A Stardew Valley farmer came to Gensokyo.

"As long as you don't let desire consume you, but rather control it, then what's wrong with indulging in your desires?"

She nimbly jumped out of bed, picked up her clothes and shook them: "Okay, that's enough for today~ I'm going out for a drink!"

She patted Xia Xun's shoulder with her little hand, hummed an off-key tune, and walked briskly out of the room.

"Why not indulge your desires and revel in your passions?"

Xia Xun murmured and repeated Ibuki Suika's words, feeling his mind clear and his spirits lifted.

Yes, he had such thoughts all along.

At this moment, Suika Ibuki's words were like the sun breaking through the clouds. As long as we treat each other sincerely, why should we be bound by worldly constraints?

The only thing he needs to care about is the feelings of the person he loves.

And work harder to earn money, manage Stardew Valley Farm well, and build a solid foundation for your future life.

Thinking of these things, Xia Xun's eyes blazed with fighting spirit, and he felt his blood boiling.

Meanwhile, Suika Ibuki, who had already slipped away quite a distance, looked back to make sure that Natsumi wasn't chasing after her, before letting out a long sigh of relief while clutching her chest.

"Phew~ That scared me to death~!"

Her cheeks flushed, and she muttered under her breath, "A sudden marriage proposal like that, Xia Xun is just too much."

"It's not that I'm unwilling, but if I really agree, wouldn't I have to stay at home and be a wife and mother?"

The thought of being surrounded by a dozen little kids calling her "Mommy" made Suika Ibuki feel dizzy. How could she enjoy drinking and hosting parties if that happened?

Therefore, Xia Xun needs to go and find other people.

Leave such a major event as having a baby to others.

Moreover, what she just said to Xia Xun was not a single lie.

She could tell that it wasn't until this morning that Xia Xun's gaze towards her truly held the qualities a man would use to look at a woman.

The affection and care he received before stemmed more from his gentle nature and his pity for his young appearance.

Suika Ibuki is happy to accept that Natsumi likes her appearance, but she will never accept that his affection is merely the doting affection of an elder for a child.

What she wanted was intense, equal love between a man and a woman.

"Hehe, I guess I'm still quite charming~"

She proudly puffed out her small chest, feeling smug about her clever actions the night before.

Sunlight streamed down her golden hair as the ghost queen hummed a song, swaying her wine gourd, and walked towards the outside world.

Chapter Ninety-Seven: Construction Begins on the Cucumber Temple

Feeling refreshed and invigorated.

Xia Xun walked out of the room with a smile on his face, his eyes unable to resist searching for Ibuki Suika.

With their relationship taking a new turn, he was filled with excitement and wanted nothing more than to see Suika Ibuki immediately. He desperately wanted to get close to her, even if it was just to touch her oni horns.

Unfortunately, no matter where they searched, from the front room to the back room, they couldn't find Ibuki Suika.

He found a stack of photos she had left behind under his pillow. When he opened them, he was shocked to find that they were photos of the festival that he had asked her to retrieve from Aya Shameimaru.

"They ran away again..."

Xia Xun sighed helplessly, carefully put the photos away, and planned to have a few more copies printed later as souvenirs for Miyo and Alice.

Suppressing the itch in his heart, he went into the kitchen and cooked himself a bowl of plain porridge.

I looked up at the time; it was already 7:10.

I lingered in bed for quite a while this morning, so I need to hurry to the farm to get to work.

Xia Xun guessed that the kappa should come to him in the next couple of days to talk about building a house.

dong dong.

Suddenly there was a knock on the front door.

Xia Xun's eyes lit up. Could it be that just by mentioning the kappa, it appeared?

He put down his bowl of porridge and hurried to open the door, only to find Eryan Makozo standing outside with a beaming smile.

She looked refreshed, her smile radiant as if she had just experienced something exhilarating, even the tip of her tail was swaying contentedly.

Good morning, Mr. Xia Xun.

Niiwa Mazo greeted him with a smile, shaking the cloth bag in his hand: "I've come to deliver the previous apology gift."

"Good morning, Miss Eryan." Xia Xun stepped aside to invite her into the house. "Please come in and have a seat."

He led her to sit down at the stone table in the backyard, and Xia Xun served her a bowl of white porridge.

I thought the other person would be uninterested in such bland food, but to my surprise, Niiwa Mazo took the bowl and drank it with relish, his eyes full of satisfaction.

The bowl of porridge was quickly emptied.

"Oh, I was busy all night and I'm really hungry. Thank you so much for this bowl of porridge, Mr. Xia Xun."

Eryanzi Cang rubbed his belly and breathed a sigh of relief. He then pushed the cloth bag in front of Xia Xun and said, "This is the 'Five Elements Dao Techniques' collected by our Tanuki clan. Consider it an apology. We hope Mr. Xia Xun will like it."

Xia Xun took the thread-bound ancient book and casually flipped through a few pages.

The Five Elements magic cultivation methods recorded therein, although slightly different from the magic system taught by Alice, are largely of the same origin, both being methods for mobilizing the elements of heaven and earth.

"I received it, thank you Ms. Eryan." He put the book into his backpack and thanked her sincerely.

Upon hearing this, Niiyan Mazo relaxed his shoulders, stretching out his arms as if a burden had been lifted.

"Ah, the stupid thing I did last time is finally over."

As she spoke, she pulled out a stack of photos from her bosom, stared at the image of a tengu lying sprawled on a tree branch, and smiled sinisterly.

Xia Xun glanced closer and immediately felt a surge of secret pleasure.

"Miss Eryan, where did you get these photos?"

