Circus of Horrors (13)
After Chen Li shut the door, he ran back to bed and wrapped himself up like a burrito, but he couldn’t resist his curiosity and secretly pricked up his ears to try and eavesdrop on the conversation outside.
It was completely silent outside—not a single sound could be heard.
Just now, it was that very silence that made him curious enough to sneak a peek… only to witness that scene.
[System, what are they saying out there?]
System 001: […I don’t know.]
It really couldn’t detect anything.
Fu Moyang might seem wild and unruly on the surface, but in reality, he was meticulous. The moment Joker appeared, he cast a barrier that blocked any sound from their conversation.
Chen Li frowned: [Are you still mad?]
System 001 fell silent, struggling to roll its round little body inside the system space.
It had decided to ignore its host, but Chen Li’s next sentence almost made it scream.
Chen Li: [Are you afraid of Fu Moyang?]
He used a statement, clearly already convinced in his mind.
System 001 was horrified: [How did you know!?]
It thought it had hidden it really well.
Who would’ve thought even a dim-witted host like this could figure it out??
Chen Li, thoughtfully: [Are you cursing me in your head right now?]
System 001, flustered, raised its voice: [No!]
Then quickly lowered it again: [How… did you figure it out?]
Still wriggling under the covers, Chen Li tilted his head when he heard the question: [It was obvious. I noticed back in the first instance.]
[The first instance?!]
Chen Li: [You kept disappearing for “maintenance,” always at critical moments. At first, I thought you were just unreliable. But later I realized—it was because of Fu Moyang.]
[Every time he gets close to me or interacts with me, you stop talking. Even if he’s just standing nearby, you speak less.]
System 001 sulked for a while before muttering: [Oh…]
After holding back for a bit, it finally spoke up: [He’s not that scary, actually. When my father built this lord, he—]
Chen Li got a little dizzy from the system’s use of “this lord” and “father” in the same sentence. Before he could fully process it, the system had gone quiet again.
[System? 001?]
“What are you looking for?” A deep, magnetic voice suddenly sounded from above.
Fu Moyang had pulled Chen Li straight out of his blanket cocoon, his tone perfectly calm: “Why were you suffocating yourself like that?”
Just moments ago, the system had claimed Fu Moyang wasn’t that intimidating—yet now it had utterly vanished without a trace, leaving Chen Li dumbfounded and blinking in confusion.
Instinctively ignoring the question, Chen Li blinked: “How did you get in?”
He was sure he’d locked the door.
Fu Moyang replied smoothly: “My current identity is a butler, so of course I have a key.”
In reality, he had just used ghost energy to destroy the lock from the inside.
“You still remember you’re a butler?” Chen Li angrily pushed him. “Then why don’t you go sleep in the butler’s quarters?”
His soft hand pushed against the man’s firm chest but didn’t budge him an inch.
Instead, his hand got caught and gently squeezed.
Fu Moyang: “Still mad about the whip?”
The little lamb bristled: “No!”
A smile flickered in Fu Moyang’s eyes: “Then how about this—I let you bite me?”
As he spoke, he offered his hand.
Chen Li’s eyes went wide: “You think I won’t?”
“Hm?” Fu Moyang deliberately wiggled his long fingers.
This is a provocation! A naked provocation!
Fuming, Chen Li went straight in and bit down.
Fu Moyang, playing along, gave a dramatic groan.
Hearing the sound, Chen Li let go of his hand, triumphant: “Scared now?”
“Terrified,” Fu Moyang said earnestly, hiding the hand that bore only a faint tooth mark. “You’re way too fierce.”
The little kitten’s tail stood straight up.
Chen Li huffed: “I am a very fierce NPC.”
He secretly pulled up his quest panel for a peek—and suddenly gasped quietly. So much horror points!
His temper swelled with pride: “Do you know how much horror points I’ve collected?”
Fu Moyang played along: “How much?”
While gently smoothing him down and helping him change clothes.
“200!” Chen Li’s eyes curved into a smile. “I’ve got 200 horror points now!”
Like a kitten proudly showing off its claws to a tiger—unaware its entire paw was smaller than just one of the tiger’s.
Fu Moyang was utterly charmed, though his hands stayed steady as he buttoned up Chen Li’s shirt: “Mhm, very impressive.”
Chen Li suddenly asked, curious: “Why do you know so much about NPCs?”
He’d been wondering this for a long time and had finally found the right moment to ask.
Back in the first instance, Fu Moyang had used the excuse that NPCs needed to complete tasks to trick him into going to the slaughterhouse. That meant he clearly knew that guide NPCs had to collect horror points.
That was also when Chen Li had stopped hiding his oddities in front of him.
Probably because he sensed Fu Moyang already knew he was a cowardly NPC, so no matter how badly he broke character, he wouldn’t be punished.
But as a human player, how did Fu Moyang know so much?
Fu Moyang paused for a moment: “I don’t know… I’ve lost part of my memory.”
His tone suddenly turned somber.
For no apparent reason, Chen Li’s heart sank with him. So even the number one player had scars from the past.
Maybe it was exactly because of those experiences that he’d become so powerful now.
