Marrying the Soft-hearted Villain

Lu Ziran's words caused Rou Yuerao's expression to change. Her chewing of the roasted meat paused, a hint of gloom appearing in her eyes.

She swallowed the delicious piece of meat and looked up at Lu Ziran, her voice seemingly calm. "You said you're going to the Fiery Wolf Tribe?"

"Is it to see Ruan Qiuqiu?"

Hearing her tone, Lu Ziran knew his little lucky charm was overthinking again. He softened his gaze. "I'm just going to confirm if she's still alive. Nothing else."

"You still care about her." Rou Yuerao clenched her hands. "Go find her then. Leave. Leave now. Don't stay in my cave."

Seeing her like this, Lu Ziran knew she was jealous again. He felt a flicker of impatience, but remembering that if Ruan Qiuqiu were dead, he might need Rou Yuerao's willing help to block attacks in the future, he forced himself to be patient and explain. "Yuerao."

"If I really cared so much about Ruan Qiuqiu, I would have gone to find her the day I returned to the tribe. Why wait until now?"

"Then what are you going to the Fiery Wolf Tribe for?" Rou Yuerao looked at him suspiciously, carefully choosing her words. "Qiuqiu doesn't have any close family in the tribe. This time, by marrying the former chief of the Fiery Wolf Tribe, she's contributed to the tribe. While we should be grateful to her, we don't owe her anything. Ziran, it's snowing so heavily outside, why don't you just stay?"

Lu Ziran reached out and brushed her nose. After a moment of thought, he fabricated a reason. "Yuerao, actually, the Chief asked me to go."

"The Chief said the Fiery Wolf Tribe might be hiding some secret, and he wants me to investigate." Lu Ziran feigned a sigh of "melancholy." "Otherwise, how could I bear to leave you, my little fool?"

Meeting his gentle gaze, Rou Yuerao finally suppressed the jealousy in her heart and threw herself into his arms. "Then you're not allowed to bring any extra food for Ruan Qiuqiu, and you can't give her any furs."

She acted coquettishly, her voice soft. Lu Ziran readily agreed. "Alright, I won't."

As a powerful third-tier lion demon, almost at the fourth-tier, even without bringing food, a day or so at the Fiery Wolf Tribe would be enough time for him to hunt.

Rou Yuerao knew this, but she wanted to be petulant. Hearing Lu Ziran agree so quickly, her mood improved considerably, and she relented, allowing him to go.

Lu Ziran stroked her head and didn't mention the matter again.

It was very cold outside, but the cave, with its high-quality burning wood, was very warm.

…

While Lu Ziran was planning to confirm whether Ruan Qiuqiu was still alive—

Fiery Wolf Tribe, inside a secluded cave

The Fiery Wolf Tribe's shaman had also learned of the day's events from the middle-aged wolf demon, Lin Xun.

After listening to Lin Xun's account, the shaman, whose face bore wolf tribe markings, rubbed his wrinkled hand against his wolf-headed staff. "So, Ruan Qiuqiu said she had been intimate with Yuan Jue, and then no wolf demon dared to approach her, and no demon dared to trade herbs with her?"

Lin Xun's expression stiffened, and he said somewhat shamefully, "I wasn't there at the time. It was all youngsters. Everyone was worried that Ruan Qiuqiu would also be infected with the curse, so they didn't dare to approach her."

The shaman scoffed. "Wasn't Xie Yu there too? They're truly cowardly."

Lin Xun hesitated, then defended himself. "Shaman, weren't we just trying to get Ruan Qiuqiu to bear the consequences of the curse for our tribe? It's normal for the youngsters to be afraid."

Hearing his words, the old shaman paused in his rubbing of the wolf-headed staff and sighed softly after a moment. "Yes, you're right."

The old shaman's gaze drifted towards the heavy animal hide curtain at the edge of the cave, his mind wandering.

After the last beast tide, the esteemed one had given the order to "replace Yuan Jue's human wife" and then hurriedly left.

He had promised to protect the Fiery Wolf Tribe in times of crisis, but they hadn't seen him since.

The old shaman had once asked the esteemed one if there was anything he, as the shaman, needed to do, but the esteemed one had only said, "Let them toss about. That wolf isn't so easily killed. I will return in two months."

