As my scan looks over the area around this Monchon City, I can see multiple iridescent clusters all scattered around. Most just under a mile beneath the surface.

With the level of cultivators that are around, I would have expected more of these to be taken care of. Of course, most of them are in poorer areas, where there are likely no cultivators strong enough to even detect it.

When looking at the worms themselves, I can see the reason they’re called iridescent.

Each one shines like a glow stick for my world. Unlike a glow stick, however, they’re fat, meaty, but insanely quick worms. The adults seem to be between the size of a rhino and an elephant. Each one appears to have a pouch in their stomach for carrying different creatures within them.

They ooze a gas and liquid that appear to make nearby creatures more docile and slower.

There appear to be some other advantages that allow them to catch their prey relatively easily, as well.

Within their lairs, there are some women who have been captured. Who are giving birth to human baby sized versions of the creature. All with a bliss filled and orgasmic face.

Horrifying stuff, worthy of the description that Gong had previously given me.

But that’s not what shocked me.

What gives me cause for alarm is the chamber of iridescent worms, located 2 miles beneath the surface of the Yellow Sashes area.

Almost unconsciously, I zero in my scan to that area to take a closer look.

What I find is that there are indeed some Yellow Sashes, or those who used to be Yellow Sash women contained in there.

I strain my scan a bit to get even the slightest notion that someone perpetrated purposely this.

Unfortunately, my suspicions are correct.

Many of the women here have shattered cultivations. Meaning it is no coincidence that they are in this state.

Luckily, it looks like this place hasn’t been checked, whether through spiritual sense or physically, for at least 50 years. Which, at the very least, means that the most likely culprit does not check this area. Likely just leaving these women to their fate.

There is a place that does get checked frequently, though.

I see a single iridescent worm, on a return from what appears to be a drop off area, near the surface. With nothing in hand… body.

From what I’ve seen, I think I have a decent picture of how this is done.

The Yellow Sashes have someone they need to get rid of and punish. So, they cripple the cultivation of the person, and put them in the hole where the iridescent worms come to. The worms then drag the unconscious and helpless person down to be part of their breeding stock. The unfortunate connotations of this are a stark reminder that the yellow sashes are not a sect.

Despite the horrible things a sect might do, it appears in this world something like this wouldn’t be on the table as punishment. For their own members, at least.

Of course, demonic sects are an exception to this.

While I think about this, Gong’s words return to me.

‘They’re a gang, not a sect.’

Even if they do good things regularly, they are under no social contract to not do horrible shit like this.

My mind goes to their leader, Wu Qing. And what other horrible things she’s down and allowed in her group.

As I look towards the other gangs’ areas, I see a pattern that this is not only them.

In fact, there is even a similar setup, deep, deep below the main market and other gangs. All treated similarly. With none of them having any signs of spiritual sense put up on them or a human presence having visited it.

A piece of information I previously knew slots into place for me.

There are ways to determine whether a person’s spiritual sense has been in an area, or whether they were there. As long as a major power isn’t paying attention to it or has any record of it, they have deniability.

My guess is that they use some sort of third party to dump the women. The cleanup crew is the Iridescent worms.

The worms are quite strong and are quick enough to take down a body cultivator, maybe even a poor quality, low-level cultivator, if they had the jump on them. Let alone someone who just had their cultivation shattered, which is paralyzing and soul bindingly painful.

And, if they’re all in on this tactic, then they never give each other up and would make excuses for each other unless they did something extremely stupid.

Thankfully, I don’t see anything underneath Big Sis Crane’s area and surprisingly, nothing under the Vermilion stripes area.

I can’t imagine that Big Sis Crane wouldn’t be aware of this, though. On the Stripes side, I don’t know whether it’s because of incompetence or disapproval of the methods.

This leaves me in a tough position now. On whether to actually tell Gong that this isn’t an accident. That it is actually a purposeful and systemic issue.

The more I think of it, though, the more I realize that I will definitely have to. If she was going to be hitting these areas anyway, it is better that she knows what’s going on, so she can Orient herself in a way that won’t get her killed.

The blessing in this is that since none of them check it, it will allow us to take care of it without being stopped.

From what I’ve gathered, Gong is already known to pursue these creatures. So, if she rescues them, she will probably not be looked at suspiciously. The route up to the respective drop off areas is convoluted and wouldn’t easily be tied to the groups. So, she wouldn’t draw any conclusions about it.

The actual issue in this is me. Healing these women of the condition will now make them and by association us a threat. The women will have their sanity back, at least somewhat.

The only way that I can see to make this turn out alright, is to: Heal the condition with alchemy; not restore their cultivations; and wipe their memory.

If we use alchemy, we can wave it away as a new discovery by a genius, with now a history of creating miracle fixes on the non-cultivator/low cultivation side. The side effect allows the groups to maintain their charade. Still suspect, but workable.

However, if we restore their cultivations, we likely cannot control them. Not only that, but if this is discovered, then there will be deep investigations regarding that.

Finally, if their memories are restored, they’ll likely want revenge.

It’s unfortunate, but we need them to remain ‘broken,’ to keep them and ourselves safe.

Using my scan, I search for any alternatives to this option. It’s not my scan which provides it, though, but myself.

Huh. We could eventually restore all their cultivations and memories. Hiding them away and using them to build our power secretly. So, when the demi-human aspect inevitably comes out, we will be able to fight back. To go through the curse trials with a more powerful force.

If we managed to convince them, they’d be considered part of our group.

The rules for the trial allow for anyone allied with the demi-humans to take part. The determination for that is a bit wonky, but we would qualify in this case.

If we went for this aspect, we could hide them with the rest of the demi-humans and have them train together.

The only issue is… there’s nothing to bind these people here.

For the demi-humans, we had a contract. It’s likely that we won’t be able to get another one.

Well. Unless I negotiate with Big Sis Crane. But I feel there would be ramifications to that, far beyond what I could currently handle.

Ultimately, I feel the best choice for now will be to grab them and heal them of the condition over time, while keeping them ‘jailed’ underground without their memories.

It’s unfortunate, but we will need to vastly increase the number of spiders. Which will mean much less available mana for healing.

Luckily, the spree of healing I did during the attack on the demi-humans increased my mana total by an absurd amount. If I simply bring my available mana just above its previous levels, I should be okay still, for everything I want to do.

Fuck… what a conundrum.

Well. Time to talk to Gong.

… Again.