He Is Not Him

The man in black wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, only then realizing his face mask was nowhere to be found.

In a panic, he raised his hands to shield his face, but the sound of hurried footsteps had already reached the small courtyard.

Before long, Song Ping and his daughter arrived with a group of guards; the roof had already been ruined by the intense struggle.

"Brother Luo Xing, are you alright?" Song Xue looked up at Li Xingluo, asking with concern.

The entire house was reduced to broken walls and debris. Li Xingluo stood upon a pillar on the left, while the man in black knelt on the only remaining roof beam.

Li Xingluo shook his head slightly, his gaze remaining fixed on the man in black across from him.

The eyes of Song Ping and his daughter naturally followed Li Xingluo's gaze toward the man in black.

The guards drew their weapons and surrounded the courtyard, and the atmosphere fell into a strange, heavy silence.

"At this point, why bother hiding it anymore?"

In truth, Li Xingluo did not need to remind him. Song Ping had long felt that something was wrong. As the person currently managing the Song Clan, it was bizarre that Song Zhu had not appeared despite such a massive commotion.

Song Ping pushed his wheelchair forward, moving slightly beneath the beam where the man in black sat.

"Second Brother, is it you?"

As soon as these words left his lips, not only was Song Xue shocked, but every guard present stood frozen in place.

"Father, what are you saying? He... he is Second Uncle?"

Song Xue could hardly believe her ears; she stared up at the man in black on the beam, seeking confirmation.

The man in black knew that continuing to pretend was useless, so he simply lowered his arms and slowly stood upright.

In the moonlight, Song Xue saw his face clearly—a face she knew better than her own.

Song Xue shook her head slowly. She could not believe what she was seeing; it contradicted everything she knew.

"Second Brother, it really is you," Song Ping said, his tone heavy with disappointment.

The man in black suddenly burst into loud laughter. He offered no defense, only revealing a look of deep resentment.

He pointed his finger at Li Xingluo: "It is all because of you. If not for you, everything would have been perfect."

Li Xingluo smiled without a word. He had no desire to engage with someone so mentally twisted.

Ever since they first met, Song Zhu had targeted him at every turn, even when proven wrong, he would still find ways to pick a fight.

"Second Brother, why would you do this? Although I suspected you long ago, I kept comforting myself, telling myself my judgment was wrong. But this time, only you and I knew the route for Xue'er's return, yet she encountered Sand Bandits on the way. I became certain that Father's illness was definitely related to you. I just never expected you wouldn't even spare Xue'er. She grew up watching you—how could you have the heart to do it?"

Song Ping's voice was nearly hoarse, filled with the pain of seeing a loved one go astray.

Hearing her father's words, Song Xue stood there, stunned. She could not fathom why the uncle who had doted on her since childhood had become such a stranger.

He had turned into someone she did not recognize at all. Why was all of this happening? Song Xue's gaze remained fixed on Song Zhu; she wanted to hear the reason from his own lips.

Just as Song Ping was confronting Song Zhu, Li Xingluo provided the answer.

"Because he is not a member of your Song Clan, so naturally, he would not care about the lives of your family."

Li Xingluo's words were shocking, stunning everyone present the moment they were spoken.

Song Ping and his daughter looked at Li Xingluo in unison, then turned to examine Song Zhu.

"Sir, what do you mean by that?"

"You don't actually believe the person standing before you is Song Zhu, do you?"

"Is he not?"

"He isn't Second Uncle? How is that possible? How could I not recognize his face?"

Song Xue voiced her doubts, and Song Ping was equally confused. How could one fail to recognize their own brother or uncle after living together for decades?

Before Li Xingluo could explain further to the pair, the man in black admitted it himself.

"How did you know?" The man in black asked, then suddenly stopped, as if remembering something.

"Right, I forgot you are an Alchemist," Song Zhu realized, as if waking from a dream.

Li Xingluo pointed at the man's face, offering another explanation: "Sorry, your face..."

The man in black touched his face, suddenly realizing something. His peripheral vision caught a small tear on his right cheek—that was...

"I have a question now."

"What question?" the man in black asked.

"Was it worth paying such a price for the Song Clan? As far as I know, pills for disguise are not cheap. If your Dou Qi hadn't been damaged, revealing a flaw, I truly wouldn't have thought in this direction."

Li Xingluo's words shocked Song Ping and his daughter once more. A disguise pill?

Even with a disguise, Li Xingluo was quite curious how he had managed to replicate the original person so perfectly without leaving any traces.

At that moment, the man in black, unable to control his internal Dou Qi, let out a miserable scream as his body was enveloped in a cloud of black mist.

The crowd braced themselves, staring intently at the mist, terrified that the person inside might escape.

The black mist slowly dissipated, and the man in black revealed his true face.

"It's you..." Song Ping could not help but point at the man in black and speak out.

Song Xue's pupils also dilated, her body involuntarily retreating as if she were unwilling and unable to believe what her eyes were seeing.

Li Xingluo felt a sudden surge of curiosity; it seemed to be someone they were familiar with, so what was going on?

"Uncle, are you doing well?"

Hearing the word "Uncle," Li Xingluo felt quite awkward. Upon closer inspection, the man did indeed bear a slight resemblance to the others. Could it be? This family was truly a mess.

Li Xingluo felt as if he had become a bystander watching a play; this was not his moment.

"You, you are still alive." Song Ping's raised hand trembled slightly, his tone filled with disbelief.

"That's right, I am still alive. I didn't expect Uncle to still remember me."

Did this feel like eavesdropping on someone else's secrets? Li Xingluo found himself unsure whether to leave or stay.

Song Ping felt a sense of guilt in his heart, his old eyes brimming with tears.

"Yu'er, the events of that year were not as you think. Come down, and let us uncle and nephew have a proper talk."

Song Yu laughed out loud, then glared viciously at Song Ping, his eyes filled with hatred.

"Uncle, let me call you Uncle one last time. Put away that hypocritical act of yours. I am not a fool anymore; I can tell who is good and who is evil."

Song Ping was clearly anxious; he tumbled directly from his wheelchair onto the ground, landing face-first in a truly wretched state.

Seeing this, Song Xue ran forward to help Song Ping up and back into his wheelchair.

"Yu'er, you were still young back then; it really wasn't as you imagine it now."

"Hahaha, Song Ping, stop being so hypocritical, it's disgusting! If it weren't for you back then, how would I have... Forget it, everything is in the past. You won tonight. I only hate that the heavens are so unfair; I was so close to succeeding, only to run into you."

Song Yu wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth fiercely and channeled his Dou Qi, lunging ferociously toward Li Xingluo.

"No!" Song Ping shouted.

Li Xingluo shook his head. He had not wanted to wade into these muddy waters; if he had known, he would have just knocked Song Xue unconscious and taken the Seven-Colored Immortal Orchid—why go through all this trouble?

But that did not align with Li Xingluo's principles; he would not get involved in other people's disputes just for the sake of the Seven-Colored Immortal Orchid.

As Song Yu approached, he suddenly retracted his Dou Qi, allowing his body to rush straight toward the Wind Spirit Split-Form Sword in Li Xingluo's hand.

Trying to make me take the blame? Not a chance. Li Xingluo simply extended a foot and kicked Song Yu, sending him flying to crash onto the ground.

Honestly, why fly over to throw your life away at him? If you want to die, go die somewhere else!