The Cat Crowd

Once the number of Sacred Flame Spirit Cats stabilized, Lin Yan finally had time to properly size up this batch of new followers.

In the East Side Courtyard now, there were a total of twelve Sacred Flame Spirit Cats.

Besides them, there were also over twenty ordinary palace cats and strays that had wandered in on their own.

Strictly speaking, these ordinary cats weren't yet considered "followers."

At best, they were peripheral members.

But in Lin Yan's view, since they'd already moved into his territory, eaten his food, and planned to sleep by his nest, they'd be enlisted sooner or later anyway.

So early that morning, Little White Cat crouched under the eaves, ready to hold the first "general assembly."

"All of you, come here."

He called out softly.

The cats in the yard—some sunbathing, some chasing their tails, some sneaking glances toward the kitchen—all turned their heads in unison at once.

The next moment.

They swarmed over in a rush.

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

Big and small, they crowded into a tight cluster.

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

Lin Yan: "..."

Great.

Judging by this scene, the sect hadn't even officially started yet, and it was already turning into a large-scale scam-for-pets site.

"Sit down, all of you."

This time, his tone was a bit more serious.

Spark Resonance stirred slightly, and the twelve Sacred Flame Spirit Cats quieted down first, immediately sitting properly in order.

The ordinary cats nearby didn't fully understand, but seeing the Sacred Flame Spirit Cats stop moving, they also settled down considerably.

The yard quickly fell silent.

Lin Yan nodded in satisfaction.

"Not bad."

"Looks like This Cat still has some authority."

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

Once it was quiet, he first turned his gaze to the twelve Sacred Flame Spirit Cats.

Although these little ones had all been awakened by him, their paths were already starting to show.

Little Flame went without saying.

It was the first one, and the closest to Bibi Dong, with the most stable soothing warmth and comfort.

Aside from it, among the other eleven, a few were clearly more outstanding.

A pure black kitten, the best at hiding.

Usually quiet and unobtrusive, it would lie down under the shadow of a tree, and if you weren't careful, you'd lose track of it.

A pure white kitten, the quietest, naturally suited to staying with people, even its purr was steadier than the other cats'.

A slightly chubby orange cat, the most lively, best at rubbing against people's legs; whoever it got close to would find their mood easily improved.

A tabby cat, the quickest to react, with the brightest eyes; every time there was movement at the courtyard gate, it was always the first to notice.

Finally, a gray-blue kitten, the most sensitive to soul power and the flame seed, it liked to crouch by the heater and formation patterns, as if studying something.

Lin Yan looked at them, already having made a decision in his mind.

"You five, step forward."

The five kittens who were called glanced at each other.

Though they didn't know what was coming, they quickly ran in front of Lin Yan and obediently lined up in a row.

The other cats in the yard immediately cast envious glances.

Especially the orange cat; as soon as it stood still, it couldn't help puffing out its chest a little.

Clearly, it had already entered a "This Cat is about to get promoted" state.

Lin Yan looked at these five, pondering for a moment.

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

"The black one is in charge of night patrols around the yard. The white one stays with Little Flame to guard the sleeping chamber. The orange one handles the people who deliver food and milk outside—remember who has ill intent toward us and who genuinely feeds us."

"The tabby is responsible for passing messages and watching the gate. Whoever sneaks over the wall, whoever acts suspiciously, you go check."

"Grey-blue, from now on you follow This Cat to learn about sparks and soul power flow. The courtyard's stoves, lamps, and sparks will all be your responsibility first."

After saying this, he added another sentence:

"Got it?"

The five cats probably didn't fully grasp the division of labor.

But once Spark Resonance was activated, the general meaning could get through to them somewhat.

So the five cats immediately nodded in unison.

"Mew!"

The group of cats nearby grew even more envious.

A little white cat had even started spinning in place, clearly thinking: Why not this cat?

Lin Yan ignored those petty emotions on the side and first tackled another very practical problem.

