Marrying the Soft-hearted Villain

Niu Yue knew this, and so did all the demons in the Demon Palace's main hall.

Some of them had followed Mo Xi before Niu Yue; others had recently flocked to him, witnessing his growing power. A very small number, like Qing Ruyi, were chosen to be by Mo Xi's side, nurtured as "fruits" in cradles.

Regardless of their purpose, their status in Mo Xi's eyes, or whether they were expendable pawns, they all shared one thing in common.

They all carried Mo Xi's demonic Gu within them.

Some were given the Gu to enhance their strength, some for nourishment, and others were simply controlled without any pretense.

Knowing that they carried a demonic Gu more terrifying than a seventh-order demonic explosive stone, a Gu that placed their lives entirely in Mo Xi's hands, these demons naturally wouldn't object. Commander Ying and Niu Yue belonged to this group.

However, a very few remained unaware, and their minds began to race upon hearing this.

Hua Xi was one such hesitant demon.

Her bloodline wasn't pure. She was a hybrid of a flower demon and a demon, and had always believed herself to be a pure-blooded flower demon. But at thirteen, a sudden transformation occurred. Horns began to sprout from her forehead, and she felt a growing urge to devour her childhood companions.

Her father didn't understand. Her mother had passed away during childbirth. Hiding in a cave, unable to face the children who were once kind to her, she nearly starved to death. It was then that Mo Xi appeared and saved her life.

Not only did their Lord save her, but he also transformed her body and changed her perspective. He made her no longer ashamed of consuming demons and encouraged her to embrace her appetite.

Unlike Qing Ruyi, the half-demon, half-human who refused to eat demons, Hua Xi ate heartily and joyfully, her strength growing the most.

Hua Xi was deeply grateful to Mo Xi, her Lord, for saving her life. But after following Mo Xi for over twenty years, participating in countless killings, and establishing a family in the demon realm – her child had just been born a few days prior – she was reluctant to leave the Upper Demon Abyss.

Demons, too, had selfish desires. Hua Xi believed she had repaid Mo Xi enough for his kindness.

Over the years, she had tirelessly helped Mo Xi expand his territory, contributing both time and effort. Mo Xi had treated her well, always with courtesy. Even though others called Mo Xi cruel, Hua Xi always felt that his methods, which seemed brutal to other demons, were simply the necessary means of a true leader.

The Lord she followed was always cruel to outsiders but gentle to his own.

"I'm not the kind of demon who disregards his subordinates. Tell me your reasons, and if they are valid, I will grant you your freedom."

Mo Xi smiled gently, his pitch-black eyes, devoid of whites or highlights, sweeping across the dozen or so demons in the hall. His smile deepened, his voice as soft as a faint breeze. "Speak. If you don't, I'll assume you're all willing to follow me wholeheartedly."

Though soft, Mo Xi's words echoed eerily throughout the hall.

Hua Xi struggled internally. Seeing no one speak, she grew increasingly anxious. Beads of sweat formed on her forehead as her gaze flitted between the demons she was close to. Finally, as she neared her breaking point, she saw their hesitant yet hopeful glances.

Hua Xi suddenly felt a surge of courage. Stepping forward, she knelt, lowered her head, and nervously said, "My Lord, my child has just been born…"

Before she could finish, Mo Xi chuckled. "I understand. It's normal that you don't want to venture into the Lower Abyss. I understand. I can grant you your freedom."

Hua Xi's face lit up with surprise. Her eyes shone, her hands trembling with excitement. She looked up at Mo Xi, standing in the center of the hall. Her gaze swept past the cowering, filthy Niu Yue, and a smug smile touched her lips.

She opened her mouth to say, "Thank you, My Lord," but suddenly, her perspective shifted.

Her Lord, who should have been above her, was now below, his familiar gentle smile still on his face.

Confused, Hua Xi tried to speak, but found her voice gone.

She tried to reach out, but couldn't feel her arms.

Her vision plummeted. With a thud and a dizzying sensation, the last thing Hua Xi saw before losing consciousness was her headless body.

How could this be…?

How could Mo Xi kill her…?

Her eyes widened, this thought filling her mind. Hua Xi died without understanding why Mo Xi had suddenly turned on her.

Her head rolled across the floor, coming to rest at Mo Xi's feet.

He stepped on it, a hint of tears in his eyes, seemingly regretful yet justifying his actions. "Death is the ultimate freedom for a demon."

"Little Hua Xi, I have granted you your freedom, as promised."

He then gestured towards Niu Yue. "Go, dig out her heart and eat it. It will be good for you."

Niu Yue looked up in horror. Although she had eaten many demons, she had never eaten one of her own kind.

"Unwilling?" Mo Xi raised an eyebrow, and Niu Yue could no longer refuse.

Trembling, she stood up, steeled herself, and reached for Hua Xi's chest.

…

Demon Realm, Lower Demon Abyss

The sky was an oppressive purplish-black, occasionally streaked with lightning like green serpents.

Vegetation was sparse, replaced by crimson rocks and wasteland. Numerous lower-level demons huddled together, constantly vigilant against potential dangers.

Near the edge of the Lower Abyss, terrifying gusts of wind swept upwards like a gaping maw, roaring with dreadful power.

