Marrying the Soft-hearted Villain

While Mr. Big Bad Wolf tirelessly checked his tail over and over again, Ruan Qiuqiu was carrying Mo Yu back to his cave.

The child was very thin and light, much lighter than Mr. Big Bad Wolf.

Though carrying him was a bit strenuous, it didn't exhaust Ruan Qiuqiu too much.

The cave where Xiao Yu and his family lived wasn't far from her and Mr. Wolf's home. Without the snowstorm, it would only be a half-hour walk.

However, carrying a child through the heavy snow took considerably longer.

By the time Ruan Qiuqiu reached the small cave with Mo Yu on her back, an hour had passed.

Mo Yu was still unconscious, but the demonic energy had been completely purged from his body.

Standing at the narrow cave entrance, Ruan Qiuqiu called softly, "Bo He, it's Ruan Qiuqiu. I've brought your brother back."

A rustling sound came from within the cave as the heavy animal hide curtain was lifted, and the adorable Mo Bo He emerged.

"Sister Qiuqiu," Mo Bo He smiled at Ruan Qiuqiu, her dark eyes darting around. "Why are you here?"

"Ah, Second Brother!" Bo He saw Mo Yu on Ruan Qiuqiu's back and the bloodstains on his clothes. Her small face instantly paled, and she looked at Ruan Qiuqiu with alarm, her voice trembling. "Was he… was he beaten by a wolf demon for being too playful?"

Ruan Qiuqiu thought, "What kind of image does Mo Yu usually project to his little sister?"

"Sister Qiuqiu, come in first." Bo He stood on tiptoe, pushing the animal hide curtain aside with effort.

Ruan Qiuqiu hesitated, checking herself to ensure she wasn't carrying any demonic energy before nodding and entering the cave with Xiao Yu.

…

Mo Yu's cave was cramped. Upon entering, Ruan Qiuqiu smelled a strong scent of blood and smoke.

Near the entrance was a large stone stove. A few steps further in was a small wooden table cluttered with various items. Around a corner were two beds.

One was a small wooden bed with a lighter-colored animal hide; it was likely Bo He's.

The other was a large wooden bed, about the same size as hers and Mr. Big Bad Wolf's marriage bed. It was probably where Grandpa and her two brothers slept.

An old man sat up on the large bed, and a cat demon youth lay beside him.

"Sister, put Second Brother next to Elder Brother," Bo He said, clearly worried.

Ruan Qiuqiu complied, placing Xiao Yu on the bed.

"Is Xiao Yu injured?" Grandpa Mo seemed more alert than before, his cloudy eyes brighter, his speech more coherent.

Ruan Qiuqiu was surprised but unsure how to explain the situation to Grandpa Mo. She hesitated, glancing at Bo He, who seemed unaware of anything, and said, "Grandpa Mo, Bo He, I invited Xiao Yu to play at my house, but there's some demonic energy in my cave. Xiao Yu's body is a bit weak, and he got hurt. But I used a treasure my husband left and gave it to him. He's alright now."

"What's demonic energy?" Bo He blinked, asking with confusion.

Ruan Qiuqiu was at a loss for words.

Grandpa Mo chuckled and said slowly, "Bo He, Grandpa knows about demonic energy."

He squinted. "Demonic energy… there's good and bad. Bad demonic energy harms humans…"

He paused mid-sentence. Ruan Qiuqiu felt a bit strange. In her understanding of this world, demonic energy wasn't categorized as good or bad. It was harmful to both demons and humans.

As she pondered, Bo He voiced her question. "Grandpa, what about good demonic energy?"

"Good demonic energy…" Grandpa Mo furrowed his brow, his gaze distant. After a long while, he said, "Good demonic energy… it makes you hurt and feel uncomfortable, but… but your heart feels sweet."

Bo He scratched her head. "If it hurts, isn't that bad demonic energy?"

Bo He didn't understand, and neither did Ruan Qiuqiu.

Bo He wanted to ask more, but Grandpa Mo seemed to have reverted to his forgetful state. He stared blankly at the cave entrance, unwilling to speak further.

Bo He sighed maturely, seemingly accustomed to Grandpa Mo's intermittent lucidity. She apologized to Ruan Qiuqiu. "Grandpa is always like this. Sister Qiuqiu, wait a moment, I'll get you something to eat."

Ruan Qiuqiu couldn't accept their food. She bent down and thanked Bo He. "When your second brother wakes up, tell him to stay home and rest. I'll visit him in a couple of days."

"Okay!" Bo He beamed. "Sister, you must come visit us again. The people and demons in the tribe don't want to play with our family…"

A hint of loneliness tinged her expression. Ruan Qiuqiu's heart softened, and she patted Bo He's head. "As long as you're not afraid of me, I'll definitely come back."

"Not afraid," Bo He shook her head. "You and Brother-in-Law are good people and a good demon."

Ruan Qiuqiu was almost speechless. The child's "Brother-in-Law" nearly broke her composure. She felt that Bo He, despite her young age, seemed quite perceptive and sweet-tongued.

