Chapter Fifteen: Eden

漫长的山路上，徐鱼哼着不知名的小调，背着手一跳一跳的走在山路上。
Mingqi and Yanran looked at this lunatic, exchanging glances, but both being very intelligent, they didn't ask.
After waking up from their nap, the two couldn't find Xu Yu no matter how hard they searched. Just when Mingqi was about to dig the ground, he appeared again out of nowhere.
No one asked or spoke about what happened during that time. Perhaps, apart from Xu Yu, no one else knew. But it was clear that his mood improved.
Along the way, it was lonely and deserted. Three people traveled together, passing through the seven concentric platforms in "The Divine Comedy," including the Gates of Hell, Dis, and the City of Dis, climbing all the way up to reach the Garden of Eden.
Only see the swaying green pots, the bright lake is like a mirror, a scenery with birds singing and flowers fragrant, truly like a paradise on earth.
In this moment, the ancient years come to a few people in front of them. According to the legend, it seems that this is the beginning of mankind.
The integration of yin and yang, the derivation of all things.
Although I don't know if this is true or false, Yan Ran's face inexplicably blushed, secretly glancing at Xu Yu beside her, her eyes full of rippling water, containing an unbreakable sense of spring.
“A bit thirsty, and a bit hungry,” Yanran said.
In this moment, all previous concerns seemed to vanish into thin air, and she spoke her mind without any hesitation.
Xu Yu nodded. "Alright. Let's go inside and see what we can eat."
"Mmm..." Yan Ran nodded sweetly, her voice saccharine.
Xu Yu ignored her and looked at Ming Qi. "If we're talking about something that can both satisfy hunger and quench thirst... it should be these local specialties in the Garden of Eden."
徐鱼手一招，只见红彤彤的苹果从树上落下，直径溜到徐鱼手中，色泽饱满，表皮上倒映着清晨的微光。
“传闻中的智慧果，亚当和夏娃被驱逐的关键。在希腊神话中，哪怕是高高在上的三位女神也为之争破头。而在拉丁语中，苹果与罪恶是同一个词。当苹果放在夏娃手中，便是罪恶、诱惑。而在亚当手里，则是象征着堕落。”
Xuyu played with the apple, ignoring the increasingly anxious Yann, and then said, "But you know, the meaning of this often depends on the person holding it. If it is held by a Christian, it is quite the opposite, symbolizing redemption and eternal life."
"Some people are just mean, they like to impose their opinions on others. That's why many people see apple as a symbol of sex and desire, while others say it's irrelevant because Eve and Adam went against God's words. But an apple is just an apple, it won't change for subjective will, right?" Xu Yu smiled, staring ahead intently. "After all this talk, aren't you coming out?"

"Will you come out or not? Does it make any difference? If I want you dead, you will be dead, but I'm in a good mood today, so you're lucky."
A parting in the lake revealed several figures emerging from the depths, mocking and glaring at Xu Yu with unmasked malice.

After these few people came out, Yan Ran suddenly started convulsing uncontrollably, his face turning red and murmuring lowly from his mouth, as his hands constantly rubbed all over his body.
Xu Yu withdrew her gaze from Yan Ran and looked at the young people in front of her with different clothing styles: "Qiqing Da Jun?"
A person in traditional Chinese clothing chuckled and said, "I didn't expect to see someone who knows us in this ghostly place."
"The skinning expert has a great reputation, it's strange not to know him," Xu Yu glanced at Ming Qi, who understood and quietly walked behind Xu Yu.
"Don't be afraid," the seven people dismissed, "Are we giving you too much face if we attack trash like you who can't even forget a joint?"
Xu Yu smiled, uncommitted.
"Last year in Shaanxi, you killed over a thousand people, didn't you?" Mingqi suddenly asked.
The Skinner laughed, quite pleased with himself: "That's right, don't you think it's beautiful?"
Mingqi sneered, beautiful? Over a thousand dead bodies with not a trace of skin left, human skin made into balloons floating in the air, horrifying the officials who conducted the on-site investigation. Only a demon would find this scene beautiful.
"Tsk tsk tsk, even ghosts wouldn't have imagined such a scene," Xu Yu chuckled, "I bet all the major cases from both China and abroad over the past decade are somehow connected to you guys, right?"
A burst of laughter erupted from the group across, and they became even more smug.
"Butchers," Xu Yu stopped smiling and pointed at each one with a finger, "Disorderly Zitherist, Bloody Axe, you seven, although not the highest in cultivation, in recent years, your killings in the dark realm far surpass those of the seven masters. Do you realize your guilt?"
A few people didn't care at all and burst into laughter, with the skinner laughing so hard that he almost bent over: "What does it matter if you know or not? What does it matter if you're guilty or not guilty?”
“If you admit guilt, your whole body will be preserved. If you deny guilt, your body will be shattered into countless pieces." Xu Yu said.
Without surprise, another burst of laughter: "We wonder who gave you the audacity to say these words. But we are in a good mood today and don't want to kill you right now. We'll give you a chance to say your last words."
"How many people have you killed here?"
"None, I'm sorry, but you're the first."
Looking at Xu Yu's confusion, the chaotic-hearted qin player dressed in Japanese ronin attire stepped forward: "So, did that old guy die?"
Xu Yuchenzun pondered for a moment, then suddenly raised his head, his eyes filled with rage: "Monk?"
"Yes," replied the chaotic heart qin player with a smile, "it's him."
Without waiting for Xu Yuchenzun to speak, she continued: "This old man adopted me back then, not knowing that my success would disturb his emotions and lead him to commit countless sins. How amusing, how amusing! He took his resentment to the grave, never knowing the truth."
“是吗？那还真是可悲啊。”徐鱼反常的笑道。
“了不是吗？”乱心琴师往前一指，“小子，交出那个女子，跪下，磕到我满意，饶你一命。”
"Oh? What do you want her to do there?"
"What do you think?"
"Well, the fairy should be your mistress, right? Absorbing yin to replenish yang, hoping to make further progress, isn't it?" Xu Yu supported Yan Ran.
"It's easier to talk to intelligent people." Chaos Heart Qinshi reached out his hand, "Give it to me?"
"What if I don't?"
"You can try and see how it feels to be tortured to death."
"I understand," murmured Xu Yu, bowing his head in silence for a long time. Just as the seven people were about to lose patience, he looked up and said, "Then... I'll have to ask you to die first."