The Cat Congregation

After the number of Sacred Flame Spirit Cats had stabilized, Lin Yan finally had time to take a good look at his new followers.

There were twelve Sacred Flame Spirit Cats in the East Side Courtyard now.

Besides them, there were more than twenty ordinary palace cats and stray cats that had come on their own.

Strictly speaking, these ordinary cats didn't count as "followers" yet.

At most, they were peripheral members.

But in Lin Yan's eyes, since they were already living on his turf, eating his food, and sleeping by his nest, it was only a matter of time before they joined the ranks.

So early that morning, Little White Cat crouched beneath the covered walkway, ready to hold his first "general assembly."

"Come over here."

He called softly.

The cats in the courtyard had been sunbathing, chasing their tails, or sneaking glances toward the kitchen. At once, they all turned to look at him.

The next moment,

they came swarming over.

Black, white, orange, calico, gray-blue.

Cats of every size crowded together.

A few bolder ones even lifted their front paws, trying to paw at his legs.

Lin Yan: "..."

Great.

At this rate, before the sect even officially opened, this would turn into a massive scene of cats throwing themselves at him.

"Sit down, all of you."

This time, he spoke a little more seriously.

Spark Resonance stirred faintly. The twelve Sacred Flame Spirit Cats quieted first, immediately sitting down in neat rows.

The ordinary cats beside them didn't quite understand, but when they saw the Sacred Flame Spirit Cats sitting still, they settled down too.

The courtyard soon fell quiet.

Lin Yan nodded in satisfaction.

"Not bad."

"Looks like I have a little authority after all."

"At least this meeting won't turn into a cat market the moment it starts."

Once the cats had settled down, he turned his attention to the twelve Sacred Flame Spirit Cats.

He had personally awakened these little ones, but their individual talents were already beginning to show.

Little Flame went without saying.

It was the first one, and the one closest to Bibi Dong. Its ability to soothe and bring warmth was the steadiest.

Among the other eleven, a few stood out as well.

One little black cat was the best at hiding.

It was usually quiet, and if it curled up beneath the shadows of a tree, you could easily lose track of it.

One pure-white kitten was the quietest. It seemed naturally suited to keeping people company, and even its purring was steadier than the others'.

One slightly chubby orange cat was the liveliest. It was best at rubbing against people's legs, and whoever it approached tended to feel better.

One tabby cat had the quickest reactions and brightest eyes. Whenever there was a sound at the courtyard gate, it was always the first to notice.

The last was a gray-blue kitten, the most sensitive to Soul Power and Core Flames. It loved to sit by the brazier and formation patterns, as if it were studying something.

Looking at them, Lin Yan had already made up his mind.

"You five, step forward."

The five kittens he had singled out glanced at one another.

Though they didn't know what he wanted, they quickly ran over and obediently lined up in front of Lin Yan.

The other cats in the courtyard immediately looked on with envy.

The orange cat had barely taken its place before unconsciously puffing out its chest.

Clearly, it had already entered the "I'm about to get promoted" mindset.

Lin Yan looked at the five and pondered for a moment.

"From now on, you five will be the courtyard's stewards."

"Black Cat, you're in charge of night patrols. White Cat, stay with Little Flame and guard the sleeping hall. Orange Cat, keep an eye on the people who bring us food and milk. Remember who means us harm and who's sincerely bringing us treats."

"Tabby, you're in charge of carrying messages and watching the gate. If anyone sneaks over the wall or acts suspiciously, keep an eye on them."

"Gray-Blue, you'll learn about Core Flames and the flow of Soul Power from me. You'll be in charge of keeping an eye on the brazier, lamps, and Core Flames in the courtyard."

Then he added:

"Got that?"

The five cats probably didn't understand every detail of their new duties.

But once Spark Resonance was activated, they could grasp the general idea.

So all five nodded in unison.

"Meow!"

The cats beside them looked even more envious.

One little white cat had even started spinning in place, clearly thinking, Why wasn't it me?

Lin Yan ignored the jealousy bubbling up around him and turned to another very practical problem.

Names.

Now that he'd picked out the cats, he couldn't keep calling them Black, White, and Orange.

