The Pill Event

Xue Meng lost face when everyone got facts put together by end of the day at people's homes.

By that time, Huang Beiyue checked the pickled vegetables she was pickling for several months, and tasted some.

She made misozuke, narazuke, kasuzuke, takuan and gari.

'Humm, maybe one more month's worth of pickling.' Beiyue smiled. 'Dongling, the spell please.'

'Yes!'

Dongling learned time-affecting spells on her lady's guidance...because it makes food preservation A LOT easier than wait for months on end to even enjoy it.

Her miss has...acquired taste in food.

Dongling bought a ton of miso, and asked the wine factory for rice wine cultured pulp...for this reason! Even rice bran from the rice millers, the latter of which, dumped away.

Even they were baffled as to WHY the youngest princess would want them, but they give it to her for free, so Dongling comes any time she wants some.

There was this one time they got curious, but Dongling would say, 'Wait until its done because it takes months.'

So they did, and when given samples just to know what the Mad Princess does with what they deem useless, its actually pretty good, and good accompaniment for drinks! Though they have no idea how it's made, only, the princess wanted the stuff they usually throw away, the rest a mystery.

Once it's done...

'Mm! Just right! Let's harvest these and put our new cut vegetables in!'

Dongling learned the art of carefully eating them, too.

Nibbles at a time.

Trying a mouthful in one go, you'll be overwhelmed. There's a reason why her lady bites small pieces at a time while enjoying it.

'Miss, what's for dinner tonight you might like?' Dongling asked her miss who was putting their harvest in designated containers.

'Hummm...leafy stir-fries in thick sauce, braised pork belly, and scattered seafood(chirashizushi) bowl along with our usual soup.' Beiyue decided.

'OK!'

Oh yea, Dongling also learned raw seafood is much more delicious than cooked ones, if combined with vinegar-seasoned rice. Yum~

Life for them, is good.

xxx

'OK, you're now a peak 2-star Master, time to get a new one.' Beiyue decided as they left the city to hunt for beasts. Using her Jade as a guide, she looked for the next strong beasts Dongling can have. She must be at least, five stars and for that to be feasible, they must capture a Rank 9 Beast. Preferably 12 for an extra boost.

Normally, it's very hard to find and contract a high-level beast.

For most people, but not her.

Unlike in Japan, people here aren't very brave enough to face the odds. They're only brave and feel strong when facing those weaker than them and she knew that best. Very few people here, are Japanese-kinda brave, those actually worth respecting. If you don't face the odds, however will you proceed, nevermind get stronger to live?

They found a...lizard? Well, it resembles one, but what's with that christmas tree for a tail? Ah well!

Dongling beat it after some trouble, poor girl was severely injured by the end of it it was a challenge to get her home.

'Owwwie~!'

'Well, I set your bones with Skeletal Attaching paste and used Muscle-Growing Elixir on all your wounds, so you'll be fine in a few hours.' said Beiyue. She had performed surgery on Dongling so she was kinda bloody herself. 'Once you have dinner, I'll give you a tonic for anemia OK?'

'I feel like crap...' Dongling whimpered. A lizard banged her up, her lady had to cut her open just so she can fix her broken ribs AND sew her back up before using muscle-growing elixir on her! It was a rather mortifying experience.

'Beiyue, you home?' Grandqueen called out.

'Oh, I'm done fixing Dongling grandma!' Beiyue called out as the middle-aged Grandqueen came in with Yingye, baffled to see Dongling who was topless, with bloodied bandages covering her modesty. 'What on earth happened?!' she gasped out in mortification and her youngest grandchild is bloody in clothing.

'Well, we went beast-hunting so she could change Spirit Beasts, but her new one is a really good fighter...I had to perform surgery to fix her since she got banged up.'

'You what?!' the appalled royals squeaked in horror.

And so...

Beiyue was all pouty because her skills were doubted, but royal physician was amazed.

'I'll be! Princess did a neat job!' the physician squawked as he used magic to diagnose Dongling. 'But what is this surgery thing? I've never heard of it!'

Beiyue explained in her usual trolling ways. 'Oh, we cut you open, fix the insides, then sew you back up!' she chirped cheerfully.

NOW the physician looked horrified as his mind definitely had fun with the Mad Princess' explanation. Grandqueen fainted, Yingye had to catch her. So much for a visit, the older princess thought wryly.

