The Martial Alliance was vast.
And its members were too numerous to count.
The number of people residing in Yellow Dragon Fortress alone ran into the thousands.
Consequently, even among fellow members, unfamiliar faces far outnumbered familiar ones.
Well-known figures like Namgung Un or Sama Jin were one thing, but for the overwhelming majority, mutual anonymity was unavoidable.
Even taking that into account, however, the man before them was far too suspicious.
'And yet......'
What he had said was simply too compelling to dismiss.
The Martial Alliance, and the rightful masters of Yellow Dragon Fortress.
The call to reclaim their place had struck Gwak Doyeong and the Yichang Sect disciples squarely in the heart.
As their minds churned, the man continued.
"When you trace it to its root, this entire disaster was caused by the Nine Sects and One Clan, the Five Great Clans--the so-called higher-ups."
That much was undeniably true.
Shaolin Temple above all!
Not only had they endorsed Dan Sahyeok's absurd demand, but they had also been the first to vacate.
When even the leadership, including Sama Jin, had joined the exodus, the fracturing--and ultimately the collapse--of the Alliance's solidarity was the inevitable result.
"Can we really afford to just retreat like this?"
The man's words slid into the ears of Gwak Doyeong and his disciples.
"But...... that man, Dan Sahyeok, is a monster."
Gwak Doyeong barely managed the words.
Loath as he was to admit it, that was the reality.
A world where a single man could stand against hundreds, even thousands--that supremely unreasonable thing was precisely what the martial world was.
"Monster or not, he is alone."
The man declared with conviction.
"And...... I am not proposing we kill or harm the man."
"Then what?"
"I would not go so far as to call it revenge, but we ought to at least vent the frustration of being thrown out without warning."
"Hmm."
"In the chaos of being expelled, countless valuables and belongings were left behind in the fortress."
"That is true."
"No matter how monstrous Dan Sahyeok may be, he could not have collected or disposed of all of them."
"He is not alone, but you have a point."
Gwak Doyeong answered, recalling the name Jang Ucheol--the hulk who had been playing lapdog to Dan Sahyeok.
"In other words, even if we slip back into Yellow Dragon Fortress and help ourselves, there should be no real problem."
"......So what you are proposing is that we break into Yellow Dragon Fortress and steal?"
"It is not a break-in, since Yellow Dragon Fortress belongs to the Alliance members. And it is not theft, since we would merely be reclaiming what was ours to begin with."
"Hmm......!"
"No matter how strong Dan Sahyeok is, he is one man. To be blunt about it, if we storm in simultaneously from all four directions, how could he possibly respond?"
"I-I suppose you have a point."
The man smiled at Gwak Doyeong's reaction.
"I am not asking anyone to fight a desperate battle, nor to carry out a bloody revenge. I am simply suggesting we give that brigand a taste of his own medicine."
"Hmm, but......"
There was no getting around how undignified it looked.
And yet, viewed dispassionately, it seemed like the best they could manage.
"Will you join us?"
"......Very well."
Gwak Doyeong clasped the man's outstretched hand.
"A wise decision, comrade."
"Hmm, so what do we do now?"
"I will send word in due course. I have already gathered several hundred willing comrades from this inn and many others."
The man flashed a self-assured smile.
"If we all join forces, there is nothing we cannot accomplish."
"I could not agree more!"
***
The man's name was Gok Jahyeong.
He was a member of a gang called the Green Snake Gang.
And the Green Snake Gang had never, for so much as a single moment, been part of the Martial Alliance.
Its true nature, moreover, was unorthodox to the core.
They had spent their years quietly biding their time under the shadow of the Martial Alliance and the Orthodox powers.
For them, the Martial Alliance's collapse was cause for jubilation.
But simply celebrating was not enough--that was Gok Jahyeong's conviction.
"I have a plan, brothers. A plan to wipe out the wretched dregs of the Martial Alliance in one stroke and turn Yellow Dragon Fortress into the starting point of the Orthodox's destruction."
"We are listening, brother."
Unlike a typical sect, the Green Snake Gang was led by five masters on equal footing.
Meetings and discussions were conducted from a strictly egalitarian stance.
"It is simple. We recruit the expelled rabble and lure them into a raid."
"A raid?"
"From what I hear, most of them were thrown out with nothing but the clothes on their backs. That means a staggering amount of supplies must still be sitting inside Yellow Dragon Fortress."
"Mm. That much is certainly......"
"I still do not understand how that many people could have been driven out by a single man, but never mind."
"It just means the Martial Alliance was even more pathetic and stupid than we thought. Anyway, if we dangle the bait of simply recovering their belongings, they will bite."
"Hmm. And then?"
"That part is simple, too."
Gok Jahyeong's lips twisted into a warped grin.
"Once they are inside Yellow Dragon Fortress, every last one of them will be blind with greed for plunder. And when that Dan Sahyeok shows up in the middle of all that chaos...... we hit him."
"Hit Dan Sahyeok?"
"But I heard he defeated the Azure Sky Sword King......"
"And before that, the Blood Sky Demon......"
"I am not saying we fight him. We ambush him and bolt."
"And then......?"
"Do you think a man who has just been attacked will sit still? Especially when he is surrounded by people crazed with looting?"
At Gok Jahyeong's explanation, cruel smiles spread across his comrades' faces.
