Chapter 0437: King Quintessence and Black Plaque

"I need to be at Duke Stage before I can make the Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Wheel?!" Li Luo was horror-struck by his father's declaration.

Come on, Dad, this isn't even funny!

If I was already a Duke, would I need to be here discussing this crap with you?!

Forget it, just prepare the coffin for me.

Just as Li Luo was despairing, he saw his mother reach out to crunch Li Taixuan's ear in a pincer-like grip. "Li Taixuan, are you crazy?! Pranking Little Luo at a time like this!"

"Ow ow OW OW I'M SORRY!" Li Taixuan yelped. "Mercy, Dear, MERCY!"

Li Luo watched on with cold satisfaction. "Harder. Harder!!"

Tan Tailan finally let go after she had finished turning her husband's ear into a beautiful shade of rose red. "Tell him properly, or you can go sit in a corner and stay out of my conversation with Little Luo."

Li Taixuan hastily nodded, only too happy to have his ear still attached to the side of his head. "Well, technically, I didn't lie. You indeed require a Duke's strength to create the Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Wheel. But don't worry! Don't you know how smart your father and mother are? How could we not foresee the fact that our precious Little Luo would not make it to the Duke Stage in time?"

"Come on, Pops! Enough with the bush beating! Get to the point!" Li Luo snarled, knowing full well that he was talking to a projection.

But as if hearing Li Luo's frustration from the future, Tan Tailan started to wiggle her finger again ominously, and Li Taixuan hurriedly turned serious again. He quickly pulled out a scroll and unfurled it before Li Luo.

There were ancient runes on the scroll, swirling in a circular pattern.

"Your mother and I have made preparations. This is the blueprint for a custom formation. It will allow external power to be converted into acquired resonance flame and help you create your Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Wheel.

"By my calculations, you will only need to find two Dukes to provide you with enough power to make the wheel." Li Taixuan smiled smugly, as though everything was already as good as done.

Li Luo put his head in his hands.

Find two Dukes to supply him with power? Did his father think that Dukes fell out of the sky and could be called on like cheap entertainment?

The only Duke he could count on might be Ox Biaobiao, but was he even up to the task?

"You probably can't count on Ox Biaobiao," his father said, seemingly reading his mind. "He's frail, so it's best not to bother him with this."

Li Luo stared at his father exasperatedly. Then he was down to zero candidates.

Given the way that House Luolan was, he was already thanking his lucky stars on the daily that the other Dukes were not turning on him. Ask for their help? And even if they offered to help, Li Luo wasn't sure if he could trust them.

"Don't worry, Little Luo," his mother said. "There's one likely candidate right under your nose."

Li Luo nodded in surprise. "President Yu?" he said aloud.

His mother was smiling cheekily. "Yu Hongxi is quite an interesting person. She's the only one in the Xia Kingdom who still has my attention. If I hadn't come here, she would probably be the best woman here. Pity for her..."

Li Luo was a little speechless at his mother's conceit.

Besides, making the Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Wheel was no easy task. Would Yu Hongxi really be willing to help him with this? Li Luo felt like it was in the air. Yu Hongxi was a principled woman, and the Golden Dragon Bank was a neutral organization. This would be tantamount to joining House Luolan's side.

"Little Luo, are you worried about whether Yu Hongxi will agree? It’s reasonable to doubt. Yu Hongxi is a clever but stubborn woman." His mother chuckled. "But we've thought of it all already." She jerked her chin at Li Taixuan, and he pulled out two glowing objects.

They were jeweled gourds, each one roughly the size of a thumb. They both contained a golden substance, darting and flowing around as though the liquid were alive. Li Luo squinted at it. He could sense a great urge to take it, and also a danger emanating from it.

"What is this?" he muttered to himself.

"It's King Quintessence, a special essence that all Dukes lust for. If you ask Yu Hongxi for help, offer her one. I doubt she can refuse a temptation like this."

"King Quintessence?" Li Luo blinked. Sounded complicated. He understood nothing.

Still, he took the two gourds carefully. He got the gist of it—offer one, get Yu Hongxi's help in making the Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Wheel. Easy enough.

