A Stardew Valley farmer came to Gensokyo.

Xia Xun stared blankly at the petite yet smooth arm of the girl at her feet, unable to react for a moment.

"ah--!"

"It's a severed arm!"

"Waaah—!"

The three little fairies exclaimed in Xia Xun's ear. Luna was so frightened that she buried her head in Xia Xun's neck, but Sunny and Star curiously joined in, their faces showing no fear befitting their young appearance.

In that brief moment, Xia Xun forced himself to calm down. He took a step back, creating distance between himself and the severed hand, and crouched down to examine it closely with a furrowed brow.

Her arms were small and fair, clearly belonging to a girl. Although she had been pulled from the water, the muscle texture was still fresh, looking as if she had just been cut off.

Xia Xun tried to analyze the suddenly appearing arm with her limited knowledge, then abruptly looked up—

In other words, a tragedy may very well be taking place upstream at this very moment.

Perhaps the owner of this arm is being attacked by a monster or demon, and his life is in imminent danger!

In an instant, Xia Xun felt as if she were standing on the edge of a precipice, facing the fate of the world.

Chapter Forty-Eight: The Game Between the Kappa and the Mountain Child

To save or not to save?

The image of the scales appeared in Xia Xun's mind.

On one end is rescue, but nothing is known. What kind of danger lies upstream? Is it a ferocious monster or a runaway demon?

He was just a farmer who had just learned some magic and was a bit strong. If he went there rashly, he would most likely get himself killed as well.

The other end was left unrescued, but that slender arm lay at his feet, still retaining the essence of life.

A young girl is facing a life-or-death crisis somewhere, and if he turns a blind eye, how will his conscience be at peace when he wakes up in the middle of the night from now on?

He hesitated, conflicted, his thoughts like a knotted rope.

Looking up, Xia Xun gazed upstream, trying to discern some traces.

If you turn around and leave now, as if nothing happened, you can naturally return to the human world safely.

But in doing so, you might become the kind of person you hate.

But acting rashly is not bravery, it is foolishness and irresponsibility towards one's own life.

The scales in my mind were swaying violently.

In the end, one end pressed down heavily, and he couldn't convince himself to run away.

"Phew—, just going to take a look."

Xia Xun let out a long breath and murmured softly.

Just don't go too deep. Look around from the outside. If you have the chance, try the talismans you bought. If not, give up.

At the very least, you have to take action; only by failing can you feel at ease.

Then, his expression became serious and firm.

“Sunny, Star, Luna,” he turned to the three little fairies, his tone apologetic, “I’m sorry, I have to do something very important right now.”

"What's wrong, Xia Xun?" Sunny blinked her big eyes, looking at him with confusion.

Xia Xun pointed upstream and said in a deep voice, "The owner of this arm is likely in danger upstream. I must go and check on the situation."

“We can go with Xia Xun too!” Sunny immediately raised her hand and said matter-of-factly, and Star and Luna nodded vigorously as well.

"No, this could be very dangerous!" Xia Xun refused sternly, her expression serious.

The guilt he felt for dragging them into danger in the Enchanted Forest last time still lingered in his heart. This time it was his own choice, and he absolutely could not involve these three innocent and carefree little ones again.

"We'll protect Xia Xun this time!" Sunny puffed out her cheeks and waved her little arms vigorously to show that she was strong.

She believed it must be because they hadn't protected Xia Xun well last time, so she felt they couldn't protect him.

Seeing Sunny's earnest yet adorably angry expression, Xia Xun's tension eased somewhat. He couldn't help but reach out and gently poke Sunny's puffed-up cheeks with his finger.

With a soft "plop," Sunny's cheeks slumped, and her eyes widened in shock.

Meanwhile, the more composed Star had already understood what Xia Xun meant.

She gracefully flew to Xia Xun's shoulder and sat down, gently patting his cheek with her small hand.

“Don’t worry, Xia Xun.” Star’s voice was calm and gentle, with a certainty. “This arm is not human, it’s a kappa’s.”

"Kappa?" Xia Xun was taken aback.

“Hmm.” Star nodded and continued to explain, “Every spring, the mountain children and kappa of Youkai Mountain hold an event called ‘Survival Game’ to compete for water.”

"Actually, it's just... well, people just slashing at each other with swords and knives. It's common for hands and feet to be cut off during fights, so it's not surprising that they drift downstream."

Xia Xun was stunned, her expression freezing instantly.

Every year? During specific events? Are broken arms and legs commonplace?

This doesn't sound like a game at all; it sounds like a bloody tribal war!

He clearly remembered that the kappa in Gensokyo were a very civilized race of youkai, and their technology tree had even reached the point where they could build Gundams.

Stark looked at Xia Xun's worldview-shaking expression and couldn't help but smile slightly.

She clearly understood Xia Xun's shock.

“It’s not as scary as it sounds,” Star added. “This level of damage isn’t fatal for kappa and mountain children. They can be reattached, so there’s really no need to worry too much about any tragedies happening upstream.”

"Ah! I remember now!" Sunny clapped her hands suddenly, her face showing a look of sudden realization. "We saw it from afar when we went on our adventure to Monster Mountain!"

"But back then, the arms were still attached to the kappa's body, so I didn't recognize it when it fell off, hehe." She said, smiling a little embarrassedly.

Luna, who had been cowering in Xia Xun's neck in fear, timidly raised her head. Although a trace of fear remained on her face, she dared to secretly glance at the arm on the ground, clearly recalling her past adventures.

Xia Xun was the only one still in a daze.

He looked at the three little fairies with expressions that said, "This is normal," and felt as if he were being bullied by them.

They slashed each other with swords, limbs flying everywhere... How could they describe it as casually as a lively festival or celebration?

