Ark Simulator, Wasn't I Supposed to Have No Physical Form?

Su Rui quickly bowed and said, "Hello, Sister Shu!"

His politeness made Shu smile even wider, "What a good boy." She reached out and gently ruffled Su Rui's hair, the movement as tender as if she were caressing a seedling. "Are you tired from the journey? I made some sweet soup, come in and have some."

The sweet soup was made by Shu with newly harvested malt and honey, and it smelled wonderful. Su Rui held the bowl and sipped it slowly, his tail wagging gently involuntarily—Sister Shu's gentleness made him completely relax, and he didn't even notice the subtle exchange of glances between Nian, Xi, and Ling.

"Sister Shu," Su Rui put down her bowl and sincerely praised, "This is really delicious!"

Shu chuckled, "I'm glad you like it." She suddenly leaned forward, her fingertips lightly brushing against Su Rui's lips, "A little bit got on you."

This intimate gesture made Su Rui's ears turn red, and the three people beside her instantly stiffened.

Xi's tail slapped the ground with a "thud"; Ling squinted, tilting the wine jug in her hand slightly; Nian jumped up. "Sister Shu! I want to wipe Su Rui's mouth too!"

Shu calmly withdrew her hand, unperturbed by Nian's commotion. "Get your own handkerchief."

In the afternoon, Shu took Su Rui to help in the wheat field. Xi wanted to follow, but Ling stopped her.

"What's the rush?" Ling shook the wine pot, his expression meaningful. "Don't you know Sister Shu's personality?"

Xi frowned: "It's precisely because I understand—"

Her words came to an abrupt halt. On the distant ridge, the millet was leaning down and whispering something in Su Rui's ear. The boy's eyes widened, then he blushed and nodded, his tail shyly curling around a nearby stalk of wheat.

Nian's voice drifted over. "... Did we choose the wrong person?"

Su Rui stood in front of the millet hut in the wheat field, the golden waves of wheat rustling in the breeze, the setting sun turning his silver hair a warm amber color.

He took a deep breath; the fragrance of wheat mingled with the aroma of cooking smoke, finally easing his tense nerves.

"Sister Shu's yard is so comfortable," he murmured, his tail tip unconsciously swaying gently, sweeping up a few scattered grains of wheat.

Nian grabbed his neck from behind. "Right? Right? I told you this is where Sister Shu is the best--"

"Nian," Xi's icy voice interrupted her, "Take your hands off me."

Ling leaned against the doorframe, slowly sipping his own wine, his gaze fixed on Su Rui was surrounded by waves of wheat.

The dragon horns in the boy's black hair gleamed like pearls in the setting sun, reminding her of some rare shellfish she had seen long ago.

Shu came out of the kitchen carrying a wooden tray, her coarse cloth apron still covered in flour. "Don't stand outside, come and try some freshly baked wheat cakes."

Su Rui's stomach growled at just the right moment, making Shu chuckle. She deliberately handed Su Rui the first steaming hot wheat cake. "Eat slowly, be careful it's hot."

The aroma of the wheat cakes wafted into his nose, and Su Rui couldn't wait to take a bite. The crispy outer layer cracked open with a "crack," revealing the sweet malt filling inside. "Delicious!" he mumbled in admiration, a few crumbs sticking to the corner of his mouth.

Su Rui froze on the spot, the pancake in his mouth suddenly becoming hard to swallow. He looked pleadingly at the seemingly harmless Shu, only to find this gentle older sister wiping her hands with her apron, a faint smile on her lips.

"Speaking of which," Shu's voice remained gentle, "Where will Su Rui sleep tonight? Only one guest room has been prepared..."

"Sleep with me!" Nian immediately raised her hand.

"Don't even think about it." Xi's tail lashed out at the ground with a "smack."

Ling shook the wine pot. "How about..."

"Why don't we let Su Rui choose for herself?" Shu added with a smile, successfully silencing the other three.

Su Rui's tail bristled as he stared at the wheat cakes in his bowl, suddenly realizing this might be his last supper.

The sound of the wheat swaying outside suddenly became very loud, like countless people whispering. He noticed a section of wheat ear sticking out of the pocket of the millet apron, the golden ear full of plump grains—too many, abnormally many, almost bursting through the husk.

Just like this seemingly cozy house, a certain danger is brewing.

(Let's set it up so that Great Wilderness City has not only wheat but also rice, mainly because the author is more familiar with wheat.)

Volume 9, Chapter 572: How about we eat first?

That night, Su Rui tossed and turned on the bed in the guest room. Moonlight streamed through the window lattice, casting long, thin streaks of light on the wooden floor. As he counted the streaks, he suddenly heard a very soft creak—the door had been pushed open.

"Sister...?" he asked softly, propping himself up.

Standing in the moonlight was not Shu, but Ling. Her long, silvery-white hair was almost transparent in the moonlight, and the wine pot in her hand gleamed with a faint blue light.

