THE BLOOD MOON

Deeply apologize for the published-unpublished yesterday. I've been flicked my fingers and pressed the button by mistake🙏

Shen MeiHua sat in the backyard garden. She peered at the watercraft floating on the lake, as the rubescent vault of heaven incarnadined the loch ere the sunrise. The warm tea presented on the table turned cold, she barely touched it.

"Wife..." Shen YongZheng touched his wife's shoulder, "what's the matter?"

"Wei-er...Since when did he change?" Shen MeiHua's voice was brittle.

Shen YongZheng took a deep breath, "since YeZun disappeared with Ma TiHua..." He said.

"What happened?" Shen MeiHua shifted her gaze to her husband.

"Ah Wei said, he visited Madame Gwang and asked her to recover his past life memory."

"For what?"

"For catch Ma TiHua..."

Shen MeiHua darted her eyes back to the watercraft that now drifted to the wooden dock. Shen Wei stepped down from the boat before helping Zhao YunLan ashore. The wobbly Zhao YunLan almost lost his footing, Shen Wei grabbed his waist before he fell. Laughter and chuckle reverberated in the bosky dell. Even from afar, Shen MeiHua could see how their affection was candescent like a blinding flash.

"Husband..."

"Hm..."

"Today, let's visit our old friend..."

"Who?"

"The Zhao family..."

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A fancy limousine stopped in front of a huge mansion, few other cars followed behind it. The grand gate opened and the convoy entered the driveway. Passing enormous garden with hedge maze paths. Wind breeze blows through the pine trees' branches, raking the leaves.

The ridiculous lengthy driveway ended as the limousine stopped next to an enormous stone fountain. A thin old man in a black suit and several people in servant dresses stood on the magnificent entrance terrace.

"Minister Han. Please..." One of the bodyguards who opened the car door bowed.

Han YiTing stepped down from the limousine. His plump physic steadily climbed up into the mansion door.

"Welcome, Master..." The thin old man who stood in front of the manor bowed deeply along with the other servants before Han YiTing entered the house. He was older than the middle-aged man,

"Is he at home?" Han YiTing halted in front of the door, lowering his gaze as he asked.

"Young Master is currently in the backyard garden." The man dithered.

"Butler Heung, what's the matter?" Shifting his face, Han YiTing peered at the anxious man. Han YiTing sighed when the old butler only lowered his head. "I'll go and see him."

The old butler lifted his head, about to say his objection. But then lowered his head, "this way..." He said.

Han YiTing strode behind his butler. He was over sixty but all hale and hearty. His stance was steady paced along the long hallway of the spacious manor, reaching the back door.

A young man stood in the center of the garden, surrounded by doves. His handsome baby face shone under the sol soft beam. Han YiTing paced toward the young man, voiceless. But like sensed the unwanted presence, the birds bestrewed away and an effulgent smile that dulcified the young man's face evanescent.

"YuSen...Your father is just returned home and you are not even bothered to greet me?" Han YiTing asked, smiling.

"Welcome home." Han YuSen replied coldly not even turning around, searching his path to escape through the flexuous hedge maze.

"YuSen!" Han YiTing's voice dissolved in the ether as the young man strode away. Sighed, Han YiTing walked inside the manor.

"Master..." The old butler was speechless.

"Ancient said, a successful man has no value without a strong household. How can I manage a country but can't manage my own son?" Han YiTing rued.

"Dragon has nine sons, each has their own temper..." The old butler tried to console the upset man. "Master, you've been traveling a long journey. Please, don't exhaust your physic." He bowed.

"I'll be in my room." Han YiTing said.

"Yes..."

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"Yes!" Shen Xi apace to the door when she heard the bell ring, "Madame Shen...General Shen..." She smiled in surprise, "please, come inside..." She opened the way.

"Thank you..." Both husband and wife replied with politeness.

"Husband!" Shen Xi knocked on her husband's reparation room before she open it.

"What happens?" Zhao XinChi kept his eyes on the device he repaired.

"General Shen and Madame Shen are here. Can you accompany them while I make tea and prepare some confectionaries?"

Zhao XinChi sighed before he stood up, "alright..." He nodded.

"What can I do for you?" Zhao XinChi asked Shen YongZheng who sat side by side with his wife on the living room sofa, "as far as I concern, I already told you that I help you on Ma TiHua's case only." He sat opposite the old General.

Shen YongZheng had no chance to reply as his wife interrupted, "actually, I come here to talk with your benefactor."

Zhao XinChi joined his eyebrows, "To Zhang Shi?" He flashed a glance at his best friend.

"Ah Wei's demeanor is more and more unusual lately. We need to know what kind of person was he in the past." Shen YongZheng replied.

Zhao XinChi lowered his gaze, "after you found out, then what?" He leaned on the sofa.

