Marrying the Soft-hearted Villain

Lin Xun, the middle-aged wolf demon, shook his head with a grave expression when he heard the tribe's shaman's question.

"He's not dead?" The shaman's old voice trembled, full of disbelief. "He's really not dead?"

Lin Xun hesitated for a moment before saying, "I didn't dare to go near the abyss… The cave where the former leader lives is too close. I only dared to transform into my demon form and sniff around his cave carefully. I didn't smell the scent of human blood. Ruan Qiuqiu should be dead, right…?"

Hearing this, the shaman scolded him in a rather exasperated tone, "Why are you so timid? It's one thing that you were all so afraid of Yuan Jue before, but now that he's crippled and blind, maybe even dead, you still don't dare to go near his cave. It's infuriating!"

Lin Xun said somewhat timidly, "Although he's crippled, he was a powerful fifth-rank demon before. If he goes berserk, I'm afraid…"

"Why are you so cowardly? Even your mate is braver than you! How can you call yourself a male demon like this!" Although the shaman was old, his voice was still full of vigor when scolding the wolf.

Lin Xun hung his wolf head in shame from the scolding.

To be fair, Lin Xun was usually a rather imposing third-rank wolf demon in the tribe, one of the top three strongest. Now, being scolded like this by the old wolf shaman, he didn't even have the will to retort.

Firstly, it was because Yuan Jue was already crippled, and the Flame Wolf Tribe hadn't chosen a new Wolf King yet. The shaman was the most respected wolf demon in the tribe. Secondly, the shaman was one of the strongest in the tribe, so he didn't dare to talk back.

"Forget it, forget it." The shaman didn't stay angry with the cowardly wolf in front of him. He stroked his wolf-head cane and said in a deep voice, "Although you haven't reached the fourth rank and haven't cultivated your demon consciousness, your third-rank sense of smell shouldn't be wrong. Maybe Ruan Qiuqiu really isn't dead."

The shaman sighed lightly. "I'm not surprised that Yuan Jue didn't eat her, but he didn't kill her either. It seems that this human must be somewhat different. When the snow lessens a bit, let Guo'er go on a trip. If she's really alive, let her meet the humans in the tribe and join the human gathering team."

"That human is quite pitiful. Let her live a good life before she dies," the shaman said slowly.

Hearing this, Lin Xun couldn't help but ask, "Then, shaman, if Ruan Qiuqiu is dead, do we need to find another mate for the former leader?"

The shaman shook his head, indicating no. If Ruan Qiuqiu was dead, then that adult probably wouldn't have the patience to continue waiting for the next human female willing to marry Yuan Jue.

Lin Xun hesitated for a moment, thinking of the obviously weakened, threatening roar he had heard during the day. He couldn't help but ask, "Shaman, will doing this really lift the curse that the former leader placed on our tribe?"

In fact, Yuan Jue wasn't originally hated by the entire Flame Wolf Tribe.

Although this ferocious big gray wolf was very annoying and terrifying to demons, and being near him would inexplicably bring bad luck, in the end, he was just a powerful wolf cub who hadn't reached adulthood yet. Although he had a bad temper, the Flame Wolf Tribe had been well-fed and clothed under his leadership these past few years, and no wolves had starved to death.

Moreover, as long as the wolf demons didn't court death and stayed away from Yuan Jue, their lives generally weren't in danger.

So, when the beast tide ended and Yuan Jue was found crippled and disfigured at the edge of the forest, most of the wolf demons in the tribe weren't so heartless as to abandon him without even trying to heal him. They also didn't think to burn all the food and furs in his cave while he was unconscious.

All of this was because of the shaman's divination.

After the beast tide ended, the shaman, in a rare successful divination, learned that the reason their Flame Wolf Tribe had encountered such a devastating beast tide was entirely because of Yuan Jue.

He wasn't an ordinary big gray wolf at all, but a wolf bearing a curse.

The divination couldn't reveal the source of his bloodline, but it did reveal that his heart was a delicacy that demons loved.

As long as he remained in the tribe, the possibility of the Flame Wolf Tribe being attacked by demons would greatly increase.

It was precisely because of this divination result that Yuan Jue, who was already disliked by the demons, became an object of disgust for all demons and humans in the Flame Wolf Tribe.

Originally, there were still some wolf demons who were grateful to Yuan Jue for blocking most of the attacks during the beast tide, considering him as the savior of their Flame Wolf Tribe. However, after learning the results of the divination, they all began to resent Yuan Jue.

If it weren't for Yuan Jue, their tribe wouldn't have encountered such a beast tide in the first place.

So, when the shaman proposed to follow the ancient demon custom and use three hundred catties of salt stones as a dowry to marry off a human female who was willing to be Yuan Jue's mate, those who had lost their demon relatives in the beast tide were furious.

They would rather kill Yuan Jue themselves.

Besides, three hundred catties of salt stones was not a small amount. Why should they give it to Yuan Jue?

But at this time, the shaman said that if the demons of their tribe killed Yuan Jue themselves, the curse would be transferred to their entire tribe. At that time, the entire tribe would truly be finished.

According to the divination, as long as they found him a human mate who was willing to marry him, then regardless of whether she lived or died in the end, she would directly bear the curse on his behalf. Only in this way could the Flame Wolf Tribe be safe.

Moreover, although Yuan Jue's demon core was shattered, if he wanted to self-destruct, no matter how many demons they sent wouldn't be enough to withstand a single explosion from him, let alone with the curse on him.

