Heaven's Sea 天涯海国 (BxB)

Episode 42

It was 2 in the morning. ZiShu still could not sleep. It's been almost 5 days since Lao Wen woke up from his coma. But he was still weak, so very weak. Perhaps weaker by the day.

ZiShu was concerned. He noticed Lao Wen had been sleeping a lot too, sometimes several hours during the day. If he didn't sleep, he would nap often. If he didn't nap, he would lie down to rest.

Was he sick or did he have an underlying condition? He looked like an 80-year-old man. The white hair did not help make him look young.

Yet he was still so beautiful, his facial features having not changed after all these years. His skin was still so soft and his personality so childish. ZiShu thought to himself as he watched Lao Wen sleep.

Counting, he realized Lao Wen had been sleeping since noon, almost as soon as they finished eating fish for lunch, and Lao Wen fermented his first batch of alcohol using the tree syrup. At first, during the first few days, ZiShu thought Lao Wen was just being lazy and wanted to get pampered by his Ah Xu, so ZiShu gave in, but as time went by, ZiShu realized it was not an act. Lao Wen was really very weak, and always tired.

He gently pulled Lao Wen's sleeves away from his wrist, and went to feel his pulse. It was getting weaker and weaker. His breathing also slowed down significantly compared to the first couple of days after he woke up from the coma.

Then ZiShu realized, Lao Wen was slowly dying.

As much as he did not want to admit it, it was the truth. If he knew how to cure Lao Wen, he would go to extremes to get the cure, but he had no idea what to do to help him. Heaven's Sea was supposed to be the answer, but although it helped bring Lao Wen back to consciousness, it could only slow down, not stop, his impending death.

ZiShu felt like a thousand arrows piercing his heart all at once. The pain was more than that inflicted by the 7-nail torture. Why did love have to hurt this much.

If it didn't hurt, then it wouldn't be true love.

ZiShu leaned over to give Lao Wen a kiss on the forehead, and then stayed up all night watching him sleep. A sleeping beauty.

He slept for 5 days straight.

When he finally woke up, it was ZiShu that fell asleep, for he stayed up watching Lao Wen all this time. But Lao Wen did not know that, so he turned over to ZiShu who had his arm around Lao Wen's waist. Lao Wen went to play with ZiShu's hair, pulling several strands together and brushing them against Ah Xu's nose to tickle him.

Sneezing, Ah Xu woke up. And Lao Wen laughed.

"Childish." Ah Xu said, like he always did whenever Lao Wen played.

He faked being angry and turned away from Lao Wen, but then turned back immediately and started tickling Lao Wen chest and underarms, Lao Wen could not help but giggle like a little girl as he managed to tickle Ah Xu for a few seconds before surrendering.

After their morning playtime, they went to collect more tree syrup and ferment more wine, and then they prepared to taste the first batch that they fermented 7 days ago.

"We can't drink it yet, we only fermented it two days ago. It needs more time." Lao Wen said.

"No, it was 7 days ago... You... You slept 5 days in a row." ZiShu explained.

"..." Lao Wen gave him a confused look.

"You did." ZiShu looked at Lao Wen with painful eyes.

Then Wen Kexing understood that ZiShu was serious. He felt that he was losing track of time, he noticed sleeping and waking and sleeping again. He knew he was tired a lot, and very weak, but he didn't realize that he slept 5 days in a row. That scared him.

"Ah Xu... Is something wrong with me? Am I ... dying soon?" Lao Wen asked.

"I don't know. Maybe when you cured me 20 years ago, you gave away all your internal meridians, and you're now empty of any qi. Like somebody who never learned martial arts."

"But if so, I should still be able to live like a normal human being. Even an old man that never learned martial arts can work on his farm and not sleep 5 days in a row... There's something wrong with me, Ah Xu, I'm scared. I don't want to die. I don't want to lose you again." Lao Wen hugged Ah Xu who returned the embrace.

"You will not die, I will not let you die." ZiShu comforted Lao Wen, despite he knew this was a lie, as life and death was out of his control.

"Ah Xu..." Lao Wen said, before he closed his eyes, and felt weakness take over his body, and then he lost consciousness again.

He slept for 10 more days.

On day 10, having no idea what else to do to help him, ZiShu undressed Lao Wen and put him in the steamy water bath in the cave, hoping that the water from Heaven's sea would benefit him a little.

It did. And Lao Wen woke up half a day later, still very weak.

"Ah Xu, how long have I been sleeping?" Lao Wen asked as he noticed a big pile of fish bones next to the fire. It looked like 2 weeks worth of food waste. He also found out he was in the steamy bath and naked.

"... 10 days.." ZiShu answered honestly but with a shaky voice, he did not want to lie to Lao Wen. The man had the right to know the truth.

Lao Wen swallowed. He feared that next time he slept, he would not wake up anymore. He feared this was the last time he and Ah Xu could see each other. He was so tired even though he just woke up. He wanted to hold Ah Xu but he was in the bath and Ah Xu was not. He wanted to get out of the bath but he was too weak. He held a hand to Ah Xu, asking for help.

"Don't. Don't leave the water. I think it helps you to stay in." ZiShu explained.

"If it does, then why am I still so weak? Please help me out, I want to be in your arms, I don't want to be alone in this thing." Lao wen insisted.

That was when ZiShu undressed and walked into the bath and sat with Lao Wen. They embraced each other like this was their last chance to feel each other's presence. Death was coming and unavoidable.

"Ah Xu... will you ... " Lao Wen hesitated and did not finish his question.

"Yes, I will." Ah Xu answered.

"You will what?" Lao Wen asked.

"I will marry you. So your soul will have a place to go home to. So you're not a ghost wandering forever with no destination. So when you die, I can dig a grave for you and put your name on it, marking that you're my zezi." Ah Xu said everything Lao Wen wanted to hear.

He only kept the last part for himself and did not say it out loud "But the grave will be big enough for us both, and we will die together, be reborn together, and meet again. You will not face the darkness alone in your next life."

Perhaps they were zezi, although he did not say those words out loud, Wen KeXing knew what he was thinking. He let tears run down his eyes, but with his head on Ah Xu's shoulder, he figured Ah Xu would not see him crying.

Little did he know, ZiShu was in tears too.

How many more times did God have to challenge them and test their love? Can't they just love, live, and be left alone? Why did so many hardships have to keep happening to them?

天若有情天亦老