Marrying the Soft-hearted Villain

“I don't remember his full name, but it seems to have the character ‘渊’ (yuān) in it…”

Yue Chen's three voices intertwined, blending with the rhythmic patter of rain on his hat brim and the howling wind. It was like a chaotic melody echoing in Ruan Qiuqiu's mind, unsettling her deeply.

The luminous pearl that had been securely fastened to her wrist slipped, coated in raindrops, and fell into the mud with a distinct "plop."

The world before her suddenly dimmed. Ruan Qiuqiu stopped dead in her tracks, frozen. She knew she should bend down and retrieve the pearl, but it was as if she had lost the ability to move. Her hands trembled, and her shoulders shook uncontrollably.

“What's wrong with her?” Yue Chen asked, puzzled by Ruan Qiuqiu's sudden halt. “Does her foot hurt? She's a third-tier human now, she shouldn't be that weak, right? Oh well, I, your Yue Bro, will take a look at what's wrong.”

Tian Ye had an inkling of what was happening, but she wasn't entirely sure.

She watched as the two black ram horns on Yue Chen's forehead began to emit a soft glow, replacing the luminous pearl that was gradually losing its luster in the mud and illuminating the suddenly darkened area. She quickly stopped Yue Chen, who was about to examine Ruan Qiuqiu.

Tian Ye said with a complicated tone, “No, Qiuqiu's foot isn't hurting…”

“What?” Yue Chen was stunned for a moment. Then, his sixth-tier intellect finally caught up. “What's her name?”

Tian Ye sighed, “Ruan Qiuqiu.”

Yue Chen: “……” What the…?

He suddenly recalled Ruan Qiuqiu mentioning her husband earlier. Hesitating, he asked Tian Ye, “Then her husband…”

“Yuan Jue.”

Yue Chen: “………………” He finally understood why Ruan Qiuqiu had reacted the way she did when he was talking about the previous Demon King.

So her name was Ruan Qiuqiu, and her husband was named Yuan Jue. This was a bit too much of a coincidence.

After a brief moment of shock and speechlessness, Yue Chen became excited. His round, black eyes darted around, fixated on Ruan Qiuqiu's back, seemingly lost in thought. He remained unusually quiet and well-behaved under the rain, waiting with Tian Ye for Ruan Qiuqiu to recover.

After about ten seconds, Ruan Qiuqiu seemed to finally notice that the luminous pearl on her wrist was missing. She bent down, picked it up from the mud, and rinsed the dirt off with clean rainwater.

As she put the pearl back on her wrist, her cool fingertips brushed against the two pointed wolf ear marks still present on her right wrist. Her eyes stung, and she took several deep breaths to suppress the baseless speculations swirling in her heart, finally regaining her voice.

Turning around, her voice slightly trembling, Ruan Qiuqiu looked at the disheveled Yue Chen. “Yue Bro, can you tell me more about the previous Demon King? He…”

Ruan Qiuqiu took a deep breath. “Was he a demon who returned to the past from the future?”

Seeing her hoarse voice and the tears welling up in her eyes, Yue Chen's expression changed. He scratched his head. “Alright, alright, I'll tell you. Don't… don't worry.”

“…Mm, mm.” Ruan Qiuqiu continuously rubbed the wolf ear marks on her wrist, following Yue Chen towards the Winter Bear Tribe's cave.

“The previous Demon King appeared several hundred years ago, supposedly seven hundred years ago. He appeared suddenly, very mysteriously, and rose to power rapidly. Before he became the Demon King, no demon in the three Demon Abysses had even heard of him.”

Yue Chen struggled to recall the demon records written in demonic energy that he had seen at his brother's place. “The reason why people say he was like a demon who returned from the future is because he really wasn't like the demons of that era at all.”

“He called himself a wolf and always wore a long, crimson robe made of a material not found in the Demon Realm.” Yue Chen continued, “There's very little information left about the previous Demon King. I dare say my brother has the most complete records…”

“He appeared abruptly and was as terrifying and bloodthirsty as a madman. He built Forbidden Treasure Mountain in record time, left behind an elite demon army of one hundred thousand, and then committed suicide and reincarnated.”

The more Yue Chen spoke, the more Ruan Qiuqiu's face flushed. Her breathing grew rapid, her hands clenched tightly, and the suppressed speculations resurfaced in her mind—

Called himself a wolf, always wore a crimson robe,

A Demon King who returned from the future,

His name contained the character "渊" (yuān),

And the person he was looking for was named Ruan Qiuqiu.

His wife, with whom he hadn't formed a contract.

If one or two of these were coincidences, then fine. But with so many coincidences all converging, could it still be just a coincidence?

Ruan Qiuqiu's mind was in turmoil, her thoughts tangled like a knotted mess. She felt like she had found a clue, yet she was also completely clueless.

Noticing her unusual state, Yue Chen told her everything he knew. “The records my brother has state that there was no news of Demon King Yuan after his reincarnation, no confirmation of his death. And demons are unique; their strength primarily comes from their demon blood and demon core.”

“If he reincarnated as a demon beast and lost these, and if his soul couldn't withstand the intense pain and erosion, he might not be able to awaken his demon blood. In the end, his lifespan might be even shorter than that of an ordinary demon, and he could easily die prematurely.”

