These five children truly lived up to their reputation as carefully selected ones. They were learning incredibly fast. One child in particular, a girl named Lan Jian who had only lived through six flame seasons, was especially remarkable.
Every day, Yang Yi would read a simple and easy-to-understand nursery rhyme aloud, letting them look at the characters on the page as they recited along with him.
All of the children could memorize the rhyme within the day and were able to recognize most of the characters when looking at the paper. However, if those characters were shown individually, many of them wouldn’t be able to recognize all of them.
Lan Jian, on the other hand, could not only recognize every single one but even write them all from memory.
Although her writing was slow, it already closely resembled the Song typeface used on computers. She followed the stroke order exactly as Yang Yi had taught.
It wasn’t uncommon for ordinary children to learn characters through nursery rhymes, but being able to write so many characters from memory after only a few days of learning was a completely different concept.
This child hadn’t been studying for long, yet she could already read simple picture books for young children on her own.
“I never thought I’d meet a child prodigy in this world!” Yang Yi didn’t know what kind of expression to make besides sheer admiration.
Yang Yi wasn’t exactly a poor student himself, but compared to someone of her level, the gap was enormous.
Not only was this little girl skilled at recognizing characters, but her comprehension was just as strong.
Though she was young, she could easily understand what Yang Yi was saying.
One had to keep in mind that Yang Yi often used highly specialized terms and vocabulary, not just difficult for a child this age, but even on Earth, where a difference in profession is like a mountain between people. Some technical terms wouldn’t be understood by outsiders at all.
Lan Jian, this little girl, only needed a simple explanation before she could grasp the general meaning.
Now, aside from Mao, the one who was most often by Yang Yi’s side was this child.
Whenever Yang Yi had tasks to assign, there was no need for Hei Lie to supervise or instruct anymore. This little girl could completely handle it on her own.
For her, it was also a form of training. Sometimes, when Yang Yi couldn’t figure out how to explain something using the local language, the little girl would perfectly serve as his interpreter.
It was just that, perhaps due to her brain being too well-developed, her body hadn’t been doing too well and needed careful nurturing.
In truth, saying she wasn’t healthy was only in comparison to the locals; she was about the same as an average child on Earth. To Yang Yi, this was what “normal” looked like.
But the people here were naturally born with incredibly strong bodies. Even children who had just grown two millet-sized baby teeth could gnaw on bones.
That time with the spicy hot pot, even though the flavor was so strong it nearly overwhelmed the kids, they were completely fine after eating it.
The little girl, however, didn’t take it well. She had to chew thoroughly and carefully. She even then had to pick out the tender parts to eat. After just a little bit of that spicy hot pot, she started having diarrhea.
Her strength and size were also quite small. Even two-year-olds could easily beat her in a scuffle.
Nowadays, whenever they received a mission, it was Mao who carried the little girl around on his back while running from place to place.
If it weren’t for the fact that her parents were incredibly strong warriors who doted on their daughter immensely, a child like her would have been eliminated long ago.
Speaking of which, this child’s mother was actually Qing’s younger sister.
Back then, everyone had high hopes that this child could become like Qing, someone with extraordinary talent as a warrior.
Whether or not she would become a warrior was still unknown. But with a mind like that, she already stood out from the rest. With the right guidance, she would undoubtedly become someone truly exceptional.
Yang Yi knew very well that teaching a prodigy wasn’t easy. He didn’t want such a promising seedling to be ruined in his hands, so he specifically discussed with Jiao, Hei Lie, and the girl’s parents about what to do in the future.
The girl’s parents looked completely confused. The child… just raise her as usual, right? What’s there to discuss?
As long as she’s fed well and doesn’t get bullied, isn’t that enough?
Although they were a bit more patient and attentive than other parents, that attentiveness was limited only to food. As for things like physical or mental health, they had never even thought about it.
At most, when others discriminated against her, they would comfort their child and tell her not to mind it.
But regardless, being affirmed by a Divine Envoy meant their child was truly extraordinary.
This pair of parents, who had always worried about what would become of their child when she grew up, were now completely relieved and felt immensely proud.
The Divine Envoy said their child was a prodigy, someone so close to the gods.
