Under the Heavens

Chapter 1

"I beg your pardon?" Li-Wei Xiang asked. 

"You're going to die," His physician said to him. Li-Wei Xiang could only sit there speechless, he didn't expect that. He was certain shock had already painted his face. His physician sighed, his fingers touching his temple, weary enough. 

"I know, Wei Xiang. You're very shocked, but I can't help you. It is a terminal illness that I cannot cure," The physician sighed once again. 

Silence had filled the room. Suddenly for Li-Wei Xiang, it was harder to breathe and focus. He didn't want to die. Not yet, at least. Mustering up his strength to speak, Li-Wei Xiang whispered:

"How many?" 

"What?" 

"How many years do I get to live?" 

The physician pursed his lips, answering, "5 months." 

He might as well be dead already. Only five months to live. His luck sucked terribly. Li-Wei Xiang laughed inwardly, there was an edge in his laugh. "Keep this as a secret, you must never tell my family,  yī shēng," Li-Wei Xiang's eyes stare at his yī shēng's eyes, full of determination. 

His physician nodded, before looking grim. Li-Wei Xiang pushed himself up and dusted himself. He was determined to never tell his family anything. He fears it would make his family dismal. Giving his yī shēng a pleasant but strained smile, he said his goodbye and exited. 

The town didn't seem so bright in his eyes anymore. How could it be when he just found out he's dying? Many shopkeepers smiled pleasantly and gossiped all around him. Some coating him to buy something but Li-Wei Xiang ignored their voices as he passed by. A few kids ran around and yelled happily. 

He might as well live life to the fullest. 

Li-Wei Xiang headed towards a stall. This stall sells booze and wine. Such "delicacy" to others. He carefully analyzes the wine around him, choosing what sounds good. The Shopkeeper clapped his hands, staring eagerly at Li-Wei Xiang. 

"Young sir, I think you will like this one! No, wait, maybe this one!" Hands wailed around trying to find the wine that would suit Li-Wei Xiang's taste. 

A label catches his eyes. It spells "Heaven's Emperor's Wine". The Shopkeeper immediately stopped rambling, catching on to Li-Wei Xiang's interest. 

"Ah, they said that that wine was made from the heavens. The Heavenly Emperor once drank that wine, but the wine was lost and fell into the mortal realm, thus, which is how we made it and kept it for years and years. I see you have a good choice there, young sir," The Shopkeeper pleasantly kept a smile as he rambled on the story. 

"I'll take it, how much?" Li-Wei Xiang's eyes never trailed away from the red pot, seemingly normal looking pot. 

"1,000 Yuan!" The fan in the Shopkeeper's hand collided with the stall as he happy stated the price. 

Kind of pricey for something that looks so normal. He wanted to scoff at the price, money wasn't easy to come by these days, just what was the Shopkeeper thinking? He bit his lips before saying something he might regret. 

"I'll take it."

Next thing he knows he was walking with the jar on the streets going home with the wine. He cannot believe himself. Just what did he say to get this normal looking wine? It baffled him that he bought it. 

"Li-Wei gege, what are you doing with that wine?" His sister blinked when she sees him with something she's never seen him with before. 

"I'm going to drink it, Xia-Xue," He answers calmly.