Marrying the Soft-hearted Villain

The little demon slumped behind the stone table, ears drooping as he listened, occasionally reaching up to play with the two black ram horns on his head. He seemed completely uninterested in what Ruan Qiuqiu was offering.

But even with this pretense, Ruan Qiuqiu noticed that when she mentioned "food" and "information," the little demon's eyelids twitched uncontrollably. He then tried hard to maintain a calm and indifferent facade.

Ruan Qiuqiu suddenly found the child before her quite endearing.

She deliberately drawled, "I know quite a bit of unique information, and I have a lot of fresh, delicious food stored at home… Like beef jerky, which is just the most common kind. My husband says it doesn't compare to hot pot…"

Ruan Qiuqiu listed a series of foods that she herself craved and hadn't eaten in a long time. Then, she said with feigned regret, "But since Yue Ge isn't interested in these things, let's go…"

As she spoke, Ruan Qiuqiu pulled Tian Ye, who had also been listening in a daze, and actually turned around and walked towards the cave exit.

Yue Chen watched as the human, who smelled of delicious flesh and blood, pulled another female demon, who also smelled rather appealing, away. He suddenly became anxious.

He was only thirteen or fourteen years old. His strength was entirely due to the pampering of his older siblings. He had come to the Demon Continent because his siblings, fearing he would be tricked, had stuffed him with food and treasures and sent him on his way.

But after more than ten days, the food he brought was quickly consumed. Unable to stomach the impure food of the Demon Continent, he was starving and had reached his limit. He didn't want to kill humans or demons.

He had hoped to use his treasures to exchange for some food at this demon market, and most importantly, to see if he could exchange for a Soul Reflection Mirror.

He was extremely curious about whether demons had souls. He was also curious whether he was truly Yue Chen's younger brother.

The beef jerky Ruan Qiuqiu brought was indeed delicious, and he had never even heard of hot pot.

"Wait." Yue Chen covered his three large mouths, which he couldn't yet control and would occasionally reveal, and turned his back. "Seeing your sincere attitude, tell me what information you have. Do you have any information about the Soul Reflection Mirror?"

Ruan Qiuqiu froze, her heart pounding.

She hadn't expected the special treasure this little demon desired to be precisely what they possessed.

Ruan Qiuqiu suppressed her excitement and forced herself to calm down.

Now that she knew what the little demon in front of her wanted, the subsequent negotiation and exchange of information became much easier.

Ruan Qiuqiu looked at Yue Chen, a brilliant smile blooming on her face. She declared decisively, "Yes."

Tian Ye, unaware that Ruan Qiuqiu possessed a Soul Reflection Mirror, thought she was merely trying to extract information. She couldn't help but become nervous.

After all, although the demon in front of them looked young, his three large mouths that emitted different voices were quite eerie. His strength was also at the sixth-rank level. If he discovered he had been deceived and flew into a rage, she might not be able to protect Ruan Qiuqiu.

Ruan Qiuqiu, sensing Tian Ye's worry, gently patted her arm in reassurance. Then, pulling her along, she chose a stone bench to sit on and began to seriously communicate and negotiate with Yue Chen.

Although Yue Chen's three large mouths were frightening and his voice had an eerie quality, he was surprisingly not that difficult to talk to.

Ruan Qiuqiu used the promise of "hot pot" and the panda fur coat as ‘collateral’ to exchange for some information about the Abyssal Demon Realm—

For example, there were originally three seventh-rank demons vying for the position of Demon King. One of them, whose strength was comparable to Mo Xi, was killed by Mo Xi and his subordinates. This was also the reason for Mo Xi's severe injuries.

Another piece of information was that Mo Xi was insane. Since the beginning of the month, his subordinates had been dying continuously. Externally, it was claimed that they had suffered severe injuries while attacking the Demon Continent, but in reality, they were likely devoured by him.

