Martial arts have become extinct worldwide, yet I am forced to have a large family.

"Are you threatening me?"

Xu Huanhuan narrowed her eyes.

"You can think of it that way." Yang Xian unfolded the human skin mask in his hand and nodded gently.

Upon hearing this, the white-haired girl stared intently at him, her chest heaving violently.

Forcibly seizing it?

Yang Xian possesses several divine-level martial arts techniques, making his strength unfathomable. He also remained highly vigilant about his illusion techniques throughout the entire process.

There is absolutely no chance of winning in a head-on confrontation.

What's more, he also planted an unknown Gu worm in my body.

Being unable to defeat him is one thing, but what Xu Huanhuan is truly afraid of is Yang Xian revealing this secret.

She couldn't imagine what it would be like when the whole school, and even the entire city of Nanhai, knew that the radiant genius girl from the Xu family was actually just an imposter.

How will the Xu family treat her?

What will those who once idolized her think of her?

Everything she has now will vanish in an instant.

After weighing the pros and cons, Xu Huanhuan's shoulders slumped, and all her arrogance vanished.

"Okay! I promise you!"

She gritted her teeth, each word seemingly squeezed out from between them: "But you must swear you absolutely cannot tell anyone about this!"

"You have no choice," Yang Xian replied calmly.

"you……!"

Xu Huanhuan was so angry that she was trembling all over, but she was helpless.

Seeing her like this, Yang Xian could only helplessly add, "But don't worry, as long as you don't bother me again in the future, I'll pretend that today's incident never happened."

These words finally gave Xu Huanhuan a way out.

She thought that although Yang Xian was despicable, his character seemed to be passable.

"Fine! This will remain a secret between us!" She raised her head, declaring fiercely with all her might, "If you dare to tell anyone, I will absolutely not let you off!"

After saying that, she seemed to resign herself to her fate and slowly lowered the hand that had been covering her face.

A plain and unfamiliar face appeared before Yang Xian.

It was an extremely delicate face, with features that bore a striking resemblance to the red-haired girl on the mask.

It has lost some of its flamboyant playfulness and gained more of its melancholy.

Her snow-white twin ponytails fell on either side, giving her an air of fragility and aloofness.

To outsiders, the two looked more like sisters with very different personalities.

"Have you seen enough?!"

Xu Huanhuan only exposed her face for a moment before quickly turning her head away and covering it with her hands again. "Give me back my mask first, and then I'll tell you why."

"Of course, no problem." Yang Xian handed over the mask:

"However, don't even think about trying to fool me with a random lie."

"My Gu worms have a 'lie detection function'!"

Of course, he was just making that up.

The "Illusionary Heart Gu" can only affect the mind and senses; it has no lie detection function whatsoever.

However, Yang Xian has a system that allows him to judge the truthfulness of Xu Huanhuan's words through emotional feedback.

"..."

Xu Huanhuan's outstretched hand froze in mid-air.

Her little scheme was exposed by a single sentence, leaving her somewhat at a loss.

In the end, she gritted her teeth, snatched the mask from Yang Xian's hand, and quickly put it back on her face.

With a flash of light, she transformed back into the playful girl with red twin ponytails.

A brief silence fell over the air.

Yang Xian didn't urge him, but just stood quietly to the side, arms crossed, looking like he was all ears.

After a while, Xu Huanhuan finally spoke:

"Just as you just said, I'm just an imposter."

"Wearing this mask... is just to play the role of 'Xu Huanhuan'."

"The real Xu Huanhuan, that genius girl from the Xu family, is long dead!"

died?

Yang Xian was taken aback, and tentatively said:

"Judging from your appearance, you must be sisters, right?"

"Did you impersonate her so that she could 'live on' in another way?"

Two sisters with a deep bond cannot accept each other's sudden departure, so Xu Huanhuan chooses to wear a mask and impersonate the other, allowing her to "live on" in another way.

In this way, we commemorate and continue...

"Sisterly relationship?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Huanhuan suddenly chuckled softly, her laughter filled with self-mockery and bitterness:

"She and I are indeed sisters, but... we're half-sisters!"

"My mother is my father's mistress."

"And I am an illegitimate child who grew up outside..."

This turn of events was completely beyond Yang Xian's expectations.

It turns out it wasn't some sisterly bond, but rather a secret of a wealthy family.

The following narrative confirmed his idea.

The white-haired girl in front of me and the red-haired girl who had already died were indeed both named Xu Huanhuan.

With her white hair, she was initially unaware of her origins.

But because of her mother, she had always had a strange interest in the distant "Xu family" since she was a child.

Especially online, she saw the eternally radiant red-haired girl "Xu Huanhuan" who was adored by countless people.

That girl was confident, outgoing, lively, and adorable, possessing everything she could ever dream of.

With her white hair, she became the red-haired girl's most loyal fan and imitator.

She admired her, studied her every smile and gesture, researched her every habit, and dreamed of one day becoming as radiant as her.

But she also knew that all of this was just wishful thinking.

Some people are born swans, while the ugly duckling, no matter how hard it tries, can never become a swan.

But fate's jokes are so absurd.

Until one day, her biological father, whom she had only seen in photographs, suddenly showed up at her door.

He brought a message.

That genius girl is dead.

The Xu family cannot live without this genius, and they cannot let the outside world know that this genius has fallen.

Therefore, they need a substitute.

A perfect substitute that can keep this show going forever.

After that, the white-haired "Xu Huanhuan" disappeared.

She successfully donned the human skin mask tailor-made for her, becoming the red-haired "Xu Huanhuan," the beloved little princess of the Xu family.

"Absurd! Utterly absurd!"

"To bring a dead person to 'life'..."

"To make a living person 'die,' to turn her into someone else's shadow!"

Yang Xian couldn't help but speak, his voice carrying a hint of suppressed anger.

"What do you know?!" Xu Huanhuan instantly bristled, interrupting him:

"This is the life I've always dreamed of!"

"I now have everything I never dared to dream of before!"

"I'm the center of everyone's attention! I've finally achieved my dream!"

"What makes you think it's bad?!"

She shouted hysterically at Yang Xian, as if trying to persuade him, or perhaps trying to persuade herself.

Looking at the girl's excited expression, Yang Xian spoke calmly:

"Yeah?"

"But your emotions tell me this isn't the life you want."

"You seem... unwilling to just be someone else's substitute!"