Why does Han Li want Yin Beast Crystals?

The Netherworld Domain is one of the few places they form naturally. Once he leaves, collecting them becomes nearly impossible, so he stockpiles them now as a long-term resource for alchemy, refinement, or trade.

Why is the Crying Soul Beast so effective here?

The beast has a natural affinity for consuming Yin energy, ghostly matter, and souls. The Netherworld Domain is pure Yin environment, making the beast’s power exponentially more effective than it would be in the outside world.

What happens to Mei Ning after her brother’s death?

She collects herself within fifteen minutes and decides to proceed to Stormwind Mountain without further delay. Grief in the Mortal Stream is processed quickly and converted into forward motion.

Why doesn’t Han Li offer more comfort?

Han Li is a pragmatist. He gives Mei Ning space to grieve alone, pats her shoulder once, and waits. In the Mortal Stream, emotional presence is shown through action, not words.

Wind Rising Overseas: Soul Devouring

1,313 words

Two streaks of azure light shot out from the corpse of a Yin beast, flying back toward a large rock. A moment later, a man and a woman stepped out from behind it.

The man had ordinary features but clear eyes. The woman was delicately beautiful and mild-mannered—Han Li and Mei Ning. Both now wore light blue beast-hide outer garments. In each hand, Han Li held a short azure sword about an inch in length. Wound around the hilts were layers of translucent, thread-like material—thin sinew from some unknown beast.

Han Li strode over, glanced down at the two Yin beasts his short swords had slain, then lifted his head to look at the wary faces before him.

“I saw these two Toad Beasts trying to flee, so I had no choice but to strike,” Han Li said with a smile, his tone friendly. “I hope you don’t mind. But rest assured, I don’t want the bodies. I only want to ask a few questions. Would you be willing to answer?”

“You really don’t want the Toad Beasts’ corpses?” asked a burly man who seemed to be the group’s leader, a hint of suspicion in his voice.

“Of course not. I don’t lack for food.” Han Li nudged one of the bodies with his foot.

“Fine. Ask away,” the man said, still puzzled but seeing no harm in it.

Han Li nodded, satisfied.

“Are you from the nearby Red Earth Village?”

“Yes, we’re all from Red Earth Village,” the man replied with a frown.

“Good. We came here looking for someone. Has your village taken in any newcomers recently?”

“Newcomers? No. But when the rift last opened, we found some skeletons out by the Yin beasts’ hunting grounds. Men and women. Just bones. Unlucky—they were devoured clean by an early-returning pack.” The man hesitated.

“Bones?” Mei Ning, standing behind Han Li, went pale.

Over the past month, Han Li and Mei Ning had visited three other villages. They hadn’t found her brother, but at least two or three cultivators had survived in each place. Here, the first thing she heard was that everyone was dead.

Mei Ning’s heart tightened. A terrible premonition took root.

“We buried them on the spot,” the man went on. “But their belongings are stored in the village warehouse. Would you like to take a look?”

“Yes. Thank you for your trouble,” Han Li said, glancing at the silent woman beside him.

Even if the dead turned out to be her brother, they needed to confirm it. If she accepted her brother’s fate, it would save them further effort.

“Ha! The way you talk—so formal, so refined—you’re clearly an outsider. Just arrived, right?” The man called to his companions to handle the Toad Beasts’ remains while he struck up an enthusiastic conversation with Han Li.

Han Li smiled, unruffled.

Walking several li beside their new companions, they arrived at another unfamiliar village. It was noticeably smaller than the others. The stone wall surrounding it was less than eight zhang high and riddled with cracks, as if there had never been time to repair it. The village itself could hold at most a hundred people.

Once inside, the man pointed at a larger stone house and told Han Li to take a look on his own. He and the villagers needed to deal with the Toad Beast carcasses first—precious food required immediate attention.

Han Li thanked him and led Mei Ning toward the warehouse.

...

“This really belongs to your brother?” Han Li asked, looking at the tattered, bloodstained garment before him.

He hadn’t expected Mei Ning to recognize her brother’s belongings the moment she entered the warehouse. Her face turned paper-white. Her beautiful eyes lost focus.

“How could I not? I sewed this robe for him myself. And this storage pouch beside it bears our clan’s private mark.” Mei Ning stared at the pile of objects, her eyes reddening. Her voice choked.

Han Li didn’t know what to say. After a moment’s hesitation, he patted her shoulder lightly, then quietly left the stone house.

He knew she needed to be alone.