When the attack on the Demon Continent was mentioned, Tian Ye's body trembled uncontrollably. It wasn't fear, but an overwhelming rage.

Her voice trembling, Tian Ye clenched her fists. "Why? Why must he become the Demon King?"

The Demon Continent hadn't had a Demon King for a long time. The previous one was from the Star Moon Wolf Clan hundreds of years ago. Yet, the Demon Continent remained peaceful, and everyone lived happily.

Yue Chen stroked his horns and scoffed. "Do you think the Demon Realm is as peaceful as this Demon Continent?"

"Weak demons are forced to kill each other from birth; they are each other's food! Unlike the Demon Continent, where you have tribes and can coexist peacefully. Dream on." Yue Chen continued, "Why must one become the Demon King? For supreme honor! So that the demons in their territory won't starve, so that they have room to develop and evolve."

Yue Chen's tone became serious for the first time. "If it weren't for the restrictive spatial passage to the Demon Continent, countless demons would have already rushed from the Demon Realm and flattened the entire Demon Continent. Where would your living space be then? Be grateful."

Tian Ye's face turned livid; she was furious but didn't know what to do.

She understood that Yue Chen's words held merit. If she were a high-ranking demon, perhaps she too would aspire to become the Demon King, just as she now desired to become the Demon Queen.

Seeing her silence, Yue Chen continued, "Moreover, becoming the Demon King grants the opportunity to inherit the legacy of the previous Demon King, to obtain a Soul Wood that allows entry into the Forbidden Treasure Mountain, and to inherit the previous Demon King's treasure trove and a hundred thousand high-ranking demon troops."

Yue Chen sighed, "One hundred thousand! If my brother had won, perhaps he would only cause trouble within the Demon Realm, developing the Abyssal Wasteland or something. But if it's that madman Mo Xi, perhaps the entire Demon Continent will suffer."

Ruan Qiuqiu listened attentively, her eyelids twitching when she heard the words "Soul Wood." "Soul Wood?"

"Yes," Yue Chen replied. "It's said that the entrance to the treasure land is on the Demon Continent. Do you know where this magical place is? If you do, I'll give you all these things."

Ruan Qiuqiu feigned surprise and hesitated. "If I knew, would you really give all these things to me?"

After she spoke, it was Yue Chen's turn to be surprised.

His eyes widened. "Are you joking? Do you really know where the Soul Wood and the forbidden land are?"

Ruan Qiuqiu didn't directly answer whether she knew or not. Instead, she said, "I have some clues."

The ram horns on Yue Chen's head glowed with excitement. He bared his teeth. "I warn you, don't lie to me."

Ruan Qiuqiu smiled. "I'm not lying to you, but I can't tell you yet."

"If you don't say anything, and I just give you everything, wouldn't that make me look foolish?" Yue Chen said. "Besides, your information might not even be true."

Ruan Qiuqiu smiled. "Then how about we make a pact? We'll exchange these two pieces of information for the three items on your table."

Yue Chen pondered for a long time, then suddenly said, "You're weak; you might be a pawn. I want to make a pact with this powerful demon beside you."

Ruan Qiuqiu "…"

Her expression was one of helplessness, unsure of what to say. Tian Ye, however, readily agreed, smiling. "Alright."

Yue Chen looked suspiciously at the two of them, hesitated for a moment, and then reluctantly said, "Fine. But you can only use two pieces of information, and you'll have to add something else to exchange for my three treasures. Otherwise, I'll be at a loss."

"No problem," Ruan Qiuqiu smiled, readily agreeing.

Grandpa Panda had previously mentioned that this information could be used to barter for items. At the time, she hadn't thought it likely to be successful, but she hadn't expected to be so lucky as to encounter Yue Chen's younger brother.

"Then let's make the pact." After Yue Chen finished speaking, he stood up and made a pact with Tian Ye, who was two heads taller than him, agreeing on the accuracy of the information.

