidden meaning.

The phrase "young age" made Wu Erbai pause for a moment as he held the teacup.

He put down his teacup and looked at Zhang Qiling again, his scrutiny turning into a thoughtful expression.

Hei Xiazi and Wu Wei exclaimed in hushed tones, "Your Wu family's tea is truly excellent; it's authentic Lion Peak Longjing, something you can't even buy in tea shops."

Wu Weizheng listened intently to Wu Erbai and Zhang Qiling's conversation and casually replied, "My dad has a lot of good tea hidden away. I'll pack some for you when we leave."

"Really?" Black Bear's eyes behind his sunglasses practically lit up.

"Young Master is so generous! Then I won't be so polite to the blind man."

Wu Erbai then spoke up again: "Clan Chief Zhang is a man of principle, so I won't say anything more."

Then he said to Wu Wei, "Xiao Wei, take Master Hei to the teahouse to pick out some tea. Guests are guests, it's not right for them to leave empty-handed."

Wu Wei immediately understood that Wu Erbai wanted to speak with Zhang Qiling alone.

He looked at Zhang Qiling, who nodded slightly to him.

Wu Wei then got up and led Hei Xiazi outside.

The two left the main hall and headed down the corridor toward the tea room.

Wu Wei walked slowly, frequently turning back, his brows furrowed, looking uneasy.

Hei Xiazi patted him on the shoulder: "Alright, it's not like you're being sent to the execution ground as a mute."

"My brother doesn't talk much, and my dad always speaks in riddles, I'm afraid..."

Black Bear chuckled. "The mute doesn't talk much usually, it's because he's too lazy to talk, not because he can't. When it's time to speak, he's quite eloquent."

Wu Wei thought about it and agreed. Putting aside his worries, he led Hei Xiazi into Wu Erbai's tea room.

The tea room was decorated with great care.

Dozens of tea canisters, made of porcelain, purple clay, and tin, are neatly stacked on the antique shelf against the wall.

Each canister has a neatly labeled tag with the name of the tea.

An old boat wood tea table sits by the window, with a complete set of purple clay teaware on its surface.

As soon as Hei Xiazi entered, he exclaimed in amazement, "Wow, that's quite a grand gesture!"

Wu Wei waved his hand: "Brother Hei, pick whatever you like, take some home."

Black Bear didn't stand on ceremony, looking at each jar one by one, occasionally opening the lid to smell and taste them.

He would comment on each can he smelled, speaking with great insight and knowledge.

Wu Wei then beckoned two servants over and had them brew a pot of each type of tea that Hei Xiazi was interested in.

The servant was quick and efficient; in no time, a row of teacups was laid out on the tea table, the various teas clear and translucent in the cups.

Black Bear sat at the tea table, sipping each cup one by one, and suddenly sighed:

"With Wu Erbai living like this, even those princes back then couldn't have lived like this."

Wu Weizheng was holding a fragrance cup close to his nose when he heard this, and paused.

He certainly knew about Hei Xiazi's background. The words came out of his mouth lightly, but they carried a different weight.

Wu Wei put down the aroma cup, not responding to the conversation, and simply said in a casual tone, "Brother Hei, take whatever you want, don't be polite with me."

He was twirling a teacup in his hand, his gaze behind his sunglasses obscured.

After a long pause, he suddenly spoke, his tone carrying an ambiguous quality: "Don't you think I, the blind man, am insatiably greedy, Second Master?"

Wu Wei paused for a moment, then shook his head seriously, put down his teacup, and said solemnly:

"Hey, everyone has a different lifestyle. I just want to select friends I get along with, and I don't want to interfere with how others live their lives."

Hei Xiazi didn't speak, his hand holding the teacup stopped in mid-air.

"So, did I pass the screening?" The question was asked casually, as if it were a joke.