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

The next morning, Bai Xue was doing her morning exercises in the courtyard. The dew had not yet dried, and glistening water droplets clung to the blades of grass. She stood on one foot on a smooth pebble, raising the other leg high, almost touching her ear.

"Actually, stretching isn't that painful," she said while maintaining her balance, "As long as you coordinate your breathing..."

Your legs are shaking.

"That's the muscles adapting!"

[You're sweating.]

"Morning dew! It's morning dew!"

Su Rui let out a scoff, clearly not believing it. Bai Xue angrily lowered her leg, but slipped and fell backward.

In the nick of time, she twisted her waist like a willow branch, braced herself with her hands on the ground, and performed a beautiful backflip, landing steadily.

"... See that?" she gasped, her cheeks flushed from the exertion. "That's the benefit of flexibility."

"I saw it," Su Rui said slowly, "And I also saw you almost fall into the pond."

Bai Xue opened her mouth, then suddenly slumped her shoulders in dejection. "Can't you give me a little encouragement?"

A moment of silence followed.

Then--

[... The backflip is beautiful.]

The voice was so soft it was almost inaudible, with an awkward pause, as if it were being squeezed out from between teeth.

Bai Xue blinked, and suddenly felt that the morning sun had become exceptionally warm.

On the third night, a faint rustling sound came from Bai Xue's room.

She was lying face down on the tatami mat, her legs spread wide in a split, her upper body leaning back, trying to touch her toes with her fingertips. This difficult position made her breathless, and the stray hairs on her forehead were soaked with sweat.

"Actually..." she said through gritted teeth, "Ninja training... ha... is much more painful than this..."

[Then why do you insist on teaching me?]

Bai Xue paused for a moment. Moonlight streamed through the window, casting dappled shadows on her face.

"Because..." She slowly straightened up, rubbing her aching lower back, "Once Su Rui has a physical form, I want to take you to many places."

[?]

"For example, infiltrating an enemy base through a ventilation duct," her eyes lit up, "or hiding in a cargo crate to sneak into an auction, and--"

"Wait," Su Rui interrupted her, "Aren't these all illegal intrusions?!"

"That's called tactical infiltration!" Bai Xue declared confidently, "And it's incredibly fun!"

Su Rui seemed stunned by her self-righteousness and remained silent for a long time.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Bai Xue struck an even more exaggerated pose—she lay on her back with her legs together and raised above her head, her toes almost touching her forehead.

"Look," her voice was muffled from the rush of blood, "This way we can... uh... slip under the low beam..."

Your face is all red.

"This is... normal..."

My nose is bleeding.

"What?!"

Bai Xue hurriedly restored herself to her original position, and sure enough, she felt a wetness on her philtrum. She awkwardly wiped it with her sleeve, and heard a suppressed laugh coming from her Sea of Consciousness.

"... Don't laugh!"

[I didn't laugh.]

You were clearly smiling!

The moonlight quietly spilled into the room, illuminating the childish argument between the person and the "ghost." The cherry blossoms outside the window rustled, as if providing accompaniment for this absurd contortion lesson.

One week later, in the evening, Lady Wenyue passed by the temple and witnessed a strange scene—

Bai Xue was trying to squeeze her body into a celadon vase, with only half of her head sticking out. Even more strangely, she was talking to the air:

"This vase is big enough, isn't it? Look, it even gets stuck on your shoulder."

The vase wobbled, making a dangerous creaking sound.

Lady Wenyue covered her mouth with her folding fan and quietly slipped away. The wind chimes under the eaves swayed gently, as if mourning for a handsome young man whose future might be folded in half.

The celadon vase made a dangerous "creaking" sound. Bai Xue was stuck at the mouth of the vase, her shoulder pressed against the cold porcelain wall, her whole body curled up inside in an extremely awkward position.

"Actually..." her muffled voice came from inside the vase, "It could go a little lower..."

[come out.]

Su Rui's voice was unusually tense, as if she were squeezing it out through her clenched teeth.

"Try again!" Bai Xue twisted her waist, trying to push herself in deeper. "See, just put your arms like this—"

"Click".

The vase shook violently, startling Bai Xue so much that she froze instantly. Her cheek pressed against the cool porcelain wall, her breath swirling inside the vase and ruffling a few stray strands of hair.

"It seems..." she muttered softly, "It's stuck."

[...]

A long silence followed in his Sea of Consciousness, then a deep sigh.

[Hand.] Su Rui finally spoke, her voice tinged with helplessness, [her left hand behind her, supporting the bottom of the bottle.]

Bai Xue obediently did as she was told, her fingertips tracing the smooth glaze on the bottom of the bottle.

[Slowly straighten your right leg, without straining.]

She carefully extended her right leg, her knee scraping against the porcelain wall, making a soft rubbing sound.

[Now, inhale, contract your abdomen--]

"Wait!" Bai Xue suddenly interrupted him, "You actually know about this?"

Another silence fell.

[... There was a previous host who was an acrobat.]

Bai Xue blinked, then suddenly laughed, "So Su Rui is actually very good at this?"

[No.] His voice was stiff, [It's just basic mechanics.]

"Then demonstrate for me?"

[...]

