They Are Very Hospitable (7)
The next day, Chen Li specifically asked the system to wake him up when the red-haired guy woke up. So at just seven o’clock, he groggily climbed out of bed.
Instinctively, he glanced at the empty space next to him.
Fu Moyang was already gone.
Feeling a bit awkward, Chen Li thought, Even though he always scares me, he really doesn’t seem like the kind of guy who would casually bully NPCs.
Although it didn’t have a mind-reading function, System 001 somehow understood the expression on his face and fell silent.
It couldn’t bear to tell the host that the pervert had been watching him by his bedside all night, occasionally poking him.
If it weren’t for the fear of being discovered, System 001 was certain he would’ve climbed into bed and hugged him while sleeping.
That look in his eyes was definitely thinking about something inappropriate.
After straightening the bed and freshening up in the room, Chen Li stepped out—just in time to run into a villager bringing breakfast.
He munched on a flower-cut fruit sandwich, curious as to why it wasn’t Sana delivering it this time.
Sister Huang voiced his question.
The villager gave a sheepish smile. “Sana’s busy preparing for the festival.”
With that, he walked off.
A veteran player spoke up. “The festival is getting closer, but nothing strange has happened in the village yet. The quieter it is, the more wrong it feels.”
The red-haired guy scoffed, “What, are you hoping to see someone die?”
The veteran player fell silent.
That was exactly what he was wondering.
This round had three newbies, but there hadn’t been a single death so far—which made things feel oddly unsettling.
He didn’t believe the game would be so merciful.
Yiyi tried to smooth things over. “It’s fine. There’s still time before the festival.”
The red-haired guy kicked his chair back and stood up. “I’m not eating this bird food anymore.”
Jiao Ye quickly followed him out.
Baldy frowned and set down his bowl. “What the hell’s gotten into them?”
Chen Li quietly followed the red-haired guy.
To avoid suspicion, he kept his distance, relying on the system’s guidance to not lose track.
When he saw their destination, he couldn’t help but be surprised—it looked exactly like the festival grounds.
A large platform was set up with red cloth-covered tables for offerings, and below were round tables—he could easily imagine the entire village gathering here every month to feast on the sacrificial meat.
The red-haired guy was fiddling around beneath the platform, while Jiao Ye kept watch for him.
“Baa—”
A sheep’s cry suddenly rang out.
Chen Li’s eyes widened. “A sheep?”
He hadn’t expected the village to actually have livestock prepared for the ritual.
He thought they used human meat.
The red-haired guy led the sheep out.
Chen Li had just let out a breath of relief when it caught in his throat again. “What is he doing?”
System 001’s gloating voice chimed in: [Isn’t it obvious? He wants to eat meat.]
Chen Li was nervous: [But that sheep is important to the villagers!]
What if it went missing and they all went berserk?
At that moment, Jiao Ye and the red-haired guy had eyes only for the sheep.
They were desperate for meat.
If another veteran player had been there, they might’ve noticed something was off.
System 001 was completely unconcerned: [You can’t interfere. Otherwise, you’ll be punished.]
Jiao Ye was already making a fire while the red-haired guy drew a knife, sizing up the sheep.
The sheep kept bleating, as if it knew its fate. It was tightly bound, only its head free to move.
The red-haired guy easily slit its throat, and bright red blood gushed from the wound.
Chen Li’s face paled. He wasn’t the kind to be squeamish over seeing chickens or sheep killed, but for some reason, this scene felt deeply disturbing.
The sheep was already dying, but it still stared at the red-haired guy, trying to bleat, eyes filled with intense pain.
System 001: [The fear level has increased, now at 35.]
Chen Li froze: [Killing a sheep raised the fear value?]
System 001: [Look to the left.]
Chen Li turned his head—and was startled to see a group of villagers approaching, each of them brandishing kitchen knives or pitchforks, faces twisted in anger.
It was clear at a glance that these villagers didn’t come with good intentions.
Sure enough, they were furious and immediately captured the red-haired guy and Jiao Ye.
Just as the red-haired guy was about to start preparing the lamb for a meal, he finally got scared. “W-What do you want!?”
Even now, he didn’t think there was anything wrong with killing a sheep to eat.
The villagers were all speaking at once, clearly blaming them for killing the sheep meant for the festival.
Jiao Ye was trembling with fear. “Y-You said everything would be fine!”
The red-haired guy snapped back angrily, his face dark. “How was I supposed to know they’d show up this fast?!”
He had made sure to check yesterday—at this time, no villagers should have been around.
But the sheep had barely died before they appeared. Were they hiding and watching the whole time?
