Ark Simulator, Don't I Have No Physical Form?

The afterglow of the setting sun shone on the newly made farm tools, giving them a cold, metallic sheen.

Su Rui squatted in the corner of the warehouse, his fingertips gently tracing the blades of a row of new sickles. With the slightest touch, his skin felt a slight stinging sensation—he hadn't even used any force, yet a shallow white mark had already been left on his fingertip.

"That's too sharp..." he muttered to himself, his tail unconsciously curling up a hoe next to him. The hoe blade then "whoosh" cut off several silver hairs from the tip of his tail, startling him so much that he quickly let go.

"Sister Shu." Su Rui finally couldn't help but turn to look at Shu, who was taking stock of the farm tools, "Are these things Sister Nian made... really just farm tools?"

Shu, who was carrying a bundle of newly made shovels, stopped what he was doing upon hearing this, a slight smile playing on his lips, "Why do you ask that?"

Su Rui held up a sickle, its blade gleaming in the twilight. "Look, this blade is almost as sharp as your sister's pipe! Do you really need this kind of blade for ordinary wheat harvesting? And this hoe—"

He pointed to the murder weapon on the ground, its handle engraved with flame patterns, "The hoe's surface is thicker than a shield; if it were to be smashed down, it could probably crush rocks, right?"

Shu gently put down the shovel, the wheat ears clinging to her sleeves rustling with her movement. She walked to Su Rui's side, took the sickle, and ran her fingertips along the blade. Surprisingly, the blade became docile in her hand, its cold gleam tempered like dusty pearls.

"Nian certainly wouldn't produce shoddy work." Shu's voice was as gentle as sun-warmed wheat grains, "but more importantly—" She suddenly flipped her wrist, and the sickle flew out of her hand, pinning a dark shadow that had swept past the window to a tree trunk.

The dark shadow emitted a piercing squeak; it was a strange rat with six ears!

Su Rui's scales instantly exploded. "Creek Beast?! Weren't they wiped out?!"

"There will always be some that slip through the net." Shu pulled out her sickle, took out a handkerchief to wipe the black blood from the blade, "Besides..." She looked at the gradually darkening fields in the distance, "This autumn harvest, we need tools that can harvest both crops and scoundrels at the same time."

The warehouse suddenly fell silent. Only then did Su Rui notice that the handles of all the new farm tools were engraved with tiny runes—some like Xi's ink incantations, some like Nian's fire patterns, and even a few traces of Ling's mist.

"So these really are martial arts..."

"It's a farming tool that protects the granary," Shu interrupted him, placing the cleaned sickle back in his hand. "Just like you are both our family and our guardian."

She blinked. "Although Nian is mischievous, she knows her limits very well—the blade of this ' Windflame ' is just right to cut through the straw contaminated by the Miasma without damaging the clean grains."

Su Rui looked down at the sickle and suddenly noticed that the patterns on the blade formed a rice stalk pattern in the twilight.

Outside the window came the sounds of Nian humming and hammering, the scent of ink from Xi mingling with the misty haze of Ling in the evening breeze. Shu picked up the remaining farm tools and headed deeper into the warehouse, his wheat-ear headdress shimmering with tiny golden light in the darkness.

(So everyone's been preparing all along...)

Su Rui gripped her sickle and chased after her. "Sister Shu! Can I help you test the new threshing machine tomorrow? I promise I won't cheat with the wind blades!"

A burst of laughter mingled with the chirping of insects. "Let's go ask Nian to trim the fur on his tail first—"

The night wind lifted the cloth curtains of the warehouse, and the moonlight shone on the row of gleaming farm tools, like white teeth flashing in anticipation of the work to come.

Su Rui stood in front of the blacksmith's shed, hesitantly touching the mane on his tail where a small patch of hair had been cut off by the sickle. The area was now bald, and it felt prickly and strange to the touch.

"Sister Nian--" He had just peeked out when a familiar chill suddenly came from behind him.

Xi had already appeared behind him without his noticing, and her dark dragon tail silently wrapped around his wrist, gently pulling him backward.

