Weiqi was startled and jumped a little at that booming voice, and Gao Junfeng and Gao Linxin's faces went cold.

Shi Huizhong leveled a glowering look and grunted with derision. "Who dares to talk to my grandson like this?"

Shi Huizhong already considered adopting the boy as soon as he heard him say he was an orphan. This situation helped him make up his mind. Shi Huizhong had no family either. In this way, they were a match.

This genius boy was naïve, lacked common sense, and was a bit of a glutton. But he was sweet, and he could feel genuine kindness in him. He can see that without the protection of a family, anyone could bully him.

Shi Huizhong did not want to see the boy's smile dim because of it. He was already attached, even if it was only a day since they met.

"It seems Captain Wei has already decided guilt, and our presence is superfluous here." Gao Linxin's face was imitating an iceberg, and Gao Junfeng tapped his cane on the floor, accompanied by a snort.

Captain Wei's momentum was interrupted, and he froze in place, thinking:

Isn't this Gao Linxin from the Gao Legal Firm? And was that Old Man Gao? I thought he retired.

He noticed another older man standing next to the duo, his eyes shooting daggers at him. This old man just yelled out something about his grandson. The three seemed to know each other.

He also noticed that a young boy peeked behind that old man, looked at him, and whispered.

"I didn't steal anything."

Then he saw how the old man's eye softened and turned and pushed the boy back behind him as if he was protecting him from his gaze.

"Grandpa knows. Let your Big Brother Linxin handle this."

The old patted the boy's head, then turned around to look at Captain Wei.

"Ah, this gentleman, you are?" Captain Wei inquired. He never met the older gentleman and should not have any animosity with him.

"I am Shi Huizhong, and Hu Weiqi is my grandson." Retorted the old man.

Captain Wei heard the name Shi Huzhong and was surprised. Wasn't this the recluse master who creates and refines treasures? He is always sought after but just arbitrarily decides when to accept commissions. He is known for his eccentric temper.

Captain Wei realized something was not quite right. From what young master Tao told him, Hu Weiqi was a poor orphan who moved to the city not too long ago. He lived off money subsidized by the government; he received a grant every month because he was somewhat talented in Feng Shui.

So, the boy in front of him, who was tightly protected by his grandfather and seemed to be friends with the Gao Family, cannot be who he is looking for. There must be a mistake.

He only saw the boy's partial face when peeking from behind the old man, so he couldn't be sure whether it was the Hu Weiqi they were looking for.

"Oh, maybe there is a mistake. Your grandson may have the same name." Said Captain Wei, wondering if maybe the department flagged the wrong ID.

"Oh, a mistake. Thank God, I was worried for nothing." A bright voice rang out, and the boy stepped out from behind Shi Huizhong.

After seeing the boy's face, Captain Wei's eyes shook, and he silently cursed in his heart.

This is definitely the boy that Tao Fenhua identified. But what about him being a poor orphan boy?

His grandfather was Master Shi Huizhong, and he called Gao Linxin from the Gao Legal Firm his Big Brother. Where was that orphan boy he was told about? He really would like to ask Tao Fenhua.

The city had three prominent, powerful families.

The Ming family had the most prestige, but they were very solitary. They secluded themselves from outside influences and were only interested in cultivating their path.

The youngest master of the Ming family was said to be the reincarnation of a powerful King of the past.

The Tao family was known to be overbearing but never stepped on the line of the other two.

The Tao family was the head of the whole Tao Clan. The Tao clan spread through the entire world thanks to the prestige of their sacred treasure.

The Zhang family was the third prestigious family. They were not as spread out but were primarily concentrated in the city and the surrounding area. They were very powerful and incredibly righteous. Because of their nature, they did not like the Tao family very much and would sometimes enter disputes with each other.

But because they were all powerful families, they would still keep the pretense of friendliness. If these families really fought, the city would be the one suffering the most.

But the Gao Legal Firm was used mainly by the Zhang family, and it was said the Gao and the Zhang family had close ties.

And now the Tao family accused a boy of theft, and this boy is seemingly tied to the Gao family. This does not bode well for him.

If the Tao family wanted to kick this iron plate, then why not do it themselves? His feet are not strong enough, okay?

