Circus of Horrors (6) Part 1
Chen Li’s eyes were slightly red—partly from anger, partly from fear.
Subconsciously, he had always believed this man would never hurt him. But now, the man’s gaze was so dangerous, it felt like he wanted to tear him apart and swallow him whole.
The whip was both hard and tough. Even though it wasn’t tied too tightly, Chen Li’s wrists were already red from the friction.
He kicked out in frustration, only to have his ankle seized tightly—no matter how he struggled, he couldn’t break free.
The butler’s voice was low and laced with danger. “Young Master, I think I want to commit a crime…”
He trailed off mid-sentence.
Because the young noble boy bound before him… started crying.
Clear, glistening tears slipped from his misty apricot-shaped eyes, slowly sliding down his chin. Chen Li stopped struggling. He looked aggrieved and humiliated. “Go away!”
His ankle—gripped so tightly—felt burning hot.
The man’s hold was intense, as if he wanted to possess him completely, inside and out.
And Chen Li had no strength to resist. Like a helpless lamb penned in, stripped of even the right to flee.
Tears flowed faster.
The beast tamer finally reacted.
This was his most beloved little lamb. Even during their first game instance, when the boy had faced the brutal truth of a slaughterhouse, he hadn’t shed a tear.
But now, he had been “bullied” to the point of tears.
The ghost king had seen countless people cry before, but never once wavered.
This time was different.
He felt… heartache.
There was no need to use a whip on the little lamb. He was too fragile—he needed to be raised with only the best candy and flowers.
The beast tamer moved.
He released the delicate ankle, untied the harsh whip and tossed it aside. Reaching forward, he pulled the boy into his arms and gently brushed the redness at the corner of his eye. His voice was helpless: “So delicate.”
Hearing those two words, Chen Li became even angrier.
Now that he was free, he didn’t even hesitate—he turned his head and bit down hard on the man’s shoulder.
Even through the fabric, he could feel how firm the muscle was.
It made his teeth ache.
Frustrated, he ground down even harder.
The beast tamer: “Why do you like biting people so much?”
Chen Li was so angry he couldn’t think straight. He didn’t notice how familiar that question sounded.
The beast tamer let him vent. He reached out and rhythmically patted his back.
Chen Li, in an act of petty revenge, wiped all his tears on the man’s clothes, his voice fierce: “I don’t want you to be my butler anymore!”
His eyes were still watery from crying—there was no threat in them at all.
If anything, it made people want to hug him tighter and stroke his fur to calm him down.
The beast tamer lowered his head: “If not me, then who? Joker?”
There was a storm brewing in his tone, but this time, he held back. In front of the boy, he stayed composed, gently massaging his wrist.
If Chen Li nodded, he would immediately go kill that NPC.
Hearing Joker’s name only made Chen Li angrier. He didn’t reply—just ignored him entirely.
They’re all awful!!!
He pulled his hand back and said coldly, “Don’t touch me.”
A red, swollen ring circled his wrist.
All his fault.
And now he had the nerve to pretend to care.
Surprisingly, this time, the man didn’t argue. He quietly pulled his hand back and took out a small jar of ointment.
His tone was calm. “Let me apply some medicine.”
System 001, who had been silently watching through the system, nearly dropped his nonexistent jaw when he saw the yellow-green labeled jar.
That was a high-tier item!
No, it couldn’t revive the dead or regrow flesh, but even someone on the brink of death could survive with that stuff. Among players, it was nearly impossible to get—even the top three guilds never had more than two bottles in storage. And this guy was using it for a minor scrape?!
It would’ve healed on its own in a bit!
Chen Li had no idea about the system’s internal screaming. He tilted his head in thought, then decided it wasn’t worth making his own body suffer, so he obediently held out his hand.
So easy to coax.
A flicker of amusement passed through the beast tamer’s eyes as he gently applied the ointment.
The injury was his doing, yet it irritated him to no end.
The beast tamer carefully rubbed the salve around the entire wrist.
It was cool and soothing, melting into the skin instantly without any stickiness. The redness vanished, and the wrist looked as good as new.
Chen Li curiously lifted it for a better look.
Knock knock knock.
A sudden knock at the door startled him. He shrank back instinctively—then realized something.
He was still half-embraced by the man.