"Blinded by rage, he will lash out at the Martial Alliance rabble!"
"And they will have no choice but to fight back to survive......!"
"Exactly."
Gok Jahyeong wore the smile of a man who had already won.
"Whichever side survives that bloodbath...... Yellow Dragon Fortress will be a sea of blood."
***
"Phew! What a mess."
Jang Ucheol straightened up and pressed a hand to his aching back, surrounded by the detritus of a long day's hauling.
The inner courtyards of Yellow Dragon Fortress were an utter wreck.
All manner of objects lay strewn about: bookshelves and chairs, shattered ceramics and vases.
Even items of considerable value had been tossed aside with no regard.
Every last one had been dislodged by Dan Sahyeok in a single day.
In other words, they were the things hurled outside in the course of expelling the Alliance members.
And Jang Ucheol was now in the middle of cleaning up the aftermath.
"If it looks unsightly, clear it all away."
"......All of this, sir?"
"Yes."
"By myself?"
"Hire help if you want. I would like to think you have that much initiative."
"I-I suppose I do."
"I do not care how you dispose of it, so handle it as you see fit."
That last remark was enough to snap him to attention.
Most of what Dan Sahyeok had thrown around was damaged, given how carelessly it had been flung, but a substantial amount still held value.
Patch some of it up, or sell it as-is--either way, there were easy silver taels to be had among the heaps.
And such items were scattered throughout the entire fortress, too many to count. Handled well, there was serious money to be made.
"The problem is I do not have many people I can trust. Damn it all."
Jang Ucheol had never been much of a social butterfly, even in his days as a Martial Alliance warrior.
Now that he needed to call in favors, there were precious few people he could turn to.
He could recruit labor if he had to, but he could not guarantee their trustworthiness.
In the end, he had decided to start on his own, but--
"Damn! At this rate, it really will never end."
Jang Ucheol muttered in a voice like an ant's.
He knew Dan Sahyeok was not the type to scold him over a bit of grumbling, but he found himself watching his tongue all the same.
"Come to think of it, where did he go? He does not seem to be in the fortress."
Dan Sahyeok really had emptied Yellow Dragon Fortress of every last resident in a single day.
Halfway through, people had grown so sick of his method of ripping belongings out that they had begun fleeing of their own accord.
Of course, things might have gone differently if someone had rallied the others into resistance.
But Strategist Sama Jin, the Five Great Clans, and the Nine Sects and One Clan led by Shaolin had all vacated quietly.
Once even they had obeyed Dan Sahyeok's eviction order, it was no simple matter for any lesser sect or clan to stand up in defiance.
In effect, the Nine Sects and One Clan and the Five Great Clans had endorsed Dan Sahyeok's legitimacy by withdrawing without protest.
"Then again, he did absolutely demolish the Azure Sky Sword King."
Jang Ucheol murmured to himself, nodding along.
None of it was his own doing, and yet his face brimmed with pride.
"The martial world is ruled by the strong, after all. Mm, yes--following Dan Sahyeok is without a doubt the best decision I have made in my entire life."
In any case, Yellow Dragon Fortress was now empty.
The sprawling grounds that had once teemed with thousands were suddenly desolate.
But Jang Ucheol could not help feeling a twinge of unease.
"It is just too damn big."
The people had withdrawn, yes, but there was surely no chance that was the end of it.
Yellow Dragon Fortress was as vast as a respectable imperial palace.
No matter how extraordinary a master Dan Sahyeok might be, keeping watch over every inch of such a place was simply impossible.
Before long, all manner of vermin would come crawling in from every corner of Xi'an.
"Of course, there is no way small-time crooks like that could pose a threat to him, but......"
"It would be a nuisance, though."
"......!"
The voice from nowhere sent every hair on Jang Ucheol's body standing on end.
"Wh-wh-who goes there!"
He barked in the general direction of the voice.
Before long, it came again.
"Wrong way. Over here."
"Gah!"
Jang Ucheol spun around to find a towering, rakshasa-like giant striding toward him.
He had some confidence in his own bulk, but next to this man he looked positively small.
'A-and on top of that......!'
The sheer pressure was staggering.
Where Dan Sahyeok's aura was of a depth that defied ordinary measure, this man radiated danger with brazen intensity.
'If that man decided to, someone like me would be......'
Jang Ucheol swallowed hard.
The giant, seeing him, clicked his tongue lightly.
"Your knees go weak at this little show of presence? Shaanxi dandies, I swear."
"Wh-who are you?"
"Me? O Duseok."
"What?"
At Jang Ucheol's slack-jawed response, the giant--O Duseok--scrunched up his face.
"Tch. Cannot get a word in edgewise. Where the hell did that brat Dan Sahyeok run off to......"
"If you have business with...... my sworn brother?"
"And if I do? You are not going to try to stop me, are you?"
"N-no! Of course not!"
Jang Ucheol answered, cowering.
O Duseok clicked his tongue sharply and folded his arms.
"I was heading back to Gansu when things got complicated. So I rushed back to see Dan Sahyeok, but that bastard is nowhere to be found. Understand?"
"Y-yes."
"So where is he?"
O Duseok stepped forward, and his shadow fell across Jang Ucheol's face.
Unable to figure out what to do, Jang Ucheol felt cold sweat beading on his forehead.