Noticing Captain Wei's conflicting expression Gao Linxin says. "It seems there is no mistake. So then, let us go and discuss these fictitious charges. Who accused him of theft? And what did he allegedly steal? I would like to know."

And now Captain Wei had a headache. The Tao family was always overbearing, but they never did serious illegal things. Just pressured some people here and there. He turned a blind eye to the coercions, not wanting to invite trouble. No one would complain to the police; this was the Tao clan, so no one dared.

So, when two days ago, he received a call from the Patriarch of the Tao Clan, he did not investigate much. He was just told that a poor orphan boy tricked their youngest master Tao, stole a precious treasure, and then disappeared. So, they asked the police's assistance with this.

He never knew the result was that he overturned a Big Buddha.

Captain Wei let out a weak smile and led them to his office. He did not dare use an interrogation room now.

After sitting down, he offered them coffee, but they all refused. The atmosphere was cold, and he tried very hard to start the fire, but no one cooperated.

"Captain Wei, can you present us with the theft report? When did this alleged theft take place? Are there any witnesses? What was stolen?"

Gao Linxin was firing out these questions, and each sat heavier on Captain Wei's shoulders, almost flattening him to the ground.

Captain Wei turned his head at the young boy nestled between these powerful men and looked at his face.

The boy looked at Captain Wei with wide, curious eyes, looking for the answer as well.

There was only interest in those eyes and nothing else. This boy did not know what they were talking about. Captain Wei has deflated again. It seemed he was thrown a hot potato as hot as the sun.

He then cleared his throat and spoke. "Two days ago, there was a noise disturbance at Hu Weiqi's apartment, and the police were called. When they got there, they observed the door was utterly destroyed, and Tao Fenhua was at the scene.

When the officers asked Tao Fenhua about the situation, he reported that Hu Weiqi stole the Tao Clan's treasure and then ran away, and he is here to try and find it.

Our officers staked out the place, but Hu Weiqi never returned and was believed to have fled."

When Weiqi heard that, he frowned, but Gao Linxin, on the other hand, chuckled. "Captain Wei, that is indeed an interesting narration.

From what I understand, there was a noise disturbance at Hu Weiqi's apartment, and the police were sent to investigate.

When they got there, Tao Fenhua was caught breaking and entering a place that was not his.

However, instead of apprehending the criminal they found, they decided to go on a manhunt for the apartment's owner at the urging of the criminal." Gao Linxin tapped his chin with his finger, seemingly pondering.

"I haven't heard of any changes in the law, so breaking and entering should still be a crime, correct?"

Gao Linxin was calm, but Captain Wei's back was getting wetter and wetter. This indeed looked bad for the police.

"Captain Wei, I would like to press charges on Tao Fenhua. That can be done after we finish the first business we are here for. There is no rush." And then continued in his disturbingly calm voice.

 "As for the previous questions, I still have not been told why Hu Weiqi was charged. When did this alleged theft take place? Are there any witnesses? What was stolen?"

Captain Wei coughed. "That is why we are looking for Hu Weiqi. We just had some questions regarding the allegation against him." He tried to backpedal, making it seem they were not outright accusing him. They just wanted to question him.

Weiqi stopped listening to them when he heard the captain talk about missing treasure. He realized that they must be talking about the treasure King Yama made the Tao Clan forget. But how did he get involved? He doesn't even know what the treasure is. Why accuse him of stealing it?

He really wanted to go and get some answers from King Yama. He said he does not get involved in the affairs of the living, but look, they implicated him.

So what if the soul is different? So what if he died once in his world. Right now, he is a living human. That is discrimination. He has rights too. And cursed King Yama silently in his heart.

Weiqi's inner rant was disturbed when he heard Gao Linxin call his name.

"Xiao Hu, tell Captain Wei what happened that night at the apartment. It seems the police are short-staffed and cannot afford enough people to investigate, so they will just drag people off the street to investigate for them. Let's be a good Samaritan today and help the poor police out, okay?"

Captain Wei's checks redden at that comment, and he thought it was hard, being a biscuit filling stuck right in the middle. And just listened to the boy's narration.

So Weiqi told the story for the fourth time, he had all the questionable parts ironed out by now, so it sounded much smoother.