"Trim your tail?" Xi's voice was calm, but the tip of her tail tightened subtly. "I'll help you; Nian can't do this kind of thing."

Before Su Rui could react, Nian's dissatisfied shouting came from the blacksmith's shed, "Hey, hey, hey! Xi, what do you mean? Where is my craftsmanship lacking?"

He rushed out carrying a still-smoking iron hammer, his red hair covered in coal ash, his cheeks flushed red from the furnace fire.

She grabbed Su Rui's other hand and glared at Xi defiantly. "Little Su came to see me! It's just trimming her tail hair, right? I can just singe it off with fire—ow!"

Xi's tail lashed out at Nian's hand with a soft "smack," but the force was chilling. "Last time you 'helped' repair Ling's wine pot, you ended up melting the jade spout into a lump of iron."

Nian's momentum immediately weakened by three points. "That, that was an accident! This time I promise to use a low flame!"

Xi sneered, unfurling the scroll. The ink condensed in the air into a delicate pair of scissors. "Su Rui's scales have a unique structure; we need to use spiritual power to repair them along the hair follicles." She looked at Su Rui, her voice softening unconsciously. "Go to my room; it'll be done soon."

Su Rui's ears burned slightly. He looked at Nian's frustrated expression, speechless after being rebuked, and then at Xi's seemingly calm demeanor, but whose tail tip was actually taut. He suddenly found the scene both funny and heartwarming.

"Um... Sister Nian," he scratched his head, carefully pulling his hand away from Nian's grasp, "How about letting Sister Xi help me this time? I'll be your assistant next time I'm forging iron!"

Nian puffed out her cheeks and let go. "Hmph! You little ingrate!" But she grinned again in an instant, leaned close to Su Rui's ear, and whispered in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear, "Remember to have someone use my newly made silver scissors—I specially mixed in your scale powder, so trimming won't hurt~"

Xi's pupils suddenly contracted.

Xi's bedroom was simpler than Su Rui had imagined.

Moonlight streamed through the window lattice onto the bluestone floor. The remaining ink in the inkstone on the desk gleamed faintly. Several swimming ink dragons were painted on the screen beside the bed—one of which had scales that shimmered with silver light, looking by all accounts like a secret imitation of someone's features.

"Sit still." Xi pointed to the edge of the bed and took out a carved wooden box from her sleeve. Inside, various tools were neatly arranged: a jade comb, silver scissors, a fine brush, and a small bottle of spiritual liquid that glowed with a bluish light.

Su Rui sat up straight obediently, his tail flat on the cushion. When Xi's fingertips touched the bald spot, he couldn't help but flinch. "Cold!"

"Don't move." Xi's voice was even softer than her fingertips. She carefully combed the broken hair roots with a jade comb dipped in spiritual liquid. Su Rui secretly raised her eyes and found that when she lowered her eyes, the shadow cast by her eyelashes on her face looked just like the distant mountains in a Chinese ink painting.

"The scales that Nian mentioned..."

"It's no use." Xi interrupted curtly, but a suspicious blush crept onto her ears. As she spoke, she picked up the silver scissors, a flash of dark light emanating from the blade. "Close your eyes."

Volume 9, Chapter 581: I Won

As soon as Su Rui closed his eyes, he felt a slight itch on the bald patch. Xi's spiritual energy seeped into the gaps between the scales like a gentle stream, carrying a reassuring coolness. In the soft sound of scissors opening and closing, he heard Xi's almost inaudible sigh, "... always getting hurt."

"Because I wanted to help," Su Rui couldn't help but explain, "and this was an accident! Sister Nian's sickle was just too sharp; a light touch and it—"

"She did it on purpose," Xi suddenly said.

"Huh?"

Xi's fingertips paused for a moment. "That ' Windflame ' sword recognized its master. When you took it, it sensed your spiritual energy and automatically sharpened." She put down the scissors and gently stroked the repaired area with her palm. "Nian Zao predicted you would get cut."

Su Rui suddenly opened her eyes and found that new silver hair had grown in the bald spot, gleaming like pearls in the moonlight. Even more amazingly, the tips of the new hairs were tinged with a very faint black color, as if they had been dyed by Xi's spiritual power.

