Circus of Horrors (8)
The players arrived at the hall one after another. When they saw that the young master was already seated and waiting, they immediately felt a wave of nervousness.
As commoners, they had actually arrived later than a noble. This mysterious-looking NPC had every reason to be furious.
They quickly found their seats, too afraid to speak or even reach for any food. The atmosphere was heavy with tension.
The young master wore a stern expression, clearly displeased.
No one knew who he might lash out at next.
But it didn’t take long for them to realize that the young master’s anger wasn’t directed at them—it was someone else entirely.
Right now, Fu Moyang was acting like a total sycophant, a far cry from his usual calm and confident demeanor. Yet he seemed to be enjoying himself—he even found the little lamb’s anger adorable.
He was completely smitten.
Pouring tea one moment, bringing over little cakes the next, he bent down to whisper softly to the young master.
Chen Li ignored him completely.
The players watched on in fear, unsure how they were supposed to react.
On closer inspection, they noticed that the butler’s normally immaculate tailcoat was wrinkled and disheveled, as if someone had yanked on it hard.
But Chen Li, the one responsible, didn’t care in the slightest what the players thought.
He was furious.
It wasn’t until Fu Moyang mentioned that he had mumbled something in his sleep that Chen Li realized he’d been tricked. Before that, he had been foolishly fretting over it for quite a while.
Fu Moyang was a liar through and through—just like how he’d worn a mask to deceive him.
Who knew how much he was secretly laughing at his gullibility?
Fu Moyang coaxed softly: “I won’t tease you next time, okay?”
His gaze softened as he tried to show the gentlest side of himself.
Chen Li turned his head—only to meet a smile in Fu Moyang’s eyes deep enough to drown in.
“…”
He couldn’t help but feel a surge of anger—he’s still laughing!?
Clang!
Chen Li slammed his teacup down heavily. With a critical tone, he said, “Too strong. Brew it again.”
Fu Moyang replied calmly: “Yes, Young Master.”
Who would’ve thought this little guy had such a temper?
With graceful and unhurried movements, Fu Moyang brewed another cup of black tea and handed it to Chen Li. The rich aroma wafted gently into the air—so perfectly balanced that no one could find fault with it.
This time, Chen Li didn’t even look at it: “Too weak. Brew it again.”
The next five or six cups were rejected for various reasons—”too hot,” “too cold,” and so on.
The group of players watching all felt their scalps go numb, but the one being ordered around didn’t seem to mind at all.
The maid, Emily, who had been watching them darkly from the side, suddenly stepped in just as Fu Moyang was about to serve another cup of tea. Her tone was hostile: “I’ll do it.”
Even in broad daylight, her face was deathly pale.
The players were all creeped out by her. Despite being just a minor background NPC, there was something unsettling about her. She even forbade them from stepping onto the fifth floor, claiming it was the young master’s private space.
But it wasn’t just the players who were unnerved—Chen Li was too. The difference was, he couldn’t show it. So when Emily set the cup of tea in front of him, he gave an almost imperceptible shiver. This time, he didn’t nitpick. He picked up the cup and took a small sip.
Emily, feeling smug, shot a glance at the new butler. She thought he was being far too flashy and needed to be put in his place. After all, in this castle, the most favored servant had always been her.
To her surprise, Fu Moyang didn’t spare her a single glance. His eyes were fixed entirely on his little young master. Seeing Chen Li take a sip of tea, he immediately cut a small slice of Basque cheesecake and offered it to him.
Chen Li took a small bite, then shot him a look: “You cut it too ugly.”
But he didn’t make him redo it this time—Emily was standing too close, watching like a hawk.
The rest of the players, looking at the cake’s perfectly triangular slice, began to feel a bit sorry for Fu Moyang.
This is just pure torment—no wonder he was such a brutally ruthless guide-type NPC.
But as everyone else pitied him, Fu Moyang’s heart was bubbling over with sweet little feelings. He leaned in close to Chen Li’s ear and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear: “You only act tough in your little nest.”
A shiver ran down Chen Li’s spine. He had to resist the impulse to turn and bite the man. Keeping a straight face, he changed the subject: “Where’s Joker?”
His tone was casual, but no one missed the irritation in it.
Joker was late.
The players exchanged uneasy glances. One of the male dancers mustered the courage to speak: “Is today’s performance canceled?”
No sooner had he said that than hearty laughter rang out from outside the castle.
Joker strode in from the entrance: “How could I disappoint my dear Young Master Rum?”
His clothes were dripping wet.
Each droplet that hit the ground bloomed into a vibrant red rose—just like the one Joker had pinned to Chen Li’s chest that day.
Standing still, Joker bowed: “My deepest apologies, Young Master Rum. But my lateness was all for the sake of the upcoming performance.”
With that, he clapped his hands.
Swirls of magical color began to twist and distort, stretching and transforming the surroundings. Joker’s mad laughter echoed faintly from all directions.
“Now, please enjoy the best magic performance of the year!”
When they opened their eyes again, they were back in the familiar circus tent.
The same VIP seats. The same flamboyant circus performers. The blood that had once stained the ground had been cleaned, but Chen Li’s heart remained heavy.
