Sacrificial Lamb (9)
He didn’t know whether to feel relieved or like crying—at the very least, this “Fu Moyang” in front of him could still understand what he was saying.
Chen Li hesitated for a moment before reaching out and ruffling his hair, just like in the last scenario: “Can you let go of me first?”
Fu Moyang stared at him seriously for a few seconds, then, with all sincerity—shook his head.
“No.”
Then he scooped Chen Li into his arms like a child who had finally gotten hold of their favorite toy and refused to let go. With his other hand, he grabbed the red bridal veil and tried to place it over Chen Li’s head.
Chen Li’s vision went red, he couldn’t see a thing. But he could feel how tightly the man was holding him—like he wanted to crush him and fuse him into his very bones.
The old Fu Moyang had shown flashes of a disturbing obsession now and then, but he’d never used this kind of brute force. The man holding him now looked exactly like Fu Moyang, but he felt wilder—more unrestrained, like a beast driven entirely by instinct.
In just a few seconds, Chen Li’s whole body was aching. He gave a quiet gasp of pain and, unable to bear it any longer, lifted the veil and bit down hard on the man’s shoulder.
He didn’t hold back at all. Even through the clothes, the bite left a deep mark.
But Fu Moyang didn’t seem to feel any pain. At least, he did ease his grip a little and stared at Chen Li in a daze: “My… little lamb.”
Something heavy dropped into Chen Li’s mind, stirring up the dust. That phrase echoed the words from his dreams—those tangled, haunting words—and now, at last, the never-before-seen face from those dreams was becoming clear.
Chen Li’s eyelashes trembled, and a chill rippled through him from deep within.
Of course. The person in those dreams had always said things like that.
He should’ve realized it long ago… The one behind those dangerous yet seductive dreams that had haunted him since he was sixteen—was him.
Sensing the trembling in his arms, Fu Moyang bared his teeth like a beast, his expression dark and menacing. A wave of oppressive energy spread outward for miles. The surge of ghostly energy was almost aggressive in its search, sniffing out any threat that might frighten the boy he held. He was like a wild creature with no understanding of rules, acting purely on instinct—desperate to take Chen Li back to his den but unsure how to do it.
He stubbornly reached out to gently stroke Chen Li’s back: “No threats. No bullying. Don’t be afraid.”
Then, after a pause, he added: “We’ll get married.”
Chen Li had just pulled himself out of the realization that his four-year-long dream was somehow tied to his lover. Now, hearing those words, it felt like an electric shock ran through his whole body.
He tried his best not to blush as he asked: “What do you mean, get married? You can’t say something like that so casually.”
Anyone could see that something was seriously off with Fu Moyang right now. If it weren’t for the fact that his energy was identical to the real Fu Moyang’s, Chen Li would have thought this was an imposter.
But that deep familiarity couldn’t be faked. All he could do was try to handle this irrational Fu Moyang with the calmness of an adult.
His tone was like someone trying to scold an overexcited dog that had jumped into its master’s arms—but it only made Fu Moyang more excited. He leaned in again, sniffing all over him like he couldn’t help himself, saying eagerly: “Married. Then you’re mine.”
In his current state, that phrase had already become gospel—as if marriage was the one and only way to bind them together forever. The most direct and effective way to claim him.
For a moment, Chen Li was completely at a loss for what to say.
That was the contradiction of Fu Moyang—sometimes, he could be shockingly innocent in the most unexpected ways.
His stubborn insistence on getting married was one such innocent trait.
Fu Moyang poked Chen Li’s cheek with curiosity: “You’re blushing.”
“I am not!” Chen Li glared at him, but his watery eyes made the denial completely unconvincing.
Fu Moyang picked him up again and turned to leave. He was dressed in ancient-style groom’s robes, the outline of his toned muscles faintly visible under the red fabric. His strong arms held Chen Li steadily, and the red color made the boy in his arms seem both glamorous and noble—while making Fu Moyang look wickedly handsome.
Wearing that devilishly attractive face, he gave a slightly goofy smile: “Let’s go. Get married.”
Chen Li: “…”
No one appeared along the way, as if this strange city pieced together from mismatched architectural styles had been built just for them. Chen Li gave up resisting and instead focused on thinking up a counter-strategy.
It wasn’t until they arrived back at the first room that he finally overcame his embarrassment and pushed against Fu Moyang’s chest: “Wait. I’ll marry you—but you have to follow human customs.”
“Human customs?” The Ghost King, usually wild and unruly, blinked slowly and actually set him down. “Okay.”
That had been his plan all along—to give his beloved little lamb the best possible wedding. That’s why he had created this entire “city” with his own hands. If the lamb hadn’t run away, he wouldn’t have shown up like this.
Breaking human customs…
Humans were a petty species. They’d get angry.
No wonder his little lamb had looked so mad just now.
The Ghost King thought for a moment and suddenly looked a little smug.
But… he bit me just now. That means he must like me, right?
Chen Li had no idea what kind of nonsense was going through Fu Moyang’s head. He just wanted more clues about this place, so he cautiously asked: “Those two who brought me here at the start—where are they?”
Well, they weren’t exactly people. More like ghosts.
Fu Moyang replied flatly: “I killed them.”
His tone was so casual, like he was talking about the weather. But the meaning behind the words was enough to send chills down anyone’s spine.
He didn’t even seem aware of how shocking that might be to a fragile human.