His naming skills had been mediocre in his previous life.

Being reborn as a cat hadn't improved them in the slightest.

After giving it a long, serious thought, Lin Yan decided to take the safest approach.

"If you're going to be in charge, you'll need proper names."

"You're Charcoal Ball."

"You're Snowball."

"You're A Ju."

"You're Swirl."

"You're Blue Tail."

The five cats all froze.

Then they stared at him in unison.

The courtyard fell quiet, too.

It seemed as if every cat was thinking the same thing: Aren't those names a little too simple?

Lin Yan felt a little guilty under their stares, and his tail swished without him meaning it to.

"What's wrong with simple?"

"They're easy to remember, easy to say, and suit you perfectly."

"Cats aren't people. Do you expect me to call you something like Heavenly Flame Saint or Moon Soul Sky Warden? That'd be weird. =="

That was what he thought, but he kept his expression composed.

In the end, none of the five cats objected.

After all, to them, being named personally by their leader—no, by their sect master—was a big deal.

The next moment, all five little cats bowed their heads.

"Meow."

They couldn't say "Thank you for naming us" like people could, but the meaning was clear enough.

The other cats in the courtyard watched, even more envious than before.

The little white cat that had been spinning in place had started banging its head against the corner of a wall.

Lin Yan's mouth twitched.

"Great."

"They're already showing signs of competition, and we've only just finished choosing the stewards."

"Maybe I can introduce a promotion system later."

At the thought, he suddenly felt like he was starting to look more and more like a sect master.

He had followers.

He even had stewards.

In a few days, he might be able to set up branches.

Of course, no matter what he imagined, his priority was making sure the cats were properly organized.

So for the rest of the day, Lin Yan gave the five steward cats "on-the-job training."

Charcoal Ball followed him around, learning how to walk silently at night.

Snowball was assigned to learn the way to Bibi Dong's sleeping hall and study, alongside Little Flame.

A Ju was the easiest to handle.

The moment it saw a female attendant bringing milk, it knew exactly how to rub against her. It even had a good sense of boundaries: it would nuzzle her twice, roll over to show its belly, then immediately back away.

It wasn't annoying, and it left people in a wonderful mood.

Lin Yan only had to watch once before making up his mind.

"A Ju was born to handle public relations."

"If the courtyard's food gets better and better, it'll deserve at least half the credit."

Swirl's job suited it, too.

The tabby was lively and sharp. It could spot at a glance who had stolen food, who had started a fight, and who was trying to sneak over the wall at night.

Blue Tail was on a completely different path.

It wasn't fond of playing around, but it was sensitive to Soul Power, Core Flames, and changes in a person's aura.

If the fire in the brazier weakened even a little, Blue Tail was the first to notice.

When Lin Yan activated the Calming Bell, everyone else just felt soothed, but Blue Tail would stare at the bell for ages.

Lin Yan was very pleased.

"Excellent."

"If I really get the Holy Flame Cat Cat Sect up and running, Blue Tail can at least be a reserve member of the logistics hall."

After a few days, the East Side Courtyard had become quite orderly.

In the morning, the cats lined up for milk.

At noon, they sunbathed.

At night, Charcoal Ball took a few energetic cats on patrol, while Snowball and Little Flame guarded the sleeping hall. A Ju crouched by the gate to greet anyone bringing treats, Swirl led the others and kept order, and Blue Tail stayed by the brazier to watch the fire.

Whatever else could be said, at least the rules were in place.

Even the female attendant in charge of the courtyard couldn't help remarking, "These cats... how come they seem more and more like they understand human speech?"

When Lin Yan heard that, he was lying on a tree, and he silently nodded.

It wasn't that they seemed to.

They really did understand a little.

You just didn't know it.

But the peace didn't last long.

Half a month later, there were already more than twice as many cats in the East Side Courtyard as there had been at the beginning.

The reason was simple.

First, it was a nice place to live.

Second, there was plenty to eat.

Third, and most importantly, the Pope's Palace had really started keeping cats.

No one announced the news publicly, but word got around the palace in its own way.

One cat ran from the kitchen to the garden.