"If Yu Hongxi agrees, then you just need one more Duke. We don't have someone in mind, but you're a resourceful boy. I'm sure you can find someone dependable."

Li Luo thought about it. The most natural choice was, of course, Mentor Chi Chan. Although school mentors had to be neutral in house affairs, helping him refine something should be acceptable.

And if this King Quintessence was really as awesome as his parents had made it out to be, then it was just fair business.

Li Luo felt relief wash over him. His parents might have thrown him into the deep end, but now it seemed like they had properly scouted the waters as well.

"Alright, so the matter of the Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Wheel is settled. Little Luo, is House Luolan doing well? We might have caused you some minor inconveniences when we left, but you and Qing'e are smart. I'm sure you're managing the house properly." Tan Tailan laughed.

Li Luo rolled his eyes at his mother's teasing. Minor inconvenience? He'd almost broken his damn back carrying the damn thing!

Still, he craved words from his parents. Any word would do, even teasing. He had not seen them for many years now.

He wondered how they were doing on the Nobles' Battlefield. But these were projections—no point in talking to them.

"Oh, yes, there's something else for you, Little Luo," Li Taixuan suddenly said. He lifted his palm, and a black light swam through the air until it was before Li Luo's eyes.

A black, palm-sized plaque.

He could not for the life of him tell what material it was made of. Metal? Not metal. Wood? Not quite right either. Li Luo rapped it experimentally with a knuckle, and instead of any ringing sound, the roar of a dragon sounded.

It was a true dragon's roar, and Li Luo trembled down to the depths of his soul.

Yet at the same time, he could feel his own blood tingling in response to the sound, resonating with the black plaque in his hand.

The prickly, invigorating feeling faded when the sound ceased.

As if it had all been a dream.

Only the cold sweat remaining on his brow reminded him that he might have just encountered something even scarier than a Duke...

He looked down at the black plaque and noticed that there was a “Li” character in the middle.

It had something mystical about it. Li Luo felt an awesome power within, and also some strange affinity with it.

The strokes of the character dragged on more than they should, creating a long, twisting dragon.

Li Luo suddenly recalled the words of Principal Pang Qianyuan.

Bloodline of Heavenly King Li.

Did the black plaque have something to do with it?

Some sort of bloodline between him and his father?

Was that the real source of their power?

"Little Luo, I'm sure you still have many questions, but it can't be helped. Your father's a man of many secrets, and a man with secrets is the sexiest thing alive. You'll know in good time anyway. Take good care of the plaque for now. You'll eventually realize that a broken hut like House Luolan is nothing. Your father has left even larger broken huts for you!" Li Taixuan roared with laughter. Li Luo decided to throw the plaque in his hand at his father's projection's head.

But the plaque seemed to have a mind of its own. It jumped into Li Luo's pocket sphere. "I can't get rid of it?" Li Luo was astonished.

"Shoo! Stop scaring my son!" Tan Tailan sent a fist swinging towards his head, and Li Taixuan ducked in alarm.

BOOM!

Li Luo saw a crater in the wall of their old house and cringed a little. Damn... his mother was strong.

With her unruly husband subdued, Tan Tailan turned back to Li Luo, and the look in her eyes went soft. "Don't worry about us, Little Luo. You just need to worry about yourself. That will be the greatest help for us. Understand?"

Li Luo understood. Staying alive was already a big problem for him.

"Don't worry, Mother," he said softly under his breath.

Tan Tailan bent down and reached out a hand that almost touched Li Luo's cheek. He could almost feel the warmth.

"Little Luo, there's not much time now, so we'll wrap things up. I believe you and Qing'e are both healthy and well.

"Oh, one more thing about Qing'e...

"Treat her well, and don't make her angry. She's a great girl. And she might also beat you up if you don't treat her well.

"Also, both you and I owe her," his mother said.

Li Luo's eyes widened in surprise. He waited to hear more, but his parents' figures were fading away now, and suddenly it was black, icy stone all around him again.

Li Luo frowned.

What did his mother's final words mean?