A Stardew Valley farmer came to Gensokyo.

"As a shrine maiden, one should have the demeanor of a shrine maiden."

“Reimu, you must also practice diligently. I will check your homework next time I come.”

"If you don't satisfy me, I don't mind taking you back to hone your skills."

With that, Ibaraki-sen's figure vanished with the wind, disappearing from the Hakurei Shrine in an instant.

"Riding the wind, soaring straight up ninety thousand miles." Xia Xun watched his teacher's departing figure and couldn't help but murmur the ancient phrase describing immortals, sincerely sighing, "Teacher is indeed an immortal, truly amazing."

"Then Reimu, we should go too." Xia Xun turned around, said goodbye to Reimu Hakurei, and then got on Marisa Kirisame's broom.

Youmu the Soul Eater gracefully leaped onto her half-spirit, and the three of them headed towards the Magic Forest.

Reimu Hakurei looked up at the three figures disappearing into the distance, opened her mouth wide and let out a long yawn, then scratched her head, her brand-new hairband swaying slightly: "Going back to take a nap."

Stardew Valley Farm.

After safely returning Natsumi to her home, Marisa Kirisame rode her broom and began her leisurely... anomaly investigation for the day.

Youmu bowed to Natsumi to say goodbye, indicating that she was returning to Hakugyokurou to take care of Lady Yuyuko.

“Your Excellency Xia Xun, I will visit you again when I have free time in the mornings.”

After saying this, the spirit youmu bowed politely and left.

Watching the two leave one after the other, Xia Xun stretched his arms and took out the upgraded bronze axe from his backpack: "Alright, I should go chop down some trees too."

It's a pity I haven't run into Tatara Umbrella lately, otherwise I could ask her to help upgrade other tools.

Bang bang bang!

Xia Xun spent the entire afternoon immersed in logging.

The sound of trees falling to the ground could be heard from time to time outside the magic forest, and then they would break into neat pieces of wood.

With the kappa about to start building their house, Xia Xun's enthusiasm for logging is particularly high, all in order to stockpile more building materials in advance.

In order to clear the land needed for building the house, he also removed all the tree stumps left from the previous felling.

Thanks to the upgraded bronze axe, not only has logging efficiency increased by 20%, but even tree stumps that were previously difficult to handle can now be dealt with easily.

From the overall perspective of the Magic Forest, Xia Xun resembles a greedy snake, having gnawed out a small, noticeable gap in the corner of the western edge of the forest.

The sky gradually turned dusky.

Around seven o'clock, Xia Xun swung his axe and split the last section of the tree stump.

With a muffled thud, the tree stump buried deep in the ground crumbled into a pile of wood, leaving a smudged mark on the ground.

He turned around and saw many similar pits scattered across the U-shaped open space behind him.

"531 pieces of timber."

Looking at the amount accumulated in her backpack, Xia Xun was fairly satisfied, considering that she had spent a lot of time clearing tree stumps today, and the timber harvest was slightly less than usual.

The specially leveled land beneath his feet is where he will settle down in the future.

"However, the main task for the next few days will probably still be cutting down trees."

Xia Xun looked around at the dense forest and put the axe back into his backpack.

The future livestock farms, chicken farms, fish ponds, and paddy fields will all need to be developed from this forest.

Touching her empty stomach, Xia Xun set off on her way home.

What should we do for dinner tonight?

Why don't we go to Minato-tei instead? We don't have much food left at home anyway.

Having happily put aside the choice of what to eat tonight, Xia Xun made her decision.

"I'm back."

Pushing open the door, Xia Xun turned and looked around: "Cui Xiang, are you back?"

However, after looking around the house, he did not find Ibuki Suika; she had not returned yet.

"Ugh, this guy..."

Xia Xun sighed helplessly and scratched his head.

She's probably having a good time drinking and partying with those tengu or other friends on the mountain of monsters.

I wonder if she'll come back tonight.

However, Saigyouji Yuyuko said that Suika had just returned to Gensokyo and did not yet have a fixed place to live, and she had specifically told her about it at noon.

Perhaps, he will come back?

Xia Xun thought about it and decided not to lock the door tonight, so that she wouldn't be unable to enter the house when she came back.

While I was at it, I also bought her dinner and put it in the food box.

Tonight, the Nitun Pavilion is as lively as ever.

