"This should be an unopened water mansion, right?" After a while, Han Li suddenly pointed to an area at the bottom of the map and asked.

"Indeed, it is. But if you don't mind my bluntness, if you've taken a fancy to this place, I advise you not to even try. It's pointless." The round-faced old man glanced at Han Li and waved his hand with a smile.

"Why is that?" Han Li asked, puzzled.

"Don't take offense, esteemed guest. I'm only reminding you out of kindness, not wanting to see your efforts come to nothing. Several groups of even Golden Immortal late-stage cultivators have come here, wanting to try and open this water mansion. But guess what? The restrictions on the gate alone stopped everyone. Among them, two unlucky fellows even tried to forcibly break the restrictions, triggering the backlash. One was seriously injured, and the other even lost his life in vain, unable to even escape with his nascent soul." The round-faced old man shook his head and sighed.

"I see. Thank you for the warning, fellow Daoist. I am somewhat familiar with restriction formations and am confident that even if I can't open the mansion, I can still protect myself to some extent. So, rest assured, I'll choose this place." Han Li revealed a look of understanding, but still said.

"Well... then I wish you all the best. After you pay the fees, I'll have someone take you there." The round-faced old man, seeing this, stopped trying to dissuade him and said.

After all, in his opinion, he had fulfilled his obligation to inform him on behalf of the sect. As for the tenant's choice, he couldn't control that. Saying too much might make people suspicious and think he had ulterior motives, which would be undesirable.

After Han Li paid the fees, the round-faced old man stopped attending to him. He only sent a rosy-cheeked girl in a crimson dress, instructed her with a few words, and ordered her to take Han Li to the shores of Three Rivers Lake.

The girl wasn't particularly beautiful, but she had round cheeks with shallow dimples that always seemed to be smiling, making people feel close to her at first glance.

Han Li and the girl flew down Comb Mountain and walked along a lakeside path towards the shore.

"I don't think you seem like a stubborn person, esteemed guest. Why did you choose this Ghost's Sorrow Mansion?" The girl, who seemed to have an outgoing personality and couldn't keep things to herself, couldn't help but ask as she led the way.

"Ghost's Sorrow Mansion? What do you mean by that? I hope you can tell me a thing or two, miss." Han Li frowned and asked.

"That's what we call the water mansion you chose. Since this water mansion was opened to the public, no one has ever been able to open it, and many people have been injured or even lost their lives because of it. It's like 'the ghost's worst nightmare'! So we secretly gave it the name 'Ghost's Sorrow Mansion.' By the way, this isn't its official name. If you can open it, you can give it a more auspicious name." The girl explained with a somewhat teasing tone.

"Oh, 'Ghost's Sorrow Mansion' is a good name. Let's call it that." Han Li thought for a moment and said seriously.

"Well... I'm not being nosy, but it's best to wait until you've actually opened the water mansion to decide on the name. Alas... if you're willing to take my advice, don't force yourself when you go down to the bottom of the lake later. If you can't withstand the restrictions, come back quickly and don't push it." The girl seemed to have thought of something and advised.

"By the way, what's your name?" Han Li glanced at the girl and asked with a smile.

The girl was slightly stunned. It seemed that all the esteemed guests she had met over the years had only regarded her as a guide, and no one had ever asked her name.

"My name is Hu Xiaocheng." After a moment of hesitation, the girl said a little shyly.

"Xiaocheng... small successes, content with a small fortune, that's a good name for a peaceful life." Han Li nodded thoughtfully and said slowly.

After saying that, he fell silent, but couldn't help but sigh in his heart, thinking of another name, Ye Susu.

Just at the end of last month, he had heard some news from various channels:

It was said that half a year ago, Azure Fox City was suddenly hit by a natural disaster one day, and the entire city was burned to the ground. All the people and animals in the city were killed, and no one survived.

After hearing this, he thought about it for a moment and calculated the time, naturally understanding what had happened, which is why he made this trip to Three Rivers Lake today.

Seeing that Han Li's expression was different, the girl wisely stopped talking and just silently led the way.

After arriving at a lakeside square on the shores of Three Rivers Lake, a cool breeze blew from the lake, making the girl named Hu Xiaocheng feel comfortable. She couldn't help but stretch and take a deep breath.

Han Li looked at the sparkling lake surface and also felt a long-lost sense of refreshment. The shadows that had been lingering in his heart these days faded away a bit.

"Esteemed guest, we're here. Go down from this area in front, and you'll reach Ghost's Sorrow Mansion after diving less than a thousand feet." Hu Xiaocheng stretched and turned to look at Han Li, saying.

"Thank you for your trouble. Please wait here for a while, and I'll be right back." Han Li nodded and said.

After saying that, he didn't wait for Hu Xiaocheng to answer, and with a leap, he plunged into the water.

"S..."

As a result, Hu Xiaocheng had only uttered one word and hadn't had time to speak before Han Li disappeared.