Naming.

Since the cats had been picked out, he couldn't just keep calling them black, white, and orange.

His naming skills in his past life had been mediocre.

After transmigrating into a cat, this ability hadn't shown any improvement either.

After thinking hard for a long time, Lin Yan finally decided to take the safest route.

"Since you'll be handling things from now on, you all need proper names."

"You're Charcoal Ball."

"You're Snowball."

"You're A Ju."

"You're Swirl."

"You're Blue Tail."

The five cats were stunned for a moment.

Then they all stared at him.

The courtyard fell silent too.

As if all the cats were thinking together: Aren't these names... a bit too simple?

Lin Yan felt a little guilty under their gazes, and his tail couldn't help but twitch.

"What's wrong with simple?"

"Easy to remember, rolls off the tongue, and fits your forms well."

"Cats aren't people; do they really need names like Heavenly Flame Saint Sovereign or Moon-Prowling Sky Patroller? That'd be way too weird =="

Though he thought this, on the surface he still acted very composed.

In the end, the five cats raised no objections.

After all, to them, being personally named by the clan leader... no, by the sect leader, was already a huge deal.

So the next moment, the five little cats bowed their heads in unison.

"Mew."

Though they couldn't say "Thank you for the bestowed name" like humans, the meaning was clear enough.

The other cats in the courtyard watched this scene with even more envy.

Especially that little white cat who had been spinning just now; it had already started banging its head against the wall corner.

Lin Yan's mouth twitched at the sight.

"Great."

"We've only just finished the selection, and competition awareness is already showing up."

"Looks like I can set up a promotion system later."

Thinking this, he suddenly felt like he was really becoming more and more like a "sect leader."

Not only did he have followers.

But also managers.

In a few more days, he might even be able to split into branch halls.

Of course, thinking was one thing; for now, the most important thing was to get these cats organized.

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

Charcoal Ball first learned from him how to walk silently at night.

Snowball and Little Flame were assigned together to memorize the paths to Bibi Dong's bedchamber and study.

A Ju was the easiest to handle.

Because the moment that cat saw the female official delivering milk, it instinctively knew how to sidle up to her, and it had a perfect sense of proportion—rub twice, roll over to show its belly, then immediately back off.

Neither annoying, yet leaving a person in an excellent mood.

Lin Yan only needed to see it once to make up his mind.

"This A Ju guy is a born diplomat."

"If the courtyard's meals keep getting better from now on, he deserves at least half the credit."

Swirl's job suited it perfectly too.

That calico cat was the most active and the cleverest—whoever snuck a bite in the courtyard, whoever got into a fight, whoever tried to climb the wall under cover of night, it could basically spot them at a glance.

Blue Tail, on the other hand, took a completely different path.

It wasn't much for playing around, but it was very sensitive to soul power, flames, and shifts in aura.

If the fire in the stove dimmed even a little, it was the first to notice.

When Lin Yan activated the Calming Bell, others only felt comfortable, but Blue Tail would stare at the bell for a long time.

This pleased Lin Yan greatly.

"Good."

"If This Seat really does build up the 'Holy Flame Cat Cat Sect' in the future, Blue Tail can at least count as a reserve member of the logistics hall."

After a few days, the East Side Courtyard was already starting to look presentable.

In the morning, the cats lined up to drink milk.

At noon, the cats basked in the sun.

In the evening, Charcoal Ball led a few of the more energetic ones on patrol, Snowball and Little Flame guarded the sleeping quarters, A Ju crouched at the door to welcome anyone coming to feed them, Swirl led the team to maintain order, and Blue Tail lay by the stove watching the fire.

Putting everything else aside, at least the rules had been established.

Even the female official in charge of looking after the courtyard couldn't help but remark.

"These cats... how are they starting to seem like they understand human speech?"

When Lin Yan heard this, he was lying on a tree branch, nodding silently to himself.

Not 'seem like.'

