They Are Very Hospitable (15)
When Chen Li woke up the next day, he found a soft, furry blanket covering him. The texture felt luxurious to the touch.
He often joked that while he wasn’t born with a young master’s fortune, he did have a young master’s delicate constitution. His skin was sensitive and would turn red from contact with fuzzy fabrics, but this one felt incredibly smooth—clearly made from something expensive.
He couldn’t quite tell what kind of fur it was, so he gave it a couple more gentle strokes before carefully folding it and placing it on the seat.
As he stepped off the bus, he saw Fu Moyang jogging over from a distance. Sweat had soaked his hair, and the strands of black hanging down softened his otherwise sharp, defiant features—though only slightly. When those icy silver-gray eyes swept over him, that chill still hit straight to the bone, like being stared down by a predator.
Chen Li froze for a second. It was his first time seeing Fu Moyang like this. Just a black tank top and those sleek, defined muscles, broad shoulders tapering to a narrow waist—he looked effortlessly handsome.
So he had a habit of morning workouts. No wonder Chen Li never saw him when he woke up.
But then something felt off. Chen Li asked, “Where did you go? It’s dangerous out there.”
Little did he know just how tempting he looked when he showed concern.
Fu Moyang casually redeemed some points for a bottle of water and poured it over his head, shaking off the droplets as he walked over to Chen Li. His wet figure loomed closer as he lowered his head and said with a smirk, “Waiting for me? Are you my little wife?”
S-So shameless!
How could someone say something like that with a straight face?!
Chen Li’s face turned bright red in an instant.
Some people look awkward when they blush, but for Chen Li, the flush only rose to his cheeks and ears. Paired with his misty eyes, even a glare looked more like a soft caress—it could make your heart go numb. The worst part? He had no idea the effect he had.
Like a little kitten puffing up in anger—no more threatening than a palm-sized fluffball trying to look fierce.
Fu Moyang curled his lips into a smile, and even his cold silver eyes lit up with amusement. For a moment, all his icy sharpness seemed to melt away.
Chen Li, however, didn’t notice any of this. His mind was still stuck on those three baffling words. He was so flustered, he forgot to ask why Fu Moyang, who clearly could go jogging even while the villagers were going berserk, would risk getting on the ghost bus with him in the first place.
Fu Moyang raised an eyebrow. “Come on. Let’s see if the other players are still alive.”
If they’d all died last night, there wouldn’t be any need to rush the ritual this morning.
His tone was so casual that Chen Li began to wonder if maybe he was just overreacting. After all, they were both guys—maybe this was just typical teasing between men?
Chen Li had skipped grades growing up and had always been shy and socially anxious, so he never had any close male friends. The only person he was close to was Gu Fu, who was a gentleman through and through and never joked like this. But he had heard that guys could sometimes joke with each other in crude ways.
If they could call each other “dad” as a joke, then “little wife” probably didn’t mean anything serious… right?
After some inner turmoil, Chen Li managed to convince himself.
He really was a little lamb that didn’t know how to sense danger—innocently trotting after a wolf and even picking a comfy spot in the wolf’s den to lie down.
Fu Moyang led him through a maze of turns, and they didn’t run into a single villager.
Curious, Chen Li asked, “How do you know how to avoid them?”
“Item,” Fu Moyang replied simply.
System 001, watching the villagers avoid Fu Moyang: …Sure, whatever makes you happy.
Chen Li nodded with a look of vague understanding, inwardly letting out a small sigh of admiration—truly worthy of being called a top-ranked player.
He seemed even more at ease than Chen Li, the actual NPC.
Fu Moyang’s route looked random, but it was actually planned. The players, desperate to survive, had scattered like cockroaches into any nook or cranny they could find. But no matter how well they hid, the villagers always found them. They couldn’t rest—they had to keep fleeing and finding new hiding spots.
One player, Baldy, was breaking down. “I—I can’t anymore! If they come again, I’m fighting back!”
He was clutching a spherical item—his last remaining tool.
His abdomen had a deep, gory wound, the exposed flesh leaking the kind of scent that attracted villagers. He was also covered in cuts and scrapes from last night’s brutal chase. The villagers were fast and agile. Even the regular ones were more dangerous than normal humans. As for Sana, the core NPC—her combat ability was downright monstrous.
The woman with him, Sister Huang, was in better shape though still battered. She gasped for breath, “We should be safe here for about ten minutes.”
They were hiding in a villager’s cellar, surrounded by piles of sweet potatoes. The only exit was a hatch above them—if they were discovered, they’d be trapped with no way out.
Just as they were starting to relax, footsteps suddenly echoed from above.
Two people.
One set heavy and steady. The other light and quick.
And neither seemed interested in hiding their presence.
How could this be… Are they really doomed to die here?
Despair spread across Baldy’s face—he nearly dropped the small ball in his hand, and his teeth were chattering uncontrollably.
Sister Huang’s expression changed as well. She looked up, silently praying they wouldn’t be discovered.
But unfortunately, the footsteps stopped right at the entrance to the cellar.
Now even Sister Huang had lost all hope.
They were going to be eaten alive—just like the female player who’d escaped with them the night before. She’d been caught and devoured alive by the crazed villagers.