Thinking of Mr. Big Bad Wolf in the cave, Ruan Qiuqiu couldn't help but ask, "Why do you say… my husband is a good demon?"

"Because in previous winters, we never lacked food or firewood! Brother-in-Law, even though he's a scary big bad wolf and sometimes fierce, he won't eat children as long as you don't get too close. With him around, those other wolves don't dare bully us, and we don't go hungry…"

Bo He's words echoed in her ears as Ruan Qiuqiu walked back through the snow. Thinking of the child's description of Mr. Big Bad Wolf, she couldn't help but smile.

Fierce and doesn't eat children. Was that a compliment?

Perhaps Mr. Big Bad Wolf wasn't as ferocious as the rumors suggested. Maybe his bad reputation came from beating up those pesky wolf demons?

The sky grew darker, and the snow seemed to intensify. Snowflakes fell on Ruan Qiuqiu, soaking her clothes and shoes.

Despite her exhaustion, the day had been fruitful. She'd found the location of the herbs, traded for a rabbit, guessed that Mr. Big Bad Wolf's demonic energy might be related to his curse, and made new friends, albeit a little girl and an old man.

Ruan Qiuqiu silently reviewed her gains, pondering her next steps. They had enough food and firewood for a while. Now she needed to find a way to get those herbs growing on the cliffside.

Without Xiao Yu on her back, Ruan Qiuqiu moved quickly, returning to the vicinity of her cave in about half an hour.

Though nearly exhausted, she decided to check the trap she'd set that morning before dark.

Using her spear as a walking stick, she soon reached the evergreen trees near the cave.

From afar, she saw that the trap had been disturbed, clearly caved in.

Had she caught something?

Ruan Qiuqiu's eyes lit up. She hurried over, eager to see what was inside.

On the accumulated snow were some chewed leaves, and the small piece of dried meat she'd placed there was gone. There were clear signs of struggle and claw marks around the trap, but it was empty except for a few feathers.

Ruan Qiuqiu was deeply disappointed. She'd thought she'd caught something.

Unwilling to give up, she crouched down and reached into the trap, feeling around.

Her fingers touched something cold and hard. Ruan Qiuqiu's eyes widened. Just by casually checking, she'd actually found something?

Energized, she placed the spear beside her and, ignoring the cold snow, began digging with both hands.

The snow wasn't too deep, and Ruan Qiuqiu quickly unearthed the hard, round object.

It was an egg! An egg several times larger than a modern chicken egg, easily five times the size.

Was it from some large bird?

Looking closely, the claw marks by the trap were indeed quite large.

If it was a large bird's egg, her trap was too shallow to catch it. The bird, or perhaps a large fowl, must have been so startled that it laid an egg in the trap.

Although the egg was a bit dirty, Ruan Qiuqiu was overjoyed. She cleaned it with snow, reset the trap, planning to dig it deeper the next day.

Having unexpectedly gained an egg, Ruan Qiuqiu's freezing red hands trembled.

Having not eaten all day, Ruan Qiuqiu swallowed, her mind instantly filled with a hundred ways to cook eggs… scrambled, fried, boiled, steamed, baked, in soup…

Considering their circumstances, boiling or steaming seemed most practical. Either way, it would be delicious, especially since it was such a large egg laid by a bird living in this mystical world filled with spiritual energy.

Ruan Qiuqiu could hardly wait, but to be safe, she sent a wisp of spiritual energy to check for any life inside.

It wasn't that she wouldn't eat it if there was life inside, but… if there was, she'd have Mr. Big Bad Wolf incubate it with his tail. After all, the wolf could only lie down now, and his tail was quite warm.

Then, after it hatched, she'd raise it, fatten it up, and have a good meal…

She was so cruel, determined to eat it no matter what, even wanting the wolf to incubate it with his tail.

The very cruel Qiuqiu scanned the egg with her spiritual energy and, after confirming there was no life inside, happily carried the large egg back to the cave.

With this egg, she and Mr. Big Bad Wolf could have a good meal tonight.

But before cooking the egg, she'd better take a bath.

Ruan Qiuqiu, starving and shivering in the wind and snow, felt uncomfortable in her wet clothes.

She'd been away from the cave for a long time, and the snow water boiling in the stone pot had probably evaporated. She'd have to wait a long time for hot water.

Ruan Qiuqiu wasn't particularly sad or helpless. She simply lifted the animal hide curtain, even more tattered than Grandpa Mo's, and happily shared her joy of finding the egg with Mr. Big Bad Wolf, who was still lying on the stone bed. "Mr. Food Reserve, we have eggs for dinner tonight."

Her voice was cheerful. She placed the egg on the stone table and then noticed a bowl of lukewarm water there.

Surprised, she turned to the stone stove and saw that the pot, which should have been dry, was now filled with boiling water.

The wooden basin also held more snow, clearly the work of the snail-gathering grey wolf.

ʕ•́ᴥ•̀ʔっ

Love what you read?