"Xia Xun, you're here~" As soon as Okunoda Miyo saw Xia Xun enter the store, a bright smile immediately appeared on her face.

"Good evening, Meixiao." Xia Xun greeted her with a smile, then said, "Could you please bring two of our signature set meals and one to go?"

“Okay!” Miyo Okunoda nodded crisply, then asked with a hint of curiosity, “Two portions? Is there anyone else at Natsumi’s house?”

“It’s Suika.” Xia Xun casually said, “You heard Yuyuko mention it yesterday. Suika just returned to Gensokyo and hasn’t found a permanent place to stay yet.”

“So I thought, let her stay with me temporarily.” As she said this, Xia Xun couldn’t help but think of the emptiness when she came home at night, and spread her hands helplessly. “However, I’m not sure if Cui Xiang is willing.”

“I didn’t see her when I got back tonight, but I still have to prepare dinner for her. If Suika comes to the Minato-tei for drinks again tonight, Miyo, remember to remind her.”

“Miss Suika is going to stay at Natsumi’s house.” Upon hearing this, Miyo Okunoda’s face showed a hint of surprise.

Although she had witnessed Natsumi carrying away the drunk Ibuki Suika twice before and knew that the two got along well, hearing Natsumi say this in person still stirred up a little unease in her heart.

However, when she thought about how Ibuki Suika didn't even have a place to stay, and when she remembered the help Suika had given her, and the way Natsumi looked at Suika, she couldn't help but think about how Suika had helped her before.

Miyo Okunoda quickly calmed herself down and nodded vigorously: "I understand. If Ms. Suika comes, I will definitely remind her."

Chapter Ninety-Five: He's back!

In the dead of night, the world fell silent.

The lights at the samurai-tei shop remained on, and after the human customers left, the yokai customers began to enter.

"Miyo, I'm here." Niiwa Mamizo pushed open the door, a wry smile on his face, and waved to Okunoda Miyo.

"Miss Niiwa!" Miyo Okunoda exclaimed in surprise, but unconsciously took two steps back.

Although the kidnapping incident was over, she still couldn't help but feel scared when she saw the tanuki leader again.

"I'm sorry, I have really reflected on my actions!" Upon seeing this, Niiwa Makoto quickly apologized loudly, then took out an exquisite wooden box from his pocket and handed it to Okunoda Miyo.

"This is a spirit wood bracelet collected by our Tanuki clan. It is very beneficial to ghost-like monsters. Please accept it."

“Miss Niiwa, please get up.” Seeing the other party bowing, Okunoda Miyo hurriedly stepped forward to help Niiwa Mamizo up. “I have already forgiven you, there’s really no need to do this anymore.”

Seeing Okunoda Miyo's flustered appearance, Niiwa Mamizo couldn't help but chuckle: "Miyo is really a good girl, but with your personality, you might get hurt if you're not careful."

As she spoke, she patted her chest and said, "But I'll protect you from now on, don't worry!"

Immediately, Niiwa Mamizo pulled Okunoda Miyo's hand and put the Yin Soul Wood Bracelet on her.

“With this, Miyo, you can move around freely using it from now on.” She gave Okunoda Miyo a thumbs up and winked, saying, “I have high hopes for you and Natsumi.”

Ding-a-ling—

At this moment, the curtain was pushed open again.

Suika Ibuki staggered into the store, her head tilted back, and asked groggily, "What? What happened to Miyo and Natsumi?"

"Are you trying to bully them again, you little raccoon?"

"Miss Suika!" Miyo Okunoda exclaimed in surprise, and hurriedly stepped forward to help the swaying Oni King sit down at the table.

She noticed that the smell of alcohol on Suika Ibuki seemed stronger than usual, and a sense of worry rose in her heart.

"Miyo, that tanuki didn't bully you, did it?" Suika Ibuki slammed her face on the table, but still tried to turn her head, muttering and waving her little fists, "Don't worry, as long as you say the word, I'll teach her a lesson with my fists!"

“Miss Niiwa didn’t bully me. She was just apologizing for what happened earlier,” Miyo Okunoda explained softly, gently helping Suika Ibuki sit up straight and asking with concern, “Suika-san, are you in a bad mood today?”

Boom!

Upon hearing this, Suika Ibuki's drunken face lit up with anger, and she slammed her fist heavily on the table: "Hmph! Those tengu are really no fun at all now!"