Another ran from the garden to the corridor.

Then a few maids mentioned it in passing, and before long, people at the lower levels of Spirit Hall knew all about it—even if the higher-ups didn't care.

So more and more palace cats and stray cats from nearby began making their way to the East Side Courtyard.

Some came for the food.

Some came for the brazier.

A few had lost out over territory elsewhere, so they came here to try their luck instead.

At first, Lin Yan was quite happy.

More cats was a good thing.

It meant the sect's follower base was growing.

But when a month had passed, he finally realized something was wrong.

There were too many cats.

And cats had kittens.

That evening, the five steward cats, unusually, didn't go off to handle their separate duties. Instead, they all ran into Lin Yan's little room.

Charcoal Ball was the steadiest and spoke up first.

Of course, it couldn't speak human language.

So, in practice, the five cats surrounded him, one meowing, another chirping, while a jumble of emotions and images poured through Spark Resonance all at once. It nearly scrambled Lin Yan's brain.

"Wait."

"Slow down."

"One at a time."

"This cat isn't Ghost Douluo. I can't listen to five reports at once!"

Lin Yan raised a paw and rubbed his brow, then let Charcoal Ball speak first.

Charcoal Ball was the steadiest, and the best at conveying simple images.

A moment later, Lin Yan finally understood.

Among the ordinary cats that had recently appeared in the courtyard, several females were already close to giving birth.

If nothing unexpected happened, before long, the East Side Courtyard would be filled with litter after litter of kittens.

That wasn't a bad thing in itself.

The problem was that eight out of ten of these newborn kittens would be ordinary cats.

They wouldn't automatically undergo Spirit Ignition.

Nor would they naturally share the same thoughts as the Sacred Flame Spirit Cats.

There was, of course, no problem with raising them as ordinary cats.

But then the so-called "Sacred Flame Lineage" would grow more and more diluted.

The ordinary cats would keep multiplying.

Meanwhile, the proportion of Spirit Cats who could connect to Spark Resonance, assist him, and take on future responsibilities would only keep shrinking.

At the thought, Lin Yan's head began to ache.

"Uh-oh."

"This problem came up way too soon."

"I thought it wouldn't become an issue for at least a few more months."

It wasn't that he'd never considered this.

He'd just been too busy expanding their ranks and setting rules. With more cats, life had grown livelier, and he'd honestly let the matter slip his mind for a while.

Now that Charcoal Ball and the others had reminded him, he immediately understood the crux of the problem.

If this group of cats relied entirely on natural reproduction from now on, then their bloodline... No, their spiritual nature and connection to the Core Flame would inevitably be diluted with each generation.

In the end, the East Side Courtyard might still be full of cats.

But those cats might no longer be cats of the Holy Flame Cat Cat Sect.

They might just be ordinary cats who ate well and slept well.

That wasn't what Lin Yan wanted.

He didn't want a courtyard full of fat cats.

He wanted a true Sacred Flame Lineage that could be passed down.

At the thought, the Little White Cat couldn't help frowning.

"Put simply, there are too few Spirit Ignition slots."

"The limit is only twelve right now. I can't go around manually consecrating every kitten in every litter, can I?"

"Forget whether I'd even have the time."

"At this rate, sooner or later, this cat will turn into a heartless Spirit Ignition machine."

Remembering the pain he'd felt when he'd shed fur to perform Spirit Ignition, Lin Yan felt miserable all over.

"No."

"Absolutely not."

"This cat can't spend the rest of his life here as a blood bank and fur bank."

At the thought, he instinctively wanted to consult the system.

[System.]

[Present.]

[Is there some kind of... lower-cost Spirit Ignition method?]

[Request insufficiently clear.]

"..."

Lin Yan fell silent for a moment, then quickly gathered his thoughts.

[I mean, it wouldn't have to be full Spirit Ignition for each cat. Could newborn kittens be steeped in a little Holy Fire Aura from the time they're young, so they retain their spirituality and become easier to include in the resonance when they grow up?]

The system was silent for two breaths, then quickly responded.

[Theoretically feasible.]

[Host's current abilities: Purring Dream, Sacred Flame Spirit Ignition, Spark Resonance, Calming Bell.]