They really can understand a little.

You just don't know it yet.

But this peace didn't last long.

Half a month later, the number of cats in the East Side Courtyard had more than doubled from the start.

The reason was simple.

First, the living conditions were good.

Second, the food was good.

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

Although no one said this openly, the palace had its own way of spreading news.

A cat ran from the kitchen to the garden.

A cat ran from the garden to the corridor.

Then a few maids casually mentioned it, and while the upper echelons of Martial Soul Hall didn't think much of it, the lower ranks all knew by now.

So more and more palace cats and nearby strays began drifting toward the East Side Courtyard.

Some came for the food.

Some came for the stove.

And a few came because they'd lost their territory elsewhere and decided to try their luck here.

At first, Lin Yan was quite happy.

More cats was a good thing.

It meant the foundation of followers was expanding.

But by the time a month had passed, he finally sensed something was wrong.

There were too many cats.

And cats had kittens.

That evening, the five managing cats broke their usual routine of splitting up to work and instead all ran into Lin Yan's little room together.

Charcoal Ball was the most steady, taking the lead.

Of course, he couldn't speak human language.

So what actually happened was that five cats surrounded him, one meowing here, another meowing there, plus a jumble of emotions and images from Spark Resonance flooding in all at once, nearly overwhelming Lin Yan's mind.

"Hold on."

"Slow down."

"One at a time."

"This Cat isn't a Ghost Douluo—I can't listen to five reports at once!"

Lin Yan raised a paw and pressed it to his brow, letting Charcoal Ball speak first.

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

After a moment, Lin Yan finally understood.

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

Barring any surprises, in a little while, the East Side Courtyard would be filled with litter after litter of kittens.

This wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

But the problem was that eight out of ten of these newborn kittens would likely just be ordinary cats.

They wouldn't automatically undergo Spirit Ignition.

Nor would they naturally share a heart-to-heart connection with the Sacred Flame Spirit Cat like he did.

If he just raised them as ordinary cats, of course that would be fine.

But if that happened, the so-called "Sacred Flame lineage" would become more and more mixed.

Ordinary cats would keep increasing.

The proportion of Spirit Cats that could truly connect into the Spark Resonance, assist him, and take on subsequent duties would instead grow lower and lower.

Thinking this far, Lin Yan's head began to ache.

"Damn."

"This problem came so fast."

"I thought it wouldn't blow up for at least a few more months."

He actually hadn't been oblivious to this issue.

It was just that earlier, he'd been too busy expanding and setting rules. With more cats, life had gotten livelier, and he hadn't had the time to focus on it.

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

If this group of cats relied entirely on natural reproduction from now on, then the bloodline... no, more accurately, the spiritual nature and the Fire Seed connection, would inevitably be diluted generation after generation.

In the end, the East Side Courtyard might still have plenty of cats.

But those cats might not necessarily be cats of the "Holy Flame Cat Cat Sect."

They might just be ordinary cats that ate very well and slept very soundly.

This wasn't what Lin Yan wanted to see.

What he wanted wasn't to raise a courtyard full of fat cats.

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

Thinking this, the little white cat couldn't help but frown.

"To put it bluntly, the problem is that there are too few Spirit Ignition slots."

"The current upper limit is only twelve. I can't just manually 'enlighten' every new litter one by one from now on, can I?"

"Let alone whether I'd even have the time."

"Just looking at this trend, This Cat will eventually turn himself into a heartless Spirit Ignition machine."

And then, recalling the pain of shedding fur during Spirit Ignition, Lin Yan felt terrible all over.

"No way."

"Absolutely no way."

"This Cat can't end up as a blood bag and fur bag here."

With that thought, he instinctively reached out to the system.

[System.]

[Here.]

[Is there... like, a lower-spec version of the Spirit Ignition plan?]

[Description of need is unclear.]

"..."

Lin Yan paused for a moment, then quickly organized his words.

