208: You should grow up, Yingying.

Ye Cang's heart immediately relaxed.

Fortunately, he wasn't here to stop him from pursuing Yingying.

Then this would be easy to handle.

His gaze fell upon the fate-devouring dragon transformation pill, and he felt hesitant.

Leave?

He couldn't bear to leave Gu Yingying.

But stay as a piece of trash?

That was even less of what he wanted.

Although Cao Bu's words were harsh, every sentence was reasonable.

"For Yingying."

Struggle and pain flashed through Ye Cang's eyes, finally turning into a sliver of determination.

He couldn't stay as a piece of trash; if he did, Yingying would only look down on him.

He wanted to become strong, so strong that no one dared to provoke him, and then he would return in glory to marry her!

"I choose the second option!"

Ye Cang gritted his teeth and grabbed the Medicinal Pill.

"Old Zhong, is there any problem with this pill?" he asked quietly in his mind.

Old Zhong sensed it for a moment: "There is Dragon Qi inside; it's not poison."

Upon hearing this, Ye Cang became excited.

Dragon Qi—that was good stuff!

This Medicinal Pill was definitely not simple.

He increasingly felt that this pair of siblings had mysterious origins.

At the same time, a sense of gratitude toward Cao Bu grew in his heart.

Such a precious Medicinal Pill, given away just like that—it seemed he truly treated him as family.

He swore secretly in his heart that he would never let down Cao Bu's expectations.

After swallowing the Medicinal Pill, he didn't feel any discomfort; instead, a warm current spread through him, refreshing his spirit.

"Very good."

A gleam of success flashed deep within Cao Bu's eyes, but on the surface, he showed a look of approval.

"Here are one million spirit crystals, enough for your initial Cultivation."

"Remember, until you have absolute control, never come back."

As he spoke, Cao Bu placed a storage ring on the table.

At the same time, a shadow-recording stone in his sleeve lit up quietly, recording the scene of Ye Cang taking the ring.

Ye Cang was precisely lacking resources, and this prospective brother-in-law even agreed to his pursuit of Yingying.

Thus, without hesitation, he readily accepted the ring and cupped his fists toward Cao Bu: "Thank you, Big Brother Li."

"No need for thanks." Cao Bu raised his hand to interrupt: "I only hope my sister has a good future."

Ye Cang nodded, his gaze toward Cao Bu becoming increasingly soft.

This prospective brother-in-law truly left him with nothing to complain about.

Next, Ye Cang wrote a letter and handed it to Cao Bu.

"Big Brother Li, please give this letter to Yingying."

Cao Bu took the letter and nodded: "You are the first person Yingying has cared about so much; don't disappoint her."

"I definitely won't!" Ye Cang promised solemnly.

He walked out of the room, took one last deep look toward Gu Yingying's room, and then left the Red City Gang under the cover of night without looking back.

Early the next morning.

Gu Yingying discovered Ye Cang was gone, finding only a letter in his room with the words "Take care" written on it.

"Big Brother, Ye Cang..." Gu Yingying found Cao Bu, her face full of worry.

Cao Bu's face showed an appropriate measure of heaviness and helplessness.

He sighed and took out the shadow-recording stone: "Yingying, there are some things I didn't want to tell you. But you've grown up; it's time you see certain people clearly."

Qi was injected, and the shadow-recording stone displayed the scene from last night.

Ye Cang took the storage ring, accepted it without hesitation, and then left decisively.

As for the preceding conversation and the part about the Medicinal Pill, they had been quietly edited out by Cao Bu.

"He took your money and left?"

Gu Yingying was stunned, unable to believe her eyes.

Cao Bu nodded and said candidly:

"Actually, the reason Big Brother came this time was because Adoptive Mother was worried about you being with Ye Cang, so she asked me to test him."

"If he passed the test, Adoptive Mother wouldn't object to you two."

"This is all for your own good. Your second and fourth sisters were hurt because they misjudged people."

"I just didn't expect that from a small test, he would actually..."

"Yingying, Ye Cang's feelings for you are only worth one million spirit crystals. This is the cheapest affection Big Brother has ever seen."