Seeing how flustered they were, the villagers got even angrier, shouting that the two needed to be taught a lesson, raising kitchen knives and pitchforks.
The noise quickly drew in other players.
They stood at a distance, and once they learned what had happened, none of them stepped forward to defend the red-haired guy and Jiao Ye.
Sana appeared, supporting the village chief. The villagers instinctively stepped aside to make way for them.
The old chief’s cloudy eyes scanned them up and down. “So you two killed the sheep?”
The villagers cried out indignantly, “Chief, how should we deal with them?”
The red-haired guy forced a smile through clenched teeth. “We haven’t even eaten any of it yet. We realize we were wrong. Can’t you just let us go this once? Besides, isn’t this place called Hospitable Village? I’m your guest.”
Jiao Ye nodded repeatedly. “Yeah, yeah! We can pay you back!”
He still hadn’t broken out of his old way of thinking—he assumed the villagers were poor and would never refuse money.
The village chief hesitated. “You two are important guests. Of course we can’t lay a hand on you. Fine, let’s just end things here. Sana, go ahead and divide the meat for everyone. Let them have a feast.”
At the mention of meat, the villagers instantly forgot their anger and cheered happily.
It was as if they hadn’t been furious just moments ago.
The red-haired guy collapsed to the ground, breathing a sigh of relief.
And just like that, the matter came to an abrupt end—but Chen Li had a feeling it wasn’t that simple.
He lowered his head in thought. When he looked up again, most of the crowd had dispersed. Only Sana remained, handling the lamb.
Maybe it was just his imagination, but he could’ve sworn she looked up and met his eyes for a moment.
It suddenly dawned on him—Sana was the butcher.
Watching her skillfully process the lamb, it was obvious this wasn’t her first time.
Under her hands, the dead sheep was skinned, dismembered, and deboned…
System 001 was surprised: [The fear level has increased, now at 36.]
Chen Li felt deeply uneasy. He left the festival grounds and returned to the courtyard, staring blankly at the row of rooms.
Something was off…
But what exactly?
It wasn’t until lunchtime, when the other players began returning, that things settled down. Seeing Chen Li already there, they no longer seemed as wary.
After all, he really did look just like a real tour guide.
This time, it was Sana who brought lunch again. But finally, it wasn’t a plain vegetarian meal—it was a heaping bowl of mutton.
Sana smiled as she spoke, “This lamb was slaughtered this morning. Come and eat, everyone.”
She glanced precisely at Chen Li, who was quietly sitting in the corner. “You too, tour guide—come and have some.”
Chen Li hadn’t expected there to be any for him. He was stunned for a moment before slowly shaking his head.
Sana looked a little disappointed. Her gaze lingered on him for a while longer before she looked away.
Baldy asked, “If the lamb’s gone, what will happen to the festival?”
As soon as he said that, everyone fell silent.
Sana didn’t show any reaction. “Oh, that? No need to worry. We’ve already found a replacement—it’s a pig.”
The players visibly breathed a sigh of relief.
They tried to keep their cool on the outside, but as soon as she left, they all swarmed the mutton like hungry bees.
Chen Li: [Are the other villagers eating meat too?]
System 001: [Yes.]
And they were eating it raw—fur and all. But that part, System 001 figured, was best left unsaid.
Just as the players were about to dig into the mutton, Jiao Ye came bursting in, gasping for breath and shouting.
A veteran player cursed, “Are you crazy!?”
Jiao Ye was on the verge of tears. “N-no, it’s not that—Brother Hong is missing!”
One of the veteran players didn’t seem concerned. “He probably snuck off somewhere to slack.”
Jiao Ye lost it. “No way… Something must’ve happened to him!!”
Sister Huang set down her chopsticks, her expression grave. “You’re saying he’s disappeared?”
“Y-yeah!” Jiao Ye turned to her. “Please help me look for him.”
If the red-haired guy was really dead, then he’d be the one in the most danger next.
Yiyi couldn’t help asking, “What’s wrong, Sister Huang?”
Sister Huang replied, “Don’t you all think it’s too much of a coincidence? This village is completely cut off, and we all know they don’t raise livestock here. So how did they suddenly find a pig right after the lamb died? And at the same time—someone goes missing.”
“Unless…” Cheng Jun continued her thought, “That pig is Ah Hong!”
Even under the bright sun, cold sweat broke out on Chen Li’s back.
System 001’s cheerful voice chimed in out of nowhere: [The fear value has risen to 40!]
Author’s note:
Someone’s been missing for a whole chapter now—I’ll let you in on a secret: he’s off preparing a surprise for Li Bao.