At the mention of a magic show, the magician’s face had already turned pale. Still, clinging to a sliver of hope, she asked: “What kind of performance?”
Joker gave her a strange look, as if she had asked the most idiotic question in the world.
Still, grinning like a fool, he said, “Why, the most thrilling magic performance of all—an extreme escape act!”
The moment the last word left his lips, despair filled the magician’s eyes.
No, no—she was going to die.
She was definitely going to die.
To match Joker’s words, sharp laughter and applause suddenly erupted from the empty audience seats. The sounds—both male and female—were filled with mockery and sarcasm.
Amid the laughter, the voices began to chant in unison: “Let her die! Let her die! Let her die!”
The cold, malicious waves of sound grew louder, almost vibrating the eardrums, and the murderous intent came at them, unmasked.
The magician’s legs went weak, and she almost collapsed. The puppeteer, concerned, rushed to support her: “Are you okay?”
They were close in age, having helped each other since entering the game. They had even agreed to add each other as friends after the game, planning to team up for survival in the future.
But now…
Tears welled up in the magician’s eyes as a wooden parrot was suddenly shoved into her hand.
The puppeteer whispered: “This is a prop from the previous game. If you pull its head off at a crucial moment, it might save your life.”
At least it was a B-level prop…
The magician froze, unable to react in time before Joker grabbed her other hand with swift steps.
Joker casually lifted her to the center of the stage, like a weak little chick, his expression filled with anticipation: “Let’s see the great magician’s performance.”
He was like a two-faced man. As he turned away from the audience, his face darkened: “Don’t disappoint me. I don’t want to see another freak show.”
The magician, recalling the terrifying appearance of the acrobat, was so frightened that she kept nodding, completely too scared to resist.
If it were any other magic trick, she might have had a chance, but extreme escape… it was almost certain death.
The magician tucked the wooden parrot close to her chest, determined not to use it.
It was too valuable. With her bad luck, using the prop would just waste it. It would be better to return it to its rightful owner.
The puppeteer had been in the game for six more months than her. The chances of her surviving this round were far higher.
As she made up her mind, Joker snapped his fingers, summoning tattered cotton bears.
Despite being just a few stuffed toys, they somehow held up a water tank taller than two people. The wobbling tank made them look like they might get squashed at any moment.
Fortunately, they successfully delivered the transparent water tank to the center of the stage. The moment it crashed down, a layer of yellow dust was kicked up from the ground.
It wasn’t light; it was filled with real water.
Along with it came a long, heavy iron chain.
Many people winced upon seeing the iron chain, clearly imagining the magician’s fate.
This was no fake prop, it was a real iron chain. The huge, clunky lock was rusted, and even if there was a key, it would be difficult to turn.
The magician couldn’t stop crying: “Please…”
Unfortunately, her tears didn’t even cause Joker to pause for a second. He hummed a tuneless song as he brought her hands together and began wrapping the chain around them. The force was so intense, it seemed as though he was trying to crush her bones.
The magician cried out in pain, instinctively struggling, but Joker was unmoved, his grip stronger than a mere itch in his eyes.
Chen Li couldn’t watch anymore and pretended to be displeased: “Stop dragging it out, just start already.”
His voice was shaking, almost trembling with fear.
Fu Moyang silently approached and gently placed a hand on his waist.
Finally, he finally got what he wanted.
Chen Li’s heart was completely focused on what was happening below, leaving him no room to care about the man’s silent, dominating grip on his waist.
Luckily, after that, Joker finally stopped: “Yes, dear Young Master Rum.”
He glanced at the magician, whose face was covered in tear stains, and decided to wrap the chain around her only a couple fewer times, so the young master wouldn’t get impatient.
He was confident that this performance would definitely please the young master.
With a click, the lock was on, and the golden key in his hand suddenly dissolved.
Joker let out a strange laugh: “Hurry up and get in, you’ve got three minutes to escape.”
Seeing what happened to the key, the magician’s hope was extinguished. There was no hope left for her…
With heavy steps, she climbed the small ladder up to the water tank. The entire tank was transparent, except for the bottom layer, which was silver-plated iron.
Standing at the top and looking at the lifeless water below, the magician hesitated, unsure.
Joker smiled: “Go down already.”
The twisted voices from the audience began to chant in unison: “Go down! Go down! Go down!”
Their vicious tone sounded like demons from hell calling her.
“Want to save her?” Fu Moyang suddenly spoke up.
Chen Li was startled and only then realized that, in his nervousness, he had actually stood up from his seat.
If the other players hadn’t been focused on the girl, he might have already lost his composure.
He tried to sit back down, but Fu Moyang was quicker, sitting before him. Chen Li, caught off guard, ended up sitting right on his hard thigh, completely stunned as Fu Moyang’s arm wrapped around his waist.
Fu Moyang looked innocent, trying to hold back a laugh: “Hmm?”
Chen Li was speechless, feeling as if struck by lightning.
Hmm?! You perverted freak!
Author’s note:
Well, someone managed to behave for just half a chapter, but couldn’t help but start angering Li Bao again.