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

It's a mace!

She had changed out of her relatively casual hunting attire and put on a dark, tight-fitting training suit that allowed for easy movement, outlining her athletic and explosive physique. A few strands of her long, molten gold hair had fallen down from her vigorous movements, framing her face, which had a cold, hard look but now carried a strangely focused expression. The pair of black, curved goat horns on her head, at such close range, appeared exceptionally clear and... imposing.

She lowered her head slightly, her vertical pupils, like the finest amber, seemingly burning with dark golden flames in the shadows, fixed intently on Su Rui, whom she had pinned against the wall. Su Rui's eyes widened instantly, her cheeks flushed red, and her eyes blazed with fury, as she was suddenly "attacked" and humiliated by the ambiguous (?) position Su Rui in.

Their eyes met! They were so close they could feel each other's breath! Su Rui could smell the unique scent emanating from Jian, a mixture of sweat (clearly from just finishing training?), leather, sunshine, and a very faint, clean, and wild fragrance belonging to Caprinae. Jian, in turn, could clearly smell the crisp, clean scent emanating from Su Rui, like snowmelt, mixed with the sweet fragrance of greenhouse flowers and grass, the smell of Ensia Silverash's snacks, and... a very faint, cold, and mysterious scent belonging to the Holy Mountain.

The air seemed to freeze! Only the two of them, their breaths slightly rapid from the intense movements, echoed in the silent corner.

Su Rui's mind went Blank the moment he was slammed against the wall. Then, an overwhelming sense of shame, anger, and rage at being offended erupted like a volcano, instantly engulfing his entire body! His cheeks, ears, and even neck turned bright red at a visible speed! Especially his fluffy snow leopard ears, which stood straight up, their fur bristling, and the tips trembling, due to extreme shame and excitement!

"You...!" Su Rui spat out a single, murderous word through gritted teeth, his dark eyes burning with an almost tangible rage! He struggled violently! His knee slammed into Jian's abdomen, his arms, which were restrained, desperately tried to break free, and even his bushy tail, like a whip, lashed out at Jian's back with a whistling sound!

However, Jian seemed to be fully aware of all his resistance! Her body was like the most flexible vine, yet also like the hardest steel, skillfully deflecting, dodging, and blocking! The knee strike was avoided by shifting her hips to the side, the struggle of his arms was suppressed even more forcefully, and even the tail that was whipped out was precisely grabbed by the middle by her free hand (which she had somehow freed up?) and held firmly!

"Ugh!" With her tail grabbed, a strong tingling and numb sensation shot through her sensitive tailbone, causing Su Rui's body to tremble violently and her struggling movements to halt abruptly! A suppressed groan escaped her throat!

In that split second when his movements froze, Jian's face suddenly loomed close! Her nostrils, like those of the most sensitive hunting dog, sniffed rapidly and meticulously at Su Rui's neck, cheeks, and hair! She took a deep breath, as if trying to inhale every scent of Su Rui into her lungs and imprint it deep in her memory!

That action was filled with a beastly sense of aggression and... an almost obsessive desire to explore!

Su Rui was trembling with rage at the sudden, almost suggestive sniffing motion! He felt his sanity crumbling! This damned woman! What was she trying to do?! Provoking him again and again! Humiliating him! And now she even...

Just as Su Rui was preparing to disregard everything, even if it meant revealing some "unconventional" methods, to tear this hateful woman to pieces, Jian's sniffing motion suddenly stopped.

She slightly increased the distance, but her amber vertical pupils remained fixed on Su Rui's eyes, which were red with anger and slightly watery from close contact (purely out of anger!). Her brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.

In her eyes, a distinct glint of confusion, contemplation, and... a hint of disbelief, as if touched upon some distant, hazy memory... of bewilderment flashed.

Then, under Su Rui's almost fiery gaze, Jian, in her deep, strangely hoarse voice, slowly, as if talking to herself, asked:

"Have I... seen you somewhere before?"

Su Rui: "...???"

His anger and humiliation were instantly abruptly cut short by this nonsensical, even somewhat clichéd, pickup line! He paused for a moment, then his anger intensified! What was this?! After hitting and smelling him, she asked, "Have we met before?" Was this woman crazy?! Or did she find it amusing to toy with him like this?!

"Maybe." Su Rui squeezed out the three words through gritted teeth, her voice icy and piercing, filled with undisguised mockery and disgust. "After all, I've met or 'helped' many people by chance, and who knows... you might be one of them."