Fu Moyang tried to recall what little he knew about human weddings—there had to be lots of guests, a matchmaker, and other formalities. He just wanted to make sure everything was perfect. So he added: “I can make new ones for you.”
Chen Li unconsciously let out a sigh of relief.
He had guessed right after all—everything here was created by Fu Moyang, even the “people.”
That explained why the old woman and the man with the strange neck seemed unintelligent and abnormal. Like the city itself, they were chaotic and disordered products of this “unconscious” version of Fu Moyang.
If Fu Moyang had such a powerful ability to create, could he possibly make other things too…?
Chen Li suddenly had a bold idea. He lowered his head and said calmly: “According to human customs, the bride and groom aren’t supposed to meet before the wedding. You need to leave.”
Upon hearing this, Fu Moyang visibly grew anxious, but he still didn’t want to “break the rules” and risk ruining the wedding.
The wedding was the only method he had come up with to completely claim Chen Li as his own.
Even if the sky fell, it had to go on. No one could stop the wedding—not anyone else, not even himself.
So Chen Li watched as veins bulged on Fu Moyang’s arms. He panted heavily and paced the room like he was on the verge of exploding, but he forced himself to hold back.
In the end, he came back and hugged Chen Li tightly, burying his face in the crook of his neck like a cat sniffing catnip. After taking a few deep breaths, he suddenly lifted his head and growled through gritted teeth: “I get it. I’ll go.”
Anyone who didn’t know better might’ve thought he was being forced to carve out his own flesh and dig out his heart—when in reality, all he had to do was leave for a short while.
Even though this version of Fu Moyang was clearly different from the one he’d known in the future, Chen Li still couldn’t separate the two in his mind. He reached out and gently ruffled Fu Moyang’s hair: “Be good. It will be quick.”
The experience was strange and new to him. Normally, it was Fu Moyang who held him and spoke gently. Now, their roles had reversed.
After being comforted for a while, Fu Moyang’s grim expression finally softened. Still reluctant, he put the “little lamb” down, turned away without a word, and walked out of the room.
He was afraid that if he didn’t leave now, he’d never be able to.
Once he was gone, the room fell into silence again—until Chen Li suddenly heard a soft, childlike sigh.
His eyes lit up, and he called out, “System?”
System 001 froze for a moment, then quickly responded with a loud shout: [It’s me! I’m here!]
This time the voice was clearer. Chen Li turned his head, and faintly, something round began to appear in the air.
It grew more and more visible until it finally revealed its true form—a glowing ball.
System 001 cried out excitedly and launched itself forward: [Host! I’ve been with you the whole time, but no matter how I called, you couldn’t hear me!]
Chen Li was delighted too: [System, do you know what’s going on here?]
After its initial excitement, System 001 suddenly seemed a bit embarrassed and tried hard to maintain a “mature” image: [This place is actually your memory—events that happened in the past.]
[The past?] Chen Li was surprised, even though he’d had his suspicions.
System 001: [Not the kind of past you’re imagining. If this were truly the past, anything you did here would affect the future—and you might really end up trapped here forever. You can think of this as a kind of memory node. That painting of yours was so infused with spiritual energy that, while it was just a stunning piece of art in the real world, it gained sentience in the Horror Game and pulled you in.]
Chen Li hesitated: [So this Fu Moyang—is he the same one from four years ago?]
Could someone really change that much in just four years?
System 001 wobbled a bit: [Of course not. Even the one you met four years ago wasn’t really the “true” Fu Moyang—it was his core.]
[Core?] Chen Li was taken aback. [I know that every guide NPC has a core, and that destroying the core is the only way to truly kill them. So Fu Moyang is the same?]
Surprisingly, he seemed to accept the fact that his lover wasn’t human quite well.
[You could say all evil beings are like that,] System 001 smacked its mouth thoughtfully. [And the core represents their truest essence. You’ve seen it too—Fu Moyang’s true nature is violent, irrational…]
As the Ghost King, the first and only ghost born in reality, he possessed immense power, and at the same time, his very core was so pitch-black that its color couldn’t even be distinguished.
He didn’t feed on negative emotions—but he was a living embodiment of Hell itself.
Fu Moyang was a natural-born predator. He knew how to disguise himself, wearing a human facade to deceive his prey—but his core, he acted purely on instinct to plunder.
When he saw the sixteen-year-old Chen Li, he didn’t hesitate—he just took him.
System 001: [You can think of it as… the soul of a human. In other words, the Fu Moyang from four years ago was in a state where his “core” and soul were separated. The soul found the sixteen-year-old you and married you. As for everything else… I’m not sure.]
That explanation was already pushing the limits for a system.
System 001 continued: [Host, you really should break up with him. His core nature is just that bad. The way he looks at you—it’s like he wants to bite you to pieces and chew you up, slowly…]
Before it could finish, the glowing ball was smacked.
It was the first time Chen Li had ever hit the system. His tone turned serious: [What nonsense are you talking about? This Fu Moyang is clearly very obedient too.]
System 001: [???]
Obedient? Did he seriously think the whole brutally slaying ghosts because the bride ran away thing was fake???
W-Wait a minute—why did he say “too”?!
Author’s note:
Li Bao: Because the other one is well-behaved too… (?)
Well, at this point, System 001 still hadn’t realized how serious the situation was.
P.S.: Li Bao’s rose-tinted glasses for a certain someone are getting thicker.