Tomb raiders: You stole my little Qilin?

After seeing Xie Yuchen off, Wu Wei stepped into the courtyard and saw the lights on in the main hall.

Wu Erbai sat in the main seat, with Erjing sitting beside him; the two were clearly waiting for him.

Wu Wei's heart skipped a beat, and he thought of sneaking back to his room under the cover of night.

"Erjing, stop him." Wu Erbai cut off Wu Wei's thoughts.

Wu Wei sighed, and before Erjing could come out, he resigned himself to his fate, turned a corner, and obediently walked into the main hall.

He sat down in the chair opposite Wu Erbai, staring down at the teacup on the coffee table, not daring to look Wu Erbai in the eye.

"Who exactly is the person you mentioned on the phone?"

Wu Erbai got straight to the point, carefully observing the subtle changes in Wu Wei's face.

"There's really no one here," Wu Wei insisted firmly.

He himself hasn't even figured this out yet, so how can you explain it?

He said Xie Yuchen kissed his ear? And confessed his feelings to him face-to-face? My mind is a complete mess right now?

He couldn't bear the embarrassment, nor did he want to put Xie Yuchen in an awkward position.

Given Wu Erbai's personality, he would definitely interfere once he found out, and Xie Yuchen would probably be thoroughly investigated by him.

Wu Wei was also surprised that he refused to say anything, which made Wu Erbai even more suspicious.

Wu Erbai recalled the look Wu Xie had given Wu Wei at dinner.

It's completely different from the dependence between brothers.

Wu Erbai's heart sank suddenly, and a suspicion that made him uneasy surfaced.

But he didn't reveal a word of it.

"Zhang Qiling is back too." Wu Erbai picked up his teacup, his tone returning to its usual calm.

"You're almost fully recovered. Go back there tomorrow and continue your training."

Wu Wei had expected a severe interrogation tonight, but Wu Erbai let him go so quickly.

He's been distracted by Xie Yuchen's bluntness these past few days.

Upon hearing that they could return to the courtyard house, he didn't dwell on why Wu Erbai had offered, nor did he ask Zhang Qiling and the others when they had returned. He simply replied casually:

"it is good."

Seeing his absent-minded appearance, Wu Erbai became even more certain.

Normally, this kid would have tried to haggle a bit with a smile, but today he agreed so readily.

Something's not right, something's really not right.

"Go and rest," Wu Erbai waved his hand.

Wu felt as if he had been granted a pardon, and stood up to walk out.

……

The next morning, after washing up, Wu Xie went to the restaurant and habitually looked towards the seat where Wu Wei usually sat.

The seat was empty, and there were only two sets of bowls and chopsticks on the table.

Wu Xie paused for a moment, then sat down and asked, "Second Uncle, where's my brother?"

"They went to Zhang Qiling's place."

Wu Erbai took a sip of soy milk and said in a calm tone, "He'll be living there from now on, so it'll be convenient for him to practice his skills."

Wu Xie immediately spoke up, his voice a little urgent: "I'll go too."

"no."

"Why?" Wu Xie frowned.

Wu Erbai put down his chopsticks and looked up at Wu Xie.

That gaze wasn't the usual teasing and indulgence, but a sternness that Wu Xie rarely saw.

It was heavy, and carried an undeniable weight.

"No reason."

Wu Erbai's voice turned cold, "From now on, you'll stay at home and come with me."

After saying that, he stood up, put his napkin on the table, and walked out of the restaurant without looking back.

He was the only one left in the restaurant. The breakfast on the table was still steaming, but he couldn't eat a single bite.

Wu Xie gripped the chopsticks tightly with his knuckles.

After confirming his feelings for Wu Wei, he felt flustered, excited, and restless, yet also somewhat inclined to avoid the situation.

She was afraid that she would lose control and ruin her image in Wu Wei's eyes, afraid that she would mess up the relationship, and afraid that Wu Wei would hate her.

But before he could do anything, he and Wu Wei parted ways.

He dared not think too much about Wu Erbai's gaze, yet he had no choice but to.

Could it be that my second uncle knows something?

……

On the other side, Wu Wei arrived at the courtyard house early in the morning with his backpack.

As the courtyard gate was pushed open, a sharp whistling sound came from behind it.

In the courtyard, Hei Xiazi and Zhang Qiling were practicing together.

Hei Xiazi held a short blade in his hand, his moves ruthless yet agile; Zhang Qiling still used that black gold ancient sword, his swordplay steady and precise, each strike carrying immense force.

The two were locked in a fierce fight when Wu Wei, without uttering a sound, went straight into the courtyard.

He put his backpack on the stone bench, shifted his body, and joined the fight between the two.

He needed a cathartic confrontation to clear his mind of all the jumbled thoughts.

Hei Xiazi sensed someone cutting in from the side and instinctively sidestepped to block, but reduced his strength the moment he saw who it was.

"Wu Wei?"

Before he could finish speaking, Wu Wei's leg was already kicking in front of him, and Hei Xiazi moved his shoulder back to avoid it.

Zhang Qiling reacted even faster.

The Black Gold Ancient Blade drew an arc in the air, its blade slightly tilted, blocking Wu Wei's attack route while giving Hei Xiazi space to adjust his position.

The two switched from fighting to probing each other almost simultaneously, their tacit understanding requiring no communication.

Wu Wei has improved a lot recently, and he is even able to barely hold his own against the combined attack of Hei Xiazi and Zhang Qiling.

But he was no match for two opponents, and after only a few moves, he was forced to retreat step by step, unable to hold on any longer and finally shouted:

"Two against one, that's not fair!"

"Who's talking to you about fairness?" Hei Xiazi said, but then turned around, changed the direction of the short blade in his hand, and stood side by side with Wu Wei.

He grinned at Zhang Qiling, "Dumb guy, don't say I'm being biased."

Zhang Qiling's gaze swept back and forth between the two of them, her expression unchanged.

He slightly raised the black gold ancient sword in his hand, its blade gleaming with a cold, sharp light in the early autumn sunlight.

Their eyes made it clear: Come at me together.

The three of them fought for quite a while in the courtyard.

The bird flew from under the tree all the way to the entrance of the main hall, startling several sparrows that had just landed on the wall, causing them to flutter away.

The melee finally came to an end when Wu Wei was exhausted and his steps slowed down, allowing Zhang Qiling to grab his wrist.

Wu Wei sat on the stone bench, panting heavily. His hair was wet and stuck to his forehead. The exhilarating feeling after the exercise finally dispelled the restlessness in his heart.

Zhang Qiling poured three glasses of cool boiled water and handed one to each person.

"You've made a lot of progress lately," Zhang Qiling said, taking a sip of water, her tone full of affirmation.

Wu Wei wiped the sweat from his forehead and smiled smugly: "Of course, I've actually fought it."

"In real combat?"

Hei Xiazi put down his cup and looked at Wu Wei with eyes like a normal person.

What happened to you?

Wu Wei was about to tell them about the stone statues and sacrificial texts in the tomb, but the image of Xie Yuchen hugging him flashed uncontrollably through his mind.

His brow furrowed slightly without him noticing.

Hei Xiazi placed the water glass on the stone table, his slender fingers tapping the rim of the glass.

He squinted at Wu Wei, his eyes so sharp they seemed to see right through him.