Why did Xin Ruyin choose to become a widow after Qi Yunxiao died?

She felt she owed him several life-saving debts and intended to marry him eventually; becoming his widow was a way to fulfill that debt even in death.

Could Han Li actually fulfill her request to destroy the Fu Clan?

He is currently at Foundation Establishment. Reaching Core Formation is uncertain, and wiping out a clan the size of the Fu Clan—which has its own Core Formation experts—is a monumental task, making this a very long-term gamble.

The Price of Knowledge

1,567 words

Hearing this, Han Li chuckled lightly and immediately explained:

“Miss Xin misunderstood. The person behind me is no living man—he is merely a corpse puppet I have refined. A sweep of your spiritual sense will confirm it.”

Having said this, Han Li had consciously stopped advancing, waiting for Xin Ruyin to identify the zombie nature of Qu Hun.

Sure enough, after a moment, Xin Ruyin’s voice sounded again.

“It was Ruyin who misunderstood. Senior Han, please come in!”

There was a note of apology in her voice, but Han Li gave a casual smile, unconcerned, and urged the Divine Wind Boat forward, flying out of the passage.

As soon as he emerged, his vision brightened. The bamboo cottage cluster he had visited once before appeared before him.

Standing in front of the cottages were two women, precisely Xin Ruyin and her pretty maidservant.

But both were dressed in plain white mourning attire, and Xin Ruyin was even done up as a married woman. Han Li was taken aback.

“The widow Xin pays her respects to Senior Han.”

Seeing Han Li appear, Xin Ruyin stepped forward and performed a graceful bow, but her face was haggard and sickly, arousing Han Li’s suspicion.

“Miss Xin need not stand on ceremony!” Han Li said politely, his mind full of questions.

At this, the maidservant behind Xin Ruyin also stepped forward and bowed to Han Li.

Han Li nodded absentmindedly.

It was clear that Xin Ruyin did not intend to have a long conversation with him here. With a forced smile, she led Han Li into a larger bamboo cottage.

As soon as he entered, Han Li was stunned.

On a wooden table directly facing the door sat a black memorial tablet, on which was written in large characters: “Husband Qi Yunxiao’s Spirit.” In front of the tablet was a small incense burner with several incense sticks burning, their blue smoke curling upward.

Seeing this, how could Han Li not understand what had happened?

Qi Yunxiao was actually dead. This was entirely unexpected.

After a moment of shock, he let out a soft sigh, stepped forward, took a bundle of incense from the table, lit it, bowed twice, and inserted it into the burner.

“Miss Xin, what exactly happened?” After paying his respects, Han Li turned back and asked in a low voice.

“It’s a long story. Senior Han, please come to the next room, and I will tell you in detail.” Xin Ruyin’s eyes reddened as she spoke weakly.

The capable and sharp woman Han Li remembered was nowhere to be seen; before him was only a pitiful girl in need of comfort.

Seeing this, Han Li could only nod silently.

Thus, under Xin Ruyin’s guidance, Han Li entered the adjacent room and sat down. The maidservant busied herself brewing a pot of tea and poured a cup for him.

Han Li took a sip of the fragrant tea, then set down the cup and spoke in a grave tone:

“I never imagined that in just a few months, Fellow Daoist Qi would meet with misfortune. What a cruel twist of fate! By the way, I didn’t know when Miss Xin and Fellow Daoist Qi were wed. If I had known, I would have sent a wedding gift.”

At these words, Xin Ruyin showed a bitter smile. But before she could speak, the pretty maidservant behind her answered first:

“Senior, my miss married into the Qi household voluntarily only after Young Master Qi was murdered, to be his widow.”

Han Li was greatly astonished and looked at Xin Ruyin in surprise.

“Xiaomei is right. I did indeed choose to be Qi-gongzi’s widow voluntarily.” Xin Ruyin, seeing the shock in Han Li’s eyes, nodded slowly.

“This…” Han Li was speechless.

“I owe Qi-gongzi several life-saving debts, debts I could never repay. If he were still alive, I would have married him sooner or later; I am only doing what I ought to do now.” Xin Ruyin raised a jade-white wrist to brush a stray lock of hair from her forehead, speaking with composure.

Hearing this, Han Li naturally could not comment further. Then, in a subdued voice, Xin Ruyin recounted how Qi Yunxiao had met his end.

