Hearing this, Han Li chuckled softly and promptly explained:
"Miss Xin, you misunderstand. The person behind me is not alive—he is merely an armored corpse that I have refined. A brief check with your spiritual sense will make that clear."
Having said this, Han Li consciously halted his advance, waiting for Xin Ruyin to identify Qu Hun's zombie nature.
Sure enough, after a moment, Xin Ruyin's voice rang out once more.
"It was I who misunderstood. Senior Han, please come in!"
There was a note of apology in Xin Ruyin's voice, but Han Li merely smiled with composure, utterly unconcerned, and drove the Divine Wind Shuttle out of the passage.
As soon as Han Li flew out, his vision brightened. The cluster of bamboo houses he had once visited before appeared before his eyes.
Standing before the bamboo houses were two women in faint silhouette—Xin Ruyin herself and the beautiful young maid at her side.
But both were dressed in plain white robes, and Xin Ruyin wore mourning attire as well. This took Han Li by surprise.
"The widow Xin greets Senior Han."
Upon seeing Han Li appear, Xin Ruyin stepped forward and bowed gracefully. Yet her gaunt, sickly countenance only deepened Han Li's inner suspicion.
"There is no need for such formality, Miss Xin." Han Li returned politely, his mind brimming with questions.
At this point, the small maid behind Xin Ruyin also stepped forward and bowed to Han Li.
Han Li nodded absent-mindedly.
Clearly, Xin Ruyin had no intention of engaging in lengthy conversation here. With a forced smile, she led Han Li into a larger bamboo house.
The moment he entered the room, Han Li was stunned.
On a wooden table facing the door sat a pitch-black spirit tablet. Written upon it in large characters were the words "Husband Qi Yunxiao." Before the tablet stood a small incense burner, with several sticks of incense smoldering and sending up thin wisps of blue smoke.
Seeing this scene, Han Li instantly understood what had happened.
Qi Yunxiao was already dead. This came as a great shock to Han Li.
After recovering from his astonishment, he sighed softly, stepped forward, and pulled a bundle of incense sticks from the table. He lit them, bowed twice, and gently inserted them into the burner.
"Miss Xin, what exactly happened?" After paying his respects, Han Li turned around and asked quietly.
"It is a long story. Senior Han, please follow me to another room, and I will explain everything properly." Xin Ruyin's eyes reddened, and her voice grew faint.
The Xin Ruyin before him bore no resemblance to the shrewd, capable woman Han Li remembered. She was now a pitiable, fragile woman.
Seeing this, Han Li could only nod in silence.
Thereupon, under Xin Ruyin's lead, Han Li came to the adjacent room and sat down.
The small maid busied herself preparing a pot of tea for Han Li and poured him a cup.
Han Li took a light sip of the fragrant tea, set down the cup, and said gravely:
"I never imagined that after only a few months apart, Fellow Daoist Qi would meet with such a misfortune. Fate truly plays tricks on people! By the way, I had no idea when Miss Xin and Fellow Daoist Qi became husband and wife. Had I known, I would certainly have sent a congratulatory gift in advance."
Hearing Han Li's words, Xin Ruyin showed a bitter smile. But before she could open her mouth to speak, the beautiful maid behind her answered first.
"Senior, my mistress voluntarily married into the Qi household to mourn as his widow after Young Master Qi was killed."
This statement greatly astonished Han Li, and he could not help but gaze at Xin Ruyin in surprise.
"Xiao Mei speaks the truth. I did indeed voluntarily become Young Master Qi's widow." Seeing the doubt in Han Li's eyes, Xin Ruyin nodded slowly.
"This..." Han Li was somewhat at a loss for words.
"Young Master Qi saved my life on several occasions—a debt I could never hope to repay. Had he remained safe and sound, I would have married him sooner or later. I have merely done what I should have done." Xin Ruyin extended a slender, jade-white wrist, tucked a strand of hair behind her forehead, and spoke with steady composure.
Hearing this, Han Li naturally had nothing further to say. Xin Ruyin then began to recount the circumstances of Qi Yunxiao's death in a sorrowful tone.
It turned out that in the period right after Han Li had left, Qi Yunxiao and Xin Ruyin, heeding Han Li's caution, had been very careful and rarely ventured outside. However, after two months, Xin Ruyin urgently needed a very rare material for her formation array research and had no choice but to plan a trip to a nearby market town.
