051 Containment

Lin Yan and Huahong had not closed their eyes all night. The moment they returned home, a wave of exhaustion hit them, and after having a meal at Ye Zi's place, they collapsed into bed and fell sound asleep.

When they woke up again, it was already the morning of the next day. Lin Yan had slept deeply.

As soon as she opened her eyes, a wave of noise drifted into her ears from the courtyard. Judging by the sound, a great many people had gathered.

Rubbing her eyes, Lin Yan flipped over and got up.

The first thing she saw was Huahong's back. Huahong was standing with her back to the house, talking to a crowd of people.

"Lin Yan is still sleeping. You should all go back first and come back after she wakes up. She is still just a little child and shouldn't be too tired."

"We'll just wait right here. We won't disturb her sleep."

"That's right, we'll just wait. Huahong, you go about your business and don't worry about us."

"What on earth is this spiritual power anyway? Only Lin Yan knows best, and we're waiting for her to wake up and explain it clearly. We're just too curious. Can anyone possess that kind of ability?"

...

After listening for a moment, Lin Yan understood. They had come for the spiritual power. When she revealed it to them, she had already anticipated this day would come.

She just hadn't expected them to arrive so quickly; this was only the second day after their return. The speed at which news traveled in the tribe was astonishing—there were simply no secrets whatsoever.

She stepped out of the house, and someone with sharp eyes spotted her immediately.

"Lin Yan is here!"

Huahong glanced back, and just as she was about to speak to her daughter, she was nudged aside by someone. Before she could figure out what was happening, Lin Yan was already surrounded by a tight circle of people.

She shouted anxiously, "Everyone make way, stop crowding!"

Unfortunately, in the chaotic crowd, no one had the spare attention to pay heed to Huahong.

All Lin Yan could see were legs swaying back and forth before her eyes, and her head was buzzing with noise.

Suddenly, someone scooped Lin Yan up and lifted her into the air. Her field of vision instantly widened, and her mind cleared up a bit.

She looked down and saw that it was Maomu who was holding her. He shouted at the crowd, "Stop shouting, stop crowding, and listen to Lin Yan!"

After a short while, the crowd finally quieted down. A sea of eager faces turned toward Lin Yan, mouths half-open as if about to speak, yet holding back, though the anxiety in their eyes was unmistakable.

"Maomu, why did so many people come?" Lin Yan asked, looking down.

Maomu glanced around at the crowd. "They have something to ask you, but I don't know what it is. When I came to look for you this morning, I just got caught up in the crowd."

With that, he turned his gaze back to the dense throng of people and locked eyes with someone. "Blue Fierce, you tell her."

The person called upon, Blue Fierce, said in a booming voice, "We heard that Lin Yan can sense things several meters away without using her eyes. We were really curious, so we came to ask how she did it."

"That's spiritual power! We want to know how you train to get it," Huang Li chimed in hurriedly, feeling that Blue Fierce hadn't explained it quite right.

Seeing that others were about to speak as well, Maomu shouted, "Quiet everyone! Listen to what Lin Yan has to say."

The restless crowd fell silent once more, all staring fixedly at Lin Yan with burning, intensely excited gazes.

Lin Yan coughed to clear her throat. Having just woken up, she didn't feel entirely comfortable yet. "Spiritual power really exists, and I only cultivated it by accident. I only know that it relies on focus and meditation to stimulate a mysterious force generated by the brain. You can practice it more when you have free time; you might not achieve results in a short time, but if you keep at it for a long time, you might succeed. One more thing—this depends a lot on luck. Some people can do it, while others simply can't. Don't get your hopes up too early."

"What kind of people can succeed?" Huang Li asked eagerly.

Blue Fierce immediately followed up, "How do you do this focusing and meditating?"

"Focus means being extremely single-minded, immersing yourself entirely in it without being distracted by external things. Meditation means finding a place to empty your mind and achieve a state of complete physical and mental relaxation. As for how to actually do it, everyone's understanding is different, so you'll have to figure it out yourselves."

Before anyone else could ask another question, she quickly added, "I'm hungry and need to eat. You should all go back now."

Maomu also chimed in, "Lin Yan is still young and can't go hungry. Hurry up and leave, go home and ponder it yourselves. You can't rely on Lin Yan for everything."

Seeing the lack of a smile on Lin Yan's face and sensing her displeasure, the blocked crowd reluctantly dispersed.

Huahong finally caught sight of her daughter and, after the people had left, said indignantly, "This is simply too much! Whenever they have something on their minds, they all crowd together like they're starting a riot. Who could put up with this?"

"Mother, if you didn't like it, why didn't you block the door and refuse to let them in?" Lin Yan hopped down from Maomu's arms, tilted her head back to look at Huahong, and said, "Next time something like this happens, just bar the door and don't let anyone in."

"Can I really do that?" Huahong looked toward the front gate, her expression hesitant and uncertain.

"If you want to do it, just do it. This is our own home; Mother can refuse entry to whoever she wants."

Maomu agreed as well, "Exactly. So many people squeezed together like that can easily cause trouble. In the future, if they come again, you can just chase them out. I can help."

Only then did Lin Yan remember Maomu's presence. "What did you come to find me for?"

Maomu hesitated for a moment before replying, "You've been teaching lessons to Waterborn and the others. I want to come too. Is that okay?"

"Do you really want to learn?"

Maomu nodded. "Yes, I want to study along with you all."

Lin Yan hesitated for a while. "Your family relies entirely on you. If you come to classes, you won't be able to look after things at home."

"Our two houses are close. I can just pop back during breaks to cut grass and feed the marmots; it won't delay anything else."

"If you can manage your time, then come along. You can just audit the classes—learn as much as you can, and you won't need to attend every single day like Waterborn and the others."

Considering the situation at Maomu's home, Lin Yan knew he couldn't just abandon his responsibilities. Besides, given his age, would he feel awkward studying alongside a group of younger children?

Maomu said happily, "Great! I'll arrange everything at home properly, and it won't interfere with my studies."

He had heard that the material being taught in this batch of classes was completely different from before, and he desperately wanted to learn it.

"Maomu is truly a good child—he loves to study and works hard too."

After Maomu left, Huahong sighed admiringly, "Lin Yan, now that Maomu is coming, what should we do if others want to join too? We can't just take in everyone, can we?"

Huahong had finally realized that having a daughter who was too popular could also be a source of trouble.

In the past, everyone had been too busy searching for food to care about such matters, but now that life had settled down, people had more on their minds, and disputes had increased.

She had heard from Ye Zi that a few households in the Second Group were constantly arguing over trivial matters and had already sought Ye Zi out to resolve things several times.

Lin Yan took a bite of steamed egg and said, "Mother don't worry. Maomu is an exception; we won't take any other kids. At most, we can add Lin Yun as well, and that will be it for the group."

"As long as you have a plan in mind, that's fine. Mother was just afraid you'd accept anyone who asked. Our house only has so much space—it can't hold that many people."

Lin Yan smiled and nodded. "These steamed goose eggs are delicious, much fresher than wild bird eggs. Mother, you should eat up."

Upon returning yesterday, their family had received half a basket of large goose eggs, a crippled big white goose, and a small lamb leg.

Huahong took a bite. "They really are better than wild bird eggs. They're so big that eating two of them fills you right up."

The children who attended the classes arrived one after another, all knowing that Lin Yan was home today and that class would proceed as usual.

After finishing her meal, Lin Yan began the day's lessons. She deliberately called Maomu over and informed the other children that Maomu was an auditing student.