"Can't sleep?" Ling's voice was hoarser than usual. "Perfect, have a drink with me."

Before Su Rui could refuse, she heard footsteps coming from the other end of the corridor. Ling quickly slipped behind the door, and the next second, a young woman with red hair peeked through the crack. "Little Su ~ I brought a new script..."

A soft knock came from the window. Xi stood outside, her ink-black eyes shining brightly in the night. "Come out."

Su Rui looked at the three people who had appeared at the same time with despair, when he suddenly noticed a rustling sound coming from under the bed. He looked down and saw several wheat seedlings sprouting from the cracks in the floor, growing at a speed visible to the naked eye, and soon they were wrapped around the bed legs.

Shu's gentle voice came from all directions. "It's so late, isn't everyone asleep?"

The wheat seedlings suddenly grew wildly, instantly filling the entire room. The last thing Su Rui saw was the astonished expressions of the three dragon girls, and the hand of Shu Na, wearing a coarse cloth glove, reaching out from the depths of the wheat field.

"Good girl," her voice was still so gentle, "It's time to sleep."

Su Rui huddled in the corner of the bed, watching the dramatic scene unfold before her—the three usually imposing dragon maidens were now standing in a row like children who had done something wrong, being scolded by Shu until they couldn't lift their heads.

"What are you three up to in the middle of the night?"

Shu stood with her hands on her hips, her apron still covered in flour. "Nian, can't you read those messy scripts during the day? Sister Ling, why are you drinking so late? And Xi—" She suddenly turned to her most unruly younger sister, "You actually climbed through the window?"

Moonlight streamed through the window, casting dappled shadows on Xi's face. Her dragon tail thumped the floor irritably, but unusually, she didn't argue.

Ling's wine jug had been put away sometime earlier, and he was now adjusting his sleeves to hide his embarrassment. Nian was the worst off; a few ears of wheat still clung to his red hair, making him look like a glutton caught red-handed stealing food.

All three of them turned to Su Rui, their eyes filled with pleading, "Please save us!"

Su Rui's tail twitched involuntarily. He pulled the blanket tighter around himself and cautiously began, "Um... Sister Shu..."

"Hmm?" Shu immediately turned her head, her tone instantly softening eight degrees. "What's wrong? Were you woken up by them? Would you like some calming barley tea?"

The speed at which the three dragon maidens changed their expressions caused their lips to twitch simultaneously.

"No..." Su Rui swallowed hard, forcing herself to continue, "Actually, I couldn't sleep. They... they came to keep me company..."

Shu squinted suspiciously, his gaze sweeping back and forth between the three people and Su Rui. The room was eerily quiet, with only the rustling of the wheat outside the window.

After a long silence, Shu suddenly sighed, "Never mind." She turned and walked towards the door. "Since Su Rui has said so... but—" She turned back sharply, her eyes gleaming, "Stop making a scene! All of you, behave yourselves!"

The moment the door closed, all four of them breathed a sigh of relief.

"Little Su ~" Nian was the first to rush over and ruffle his hair vigorously, "You're so loyal!"

Ling sat gracefully on the edge of the bed, producing a small wine glass from her sleeve. "Worth a reward."

Even Xi rarely reached out and gently pinched Su Rui's earlobe.

Su Rui was caught off guard by this sudden enthusiasm, and his tail unconsciously tangled around the corner of the blanket. He secretly glanced at the tightly closed door, feeling that Shu might be waiting outside with a rolling pin.

"Um..." he suggested softly, "How about... we really rest quietly?"

The three exchanged a glance and surprisingly cooperated. Nian magically produced a blanket and spread it on the ground, causing the oil lamp to be extinguished. Xi then leaned against the wall and closed her eyes to rest.

Moonlight streamed back into the room, bathing everything in a soft, silvery glow. Su Rui quietly breathed a sigh of relief, but the instant she closed her eyes, she heard three barely audible whispers in her ear:

"I'll settle the score with you tomorrow~" -- Year

"You owe me a drink." -- Ling

"... Mine." --Xi

Su Rui suddenly opened her eyes, only to find that the three of them seemed to be asleep. Only the sound of wheat swaying outside the window could be heard, as if foreshadowing the storm to come tomorrow.

The morning sunlight streamed through the window, and Su Rui groggily turned over, only to bump into a soft, warm embrace. He instinctively snuggled closer, then suddenly realized something was wrong—it seemed like there was more than one person?

Opening his eyes, he was horrified to find himself surrounded by three people like a human-shaped pillow: Nian was hugging his waist from behind, his chin resting on his head; Ling was lying on his side in front of him, one hand on his waist; and most terrifyingly, Xi was curled up in his arms, her dark hair scattered on his chest, her breathing even and long.

"Wake up! Wake up, everyone!" Su Rui tried to break free in a flurry, but Nian pressed her back down.

