The river breeze suddenly softened a little.
At this point in the tale, Old Tortoise's shell trembled slightly.
Xuanzang looked ahead and continued:
"After gaining the supernatural power, the prince returned to the palace and began looking into his own future."
"And with that, his nightmare began."
"That year, he had just turned fourteen."
"But he saw that he would die at fifteen."
"From that day on, the prince changed."
"He tried every possible way to escape death."
"He had the court physicians check his pulse every day."
"When he ate, he feared choking."
"When he drank, he feared water going down the wrong way."
"When he slept at night, he feared never waking from his dreams."
"When he walked by day, he feared tripping on a step."
"When the wind stirred a candle flame, he feared a fire."
"When a bird landed by his window, he feared an ill omen."
"The Royal Palace remained resplendent in gold and jade."
"The flowers still bloomed."
"The water was still clear."
"But whenever he saw flowers, he thought of how they would wither."
"Whenever he saw water, he thought of how it would dry up."
"Whenever he heard the bells, he counted how many more times he would hear them."
"Whenever he saw the sun's shadow sink, he felt his life had shortened by another inch."
"Only one thing remained in his eyes."
"His death was drawing near."
The river was very quiet.
Xuanzang shook his head and continued:
"The days passed like this, one after another."
"The prince wore a sorrowful face all day long."
"The palace servants dared not mention death before him."
"The court physicians dared not speak of illness before him."
"But the more they avoided it, the more afraid he became."
"Because he knew the date of