Thinking of this, the shaman didn't pursue the matter of the wolf demons ignoring Ruan Qiuqiu that day.

Seeing the old shaman's expression soften, Lin Xun asked, "Shaman, do you still want Guo'er to take her to meet the humans in the tribe, as you mentioned before?"

The shaman was silent for a moment, then shook his head. "Forget it."

He had originally felt pity for the human girl, thinking that she would die within two months and wanting to help her. But now that Ruan Qiuqiu had offended many wolf demons and humans in the tribe and claimed to be cursed, there was no need to help her anymore.

In such a cruel winter, Yuan Jue might survive because of his special bloodline, but she most likely wouldn't make it.

But whether Ruan Qiuqiu lived or died, what did it have to do with their Fiery Wolf Tribe?

She was just a pawn who jumped into the game herself. Her life or death was up to fate. It didn't matter.

…

Ruan Qiuqiu, the pawn who was ignored and thought about by many, was lying on the inner side of the stone bed, beside Mr. Big Grey Wolf.

Although the spiritual energy and the demonic energy within him were entangled, occasionally transmitting feelings of pain and hunger to her, Ruan Qiuqiu gradually became accustomed to the pain and, along with her physical exhaustion, drifted off to sleep.

She was asleep, but Yuan Jue, whose pain had lessened considerably, slowly woke up.

A warm feeling of fullness surged into his stomach, which had long been numb with hunger. The pain in his broken leg and the festering wounds on his body also faded significantly.

A faint circle of spiritual energy lingered around his demon core, suppressing the demonic energy. It was pure, belonging to Ruan Qiuqiu.

His heart warmed uncontrollably again. Yuan Jue moved his right hand, which was warmer than the rest of his body, and quickly touched Ruan Qiuqiu's icy fingertips.

As if suddenly scalded, his face gradually reddened, and his ears twitched involuntarily.

She… she was actually holding his hand.

Mr. Evil Wolf didn't dare to move. He kept his large paw flat, allowing Ruan Qiuqiu's much smaller hand to rest on his.

The place where their skin touched gradually warmed. Yuan Jue opened his narrow eyes and slowly turned his head in the darkness.

Although he couldn't see anything, he still did so subconsciously.

He could smell Ruan Qiuqiu's scent.

It was a fresh, clean scent…

Right.

She had bathed today.

She had also hinted (?) at him.

But…

He was too embarrassing, actually fainting from the pain.

Mr. Big Grey Wolf's palm pressed against Ruan Qiuqiu's, feeling her cool, smooth skin. He didn't know what he was thinking, but his heartbeat quickened.

He wondered if the softness and warmth of his tail had met her expectations.

Thinking of the feeling of her fingertips touching his fluffy tail, a faint blush crept onto Mr. Evil Wolf's handsome face.

He pursed his lips and slowly, shamelessly, and quietly lifted his large paw, which was pressed beneath Ruan Qiuqiu's palm.

Their palms pressed together, and Yuan Jue felt his mind go blank for a moment. Heat rapidly spread through his entire wolf body. He was just a little dizzy, thinking—

So, is this what it feels like to be intimate with his little wife?

No wonder those demons loved mating so much.

Yuan Jue didn't know what was wrong with him, but he felt his heart was beating abnormally fast.

Reason told him he shouldn't take advantage of her. He, secretly touching Ruan Qiuqiu's hand like this, what was the difference between him and those rogue wolf demons!

But perhaps he was essentially a particularly perverted wolf. He knew he was being unreasonable, but he still shamelessly, with his large paw, gripped Ruan Qiuqiu's entire hand, which had reached into his fur blanket.

She was the one who held his hand first.

She was the one who reached into his fur blanket first…

Mr. Evil Wolf's tail wagged slightly. Not only did he hold Qiuqiu's hand tightly, but he also carefully and deliberately touched it again and again with his long fingertips.

Each time he touched her, he immediately pulled back, then, blushing, touched her again.

Completely guilty.

—Hmm…

Qiuqiu's hand was very small, not comparable to his.

Her hand was also very soft, not as hard as his bones…

As he touched the palm of her hand with his fingertip again, Ruan Qiuqiu finally couldn't stand the tickling.

She felt as if, in her dream, something was constantly tickling her palm.

