Tomb raiders: You stole my little Qilin?

In Wu Erbai's house, Wu Erbai and Erjing had just finished eating.

Wu Xie had been feeling down for the past two days and had no appetite for dinner, so it was just the two of them.

Erjing had the servants clear away the dishes, poured himself a cup of tea, pushed it to Wu Erbai's side, and casually mentioned:

"Second Master, my men reported today that the young master of the Xie family went to Xiao Wei's place at noon and brought him food."

Wu Erbai picked up his teacup, his eyebrows twitching slightly, and said in a teasing tone, "Our lad is quite likable."

After considering the current situation, he added, "Now that the Nine Gates are in decline, it's reassuring that the younger generation has good relationships."

Seeing that Wu Erbai was in a good mood, Erjing echoed his sentiments with a couple of lines.

Outside the door, Wu Xie's hand froze in mid-air, his movement of pushing the door open to come in frozen in place.

He came to see Wu Erbai tonight to try and persuade him to let him go out to see Wu Wei tomorrow.

Unexpectedly, I overheard Wu Erbai and Erjing chatting casually.

Wu Xie stood outside the door, the image of Xie Yuchen holding Wu Wei's arm flashing uncontrollably through his mind, and Fatty's words, "Maybe he likes your brother," echoed in his ears again.

Wu Xie took a deep breath and pushed the door open.

"Second Uncle."

Wu Erbai put down his teacup and tilted his head slightly towards Erjing: "You can go out first."

Erjing nodded, went out, and closed the door behind him.

Wu Erbai leaned back in his chair, his tone relatively calm: "What brings you here so late?"

Wu Xie clenched his fist, his voice firm: "Second Uncle, I want to go see my brother."

"No." Wu Erbai said the two words with almost no hesitation.

"I'm going." Wu Xie took a step forward.

Wu Erbai slammed his hand on the table, causing the teacup to bounce and spill a few drops of tea onto the surface: "Let's see if you can get out of this door."

"Why should I?" Wu Xie's voice rose, filled with a desperate urge.

"Because I'm your second uncle."

"I'm an adult. Even if you're my second uncle, you can't..."

Wu Xie was interrupted by Wu Erbai before he could finish speaking.

Don't think I don't know what you're thinking.

Wu Erbai stood up and squinted at Wu Xie.

His gaze was cold and sharp, like a knife piercing straight into Wu Xie's heart.

Wu Xie's voice began to tremble, and his forced composure cracked under Wu Erbai's gaze:

"Second Uncle... what are you saying?"

Master Wu looked at him with those all-knowing eyes.

There was scrutiny, certainty, and a hint of disappointment.

Wu Xie took half a step back; Wu Erbai must have found out.

This realization sent chills down his spine.

The things he kept to himself, the things he dared not tell anyone, could not be hidden from Wu Erbai.

"I don't care whether you understand or not," Wu Erbai said firmly.

"I'm telling you, it's impossible."

impossible.

These words were like a heavy hammer, shattering the last bit of fear in Wu Xie's heart, replacing it with ignited anger and rebellion.

Wu Xie's voice carried a desperate urgency.

"Why not? We grew up together, and we'll be together in the future—"

"Shut up," Wu Erbai interrupted him.

But Wu Xie seemed not to hear it. Once the words he had suppressed for so long were released, they could no longer be contained.

He took two steps forward, his eyes filled with an almost pleading fervor:

"As long as we're together, my brother will always be a member of the Wu family. Second Uncle, aren't you tempted? No one can take him away from us!"

"He's your brother!" Wu Erbai grabbed a porcelain cup from the table and smashed it at Wu Xie's feet.

The porcelain shards exploded at Wu Xie's feet, scattering fragments all over the ground.

The cracking sound finally pulled Wu Xie back from the brink of losing control.

He stared blankly at the pile of broken porcelain on the ground, as if all his strength had been drained, and slumped down into the chair behind him.

"I know," Wu Xie said, his voice hoarse and pained.

"I know he's my brother... but he's my brother."

He looked up at Wu Erbai, his eyes moist. "I just wanted to grab him, what's wrong with that?"

Looking at the pained Wu Xie in front of him, Wu Erbai's coldness faded somewhat, replaced by a complex expression.

"You don't need to cling to him. As long as you're his brother, he'll never abandon you."

"But I don't want to be just his brother, I can't just be his brother." Wu Xie's voice came out muffledly from his palm, with a damp nasal tone.

Wu Erbai's face darkened again.

Seeing Wu Xie's unyielding attitude, he knew that nothing he said tonight would make a difference.

He stood up, his usual cold and stern demeanor returning as he issued orders: "If you continue like this, you'll be going back to Hangzhou tomorrow, and your third uncle will keep a close eye on you."

Wu Xie suddenly raised his head, his eyes red and filled with sorrow and helplessness.

"Second Uncle, why are you stopping me? Wouldn't it be better if we remained family forever?"

"We were originally one family."

Wu Erbai looked into his eyes, his decision leaving no room for argument.

"I can't let you use these thoughts, which come from who-knows-where, to bother Wu Wei."

He called out, "Erjing."

The door was pushed open almost as soon as the words were spoken.

Erjing had been standing guard outside the door, and he overheard the conversation inside.

"Second Master."

Wu Erbai stared at Wu Xie, who was slumped in the chair.

"You will personally lead the team to take Wu Xie to the three provinces."

Erjing hesitated before speaking, "Second Master, this..."

"I'm not leaving!" Wu Xie stood up abruptly, his voice choked with emotion.

"I don't want to leave! I want to find my brother!"

Wu Erbai stared at him, squeezing out each word through his teeth.

"If you dare let Wu Wei know a single word, you can forget about ever seeing him again."

There was no room for negotiation in Wu Erbai's eyes, which had been filled with ruthless decisiveness for decades.

"You should weigh the options yourself and see if I, Wu Erbai, have the ability."

Tears streamed down Wu Xie's cheeks as he shook his head, his voice pleading.

"Second Uncle...no..."

Wu Erbai didn't look at him, but turned to face Erjing: "Hurry up and go."

Erjing looked at Wu Erbai's cold, hard profile, walked to Wu Xie's side, and lowered his voice to persuade him:

"Xiao Xie, let's leave first. Don't make Second Master angry again."

Wu Xie stood motionless, stubbornly staring at Wu Erbai's back.

Sadness and helplessness choked me, I couldn't speak.

Without turning his head, Wu Erbai ordered, "Find a few people, lift him into the car, and send him back to Hangzhou tonight."

Wu Erbai strode out of the restaurant, crossed the corridor, and turned into the study at the other end.

He closed the door, took out his phone, and dialed Wu Sansheng's number.

The phone was answered after only a few rings, and Wu Sansheng's voice came through: "Second Brother?"

Wu Erbai's tone was filled with suppressed anger.

"Wu Xie is going back to Hangzhou today, so you'd better keep a close eye on him."

"Why so suddenly?"

Wu Erbai's anger flared instantly. "Isn't it all because of the good nephew you raised?"

"How exactly did you teach them?!"

Wu Sansheng was also stunned. "What's wrong, Second Brother? What happened to Xiao Xie?"

"Don't ask any questions, just keep a close eye on Wu Xie. If he gets into trouble again, you'll be in for a world of trouble!"

After saying that, he hung up the phone.

Wu Sansheng listened to the dial tone as the phone hung up, his face filled with disbelief.

He was immediately blamed and not allowed to ask questions. He had to wait for Wu Xie if he needed anything else.

What's going on here?

Did Wu Xie break the heavenly rules?