Circus of Horrors (6) Part 3
Suddenly, a shadow of black entered his vision, followed by that familiar dark green mask and those piercing, star-like eyes.
The beast tamer spoke: “You spilled your tea.”
Only then did Chen Li realize that in his nervous state, he had knocked over the cup without even noticing.
The dark tea soaked through the white tablecloth in an instant.
The beast tamer calmly tidied up the mess. Whether by coincidence or on purpose, he stood just right to block the horrific scene unfolding below.
In character, Chen Li snapped impatiently, “You’re blocking my view!”
But despite the words, the heavy feeling in his chest lifted just a little.
“My apologies,” the beast tamer said simply, his tone sincere. After cleaning up, he returned to his spot beside the young master, standing neatly and properly as always.
The cries for mercy had stopped. Only the players’ terrified sobs remained.
They had finally witnessed the full horror of Joker’s methods.
The acrobat, who had been a normal person just moments ago, was now grotesquely misshapen—twisted into a human ball, limbs tangled, neck stretched through bent legs and twisted to an unnatural degree no human body should endure.
Chen Li hadn’t seen the most brutal part of the process. He only caught a glimpse of the deformed figure before quickly looking away.
Joker walked to the VIP seats under everyone’s wary, fearful gaze. Placing his left hand over his heart and clasping his right behind his back, he bowed and said:
“My dear Young Master Rum, may I ask—did today’s performance meet your satisfaction?”
Chen Li pressed his lips together. His mind began to race.
Was he supposed to be satisfied?
If he said yes, would tomorrow’s show be just as bloody? But if he said no, would Joker become even more brutal?
No matter how he answered, it felt like a trap waiting to be triggered.
Seconds ticked by. The players, unnerved, turned their eyes to him. Joker remained frozen in his elegant bow.
The players exchanged glances, silently signaling one another:
Look, this NPC really isn’t ordinary—he can actually put Joker in a tough spot!
He must be ranked really high among the guide NPCs!
Chen Li had no idea what kind of wild theories they were imagining. He decided to take a bold risk.
He picked up the empty, ornate teacup on the table—and hurled it straight at Joker!
Clang!
It struck the side of Joker’s forehead just as he happened to lift his head. The sound it made was that of hard object hitting hard object.
The players were stunned. Chen Li was stunned too.
But he was stunned by himself.
He—he had only meant to throw it past Joker to express his disapproval. How did he manage to raise his head at that exact moment?
Joker slowly straightened up, eyes locked on Chen Li, unblinking.
There was no anger in Joker’s eyes—only pure confusion.
Joker asked, “You’re… not satisfied?”
Chen Li quickly steadied his nerves and gave a cold snort. “What’s the point of patching up a failed performance?”
What he really meant was: Stop using freak shows as punishment for the players!
He hated these cruel “make-up acts” that followed a so-called failure.
Before Joker’s expression could shift into something dangerous, Chen Li quickly added, “But… considering how much effort you clearly put into this, I suppose the performance was passable.”
He lifted his chin slightly, his tone laced with reluctant approval—like a picky cat that deigned to accept a treat.
If anyone else had said something like that, Joker would have ensured they regretted ever entering this instance, even if it meant derailing the entire game.
But coming from Chen Li, it hit differently.
After all, who could truly get angry at a proud little cat meowing its complaints?
If it weren’t for the risk of breaking character, Joker would’ve liked nothing more than to squeeze his little cat’s paws and ruffle his hair.
For now, he could only forcibly suppress the urge, raise his head, and smile. “It’s my honor to receive your approval.”
He wasn’t angry. In fact, he looked rather pleased with the response.
The tension in Chen Li’s chest finally dropped.
If there hadn’t been so many people around, he might’ve let his knees go weak right then and there.
System 001: [Fear level increased by 30]
Chen Li was surprised: [That one performance earned 30 points?]
Thinking back on the bloody scene, he could understand.
System 001: …Actually, not all the points came from Joker—some of them came from you.
If Joker represented terror, then the NPC who dared to throw a teacup at Joker without getting himself killed—he became something even more unfathomable in the players’ eyes.