"We are his parents, we want to understand him." Shen MeiHua replied.

Zhao XinChi nodded, "alright."

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It was just a routine ordinary day at SID headquarters. Everyone was busy with their regular tasks. Since Ma TiHua disappeared - presumed dead, all returned to normal. As normal to the point of being boring yet nobody complained.

Zhao YunLan's sleepy head rolled on the main hall sofa, both feet on the table. Shen Wei sat near him, reading. Zhu Hong kept busy with her cellphone, constantly smiling by herself. Wang Zheng whispered to her, seeming like teasing her then both ladies chuckled. Lin Jing was busy installing a new program on the staff computers. Sang Zan went up and downstairs, bringing boxes with so many documents inside them. The old Li cooked in the kitchen, humming cheerfully.

Everything seemed so normal until Guo ChangCheng stepped his foot inside the hall. Palpable happiness beamed in his normally unobtrusive countenance, raking everyone's attention. Zhao YunLan hoisted his head, Shen Wei putting down his book. Wang Zheng and Zhu Hong typing hands halted. Only Sang Zan kept busy with his boxes.

"Uncle Li!" He paced at the old man, "I bring you all you need for the kitchen."

"Officer Guo, why bother? I'm about to get them myself." The old Li felt bad.

"I'm not doing it alone. If you want to say thanks, you can say it to Chu Ge." The younger replied.

"Hey, Xiao Guo...You and Lao Chu make up already?" Zhao YunLan couldn't grasp the situation.

"Yes!" Guo ChangCheng brought the tray with two cups of warm tea. "We've been talking about the incident and I know that I've been overreacting."

Zhao YunLan and Shen Wei glanced at each other, "overreacting?" Zhao YunLan repeated.

"Yes. Chu Ge just wanted to comfort me. He sees me like he sees Xiao Chu Ge..." Guo ChangCheng presented the tea.

"And you okay with that?!" Zhu Hong snapped, remembering how the young man's face abashed when they talked about Chu ShuZhi.

'Mhm, he is very important to me too...As a brother..." Guo ChangCheng suddenly perked up, "ah, I forgot. Chu Ge is still outside." He dashed.

When everyone was dumbstruck, Chu ShuZhi appeared with so many things pilling in his hands.

"Chu Ge! Why don't you wait for me?" Guo ChangCheng shouted?

"Why should I?" Chu ShuZhi didn't seem overwhelmed by the groceries in his hands. "It's not like you can do something to help me." Chu ShuZhi put down the groceries at the kitchen table. "Uncle Li, is everything you need there?" He asked the old man, leaving the scowling young man sulked behind him.

The old Li strode to the table, scrutinizing everything on the table. "Yes, I get all I need." The old man smiled.

"Let me help you store the stuff..." Guo ChangCheng rushed to the vegetable and washed it.

Chu ShuZhi shook his head but strode toward the sofa, standing behind Shen Wei until the man beckoned him to sit. Chu ShuZhi sat on another chair when Guo ChangCheng brought him a cup of tea.

At the same time, Sang Zan climbed down the stairs. He brought another box that seemed damaged at the bottom part as he had to hold the box's lower lid.

"Chu Ge...Here...I know you are tired." Guo ChangCheng put down a cup of warm tea.

"Thank you..." Chu ShuZhi was almost sipping the tea when he noticed something, "what's in your cheek?" He asked.

"Which one?" Guo ChangCheng brushed his cheeks with his fingers.

Chu ShuZhi sighed, beckoning the young man to come closer. "This..." Chu ShuZhi wiped Guo ChangCheng's lip corner with his thumb, "you have sugar in your face, idiot." He sucked the thumb.

Every jaw dropped unconsciously when they saw the scene unfolded. Shen Wei had to hold Zhao YunLan's tilted cup before the tea spilled out, pulling the shocked man back to his ground. But the poor Sang Zan missed his grip and the documents dropped down from the bottom of the box.

"My hands slipped." He said awkwardly when everybody turned their head to him. Wang Zheng leaped to his side and helped him pack the scattered documents.

"Ah, I have to help Uncle Li..." Guo ChangCheng said, he fled to the kitchen. Not too long, the young man poked his head from the kitchen wall rim. "Chu Ge! We forget to buy sugar. Can you please..."

"Alright." Guo ChangCheng didn't finish the sentence when Chu ShuZhi replied without a second thought. Pushed his body and patted the young man's head before he left.

"Is this just my imagination or Lao Chu is indeed smiling?" Lin Jing peered around.

"Hey, Xiao Guo!" Zhu Hong called the young man, eyes bespoke discontent. "Is that what you called a brotherhood relationship?"

"Yes..." Guo ChangCheng replied with a happy smile before his figure submerged into the kitchen.