“Divine Envoy, Chieftain, Shaman, this child is yours now. Do whatever you want with her!” said Lan Jian’s father, extremely excited.
Lan Jian’s mother nodded repeatedly in agreement, so thrilled she still hadn’t recovered from the shock.
In fact, Hei Lie had already said before that there wasn’t much point in going to the parents.
But Yang Yi, after all, was someone who had received a modern education. He always felt that in matters this significant, you couldn’t just bypass the parents.
Looking at it now, the situation was different. So he couldn’t apply his own experience to judge it.
“She’s very special. We need to let her know that she’s special, but we can’t let her feel too special,” Yang Yi stated his basic requirement.
Lan Jian’s parents, who were present, were thoroughly baffled by these words.
So… is she special or not?
Sure enough, matters like this weren’t something people like them could get involved in.
Hei Lie was momentarily stunned, but quickly came to his senses and nodded in agreement.
After spending a lot of time with Yang Yi, the two of them had developed a growing sense of tacit understanding. He understood Yang Yi’s concerns and worries.
Yang Yi thought about things far more thoroughly than they did. Even though Hei Lie was already one of the more thoughtful people in the tribe, Yang Yi saw even deeper into human nature. His thoughts might take twists and turns, but they always made sense.
If it were Yang Yi, he certainly wouldn’t have ended up like Hei Lie, locked in conflict with the Blackstone Tribe.
Making enemies with such a large tribe was not a wise decision.
After that round of discussion, they didn’t come up with a very detailed plan, but they did reach a basic consensus.
They would put more effort into nurturing her, but without giving her any special privileges.
In truth, such a situation wasn’t likely to occur anyway. While Lan Jian was acknowledged as highly intelligent, her body was too weak. In a place that revered strength, she wouldn’t be put on too high a pedestal.
“Lan Jian really had a stroke of luck. I always thought this child wouldn’t survive to adulthood.”
That was how most people saw it. They didn’t understand how important intelligence would be in the future.
With Lan Jian by his side, Yang Yi was able to assign tasks more smoothly. He had gained a little scribe.
She now followed Mao around from place to place, recording the data of every project, allowing Yang Yi to grasp information with greater accuracy and prepare more thoroughly for the next steps.
Originally, Yang Yi had considered letting Lan Jian take over his role in teaching the other children. But seeing how busy she was every day, with her little face visibly tanned from the sun, he gave up on the idea.
Yang Yi had crossed a line by using child labor. At first, he felt quite guilty about it. But when he saw the increasingly radiant smile on Lan Jian’s face, that bit of guilt quietly faded away.
Although Lan Jian had been well protected by her parents, she had never been truly accepted by others. Deep down, that had hurt.
Now, things were completely different. While many people still didn’t understand what such a little girl could do, it was clear that her abilities had been affirmed by the Divine Envoy and the others.
Whether adults or children, their attitudes toward Lan Jian had changed.
Especially the kids in the learning group. They were the ones most aware of the differences between themselves. They all saw Lan Jian as a role model and genuinely admired her.
“This is for us?”
Mao looked at the small handcart in front of him, utterly in disbelief. Usually the boldest of them all, he didn’t even dare to touch it this time, cautiously staring at it.
“Yes, but you can’t keep it all to yourself. You need to share it with the others.”
In an environment where public ownership was the norm, Yang Yi didn’t need to say this explicitly. It was more out of habit that he did.
Mao carried Lan Jian around on his back every day. Yang Yi felt tired just watching them.
But the two kids were both more than willing. With manpower already stretched thin, he had let them be.
However, Mao was actually younger than Lan Jian. Seeing him running around like that every day, Yang Yi truly couldn’t bear it anymore, so he brought out this item.
Pushing her around would be much easier than carrying her.
If it weren’t for Mao’s legs being too short, Yang Yi would’ve even brought out a bicycle from his storage space.
Though the roads here weren’t exactly smooth, the conditions were still decent. With a bit of skill, riding one wouldn’t be a problem.
“Lan Jian! Did you hear that? We have a cart now!”
Mao was so excited that he spun in circles on the spot. Among the children in the tribe, one of the most beloved items was the handcart used for transporting things.