The system wisely chose not to share that part, for fear that its foolish host would get smug about it.
With a snap of Joker’s fingers, they were instantly transported back to the grand hall of the castle, as if the fantastical circus tent had been nothing but a dream.
Night had fallen.
The chubby chef and Emily entered through a side door. The chef, looking somewhat anxious, asked, “Young Master Rum, shall we begin serving the meal?”
They had spent the entire afternoon in that circus tent…
Chen Li nodded without thinking. Only after nodding did he realize—he had absolutely no appetite.
On the other side, the chef had already started efficiently bringing out the dishes.
When Chen Li saw the medium-rare steak, still streaked with red, his stomach churned with discomfort.
After witnessing something that bloody just moments ago, there was no way he could eat.
Among the players, some picked up their cutlery like it was second nature. Others looked queasy and on the verge of gagging.
But regardless of how they felt, they all had to eat. This was a dinner invitation from a notoriously difficult noble young master. Refusing to play along would be unwise—and without food, they’d hardly have the strength to complete their missions.
Chen Li gracefully sliced a few pieces of steak and placed one in his mouth. After chewing twice, his face twisted in disgust, and he spat it into a handkerchief.
He tossed down his knife and fork in disdain. “This steak is not medium-rare!”
At that moment, he actually felt a bit grateful for the persona he had crafted—so long as he didn’t provoke a certain lunatic clown, he could do whatever he pleased in this castle, turning lies into truth without consequence.
The chef immediately dropped to his knees with a thud. “P-please forgive me!”
But it was medium-rare!
Still, he didn’t dare argue—contradicting Young Master Rum would only lead to an even worse outcome.
Chen Li had only wanted an excuse not to eat, but didn’t expect such a dramatic reaction. Feeling slightly awkward, he said, “Forget it, I’ll let it go this time.”
With that, he stormed off in fake anger and headed back to his room.
No one dared criticize his unreasonable tantrum. The dining room fell into complete silence, and the chef was left thanking him for his so-called generosity.
Only one person silently followed after him.
Chen Li dashed up to the fifth floor. He had learned his lesson this time—without so much as a glance at the paintings in the corridor, he ran straight into his room and dove face-first into the soft bedding.
His acting for the day was finally over!
He didn’t have to keep up the Young Master act anymore!
Thinking this, he rolled around happily on the bed a few times. But just as he rolled to the foot of the bed, something felt off. He looked up—and someone was standing there, watching him.
“Why do you move without making a sound?!” Chen Li snapped, flustered, and threw a pillow at the intruder.
The beast tamer had somehow followed him into the room without him noticing. There was a good chance he’d seen all his silly rolling-around moments too.
The beast tamer innocently caught the pillow aimed at his face. “I brought you food.”
“I’m not eating!” Chen Li hissed like a bristling cat.
The beast tamer acted as if he hadn’t heard him. He took out a bowl of seafood porridge from behind his back, and the savory aroma instantly filled the room.
He sat down firmly, scooped up a spoonful with shrimp, and said, “Eat.”
That familiar tone stunned Chen Li for a moment.
The vague sense of something being off that had been lingering in his mind suddenly came into sharp focus… He sounded just like him.
But how could that be?
Those dark eyes were completely different from that person’s silver-grey ones. Even their voices weren’t the same—he could tell they were different even with a mask on.
Wait—mask?
There were two acrobats, two dancers, and two beast tamers.
And the uniforms for each role were exactly the same!
The other trainer wore the same riding outfit, but his face had been painted—he didn’t wear a mask at all.
He’d subconsciously assumed the mask was just part of the circus costume.
But in reality, this man must have chosen to wear it himself. It had nothing to do with the circus!
Chen Li’s eyes sharpened with suspicion. His energy returned.
“Come here.”
The beast tamer raised a brow but obediently stepped closer—only to have his wrist grabbed firmly.
His little Young Master pinned him down with a forceful air, his tone sharp.
“Take off the mask.”
Author’s note:
Someone didn’t expect to almost blow their cover over one word. In his first dungeon, he fed Li Bao just as fiercely.