He deliberately emphasized the word "help," his tone dripping with sarcasm. He had absolutely no recollection of ever seeing this blond goat! Even if he had, given his current state and memory, he would have long forgotten! This woman was probably just playing hard to get, or... simply trying to find a lame excuse to cover up her inexplicable attack and offense just now!

Volume 18, page 1185: Perfunctory attitude is also a form of proof.

However, upon hearing his sarcastic reply, Jian was not angry at all. Instead... the confusion and bewilderment in her amber vertical pupils seemed even more pronounced. She stared intently into Su Rui's eyes, as if trying to dig out some forgotten fragment from the depths of his dark eyes, which were exceptionally bright with anger.

After a moment, she nodded almost imperceptibly.

It was as if Su Rui's perfunctory "maybe" confirmed some vague feeling in her heart.

Then, before Su Rui could react and was still glaring at her with murderous intent, Jian made a move that completely shut Su Rui down, making her blood rush to her head—

She suddenly leaned in again! Then, before Su Rui could even react or understand what she was doing, she used her dry yet incredibly soft lips to kiss Su Rui's cheek—hot and flushed with an alluring blush of anger and shame—with remarkable speed and clarity!

A fleeting touch, swift as lightning! Yet, like a branding iron, it left behind an unmistakable, tangible sensation, carrying her warmth and scent!

"!!!" Su Rui's pupils suddenly contracted to their maximum size! His mind Blank! All the anger, shame, and struggle seemed to be paused at this moment! He was like a statue instantly petrified, frozen on the wall, even forgetting to breathe! Only his furry ears trembled violently due to extreme shock and... an indescribable, immense chaos, the tips of his ears turning so red they almost bled!

She... she kissed him?! Kissed his cheek?! This blonde goat, this violent woman, this psychopath... how dare she?!

However, after performing this "shocking" act, Jian acted as if she had done something completely ordinary. She released her grip on Su Rui's waist and her hand holding his tail, took a step back, and created some distance.

She stared at Su Rui, who was completely petrified, with vacant eyes, flushed cheeks, and trembling ears. In her amber vertical pupils, there seemed to be a barely perceptible glimmer of light, almost "satisfied" or "confirmed"... though that light was as fleeting as an illusion.

Then, she said nothing, but looked deeply at Su Rui with her vertical pupils, which had regained their calm (?), as if she wanted to etch his appearance at this moment into the depths of her memory.

Then, she turned around, striding forward with her long, shapely legs encased in tight training pants, as if she had completed an important task. With steady steps and without looking back, she left the secluded corner and quickly disappeared around the corner of another corridor.

Only Su Rui remained, still in the position of being "pinned" against the wall (although no one was supporting him anymore), standing stiffly in place, like a weathered sculpture filled with absurdity and shame.

A cold wind blew through the corner, swirling up a few withered leaves that brushed against Su Rui's burning cheeks. The spot where she had been kissed seemed to still retain the soft, dry touch and a faint, wild, and pure scent belonging to Jian.

After a good ten seconds, Su Rui's brain, which had stopped functioning due to excessive shock, slowly and laboriously began to turn again, like rusty gears.

"..."

A surge of shame, anger, absurdity, and... a strange tremor he himself hadn't even noticed, more turbulent, more violent, and more indescribable than when he was pinned against the wall, instantly engulfed him like a tsunami!

"Mace--!!!"

A low, hoarse growl, suppressed to the extreme yet seemingly containing boundless rage and murderous intent, squeezed from the depths of his throat, finally broke through Su Rui's teeth, echoing in this deserted corner like the roar of a wounded beast!

He slammed his fist hard against the cold stone wall beside him! Hard stone chips flew everywhere! A shallow dent was left on the wall!

That damned woman! She actually... she actually dared to...!

Su Rui's cheeks burned as if they were on fire! His heart pounded wildly in his chest, almost shattering his ribs! He raised his hand and vigorously, repeatedly wiped his kissed cheeks, as if trying to wipe away some terrible plague! But the touch and scent lingered like a leech, impossible to shake off!

Threat? Provocation? Or... just pure prank and humiliation?!

In Su Rui's eyes burned a cold and violent flame. Never before had he wanted to tear someone to shreds as he did now!

He took a few deep breaths, forcing himself to calm down. But the trembling in his body and the persistent burning sensation on his cheeks and ears revealed the turbulent emotions churning within him.