Once the pact was established, Ruan Qiuqiu didn't hesitate. She directly informed Yue Chen that the Forbidden Treasure Mountain and the Soul Wood were both located within the Winter Bear Tribe's territory.

As soon as Ruan Qiuqiu finished speaking, the pact that Yue Chen and Tian Ye had spent nearly half an hour establishing was completed, leaving Yue Chen's half unfulfilled.

"That's it??" Yue Chen's eyes nearly popped out of his head. Speechless and exasperated, he jumped up and down a few times before waving his hand resignedly. "Fine, take them."

Ruan Qiuqiu didn't stand on ceremony and carefully put away the three treasures on the table. She looked at Yue Chen, who was wearing the panda fur coat, his small face slightly livid.

"Then we'll be going back now." Ruan Qiuqiu didn't want to wait a moment longer and turned to pull Tian Ye, intending to leave.

Since they had obtained the necessary items, they could exchange their other goods for food.

They could also try exchanging the healing water droplets with the Underground Human Tribe for what they called 'defensive tools.'

"You're leaving now? What about my hot pot?!" Yue Chen jumped anxiously.

Ruan Qiuqiu smiled. "Then, Yue Ge, why don't you come back to the Winter Bear Tribe with us?"

"Okay," Yue Chen readily agreed. Life was too difficult on his own; it would be better to follow Ruan Qiuqiu and Tian Ye, where there was delicious food.

Ruan Qiuqiu and Tian Ye had no objections. They watched as Yue Chen excitedly extinguished the burning wood, kicked up a tattered small animal skin bag from the corner, and walked out. "I'm packed, let's go."

Ruan Qiuqiu "…" He hadn't packed at all, had he?

She was a bit helpless and reminded him, "It's still raining outside."

Going out like this, he would get soaked.

"It's fine, isn't she a spatial user?" Yue Chen glanced at Tian Ye. "With her around, am I afraid of getting rained on?"

Tian Ye was a bit helpless. After all, during the pact, Yue Chen had learned about her abilities. She hadn't concealed them. She simply said, "Alright."

Ruan Qiuqiu looked at the still-burning wood. "Yue Ge, don't you want this burning wood anymore?"

"No, it's half-burned already. It's not anything rare." He finished, glanced at Ruan Qiuqiu, and reluctantly added, "I have more. Don't pick up scraps."

Ruan Qiuqiu "…"

Since he had said so, she abandoned the idea of picking up the burning wood to exchange for food.

The human, demon, and little demon started their journey back.

Ruan Qiuqiu had initially thought they might encounter the young man who resembled her again, but they didn't see the Underground Human Tribe's group again, even after leaving the central area of the demon market.

Ruan Qiuqiu exchanged some healing water droplets with a few small tribes for some herbs and food, then concluded tonight's bartering and started heading back towards the small cave.

Ruan Qiuqiu discovered that Yue Chen was a real chatterbox. Along the way, he constantly talked about the Demon Realm, saying things like how it was wrong to assume low-rank demons lacked intelligence, and that some unique low-rank demons were naturally very intelligent.

He also talked about how demons had emotions too, and it wasn't like the rumors spread by the Demon Continent, that they were all cold and heartless.

Yue Chen was in the middle of his enthusiastic chatter, his eyes shining brightly. He pulled out the last bag of beef jerky Ruan Qiuqiu had given him from his tattered little bag. Ignoring his appearance, he revealed all three mouths and ate the beef jerky in 'three bites.' Then, he hurriedly said, "Did you know, about six or seven hundred years ago, the Demon Realm still had a Demon King."

Hearing this, Ruan Qiuqiu became a little interested, watching the path while listening attentively.

"The previous Demon King was a very powerful being, very young. It's said that he became the Demon King within ten years of his birth. His title was Si Qiu." Yue Chen had a gossipy look on his face.