The vase suddenly fell silent. Bai Xue could feel Su Rui awkwardly turning around in her Sea of Consciousness. She couldn't help but laugh again, but accidentally bumped into the inner wall of the vase, hissing in pain.

"Don't move." Su Rui's voice immediately became tense. "Continue, grip the bottle opening with your right hand."

Bai Xue obediently reached out and hooked her fingertips around the rim of the bottle.

Volume 15, Chapter 822: Actually, you could also break the vase.

[Slide out slowly.]

She moved her body little by little, the cool porcelain wall pressed against her back, and the silver butterfly on her hairpin swayed gently with her movements, casting shimmering spots of light into the bottle.

"Su Rui," she suddenly whispered, "What if I really get stuck?"

[...]

I'll figure something out.

His voice was soft, yet strangely reassuring. Bai Xue pursed her lips and continued moving away.

Finally, as the last bit of resistance disappeared, she slid out of the vase, her hair disheveled, her kimono wrinkled, and a streak of ash on her cheek.

"I did it!" She sat on the ground, raising her chin triumphantly.

Su Rui didn't speak, but Bai Xue could sense that he breathed a sigh of relief in his Sea of Consciousness, and his tense emotions slowly melted away like melting snow.

"It's not that difficult, really." She brushed the dust off her skirt. "Next time we'll try something smaller—"

[Not allowed.]

His voice was firm and resolute, but Bai Xue had already stood up with a grin and reached out to poke the vase.

"How about getting one that doesn't pinch your shoulders?"

[...]

"[At most...] "Su Rui's voice was muffled, "[You can only practice basic stretching.]"

Bai Xue's eyes lit up. "Deal!"

The setting sun outside the window gradually sank in the west, casting a long shadow over her.

Bai Xue walked barefoot on the tatami mat in the bedroom, her hair still dripping wet from her recent shower, leaving dark stains on her shoulders. She casually brushed her wet hair behind her ears, and the Silver Butterfly Hairpin swayed slightly in the candlelight.

"Watch closely--"

She suddenly leaned forward, supporting herself with her hands on the ground, her waist bending as lithe as a willow branch, her forehead easily touching her knees. The hem of her kimono slipped down with the movement, revealing a section of her fair calves.

"A standard forward bend." Bai Xue's voice was slightly muffled due to the inversion, her hair falling to the floor. "A mandatory part of the ninja entry exam."

[...]

Su Rui did not respond, but Bai Xue could sense that he had looked away in his Sea of Consciousness —a habitual reaction when he was not good at dealing with certain situations.

She smirked mischievously, then suddenly exerted force with both hands, flipping herself up like a cat and landing steadily in the center of the bed. The tatami mats creaked slightly, and the candlelight flickered for a moment.

"Then comes the cartwheel." Bai Xue knelt on the bedding, shaking her head proudly. "Want to try? I can teach you—"

[don't want.]

The refusal was swift and decisive, even carrying a hint of gritted teeth.

Bai Xue pretended not to hear and continued to flex her wrists, "Let's start with the basics? Like the sit-and-reach?"

She straightened her legs, pointed her toes, and suddenly her entire upper body flattened down like folded paper, her chest pressing completely against her thighs, her arms easily extending far beyond her toes.

"How was it?" Her voice was weak from being squeezed, but it couldn't hide the hint of pride. "This position is perfect for lurking under the eaves—"

Your hair is stuck to the mat.

Su Rui suddenly interrupted her, her voice carrying a barely perceptible tension.

Bai Xue paused, then realized that her long, loose hair had indeed picked up dust from the tatami mat. She slowly straightened up, patting the ends of her hair. "What does it matter? I just took a shower anyway..."

He suddenly stopped mid-sentence.

In the flickering candlelight, she belatedly realized that Su Rui was changing the subject.

"Ah..." she drawled, her eyes lighting up, "So the handsome boy is shy?"

[What nonsense.]

The voice suddenly rose an octave, and a chaotic commotion arose in her Sea of Consciousness, as if someone had frantically knocked over a virtual object. Bai Xue could even imagine Su Rui's ears turning bright red—if he had a physical body.

She couldn't help but laugh out loud, and suddenly she leaned back, her waist bending into an incredible arc, the back of her head almost touching her heels.

"Backbend." She looked up at the candlestick, her voice trembling slightly from the rush of blood to her head, "This is the hardest. It took me three years to learn it..."

The candlelight suddenly flickered violently.

Bai Xue remained in that position when she saw a long, slender shadow cast on the paper door—it was Lady Wenyue passing by with a late-night snack. She froze instantly, her waist stuck in mid-air, caught in a dilemma.

[Serves you right.]

Su Rui's voice carried a hint of schadenfreude.

"Help... help me..." Bai Xue whispered for help, her lower back muscles trembling. "I'm having a cramp..."

After a moment of silence, a helpless sigh echoed in his Sea of Consciousness.

[Support your lower back with your left hand, and slowly lower your right hand to the ground.]

Bai Xue obediently did as she was told, but the moment her fingertips touched the tatami mat, she collapsed like a deflated balloon. She lay on her back on the bedding, panting heavily, her chest heaving violently.

"... That was close."

The candlelight cast her shadow on the wall, like that of an exhausted kitten. Her Silver Butterfly Hairpin had come loose at some point, hanging askew by her temple, threatening to slip off at any moment.