"Fortunately, it's not too late to see clearly now."

At this point, Cao Bu sighed again.

Looking at the scene of Ye Cang taking the money without hesitation, Gu Yingying's heart sank bit by bit.

Disappointment, grievance, and the pain of betrayal welled up in her heart.

She bit her lip: "It's good that he's gone; I suppose I just misjudged him."

Cao Bu gently pulled her into his arms, stroking her hair to comfort her: "Don't be sad, it's not worth it for someone like that. With Big Brother here, I won't let anyone bully you again."

Leaning against Cao Bu's solid chest and listening to his powerful heartbeat, Gu Yingying suddenly felt exceptionally safe.

She was a bit dazed, her mind in a mess.

If only Big Brother could have a Clone.

One for Gu Yin, one for me.

I heard Gu Lingshuang is also pursuing Big Brother.

Then one for Gu Lingshuang, one for me.

That way I would have two.

Thinking of this, Gu Yingying's face suddenly turned completely red.

Damn it, Gu Yingying, what are you thinking!

Even if Big Brother had a Clone, it couldn't be like that.

From an angle Gu Yingying couldn't see, a successful smile curled at the corner of Cao Bu's mouth.

The fate-devouring dragon transformation pill had already been planted; next was just waiting, then harvesting the fruit.

Next, he would nurture his relationship with Gu Yingying.

He could tell this girl had feelings for him.

She was just hindered by certain reasons and didn't dare to face them.

"Yingying, although you built this Red City Gang, it isn't a place to stay forever after all."

"Ye Cang has already left. With you being a girl staying here, Big Brother isn't at ease."

"Listen to Big Brother. Arrange things for the gang members and come home with me."

"Moreover, the Seal of the Myriad Laws Forbidden Abyss will disappear in a few years. You need to quickly increase your Cultivation so you have enough power to protect yourself."

Gu Yingying looked up, seeing Cao Bu's concerned gaze, and then thinking of Ye Cang's betrayal, her slight reluctance to leave the Red City Gang faded.

She had built the Red City Gang just for fun anyway; now that Ye Cang was gone, she felt there was no point to it anymore.

"Big Brother is right." Gu Yingying nodded, her voice sounding a bit tired: "There's nothing left to miss here."

Over the next few days.

With Cao Bu's help, the Red City Gang was quickly disbanded.

Everyone took their severance pay and left individually.

A few days later, the Red City Gang became history.

Cao Bu and Gu Yingying left the Red City Gang headquarters and set out on the road back to the clan.

Cao Bu didn't directly tear through space to return; instead, he prepared a spacious and comfortable carriage.

He claimed it was to let Gu Yingying relax and soothe her mood.

In reality, he was intentionally slowing down to create opportunities for the two of them to be alone.

The journey was long, and the scenery constantly changed.

At first, Gu Yingying was still unhappy, often staring out the window in a daze.

But with Cao Bu's company and guidance, Gu Yingying soon cheered up.

When camping at night.

Cao Bu would personally go hunting and start a fire to roast meat.

His skills were surprisingly good; the roasted meat was charred on the outside and tender on the inside, with a fragrant aroma that gave even Gu Yingying—who was used to delicacies—a great appetite.

"Big Brother, you know how to do this too?" Gu Yingying gnawed on a rabbit leg, her eyes bright.

Cao Bu smiled, the firelight making his profile look exceptionally gentle: "When I was out adventuring before, I often slept in the wild, so I had to learn to take care of myself."

He handed over a waterskin: "Eat slowly, don't choke."

These subtle bits of care quietly warmed Gu Yingying's wounded heart.

As time passed, the way Gu Yingying looked at Cao Bu became increasingly dependent and close.

Sometimes when the carriage jolted, she would subconsciously grab Cao Bu's arm, her face turning red once she realized it.

Instead of pushing her away, Cao Bu would steadily support her, making her heart flutter like a trapped deer.

That absurd thought of "if only Big Brother had a Clone" would occasionally pop up again, making her face flush and her heart race, but more than that, it was a kind of unspeakable sweetness and expectation.