He glanced one last time in the direction where the mace had disappeared, his dark eyes filled with only a cold, almost tangible killing intent.

"Very well..." Su Rui's voice, as if pulled from the deepest, coldest depths, was low and dangerous. "I've remembered this debt. Next time... there won't be a next time."

Without lingering, he turned and, at several times the speed he had come, shot out of the corner that had humiliated him, like an arrow released from a bow, and sped off towards the outskirts of the manor! His black tail stretched taut behind him, like a drawn sword, carrying a chilling killing intent.

He had to get out of there immediately! Right now! He needed to calm down! He needed to think! He needed to... devise a detailed, thorough "revenge plan" that would make that blond goat pay a heavy price!

As for that inexplicable kiss and that ridiculous question, "Have we met before?"... a cold glint flashed in Su Rui's eyes. He wouldn't believe a single word! It was just a despicable tactic used by that crazy woman to disturb his mind and humiliate him!

Just you wait, mace. We... have a long future ahead of us.

Filled with rage and murderous intent, Su Rui's figure vanished swiftly beyond the boundaries of the Silverash Manor, like a phantom blending into the night. Only that secluded corner remained, where a lingering, subtle aura—a mixture of anger, shame, and... something else entirely—suggestedly stirred within the air.

At this moment, Jian, who had returned to the vicinity of the main building and was standing at the edge of the training ground, watching the sunset slowly sink into the snow-capped mountains, seemed to sense something. She slightly turned her head and looked in the direction Su Rui had left. She raised her hand and gently brushed her fingertips across her lips. In her amber vertical pupils, a deep and unfathomable complex light flickered.

Vague fragments of memory... a familiar scent... a peculiar reaction... and, there it was, soft and warm skin...

Volume 18, Chapter 1186: Enya seems angry.

"Where... is it?" Jian murmured to himself, his brows furrowing as he fell into deeper thought.

Night had fallen, and the temple area atop the main peak of Kjerag Holy Mountain was utterly silent. Only the howling wind relentlessly swept across the steep cliffs and the temple roofs covered with thick layers of ice, producing a sound like ghostly wailing. Inside the temple, most areas were dark, except for a few key passages and halls housing ancient holy statues, where ever-burning ice crystal lamps emanated a ghostly blue light, casting long, solemn shadows.

Su Rui's figure, like a ghost blending into the night, silently passed through layers of corridors and restrictions, returning to the core area of the temple where he lived with Enya and Yela. He deliberately concealed his presence, his footsteps as light as a feline stealthily moving before hunting, seemingly not wanting to disturb anyone.

However, just as he stepped into the relatively private living area that belonged to the three of them, a clear, cold female voice, carrying a barely perceptible hint of suppressed emotion, suddenly rang out from the shadows ahead:

"You're back?"

Su Rui paused almost imperceptibly. He looked up in the direction the sound came from.

Not far ahead, beneath an intricately carved archway leading to the inner chamber, Enya stood quietly. She wasn't dressed in her usual elaborate and solemn saintly robes, but rather in a thin, moon-white silk nightgown, casually draped with a matching woolen shawl. Her long, silvery-white hair, instead of being meticulously braided or adorned with a crown, cascaded down her back like a flowing waterfall of moonlight, a few strands falling beside her slightly pale cheeks. In her hand, instead of the scepter symbolizing power, she held a steaming cup of tea, exuding a faint herbal fragrance.

She seemed to have been standing there for a while. Her eyes, like the purest glacial sapphires, appeared exceptionally deep in the dim light. At this moment, she was staring at him silently, unblinkingly, with a complex and inscrutable emotion that Su Rui had never seen before.

That gaze didn't seem to be looking at a returning companion, but rather... scrutinizing a family member who had returned late, someone tainted with "impurities"... or perhaps, some kind of closer relationship.

Su Rui's heart skipped a beat for no apparent reason. He subconsciously wanted to raise his hand to touch his nose or straighten his collar—although his clothes were somewhat disheveled and uncomfortable due to the hurried journey and... the "accident" that had happened in that corner of the Silverash Manor earlier, which still made his cheeks burn and his anger burn when he thought about it.

"...Hmm." Su Rui responded vaguely, his voice lower and hoarser than usual. He tried to keep his expression calm and indifferent as usual, but the faint blush on his ears (though mostly hidden by the night and shadows) and the barely concealed, lingering restlessness and...guilt? in his eyes betrayed him.