[Something that doesn't require a full Spirit Ignition for each one, but lets newborn kittens absorb a bit of Sacred Flame aura from a young age, preserving their spirituality, so they're easier to incorporate into the Resonance when they grow up.]

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

[Theoretically feasible.]

[Host currently possesses abilities: Purring Dream, Sacred Flame Spirit Ignition, Spark Resonance, Calming Bell.]

[Can attempt to establish "Holy Fire Nest".]

[Based on host's flame, Calming Bell's soothing effect, and Sacred Flame Spirit Cat group resonance, long-term nurturing of kittens is possible.]

[Effect: Preserve spirituality, increase enlightenment chance, reduce formal ignition consumption.]

Seeing these lines, Lin Yan's eyes lit up.

"It can work!"

"And this method sounds perfect for cats."

No heavy shedding.

No hand-crafting one by one.

Just build a stable "Holy Fire Nest," toss in new kittens or newborns, and let them grow slowly.

Like an incubator.

But a cat version.

Thinking this, Lin Yan perked up.

"This is doable."

"Very doable."

"This Seat really is suited for a sustainable development path."

But joy aside, Lin Yan knew this method only solved part of the problem.

It preserved spirituality.

It increased enlightenment chance.

But it didn't directly fix everything.

To truly stabilize this lineage, a more complete system was needed later.

At least three issues had to be resolved.

First, how to get newborn kittens accustomed to the sacred flame's aura from an early age.

Second, how to select candidates truly qualified to bear ignition.

Third, and most troublesome—

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

Thinking this, Lin Yan fell silent for two seconds.

That was the root of the problem.

He lived in the Pope's Palace now, with Bibi Dong as his support, and the East Side Courtyard was stable, but he always knew this wasn't the end.

He had to keep moving forward.

Cultivation needed to rise.

People needed saving.

The plot needed following.

Martial Soul Hall, Bibi Dong, Hu Liena, Qian Renxue, and further ahead, Heavenly Dou, Star Luo, Shrek Academy, the Star Dou Great Forest—there were too many people and events to face later.

He couldn't hole up in the East Side Courtyard forever, working full-time as a cat-raising sect leader.

"So..."

"The Holy Fire Nest is a stopgap."

"It can hold for a while, but it's not the final answer."

"I can't be out on the road and still have to come back every few days to hold meetings for kittens, ignite them, and manage breeding."

Thinking this, Lin Yan's mind even conjured a terrifying image.

In the future, he'd cultivate to a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, storm back into Martial Soul Hall with overwhelming force, and the first thing he'd face wouldn't be divine trials or rescuing people, but a crowd of managing cats reporting to him:

"Sect Leader, there are too many pregnant queens lately, the nests are running short."

"Sect Leader, the enlightenment rate for the new kitten batch dropped three points."

"Sect Leader, A Ju went to trick the kitchen into extra meals again."

Lin Yan: "..."

Yeah, that was pretty terrifying.

He immediately shook his head, driving that future image out of his mind.

"No way."

"I absolutely cannot live as the cat clan's logistics minister."

"This Seat still has ambitions."

That said, the work at hand still had to be done.

First, save the fire.

Then talk about the future.

Once he figured that out, Lin Yan quickly started making arrangements.

"Charcoal Ball, you clear out that little room by the heater."

"Snowball and Little Flame, you two stand guard at night. Let the queens about to give birth move in there first."

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

"A Ju... don't make that face. You've got a job too. Go outside and calm down the ones that've been begging the most lately. Don't let them stir up trouble in the kitchen tonight."

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

The five cats meowed in unison and immediately scattered to their tasks.

Watching their retreating backs, Lin Yan felt a strange, subtle sense of accomplishment rise in his chest.

"Not bad."

"Now it actually feels like a proper organization."

"At least when something goes wrong, this cat isn't running in circles alone."

For the next two hours, Lin Yan kept busy.

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

The core was just three things.

A quiet, warm place that wouldn't be easily disturbed.

