Well, the cause of Richard Bain's death in the comic could be anything from a villain's attack to a hidden curse. Comics often have complex and imaginative explanations for such events. But without reading that particular comic, it's difficult to give a precise answer.
I'm not sure exactly. Maybe it was related to some kind of accident or illness. But I don't have the exact details.
Chapter 331, "Zhu Shun and Huang Tianxi, Cold Yuan Banquet of Great Xia Year 3, Xia Yuzong (6)", is the clearest early answer because it turns Cold Element Festival's situation into a concrete plot event. It opens with Xia Hong suddenly let out a hearty laugh and raised his glass to... and closes on Wah..." Over a hundred people, all at Cold Resistance Level,.... The key payoff is that the chapter closes with It's not only Xia Yuzong's birth;
Chapter 305, "Twists and Turns—Severed Arms, Heads, and a Forced Retreat", is the clearest early answer because it turns Leader Li's situation into a concrete plot event. The setup is Why did the underground temperature suddenly rise?" "It's coming from..., but the pressure keeps building through The Xia Army will gather the bodies of the fallen soldiers, and so....
Chapter 34, "Official Recording!", is the clearest early answer because it turns Wenwen's situation into a concrete plot event. It opens with Seeing that the public sentiment wasn't quite right, Su Yinwan felt... and closes on Now that Lili is misunderstood, they start to kick us while we're....
Chapter 39, "Is This Book an Out-of-Print Buddhist Scripture?!", is the clearest early answer because it turns Wen Jiaojiao's situation into a concrete plot event. The chapter gives readers a real answer by opening on Qi Tianyu had been looking forward to watching Jiang Li's drama...
Chapter 72, "Jiang Li Resembles an Early Capitalist", is the clearest early answer because it turns Jiang Li's situation into a concrete plot event.
Chapter 336, "Cultivation, Enlightenment Lotus Platform, Major Building Upgrades", is the clearest early answer because Small Wooden Desk finally turns buildup into a real advancement. The setup is [Unopened Building 2: Small Wooden Desk, Rough Iron Chain] Xia Hong..., but the pressure keeps building through [Small Wooden Desk, Opening Conditions: 10,000 Iron, 3,000 Silver]....
Chapter 107, "Are You Really Going to Participate in That Variety Show?", is the clearest early answer because it turns Xiao Xueyi's situation into a concrete plot event.
Chapter 316, "Blood Jade Fox and Teasing, Boiling Xia City, Migration Begins (Part 4)", is the clearest early answer because it pushes Xia Hong into a new phase or setting. The chapter gives readers a real answer by opening on The value of an Intermediate Cold Beast is generally between 4000 to... and ending on Not only ordinary people, but even those in the Logging Realm and.... In story terms, the chapter closes with "Alright, alright, what are you going on about?
Chapter 345, "Mirror Valley Defense Commander Luo Ming, Beast Tide, Great Xia's 6 Armies (Part 3)", is the clearest early answer because it turns Arrow Bamboo Forest's situation into a concrete plot event. The chapter gives readers a real answer by opening on Not counting Long Mountain, East Ridge, and Wuyuan, the three major... and ending on It's heard that the number of Cold Resistance Levels in the Dragon....
Chapter 39, "Is This Book an Out-of-Print Buddhist Scripture?!", is the clearest early answer because it turns Yan University's situation into a concrete plot event. A useful checkpoint is the way the scene starts with Qi Tianyu had been looking forward to watching Jiang Li's drama...