Sure enough, the moment he stepped out, soft sobbing came from within. Han Li sighed, looked up at the sky, and said nothing.

After a full quarter of an hour, Mei Ning emerged, her eyes slightly swollen.

“Let’s go. Since my brother is no longer here, there’s no need to visit the other villages. Let’s head straight for Stormwind Mountain.” Her voice was composed.

She had forced her grief deep into her heart.

“Of course we’re going to Stormwind Mountain. But before that, I have some things to do. I need to collect some Yin Beast Crystals,” Han Li said calmly, watching her.

“Beast Crystals? What use are they? And those Yin beasts aren’t easy to deal with.” By now, Mei Ning knew what Yin Beast Crystals were, but she was still surprised.

“I have my reasons. Places like the Netherworld Domain are rare—if not unique, then at least vanishingly few. Once we leave here, collecting Yin Beast Crystals will be nearly impossible. As for dealing with the beasts, I don’t need to lift a finger. I’ll leave that to it.” Han Li flicked his sleeve. A streak of green light shot out, landing before them.

“It?” Mei Ning looked at the small monkey, confused.

“Of course, it.” Han Li’s expression didn’t change.

On the journey here, eager to reach the villages, he had stuck to safe routes and only killed a few low-level spirit beasts with his short sword. He hadn’t seen any beast crystals. Now that he knew the value of Yin Beast Crystals, he wanted to collect as many as possible.

Without further explanation, Han Li called to Mei Ning and turned to leave. He planned to rest in Red Earth Village for a day, then head to the territories of the stronger Yin beasts tomorrow to test what his Crying Soul Beast could do.

...

A massive clawed beast—six or seven zhang tall—wandered lazily through a marsh.

Equipped with an unmatched pair of giant, unbreakable claws and a mouth full of sharp fangs, it was the overlord of this region. It never worried about a higher-level Yin beast ambushing it.

Suddenly, its small ears caught a faint sound. It whipped its head around, eyes blazing, and spotted a creature no more than a chi tall standing a dozen zhang away.

A small monkey stared back at it, eyes burning with excitement.

The giant beast didn’t charge. Instead, it growled low and took a step back, a flicker of fear in its eyes. But before it could retreat further, a yellow glow swept forward like lightning, engulfing it entirely.

A thunderous roar erupted from within the light. Then the glow flared and flew back, dragging wispy black threads of energy into the monkey’s large nose.

The little monkey chewed with relish, patted its slightly bulging belly, and looked thoroughly pleased—as if it had just consumed something delicious.

Only then did Han Li stroll over, a relaxed expression on his face. Behind him, the beautiful woman stood frozen, her mouth slightly open.

She had seen everything. It was hard to believe.

She stared at the shriveled carcass of the giant beast and linked the small monkey in front of her to a legendary fierce beast she had once heard about. Her expression darkened.

Han Li reached the beast’s head. He flicked his sleeve, and a silver dagger appeared in his hand. Without changing expression, he slit the creature’s skull. It split open like a watermelon, revealing a thumb-sized green crystal.

A trace of a smile appeared on Han Li’s face. He bent down and picked it up.

“Seven li to the west, there are a few more powerful Yin beasts. Might as well finish them off.” He looked toward the west, speaking as if to himself.

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Reading Guide Decoding

Grief Is a Metric, Profit Is the Bottom Line

Cultural / Xianxia Notes

Netherworld Domain: This pocket dimension operates on its own rules, where Yin energy replaces spiritual qi. Normal cultivators struggle here, but Yin-attributed techniques and beasts from the ghostly spectrum thrive. The domain’s ecosystem is entirely self-contained—beasts reproduce, energies cycle, and survival depends on adaptation.

Yin Beast Crystals: These are condensed energy cores formed inside Yin-type spirit beasts. In the wider cultivation world, such crystals are rare because Yin-rich environments are scarce. They serve as raw materials for demonic or ghostly techniques, artifact refinement, and alchemical recipes. Han Li’s decision to stockpile them is classic long-term planning.

Crying Soul Beast: A rare beast-type spirit creature with a natural affinity for devouring Yin energy, ghostly matter, and even souls. In xianxia lore, such beasts are often legendary or extinct, making Han Li’s possession of one a significant hidden asset. Its advanced form is associated with the Profound Bone Saint’s techniques, giving it a dark and powerful lineage.