She pouted and complained, "I just wanted to go back and visit some old friends today, have a drink with them, but they actually said that Monster Mountain doesn't welcome me now, and that my appearance would cause a riot!"

Suika Ibuki grew increasingly irritated, waving her little hand playfully, "Miyo, bring out the sake and food! I'm going to have a big drinking session tonight!"

She couldn't wait for Okunoda Miyo to get the sake, so she grabbed her own sake gourd and gulped down a few more mouthfuls.

Seeing this, Okunoda Miyo was at a loss. This was a matter between the Oni and the Tengu, and she didn't know how to comfort them. She could only nod and reply, "I, I'll go get the wine and food."

After saying that, she hurriedly turned and went into the kitchen, which was the only thing she could do at that moment as the signboard girl.

Niiwa Mazo, who was standing nearby, listened and smiled understandingly.

She pulled out a pipe, lit it, took a deep drag, exhaled wisps of white smoke, and squinted at Ibuki Suika, who was throwing a tantrum like a child: "Isn't this normal? The demons have been away from the Youkai Mountain for a thousand years."

“Once a position of power becomes vacant, someone will naturally be eager to take it.” Niiwa Makoto said quietly, “The oni of Gensokyo are no longer the oni of the past, and the tengu of Gensokyo are no longer the tengu of the past.”

"Time flows on, and all things change. What in this world is eternal and unchanging?"

"Hmph~" Ibuki Suika turned her head away unhappily and muttered, "I don't care about all this grand principles!"

"All I know is that the banquet will be the same, whether in the past or the future!"

"Demons are really capricious," Niiwa Makozo chuckled, taking another drag of his cigarette.

However, they do indeed have the right to act recklessly.

She glanced at Ibuki Suika, especially at the demon king before her.

It seems there will soon be some new excitement to watch.

Ding-a-ling—

The curtains shook again.

A head peeked in furtively and quickly scanned the store.

When Aya Shameimaru saw Miyo Okunoda carrying food and drinks out of the kitchen, and Mamizo Niiwa sitting at the table, his eyes lit up.

Big news!

There really is an izakaya in the Human Village that caters to yokai, and it's none other than the Minato-tei that shone brightly at the Hakurei Festival!

She initially thought it was just a coincidence of names and came to investigate based on clues she had gotten by chance a couple of days ago. Little did she expect to stumble upon such valuable news material!

Aya Shameimaru couldn't contain her excitement.

She instantly darted to the table, pulled out her camera and calligraphy templates, and was about to take photos and conduct interviews.

"Huh? It's you again, you celestial dog? Are you still following me?" A slurred voice, tinged with drunkenness, suddenly rang out.

Aya Shameimaru was so frightened that all the feathers on her body stood on end, and she froze on the spot.

She slowly turned her head and met the gaze of Ibuki Suika, who had sat up at some point.

What's this guy doing here?!

Aya Shameimaru wailed inwardly.

This afternoon, this person suddenly broke into the mountain of monsters, and she was ordered to stop him.

Knowing full well the strength of the demons, especially the Demon King, Aya Shameimaru was extremely unwilling, but the Great Tengu's orders could not be disobeyed.

She had no choice but to bite the bullet and patiently explain to Suika Ibuki, in the tone of a professional journalist, the current power structure of the Youkai Mountain and the turmoil that the reappearance of the former ruler of the Oni clan might cause.

Suika Ibuki said she listened, but didn't quite understand, and insisted on using her superpowers to go up the mountain to drink with her old friends.

Just as she was about to storm the mountain with her little fists waving and a wild laugh, thankfully the Great Tengu intervened in time, otherwise he would have been in for a severe beating today.

At that moment, looking at that small, wobbly fist raised, Aya Shameimaru felt as if she saw a death star flashing.

"Stop! Miss Ibuki, I just came to this shop for a drink and happened to run into you!" Aya Shameimaru quickly raised her hands, assuring him with unprecedented confidence.

"Hmm~?" Suika Ibuki tilted her head, thought about it for a moment, then nodded in realization and withdrew her fist: "Hehe, that's true."

“Miyo’s food and drinks are so delicious, they’re sure to attract other customers.” She patted Aya Shameimaru on the shoulder admiringly: “You have great taste, Tengu, you’re good at taking pictures!”