The entire journey had been profoundly quiet. After stepping onto the route marked with the red line and navigating several left and right turns, Han Li encountered neither any seals nor puppets, and effortlessly arrived before a tall stone wall.
Gazing at this seemingly ordinary stone wall, Han Li unfolded the worn scroll once again, then bent down to carefully compare and examine it.
"Indeed! It's here!" he murmured to himself after a moment.
Lifting his hand, five streaks of jade-blue sword light shot out from his fingers and pierced several feet into the stone wall.
Seeing this, Han Li felt a surge of relief. No seals were present on the wall—indeed, there must be something concealed within.
Then, with a gentle rotation of his five fingers, the five sword streaks spun halfway around, effortlessly carving out a circular opening about one zhang high.
With a light gesture of his other hand, a large hole appeared in the wall, revealing a dark, empty interior.
With a flick of his wrist, the swordlight suddenly vanished, and a white luminous sphere floated gently from his palm, drifting slowly into the chamber. Han Li didn't hesitate—he moved swiftly and easily stepped inside.
Han Li removed several spiritual stones and quickly installed them at the four corners of the teleportation array. After a hum, the spell array emitted a faint glow. Seeing this, Han Li smiled slightly. However, he did not immediately rush to teleport—instead, he turned back and glanced at the opened opening, pondering thoughtfully. Then he walked over and consecutively cast several restoration spells on the area. The scattered stones instantly resealed the opening, restoring the stone wall to its original state. Only then did Han Li clap his hands, stepped onto the teleportation array, and vanished in a bright white light, confident and at ease.
At a distance of about ten paces ahead, a water pool of nearly fifteen paces in size suddenly appeared, from which the white mist and delicate fragrance emanated. What astonished him, however, was not this sight, but that within the pool stood a figure—half-standing, facing him, gracefully bending down to play with the water. The exaggerated fullness of her curves, the porcelain-like radiance of her skin, and the lustrous, flowing black hair cascading down to her waist—all clearly indicated that she was a young and beautiful woman of prime beauty. Such a fortunate encounter left Han Li momentarily at a loss, swallowing a lump in his throat. Yet when his gaze settled upon Zhang's breathtakingly beautiful face, filled with disbelief, he paused, then offered a faint, wry smile. "Madam Yuan, it's truly a coincidence that we meet again here. Yet, I wonder if my arrival is perhaps a bit too late!"
Han Li glanced at the young woman with an expression of surprise, speaking casually and without sincerity. The young woman in the pool—she was none other than Yuan Yao, the beautiful woman who had vanished upon entering the inner hall—had now been startled by Han Li's sudden appearance. Upon hearing his words clearly, she suddenly realized what had happened, her face flushed with embarrassment. She quickly covered her chest, where her modestly proud garment now lay, and the pair of rosy blossoms standing upright, her voice rising in indignation. "How could you be here? The Chuan Song Array was supposed to be abandoned and useless! You—get behind me!" Yuan Yao looked both shocked and deeply embarrassed. Han Li smiled slightly, said nothing, and instead walked calmly out of the transmission array, taking a moment to survey the surroundings. This was a vast stone chamber, about thirty to forty zhang in size, with ordinary stone doors on either side.
Opposite Han Li, on the other side of the water pool, stood a pile of black garments and several storage bags. A few meters farther back, on the stone wall, there was a carved white jade dragon sculpture. About three or four feet below the dragon's head, there was a green, lustrous groove, into which a long-necked green jade bottle was placed, as if it were about to receive something. As soon as Yuan Yao noticed Han Li's gaze fixed on the green jade bottle, she instantly forgot her earlier embarrassment. Yet Han Li paid it no attention and promptly shifted his gaze, instead taking several steps forward to the edge of the water pool and bowing his head to examine the milky-white liquid. Only then did Yuan Yao exhale a quiet breath, her rosy complexion returning to its natural hue. Her eyes, however, sparkled with thought, as though she were pondering something. At this moment, Han Li seemed to recall something, and suddenly reached out, gently scooping up a handful of the pool water. With ease, he lifted the milky water to his eyes, and the scent of the water was rich and fragrant, filled with pure celestial and terrestrial qi.
But shortly thereafter, the distinct fragrance and spiritual energy, visible to the naked eye, vanished completely from beneath Han Li's gaze, transforming into ordinary clear water. Han Li was somewhat moved. "The Spirit-Eye Spring! I never expected the Master of Xitian Pavilion to relocate such a substantial spring to this location. Yuan lady, having taken such a significant risk to enter the inner pavilion—was this the very purpose of her visit?" Han Li gently tossed the water he held in his hand, speaking calmly to the beautiful woman in the pool. "Hmph! That's how you speak to a woman, isn't it? As if you haven't seen enough—do you intend to make me stay bare-chested even longer?" Yuan Yao regained her composure, yet as she saw Han Li still casually glancing over her exposed shoulders, she lowered her body slightly, slightly annoyed and asked back. Nevertheless, no matter how much she was agitated, her exquisite beauty remained effortlessly captivating.
Moreover, now bare-chested, with black hair flowing over her shoulders, the scene is utterly alluring. Truly a beauty of her generation! Han Li gazed intently at the girl's graceful features, his heart warming with admiration. Though he had always been mindful of his composure, striving to remain chaste and restrained, he was, after all, a man of normal sensibilities. Before him stood such a scene of beauty—though he might not be reduced to anything particularly awkward—his eyes would feast upon her, and he would certainly exchange a few playful remarks, which he would find entirely natural. Thus, Han Li settled himself comfortably by the pool, removed his boots, and gracefully dipped both feet into the water, then said with calm dignity: "Miss Yuan, if you ever wish to dress again, please do so at your convenience—I shall not interfere in the slightest. Yet, having the opportunity to witness a beautiful woman bathing, I shall not pretend to be a proper, refined gentleman. I shall simply enjoy the sight thoroughly."
"Having said that, Han Li gently rested his hands on his chin, smiling warmly and fixing the young woman, now flushed again in the water, with steady gaze. "You..." Yuan Yao's face turned crimson, as if she wanted to speak, but then her dark eyes flickered slightly, and her delicate complexion instantly returned to its usual hue. With a charming, bright smile, she added, "Haha! I truly thought you were as stiff as a piece of old wood, completely unaware of how to cherish a beautiful woman. I didn't expect Brother Han to be so graceful and attentive." "Yuan Yao has received countless favors from you. To simply let Brother Han take a look at my body—what more could that possibly be? How could we immortal cultivators place such importance on a mere flesh and blood form? Then, Yuan Yao shall step out to dress." As she spoke, she seemed to be teasing, extending one arm, pale and as white as jade, gently brushing her dark hair back, and offering Han Li a smile so alluring that her face instantly shone with a radiant glow, as bright and lovely as a peach blossom. Han Li was momentarily stunned, as if completely enchanted by her charm.
In an instant, Yuan Yao lightly struck the pool water with both hands, unintentionally creating a hazy, white veil that separated her from Han Li and cut off his unguarded gaze. Seizing the opportunity, the graceful beauty leapt out of the pool, arching gracefully like a celestial nymph toward the garments and storage bag at the pool's edge. Then, a surge of dark energy erupted from her body, swiftly lifting and enclosing all the items, completely shielding her form. When the dark energy dissipated, Yuan Yao reappeared with her long, elegant figure now fully composed and poised, gently settling onto the ground. The tall green bottle beneath the dragon relief had vanished without a trace.