The villagers had completely shed their human disguises. They no longer pretended to be friendly—couldn’t even wait for the festival. Their minds were consumed with one thing: meat, meat, meat!!
Her skin was peeled away from her flesh, her bones crushed. In the end, all that was left of her was an unwilling, despairing head. The villagers placed that head atop the sacrificial altar.
Hiding in the shadows, they could only watch helplessly as she was torn apart. The outstretched hand that had reached toward them fell limply, then was bitten again.
And now, it was their turn…
A beam of light suddenly shone down from above.
Chen Li curiously looked down, only to have something dark thrown toward his face—fortunately, Fu Moyang intercepted it just in time.
It was… a sweet potato.
Sister Huang, who had thrown it, froze in shock. She hadn’t expected the people who showed up to be the mysterious NPC and the top-tier player—instead of villagers.
Now she didn’t know who to be more afraid of.
Fu Moyang tossed the sweet potato aside and coldly glanced into the cellar.
System 001 quietly reported: [Fear level: 70.]
It had gone up again. Did he really look that scary?
Chen Li had been startled by the near-hit sweet potato and didn’t have time to overthink it. He quickly said, “The festival will be held at midnight tonight.”
After dropping that cold announcement, he turned to leave. Before going, he thoughtfully covered the cellar entrance with dry grass, leaving a small gap for air.
Chen Li: [System, did I look scary just now?]
He had purposely kept a stern, menacing expression.
System 001 silently thought… Scary or not, it seems they’re more afraid of Fu Moyang—the one mingling with an NPC.
Just one glance from him had caused the fear level to spike.
Getting no response from the system, Chen Li awkwardly turned to ask Fu Moyang instead.
The man nodded seriously. “Scary. Very scary.”
As long as you ignored the faint smile in his eyes, it sounded pretty sincere.
Having gotten the ‘approval’ from a top-ranked player, Chen Li regained his confidence and began to think—maybe he really was suited for this terrifying role.
System 001: That was really funny…
. . . . .
They were only there to deliver a message and check on whether the two would survive. After all, Chen Li couldn’t be too helpful. Once they finished speaking, they left, leaving Sister Huang and Baldy to exchange glances in the cellar.
Sister Huang murmured, “Does the guide mean… we just have to survive until midnight?”
Baldy was even more suspicious than she was. “Are you crazy? You have to think deeply about anything a guide NPC says. What if he was threatening us? Who knows what kind of horror will happen at that festival?”
Sister Huang nodded. “You’re right.”
She replayed Chen Li’s gesture in her mind. It had seemed too normal—which only made it more disturbing!
The suspicion it stirred in her was worse than any grotesque-looking guide-type NPC she’d ever met.
Believing they had uncovered something crucial, the two silently added another label to Chen Li in their minds: “Pretending to be normal.”
What a cunning NPC.
On the other side, Chen Li, unable to find any other players, had no choice but to give up. He followed Fu Moyang toward the direction of the festival.
Suddenly, System 001’s voice chimed in: [Fear level just went up again—71.]
This time, it was due to Chen Li, though it only increased a little. Honestly, it was a bit pitiful.
Chen Li asked doubtfully: [Are you sure your fear level detection isn’t delayed?]
System 001 snapped instantly: [Impossible! That feature was specially installed by Father himself. Other NPCs without a system can only see the results after the game ends—none of them have the convenience you do!]
They were chatting telepathically when Chen Li, distracted, almost bumped into the person in front of him when he suddenly stopped.
Fortunately, Fu Moyang was quick enough to catch him.
He lightly scolded him, “What if you fell?”
Though he was looking directly at Chen Li, it felt like the system itself was being pierced by those silver-grey eyes. System 001 nearly crashed in fright and didn’t dare speak again.
No way… It was a mighty system, after all! No matter how strong Fu Moyang was, he couldn’t possibly be stronger than Father or be able to detect it!
Feeling guilty, Chen Li mumbled, “Sorry.”
When he looked up, he realized they had already arrived at the festival grounds.
It felt like they had entered an entirely different place.
What was once a simple platform had transformed into a tall, elaborately built redwood stage. It was stacked so high that one had to crane their neck to see the top.
There seemed to be something lined up on top.
But due to the angle, he couldn’t see clearly. Driven by curiosity, Chen Li strained his neck until it was sore, but still couldn’t make out what it was.
Just as he was lowering his head in disappointment, his line of sight suddenly rose.
Startled, Chen Li let out a small yelp and grabbed tightly onto the fabric below him.
Fu Moyang had lifted him up with one hand!
Dazed, Chen Li found himself perched between the man’s firm upper arm and shoulder, as Fu Moyang easily raised him with one steady motion.
With indulgent gentleness, he said, “Take a look.”
Chen Li had no time to react. At his words, he instinctively looked up again.
And came face-to-face with a hollow-eyed, eyeless decapitated head.
One after another—all the heads belonged to dead players!
Shocked twice in a row, Chen Li’s brain completely short-circuited. A pitiful whimper escaped his throat, full of childlike fear and confusion.
Fu Moyang said softly, “Hm?”
Author’s note:
Someone tried to be nice but totally messed up—he thought he was cheering Li Bao up, but he actually scared him half to death. So mean!