Coupled with his years of accumulated might, many of the food reserves in the demon caves were hunted by Yuan Jue. If they really killed him themselves, many demons wouldn't dare or bear to do it.

So, although everyone was resentful, they reluctantly agreed under pressure.

However, Lin Xun was always puzzled about the curse being transferred.

When the shaman heard him mention the curse, his aged face twitched violently, his pupils trembled slightly, and he suddenly raised his voice, his hand gripping the cane tightly. "Shut up!! Why are you asking about this? Have you eaten too much and have nothing better to do?!"

Lin Xun was stunned by his roar. Although the shaman had scolded him before, he had never been so angry. He clearly felt the pressure of a fourth-rank early-stage expert coming from the shaman. After reacting, he immediately knelt on the ground and apologized, "Shaman, I spoke out of turn."

"Get out, get out, get out!" The shaman kicked him fiercely.

"…Yes." Lin Xun was also angry at being scolded, but he didn't dare to show it. He could only leave the shaman's cave with his tail between his legs.

After Lin Xun left, the shaman's old face changed unpredictably before he finally let out a long sigh.

Most of the curse was real, only a small part was fabricated by him to satisfy the request of that adult.

The Flame Wolf Tribe did suffer such a devastating attack because of Yuan Jue, and his heart was indeed a delicacy to demons.

But just that wasn't delicious enough.

To use the words of that adult who had threatened the entire Flame Wolf Tribe to force him to fabricate this curse:

"A mad gray wolf driven to insanity, hatred, and self-blame by the loss of his beloved, his heart constantly twitching and spasming in pain, that's the perfect state for tasting."

"I really miss that wonderful taste."

…

…

The conversation that took place in the shaman's cave of the Flame Wolf Tribe was as fleeting as an insignificant episode on a snowy night.

This little episode didn't affect Lin Xun, who had been scolded, returning to his cave with a livid wolf face;

Nor did it prevent the heavy snow from falling endlessly;

And it certainly didn't affect Ruan Qiuqiu, who was sleeping soundly wrapped in animal hide in the cave at the edge of the forest, and Mr. Big Bad Wolf, who was still unconscious due to his severe injuries.

The heavy snow fell for a long time, and Ruan Qiuqiu, who was exhausted and hadn't rested properly for a long time, slept soundly.

She even slept longer than Mr. Big Bad Wolf.

When Mr. Big Bad Wolf regained some consciousness, she was still asleep, sleeping soundly.

Yuan Jue originally thought that after he coldly said, "Stay away from me," his little wife would be very unhappy. She might make him, a wolf, lie on the cold ground, or she might hit him angrily to vent her anger, or she might just make him into wolf jerky.

He had already prepared himself to wake up on the cold ground when he was unconscious.

But…

Slender fingers gently brushed against the soft animal hide beneath him, and his bare upper body, now in human form, didn't feel any dampness or pain, only the warmth of being wrapped in animal hide.

Even his stomach, which had been aching constantly from prolonged hunger, seemed to feel better than before.

She must have fed him something.

Mr. Big Bad Wolf felt the changes in his body, and his large hands couldn't help but clench the animal hide beneath him little by little.

Why would she do this?

That human named Ruan Qiuqiu.

Yes, where was that human named Ruan Qiuqiu now?

Mr. Big Bad Wolf suppressed the strange emotions in his heart and wanted to use some of his demon consciousness to observe Ruan Qiuqiu's appearance.

But he was so weak now that he didn't even have a shred of demon consciousness. He tried several times, but he couldn't "see" where he was lying, let alone "see" the entire cave and catch a glimpse of Ruan Qiuqiu.

He forced his eyes open, and all he saw was a familiar darkness.

Pain shot through his severed limbs and wounds. Mr. Big Bad Wolf pursed his pale lips, and a thought suddenly flashed through his mind—

Could it be that his little human wife had been snatched away and eaten by some demon or monster while he was unconscious?

His heart skipped a beat. If he were in his wolf form now, he would probably be bristling with anger.

Mr. Big Bad Wolf's hands involuntarily transformed into wolf claws, and his sharp claws accidentally tore ten inconspicuous holes in the animal hide.

The thought of her smiling face from yesterday stained with blood made his chest tighten. He wanted to speak, but his throat was filled with a coppery taste.

He didn't know why he cared so much about that human. He had already decided not to keep her by his side for long.

But he still really, really wanted to know where she was now, whether she was dead or alive.

Blood slowly trickled from the corner of his lips, but he didn't even have the strength to raise a hand to wipe it away.

He could only cough weakly, feeling utterly useless.

"…Hmm?" Ruan Qiuqiu was awakened by the soft coughs. As soon as she regained consciousness, she saw the big gray wolf lying next to her struggling to open his eyes and coughing up blood.

Ruan Qiuqiu: "…" The scene was so horrifying that she stared blankly for a few seconds before she came to her senses. Her first reaction was—

Mr. Food Reserve is so hard to keep alive! It's a good thing I didn't remove the animal hide I put under him last night!

Ruan Qiuqiu blinked. Her whole body was sore and ached, her legs and feet almost immobile. Realizing that Mr. Food Reserve was vomiting blood, she didn't care about anything else and rolled towards him.

She poked his arm under the animal hide with her barely-raised arm, asking worriedly, "Hubby, why are you vomiting blood? Does it hurt? When did you wake up? Ah, the fire went out, no wonder it's so cold…"

"…Cough."

Yuan Jue didn't expect to hear her voice beside him. He was startled, delighted, angry, and ashamed all at once, and his coughing intensified.

Why was this human sleeping next to him???

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