Zhu Hong almost stood up when Zhao YunLan lifted his hand to stop her, "let them be. They need to figure their feeling out by themselves." He sighed.

The situation had no chance to heat up because the phone rang. "Special Investigation Division..." Wang Zheng replied. "Oh, alright..." She said after listening to the person across the line spoke. "Chief Zhao, Director Shen...HaiXing Jian asked you both to present at the meeting..."

Zhao YunLan frowned a moment before throwing a glance at Shen Wei.

"What meeting?" Shen Wei asked, "they supposed to inform us beforehand..."

"They just got an important message from Minister Han, this is top secret and both of you need to be present in the meeting twenty minutes from now." Wang Zheng said.

"What?!" Zhao YunLan and Shen Wei asked in unison.

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"That is all I can tell you..." Golden shade glinted in Zhao XinChi's orbs. His listeners took a deep breath, they just realized been holding their breath during the session.

"I never know that Wei-er and Zhao YunLan faced so many difficulties in the past." Shen MeiHua sniffled.

"It must be painful to fight his own brother. No wonder he becomes overprotective over YeZun." Shen YongZheng added.

"But the present YeZun is the opposite of the past YeZun." Zhang Shi stated, "should I say, I don't see a spec of the past him inside the present him."

Zhao XinChi sipped his tea, "do you want to say that is abnormal?" He asked himself.

"Definitely abnormal." Zhang Shi replied, "there should be a glimpse of his old self but I don't see it even a bit."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Shen Xi's voice filled with concern.

"I just hope, this is not like what I think." Zhang Shi said.

Their conversation was cut when Shen YongZheng's phone rang. "Yes?" The old general replied. "What? Now?" He furrowed his eyebrows. "Alright, we'll be there..." He said.

"What's the matter?" Zhao XinChi asked his dumbfounded friend.

"HaiXing Jian requested a meeting in twenty minutes." Shen YongZheng said, "it's about Ma TiHua..."

"What's happened with Ma TiHua?" Zhao XinChi put down his cup.

"Minister Han found his secret lab in the South Pole."

"Minister Han did what?!" Zhao XinChi was agape.

**********THIS STORY IS STOLEN BY NOVELHD, PLEASE JUST READ THE ORIGINAL IN WATTPAD OR AO3 **************

Several cars stopped in front of HaiXing Jian's main office. Some people climbed down from their cars in a hurry.

"Pa..." Zhao YunLan greeted his father when the old man stepped down from Shen YongZheng's car.

"YunLan..."

"What are you doing here?"

"Invited. Just like you."

"We better hurry." Shen Wei cut the conversation. Both men agreed without offense.

A large oval conference wooden table was prepared in the meeting room. Many important people in the ministry of defense sat on their chairs, whispering their curiosity - if clattering could be defined as a whisper. Shen Wei pulled a chair, letting Zhao YunLan sit before he pulled a chair for himself.

A while later, Han YiTing emerged from the door along with the head of HaiXing Jian. Both men strode to one end of the table that was furthest from the entrance.

"I'm sorry for the meeting on short notice." Han YiTing opened his speech. "But today's meeting is very important and confidential. It's about the silent threat that I believe no one is aware of but the XingDu bureau..." He took a deep breath before he proceeded, "they've been warned me about certain someone who searched for the fountain of eternity."

When everyone heard it, the murmur turned into panic gasps and disbelief that echoed in the hall.

"I know, it sounds stupid. I myself don't believe it but someone does believe or 'did' because he was pronounced dead in his expedition a few weeks ago." Han YiTing continued, "however, I silently investigate this man, and I found so much shocking information. That Mr. Ma TiHua and his associates Professor Ouyang Zhen committed a crime by performing illegal research involving many HaiXing men. I already presented the proofs to the head of HaiXing Jian and we agreed on one thing. We will close all of the labs and seize their assets. All their remaining scientists will be under strict supervision..."

Zhao YunLan and Shen Wei couldn't even be happier when they heard the beginning of the sesquipedalian speech. Threw a glance at each other and beamed in contentment, they could ignore the rest of the oration.

At the same time, Han YuSen in a black costume slipped into his father's restricted facility. Passing the guards and security camera, the young man tiptoed to a certain chamber and unlocked it. Probed inside the special chamber until his eyes found the tube where another YeZun was kept.

Han YuSen released his mask, stepping toward the tube. His eyes admired the beauty in front of him. Touched the tube carefully, he murmured, "I'll make good use of you..."

The blood moon. A phenomenon that occurred when the full moon coincided with a full lunar eclipse. Appeared reddish-tinged as it was illuminated by the sunshine that was filtered by the earth's shadow. When dark and light clashed with each other...

**********THIS STORY IS STOLEN BY NOVELHD, PLEASE JUST READ THE ORIGINAL IN WATTPAD OR AO3 **************

Picture credit to the conversation.