When Ruan Qiuqiu heard the words 'Si Qiu,' her heart clenched for some reason. Playing along with Yue Chen, she asked, "Then how did the previous Demon King… fall?"

"Strictly speaking, he shouldn't be considered dead." Yue Chen sighed. "According to my brother, he had a rather special method of reincarnation, and it seems he reincarnated into the Demon Continent."

This was the first time Ruan Qiuqiu had heard of reincarnation. She couldn't help but ask curiously, "Why would the Demon King reincarnate? Was it because he offended many demons and was being hunted?"

"Of course not." Yue Chen wiped his mouth. "He appeared very suddenly and only reigned as Demon King for less than three years before reincarnating. It's said that his method of reincarnation was…"

Yue Chen exaggeratedly made a throat-slitting gesture. "Suicide."

Ruan Qiuqiu was stunned. She hadn't expected the method of reincarnation to be suicide. But she knew that in the demon world, the more powerful a demon, the harder it was for them to commit suicide. Presumably, the same was true for demons.

Having already become the Demon King, yet choosing to personally sever all life force—no matter how one looked at it, it wasn't something an ordinary demon could do.

"There's another legend," Yue Chen said. "It says that the reason he was willing to be the Demon King for three years was because it took him three years to kill himself."

Ruan Qiuqiu "…"

Tian Ye "…"

Despite not knowing the previous Demon King, Ruan Qiuqiu began to admire him at this moment. To spend three years just to commit suicide for the sake of reincarnation—what could have driven him to do such a thing?

Thinking this, Ruan Qiuqiu curiously asked, "Then why did the previous Demon King reincarnate?"

Yue Chen touched the horn on his forehead, his tone a bit melancholic. "I'm not too sure about that. I only know some information circulating outside, saying that he became the Demon King and reincarnated just to find someone."

"Find someone?" Ruan Qiuqiu was puzzled. "Are there humans in the Demon Realm?"

"No," Yue Chen said. "That's why it's said he was very mysterious, like a demon who returned from the future to the past. He had to reincarnate, perhaps to find that human named Ruan Qiuqiu."

Yue Chen sighed. "After all, his title was Si Qiu. It's said that was the name of his wife, with whom he didn't have time to form a contract."

Ruan Qiuqiu "???"

Tian Ye "…"

"Did you hear that right? Ruan Qiuqiu?" Tian Ye's face was full of astonishment. She couldn't help but ask, "Did you remember wrong?"

Ruan Qiuqiu also suspected she had misheard. "Yue Ge, you said he was looking for a human named Ruan Qiuqiu?"

With a strange feeling in her heart, she slowly enunciated her own name, "Ruan Qiuqiu?"

But hundreds of years ago, she hadn't even been born.

Could it be a coincidence?

"Yes, that name. It doesn't sound like a Demon Realm name like Lisno at all, so I remember it quite clearly." Yue Chen said, "I saw it in the demon scrolls recorded by my brother."

Hearing Yue Chen say this, Ruan Qiuqiu thought it might just be a coincidence, that the previous Demon King's beloved also happened to be named Ruan Qiuqiu. It didn't mean that the Demon King who supposedly went back in time and spent three years committing suicide to reincarnate was Mr. Big Bad Wolf.

But once this thought and suspicion arose in her heart, it was like a cluster of rapidly igniting flames, startling her unexpectedly.

Ruan Qiuqiu's heart beat faster and faster, and her face gradually flushed. She took a deep breath and tried to calmly ask, "Yue Ge, you just said the previous Demon King's title was Si Qiu, do you know his name?"

Yue Chen was silent for a moment, as if trying hard to recall something. After a long while, he frowned and said, "I don't remember what it was exactly, but it seems like there was a 'Yuan' in his name…"

Yue Chen's voice, eerie and intertwined, was chilling even in the night. But at this moment, it was like a clap of thunder, striking Ruan Qiuqiu's mind and stirring up a tempestuous storm.

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