[You may attempt to establish a "Holy Fire Nest."]

[Based on the host's Core Flame, the calming effect of the Calming Bell, and the group resonance of the Sacred Flame Spirit Cats, young cats can be nurtured over time.]

[Effects: preserves spirituality, increases the chance of awakening, and reduces the cost of formal Spirit Ignition.]

Lin Yan's eyes lit up as he read the lines.

"It'll work!"

"And it sounds perfect for cats."

No need to shed a lot of fur.

No need to work on them one by one.

He just had to create a stable "Holy Fire Nest." After that, any new arrivals or newborn kittens could be placed inside and nurtured over time.

Like an incubator.

But for cats.

At the thought, Lin Yan perked right up.

"This will work."

"And it'll work really well."

"This cat really is best suited to a sustainable development strategy."

But though he was excited, Lin Yan knew that this method could only solve part of the problem.

It could preserve spirituality.

It could increase the chance of awakening.

But it wouldn't solve everything outright.

To ensure the lineage could be passed down steadily, he'd still need a more comprehensive plan.

At the very least, he had to solve three problems.

First, how to get newborn kittens accustomed to the Holy Fire Aura from an early age.

Second, how to select the promising ones who could truly qualify for Spirit Ignition.

Third, and most troublesome of all—

This cat couldn't stay in the East Side Courtyard forever.

At the thought, Lin Yan fell silent for two seconds.

That was the root of the problem.

Although he was currently living in the Pope's Palace, with Bibi Dong as his powerful backer, and the East Side Courtyard was fairly secure, he'd always known in his heart that this wasn't the end of the road.

He still had to keep moving forward.

He had to grow stronger.

He had people to save.

And he had to keep up with the story.

There was Spirit Hall, Bibi Dong, Hu Liena, Qian Renxue, and even the more distant Heavenly Dou, Star Luo Empire, Shrek Academy, and Star Dou Great Forest. There were so many people and events waiting for him down the line.

He couldn't stay holed up in the East Side Courtyard forever, making a living as a full-time Cat Sect leader.

"So..."

"The Holy Fire Nest is a temporary measure."

"It can hold things together for a while, but it can't be the final answer."

"Surely I won't have to come back every so often when I'm away, just to hold meetings with the kittens, perform Spirit Ignition, and manage their breeding?"

At the thought, Lin Yan even pictured a rather terrifying scene.

He'd become a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast and returned to Spirit Hall in a fearsome display—only for the first thing he had to do to be neither discuss the divine trials nor save anyone, but get cornered by a group of cat managers reporting:

"Leader, there are too many expectant mother cats lately. We're running short on Warm Nests."

"Leader, the new generation of kittens has seen a three-point drop in their awakening rate."

"Leader, A Ju went and tricked the kitchen into giving him extra food again."

Lin Yan: "..."

He had to admit, it was pretty terrifying.

He quickly shook his head, driving the image from his mind.

"No."

"This cat absolutely cannot become the Cat Clan's logistics director."

"This cat still has ambitions."

That was all well and good, but he still had to deal with what was in front of him.

First, put out the fire.

Then think about the future.

Once he'd made up his mind, Lin Yan quickly started giving orders.

"Charcoal Ball, clear out the little room beside the brazier."

"Snowball and Little Flame, keep watch tonight. Have those cats who are close to giving birth stay there for now."

"Swirl, watch the courtyard gate. Don't let other cats barge in."

"A Ju... Don't give me that look. You've got a job too. Go calm down the cats outside who are the best at begging for food. Don't let them run off to cause trouble in the kitchen in the middle of the night."

"Blue Tail, come with me. We're setting up the nest."

The five cats answered in unison, then immediately split up to get to work.

Watching them scatter, Lin Yan felt a subtle sense of accomplishment well up inside him.

"Not bad."

"This is starting to feel like a proper organization."

"At least when something goes wrong, this cat isn't the only one running around in circles."

Lin Yan stayed busy for the next two hours.

Strictly speaking, this "Sacred Fire Warm Nest" wasn't anything complicated.

It only needed three things.