"I arrived at the apartment after midnight. Apparently, I fought with Feng Chunhua, a girl I was living with, and I left earlier. But once I realized the apartment was rented under my name and she paid nothing, I returned as I had no money to go anywhere that late at night.

At that time, Tao Fenhua was also at the apartment, and an argument ensued. "

Weiqi rolled his eyes, thinking about those shameless people.

"They insisted that I promised to let Feng Chunhua stay for free, and therefore I had no right to remain in the apartment.

The argument got a little loud, and Tao Fenhua even punched me in anger. Then he called to buy the place and said I would be evicted the next day.

After they eventually left, I packed a small backpack and left. I did not want to give young master Tao the satisfaction of seeing me evicted."

Of course, Weiqi omitted the part where he disappeared thanks to Heng Taio instead of leaving, but he didn't think that it mattered much. He did nothing illegal by leaving, so he had no guilt.

When Captain Wei heard the narration, his eyes darkened. This Tao Family sure pitted him good.

When Tao Fenhua gave his statement, no girl was mentioned, and no word of evicting the boy either.

Captain Wei believed that Hu Weiqi really did steal because only the guilty fled. And after staking out the apartment for two days and seeing the boy not return made him sure that the boy was guilty and hiding.

But now, hearing this explanation, why would he return if the boy believed he would be evicted the following day? Just to watch Tao Fenhua make a joke of him? He wouldn't return either if he was in the boy's shoes.

As Captain Wei was about to apologize, the door to his office slammed open, and a voice bellowed.

"Hu Weiqi, you sure have guts. Let's see where you run now."

Followed by that voice entered three men. Weiqi recognized the one in front as Tao Fenhua. He did not recognize the two behind him. But as they all bore striking similarities, they were undoubtedly related.

The two behind were Tao Fenhua's brother, Tao Chaoxiang, and his father, Tao Genghis.

Tao Fenhua was startled by the stares coming from the room. Even Captain Wei had an ugly look on his face, and that guy was always smiles and platitudes when they met.

But once seeing Hu Weiqi, his anger surged again.

Ever since that night, his family has been seemingly cursed.

He was beaten badly when he admitted to taking the treasure and possibly getting stolen by Hu Weiqi. Even now, he can barely walk, and only hearing that Hu Weiqi was at the police station made him want to get up. So, he pointed at Hu Weiqi, and his voice spiked upwards.

"Dad, that's him. That is that thief Hu Weiqi, he-"

But before he could finish, his brother pulled him back.

Tao Fenhua was young and only knew how to play. But Tao Chaoxiang was older and had mixed in these circles much longer. He was being groomed to be clan leader in the future and understood the intricacies.

He recognized the Gao family and even Master Shi. He caught a glimpse of the master when his father tried to go to his store to commission a piece. The master just said no and threw them out. He was indeed a very eccentric man. But what was he doing over here? So he just told his brother.

"Shush, don't make trouble. Let father handle it."

If Tao Chaoxiang recognized the men in front, then Tao Genghis could also.

And when he noticed the boy securely nestled in the middle, he had a premonition and wanted to beat his youngest again for losing their treasure.

Could the boy have sold his treasure already? Who did he sell it to? The Gaos? Or the Zhangs? Is that why no one remembers the treasure? Could a more powerful family cast some sort of spell or talisman to make them forget?

Does such a thing even exist? It affected their whole clan.

Tao Genghis cleared his throat, and a twinge of anger laced his voice.

"Mr. Shi, Mr. Gao, what brings you here? This is a family matter that, unfortunately, cannot let outsiders be part of it. It involves clan secrets. I'm sure you understand."

"Heh, what clan secrets? Mr. Tao is really not ashamed to bully the younger generation. My eyes have been opened; the Tao family is quite grand." Sneered Shi Huizhong, then patted Hu Weiqi's head.

"This here is my grandson, so this a family matter. As long as you insist on involving Xiao Hu, I will be part of it."

"Impossible." Exclaimed Tao Fenhua but was again shushed by his brother. He needs to let his father handle these slippery old men, though it would have been preferable if the old Patriarch was here instead.

But Tao Chaoxiang also wondered when this orphan boy got such a powerful grandfather?