Circus of Horrors (9)
Chen Li reached out to pry the hand clutched around his waist, but his right hand was caught in a firm grip, fingers interlaced, impossible to break free from.
The man’s sharply defined fingers spread apart his, intimately slipping in between them. If anyone had turned around at that moment, they would’ve seen the arrogant, domineering young master completely held in the man’s lap, his eyes reddening from the bullying.
Chen Li had no idea how things had escalated like this, he was completely stunned.
Before he could get angry, Fu Moyang spoke up: “Do you want to save her?”
If he could, of course, he wouldn’t want to witness such a young life slipping away before him.
Chen Li whispered softly: “Yes…”
This time, his attention didn’t waver so easily, though he still felt the urge to struggle.
He was terrified of being found out. If the other players noticed their ambiguous position, their characters would definitely collapse, and he would face severe punishment.
The tension in his back drew a beautiful curve, and Fu Moyang lazily stroked his back with the other hand, moving from the lower back all the way to the tailbone, where he gently circled.
Even though there was clothing between them, Chen Li still felt a sense of danger. He couldn’t focus on freeing his left hand, still locked with Fu Moyang’s fingers. He hastily tried to push away his restless right hand, only to have his left hand caressed instead.
He couldn’t manage everything, and he was so teased that tears nearly spilled from his eyes.
Fu Moyang watched him with a tender gaze, almost lovingly. If he could, he would hold his beloved lamb like this forever.
A sharp scream brought Chen Li’s attention back to the stage. Along with the scream, there was a dull thud of someone falling into the water.
The lamb in his arms was startled, unable to pay attention to the wolf behind him. He watched in terror as the magician was dragged to the bottom of the water tank by heavy chains.
She looked in agony. The sudden fall caught her off guard, and with little air left in her lungs, she struggled in the water, trying to free her hands from the chains.
If she didn’t get out soon, she would drown right there before everyone’s eyes.
The hand resting on the boy’s tailbone tightened, offering some comfort.
Chen Li jolted awake as if from a dream, his voice trembling: “What do you want?”
Dealing with a ghost always comes at a price.
Fu Moyang’s gaze darkened slightly: “A goodnight kiss.”
“What?” Chen Li was stunned, his previously pale face slowly turning red.
What kind of strange request was that?!
Fu Moyang repeated, in a good mood: “A goodnight kiss.”
He wasn’t satisfied with just sleep anymore.
Meanwhile, the noise from the crowd below continued.
The magician was silently suffering underwater, gritting her teeth as she exerted force, surprisingly managing to twist her wrist free with sheer strength.
Her small, slim body, wrapped in a magician’s suit, burst with incredible, unexpected resolve.
No one had expected her to do this. Everyone stared in astonishment.
The limp, drooping hand finally twisted free from the shackles at a tricky angle. She frantically kicked her legs, desperate to swim upward, making even the onlookers break into a cold sweat for her.
That was when everything changed.
Out of the seemingly empty water, a dozen piranhas suddenly surged up from the bottom. Their gaping mouths stretched grotesquely wide, almost taking up half their bodies. Yellow, foul-smelling teeth jutted out from decaying lips, and their bluish-gray bodies were covered in ragged scales that revealed flashes of raw, blood-red flesh beneath.
The magician had never expected this twist. Completely unprepared, she was bitten on the calf and midsection. The pain was so intense she tried to scream, but as soon as she opened her mouth, water flooded in. Bubbles gurgled from her lips as suffocation hit like a hammer, and the searing pain exploded in her lungs and nose.
It was her first time so close to death. In less than a second, countless thoughts flashed through her mind—yet it felt as though everything went blank for a moment. Only then did she realize how small everything else was in the face of death. The only thing that truly mattered was the primal instinct to survive. Her earlier resolve was forgotten. With her remaining mobile hand, she painfully fumbled in her clothes and pulled out the wooden parrot.
If she could just… just twist off the parrot’s head… she wanted to live…!!!
The parrot’s head had already started to come loose when a sudden, sharp pain shot through her fingers—her middle and ring fingers had been bitten off right then and there!
The piranhas feasted savagely, crunching through flesh and bone in a bloodthirsty frenzy. The taste of human blood only made them more vicious.
Now she could no longer hold the wooden parrot. Her last glimmer of hope sank slowly into the water, landing atop the iron chains.
Blood from her wounds quickly turned the water in the tank crimson, blooming like a fierce, blood-red rose.
The female dancer couldn’t bear to watch any longer and clung to her boyfriend in fear. The male dancer trembled too, covering her eyes while trying not to vomit.
The crowd looked away, unable to bear the sight.
Joker wore a cruel smile—this was the climax of the show!
It had all been worth it, even his delay just to bring those piranhas.
“I’ll do it!”
At that moment, Chen Li, curled up in fear, finally spoke the words the man had been waiting to hear.
There was no more time for hesitation. The magician couldn’t last much longer.
“Good.” A faint smile flickered in Fu Moyang’s eyes. He pulled out a golden egg from who-knows-where, etched with intricate markings.