It turned out that shortly after Han Li had left, Qi Yunxiao and Xin Ruyin, acting on Han Li’s warning, were very cautious and rarely left home. But two months later, Xin Ruyin urgently needed a very rare material for her formation research and had to go to the nearest market town.

Unfortunately, Qi Yunxiao learned of this. This love-struck fool, who had been wholeheartedly pursuing Xin Ruyin, naturally insisted on going in her stead.

What they never expected was that the cultivators Han Li had killed to save Xin Ruyin were actually disciples of the Fu Clan, one of the largest immortal clans in Yuanwu Country.

With so many elite clan members vanishing without a trace, the Fu Clan naturally launched a thorough investigation.

Some Fu Clan cultivators who had been roaming the area for a month or two happened to run into Qi Yunxiao.

If Qi Yunxiao had been shrewd and experienced, he might have been able to bluff his way through without hard evidence. But unfortunately, he was too honest.

After just a few pointed questions, he grew flustered. This naturally aroused the Fu Clan’s suspicion, and they immediately tried to subdue him and bring him back for detailed interrogation.

Qi Yunxiao, unwilling to be captured, relied on his decent magical tools to escape from the pursuit of several Qi Condensation Fu Clan cultivators and immediately fled back to his residence.

This sealed his doom.

The Fu Clan cultivators soon tracked him to his home. After suffering casualties of over a dozen cultivators at the hands of Qi Yunxiao’s grand formation, the enraged Fu Clan sent out a Core Formation expert.

After half a day’s relentless assault, they managed to break through the outer formation.

Qi Yunxiao, seeing the situation turn dire, hastily activated a second, more formidable illusion formation behind the first, unexpectedly trapping the Core Formation cultivator for a time. Seizing the opportunity, he tried to flee.

The other Fu Clan cultivators naturally would not let him escape.

Relying on his remaining formations, Qi Yunxiao managed to break through their encirclement. But his loyal old servant steward was killed on the spot, and Qi himself suffered severe, life-threatening injuries. He made it only as far as Xin Ruyin’s residence before breathing his last.

The Fu Clan, still unaware that he had already died, continued their furious search for Qi Yunxiao and even left people watching his residence day and night.

This led to the scene where Han Li killed the old and young Fu Clan cultivators.

After listening to Xin Ruyin’s account, Han Li felt a heaviness in his heart.

Though he could not claim to have been close friends with Qi Yunxiao, he had been a genuinely decent person.

Who could have expected him to die so soon? Truly, life was unpredictable.

“Senior Han has come about the ancient teleportation array, hasn’t he?” Having finished her story, Xin Ruyin suddenly asked with cold composure.

“Ah, that matter can wait…”

Hearing this, Han Li showed an awkward expression.

After all, her nominal husband had just died; this was hardly the right time to bring that up.

“I have nearly finished repairing the teleportation array. Give me another month, and it will be fully complete.” Xin Ruyin seemed to read Han Li’s discomfort and slowly stated on her own.

“Really?” Han Li’s spirits lifted, and a trace of joy appeared on his face.

“It’s true. Not only will I fully repair the array, but I also have two things to give you, Senior Han.” Xin Ruyin said expressionlessly, then immediately took two jade boxes from her storage pouch and placed them on the table.

“These are…?” Han Li was truly stunned, a look of bewilderment on his face.

“Inside these two boxes, one contains my husband’s ‘Cloud Soaring Notes’ and the alchemy and artifact refinement classics he collected; the other contains all my accumulated knowledge of formations along with a large number of formation Daoist texts. I hope you will accept them, Senior.” Xin Ruyin said calmly.

Hearing this, Han Li’s heart tightened. He glanced at the two jade boxes, then fixed his gaze on Xin Ruyin and asked in an unchanging tone:

“Miss Xin, what is the meaning of this? Why would you give away such precious things to me? If you have something to say, please speak plainly.”

There was a cold edge to Han Li’s voice.

“I am giving these to you, Senior Han, in exchange for a promise.” Xin Ruyin met Han Li’s gaze without flinching, a look of resolute determination on her face.

“What promise?” Though Han Li had already guessed her intention, he still asked in a low voice.

“If you ever truly reach Core Formation, Senior Han, I hope you will annihilate the entire Fu Clan for my husband and me—erase the Fu family from Yuanwu Country completely.”

Xin Ruyin’s voice was as cold as ten-thousand-year-old ice. Even Han Li felt a shiver run down his spine at the hatred in her words.

