A Stardew Valley farmer came to Gensokyo.

Shaking off the sand and pebbles that fell from her head, Xia Xun couldn't help but smile. Who wouldn't love setting off firecrackers?

He raised his hand to condense water droplets to suppress the dust, then quickly stepped out of the shelter pit. He first checked that the stone pillars supporting the mine tunnel were in good condition, and then eagerly ran towards the blasting site.

As soon as they approached within five meters, a string of ore, drawn by the jewel ring, quickly disappeared into Xia Xun's backpack.

[Stone +42, Iron Ore +21, Gold Ore +1]

Hehe ~

Looking at the ore harvest in his backpack, Xia Xun grinned and looked at the huge pit on the rock cave.

Back then, an irregular crater was seven or eight meters in size; a single bomb saved so much work.

With his gaze fixed on the areas where minerals gathered within the surrounding rock walls, Xia Xun pulled out a bomb and uttered the lines of Mondstadt's strongest warrior.

"Hahaha, we can blow them all up!"

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Deeper underground, a young girl who was digging a cave stopped her work in confusion, looking at the earth and rocks that were shaking from time to time, and then turned her gaze to the distance.

The girl had short blond hair, and her delicate face was framed by a pair of reddish-brown eyes filled with doubt. She whispered, "Over there, it seems to be the direction of Rainbow Dragon Cave."

As a Tsuchigumo yokai born in the underground world, Kurotani Yama-onna was very curious about life on the surface, so she secretly dug and opened up a passage between the underground and the surface.

Every night, she would quietly come down from underground to the surface, and then take on some commissions that she was good at to earn money to buy the food and things she liked.

As a Tsuchigumo (earth spider), Kurotani Yama-onna is skillful, strong, and very good at construction. Coincidentally, the big order she recently took on is the construction of a fake ceiling jointly released by Kappa and Tengu.

Gudong~

Thinking of the fake shed, Kurotani Yama-onna couldn't help but drool.

I heard yesterday that the cucumber god worshipped by the Kappa clan came and left a lot of ingredients. She was given a dish while she was working last night.

Having never tasted such delicious food before, Kurotani Yamame felt like she almost swallowed her tongue.

Recalling the information she had heard from the fake shrine, she couldn't help but want to meet the great god who could cultivate such delicious food.

"I'll just sneak a peek."

Speaking softly, Kurotani Yama-onna sensed the vibrations coming from afar. As a Tsuchigumo, she could clearly pinpoint the source of the vibrations through the ground.

It was with this ability that she was able to secretly and without permission excavate, traveling between the surface and underground.

Such a thing is a grave crime in the underworld. Monsters from the surface world and the underworld once made a pact that they must not travel between each other's worlds without permission.

"Haha, this feels so good!"

Amidst the pattering raindrops, Xia Xun looked at the ore in her backpack, her lips almost twitching into a wide grin.

Explosive mining is indeed the fastest way to collect ore. He felt that if he worked a little harder, he might be able to gather all the materials for the sprinkler today.

Snap, bang.

Suddenly, a sound like a metal object shattering caught Xia Xun's attention, causing his expression to instantly turn serious.

Could that sound mean that the stone pillar has been shattered?

Since it concerned mining safety, Xia Xun dared not delay and quickly ran towards the direction from which the sound came.

Along the road, rows of dark gray, decaying wood groves and stone pits lined both sides of the mine tunnel, greatly widening the tunnel's width. With a little repair, it could easily be expanded into a two-lane road.

Soon, Xia Xun arrived near the source of the sound based on his prediction. Before he could check the surrounding stone pillars, his cultivation and the perception brought by the five blessings allowed him to instantly perceive the aura behind the rock wall.

It has a human form and an earth-elemental demonic aura, but its aura is relatively gentle and without malice.

"Am I meeting a fellow demon or a monster living underground?"

Muttering a question under his breath, Xia Xun took a few steps back to create some distance between himself and the rock wall, and said, "It's fate that we met, please come out."

"Hehe, we've been found out."

Hearing this, Kurotani Yamako, who was hiding behind the rock wall, couldn't help but smile. However, she did not listen to Xia Xun's words and come out through the broken rock wall. Instead, she curiously looked outside through the small opening.

