Marrying the Soft-hearted Villain

The Demon Continent's tectonic plates are unique, forming one continuous landmass.

Apart from this Demon Continent, the rest of the Demon Realm is entirely ocean.

Near the edges of the continent, in the extreme north and south, are numerous abysses connected to the Demon Realm.

These abysses vary in size and stability, influencing the rank and number of demonic creatures that can pass through them.

Besides these abysses, demonic creatures can only enter the Demon Continent through unstable, randomly formed spatial passages.

Due to the continent's unique nature, the climate is uniform across most of the Demon Realm, with only a few areas experiencing extreme weather.

During this long winter, the entire Demon Realm is encased in ice.

In such a season, food and medicinal herbs are precious to most lower-ranking demons.

This meant their healing water beads would fetch a good price, but ordinary herbs and food wouldn't be easy to trade.

Ruan Qiuqiu stepped down from the willow cart onto the soft snow and looked up at the brightly lit valley in the distance.

This was their destination, the largest demon market on the edge of the Demon Continent, near the sea.

"We're here." Xiong Duoduo shifted into her human form, standing beside the still-transformed giant eagle and Xiong Yuandao. "Let's go to our tribe's cave. It's been months. I wonder if the firewood we stored in autumn is still there."

Ruan Qiuqiu was surprised. This was her first time at such a demon market, and she was unfamiliar with many things. "Our tribe has a cave here?"

Xiong Duoduo explained, "Yes, this market valley is surrounded by mountains on three sides, and one side connects to the sea. There are many natural caves, and each tribe attending the market can choose one to store their goods."

"When the weather is good, everyone sets up stalls outside. When it's bad, we have to go from cave to cave to see if anyone has what we need."

Xiong Duoduo explained further, and Ruan Qiuqiu understood how the trading worked.

"The thing is, some tribes are more powerful and occupy better cave locations. Ours is a bit remote…" Xiong Duoduo's voice trailed off, her expression slightly embarrassed.

Ruan Qiuqiu trudged through the snow, helping to push the willow cart from behind. She wasn't surprised by this.

In this world where strength reigns supreme, this demon market was spontaneously organized by the tribes. Without an overwhelmingly powerful demon to maintain order, some chaos was inevitable.

It seemed the "remote" cave Xiong Duoduo mentioned was probably very remote.

Ruan Qiuqiu mentally prepared herself, thinking that reaching their destination before the downpour would be enough.

However, she underestimated Xiong Duoduo's "a bit remote." They walked for nearly half an hour and still hadn't arrived.

Ruan Qiuqiu "…"

She watched as the sky darkened, the wind intensified, and they moved further away from the cluster of large caves.

"Almost there, just a little further." Xiong Duoduo was also embarrassed. She glanced at Ruan Qiuqiu, whose hands and feet were reddening from the cold, and felt relieved that the Forest Legend wasn't present. Otherwise, her bear hide might be in danger.

Tian Ye also noticed Ruan Qiuqiu's reddening hands and feet and softly asked if she was cold.

Ruan Qiuqiu shook her head, her lips pursed, her eyes a little downcast.

She wasn't particularly cold. Since her advancement, her cold tolerance had increased, but her skin had become more sensitive, reddening in extreme temperatures.

In the Winter Bear Tribe, whether outside or indoors, she had never felt cold, not even once.

The temperature here wasn't much different from the tribe's.

The only difference was the absence of that wolf by her side.

Ruan Qiuqiu exhaled, watching the warm breath condense into frost in the air. She unconsciously rubbed the pointed wolf ears on her wrist.

After walking for about another quarter of an hour, they finally reached the "remote" cave.

The cave entrance was hidden beneath a curtain of light blue vines, making it difficult to see.

These light blue vines were different from ordinary ones, writhing like living snakes.

"Ice Serpent Vines. Step back," Tian Ye said, pulling a dagger-like bone knife from the corner of her fur trousers.

Ruan Qiuqiu and Tian Xiu stepped back, watching as Tian Ye took two running steps, leaped forward, and unfurled a pair of large red wings, creating a gust of wind.

Ruan Qiuqiu squinted. When she regained her focus, Tian Ye had already retracted her wings, and several vines lay writhing on the ground, oozing a pale red, blood-like liquid.

"Let me wash that for you," Ruan Qiuqiu offered, seeing Tian Ye bend down as if to clean the bone knife with snow.

"Okay." Tian Ye readily agreed, smiling as she handed over the bone knife. "Thank you. Be careful not to touch the pale red liquid. It's poisonous."

Ruan Qiuqiu nodded, using a ball of warm water to clean the bone knife and the remnants on the ground.

Xiong Duoduo, Xiong Yuan, and the other male demons didn't stand idle. They checked the cave and moved their belongings inside.