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Reading Guide Decoding

Widow’s Gambit: Xin Ruyin’s Final Bargain

Cultural / Xianxia Notes

Memorial Tablets and Widowhood in Chinese Tradition
The act of marrying a deceased man’s spirit to become his widow (守寡) is a deeply traditional Chinese practice, rooted in the idea that a woman’s honor and social identity are tied to her husband. In pre-modern China, a woman could be encouraged or even forced to maintain chastity after her fiancé’s death. Here, Xin Ruyin chooses this path voluntarily, not out of social pressure but out of guilt and debt—a reimagining of the custom through the lens of mortal-stream tragedy.

The Fu Clan’s Overreaction
Qi Yunxiao’s death arose from a cascade of small mistakes: a few nervous responses, a clan’s suspicion, and a deadly escalation. This is classic mortal-stream logic. The Fu Clan is not cartoonishly evil; they are a powerful clan defending their reputation, and their Core Formation elder was only deployed after heavy losses. The disaster is the product of systemic pressure, not deliberate malice—which makes Xin Ruyin’s demand for genocide all the more chilling.

The Barter of Knowledge for Vengeance
Xin Ruyin’s gift of her life’s work is not generosity; it is an investment. In xianxia, knowledge is often the most durable currency, and by giving away the very tools that could help Han Li advance, she is buying a future probability: the chance that he will one day be powerful enough to fulfill her wish. This is a classic mortal-stream transaction.

Chapter Overview

Qi Yunxiao is dead. The source of Xin Ruyin’s haggard appearance and her widow’s dress is laid bare, and her grief is transformed into a cold, absolute demand for vengeance. In this installment, the idyllic bamboo cottage setting is replaced by a memorial tablet and an incense burner, and Han Li learns the full chain of events that led to Qi Yunxiao’s fatal encounter with the Fu Clan. More importantly, Xin Ruyin reveals that the teleportation array is nearly complete and makes an offer that turns her life’s work—and her husband’s—into a single bargaining chip: the extermination of an entire immortal clan. It is a chapter of closure, transaction, and the quiet, terrible resolve of a woman who has chosen to become a weapon of revenge through the hands of another.

Key Plot Points

The Welcome: Han Li arrives at the bamboo cottages to find Xin Ruyin and her maidservant clad in plain white mourning. Her haggard appearance signals tragedy before he even enters the room.
The Memorial: Inside the cottage, a black spirit tablet bearing Qi Yunxiao's name confirms his death. Han Li pays his respects with incense.
The Backstory: Xin Ruyin recounts how Qi Yunxiao, acting on her behalf to obtain a rare material, was identified by Fu Clan cultivators, fled back to his residence, and eventually died after a desperate fight that included trapping a Core Formation expert in an illusion formation.
The Offer: Xin Ruyin reveals she has nearly finished repairing the ancient teleportation array and presents two jade boxes: one containing Qi Yunxiao's cultivation notes and classics, the other containing her own formation knowledge and texts.
The Price: Her condition is stark: if Han Li ever reaches Core Formation, he must exterminate the entire Fu Clan from Yuanwu Country.

Reading Guide

This is a chapter that tests Han Li’s emotional distance. He was never a close friend of Qi Yunxiao, but the man’s death still weighs on him. More importantly, Xin Ruyin’s request forces him to consider a debt that may last decades. Accepting her knowledge binds him to a promise he may not be able to keep, and it reinforces the core theme of the Mortal Stream: every free meal comes with a receipt, and the receipt may call for blood. Pay close attention to Han Li’s wordless reactions—the slight changes in his tone, the moment of hesitation, the cold edge that creeps into his voice when he realizes the stakes. The real story here is not the request itself, but how he processes it and what his silence implies.

Quick Q&A

Lore recap (TL;DR) drawn from this chapter's Cultural / Xianxia Notes — same text as the FAQ structured data on this page.

Why did Xin Ruyin choose to become a widow after Qi Yunxiao died?: She felt she owed him several life-saving debts and intended to marry him eventually; becoming his widow was a way to fulfill that debt even in death.
Could Han Li actually fulfill her request to destroy the Fu Clan?: He is currently at Foundation Establishment. Reaching Core Formation is uncertain, and wiping out a clan the size of the Fu Clan—which has its own Core Formation experts—is a monumental task, making this a very long-term gamble.