As it happened, Qi Yunxiao inadvertently learned of this. As a devoted suitor eagerly pursuing Xin Ruyin, he naturally took it upon himself and went in her place.
What no one expected was that the cultivators Han Li had killed during his previous rescue of Xin Ruyin were actually members of the Fu family—one of the largest cultivation clans in the Yuanwu Kingdom.
With so many direct-line disciples having disappeared without a trace, the Fu family naturally launched a thorough investigation.
As a result, after roaming the area for a month or two, the Fu family cultivators happened upon the suddenly appeared Qi Yunxiao.
Had Qi Yunxiao been shrewd enough and experienced enough, he might have been able to talk his way out of the situation without evidence.
But unfortunately, he was far too honest.
After only a few pointed questions, he grew panicked. This naturally aroused the Fu family's suspicion, and they immediately moved to subdue him and take him back for interrogation.
Qi Yunxiao naturally refused to surrender without a fight. Relying on his decent magical treasures, he forced his way out from several Qi Refining stage cultivators of the Fu family and immediately fled back to his residence.
In doing so, Qi Yunxiao had invited a death sentence upon himself!
The Fu family cultivators soon traced him to his residence. After Qi Yunxiao's great formation killed or injured over a dozen cultivators in succession, the Fu family, in fury and shock, dispatched a powerful Core Formation stage expert.
After half a day of fierce assault, they forcibly broke through the outer great formation.
However, when Qi Yunxiao saw the situation was dire, he hastily set up a formidable illusion formation behind the great formation, catching the Core Formation stage cultivator off guard and temporarily trapping him. He then seized the opportunity to flee.
The other Fu family cultivators naturally would not let him escape so easily.
In the end, although Qi Yunxiao managed to escape the encirclement relying on his remaining formation arrays, his loyal servant the shopkeeper was killed in the battle. Qi Yunxiao himself suffered severe injuries and died the moment he reached Xin Ruyin's residence.
The Fu family, still unaware of his death, continued to search for Qi Yunxiao in a rage, even posting guards to monitor his residence day and night.
This led to the incident where Han Li killed the two Fu family cultivators—one old and one young.
After hearing Xin Ruyin's account, Han Li felt a pang of sorrow.
Although he could not call Qi Yunxiao a close friend, the man had truly been a decent person.
Who would have thought he would die so soon—how unpredictable life is!
"Senior Han, you came here regarding the ancient teleportation formation, did you not?" Having finished her story, Xin Ruyin suddenly asked with startling composure.
"Ah, there is no rush..."
This remark brought an awkward look to Han Li's face!
After all, her nominal husband had just died; now was hardly the appropriate time to inquire about such matters.
"I have nearly finished repairing the teleportation formation. Given one more month, it will be completely restored!" Xin Ruyin seemed to sense Han Li's discomfort but continued speaking at her own pace.
"Really?" Han Li's spirits lifted involuntarily, and a trace of delight appeared on his face.
"It is true. I will not only fully restore the teleportation formation, but I also have two gifts for Senior Han!" Xin Ruyin said impassively, immediately taking two jade boxes from her storage pouch and placing them on the table.
"These are?" Han Li was truly taken aback, his face full of astonishment.
"In one box is my husband's 'Yunxiao's Notes' and his collection of artifact refining texts. The other contains all my years of work on formation arrays, along with numerous formation manuals. I hope Senior will accept these gifts." Xin Ruyin said evenly.
Hearing Xin Ruyin's words, Han Li's heart tightened. He glanced at the two jade boxes, then fixed his gaze on Xin Ruyin and asked without changing expression:
"Miss Xin, what is the meaning of this? Why would you give such precious things to me? If there is something you wish to say, Miss Ruyin, please speak plainly!"
Han Li's voice carried a hint of coldness.
"I give these to Senior Han, and in return I ask only for a promise!" Xin Ruyin met Han Li's gaze without flinching, her face showing a trace of resolve.
"What promise?" Although Han Li had a vague suspicion of her intentions, he still asked in a deep voice.
"If Senior Han ever truly reaches the Core Formation stage, I hope you will annihilate the Fu clan on behalf of my husband and me, utterly erasing the Fu family from the Yuanwu Kingdom."
Xin Ruyin's voice was as cold as ten-thousand-year-old glacial ice, and even Han Li, upon hearing the hatred in her words, felt a shiver run down his spine.