The dappled light in the corridor cast gray and yellow shadows on Jiang Qing’e’s awestruck face. Her mouth was opening and closing repeatedly, with no words coming out. Such was the shock from the revelation of Li Luo’s light resonant energy.
Li Luo was incredibly pleased with himself. It wasn’t everyday that you could turn Jiang Qing’e into a goldfish. He stretched out a hand and gathered woodearth resonant power into a ball of light.
“Here, feel this too.”
Jiang Qing’e looked puzzled, but she reached out a finger and touched the ball.
Whenever Li Luo used his resonant power publicly, he always took care to consciously hide the light and earth resonant power. These two secondary resonances were not on the same power level as the primary resonances, but they were good enough to give him that much-needed edge that his opponents rarely accounted for.
But now that he was actively exposing the secondary element, it was easy enough for Jiang Qing’e to detect the fainter earth resonant power… a woodearth resonance.
“Earth resonant power?” She inhaled sharply, but she was calmer by now.
“Your dual resonances… each have a secondary resonance?”
Li Luo grinned and nodded.
“No wonder your water and wood resonance arts have always been so strong and a little… strange. Everyone thought that it was because of the other resonance, but actually it’s these two secondary elements affecting them.
“Water and light, wood and earth… These are good combinations. Li Luo, your secrets have secrets.”
He chuckled. “Well, only you know about this secret’s secret.”
Jiang Qing’e smiled delightedly. She was extremely comforted by this piece of good news. She had known that Li Luo was special from the beginning. Even when he had blank palaces, she had not once believed that he was destined for a mundane life.
“Quite something, huh?” Li Luo puffed his chest out proudly.
The dual secondary resonances had been a secret that he had kept hidden for a long time. He had always planned to let Jiang Qing’e know when the time was right, since their closeness was on a different level. They were probably closer than some married couples already. “Secondary resonances are indeed very rare. But they’re merely cherries on the cake. In terms of resonant power, they will never be able to compete with your primary resonances,” Jiang Qing’e cautioned him.
Li Luo was in full agreement. If you divided up his power into percentages, his primary resonances held maybe 70 to 80 percent of the weight, while his secondary resonances held only 20 to 30 percent. They were truly supports.
For example, Li Luo’s resonance arts were always water and wood-based. The light and earth resonances only augmented those arts.
If Li Luo tried to learn light and earth resonance arts, they would be significantly weaker.
“And although secondary resonances are rare, they’re not completely unheard of. In fact, they’re not even as rare as dual resonances. Plus, there are miraculous treasures and herbs in this world that can grant them. The Xia Kingdom is a rural little place, but I’m sure there will be many such people outside…”
“Yes, yes, I understand. I won’t let it get to my head.” Li Luo rolled his eyes. The slightest bit of pride, and Jiang Qing’e crushed it harder than a bug. He did appreciate that she was looking out for him though.
Jiang Qing’e smiled. “So you fed the dual poison some water resonant power, but imbued light resonant energy inside?” She intuitively understood how he had weakened the Hellion Butterfly poison.
“Mm. Light resonant energy has purification properties. But if attacked directly with light resonant energy, the Hellion Butterfly’s defenses would have been triggered and then it would’ve rampaged throughout my body, complicating things. This way, it’s like poisoning the poison. I’ve blunted its edge at least.”
Jiang Qing’e nodded thoughtfully. “Didn’t the poison release some poison gas just now? Where did it go? You should know that it’s incredibly deadly as well. A bit in your body could cause a lot of damage.” Li Luo stretched out his hand and put it in Jiang Qing’e’s. She closed her eyes and searched his body with her mind. Inside, she found the ten resonant bubbles.
Each was shining like a star, chock full with Li Luo’s resonant power.
Save one.
It was not sparkly like the others, but instead filled with a sinister, dark-red swirl.
A butterfly seemed to be fluttering inside. A worm seemed to be crawling inside.
Li Luo had trapped the escaping poison gas in a resonant bubble.
Jiang Qing’e’s eyes widened as she shook her head in admiration. “Only you could have thought of something like that.”
She understood that Li Luo intended to use the dual poisons as a weapon against a stronger opponent. Just another secret weapon to store for a rainy day.
“Could it be that you… guessed that the dual poison was targeted at you from the start?” Jiang Qing’e suddenly realized this. Every move Li Luo had made had been too measured, too perfect.
“I must say that I panicked a little when the poison first entered my body. It’s quite deadly… but then the brainwave came to me.”
“Of course, deadly works both ways… I like the power it gives me.” Li Luo cackled. With enough power to threaten a Heavenly Dipper General, this poison was something he badly needed.
“Li Luo, there’s no need to push yourself too much. House Luolan has me as well,” she said softly. Li Luo had taken great risks to harness this dual poison for his own use.
Li Luo looked up into those special, golden eyes. “Qing’e, I won’t let you face all that pressure alone. House Luolan has us. Both of us.”
Moved by his seriousness and sincerity, she simply nodded.
“Alright, let’s give all of the Xia Kingdom a real shocker when they come and test our Young Lord.”
Li Luo smiled confidently.
“Ah, but there’s something else I need your help with, Qing’e.”
“Hmm?”
“The resonant bubble is a little thin. I don’t think it can hold the poison for long. I’m feeling a little weak now, so can you charge me up with your light resonant energy to reinforce the bubble membrane? Otherwise, at this rate, the resonant bubble will pop in a day from internal corrosion. I might die.” Jiang Qing’e stared at his quickly reddening face, then reached out to pinch his ear with two fingers.
“So in the end… everything was almost not under your control, hmm?”