The more Yue Chen spoke, the paler Ruan Qiuqiu became.

She remembered that not long after she first met Mr. Big Bad Wolf, those black dots formed from demonic energy started appearing on his body.

Later, she had inquired about it from Mo and the others. Before she appeared, although no demon dared to approach Yuan Jue, there were no signs of demonic possession on him.

In fact, all the demons believed Yuan Jue was a pure-blooded giant wolf.

Previously, Ruan Qiuqiu had assumed that Yuan Jue, like Grandma Ruyi, hadn't had his half-demon, half-beast identity discovered before he reached a certain age.

Now, looking back, perhaps it was only because he met her that Yuan Jue began to awaken.

Ordinary half-demons, half-beasts wouldn't have such unique demonic energy.

In fact, Yuan Jue's peculiarities should have been a sign from long ago.

“…” Looking at Ruan Qiuqiu's expression, even the slow-witted Yue Chen realized something was amiss. He scratched his head, searching for comforting words. “If your husband is a reincarnation, his memories should awaken soon.”

Ruan Qiuqiu clutched the red bead around her neck, her voice trembling. “Memory awakening?”

Yue Chen nodded. “The more his strength recovers, the greater the possibility of awakening. But I'm not entirely sure…”

“And if that Ruan Qiuqiu is really you, you should also gradually remember some things from the past. Don't worry too much, maybe it's just a coincidence with the name?” Yue Chen continued, but Ruan Qiuqiu could no longer hear him.

A speculation she was reluctant to believe but felt was incredibly plausible gradually surfaced in her heart, leaving her in a daze—

What if, in the past, just like now, she had known, met, and fallen in love with Mr. Big Bad Wolf, who was just an ordinary half-demon, half-beast?

But in that past, there was no forbidden zone behind the Winter Bear Tribe filled with rich spiritual energy, no awakening of demon blood.

In that past without these opportunities, there was only Ruan Qiuqiu, struggling to survive, and her disabled wolf husband.

Perhaps Grandma Ruyi and Grandpa Mo would have passed away first, unable to bear the hardships. They wouldn't have had the ability to move and would still be living in the Flame Wolf Tribe.

Then they wouldn't have the chance or the vitality to resist like they did now.

Perhaps all she and Mr. Big Bad Wolf could do was flee in desperation when that seventh-tier peak demon caught up to them.

Remembering what Grandma Ruyi had said about Mo Xi liking to cultivate "fruits" this way, Ruan Qiuqiu could almost predict what had happened.

Perhaps she had died once.

Perhaps she had died in front of him.

Ruan Qiuqiu's heart ached, her eyes stinging, and her breathing became labored. Even her fingertips trembled with grief.

She wasn't afraid of death, but she couldn't bear to think—

If everything Yue Chen said was true, if the previous Demon King was truly Mr. Big Bad Wolf who had fallen into demonhood and been reborn into the past, if she had truly died in front of that wolf…

What would become of that sensitive wolf who was already so worried about not being able to protect her?

In the memory world, just the shattering of the illusion had caused the little gray wolf so much pain.

She even knew that Yuan Jue couldn't bear separation even more than she could.

On those nights intertwined with spiritual energy, the way he tightly held her captive with his big tail, his eyes red with vulnerability, his hoarse pleas… they had made Ruan Qiuqiu feel that perhaps her wolf was too afraid and too sensitive.

She had even wanted to tell him that she loved him very much and would never leave him.

Even if there were more handsome and charming male demons on this demon beast continent than him.

It wouldn't matter, because they weren't him.

Her wolf was good, considerate, and sometimes, she even felt a little inferior, worried that she couldn't compare to him.

She even wanted to tell Mr. Big Bad Wolf that he could be more confident.

But…

Ruan Qiuqiu bit her lip, tears streaming down her face uncontrollably.

She felt as if something was reviving from the depths of her soul.

There were no clear images or memories, but the pain and regret were more vivid than ever.

Ruan Qiuqiu forced her eyes open, looking at her trembling fingertips—

It felt as if her heart had been ripped open, the pain throbbing relentlessly.

But…

If the pain of past loss had been etched into her bones and soul through the passage of time…

How could she possibly dismiss it so lightly?

Ruan Qiuqiu's legs felt weak. She didn't know how she would endure the long years if she lost Yuan Jue.

The thought of Yue Chen's words, of the previous Demon King frantically severing his life force for three whole years in order to reincarnate, made Ruan Qiuqiu feel like she couldn't breathe.

She didn't dare to imagine the pain Yuan Jue had endured during those times she knew nothing about.

A sharp pain began to pierce her mind, as if many memories she had been ignoring were flooding in. Ruan Qiuqiu suppressed the pain, her hands clenched so tightly that her knuckles turned white, tears streaming down her face uncontrollably.

They were her memories, almost identical to the twenty-plus years of her life, with only slight differences.

The Winter Bear Tribe truly lacked the forbidden zone behind the mountain, and she had lived a few days longer than she did now.

Ruan Qiuqiu wanted to laugh, but even as she stretched her lips, she couldn't.

Those extra few days were filled with blood-soaked memories of escape.

So, she really had died once in front of Mr. Big Bad Wolf.

So…

What she thought was their never being apart…

Was actually a reunion across time and death.

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