Enya didn't speak. She simply started walking towards Su Rui. Her steps were light, barely making a sound on the cool, smooth stone surface, yet carrying an invisible, heavy pressure.

As she drew closer, Su Rui could see more clearly the faint bluish shadow under her eyes, as if she hadn't slept all night, and the clean, familiar scent emanating from her—a blend of cool herbal fragrance and her unique feminine aroma. This scent made his tense nerves relax a little, but what followed was a deeper... an indescribable sense of unease, as if he had been caught red-handed doing something wrong.

Enya stopped just a step away from Su Rui. She didn't speak immediately, but instead tilted her head slightly. Her glacial sapphire eyes, like the most precise scanner, scanned Su Rui's face, neck, and even... his collar, which was slightly open because he was in a hurry.

Then, her nostrils twitched almost imperceptibly...

Su Rui's body stiffened instantly! He could almost feel the hairs on his back standing on end because of Enya's subtle movement! He remembered that in that corner of the Silverash Manor, the golden-haired goat (the mace) had also been sniffing him like that! Could it be...?

The next second, Enya's brows furrowed almost imperceptibly. A clear hint of displeasure, even a touch of cold anger, flashed in her usually calm, glacial blue eyes!

"You..." Enya's voice was even colder than before, as if a thin layer of ice had been frozen on it, "...there's someone else's scent on you."

It wasn't a question, it was a statement. The tone was firm, with an undeniable sharpness.

Su Rui's heart skipped a beat! He opened his mouth, wanting to explain, but the words caught in his throat. What could he say? That he went to deliver a letter to SilverAsh, and while he was at it, he ate snacks with Ensia Silverash, and then that crazy blond goat cornered him and "attacked" him, and even... kissed him? It sounded utterly absurd! Moreover, he felt ashamed and angry just thinking about it, let alone... telling Enya.

"... There are many people down the mountain." In the end, Su Rui could only give a dry and vague reply, trying to get away with it. His eyes unconsciously drifted to the ground beside him, not daring to meet Enya's eyes, which seemed to see through everything.

Enya didn't speak. She just looked at him quietly, the coldness and displeasure in her eyes not diminishing at all, but becoming even more obvious because of his avoidance and perfunctory attitude. A suffocating, cold silence filled the air.

After a long while, just when Su Rui thought Enya would continue to press for answers, or simply turn away with a cold face, Enya suddenly... moved.

She reached out the hand that wasn't holding the teacup, her movement slow but forceful, and grabbed Su Rui's wrist!

Su Rui was stunned for a moment, and subconsciously tried to break free, but Enya's hand, which seemed slender and delicate, was like an iron clamp, tightly gripping him. Moreover, she used a lot of force, and her knuckles even turned slightly white from the force.

"Come with me." Enya's voice was still cold, but it carried a kind of commanding and unquestionable force that Su Rui had never heard before.

After saying that, she stopped looking at Su Rui, turned around, and pulled (or rather, half-dragged?) the still somewhat dazed Su Rui, heading straight towards her own private bedroom, located deep within the temple!

Volume 18, Chapter 1187: Just a minor accident

"Enya? You..." Su Rui was caught off guard by this sudden turn of events. He tried to stop, but Enya on tightly, and her steps were unusually firm. He didn't want to break free and hurt her, so he could only stagger and be passively pulled forward by her.

"Shut up." Enya didn't even turn her head, leaving only two cold words.

Su Rui: "..." He was completely dumbfounded. What... happened to Enya? Although she was usually somewhat aloof and distant, she had never been so... forceful and... angry with him before? Was it because of his scent? But that was just an accident!

After passing through several corridors, Enya pulled Su Rui to the door of her bedchamber. Without even knocking (though no one was inside), she pushed open the heavy wooden door, intricately carved with snowflake patterns, and then... dragged Su Rui inside!

"Bang!"

The heavy wooden door was slammed shut behind Su Rui by Enya with her other hand! A dull thud echoed deep within the silent temple, seemingly isolating it from everything outside.

Inside the bedchamber, no lights were lit, only the cool moonlight streaming in through the high windows, outlining the room's indistinct contours. The air was filled with a faint, cool herbal scent, unique to Enya, and an indescribable, tranquil, and private atmosphere.