"This is...?"

"Mark." Xi turned her face away to pack up her tools, but her tail honestly wrapped around his wrist. "Next time you touch dangerous things, I'll kick you out of the furnace first."

Suddenly, a "crack" sound came from outside the window, like a tree branch breaking. When Su Rui turned her head, she caught a glimpse of a red hem disappearing over the wall—along with half a candied hawthorn skewer frozen solid.

Xi's lips curled up slightly.

When Su Rui burst into Xi's study carrying a bunch of "toys" she'd swindled from Nian, Xi was leaning against the window, her fingertips lightly touching the ink in the inkstone, letting the ink spread across the rice paper to outline the distant mountains.

"Sister Xi!" Su Rui's eyes sparkled, her tail thumping excitedly on the ground. "Let's play a gunfight!"

Xi paused, the ink spreading a small patch on the paper. She slowly raised her head, her gaze falling on the pile of strange metal objects in Su Rui's arms—among the specially made "toys" of the year, there were guns that could shoot sparks, explosive bullets, and even a bizarre device that resembled a cannon.

"... No."

Xi's voice was calm, but Su Rui had long since figured out her temperament. He leaned closer, the tip of his tail gently wrapping around her wrist, the scales lightly brushing against her skin. "Just for a little while! I specially asked Sister Nian to adjust the power, it definitely won't damage the Painted Realm!"

Xi frowned slightly, her fingertips unconsciously tracing the edge of the inkstone. She had never liked this kind of noisy game, but Su Rui's eyes were wet, like a little animal waiting to be fed, making her "no" stuck in her throat, unable to come out.

After a few seconds of silence, she sighed softly and raised her hand to unfurl the scroll.

"Just one game."

Beneath the ink-wash-like sky, the Painted World —a battlefield modeled after a modern city, with towering buildings and crisscrossing streets, but all the buildings are composed of flowing ink, blurring the lines between reality and illusion, like a dream.

Su Rui cheered and grabbed a pistol, shoving it into Xi's hand. "Xi-jie, use this! Nian-jie said the recoil is reduced, perfect for beginners!"

Xi looked down at the cold metal in her hand, her brows furrowing even more. In all her years, she had always wielded the pen as a weapon and ink as a sharp edge; she had never touched such a crude firearm before. But Su Rui had already excitedly run behind cover, peeking out half his head and waving at her. "Sister Xi! I'm hidden! Come and shoot me!"

evening. "..."

She took a deep breath, and a wisp of dark spiritual energy rose from her fingertips, quietly enveloping the gun. Since she was going to play, she couldn't let Su Rui think she was just going through the motions.

"Bang--!"

The first shot grazed past Su Rui's ear and shattered the wall behind him. Su Rui's ears perked up instantly, and his tail bristled. "Sister Xi! Be serious!"

Xi's lips curled up almost imperceptibly. "I'm very serious."

She walked slowly forward, her dark robes fluttering in the wind, yet the gun in her hand remained as steady as a rock. Su Rui hid behind a low wall, holding her breath, listening to Xi's footsteps grow clearer and clearer—

"Got you?"

Xi's voice suddenly came from behind. Su Rui turned around sharply, only to find that Xi had somehow gotten behind him and the muzzle of the gun was gently pressed against his back.

"Sister Xi, you cheated!" Su Rui shouted indignantly, "We agreed on a gunfight, why did you use teleportation?!"

Xi tilted her head slightly, a sly glint in her eyes. "The rules don't say it's not allowed."

Su Rui puffed out her cheeks, then suddenly rolled to the side, pointing her short pistol at Xi's waist. "Then I'll cheat too!"

"Bang!"

Xi's figure dispersed like ink in a painting, then coalesced again three steps away. She gently shook her head. "Too slow."

Su Rui, unwilling to give up, gave chase, and the two exchanged fire in the streets and alleys of the Painted Realm, the sounds of gunfire mingling with laughter. Xi's tense nerves gradually relaxed, and she even began to enjoy this childish game—especially seeing Su Rui's sullen face after each of her "kills."