"Hmph~" Eryan Nizou smirked smugly, "This is the masterpiece I painstakingly obtained last night. I even posed that tengu in several positions."

"Once we save up a few more, it will be enough to publish her 'Pajama Drunk Photo Album'."

She laughed like a raccoon that had just stolen a chicken. "That guy will definitely come back to Nitunting. I'm from the outside world, so I understand these paparazzi's obsession all too well."

"I'll order ten copies!" Xia Xun immediately decided.

“No problem, I’ll bring it to you personally.” Niyan Mazo readily agreed.

Meanwhile, somewhere on the mountain of monsters.

Aya Shameimaru, who was fast asleep hanging among the tree branches, suddenly shivered and woke up with a start.

She looked around blankly and found herself hanging from a tree in her pajamas, her whole body aching and her memory mostly blank.

"Who...who has dealt with me this time?!"

She hugged her arms tightly, trembling, desperately trying to recall who she had offended recently.

Then Aya Shameimaru gave up.

Haha, there are too many to count.

As the sun rises, golden rays fall upon the fields.

Xia Xun left the human village and headed towards his family's farm.

Before we even got close, we could hear the roar of machinery and the din of noise.

From afar, a group of kappa were kneeling, cheering, and offering gifts around his field; the scene was eerie yet imbued with a sense of piety.

"...What are these guys doing?"

Xia Xun's eyelids twitched, and she quickened her pace to catch up.

"Offering sacrifices, worshipping the holy site—"

"This place is where the great god of cucumbers descended, and through His mighty power, He transformed it into divine soil, nurturing delicious cucumbers!"

"This is a miracle! We should worship it with all our hearts. The endless cucumbers promised by the gods will surely come in the future!"

The blessing was so abstract that Xia Xun managed to detect a hint of absurdity in it.

The moment he appeared, the kappa girl wearing a hat with a cucumber pattern spotted him and immediately raised her arms and shouted:

"The supreme god of cucumbers has descended! Everyone, quickly pay homage—!"

"The cucumber god will surely bestow upon us delicious cucumbers!"

Woohoo—

The kappa turned around in unison, their eyes fixed intently on Xia Xun, then knelt down in a flurry of prayers.

"Cucumber God, please grant me delicious cucumbers!"

"May I make a lot of money and buy lots and lots of cucumbers!"

"I want to eat delicious cucumbers every day!"

Fortunately, having experienced the earth-shattering kneeling of the Soul Demon yesterday, Xia Xun had at least gained some resistance.

His gaze swept quickly, and he precisely picked out a familiar blue-haired figure from the pile of kneeling kappa: Kawashiro Nitori.

Good heavens, her former boss was kneeling down there too, and the one presiding over the ceremony was the very same person who had shouted at the festival that she wanted to give Natsumi to be a shrine maiden.

Xia Xun rubbed his forehead, feeling a headache coming on, and whispered in He Chenghe's ear, "You'd better keep an eye on them, or I'll have to cancel the rest of the cucumber collaboration."

As soon as he finished speaking, Kawashiro Natsumi, who had been nervous and at a loss because of his closeness with the cucumber god, suddenly became determined as if he were going to the battlefield.

Her petite frame exuded a surprising aura; with a wave of her small hand, her voice was clear and bright:

"Listen up, everyone! Today we are here to build a temple for the God of Cucumbers. Unauthorized prayers to the God of Cucumbers are strictly prohibited!"

His imposing gaze swept over the oil-pouring stain, and he seized control of the situation.

"For the sake of cucumbers, I will accompany the Great God to convey His decree. No one else is allowed to disturb us!"

The kappa looked at each other, then burst into a deafening cheer:

"That's wonderful! Lady Nitori has become the priestess of the Cucumber God! He has accepted our faith!"

"Then the cucumbers from this sacred land will surely be given to us in the future!"

Under Kawashiro Nitori's gaze, they stood in unison, arms raised high:

"For cucumbers—!"

They dispersed in an orderly fashion, and in the blink of an eye, only Natsumi and Kawashiro Nitori remained on the bustling farm.

However, Xia Xun could still feel the scorching gazes from all around. From time to time, a few small heads would peek out from the edge of the field or behind the bushes, only to quickly retreat back inside.

Although the scene made him very uncomfortable, at least he calmed down.

As for the kappa's bizarre beliefs...

Well, he had corrected them several times during the festival, but they still did as they pleased, yet they still had that innocent and cute look on their faces.

What could Xia Xun do? She could only let them be.

"Come on, I'll take you to see the location where we'll build the house."

Xia Xun looked at Kawashiro Natori, who was standing next to her with a face full of admiration, and couldn't help but reach out and rub her head.

"Yes! Great God of Cucumbers!" Kawashiro Naritoki's cheeks flushed slightly, but his voice was exceptionally loud.

I got patted on the head by the cucumber god! So happy!

The wind carried the faint whispers of other kappa, filled with envy.

Led by Kawashiro Natsumi and a string of little tails following quietly behind, Natsumi arrived at a newly cleared area on the edge of the farm.

He roughly marked out an area of ​​about 300 square meters, explaining that the house would be built there.

As for building materials, Xia Xun did not intend to take advantage of the hundred or so cucumbers and the broken arm he had found by chance.

He took out the wood he had stored in his backpack, and after Kawashiro Nitori confirmed that it was usable, he decided to use wood as the main structure, with the rest of the missing parts provided by the kappa, and finally settled the payment with cucumbers.

After listening to Xia Xun's arrangements, Kawashiro Naotori stared at the open space for a long time, then nodded heavily: "Don't worry, God of Cucumber, leave your temple to us!"

Without waiting for Xia Xun's response, he dashed back to discuss the matter with his companions.