Incoming School Days

'...so much for keeping what we are secret...' Dongling sweatdropped as Itachi did a face-palm.

'Damn power-hungry world of ours...uncle is trapped in politics.' Itachi said wearily. 'Everyone thinks mother hung the sun and moon in the sky for her skills and abilities. So they expect the same of me and I just healed from poison but not even halfway done with malnourishment yet.' she deadpanned. 'What a pain in the ass.'

'So, uhm...' Dongling twiddled with her fingers nervously. 'According to the letter, royal uncle and a teacher will check you today and the day before the Lingyang Assessment Exams at dinnertime...'

'Yes...for now you keep cultivating. No physical activity just for today except we go to the market for some shopping. Guests usually equals food.'

'Yes miss.'

After breakfast, the two girls left together in disguise, shopping for food.

Itachi has great knowledge of Washoku and making seasonings by scratch due to how her clan works. For once, their ambitions were of use now. The Uchiha takes in ONLY what's classy as a display of heir wealth and prestige. They only ever buy the best in anything and make the best.

Well, its the only thing she knew how to cook that Kisame called her 'walking classy restaurant' and happily enjoyed their partnership as walking in high-end restaurants would tear a big hole in the wallet.

Classy things.

She never knew the cheap stuff other than sake and dango. And ingrained habits die hard!

But now...should be her chance to eat 'plebian food' perhaps? Nobody's here to deny her anymore!

Dongling looked at her miss.

She was disguised as some brown haired girl(Uchiha Izumi) through Itachi's powers while she went as a boy.

They bought a lot of groceries and thank goodness for Space Rings...but some of the stuff she bought is expensive(culinary herbs and spices)...they were tasty things that add more taste and aroma to food. But their usage is STILL under study but even then, buying them is a symbol of prestige. Using them on food is still a trial-and-error process...with disastrous results that people stick to what works and ignores what doesn't work.

...does she know how to use those difficult-but-classy goods? the stuff she wrote in the recipes for her only used typical pantry condiments...

xxx

She DOES know.

Is this what she has been doing? Studying these?

And the kitchens are so...so...fragrant!

After cooking all else which are then chucked into space rings to preserve their freshness...

'M-miss...' Dongling stammered, her knees shaking from the wonderful aroma of deliciousness.

'Fragrant, right? If used right, this fragrance will come with the savoriness it brings with it.' Itachi taught her as she made sauces. Sauces made out of spices and other things. Some just for fragrance and savoriness, others are both spiciness and savoriness. 'Spices bring health benefits too, if mastered right, so I'll have to update our cookbook since you'll be making these sometimes.'

'Yes miss!'

Dongling's eager to study, wanting to be a maid with prestige for her miss. She could cultivate and now, study spices! She'll be a high-class maid for sure!

All those years of suffering are finally rewarded by the late princess, her miss' departed mother.

Those who stay loyal and good are rewarded. Criminals and traitors are punished.

That's how this world works.

Such is reality.

She was once a maid who suffered extreme poverty and all abuse and castigation heaped upon her and her miss. And due to no money, Dongling had to make a living by selling Embroidery for 20 copper each piece and keep it a secret from all those nasty Xiao Servants.

From the rags they once wear, she now owns good clothes, paid very well by her lady(1 gold a month, really?) and gets to eat tasty things and more education. No maid will ever have these as most masters treats their servants as just tools of convenience!

Dongling felt she'll be a legend in time to come as history's first-class maid.

And so...

By the time they are all done with everything, they cleaned up, rested an hour before taking a bath. So they began heating up water to comfortable levels while cleaning up.

Boiling water for a bath has never gotten so easy, thanks to Fire Crystals.

Then when they checked to see their water boiling after cleaning, they took the crystals out and rested for an hour while letting it cool using the coldness of spring air.

xxx

Nighttime came and just in time too.

'Welcome.' Dongling greeted, her hair down being still damp from bath. She let the Emperor in, along with a longhaired old man in white, and some young people. Maybe it was good that they cooked...

As for them, they noticed that from the normal person she once was, she was now a Stage 2 Cultivator.

Now, what about Huang Beiyue herself?

She admitted what she had, and tests confirmed it. For a daughter of someone of Princess Royal's caliber, she was born with such misfortune, cannot cultivate but at least, working to recover her body and doing body training so she's not literally helpless. But her own body was denied to her even then.

They could see that by looking at her back in the banquet. She was halfway there in recovery.

By the gardens is a large rectangular table outside with embroidered Linen. Lots of diningware were on it but no food...for now. Itachi was there, wearing a short-skirted sleeveless kimono, black arm long tekko gloves, and a pair of shorts, with leg warmers held in place by criss-cross straps. Her feet were strangely in white wrappings(tabi socks) and what are those on her feet?(ankle strapped zori sandals). Her hair is up in a ponytail braid. By her outfit, she was still very skinny when her thin arms and legs were exposed.

'Beiyue!' the Emperor called out as they approached the table. 'Are you still recovering?'