But they usually had no chance to get near one. And now Mao actually had one of his own. It was simply too enviable!
Lan Jian’s eyes sparkled brightly; she was overjoyed.
The children watching were all green with envy, and each silently made up their minds.
They would study just as diligently as Lan Jian, so they too could receive gifts from the Divine Envoy.
A single handcart made the already hardworking and serious students in the learning group even more motivated, to the point that the adults auditing the lessons found it hard to keep up.
But it wasn’t because the adults weren’t smart enough. It was just that they had too much on their plates. Even while sitting in on classes, their hands were still busy with work.
Among them, the adult who progressed the fastest was Qing. She was now in charge of the crops. Though she had talent, that didn’t mean she ignored scientific methods.
On the contrary, she cared about them even more than others.
At the beginning of her appointment, Qing had sought out Yang Yi to ask about the knowledge he had.
Yang Yi shared some general principles and key points, such as pest control, weeding, and fertilization. But he simply didn’t have the time to teach everything systematically, step by step.
Problems could only be solved as they arose during the planting process.
Qing greatly admired Yang Yi’s working methods. Everything had to be recorded for future reference.
At first, it was manageable, but gradually it became overwhelming.
When Yang Yi started offering classes, she signed up enthusiastically and without hesitation.
She not only wanted to record data to prepare for future research, but also hoped to be able to read the agricultural books Yang Yi had mentioned as soon as possible.
Every time she felt like giving up because of how difficult it was, she would open the agricultural book Yang Yi had given her, and immediately regain her motivation.
The various plants previously bred had now all successfully sprouted, lush and green, growing even better than Yang Yi had expected.
Some of the seeds hadn’t been cultivated in the greenhouse but were simply scattered on the ground and covered with woven straw mats. They had also sprouted successfully.
Compared to those in the greenhouse, these ones germinated a bit later and had a lower sprouting rate. But they were growing just fine.
This result made Yang Yi breathe a sigh of relief. If they ever ran out of plastic film in the future, they could still continue farming.
The seedlings were being transplanted into the fields bit by bit. The entire process was arranged by Qing, as she understood best where each seedling would thrive.
“Divine Envoy, while the crops in the greenhouse sprout faster and have a higher germination rate, the survival rate of some transplanted crops is actually lower than those grown outside.”
Qing said, handing her notebook to Yang Yi. She could now write the names of every crop. The data inside was recorded with great clarity.
As for the daily work summaries and logs, those had to be handled with Lan Jian’s help.
Yang Yi took the notebook and said, “Looking at it this way, some crops don’t actually need to be cultivated in the greenhouse.”
Although the greenhouse ultimately yielded a higher success rate, it also wasted labor.
They still needed to carefully consider what method was most suitable.
“Yes,” Qing replied, “I’ve already recorded everything. It can serve as a reference for next year.”
“Also, make sure to record information like temperature and humidity, anything weather-related. Since the weather conditions vary year by year, the outcomes will differ too.”
Qing nodded repeatedly, firmly committing these words to memory.
Looking at the vast fields now planted with crops, Yang Yi felt incredibly satisfied, almost as if he could already see the scene of a bountiful harvest before his eyes.
“This patch and the one next to it, they’re the same variety, right? Were they planted at the same time? Why is there such a big difference?”
Yang Yi couldn’t identify many plant seedlings, so he couldn’t tell what was growing in the fields.
“They’re both facing heaven peppers. They came out of the greenhouse at the same time,” Qing answered.
“At the same time?”
Yang Yi was surprised. The difference was far too obvious.
Both plots were actually growing well, but one side was much taller than the other as if it had been fed growth hormones.
“Was this side not fertilized properly?”
Qing shook her head. “Everything was the same. The difference really isn’t that big.”
This left Yang Yi even more puzzled. What exactly had caused such a result? If he couldn’t figure it out, it might affect future planting.
“Divine Envoy, I think… this might have something to do with me,” Qing said.
That’s when Yang Yi remembered what Qing’s gift was and nodded. “You have a plant-based talent. It’s not surprising that you can make them grow better.”
“It’s just a pity I can’t control it,” Qing said, clearly frustrated. “I don’t know why, but I can’t even achieve that effect anymore.”