He circled it once, selected a specific mark, and slammed it hard against the armrest.
The egg cracked, then split cleanly in two—it was empty inside.
But something miraculous began happening in the tank.
“She’s out! She made it out!”
The players all rushed over in a flurry.
The puppeteer, trembling, helped up the barely-breathing magician. “She’s still alive!”
Once someone became a player, their stamina and vitality far exceeded that of a normal human. As long as they were still breathing, they could use points to exchange for healing items.
Had this been the real world, the magician would’ve died a dozen times from her torn, ravaged wounds.
Chen Li, drained of all strength, collapsed into Fu Moyang’s arms without a care for appearances.
Unlike the joy of the other players, Joker’s excitement was abruptly interrupted. His expression darkened to the point it seemed black ink might drip from his face, and he immediately shot a glare toward the VIP seats—he knew it was Fu Moyang who had meddled.
But when his gaze locked on the VIP seats, he froze completely.
What did he just see?!
That damned player—bold as day—was openly holding that sweet-smelling, obedient little human in his arms!
Joker’s first-ever object of human interest was now being claimed like territory by some bastard who snuck his way in.
He was going to kill him!
Joker exploded with rage. A rapid series of blasts thundered from above, plunging the circus into darkness.
All the players jumped in fright. After a few short screams, the crowd fell silent.
Everyone knew what that meant—Joker was ready to kill.
Chen Li was just as terrified. He simply thought Fu Moyang had been caught for saving the magician. He shot up in panic, trying to drag him away: “You have to go, now!”
But Fu Moyang rose to his feet with Chen Li’s help, one brow raised: “Go?”
When that word reached Chen Li’s ears, it took on a completely different meaning.
He slowly let go of his hand. Right—where could they even escape to?
They were already inside Joker’s circus.
Although Fu Moyang was awful and always bullied him, Chen Li had never once wanted anything bad to happen to him.
Suddenly, Chen Li jerked his head up and spread his arms in front of him like a mother hen shielding her chick: “D-Don’t be afraid, I’ll protect you.”
At the very least, he was an NPC. Maybe Joker would show mercy for a fellow NPC.
The darkness swallowed all human vision. Chen Li couldn’t see what was happening below, but he clumsily tried to shield Fu Moyang with his own body.
Like a fluffy chick thinking it was protecting the eagle that had already scooped it up and was flying it back to the nest.
Even though he was scared out of his mind.
Standing behind him, Fu Moyang silently smiled.
Too adorable.
It made him want to scoop Chen Li up, hold him tight, and press him deep into his very blood and bones
Joker, who also had excellent vision and saw everything: …
To hell with those damn rules—he had to take out that sly player!
Chen Li had no idea the two were locked in a silent, intense standoff. Relying on instinct, he turned toward Joker’s direction and tried to sound as calm as possible: “Today’s performance was really impressive.”
What he really meant was: Hurry up and end this already.
Hearing that, Joker—who had been about to throw his playing cards—froze.
If he could manifest ears, they’d have instantly popped from droopy plane ears to upright dog ears, like a big dog proudly praised by its owner.
This sweet-smelling human just said… he liked the performance Joker had prepared?
Even though he tried hard to stay composed, Joker’s ears still flushed red. He could barely keep up his usual poise, and a rough growl slipped from his throat as he barked: “What did you just say?”
Quick! Say it again!
The invisible tail behind him was practically spinning like a propeller.
Chen Li’s face was on the verge of turning into a literal QAQ emoji.
He… he’s so fierce.
Did he think I was provoking him?
Chen Li glanced back at Fu Moyang, sneaking a peek. Although he couldn’t see his face clearly in the dark, he could imagine the man looking at him with complete trust!
A sense of responsibility suddenly surged within him.
So Chen Li took a deep breath and repeated once more: “Your performance was amazing. I’m going back to rest now.”
Joker’s expression went blank—but it was a completely different kind of emotion from the brutality just moments before.
He looked like a child who had never been praised before and didn’t know how to react.
He was a terrifying, ruthless NPC. He should hate all humans.
They were weak and vile. When alive, they gave off a foul smell; their voices were noisy and grating. Their blood, though, could excite him, and their screams could be woven into symphonies.
But now, things were different. He had met the strangest human.
This one had a scent as light as drifting clouds, a voice as soft as if dipped in jam, and his entire being was just like… like… a cotton candy!
In truth, Joker didn’t even know what a cotton candy tasted like. But it felt like something warm and fluffy had filled his whole heart.
All that murderous intent instantly crumbled into dust.
If it weren’t for the greasepaint on his face, he’d probably be blushing like he was drunk.
His mind in chaos, Joker managed to squeeze out a single thought. Slowly, he bent down and covered his face with his hand.
It’s over… those damned colleagues of his were going to laugh him to death.
Author’s note:
What the three people were thinking at this time was:
- Joker: He complimented me! He cares about me!
- Li Bao (Chen Li): Only I can protect Fu Moyang now! (Even though he’s mean.)
- Fu Moyang: Goodnight kiss… goodnight kiss… goodnight kiss…