She pouted helplessly and muttered in a low voice, "Why is he so impatient? I haven't even told him the precautions yet. But that 'I'll be right back' is quite like the demeanor of a grandmaster. Maybe..."

Speaking of this, she couldn't continue. After all, this was "Ghost's Sorrow Mansion," where even Golden Immortals had suffered setbacks. This esteemed guest looked ordinary and probably didn't have high cultivation, at most late-stage True Immortal, right? How could he possibly open this water mansion? It's just wishful thinking!

"I just hope he knows when to quit and returns safely." As soon as Hu Xiaocheng said this quietly, a burst of water suddenly erupted from the lake surface in front of her, and a figure landed beside her.

When the girl rubbed her eyes hard and saw that the person next to her was indeed Han Li, she was first slightly stunned, and then said with a smile:

"You're back so soon? I thought you'd at least try for a few hours before giving up. But it's good that you weren't trapped by the restrictions. You're really lucky."

"You little girl, you're not very old, but you have a lot of tricks up your sleeve. Go and call your elders, and tell them I want to pay the opening fees." Han Li raised his hand and tapped Hu Xiaocheng on the forehead, saying with a smile.

"What... are you saying you've already..." Hu Xiaocheng's eyes widened, and she said in disbelief.

"Go quickly." Han Li smiled noncommittally and said.

Only then did Hu Xiaocheng shake her head and turn to fly towards Comb Mountain.

Before long, the round-faced elder, also looking surprised, flew back to the lake with Hu Xiaocheng.

After personally going into the water to investigate, he finally believed that Han Li had indeed broken the restrictions on this water mansion. He was immediately filled with disbelief, but in the face of the facts, he couldn't deny it. Although he didn't show too much on his face, his heart was naturally in turmoil.

After Han Li paid a sum of Immortal Essence Stones, the round-faced elder said with a joyful expression:

"This water mansion belongs to Daoist Han for the next three years. As said before, all the treasures produced here, as long as they don't affect the continuation of the water mansion, belong to you alone."

"Thank you." Han Li cupped his fist and said.

"By the way, now that the water mansion is open, I hope you can give it a name." The round-faced elder nodded and said again.

Han Li glanced at the girl and said, "Let's call it Ghost's Sorrow Mansion."

The round-faced elder choked upon hearing this, but didn't say anything else and nodded, preparing to leave.

"Xiaocheng, you will temporarily follow Daoist Han and serve him. If you have any needs, report them to the sect immediately." Before leaving, he instructed the girl.

"Yes, sir." Hu Xiaocheng quickly saluted and said.

Han Li didn't refuse and just nodded slightly.

"How about it, do you want to go and see this Ghost's Sorrow Mansion?" After the round-faced elder left, Han Li said to Hu Xiaocheng.

The latter nodded vigorously upon hearing this.

Han Li raised his hand and grabbed Hu Xiaocheng's shoulder, and both of them were enveloped in a layer of azure light. With a leap, they plunged into the lake.

In the upper layers of the lake, there was still sunlight shining in, but the further down they went, the darker it became.

Hu Xiaocheng had led people to other water mansions before, but she had never gone so deep as today. She kept her eyes wide open, looking around everywhere.

In the lake, there were broken mountain peaks everywhere. Some still retained their original shape, while others were torn apart and turned into small earth mounds.

Scattered lights shone on these mountain peaks. Upon closer inspection, one could see various light curtains, each covering a water mansion that had already been opened up.

Most of these water mansions were extremely far away from here, looking like stars in the night sky.

Han Li led Hu Xiaocheng all the way to the bottom of the lake, coming to a small hill that looked only a few dozen feet high.

Hu Xiaocheng focused her attention and saw that the top of the small hill was covered by a layer of light, and she could vaguely see a narrow courtyard built against the mountain inside.

Han Li grabbed her arm, and with a sudden leap, they broke through the waves and rushed into the light curtain.

As soon as they entered the light curtain, the feeling of being surrounded by lake water disappeared instantly.

After the two landed on a square in front of the courtyard, Han Li immediately removed the light curtain that had been covering them.

"Ancestral Hall... This is actually the ancestral hall of that sect?" Hu Xiaocheng exclaimed in surprise, looking at a plaque on the gate of the courtyard in front of her.

"Otherwise, why do you think no one has been able to break the restrictions here for so many years?" Han Li said with a smile.

"If that's the case, how did you break the restrictions here?" Hu Xiaocheng asked without thinking.

"I read a lot of books." Han Li answered with a smile.

He had actually seen the protection formation of this sect's ancestral hall in ancient books. Moreover, it wasn't a mountain-protecting formation after all, and he knew some restriction-breaking techniques, so it naturally didn't take too much effort to crack it.

"Then you've really made a fortune this time! It's said that the ancestral halls of sects usually enshrine sect secrets and important treasures..." Hu Xiaocheng said with a look of envy.