"Excuse me, are you the cucumber god worshipped by the Kappa clan?" A girl's voice, tinged with surprise and doubt, echoed.

Know yourself?

Xia Xun was taken aback upon hearing this, then nodded and said, "I am Xia Xun, the Cucumber Lord worshipped by the Kappa clan. May I ask who you are?"

"Wow, so the rumors were true, you really are human." A voice of admiration rang out, and Kurotani Yama-onna tapped the rock wall in front of her, breaking it open. Xia Xun stretched out her upper body and waved enthusiastically: "Hello, Lady Xia Xun, I am Kurotani Yama-onna of the Tsuchigumo clan."

"Hehe, speaking of which, we really are quite destined. I even built your Rainbow Dragon Cave project for you." With her hands supporting the stone wall, the Black Valley Mountain Girl looked at Xia Xun expectantly: "Um, can I trade you some gems for something delicious? The food at the construction site last night was not enough at all."

Looking at the gluttonous Kurotani Yama-onna patting her bulging belly, Natsumi's guard was lowered considerably after hearing her introduction, and she readily nodded.

"No need for that trouble. I should thank you for helping to build the makeshift canopy. Here's some food for you."

"Really? Lord Natsumi, you really are a benevolent god, just as the kappa said." Hearing this, Kurotani Yama-onna's eyes lit up, and she broke open the hard rock wall as easily as breaking open a chocolate bar, emerging from the excavated tunnel.

Xia Xun looked at the cave behind Kurotani Yama-onna, then at the girl who was clearly quite outgoing.

This person probably isn't secretly mining their own mine.

Chapter 228 The Underground World

"Mmm~, so delicious!"

Deep underground, in a secluded mine, a tablecloth was spread out, and Xia Xun watched as Kurotani Yamako happily ate her meal.

The girl's cheeks were puffed out like a little squirrel's, and she kept shoveling food into her mouth while holding a lunchbox in her hand.

"Hmm~"

Suddenly, Xia Xun noticed that Kurotani Yama-onna's movements paused. Her small mouth, which had been chewing continuously, stopped, and her chin was slightly raised, clearly indicating that she was choking.

"Quick, have some soup!"

Xia Xun quickly grabbed the cup and poured out a bowl of hot vegetable soup, handing it to him.

Kurotani immediately took it, gave him a grateful look, and gulped it down in one go.

The kneeling girl's bell-shaped skirt clung to her body due to her bold action, revealing her slightly protruding belly.

Xia Xun's gaze was irresistibly drawn to it, after all, that little belly really did look like someone who was several months pregnant.

"Are you curious?" Noticing Xia Xun's curiosity, Kurotani Yama-onna put down her soup bowl and unabashedly lifted her skirt to show him: "This is actually a characteristic of our Earth Spider clan. After all, even if we transform into human form, we are still spiders."

"Lord Xia Xun, would you like to touch it? It would be as a way of thanking you for treating me to such delicious food."

"Really?" Xia Xun looked up at Kurotani Yama-onna and, seeing her carefree expression, no longer hesitated and curiously reached out to touch it.

Warm and soft, like a cushion filled with the finest cotton.

How amazing! I never knew that the transformation features of spider monsters were so interesting.

Satisfied with his curiosity, Xia Xun withdrew his hand and looked at Kurotani Yama, who was still happily eating, and said, "Miss Kurotani, how did you end up so deep underground?"

"Because I am a monster who lives in the underground world."

Kurotani Yama-onna said nonchalantly, and seeing Xia Xun's confusion, she bit her chopsticks and also showed a puzzled expression: "Doesn't Lord Xia Xun know? The Underworld, or more accurately called the Old Hell - Old Capital, is the territory of the Oni Clan."

"Lady Suika Ibuki lived in the old capital for a period of time. The current ruler of the old capital is Lady Yuugi Hoshiguma, one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Oni Clan, and the Oni Clan she leads."

"Hoshiguma Yuugi".

Xia Xun murmured the name, and the image of that mature, older-sister character with huge demon horns appeared in her mind.

However, that was all the impression he had; his understanding of this person was limited to some superficial information.