'Now I regret asking! Princess, please learn Enchanting when your body is well enough to use Ki! Surgery is too scary!'

'It is?'

'It is! Healing sorcery is less barbaric, this one will gladly teach you!'

xxx

'...sooo it's a very short visit.' Yingye griped at dinnertime after everyone ate their meal. Her father and brothers...and the serving maids were horrified at her tale. 'Grandmother fainted so she'll have dinner late.'

'I think she needs more rehab.' said Third Prince wryly. 'Who fixes internal injuries with needle and thread?! She does!'

'I'll talk to Yue later.' the Emperor agreed, pale-faced.

When they came to visit, why is there so many bubbles in the garden? Fanning away the bubbles that smelled of soap. They found Beiyue playing with a thin piece of bamboo...and a sake cup where her solution was. Dip the end of the bamboo on the surface of the solution, lift and when she blows, out comes lots of bubbles! And she's wearing a knee-length purple yukata with wisteria prints, a red sash and wearing wooden geta slippers. Moreover, what kind of fashion, is that?

It would be an innocently-cute sight, if only Dongling wasn't trying to pop them with needles!

'Aaaand that's 100. Good work on training. You pass 100 bubbles in three minutes.' said Beiyue approvingly to Dongling's relief as the family was in disbelief as what looks like an innocent pasttime was actually training! 'Oh, royal uncle, what can I do for you?'

'Well, I want to talk to you about what I heard just now...'

"Aiya...why must these people be so idealistic...?" 'Dongling, tea, hot wine and some pickles.'

'Yes!'

xxx

Salted cabbages and pickles were served in small dishes, and a stand for chopsticks.

The tastes are unique, where'd she get these? Pungent some may be, some sweet and some addictive...they're nice!

While the emperor talked with Beiyue about his concerns, his children got addicted to the pickles!

"I think they'll eat it all before WE can eat them." Dongling thought wryly.

'So that's how it is? Hummm OK.'

'By the way, why IS Dongling injured though?'

'Ah, we went to get a Rank 12 beastie so she can get five more stars by end of winter I guess?'

NOW they all choked as it sank in. They went to get a Rank 12 beast so Dongling will be a 7-star Summoner by end of winter?

'YOU WENT OUT TO GET A RANK 12 BEAST?!'

'BY YOURSELVES?!'

'THAT'S DANGEROUS!'

'Er...we're always by ourselves.' Beiyue pointed out. 'Not like anyone would help us.' the royals choked.

The pair who were alone surrounded by bad people really are unable to trust anyone else. So they do things BY themselves!

'We'll work on that, OK?' Zhanye tried to encourage Beiyue. He was about to reach for her shoulder but they felt malice slowly ooze from her that he quickly took back his hand.

This made him sad.

He wasn't the only one.

xxx

Next morning, it was a holiday off, lucky for Dongling who can use the whole day to heal from her injuries and communicating with her new beast.

However, news came. Anguo Gong complained to the Emperor that somebody stole his valuable Purple Lotus Censer and Water-Treading Bead!

Not that they care, phooey.

Life went on as normal for Beiyue, until two weeks after school, Lianyi invited her out to a Pill Event held by Xiaoyao.

'Hummm why not? Dongling can learn by watching experts.'

But when Xiaoyao found out Lianyi succeeded in persuading her, the man begged for her cooking and he'll pay for the goods she would need, making her laugh and agreed. He was genuinely nice to her at least and treated her well and rushed home when he heard what happened to her.

And so, at the Pill Event? The attendees were a lot of Academicians, Pharmacists, Prince Lianyi and the childe of Buji'er, Luoluo who was around Dongling's age. He could get in as Prince Xiaoyao and the Buji'er clan have a close relationship, and the excitable-looking boy knew when to stay quiet. It was a very serious affair and conference, and sharing new discoveries. Not to mention this was Prince Xiaoyao's first-ever Pill Event. Before, he had gone to events of others, so this was a very big deal in Linhua City.

Just that, Beiyue thought, she didn't see more people coming? Just them?

Whatever...

And when the event was over?

There was a huge roast pig, several roast goose of different roasting marinades and there are three of each, spaghetti naporitan(Beiyue cannot risk inflicting anyone with Soba allergy as not everyone can eat it), chicken pilaf rice, creamily-cooked savory tamagoyaki, savory yasai itame with mushrooms and thickened sauce, vegetable egg drop soup, many types of dim sum, and her desserts which were a lot, enough to keep gluttonous men happy. And they all smell so good, and the roast pig has crispy skin yet juicy-tender meat! Same for the roast fowls, all of which accompanied by its own sauce partners!