Like a dragonfly skimming the water, itchy.

Her palm was very sensitive. After being teased like that several times, she just wanted to pull her hand back and scratch it properly.

So, drowsy as she was, she did just that.

"Mmm…" Pulling her hand away from Mr. Big Grey Wolf's, Ruan Qiuqiu rubbed her itchy palm against the animal hide before retracting it into her own fur blanket, curling up into a ball, and falling back asleep.

Mr. Big Grey Wolf, suddenly dejected by her hand-wiping action "…"

He slowly clenched the large paw that had just held Ruan Qiuqiu's hand, his face paling instantly, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead again. After a while, he forced a calm smile and curved his lips, letting out a low chuckle.

The moment she withdrew her hand, the spiritual energy that had lingered within him, reaching its limit and about to dissipate, also left with her.

The pain and hunger surged back, the warmth leaving him, and boundless darkness rushed in, like an inescapable spiderweb, instantly engulfing him.

Even if Mr. Big Grey Wolf was slow-witted, he now understood that it was Ruan Qiuqiu who had brought him light and warmth.

A bitter ache rose in his throat. Yuan Jue took a deep breath, clenching his teeth.

He didn't allow himself to struggle in the abyss of impending unconsciousness. Instead, while he was still conscious, he tried again to repair his demon core.

But fate seemed to be against him. Whenever he endured the pain in his limbs and bones and absorbed a little spiritual energy from the air, it was quickly devoured by the demonic energy hidden in his bloodline.

The demonic energy surged. Once again, on the verge of being unable to resist the demonic energy, Yuan Jue gave up absorbing spiritual energy to fight it.

He suppressed the urge to cough, holding back the surging blood, only letting out a hoarse groan from his throat.

Things had developed to this point. No matter how unwilling he was to admit it, no matter how much he wanted to return to the majestic wolf demon he once was, reality was before him—

The demonic energy rampaging within him originated from his bloodline.

His blood carried the filthy taint of a demon.

Yuan Jue's eyes dimmed, and a scarlet haze gradually filled them.

His childhood memories were mostly blurred.

He didn't remember whose child he was, only vaguely recalling endless darkness and an abyss.

Mr. Evil Wolf slowly clenched his hand.

Even with his little wife's special spiritual energy, he might not be cured.

Perhaps, he really needed to drain all the dirty blood from his body, sever the source of the demonic energy, and become the "dried wolf" she spoke of, before she could use her spiritual energy to cleanse all the demonic energy from him.

Mr. Food Reserve, realizing that even if he continued like this, he wouldn't be able to recover into a healthy wolf demon, smiled self-deprecatingly.

He pictured Ruan Qiuqiu in his mind, remembering the food she had saved and given to him, her frostbitten hands, and the injuries she might have suffered from being bullied by the wolf demons…

And he could only lie on the stone bed like a useless piece of trash, watching her toil and struggle for survival.

His heart felt as if it were being carved out by a knife, bit by bit. Yuan Jue had never felt so miserable before.

With reddened eyes, for the first time, he tried his best to control himself and attempted to accept a trace of the demonic energy in his bloodline.

The demonic energy, as if sentient, almost instantly sensed its master's call, excitedly coalescing into a mass, each vying for dominance, yet obediently, only a wisp, as Yuan Jue desired, merged into the bleeding wound on his back.

A tingling sensation came, and Mr. Big Grey Wolf felt as if the wound on his back had been treated by Ruan Qiuqiu's healing water droplets. Almost instantly, the bleeding stopped.

The pain was gone, replaced by a craving for food, for slaughter, and for blood.

"…Heh."

The change in his body was too obvious. Yuan Jue couldn't help but laugh self-deprecatingly.

As he laughed, the pain in his heart intensified.

See, it was so difficult for him to recover into a normal, healthy, big grey wolf who could live well with Ruan Qiuqiu.

But, falling into a great demon wolf was so easy and simple.

Yuan Jue even had a premonition that if he gradually accepted the demonic energy in his bloodline, perhaps he could recover quickly and even gain powerful combat strength.

But at that time, would he still be him?

Would he still remember his little wife?

Would he even forget that there was once a human named Ruan Qiuqiu?

ʕ•́ᴥ•̀ʔっ

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