After sighing, Chen Li awkwardly tried to comfort him: “Don’t be upset… I—I’m not mad at you anymore!”
He clumsily tried to change the subject.
From an angle he couldn’t see, Fu Moyang’s lips curled slightly.
It was true that he had lost a portion of his memory, but that had absolutely nothing to do with how well he understood the NPCs.
Only someone as easy to coax as this little guy would be soft-hearted.
But showing mercy to a hunter… you’d be eaten down to the last bone fragment.
Fu Moyang’s voice lowered slightly as he tucked Chen Li back into the warm blanket, giving him a gentle pat: “Time to sleep, Young Master.”
He had already removed his mask when he entered the room, revealing a pair of striking silver-grey eyes.
Chen Li, still dazed, looked down in surprise and realized that during their conversation, the man had already changed his clothes for him.
He muttered softly: “Why are you taking my clothes off again?”
Fu Moyang apologized with apparent sincerity: “I’m sorry.”
But even as he apologized, he shamelessly lifted a corner of the blanket and crawled in beside him.
The familiar, icy aura invaded forcefully. Chen Li sniffled: “Don’t do that again next time.”
At the very least, he should’ve said something first.
Fu Moyang: “Alright.”
Unaware of anything strange, Chen Li closed his eyes and quickly drifted off to sleep after finishing his complaint.
Not only was he now used to sharing a bed with Fu Moyang, but he could even remain calm about being helped into new clothes.
System 001: […]
It was filled with sorrow.
Soon. Very soon. The day the host would be completely consumed by the ghost was drawing near.
. . . . .
Because of their conversation the night before, Chen Li’s impression of Fu Moyang shifted from “annoying guy” to “annoying guy with amnesia.”
Today, he treated him a bit more kindly—just a bit.
At the breakfast table, he still bossed him around, holding up a slice of bread and asking him to spread butter on it. His soft tone didn’t sound like a command—it was more like a pout.
Fu Moyang took the bread: “Mm.”
He actually picked up the butter knife and quietly began spreading butter for him.
The other players didn’t even dare breathe, terrified he’d suddenly snap and stab someone with the butter knife.
Only Chen Li could still treat Fu Moyang like a normal person after witnessing yesterday’s bloody beast-taming show.
Joker had vanished early in the morning again. No one knew what kind of deal he had struck with Fu Moyang the day before.
It was a good day for Chen Li—aside from the other players acting really strange.
While strolling through the garden, he accidentally bumped into a player who was searching for clues.
The player immediately froze like a statue: “Hello!”
So stiff, they didn’t even know where to put their hands and feet.
System 001: [Fear level +1.]
Chen Li headed to the kitchen to play around and maybe find something for afternoon tea. He ran into another player trying to chat up the chef.
The player was so startled, they dropped everything they were holding: “Hello!”
System 001: [Fear level +1.]
Walking through the castle admiring antiques, players who spotted him from afar would immediately scatter like frightened animals.
System 001: […Fear level +1.]
And so, the entire day, no matter where he encountered the other players, they all acted as if facing a deadly threat.
Even a mosquito is still considered meat—without realizing it, his horror points increased from 200 to 210.
Chen Li paused, lost in thought.
Fu Moyang asked: “What’s wrong?”
He had been following the young master all day, playing the role of a dutiful butler.
Chen Li’s eyes suddenly lit up. He turned and asked: “Am I scary?”
He felt like he had just caught the tail end of the truth!
So it wasn’t just his imagination these past few days—he really had become more intimidating!
As the boy suddenly leaned in, his bright eyes shining, Fu Moyang exerted some effort to control himself, managing not to show any signs of reaction as he nodded: “Hmm, very fierce.”
He’s so cute. I really want to hug him and give him a little lick.
It must be sweet to lick, right?
Even the top-ranked human player acknowledged his fierceness, so it seems he has successfully crafted his image as a super fierce noble.
Chen Li couldn’t help but feel proud: [System, we’ll never have to worry about the fear level again.]
System 001 seemed to hesitate for a moment before choosing to remain silent.
“Fox borrowing the tiger’s power” was probably a phrase meant to describe the host.
It wasn’t until the evening banquet started that Joker rushed in, tired from running. He took off his hat and apologized: “I’m sorry, Young Master Rum, I’m late.”
Chen Li dryly replied: “Oh.”
And with that, the lovely day came to an end.
He would once again be forced to watch the “performance.”
Sensing the dissatisfaction in his tone, Joker looked up: “Young Master Rum, although yesterday’s performance had a few minor flaws, I guarantee that today’s will be spectacular.”
When mentioning the small flaws, he blatantly looked toward Fu Moyang’s location.
The unspoken implication in his eyes was almost as if he were saying—it’s a shame this person didn’t die.
Fu Moyang gave him a blank stare in return.
The only remaining players yet to perform were the dart thrower and his assistant, the puppeteer, and the two dancers.
They were all scheduled for the three remaining performances.
Upon hearing Joker’s words, their expressions all turned unpleasant.
Author’s note:
Well… Li Bao is starting to develop some misconceptions about himself.
Li Bao: I’m so fierce!
Fu Moyang: So cute… so cute… so cute… (I really want to lick…)