And its rigged with appetite stimulants that they can't help but eat as much as they could, till they can't eat any more and only able to have a light dinner later and everyone has to rest before they can leave Xiaoyao's boat come late afternoon.

'I never ate so much in my life...' Lianyi moaned groggily as Beiyue was performing a live action of making Amezaiku, sculpting hot candy sculptures on bamboo sticks. 'Your food is just way too good.' he was weak from having a very full belly. He ate 'a little bit of everything', including dessert. There was still so much left over even if there were gluttonous men around but apparently even they hit their limits, that the leftovers were given to the very-happy aides. Dongling who was an Earth Element with Pharmacist Potential, was asking away all she could while diligently taking notes.

'Fufu, why thank you.' said Beiyue playfully, wrapping the finished product in rice paper before making a new one. 'Wangye asked of me and I simply delivered. But still, we sure have a lot of latecomer guests when the event started at sunrise...isn't that kinda bad manners?' she asked as there were many young ladies attempting to come but were shooed away by the aides.

'We disseminated false information on purpose, when it somehow leaked that Xiaoyao has a Pill Event today. Must be some talkative servants, so we had to do quick damage control. We never did find out the leak and he wasn't too happy.' said Lianyi wryly. 'There's a reason why Alchemists are loners...when making either magical tools or pills, especially the latter, they need absolute peace and quiet...or everything goes boom. And ingredients are expensive and Xiaoyao once told me I wouldn't want to see him angry if such a thing were to happen when I asked him as a kid once.' he chuckled darkly. 'And those girls squeal a lot around handsome men and do all means to get our attention, that's just a recipe for disaster in a Pill Event. At least, we can trust you and Dongling to stay quiet.'

'Ara, Yingye's noisy too?'

'She'd be an ideal guest if only she wasn't talkative. She's an eager learner so she asks a lot but like I said...'

'Ahahaha...'

By sundown, Beiyue gave away the sculptures she made as souvenirs.

'Yue'er, today's meal was wonderful as ever.' Xiaoyao beamed, but just-as-groggy as everyone else. 'Your cooking is always so delicious, though how you got to that level of skill sort of saddens me a little.' he wore a sad smile. Beiyue and Dongling lived alone, unable to trust anyone. Thus two little girls have a lot of time on their hands, that were thankfully, productively-used. 'But will you someday cook for a special someone which is why you rose your skills to such an extent?'

'Yes...though sadly, I'll marry outside and not within this country.' said Beiyue wryly. 'I have seen how almost everyone thinks of me because of word the Xiao spread, so I want nothing to do with them. If everyone here is interested in me, it's to use me as a stepping stone to gain access to royal family influence and my money yet never care about me at all.' she said softly. 'I wore the facade of a sociopathic Mad Princess to drive such rats away.'

'I see.'

'Well, uncle says I'm free to marry whoever I want as long as they'll take care of me. Given what I'm doing, I made sure I have no ties to politics. And managing my two fiefs, grandma does for me as my front face. I cannot show my ability as governor or people will see I'm not Mad at all.' Beiyue sighed. 'Its perhaps better to be a useless insane princess. If I travel abroad and hardly anyone knows my face, I can perhaps, marry happy one day.'

'Yue...' Prince Xiaoyao is upset on her behalf, saddened by what she thinks. She lives a lonely life when most girls her age, have friends.

xxx

'So Dongling, did you learn a lot from those experts?' Beiyue asked Dongling. To catch up to the experts, they crafted a pencil.

There was a graphite deposit in Miyang. Graphite sticks are made for drawing classes, but requires delicate handling as graphite is so soft it breaks easily. Thus Beiyue had Dongling bring to life her ideas, being an alchemist part-timer.

Polished wood was carved in halves, a graphite stick molded and inserted and then the wooden halves glued together, complete with eraser. Then they built a sharpener using Alchemy techniques. Dongling's skill in Alchemy was weak due to lack of practice, but more than enough for what they needed for quick-writing purposes as using brush and ink to catch up to those experts would be...difficult. The Academicians were intrigued with her writing tool, too!

