And of course, the system skipped over Hao’s second question as if it didn’t even exist.
’So he’s on par with Kurome, Tian Lu, or one of those peak sect masters?’
’Damn. I thought the old man was strong. But this strong?’
There was no pressure from Old Tiger Zhao.
No heavy aura. No arrogant “You dare look me in the eyes?” energy.
Just… a weird old uncle who looked like he bartered three brain cells for lifelong street food privileges.
Hao glanced up.
Old Tiger Zhao was poking the glass door of the Peach Oolong Tea fridge. In his other hand, he was aggressively shaking a bag of Original Salted Potato Chips.
Why?
Apparently, he just liked the sound it made.
Yup.
Definitely that kind of uncle.
An evil thought slowly crept into Hao’s head.
Tempting this old man with employee benefits wasn’t that bad, right?
It’s not like he was forcing him.
Just a little offer.
Maybe say… three soft serve ice creams a day if he joined?
Totally legal. Probably. Maybe.
He looked back at Old Tiger Zhao, who was still in front of the glass-door fridges.
Hao squinted.
Store crew? No way.
This uncle had the attention span of a squirrel on sugar water.
Would he even last half a shift behind the counter?
But a Store Guardian… now that might work.
No need to do much.
Just exist. Be scary. Occasionally flex.
Meanwhile –
Back at the ice cream machine.
Yue Xueyan stood at the front of the line, holding the first cone.
The vanilla swirl spun down with a soft hiss, its cool scent already teasing her senses.
Her eyes sparkled. Her lips curled up.
This… this was it.
Right as she leaned in with her tongue out –
“Senior Sister, wait!”
A voice cried out from behind.
Yue Xueyan’s entire body froze.
Her tongue stopped mid-air.
She blinked.
Slowly. Dangerously.
Hua Feixue jogged forward in line, hand raised.
“We have to taste it at the same time.”
Yue Xueyan’s left eye twitched.
Just once.
Her tongue… still out.
Her expression… cold.
Like a cat that had been told the food wasn’t ready yet.
Silently, she turned to look at her junior sister.
Hua Feixue immediately looked away.
The guilt was strong.
She even raised her hands and did a little apologetic gesture with her fingers, forming a tiny heart.
Like that would work.
But it did.
Yue Xueyan sighed and pulled back her tongue.
She waited.
But she didn’t like it.
The soft serve was really testing her patience.
She stared at it. Longingly.
The swirl gleamed under the light.
She almost licked it by accident.
She almost licked it by accident.
’Fast,’ she sent mentally to Hua Feixue.
Hua Feixue flinched.
She wanted to cry.
If only she could just bonk Lin Yijun on the head and teleport to the front, she would’ve done it already!
But she couldn’t.
She could only stand there like a sad junior, waiting for her turn.
Yue Xueyan’s lips trembled.
The swirl on the ice cream gleamed under the light, no different from a devilish trial during cultivation, testing her will with every flicker of its creamy glow.
Her eyes stayed on Hua Feixue’s back.
Hurry up.
The pressure was real.
Hua Feixue’s palms were sweaty.
She swore she could feel her senior sister’s soul pressing down on her from behind.
When it was finally her turn, she rushed forward like her life depended on it.
Cone ready.
Seconds passed.
Each one stretched out endlessly, as though the heavens themselves wanted to test her patience.
Hua Feixue finally received her ice cream.
She clutched her cone carefully.
“Senior Sister! I got it!” Hua Fexiue jumped over, brimming with joy.
Yue Xueyan looked up and spoke calmly. “Sit first.”
She had already waited this long.
It would taste better while seated.
The two girls made their way to the new seating area – softly lit, freshly arranged, and not pressed up against any wall.
The chairs were wide and smooth, the table clean and glowing faintly under the store’s lights.
The chairs were strange in shape – curved in smooth arcs, with thin legs that bent slightly outward.
They looked fragile at first glance.
But when seated, the feeling was completely different.
A surprising blend of firmness and softness supported their posture just right.
“This seat even supports my elbows!” Hua Feixue whispered like she’d found the secret to immortality.
“Senior Hao really thought of everything!”
Yue Xueyan didn’t comment.
But she gave a small nod, agreeing with her junior sister.
The craftsmanship of the chairs was top tier – it had to be the work of a master.
Their eyes slowly turned to the treasure in their hands.
White and coiled.
Soft Serve Vanilla Ice Cream.
To someone who had never tasted it, it looked like the solidified essence of a cloud, refined into edible form by a heavenly flame.
Not far away, Lin Yijun was already halfway through his cone.
His licks had gained momentum.
Faster. Sharper. More desperate by the second.
He attempted a bite on his second try.
A mistake.
His face froze mid-crunch.
Brain freeze.
He immediately retreated and returned to licking, humbled by the ice cream’s hidden might.
’No wonder the old man was willing to beg for it…’
’This stuff is worth begging for!’
Meanwhile, Yue Xueyan and Hua Feixue settled into their seats.
Their backs relaxed. Their fingers eased around the cones.
They leaned slightly forward at the same time.
Eyes fixed on the soft swirl in their hands.
Then they felt it.
A presence. A gaze. A faint air of longing.
They looked up.
Old Tiger Zhao stood in the corner, lips pursed, envy rolling off him in waves.
His eyes trembled with grief.
’If only I could eat one more today…’
’Just one more.’
He poked the glass shelves again.
Maybe these products would comfort him.
The girls ignored him.
Their time had come.
Yue Xueyan inched closer and gave the tip of her swirl a light lick.
Hua Feixue brought her lips to the top and took the tiniest bite, barely grazing the surface with her teeth.
Then –
Sweetness bloomed.
A burst of chill wrapped in creamy richness.
It melted softly, almost instantly, as if the ice cream had been waiting just for them.