'Yes.' said Itachi. 'But alas, politics cannot wait and the demons want an opportunity again.' the guests blanched at her words made eerie by her gaze and tone of speaking. 'So...shall we begin this farce? We even prepared dinner after this comedy show as they wanted.' she said in a girly way of showing her easy-goingness.

"She really thinks lowest of everyone does she?" were their collective thoughts.

To her, everyone who mocked and mistreated her unfairly when she never did anyone and anything wrong were monsters. To her, they're no different!

'Erm, I'm not like most people and I can vouch for everyone in this room, princess.' Cang He coughed awkwardly. 'Please believe in us.' he pleaded.

'Who'd be dumb enough to believe that?' Itachi smiled, speaking sardonically. 'Let's get this over with.'

Dongling looked at them as if they all committed atrocious crimes! She was giving them all a dark, dirty look, nevermind their statuses!

'...'

'A-ahem...we'll now begin!' the Emperor coughed. 'Yue, it's a light spar with the basics, OK?' he said feebly and worriedly. Beiyue nodded as she took on a stance. The Uchiha-Style Taijutsu she was comfortable with as Uchiha Itachi, but what she had as 'Itachi' is not compatible with 'Huang Beiyue's body. She thus had to re-train herself using techniques that better suited this body, and teaching Dongling moves suited to the girl after testing her. Taijutsu is comprised of the following as a rule: Support Movements(for follow-up attacks or combos or dodging), Punches, Kicks, Throws, and Locks.

The Uchiha Clan are known copycats. They Sharingan everything they see in the old days thus until Konoha was founded and changed their ways, they were known as a clan of thieves, in the sense of thieving techniques, and making it their own.

The Uchiha Library has a vast store of techniques stolen throughout the ages, be it ninjutsu, genjutsu and taijutsu moves. Thus through study and trying things out, a clan member can take what works for them and what doesn't, making them all highly versatile fighters individually. But lately before the massacre, this practice was eschewed in favor of psychological warfare and not truly learning anything anymore and how low they have fallen, that it was easy for two people to kill em' all.

She demonstrated all that in her fight against Cang He, after augmenting herself with a little chakra inside her body instead of outside so that they can't feel it. Her body is frail, it can use the little boost.

Her performance amazed the small audience.

'...and that's from self-study?' Huwen Di, Feng Lianyi's aid gaped, dumbstruck. Huang Beiyue took to self-study due to being unable to trust anyone anymore.

'Clearly so...none of them are from any technique in Warrior School.' the Emperor shook in shock. His sons, and two other princes gaped...because Cang He actually has to fight back, in regards to ki-less fighting! Dare they say it, her abilities were incredible.

'First brother, I can see that former Anguo Gong and Gongzi were fools.' Third Prince lampshaded it. 'Sure she can't cultivate, but she still has Royal Aunt's genius in her blood with skills like that.' Prince Jing can only groan. Beiyue was too skilled a fighter it's a shame she was born with a defective Dantian. She could have been a genius herself and they all knew it.

For Dongling, this was her miss holding back. She can actually use Ki with no limits as she can never cultivate. But even then...this is too amazing for words...miss who never received training, got this good on her own? Then again, she's teaching her moves...miss is designing their techniques herself!

Miss started using tools from her Space Rings. Wires with stars she ordered, unleashing a devastating attack!

'Wha?!'

And effectively trapped Cang He to a tree.

"Sister...if you can only see Beiyue now!" the Emperor looked proud! Everyone else was slack-jawed.

'I never thought strings and throwing...whatevers can come in handy in such a manner...' the things Beiyue used were four-pointed things with a hole in the middle. She also effortlessly undid her technique to free Cang He.

'...Well, she's strong in her own right.' said Cang He. He had never heard of such technique...and these weapons, where'd she buy them? Nanyi never sold these weapons!

'...dinner, Dongling.' said Beiyue as Dongling took action, taking all the food her miss cooked out of the space rings, showing a beautiful spread with aesthetic plating! And all are ridiculously fragrant, their mouth watered.

'This smelled better than what our kitchen makes!' the Emperor swore, delighted.

'Mother had me focus on other things as being a real warrior is beyond me at the moment.' said Beiyue with a small smile. 'She made me study Housewifehood and other education...but I had to instruct Dongling as I can't hold a wok for long.'

It would have continued if not for Princess Royal's death and Beiyue's poisoning in Xue's hands.

Dongling handed out dining ware and they picked whatever they liked in amounts they'd like. The drink was yellow-orange-something.

And upon first bite or sip, they were struck by deliciousness and a strange vigor filled their bodies. Their appetites surged and strangely got stronger the bigger their appetites were?!

'Miss, this is too good!' Dongling moaned in delight. 'Will you be teaching me more?'

'When some of our processed condiments finally matured Dongling.' Itachi smiled. 'We ran out on our small samples since they're experimental to begin with and it thankfully turned out to be a hit. This is wonderful!' the men choked. They're eating food made with experimental condiments?! And it turned out good?

'E-er Yue'er, what's in the condiments?' Prince Xiaoyao asked nervously. Delicious the food may be, but experimental got him nervous...

