Before the Zi and Shui, the Dong had maintained 5,000 years of intermarriage with the Li. Thus, it was no exaggeration to say that, genetic-pool-wise, the two families were as close as siamese twins. In Hanxing and Soaring Crane's case, the proximity reached another level. Hanxing's mother, last sect master of the pre-Zi era, was also Soaring Crane's aunt—making the relationship between the two quite complex.
Aware of all the foul tendencies that Hanxing hid behind his jovial exterior, Soaring Crane knew that, the more the monster laughed, the more likely all the events that transpired till now were to have gone according to his plans. But if that were the case, why…
