Chapter 128 - Kitchen Duty

After her first day at the nameless training ground, Feng Xuan finally let herself admit that she did not know what she signed up for.

She thought they would immediately start with her training, get her working on her body as soon as possible. But she was wrong. After she rested for a little bit, she was taken to a small room with a smaller bed. A drawer was provided along with a table. Her room had a single window that she let open to let the cold air in.

She expected no less in an official training ground. Of course, they were to be treated as equals. They wore similar clothes--close fitting white tunics and a pair of leggings. They wore thin shoes that made the sensation felt like they were walking barefoot.

When she got changed, she went down on the first floor and received her tour. There were indoor and outdoor open areas—mainly open spaces for training and sparring. A swimming pool and shooting ranges were also present. There was a small garden at the back of the property and beyond that was the shadow of the thick woods that ran throughout the mountain.

Kitchen was in the first floor and common bathrooms could be found every other floor. There was a weapons room and different gym equipments. At the third floor, in the heart of the opposite wing of the dormitories, was a whole library. 

Feng Xuan measured that the property could be twice or thrice of her house with Qing Chen. And yet, there were only twelve students inside. Three of them female and the rest were male.

Feng Xuan got acquainted with the lot but unfortunately, it was the boys who were more welcoming. After the introductions, Feng Xuan was assigned in the kitchen for that day. Her teeth gritted together of having been fitted inside a box YET AGAIN. But all she could say was, "Yes, Master."

She was in charge of lunch together with Shao Fang, a tall muscular guy who said he was in his early twenties. He was trying to build this air of mystery around him but he was failing miserably as he continued to smile and joke around.

"Why are you in kitchen duty?" she asked.

"I worked in a cafeteria before as an assistant chef."

Her eyebrows rose upwards. She wanted to ask him what it was that made him go to this assassin school but she knew they were forbidden to get to know each other on a personal level. Most of the students here had been on the program for months. The Master only allowed students that had potential on his short list.

She doubted that Shao Fang knew who she was. There were no electronic gadgets in the place and cellphones were forbidden inside. She had been informed that there would be no need for gadgets as the rest of their days would be filled with activities around the dot and when they finally had free time, there would be nothing else to do but recharge and sleep.

During her first week, she had been in kitchen duty, cooking lots of meat and vegetables, washing the enormous pile of dishes and huge casseroles. When she was not in the kitchen, she was cleaning something. The Master had made her scrub the bathrooms with a baby's toothbrush!

It was definitely not what she envisioned to be doing with her precious limited time. But she knew she was just being tested with her patience. Everyday her workload increased and it was to help her body cope up with the rigorous training that she would be facing the following weeks. 

While cleaning, she would get glimpses of what the others were doing--how everyone was so swift with their limbs that ended with blades. Their martial arts were not so bad either. Girls got paired with boys too. Feng Xuan smiled at that. When she got better, she wouldn't mind sweeping the floor with a man.

But how she was going to get better when she was washing pots and wiping floors all the time? Every night, she dropped on her bed, already half-asleep before she could even reach the mattress.

**

Just as she thought the day would not come, Feng Xuan was awakened when a pail of cold water was splashed on her. She immediately bolted out of bed, ready to glare at anyone. But it was Master who was holding the bucket. She could only barely see him against the dark.

"Up! Morning jogging!"

Feng Xuan scrambled upwards and changed her top before rushing down the stairs. She was the only one awake. The cold air bit into her lungs and made her breath hitch.

"Warm up then run five laps from the front door to the arc. Don't come back until the sun is up."

Feng Xuan could still see the moon up in the sky. But she started to stretch her muscles. She didn't know what time was it already when she began running. The air felt thin and her chest began to beg for warmth.

Oh god, why did I let myself be this weak? she asked and put more force on her feet to increase the heat of her body. Before she regained her memories she had not been doing any physical activities to keep herself in shape. It ended that day.

When she finally finished her laps, the sun was already on the horizon. The Master let her cooldown a little before making her start working on her arms and legs. She needed enough muscles to carry her own weight. 

It was near noon when she was done. Heaving for breaths, she shamelessly dropped to the floor. She was bathing in her own sweat and her muscles felt like it would melt off her bones but she had never felt so good.

"Get ready for kitchen duty. I'll see you later for afternoon training."

Feng Xuan grinned, still breathless. "Yes, Master."