"Stop messing around~" Nian mumbled with her eyes closed, the red hair tickling his cheek, "Just five more minutes of sleep..."

Half-asleep, she pinched his earlobe and said, "Good boy."

Even more directly, the dragon's tail lashed out and wrapped around his leg, locking him even tighter.

"Sister Shu is calling for dinner!" Su Rui shouted in a moment of inspiration.

The three of them sprang apart instantly, their speed leaving afterimages in the air. Nian crashed headfirst into the wall, Ling's wine jug clattered to the ground, and Xi tumbled under the bed.

Just then, Shu's footsteps sounded outside the door, "Are you all up? We're harvesting wheat today—"

The sound of the door opening stopped abruptly. Shu stood in the doorway, his gaze sweeping over the four disheveled people in the room, finally settling on the suspicious red mark on Su Rui's neck.

"You..." Her voice was terrifyingly gentle, "Didn't you promise me last night to behave yourselves?"

"There's a reason for that!" Nian raised his hand in protest, "I was sleepwalking!"

Ling elegantly straightened her clothes. "The wine jug has come to life."

Xi silently crawled out from under the bed, patting off non-existent dust. "... Wrong bed."

Su Rui covered her face in despair.

Shu took a deep breath, then suddenly turned and walked towards the kitchen. "Breakfast is in ten minutes. After you finish eating, get to work in the fields!" She whirled around, the rolling pin in her hand gleaming coldly, "Especially you three, if you don't finish harvesting those ten acres of wheat on the east side today—"

The rolling pin snapped in two with a "crack".

Three minutes later, the four of them sat neatly at the dining table, as obedient as fledglings waiting to be fed. Shu placed the steaming bowl of wheat porridge on the table with a thud. "Eat up."

"Sister Shu is the best~" Nian tried to act cute.

Shu smiled and said, "Remember to plant those five acres of rice after you finish eating."

The smile on his face froze.

Volume 9, Chapter 573: Snacks and Tea

Golden waves of wheat rippled in the sunlight. Su Rui, wearing the straw hat given to her by the millet farmer, watched the three dragon girls standing reluctantly on the edge of the field.

"Let's get this straight," Nian said, flexing his wrists, "I'll be in charge of burning the straw to fertilize the fields."

Xi sneered, "You want to burn down the whole wheat field, don't you?"

Ling shook the wine jug. "My mist can help..."

"Shut up, all of you." Shu said decisively. "Year uses flames to dry the wheat ears, evening uses Ink-Wash Spiritual Power to separate the grains, and mist controls the humidity." She turned to look at Su Rui, her expression softening instantly. "You can sit in the shade."

"I can help too!" Su Rui held up the bamboo basket.

Shu ruffled his hair. "Good boy."

The three dragon maidens. "..."

Thus, a strange scene appeared on the outskirts of Shangshu: Yanlong reluctantly controlled the flames to wander among the wheat ears; Shuimolongxi, with a dark face, used his spiritual power to peel the wheat grains from the stalks; and Wulongling sighed as he adjusted the air humidity.

Meanwhile, Su Rui sat under the old locust tree, happily helping Shu weave straw ropes to pack the wheat.

"The third row on the left isn't moist enough," the millet suddenly shouted, looking up.

Ling nearly dropped his wine jug: "I clearly—"

"There are still some wheat grains that haven't been properly threshed in the fifth row from the right."

Xi's tail thrashed violently against the ground.

"Nian! The fire is too big! The wheat ears are going to burn!"

With a long face, Nian said, "This is much harder than making a movie..."

As the midday sun rose higher and higher, Su Rui carried a bamboo basket full of wheat grains through the fields, occasionally bringing water and wiping the sweat from the three exhausted dragon girls.

"You've worked hard!" He stood on tiptoe to wipe Xi's face, but was suddenly hugged around the waist.

Xi buried her face in his shoulder and said in a muffled voice, "... I want compensation."

On the other side, Nian immediately pounced over. "Me too!"

Ling appeared behind him without his noticing, twirling the end of his hair with her fingers. "Where's mine?"

Su Rui frantically tried to break free, but suddenly heard Shu cough. The three of them immediately let go and pretended to work diligently.

Shu walked over and stuffed a food box full of snacks into Su Rui: "Let's eat over there, it's too dusty here."

Watching Su Rui run off happily, Shu turned to her three younger sisters, her smile gentle and tender, "It seems... your workload today wasn't heavy enough?"

The three of them turned deathly pale instantly.

From a distance, Su Rui took a bite of the sweet malt candy, looked at the dragon girls in the field who were suddenly working twice as hard, and tilted her head in confusion.

(It seems the wheat harvest went exceptionally fast today.)

The next morning, sunlight filtered through the thin mist and shone on the wheat fields outside Shangshu, the golden ears of wheat swaying gently in the breeze. Su Rui rubbed her sleepy eyes and suddenly found herself tightly surrounded by three warm, soft bodies.