Enya released Su Rui's wrist but didn't leave. She stood by the door, leaning against it, and in the dim moonlight, she looked up at Su Rui quietly. Her breathing seemed a little more rapid than usual, her chest rising and falling slightly. In the darkness, her glacial sapphire eyes gleamed with a deep and... dangerous light that Su Rui had never seen before.

Su Rui stood in the middle of the room, looking at Enya with some helplessness. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but seeing Enya's expression as if she was trying her best to suppress something, he swallowed all his words. He could only stand silently, letting the suffocating, ambiguous, and tense atmosphere permeate and ferment between the two of them.

"... Enya," after a long silence, Su Rui finally found her voice, a little hoarse and hesitant, "I...I just went to deliver a letter. The smell on me...was an accident. I..."

"An accident?" Enya interrupted him, her voice trembling strangely in the darkness, "What kind of 'accident' could make someone else's aura... so deeply tainted?"

She took a step forward, approaching Su Rui. Moonlight illuminated half of her cheek, revealing no anger, no coldness, only a deep, indescribable grievance, and a sense of resentment and possessiveness—as if something precious had been defiled.

Su Rui was stunned by the emotions he had never seen before in Enya's eyes. He had never seen Enya like this before. Vulnerable, aggrieved, yet with an almost obsessive strength. He suddenly realized that Enya... seemed to be angry not just because of the "scent" on him. What she cared about was something deeper.

"I..." Su Rui wanted to say something to comfort her, but her mind went Blank.

However, Enya gave him no time to think. She took another step forward, this time so close that their noses were almost touching! She could clearly smell the unfamiliar, other woman's scent on Su Rui, a scent that carried sunshine and wildness. This scent, like the sharpest needle, pierced her nerves!

The next second, before Su Rui could react at all, Enya suddenly... opened her arms and hugged him tightly and forcefully!

It wasn't the kind of hug between friends, nor was it a comforting hug. It was a... suffocating hug, as if trying to meld him into one's own body, filled with possessiveness and... a desperate unease!

Su Rui's body froze completely. He could clearly feel Enya's softness and warmth, her slightly trembling arms, her face buried in the crook of his neck, her breath slightly damp, and her rapid, hot breath spraying onto his neck, bringing waves of shivers.

"... Enya?" Su Rui's voice was hoarse and almost incoherent. His hands hung in mid-air, at a loss.

"Don't move..." Enya's muffled voice came from the crook of his neck, tinged with a barely perceptible sob and... a command, "... Let me hold you for a while."

Su Rui's heart felt as if it had been struck hard by something, instantly softening completely. He hesitated for a moment, and finally, his hands, which had been hovering in mid-air, slowly and tentatively landed on Enya's slender and slightly trembling back, gently and soothingly patting her.

"...Okay," he replied softly, his voice gentle to a degree he himself was unaware of.

Inside the bedchamber, a long silence fell, broken only by the sound of their breathing. The moonlight flowed quietly, casting long, long shadows of the two embracing figures.

Su Rui didn't know why Enya was acting this way all of a sudden. Was it because his scent made her uneasy? Or was it... something else? He only knew that Enya was very vulnerable at that moment and needed him very much. And he... didn't seem to reject the hug at all; in fact... deep down, a strange impulse to protect her and comfort her welled up within him.

Time slipped away silently in their embrace. After an unknown amount of time, Enya's trembling gradually subsided. But she didn't let go of Su Rui; instead, she hugged him even tighter. She lifted her face from the crook of Su Rui's neck, looking up at him in the hazy moonlight. Her glacial sapphire eyes, now misty with tears, shimmered with a hazy yet... resolute light.

"Su Rui ..." Enya's voice was slightly hoarse and...with a do-or-die courage, "...stay tonight."

It's not an inquiry, it's a request, and also... a decision.

Su Rui's heart skipped a beat! He looked at Enya's eyes, which appeared exceptionally beautiful and fragile in the moonlight, at the abnormal blush on her face, and at the undisguised, naked... desire and possessiveness in her eyes.

He understood what she meant.

A tremendous surge of emotion, a mixture of tension, helplessness, and... an indescribable flutter of excitement and longing, rushed to his brain! His cheeks began to burn uncontrollably, and his ears turned as red as if they were about to burst into flames.

"Enya, I..." He wanted to say something, to confirm if this was her true wish, to...

But Enya didn't give him a chance to hesitate. She stood on tiptoe and, with her slightly cool yet exceptionally soft lips, gently and with a hint of desperate resolve, kissed his lips.