"The firewood is gone." Xiong Duoduo rummaged inside the cave, then dejectedly told Ruan Qiuqiu and Tian Ye, "You two rest here. My brother and I will go out and see if we can find some firewood while the weather is still decent."

Ruan Qiuqiu shook her head. "No need."

She took two third-tier Fire Warming Grasses from her backpack and infused them with a bit of spiritual energy. The cave quickly became warm and bright.

"???" Xiong Duoduo looked at the plants in her hand with surprise. "Lady Yuan, why did you bring this?"

"What is this plant?" Tian Ye also frowned, her beautiful face full of astonishment.

"It's Fire Warming Grass." Ruan Qiuqiu, with a smile, explained its effects to Tian Ye.

She looked at the two small grasses in her hand, her heart filled with warmth.

Of course, she hadn't brought them. Yuan Jue had slipped them into her backpack.

Perhaps he had anticipated this situation and prepared accordingly.

Xiong Yuan looked envious when he heard Ruan Qiuqiu's words.

Although he was a tall and sturdy brown bear demon, unlike Xiong Duoduo, he longed for a loving partner. If she was weak, he would protect her with his life.

If she was strong, he wouldn't feel ashamed, even if she was from the Shark Tribe. It wasn't as if they couldn't live on land.

Unfortunately, the only Shark Tribe female who liked bears was Xiao Hong…

And Xiong Yuan didn't know if he was cursed, but the females around him were either married or uninterested, leaving him perpetually single.

Unlike the carefree Xiong Duoduo, he cared about these things and felt pangs of jealousy every time he witnessed such a scene.

Unaware of Xiong Yuan's thoughts, Ruan Qiuqiu placed the Fire Warming Grasses on the cave wall and began sorting their supplies.

Xiong Duoduo and Tian Xiu hung a fur curtain at the cave entrance to block the wind, while Xiong Yuan and Tian Ye cleaned the two small, habitable caves inside.

By the time they finished, it was completely dark outside, and the heavy rain was pouring down, almost forming a continuous sheet of water. Only a few faint lights could be seen in the distance.

They must be from other demons attending the market.

The rain was too heavy to go out for now, so Ruan Qiuqiu and Tian Ye prepared dinner together.

They broke off some wood for fuel, and Ruan Qiuqiu heated water.

While making soup, Ruan Qiuqiu remembered Mr. Big Bad Wolf's peculiar sense of taste. She hesitated for a moment, then took out a Leaf Spirit Flower and handed it to Tian Ye.

"What is this?" Tian Ye clearly hadn't seen a Leaf Spirit Flower before. "An ornament?"

Ruan Qiuqiu explained its function and asked her to add it to the soup near the end of cooking.

Tian Ye gave Ruan Qiuqiu a meaningful look but said nothing. When the soup was almost ready, she tossed the Leaf Spirit Flower in.

Soon, a rich aroma filled the air. Xiong Duoduo sniffed and entered. "What smells so good??"

His eyes were fixed on the pot of soup, practically screaming "I'm hungry."

With his lively presence, the atmosphere in the cave became less oppressive.

The demons each took out their wooden bowls and received their share of the food.

"Delicious!" Xiong Duoduo didn't hold back his praise, happily slurping the soup.

Tian Xiu, being more perceptive, quickly noticed the beneficial ingredients in the soup but remained silent after receiving a look from Tian Ye.

Ruan Qiuqiu also took a sip, confirming that the taste was identical to what she usually made.

The reason Mr. Big Bad Wolf's soup tasted different must be due to a problem with his sense of taste.

Why didn't he tell her?

Ruan Qiuqiu felt a pang of sadness in her heart. Thinking of Yuan Jue venturing alone within the barrier, she frowned.

She knew the Soul Wood could protect Grandpa Panda from attacks while repairing the barrier, but was treasure hunting truly without danger?

Lost in thought, Ruan Qiuqiu gradually became aware of the silence around her.

She snapped back to reality and found everyone looking at her with concern.

Ruan Qiuqiu looked down and saw that the soup in her hand was almost spilling.

Embarrassed, she smiled apologetically at everyone and forced herself to stop thinking, finishing her soup.

…

Although it was completely dark and the rain was pouring outside, no one felt sleepy.

The situation wasn't good. Granny Ruyi and some of the red eagles were still waiting for medicinal herbs. Everyone was waiting for the rain to lessen so they could go out and trade.

While waiting, Xiong Duoduo described some of the caves in the demon market.

The reason it was called a demon market was that, besides the majority of demons, a small number of mid-to-high-ranking demonic creatures also attended.

They would bring special products from the Demon Realm or the Demon Race to exchange for things they needed from the demons.

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