"Who are you?" Little Shu showed no fear of the scythe extended toward him, using only two fingers to lightly pinch the blade, moving the razor-sharp edge away from his throat.

"Hahahaha," the middle-aged man laughed, throwing his head back, lowering the scythe, and clapping Little Shu on the shoulder with an air of boisterous excitement. "As expected of my own nephew! Such composure in the face of danger!" He then gave the boy a thumbs-up in admiration.

"Own nephew?" Hearing he shared blood ties with this man, Little Shu frowned, frantically sifting through memories from his childhood. Although the Li family was a prominent lineage, Little Shu had lived a life no different from an ordinary person since he was small. In his world, aside from Li Taizheng, the Nanggong couple, Yingzi, and Li Xiaohao, there were almost no other relatives. For someone to suddenly appear claiming to be his nephew seemed wildly exaggerated, and his instincts warned him this man was untrustworthy.

"In truth," the middle-aged man said, bringing the scythe up to his own face, idly manipulating the sharp edge with his left thumb, "I am your father's twin brother; your uncle."

Before Little Shu could widen his eyes or cry out, the middle-aged man positioned the scythe just beneath his own neck, lightly drawing a cut across his skin. Then, with rough hands, he peeled away his facial skin, along with his hair, following the incision. His temples were frosted white, and his eyes were deep-set; indeed, he resembled his father by nine parts, though his brows carried far more weariness and suffering than his father's.

"That's right," the middle-aged man said, pulling a pair of gold-rimmed spectacles from his jacket pocket and settling them on his nose. He winked at Bingyu, "Does this appearance look much like your father now?"

"You..." Little Shu was speechless, stunned by the abrupt transformation. This setting was clearly inappropriate for a reunion. "Why are you pretending to be my father?"

Hearing this, the middle-aged man spread both hands, wearing an expression of profound helplessness. "For so many years, it was he who insisted I keep my appearance hidden. Our parents granted us identical features; I was never trying to impersonate your father. On the contrary, he proclaimed himself the heir of the Li family, stealing not only my status but also forbidding me from looking the same as him. Your question leaves me utterly exasperated!"

Listening to the man's words, Little Shu felt as if he were tumbling end over end in a plane, lost in a fog, searching through every memory but finding no trace of this uncle's existence. Finally, he shook his head, casting a vote of rejection toward this man who seemed to be his father's twin, saying, "I truly have no recollection. My father never mentioned having a relative like you in the family."

"Heh," the middle-aged man sneered twice, continuing, "That's only natural. He is Li Taizheng; I am Li Taiming. He wished I would vanish from this world, just as you wish that twin brother named Li Xiaohao never existed! He stole your father, drained your mother, took away the woman you loved, seized the innate power you were born with, and relegated you to the ranks of commoners. And yet, you remain utterly oblivious to how your fate was manipulated by others!"

At these words, Little Shu sucked in a sharp breath, leaning against the wall behind Bingyu, his expression one of utter astonishment.