A stable spark of Sacred Fire.

And the group soothing effect of Spark Resonance.

The nest itself was set up in that little room by the heater.

Lin Yan first had Blue Tail stabilize the fire in the stove, then jumped onto the cabinet himself. From the Calming Bell, he drew out a little stored moonlight and fire spark, slowly letting them fall into the old cat bed by the stove.

The fire couldn't be too strong.

The moonlight couldn't be too heavy either.

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

So he did the whole process very slowly.

Finally, when a faint, warm glow began to seep through the old cat bed, Lin Yan stopped.

Next came Little Flame and Snowball.

One on the left, one on the right, they lay down by the nest.

They didn't make a sound.

They just purred slowly.

The purring was soft, steady, not loud, but it gradually settled the whole little room into calm.

Last was Lin Yan himself.

He sat in front of the nest, watching the warm glow. His tail curled lightly in a circle, and the Calming Bell gave a soft ring.

Ding.

A very faint sound.

Like putting the final lock on the entire cat nest.

A system prompt popped up.

[Ding, Sacred Fire Warm Nest construction complete.]

[Current effect: Low-tier.]

[Can gently nurture kittens, increasing spiritual retention and awakening probability.]

[Recommendation: Long-term maintenance.]

Seeing the word "complete," Lin Yan finally let out a breath.

"It's done."

"Even if it's only low-tier, at least it'll hold for now."

"If the system gives me any related skills or items later, this nest might even be upgradeable."

Just as he was thinking this, a very, very soft sound of footsteps came from the doorway.

Lin Yan's ears twitched. He turned his head to look.

And then he saw Bibi Dong standing outside the door.

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

Or how long she'd been watching.

He just stood there quietly, looking at the nest of cats in the room and the faint warm glow at its center.

Lin Yan's heart suddenly skipped a beat.

"Damn it."

"Why did she have to come now."

"This Cat was just setting up the birthing nest—doesn't this look way too much like secretly running a family business?"

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

"You're getting better and better at finding things to do for yourself."

Her tone wasn't heavy.

There was no blame either.

Lin Yan looked up at her and silently sighed in his heart.

"I don't want this either."

"But if This Cat doesn't step in, this courtyard will sooner or later turn from the Holy Flame Cat Cat Sect into a Martial Soul Hall massive stray cat shelter."

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

So in the end, Little White Cat just lifted his head and let out a very soft "meow" at her.

Bibi Dong looked at him, then at Little Flame and Snowball guarding the nest, and only after a moment did she shift her gaze away.

"Don't make noise."

"I'll be in the study tonight."

With that, she turned and left.

Lin Yan was stunned for two breaths before he realized what that meant.

Those words weren't disdain.

They presupposed that these cats would stay here tonight, that the warm nest he'd rigged up could remain, and that... this growing congregation of his was still within her tolerance for now.

Thinking this, Little White Cat's mood lifted considerably.

"Not bad."

"Her Holiness the Pope may have a cold mouth, but her bottom line is actually pretty flexible."

"This Cat's side-courtyard enterprise, at least for now, doesn't have to worry about being wiped out in one sweep."

And in the room.

The few mother cats close to giving birth had already slowly shuffled over to the edge of the warm nest.

The glow inside the nest wasn't strong.

But it was steady.

Like a flame that wouldn't go out.

Lin Yan crouched nearby and watched for a long time, finally letting out a soft breath.

"Let's leave it at this for now."

"For the moment, saving one generation is one generation."

"As for how to truly stabilize this lineage going forward, I'll have to keep thinking."

With that, he looked down at the patch of fur on his chest.

Good.

Still not bald yet.

So Little White Cat very seriously set a bottom line for himself in his heart.

"Temporary measures are fine."

"But This Cat absolutely cannot live himself into a ruthless blood bag."

"This Holy Flame Cat Cat Sect has to rely on methods, not just on plucking This Cat dry."