After all, although Hoshiguma Yuugi is one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Four Demon Clan, he doesn't actually appear much in Touhou Project.

However, it turns out that Suika has also been to the underground world.

Old hell, old capital.

The combination of these nouns gave Xia Xun a feeling of excitement, and he couldn't help but look at the tunnel that Kurotani Yama-onna had emerged from.

"No! No! No!"

Kurotani Yamae clearly sensed Xia Xun's intentions and quickly warned, "The underground world is completely different from the surface world; it is extremely dangerous."

"Furthermore, free movement between the above-ground and underground worlds is not permitted."

Upon hearing this, Xia Xun looked at the serious-looking Kurotani with a strange gaze.

"Hehe~"

Kurotani Yamako, who was being stared at by Xia Xun, couldn't help but scratch her head and smile, and quickly said, "Please don't tell anyone about this, Lord Xia Xun."

"Okay, no problem."

Nodding in agreement, Xia Xun started eating and chatted with Kurotani about the underworld.

However, Xia Xun didn't plan to go and see the Old Hell and the Old Capital right now, since there was still a lot to do in Stardew Valley.

Moreover, from Kurotani Yamako's words, he gradually learned that it was a very dangerous place.

The old capital, where Suika used to live, is also home to many of her relatives.

While eating lunch, Xia Xun's thoughts wandered, and she decided that she should wait until the farm's brewery produced a large quantity of wine before going to see Ibuki Suika's people.

"Thank you for your hospitality, Lord Xia Xun."

Before the tunnel in the rock wall, Kurotani Yama-onna waved to Natsumi with a satisfied look, looking at him expectantly and saying, "Can I come again next time? I'll bring a gift!"

"Naturally."

Xia Xun smiled and agreed, as he was quite bored eating alone in the mine tunnel.

Moreover, as a master digger who excavates from the underground world to the surface world, Kurotani Yamao might be able to help him dig up even more rare minerals.

The earth and rocks surged.

As Kurotani Yamae walked into the tunnel, the open tunnel was sealed off again.

"As expected of those who worked on tunnel warfare, they are indeed cautious."

With a sigh, Xia Xun stretched his body, feeling that the fatigue from the morning's work had been completely recovered.

Then start the explosion!!

Holding the bomb, Xia Xun couldn't suppress a smile.

After walking a distance, Kurotani Yama-onna turned back to look at the rock face that was once again rumbling and shaking, and silently made a decision in her heart.

She needs to work even harder to reinforce the tunnels near Honglong Cave.

With Lord Xia Xun's massive mining methods, he could easily get buried alive if he wasn't careful.

However, this kind of courage is truly worthy of the title of a master.

Time passed relentlessly amidst the booming explosions.

This tremendous commotion, originating from deep underground, could be sensed even on the surface.

Until around 4:30 pm.

The patrolling white wolves and tengu suddenly noticed that the ground, which had been shaking for almost a day, had suddenly stopped.

"Captain, is Lord Xia Xun alright?"

A white wolf tengu quietly approached the team leader and whispered something.

"If something happens to you, Lord Xia Xun won't be in any danger. He's the Great God of Cucumbers!"

Turning back, the captain glared fiercely at the white wolf tengu. He was actually a little uneasy, but as the leader, he couldn't act rashly.

"Alright, let's continue our patrol. Lord Xia Xun's divine power is beyond our comprehension."

He waved to signal the team to continue patrolling. After walking a distance, the team leader said he needed to use the restroom and told them to continue patrolling while he went to relieve himself.

Once the squad had gone some distance, Captain White Wolf Tengu took a deep breath, turned around, and ran towards the guard post. He needed to quickly ascertain the situation before he could feel at ease.

The guard post was built next to the Rainbow Dragon Cave.

When Captain White Wolf Tengu arrived, he found that not only he, but also the other two captains and several kappa leaders had arrived earlier.

"Don't worry, our kappa's instruments have detected the transmission totem fluctuations of the Cucumber God. He should be going home today."

Stardew Valley Farmyard.

Xia Xun appeared suddenly, then lay down on the ground, completely unwilling to move.

Looking up at the wooden eaves, he clutched his rapidly beating heart and sighed, "It's so good to be alive!"