Near the border of the Lower and Middle Demon Abyss, on a vast, seemingly boundless wasteland, a lush, green mountain now stood. Its soil was unlike anything the demons had ever seen.

Many high-ranking demons guarded the territory's edge. They resembled humans, or rather, humans who cultivated demonic arts.

"Has His Majesty the Demon King not emerged yet?" A young boy, no older than ten but already possessing fifth-order strength, clad in green moon-cotton clothes and wielding a sharp bone knife, stood guard at the edge, speaking to a tall, scaled demon beside him. He showed no fear or deference typically expected of a human facing a demon.

"No," the tall demon grumbled, his voice somewhat childish. He was also young, only slightly older than the boy. He was a rare pure-blooded demon from Forbidden Treasure Mountain, raised alongside humans, demons, and hybrids, and saw no difference between them.

"Sigh, isn't it said that a day in the Land of Reincarnation is equivalent to a hundred years? His Majesty has been there for almost three days!"

The young boy, Xiao Lan, wore a strange expression, his round eyes filled with confusion. "I heard from my father that the grass near the Land of Reincarnation has been stained red with His Majesty's blood, just to see the Queen? Why pay such a high price? When he returned before, His Majesty was almost…"

Xiao Lan trailed off, making a slicing gesture across his neck to indicate death.

"Don't speak nonsense." The tall demon clapped him heavily on the shoulder, his scales bristling nervously.

The Demon King's reincarnation was rarely discussed in the outer abyss, but Forbidden Treasure Mountain, which had been recuperating and waiting for seven hundred years, knew the truth.

Back then, His Majesty had forged Forbidden Treasure Mountain with his own blood and ruthlessly slaughtered all the demons who dared to mock Ruan Qiuqiu, silencing the entire demon realm.

After so many years, the surviving old demons dared not mention the Queen's name.

Only young human children like Xiao Lan were unaware of the taboo.

Xiao Lan nodded. His family had warned him not to speak carelessly, but before the Demon King's reincarnation, he hadn't been able to break the habit.

"Don't think about it. Keep watch," the tall demon said.

"Oh." Xiao Lan responded, his gaze drifting towards the Land of Reincarnation. He noticed that the faint bloodstains in the distance seemed to have spread further.

A sense of unease gripped him, and he scratched his head. He was truly worried that if this continued for another day or two, their newly returned Demon King would die in the Land of Reincarnation, just like seven hundred years ago.

—But the Demon King, the object of Xiao Lan's worry, paid no mind to the blood flowing from his body.

"Qiuqiu…" Yuan Jue, covered in blood, whispered Ruan Qiuqiu's name. The blood flowing from him seemed to come alive, crashing against a weak point in the spatial barrier.

The Demon Realm and the Demon Clan were separate. The Demon King had to be born in the Demon Realm, and upon awakening, he was forced to leave the Demon Clan continent along with Forbidden Treasure Mountain.

To return, he would either have to wait for several years or break through the spatial barrier himself.

He didn't want to wait. He couldn't wait.

Awakening his memories, becoming the Demon King, enduring nearly a thousand years of solitude, and even those three years of agonizing self-harm – none of these compared to the pain of knowing he had failed to protect her, or the pain of being forced to wait.

That soul-rending agony had turned him into a bloodthirsty madman.

What was supposed to be a three-day separation had spanned several reincarnations and countless cycles for him. So many years, so many years, so many years.

He yearned to see her, desperately.

He couldn't bear to wait a single second, a single moment.

Swords formed from demonic blood struck the weakened spatial wall again and again, only to shatter, the backlash breaking his bones and leaving him a mangled, dying monster.

He wanted to see her.

Yuan Jue's narrow eyes glowed crimson, his demonic healing abilities rapidly repairing his body.

Tianluo, Mr. Big Bad Wolf, still wore the crimson wedding robe Ruan Qiuqiu had made for him. Although it was tattered from his awakening and breakthroughs, the wolf treasured it dearly.

He carefully mended each tear with his spiritual energy, reluctant to use even the finest thread. But despite his efforts, the robe was constantly stained with his blood.

But Yuan Jue knew his wife wouldn't mind.

She wouldn't mind.

"Can't have so much blood…" Standing in the center of the Land of Reincarnation, Yuan Jue's expression softened as a thought crossed his mind. His voice was tender, filled with eternal gentleness. "It will stain the wedding bed."

He murmured, his body gradually becoming clean. Even his newly regenerated left leg reverted to its crippled state. His handsome face, now free of ferocious scars, returned to its original form. Silver-gray wolf ears and a tail emerged.

He had returned to the form Ruan Qiuqiu knew best.

The only difference was that the pale white and black butterfly wings surrounding him were now stained crimson.

And these countless crimson butterfly wings converged before Yuan Jue, forming a giant "mirror."

The mirror clearly reflected Ruan Qiuqiu, lying pale and trapped in darkness on an ice-jade bed.

"Wife…" Yuan Jue's crazed eyes fixated on Ruan Qiuqiu in the "mirror." He reached out uncontrollably, his mind clearing as tears welled up, glistening like jewels on his dark lashes. He choked back a sob, his whisper as soft as the wind. "Wolf wants to see you…" So much, so much, so much.

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