QingYu: A Wuxia Tale (Going Through Reediting)

Unconciously

(Qing's POV)

Jiang tried to help by recommending a treatment. He asked us to let a doctor demostrate the treatment to yellow fever he knew worked but in the end I feel uncomfortable letting the doctors do that to Dayu.

Putting leeches on him and bleeding him won't help.

I came back to see him without any changes. Dayu is still feverish, sweating and every now and then he will moan. Calling names. His parents mostly.

And me...

I want to cry everytime Dayu will call my name. I feel helpless. But like what the doctors said, all we can do is treat the fever as much as we can and hope he will fight to get well.

But it's been three days now. The only consolation is at least Dayu's condition is not worsening. He also let us spoon water and broth on him. And he is not vomiting them out again.

"Getting a little nutrition will help him Captain Wang," the doctor told me as I spoon broth to Dayu.

I ignore him. No one can help. If this continues, Dayu will die. And I don't know what I will do.

Maybe I will start obeying and follow my father's plans for me.

Or more probably I will find a quiet place where I can end my own life to follow Dayu to the afterlife.

I think option number two has a bigger chance of happening.

Tonight, I ask everyone to leave me alone with Dayu. I want to spend some time with just us. The doctor and his assistant look at me with pity in their eyes. It took all my willpower to stop myself from reaching my sword and cutting them both.

I don't need their pity yet, Dayu is still alive. And if he dies, I will not give anyone a chance to pity me. I will follow Dayu shortly after.

I put my lip to his ear, "You will not leave me right? My heart, you are still fighting right? You survived this far, losing your parents, survived being abused by those evil monsters. You are a survivor my heart, you even survived my father's attempt to kill you. This is just a fever, this will be nothing to you."

"Don't make me live without you Dayu. That would be just cruel. Don't make me live without your smile, your laugh. I will not live without your kisses Dayu. I will not survive here without your touch. You will not leave me here. I know you will not do this to me, to us."

I pick the wet cloth and wipe his sweaty face and neck. His fever is still high. His eyes closed. He is so still. If not for his hot skin I will think that me living here is useless now.

But Dayu is still alive. We are still fighting.

I didn't know that I fell asleep while watching over him. I open my eyes when I heard Dayu moaning and thrashing on the bed. He is kicking the blanket covering him. Complaining about being too hot.

"Dayu?" I pulled the blanket off him and sat on the edge of the bed beside him. Dayu is moaning and groaning.

"Mama, mama..." he is calling his mother again.

"Dayu," I shook his shoulder gently, "Dayu can you open your eyes?"

He continued to moan, still calling his mother. I tried shaking his shoulder gently again. Tried asking him to open his eyes.

But I was startled when Dayu did open his eyes. And reach out to wrap a hand on my neck.

With a force I didn't know he still possessed, Dayu spun us around until I was lying on my back and he straddled my chest as his other hand join the first, strangling me.

"I will kill all of you," he said in a weak and whispery tone. "All of you,"

"D-dayu..." I sputtered as his hands tighten on my neck. I held both his wrists. Look up to his eyes who are looking down at me blankly.

He is not aware of what he is doing.

"All of you. Every Wang..." he said before his hold on my neck loosen and he slumped on me. His head above mine and his chest on my head.

I lift him off me and lay him on the bed again. I coughed as I watch Dayu go back to his fevered sleep.

I put a hand on my neck while looking down at him. Did that really happened? Did Dayu really strangle me?

And did I heard him right? He said he will kill all of us. Every Wang? Does my hearing played a trick on me?

I arrange Dayu so he will be comfortable. Then I get off the bed and sit on the edge as I watch him again.

I feel like it's just a dream. Him strangling me and whispering those threats.

It makes no sense at all. Why would Dayu do that? How can he do that? This is the most innocent person I know. Dayu has the sweetest smile and softest heart.

He cannot strangle and kill anyone. If he can then he shouldn't have needed Mei and Jiang's help to escape those soldiers my father sent to kill him.

Maybe it's the fever that did it. Dayu is unconcious while strangling me. I saw it in his blank stare. He is not even awake and concious.

Maybe, he was dreaming about being chased by those soldiers again and this time he wanted to protect himself.

"Every Wang..."

Now that is confusing. In all that happened, that phrase is the most baffling.

Why would Dayu strangle me and threaten my family? My name? It doesn't make any bit of sense!

I was about to stand when Dayu moan again.

"Captain, don't...leave. I...lo...you..."

Those broken words and the plea on his tone made me sit again and held his hand.

I lift his hand to kiss it and was surprised to notice something.

I put a hand on Dayu's forehead. His fever. He is not as hot as last night. He is a lot cooler to touch.

I laugh in relief. He did it. He fought and won. Dayu is really a survivor.

His fever had broke.