At this moment, Xia Xun had a deeper and more intuitive understanding of the statement "the uncommon sense in Gensokyo is the common sense" than ever before.

This shock was even stronger than witnessing Reimu Hakurei and Marisa Kirisame's surreal bullet hell battle, or even than actually cultivating magical power and releasing magic herself.

"Then... what should we do with this arm?" Xia Xun took a while to find her voice and asked Star.

"Just put it away for now." Starr waved his hand casually. "The kappa will come looking for it along the river when the survival game is over."

"When the time comes, you can give her back her arm, and she can put it back on herself."

"Put...put it back?" Xia Xun's lips twitched.

“Yes, just put it on your arm, and it’s ready to use once it’s put back on,” Starr said casually.

Xia Xun was completely speechless.

What's with this casual feeling of just putting it back in? What exactly is the structure of a kappa's body?!

No wonder they're a race of monsters that holds this kind of survival game every year... He could only sigh silently in his heart.

"Fine." Xia Xun could only utter these two words in the end.

He carefully placed the wrapped arm into the wooden box and closed the lid.

Then, looking at the fishing rod in his hand, he wondered if he could still catch this fish.

Star, seeing Xia Xun staring blankly at the fishing rod, tilted his head and asked, "What's wrong, Xia Xun?"

"Aren't you going to go fishing anymore?"

Upon hearing this, Xia Xun scratched his head in frustration, then gritted his teeth and said, "Fishing!"

It's just that there are kappa and mountain children playing a survival game of hacking and slashing upstream. They can even play this kind of game, why should he care?

For Stardew Valley Farm, for the big house, he's determined to catch this fish today!

Xia Xun took out the bait, attached it to the hook, and threw it into the river.

A fishing mini-game has been discovered.

In the shadows of the corner, a gap quietly closed.

Inside the Yakumo House, a slight smile appeared on Yakumo Yukari's lips as she picked up some food from the table and gently put it into her mouth.

"Welcome to Gensokyo, Natsumi."

Chapter Forty-Nine: A Thief?!

When Xia Xun carried the wooden box home.

As dusk settled, people walked along the road, all returning home after a long day's work.

A gentle breeze caressed his face, making him feel extremely comfortable at that moment.

"Young man, didn't you catch any fish today?"

He puffed on his pipe, carrying a fish basket. He took two fish from the basket and gave them to him.

Seeing this, Xia Xun quickly waved his hand: "No need, no need, it's not necessary. I'm just asking for it."

But what can a small wooden box with such limited capacity hold?

The young man is probably just shy and embarrassed.

So he took out two carp strung together with straw rope and stuffed them into Xia Xun's hand.

"Alright, don't be so polite. I've just come from the outside world to the human realm, so it's only natural for an old man like me to take care of a young person like you, hahaha."

He laughed heartily, slurping the cucumbers with a gusto, "That's the kind of cucumbers I've never tasted in my entire life."

"Thank you so much, Dongshang Tangxi!" Bi Xun laughed heartily, feeling extremely grateful as he looked at the generously laughing old man in front of him.

This evening, the other person even came to the riverbank to look for him and remind him that it was getting late.

Grateful for the other party's care, Xia Xun accepted the two carp, then opened the wooden box and took out nine ordinary cucumbers and two silver star cucumbers.

Dong Xiangtian watched in surprise as Xia Xun easily placed two three- or four-pound carp into a small wooden box, then took out a small pile of cucumbers in one go. He suddenly realized, "Young man, you're amazing! So this is a magic item."

"As expected of someone from outside, they are truly impressive."

Xia Xun smiled upon hearing this, and then chatted with the other person about various situations in the human world before entering the village together.

"Xia Xun, come on, let's go to the old man's house for dinner."

Dongxiang kuangkong qing  sai,  pan jin 【tong  ye mu jiao shen zhe �

Seeing this, Xia Xun didn't argue and instead walked towards the village.

Unlike Xia Xun, who lives on the westernmost edge of the Human Village, the indigenous people of Dong Xiang Tao Gan Sui G Village have a much better geographical location.

His house is located on the outer edge of the South District, where the residents have lived in Gensokyo for generations, and the living facilities are very complete.

Along the way, Xia Xun saw many different shops, and even places that looked like schools.

It was evening when a woman with long, blue and white hair reaching her waist, wearing a blue scholar's hat with a huge red bow tied on top, turned around to say goodbye to the child with a gentle smile.

The children's loud "Goodbye, teacher!" reveals their sense of responsibility.

The woman, who looked like a young girl but exuded gentleness and maternal warmth, seemed to sense Xia Xun's gaze. She turned her head and met his eyes, then gave him a polite and gentle smile.

Xia Xun quickly nodded to the other person, as if to greet the stranger.

"This is Ms. Kamishirasawa Keine from the Terakoya. She's a very kind but also very strict person." Dong Xiang quickly introduced her to Xia Xun, saying, "Xia Xun, you must remember that Ms. Kamishirasawa is a very distinguished person and is very particular about etiquette."

"If you encounter them, remember to greet them."

I vaguely remember the name Kamishirasawa Keine.

"I understand, Dongxiang Tang Xi!" Bi Xin nodded, his mind racing, trying to find information about Shang Baize Huiyin.

I tried for a long time, but I only vaguely remembered that the other party seemed to have historical abilities, like a Shirasawa youkai, and had a good relationship with Fujiwara no Mokou.

Speaking of Fujiwara no Mokou, thanks to Yakumo Yukari's help, he harvested a large amount of crops today, and he can take some to give to her as a return gift for saving his life.

Xia Xun didn't know where the other person lived, only that it was in the Lost Bamboo Forest. She would have to find an opportunity to ask this Teacher Huiyin tomorrow.

10:36 p.m.