'Sugar, Rice Wine, Soybeans, Salt and other things...mixing and matching them...' Beiyue trailed off in a thinking pose. Just normal ingredients all along! 'Then there's spices. Mother made me master them in hopes I would since she was kind of lost.' she's a spice master when even royal chefs had trouble?!

'She even used medicinal herbs usually used in Pharmacy I never dreamed its possible to make them make food taste good...' said Dongling. 'Just the cheap ones that never went past 20 gold though.'

'Oh...'

'Well, clear the table, there's dessert next.' Dongling obeyed, using her ring in her left hand, and used the right hand ring to bring out desserts.

Dessert, was an assortment of cakes and pastries Itachi once saw in bakeries in her old world, and studied how to make them...the problem was making icing from scratch...

The men were too full to eat dessert, and opted for take-out in their space rings instead. Good for tea time during work break, they look too good to eat!

Just that, upon leaving Itachi's Mansion, they have a lot to think about.

She was actually capable if she put her mind to it!

xxx

'Father,' said Zhanye as later into the night, he came back with a few papers. 'Regarding Beiyue's weapons, she herself did not purchase them. It was a different girl by the name of Jun Wuxie who has them custom-made and ordered, paying two thousand gold for these designs. The smiths were baffled as they have no idea how to even put to use what she ordered, thinking it's a waste of good steel. But when we had Jun Wuxie investigated, no such person existed. Beiyue or Dongling clearly disguised herself to get these weapons made.' he sighed, putting the papers on his father's desk. 'She would never trust an outsider with these designs to run errand girl for her.'

The designs were very specific and detailed. Size, sharpness, how it should weigh...it's so...detailed, the Emperor thought as he looked at each design.

'...I can't imagine how to use these things either...yet she captured the Principal with these and strings.' said Zhanye. 'Metal strings.' he deadpanned. 'That had to take skill and control. I'm not even sure I'll succeed if I tried it.'

'Now now, you won't know until you try.' his father chuckled fondly. 'You and Beiyue are the two geniuses of our Royal Family, her Dantian issues notwithstanding. Both of you shine in different fields, with both of you being the sun and moon...with Yue'er being that very moon while you shine brightly with your flame and cultivation. You are both prodigious in your abilities and I hope she can support you one day once you earn her trust. Power, isn't everything.' he said. 'Support can be done in many ways, but how the world changed, when warriors gained the power of Ki.' he sighed. 'How of the...cursed?'

'Upon analysis of their blood, they are all poisoned with the same poison inflicted on Beiyue by that wench, Xue.' Zhanye growled. 'Karma has come to bite back. If this was really royal aunt's curse, serve the bitch and her cohorts right.' his father nodded. 'Prince Xiaoyao understandably, refuses to refine cure. And the Anguo Gong Clan too, has the same poison...and Beiyue finally said why she believes, they were cursed. I believe you need to talk to Xue-yifei.'

'To Fu'er?'

'Yes. Beiyue had no idea royal aunt engaged her to Xue Che and there was...a repudiation party in the Xiao Estate that night.' Zhanye scowled. 'Given how Beiyue was treated over the years, humiliating her was probably planned as well for fun. Hence former Gong and Gongzi got cursed as well as the retinue who went with them.'

'Is that right...I'll speak with Fu'er indeed about the matter.' the Emperor stood up. 'Good work, Zhanye. Earning her trust and belief in people again is a long road ahead.'

'Yes...'

xxx

'Alright, they now have some hint about my ability and that's just the bare bones.' said Itachi as she and Dongling had some dessert. 'My ability to use Ki must remain secret.'

'Yes...' Dongling nodded.

'How far are you now?'

'It's going as scheduled, miss!' Dongling perked up. 'I'll reach 4th Layer soon!'

'Good to know. Resume Mastery of the body skills I taught you. People sometimes pay too much time to Warrior and Sword Arts, forgetting that their true best friend in battle, are their own bodies.' said Itachi after taking the last mouthful of cake. 'If you ran out of ki to use after hurling special attacks, you're a sitting duck. That is the most important lesson of all. We'll work harder till Exams day.'

'Yes!'

'Now then...I have other stuff to do as well.'

xxx

Weeks later, the Admissions Exam...

After every Spring, these exams are held, the school will be open for the sake of these exams. Freshmen who pass the exams can freely go to the College they like, and Senior Years who'll take the exam will have their abilities and knowledge tested...which will determine if they'll go up a year or be held back, the latter of which, is embarrassing. Itachi purchased her own carriage and horse.

Upon arrival at school, she got off the carriage, and made her way to the exams area.

She has to apply for Imperial College.

There are ten courses, and students can choose four. There's Koto, Go(board game), Calligraphy, Painting, Arithmetic, Military Strategy, Ritual Rites, Mount Archery, History, and Medicine.

Mm...Itachi knows what to pick! She'll pick History, Mount Archery, Painting and Medicine. She signed up for these before taking said exams.

Maybe she can make Manhua in this world for fun.

After that, all examinees sit and wait until the examiner checks their exams and announces their score after writing all answers on the board...and announcing their scores publicly!

Competition was lit up among students, Itachi just looked bored.

Why?

'Princess Huang Beiyue: 100!'

'WHAAAAAAT?!'