Half an hour later, Su Rui collapsed onto a pile of ruins, panting, "Sister Xi... you're too strong..."

Xi stood before him, the gun in her hand now cold. She looked down at Su Rui's flushed cheeks and disheveled silver hair, and suddenly felt that he was more vibrant than usual.

"Want to play again?" she asked softly.

Su Rui shook her head, but her tail quietly wrapped around her ankle. "I'm not playing anymore... but I won."

Xi raised an eyebrow. "?"

Su Rui grinned and suddenly pulled a small metal ball from his pocket—it was a specially made "paintball" that would explode into a dazzling firework when it hit a target.

"Sister Xi, you've fallen for their trap!"

He suddenly hurled the paintball at Xi's chest. Xi instinctively raised her hand to block, but the metal ball suddenly veered off course, bypassing her defenses, and gently struck her shoulder.

"Bang!"

Brilliant fireworks bloomed around Xi, and golden sparks rained down, making her profile appear exceptionally soft.

Su Rui wagged her tail triumphantly. "The final blow is mine!"

Xi paused for a moment, then chuckled. She reached out and ruffled Su Rui's hair, her fingertips catching a few specks of firework dust. "... Cunning."

Su Rui chuckled and leaned against her, saying, "Sister Xi, shall we play again next time?"

Xi didn't answer, but her tail quietly wrapped around Su Rui's waist, pulling him closer to her.

(From beyond the Painted Realm, Nian's voice drifted from afar. "Little Su! I made a new Gatling gun! Want to try it out?!")

Xi's tail tightened instantly. "... There won't be a next time."

Su Rui's tail slapped excitedly against the ground, her eyes shining like they were filled with stars. "One more round! This time I'm going to win fair and square!"

Xi had already prepared to put the scroll away, but his commotion left her fingertips hovering in mid-air, unable to bring them down.

She sighed softly, her dark eyes sweeping over Su Rui's expectant face, then glancing at Nian, who was squatting on the roof beam peeking in at some point—the latter was swinging his legs, playing with an exaggeratedly designed multi-barreled gun in his hand, his face clearly saying "Count me in."

How could someone cheat on page 582 of volume 9?

"...The last round." Xi conceded.

With a flick of her finger, the scroll unfurled once more, and beneath the ink-wash sky, the original urban battlefield began to distort and deform.

The flowing ink created an even more complex terrain—an abandoned military base, a maze of underground tunnels, and even the wreckage of several armored vehicles half-buried in the sand.

"Wow!" Nian leaped down from the beam, her red hair flying. "That's more like it!" She casually shoved a strangely shaped short pistol into Su Rui. "Try this. ' Buzz,' the bullets will curve!"

Su Rui took the weapon, Xi's tail lashed out and struck Nian's wrist. "Don't give him dangerous goods."

Nian exaggeratedly clutched his wrist, exclaiming, "Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! This is a specially made training round; it can't even kill an ant!"

Xi glanced at her coldly, then turned to Su Rui and said, "Use what I gave you."

A jet-black pistol materialized at her fingertips, its body adorned with delicate ink patterns, and a small dragon scale embedded in the trigger—the very one Su Rui had dropped earlier.

Su Rui took it with delight. "This is...?"

"For use only in the Painted Realm," Xi said calmly. "The bullets are solidified ink droplets; they won't hurt you."

Nian, standing to the side, curled her lip sourly. "Favoritism~"

With Xi's snap of her fingers, the Painted Realm battlefield suddenly came to life.

Dozens of ink-wash soldiers rose from the ground, clad in retro armor and wielding spears, standing silently in formation. Xi stood atop the broken wall, her black hair flowing, like a Valkyrie on the battlefield. "The rules are simple—the last one standing wins by defeating the opponent."

Su Rui and Nian exchanged a glance, both revealing sly smiles.

"Start!"

--

Su Rui crouched low as he crept through the ruins, his tail pressed tightly to the ground, afraid of giving away his presence. He had just rounded an armored vehicle when he suddenly heard a soft "click" from above.

Looking up, he saw Nian hanging upside down on the broken steel frame, his multi-barreled gun already aimed at him.

"Surprise~"