Subduing a Beast vs. Raising One: In the Mortal Stream, Han Li treats the Crying Soul Beast not as a pet but as a tool. Its care is pure logistics, and its deployment is tactical. This aligns with the broader xianxia convention: beasts of power are bound through contracts, pills, and mutual benefit, not emotional attachment. The moment it becomes inefficient, a true Mortal Stream protagonist would replace it without hesitation.

Chapter Overview

In this chapter, A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality delivers a quiet hammer blow of grief and a cold pivot toward calculated opportunity. Han Li and Mei Ning finally confirm the fate of her missing brother—not through a dramatic encounter or a villain’s confession, but by stumbling into a nameless village warehouse. The corpse is already bones. The belongings are stacked like inventory. Mei Ning’s reaction is a raw, contained sob that dissolves into silence. And Han Li? He does what Han Li always does: files the tragedy, turns his attention to the next practical step—gathering Yin Beast Crystals. But he doesn’t fight alone. His secret weapon, the Crying Soul Beast, gets its first real showcase, and it steals the scene. The chapter ends with a dead giant beast, a smiling cultivator, and a pointed glance toward the west. This is the Mortal Stream at its most efficient: grief is a footnote, and profit is the bottom line.

Key Plot Points

Han Li and Mei Ning arrive at Red Earth Village after visiting three other settlements. The village leader confirms that no newcomers have survived—several skeletons were found after the last rift opening.
Mei Ning identifies her brother’s bloodstained robe and personal storage pouch in the village warehouse. She breaks down in private grief but emerges composed, declaring they can now head directly to Stormwind Mountain.
Before leaving, Han Li decides to collect Yin Beast Crystals, recognizing that the Netherworld Domain is a rare opportunity for such resources.
Han Li reveals his strategy: deploy the Crying Soul Beast. The beast effortlessly kills a giant clawed beast by inhaling its energy through a yellow light, leaving a dried-out corpse and a green crystal.
Mei Ning connects the monkey to a legendary fierce beast from old tales, her expression darkening as she recognizes its true nature.
Han Li pockets the crystal and announces there are more powerful Yin beasts to the west, ending the chapter on a note of cold, single-minded efficiency.

Reading Guide

In this chapter, grief is not a detour. It is a stop sign you roll through. The narrative gives Mei Ning exactly fifteen minutes to cry, and then she’s back on her feet, her voice composed, her eyes still swollen but her head clear. That is the Mortal Stream’s way: no dramatic mourning arcs, no revenge speeches. Just acceptance and forward motion. Han Li does the same. He doesn’t offer hollow comfort. He pats her shoulder once—one pat—and steps outside to give her privacy. That single gesture is more powerful than a thousand words of sympathy. It says: I respect your grief enough to not interrupt it.

Then, the chapter pivots to cold, mercenary logic. Han Li wants Yin Beast Crystals. Not because they’re shiny, but because once he leaves this place, he may never see them again. That is the heart of his character: every environment is an extraction opportunity. He doesn’t just survive the Netherworld Domain; he audits it for profit. And his method of extraction? Letting a tiny, adorable-looking monkey eat the life force out of a giant beast until its body shrivels into a husk. The contrast between cute appearance and brutal function is deliberate, and it lands perfectly.

New readers should pay attention to Mei Ning’s shift. She starts as a companion on a mission. By the end of the chapter, she is a witness. She sees what Han Li’s beast can do, and she connects it to old legends. Her expression turns dark. She is not afraid of Han Li—but she is beginning to understand the depth of his resources. That moment of realization is worth more than any fight scene. In the Mortal Stream, reputation is built not by words, but by the things your allies quietly discover about you.

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 does Han Li want Yin Beast Crystals?: The Netherworld Domain is one of the few places they form naturally. Once he leaves, collecting them becomes nearly impossible, so he stockpiles them now as a long-term resource for alchemy, refinement, or trade.
Why is the Crying Soul Beast so effective here?: The beast has a natural affinity for consuming Yin energy, ghostly matter, and souls. The Netherworld Domain is pure Yin environment, making the beast’s power exponentially more effective than it would be in the outside world.
What happens to Mei Ning after her brother’s death?: She collects herself within fifteen minutes and decides to proceed to Stormwind Mountain without further delay. Grief in the Mortal Stream is processed quickly and converted into forward motion.
Why doesn’t Han Li offer more comfort?: Han Li is a pragmatist. He gives Mei Ning space to grieve alone, pats her shoulder once, and waits. In the Mortal Stream, emotional presence is shown through action, not words.