'Yes! I think I can get started really soon.' said Dongling. 'And also...'

'Also?'

'Pharmacist Sage gave me a scroll he intended to give the late madam...he was sad that you're known a Mad Princess, driven mad by cruelty, so he had me hold it for you until er, you're well again.'

'I see...well, let's make full use of it!' Beiyue grinned. 'Go purchase a censer for us tonight. This should be interesting.' she said as she changed her appearance to that of her old, adult self(she was 19 when she died). 'I'll get us some sample herbs to play with.'

And at home, upon obtaining some sample herbs and a Censer that can support powerful ki...

'Painful for the wallet!' Dongling wheezed out. 'To support our kind of strength, I had to spend a whopping hundred million coins.' even Beiyue winced at the prices.

'Ouch...and how much is that censer worth us?'

'About strength of up to 6 star summoner, miss!' Beiyue was appalled.

'They can't be serious?!'

'Serious as a doornail...' Dongling wilted. 'A hundred million...that be about two million ingots.' so what if Miyang's annual income is now 200 million and Qingle 210 in ingots, thanks to missy investing in Agriculture? That's still expensive. Dongling who was a born commoner, cannot imagine herself throwing away money like water.

'It's still a nightmarish price.' Beiyue shook her head, disheartened. 'Hundred Million...we can live 50 years of our lives in luxury and comfort with that kinda money. I suppose it's no wonder Pharmacy's for the rich...'

And they began.

They began with what Beiyue saw on the first part of the scroll. Muscle-Growing Elixir that got them sweatdropping. Its apparently, the easiest on the menu that also tests a student's patience.

Using their stock of herbs...they began.

Placing the herbs in a certain order after igniting their censers, they poured in their effort and concentration.

They watched as the flames slowly swallowed the materials, calcined, and turned into powder. The types of materials were all transformed into powder, floating separately within the Purple Flame Furnace.

Through the flames transmitted outwards, they could observe each movement inside the Purple Flame Furnace. When refining pills, heat control must be controlled well.

The materials were placed inside first then after it was calcined into powder, the flame must be weakened. Otherwise, the medicine properties would all be swallowed but the flame can't be completely diminished either. Otherwise, the medicine powders would spread out and refining could fail! Therefore, when the five types of materials were placed inside, the time when it did so would be different. The heat of the flame must be different as well.

The type different attributed types of materials needed different types of flames.

This, is more complicated than her study of medicine and herbalism, the reincarnated princess thought,

These are all testing the mental ability of a refining pharmacist. As long as one place wasn't controlled well, the whole process of refining pills would end up as a failure.

Soon, the five types of materials were to the point where they would be mixed together. Under the flame's condensation, it slowly intertwined and mixed with each other. After it calcined for a while, an amber-colored pill the size of a thumb floated up on the Purple Flame Furnace.

Success!

'Miss, we've done it!' Dongling squealed in delight as they took out their work before pausing during examination. 'Er...' they sweatdropped.

Sure enough it's a pill, but with surface flaws as if its burned during cooking.

'I guess we got a little...excited.' Beiyue croaked out as the girls can only sigh glumly. They were so close. 'But still, this result on our first try...we'd classify a genius by Pharmacist standards when most beginners can't even fuse the medicinal powders together, nevermind form it into a pill.' she said, looking at her pill. 'We'll calm our minds better next time and we'll challenge ourselves.'

'Challenge ourselves?' Dongling questioned curiously.

'Well, Master-Class Pharmacists according to the scroll, can refine ten of the same pill all at once.' Beiyue told Dongling, pointing at her scroll. 'That'd be insanely difficult, needing an incredibly calm mind and patience and excellent flame and ki control...let's challenge ourselves starting with an easy recipe before we move up.' she said. 'Mastering a recipe aside, we have to master refining ten of them in one go flawlessly so we can proudly call ourselves whatever-ranked Pharmacist.'

Pharmacists have four major levels divided into ten sub-levels each. Ten being the lowest rank, one the highest.

To get promoted, you must pass a stressful Administrations Exam wherein you must refine ten pills at once, of each recipe you know of. It's easier being an Alchemist in comparison because magic tools are easier to make and refine. Same ranking as Pharmacy, but easier time in promotion. And that, is why Pharmacy is somehow, more respected than Alchemy.

If you get Certified, you can then make and sell pills based on your license's ability.

'Yes!'

And so they did...every after school.