A quiet, warm place where they wouldn't be disturbed.

A steady strand of Holy Fire Core Flame.

And the group soothing effect brought by Spark Resonance.

The Warm Nest itself was set up in the little room beside the brazier.

Lin Yan had Blue Tail keep the fire steady, then leaped onto a cabinet and drew out a little stored moonlight and Core Flame from the Calming Bell, letting it slowly sink into the old cat bed beside the brazier.

The fire couldn't be too strong.

Nor could the moonlight be too heavy.

Otherwise, newborn kittens wouldn't be able to handle it.

So he took his time with the whole process.

At last, when a faint warm glow slowly began to seep from the old cat bed, Lin Yan stopped.

Next came Little Flame and Snowball.

They lay on either side of the nest.

They made no sound.

They only purred softly.

Their purring was gentle and even, not loud, yet it gradually quieted the entire room.

Finally, there was Lin Yan himself.

He sat in front of the nest, watching the warm glow. His tail curled lightly around himself as the Calming Bell gave a faint chime.

Ding.

A tiny sound.

It was like the final lock being placed on the entire cat nest.

A system notification appeared.

[System notification: Sacred Fire Warm Nest constructed.]

[Current effect: Low-grade.]

[Can nurture young cats, improving spiritual retention and the chance of awakening.]

[Recommendation: Long-term maintenance.]

Only when he saw the word "complete" did Lin Yan finally breathe a sigh of relief.

"It's done."

"It's only low-grade, but it should hold things together for now."

"If the system gives me some related skills or items later, maybe this Warm Nest can be upgraded."

As he was thinking, a very faint sound of footsteps came from the doorway.

Lin Yan's ears twitched, and he turned to look.

Then he saw Bibi Dong standing outside the door.

He didn't know how long she'd been there.

Nor how long she'd been watching.

She stood quietly, gazing at the cats inside and the faint layer of warm light in the middle of the nest.

Lin Yan's heart gave a sudden lurch.

This is bad.

Why did she have to come right now?

I was just arranging a breeding nest for the cats. Doesn't this look a little too much like I'm secretly building a family business?

But in the next moment, Bibi Dong merely glanced at the nest, then at the Little White Cat sitting in front of it, and said coolly:

"You're getting better and better at finding things to keep yourself busy with."

Her tone wasn't harsh.

And she wasn't scolding him.

Lin Yan looked up at her and sighed inwardly.

It's not like I want to.

But if I don't do something, sooner or later this courtyard will go from the Holy Flame Cat Cat Sect to Spirit Hall's giant stray-cat shelter.

Of course, he couldn't say that out loud.

In the end, the Little White Cat simply raised his head and gave her a soft little "meow."

Bibi Dong looked at him, then at Little Flame and Snowball, who were guarding the nest. Only after a moment did she turn her gaze away.

"Keep it down."

"I'll be in the study tonight."

With that, she turned and left.

The Little White Cat stared after her for two breaths before he understood.

She wasn't saying she disapproved.

She was assuming the cats would stay here tonight, that the Warm Nest he'd gone to all that trouble to set up could remain, and that... his growing congregation was still, for now, within the bounds of her tolerance.

At that thought, the Little White Cat's mood improved considerably.

Not bad.

His Holiness the Pope may be cold in her words, but her limits are pretty flexible.

At least for now, I don't have to worry about my Side Courtyard operation getting wiped out in one fell swoop.

Inside the room,

the pregnant mother cats slowly made their way over to the Warm Nest.

The light inside it wasn't bright.

But it was steady.

Like a tiny flame that would never go out.

Lin Yan crouched beside it and watched for a long time before finally letting out a soft breath.

Let's leave things like this for now.

For the moment, I can save one generation at a time.

I still need to figure out how to make this lineage truly secure in the long run.

At that thought, he lowered his head and glanced at the patch of fur on his chest.

Good.

He wasn't bald yet.

So the Little White Cat very seriously set himself a bottom line.

This stopgap measure is acceptable.

But I absolutely can't let myself become a heartless blood bag.

The Holy Flame Cat Cat Sect needs a method. It can't rely entirely on draining me dry.