Beginning of Cultivation
Chapter 139: Li Ming’s Art

Chapter 139: Li Ming’s Art

The two of them followed Li Ming into the ice cream shop. The interior was extremely simple but very clean. It looked like someone was always there to clean it regularly.

"Do you have someone cleaning this place even though you don’t use it?" Jun Wu Xiao asked.

Li Ming nodded and replied:

"Even though I don’t use it, it’s still within the imperial palace’s domain. Naturally, there are people who come to clean it periodically. The palace is considered the face of humanity, and while we might not care about this, ordinary people probably do."

"There’s nothing wrong with that. After all, eating in a clean place is better than eating in a dusty one. Even though you live on the mountain and don’t need to eat, you should still be commented fairly." Gu Zhou Jian said.

"What do you mean by that? Though I like to tease you, I haven’t complained yet. I can even eat dust because I can consume almost anything on this earth. Except for bombs or things like that - I don’t want to commit suicide. But not everything can be quickly converted into energy and expelled. Eating food and eating bombs are fundamentally different." Jun Wu Xiao said.

Gu Zhou Jian laughed at his serious explanation and said:

"You’re so serious. I don’t need an explanation about those things."

"Sit tight, you two. Let me prepare a work of art for you." Li Ming said before running off to do something.

The two of them were left sitting there, bewildered, especially when they heard the word "art." Jun Wu Xiao looked at her and said:

"You have the same question as I do, don’t you?"

"Yes, I remember we came here to eat ice cream, not to eat a work of art." Gu Zhou Jian nodded and said.

"I don’t know what he’s up to, but it probably won’t be too bad. Just be patient and wait a bit." he said.

At this moment, Li Ming entered a room chilled to the appropriate temperature for making and shaping ice cream. After working for several dozen minutes, he came out without bringing anything.

Jun Wu Xiao frowned and asked:

"Don’t tell me the art is eating in our imagination."

"Hey, you’ve misunderstood me. It’s just that this time, I’m making a special kind of ice cream, so it will take several hours. Please be patient and wait." Li Ming said.

Then he went back into the room, leaving the two of them bewildered. Jun Wu Xiao said:

"What’s going on? Who’s going to eat ice cream that takes several hours to make?"

"Well, let’s try to be patient. After all, this ice cream shop isn’t for business. A little slowness is acceptable. I’m going to take a nap." Gu Zhou Jian said, then lay down on the table and fell asleep.

Since there was nothing else to do, Jun Wu Xiao entered a cultivation state. Time passed slowly, with the person inside focusing on their work while those outside had nothing to do. After several hours, Li Ming came out carrying a large, meticulously shaped bowl of ice cream.

Jun Wu Xiao opened his eyes and called out:

"Wake up, he’s finished."

Gu Zhou Jian rubbed her eyes and sat up. She looked at Li Ming and was amazed by the bowl of ice cream in front of her:

"I understand why he called it a work of art. Damn, it’s really intricate. I don’t even want to eat it."

Li Ming had used the ice cream to sculpt the two of them, with her dominant color being black and Jun Wu Xiao’s being white. Although it couldn’t be said to look like a photograph, it closely resembled the originals.

Jun Wu Xiao nodded, but he felt this was unnecessary. After all, he came to eat, not to admire. No matter how beautiful it was, he still had to put it in his mouth.

Li Ming put down the bowl of ice cream and said:

"Wait, don’t rush to eat it. This took a lot of effort. It looks just like you two. Let me take a picture first."

This was entirely premeditated. He quickly took out a camera and said:

"You two, focus on the lens. Let me take a shot. This is the first time I’ve made such a beautiful bowl of ice cream."

"Haiz, alright." Jun Wu Xiao said.

They looked at the lens and smiled for the photo. After capturing a satisfactory shot, Li Ming showed it to them and said:

"How about it? Beautiful, right?"

"Yeah, I didn’t expect you to know how to take photos too." Gu Zhou Jian said.

Meanwhile, Jun Wu Xiao was thinking:

"It seems like we’ve never taken any pictures with them, right? Even though I don’t know how many years the photo will last, I still want to take a photo with everyone."

At this moment, the two of them were about to eat but hesitated upon seeing the ice cream shaped like themselves. For a moment, they felt reluctant to eat it.

"Li Ming, are you sure this is for us to eat? It’s not about whether it’s beautiful or not, but it’s a sculpture of me. Eating it makes me think of eating myself." Jun Wu Xiao said.

As he spoke, Gu Zhou Jian had already taken a spoon and scooped the head off his ice cream statue, putting it in her mouth. After tasting the first bite, she exclaimed:

"Did you put some kind of chemical in this ice cream? It’s incredibly delicious."

Jun Wu Xiao noticed but didn’t stop her, which gave him a reason to start scolding:

"What the hell are you doing? How dare you eat my ice cream head like that?"

He then did the same to her ice cream statue. But this time, there was a twist. Just as she opened her mouth to scold him, he fed her a spoonful of the ice cream. She was startled but decided not to scold him any more, focusing on eating because it was so good.

Li Ming found this moment quite interesting, so he quickly took a picture. Then he said:

"You could say I added some kind of chemical. Regular ice cream has its limits, so I experimented to create an edible compound that enhances the flavor significantly. Don’t worry, it won’t cause any poisoning."

Jun Wu Xiao frowned and asked:

"Are you sure normal people can eat this safely?"

"Of course. Every time a new emperor ascends the throne, I make this ice cream for the emperor and his officials. I guarantee 100% that no one gets poisoned." Li Ming said confidently.

"Trust him. He has no reason to poison us." Gu Zhou Jian said.

"He may not have a reason, but I’m just worried he might do it unintentionally." Jun Wu Xiao said.

Hearing this, she poked him playfully and said:

"Are you worried about me? How touching."

"If you die, it’s your own fault, but I won’t be happy either." Jun Wu Xiao said.

He was being honest. Whether it was her, Yue Guang, or any of his friends who died, it would be primarily their fault. He would quickly accept that fact because, to him, death is a natural part of life. But he would still be sad, at least for a while, and then it would be like with Li Ming: he would remember they existed but not dwell on it too much.