My heart races at seeing Gong again. But before I even entered the hole, I could sense the changes that happened to her body in the time we’ve been away from each other.

While she still has her angled chin, yellow-green eyes, and lines of black chitin along her face that match her black hair, there have been several things that transformed her from being stunningly pretty to be otherworldly attractive.

Her pale grey skin has shifted to an almost translucent, pure shade of white, yet retaining hints of darkness that perfectly harmonizes with her shining black hair. While normally, I’d think such a color palette would be alien and unsettling, on her it only accentuates her beauty, making it difficult to look away.

Something that is only amplified when I see her with my real eyes, as I see her up close.

But that’s not the ‘largest’ change that’s happened to her.

She’s literally grown by several sizes.

If her entire form was the size of a hummer before, now she’s larger than a tank. While most of the size difference seems to have happened to her arachnid part, her human form is as big as a small giant. With all parts of her body growing to match.

A teasingly mischievous smile appears and disappears when she sees my gaping mouth at this realization of her changes. A hint of the vibrant and playful lady that’s been missing from our lives.

Putting her changed size out of mind, I can still feel my emotions well up from not having seen her in so long. Soon after though, I can see tears form, as she seems to let the moment get to her as well. Rapidly, I move toward her to give her a hug.

Which she playfully dodges with an evil laugh, moving over to hug Ai and Lin instead. With them crying and laughing at their reunion and my immediate knee of defeat.

I let my face show some sulking as I do this, though it’s easy to tell she’s just messing around and has been just as eager to see me as well. Sure enough, I get tackled soon after from behind, lifted and twirled around. The warmth of her affection and body transmitted over immediately.

Of course, I spin around to hug her, though considering her enormous size, we both realize a key issue with this action.

“… Ah. I should probably shrink down a bit, huh?”

The positioning and size of things made it so I’m in the middle of her chest. With my legs just reaching her pedipalps.

In just a few seconds, she rapidly begins to shrink back to her original size, something I recognize is an ability that skilled spirit beasts can have as they reach the end of Qi Condensation.

She keeps a few things on her body quite larger, smirking at me the whole while as I adjust to the new positioning. But I don’t let that stop me from looking at what’s important here.

I promptly wrap my arms around her back. Giving her as big of a hug as I can.

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Something that I can tell reminds both of us from the time that we were discussing how to handle the iridescent worms that are still torturing women underground. When we clung to each other, to get through that there was nothing that we could do to help them.

Just like mine, her hands wrap around my back and hold on tightly. Gripping as if to never let go.

… I will not leave her alone here again.

At the very least, we’ll bring the little spider with us, so that way she’ll never have to be this lonely in the future. And just maybe, we can get the other members of our group to get used to demi-humans more.

Preparing them for when we’ll start integrating them, as well. Making it so that these changes I want for this world can be public.

We stand here like this for just a moment… until both of us separate with a little regret.

After all, Ai and Lin are here too. All of us having a major purpose to fulfill before we can relax.

Sigh.

“… So, is everyone still good with the plan? I’ll head out to the outskirts of the city, while Gong makes sure that everyone is evacuated from there. You all and the rest of the team can stay hidden with Gong underground, near Big Sis Crane’s location.”

I turn back to Gong to reconfirm.

“Did Big Sis Crane agree to watch the ambush as compensation for having her wait?”

Gong's nod to my question brings immense relief, as my scan indicated it was probable but not guaranteed.

Her next words set me back on edge, though.

“She did want to pass along a warning to you. ‘That things may be more exciting than you imagine’.”

That can’t be good.

I should check into this.

…

…

Well.

It looks like I won’t be dealing with just the Vermillion Stripes.

My actions with the napalm have set off waves across their group. And notified others who already held grudges against me of my location. Even though I pride myself that I’ve done a lot of good since I’ve come into this world… that’s come at the cost of going against a variety of groups.

Like with my healing rats’ stunt, that took out entire drug and trafficking rings, just by removing clients and victims from their machinations in the Outer City. Or with me helping a massive group of people who would never normally be able to become cultivators make it up the mountain and into the sect, while leaving supplies for future groups to have an easier time with it. Causing groups that would normally have extra free labor or victims, to be near deprived of them.

Even with the Vermillion Stripes being their own gang, they have ties to various groups that have leverage. And it looks like they now have a shared enemy.

Time is against me.

The longer I wait to bait them into an ambush, the more skilled enemies that will come together at once in the eventual attack.

I have to move… Now.

Not wanting to leave my allies in the dark, I fill them in on the situation and what I discovered. Considering they already know about my abilities; it doesn’t take much convincing before they understand and move to have the carriages go into the hole. An easy action, considering they could contain Gong and her massive spiders moving at high speeds. Not to mention the strength of the parties involved.

It is also around this time that Jin Chin arrives in a clandestine manner, having made sure not to be seen on the way in. Being filled in by the others, as I run out toward the planned ambush area.

By this point, they will know something is up. But the bait will be too much for them not to commit.

I arrive in only a few moments because of my movement technique. Activating almost all of my scans in a flash, barring the conversation one, to ready myself.

Letting me see how terrible it will be.

And it is very unforgiving.

Rather than 1000 low quality, low tier Qi Condensation cultivations… it’s more like 3000. And even with my plans that could handle the 1000 and some mixed in higher realm cultivators, this is too much for me.

… at least the current me.

A spark of an idea comes, as I pull out my jade slip for texting.

“Ai. Let Gong know to set up a large perimeter around the ambush area.

“And to let the entire city know, it’s time for some healing.”