Flustered and embarrassed, he shoved the man away. The bed creaked loudly as they moved apart.
The person outside clearly heard the noise too—the knocking quickened.
A chilling female voice drifted in: “Young Master Rum, it’s time for the performance.”
It turned out to be Emily.
Thinking of her deathly pale face, which hardly looked human, Chen Li felt a sudden wave of unease and quickly spoke, “Got it. You can go now.”
The sound outside the door paused.
Then came footsteps—loud at first, then gradually fading away.
Chen Li let out a breath of relief. Just as he was about to get out of bed to distance himself from the lunatic on it, his hand was grabbed again.
Before his temper could flare, the incompetent butler quickly pressed a finger to Chen Li’s cherry-colored lips and whispered, “Shh.”
Chen Li blinked and cooperatively fell silent.
The hand that was holding him pointed toward the door—then slowly lowered to indicate the bottom.
Chen Li followed the direction of the finger—to the gap at the bottom of the door.
Nothing was there.
He was just about to look away when, in the next second, his blood ran cold.
A pair of black eyes suddenly appeared behind the crack, brazenly scanning the room.
The owner of the eyes strained to look upward, but due to the angle, could only see the floor and under the bed.
It was Emily!
She hadn’t really left—she had faked the sound of footsteps to mislead him.
If he had opened the door just now, they would’ve run right into each other…
What was she trying to do?
Chen Li fell into fear.
Emily, who saw nothing, stood up, patted the dust off her maid outfit, and walked away.
This time, the footsteps truly faded into the distance.
The beast tamer finally let go of him, and like a proper personal butler, carefully brushed off the crushed petals on his collar.
But the blood and red flower sap staining them couldn’t be wiped away.
Chen Li didn’t care. Right now, he just wanted to get away.
Everyone in this instance seems more unhinged than the last.
. . . . .
When he arrived at the main hall, Joker was already waiting.
His face was still painted with that exaggerated smile, showing no sign of the unpleasant incident that had occurred in the front garden that afternoon.
When he saw Chen Li and the beast tamer walk in one after the other, his eyes briefly turned cold before returning to their usual expression.
He smiled and said, “Young Master Rum, my staff has been eagerly preparing a spectacular performance for you.”
The players were all taken aback. They looked at the approaching NPC like criminals awaiting judgment, filled with anxiety and fear.
Why are they more afraid of me than before, and it’s only been a morning?
Chen Li looked down at the red stains on his collar and suddenly understood.
System 001 popped out and announced: [Fear level increased by 1.]
Then vanished again.
This system is useless. Chen Li had completely given up relying on it.
He sat expressionlessly in the main seat, ignoring the suspicions of the players.
So… is it still too late for them to start clinging to the young master’s thigh now??
System 001 surprised: [Fear level just rose again!]
Including the leftover points from the last world, the total fear level had reached 40.
Chen Li, who somehow won without doing anything: …Even though the players didn’t say a word, I can tell just from their eyes that their imaginations are running wild.
He also wanted to know what Joker was planning!
He didn’t believe for a second that Joker would be kind enough to let the beast tamer off the hook.
Faced with the crowd’s uncertainty and suspicion, neither Joker nor the beast tamer reacted. They each focused on their own tasks.
Joker’s tone turned impatient: “Acrobats, why aren’t you on stage yet?”
The two acrobats went pale and hesitantly stepped forward.
One of them spoke first, nervously: “I-I can juggle.”
The other looked completely hopeless—he didn’t have any real skills to perform.
Joker seemed disinterested, but still agreed: “If your act isn’t good enough, then you’ll have to do the performance I’ve prepared for you.”
His words were calm and gentle, yet sent a chill from head to toe for anyone listening.
“Y-yes,” the acrobat stammered as he took out a few colorful balls.
He had learned to juggle them out of boredom when he was a kid, but after all these years, he was definitely rusty.
Still, it was his only option for survival.
Gritting his teeth, he tossed the first ball into the air, catching it with his other hand. Then came the second, the third…
The colorful balls formed a circle in his hands, tossed up and caught in rhythm.
His full focus was on the balls—he didn’t even notice Joker silently stepping up beside him, eyes watching with eerie interest.
It was a success! His acrobatic performance was a success!