Marrying the Soft-hearted Villain

Seeing the familiar figure in the downpour, Ruan Qiuqiu's eyes suddenly widened, tears welling up and blurring her vision.

Through the curtain of rain, the enormous figure appeared hazy. Hail and icy rain pelted Mr. Big Gray Wolf's soaked fur, turning him into a thoroughly drenched, miserable-looking wolf.

He had grown even taller than when they first met. Rain and hail hammered the firewood on his back, streaming down its edges.

Despite his sorry state, he was alive.

Still alive.

Ruan Qiuqiu, exhausted and weak, felt her numb legs regain strength as her previously still heart began to beat again.

Ignoring the dirt on her fur clothing, she raised her arm and vigorously wiped her eyes. Unheeding the relentless rain and icy hail, she lifted her aching legs and ran quickly out of the cave, towards him.

---Yuan Jue hadn't expected Ruan Qiuqiu to wake up again at such an unexpected time.

His little schemes and plans were completely ruined.

His remaining demonic consciousness scanned the dirt on her body and her rain-disheveled hair, and Mr. Big Gray Wolf almost instantly confirmed one thing:

His little wife had probably gone looking for him again.

"Thump," "thump," "thump."

His blood, chilled by the hail, gradually warmed again, surging through his broken meridians to his panicked, rapidly beating heart.

Before Mr. Big Gray Wolf could react, Ruan Qiuqiu had already reached his feet.

Mr. Wolf suddenly felt a soft, warm sensation against his right forepaw. ???

Lowering his demonic consciousness, Yuan Jue "saw" his beloved little wife, nose wrinkled and eyes red-rimmed, hugging his right forepaw tightly.

Realizing what was happening, Yuan Jue was completely stunned.

She… she was… hugging… hugging him!!!

Mr. Wolf felt the soft, warm sensation on his right forepaw instantly change, becoming numb, itchy, and hot, sending a strange tingling sensation that tickled his heart.

His muscles tensed instantly, and his large, furry ears twitched involuntarily, flinging off droplets of water.

But apart from that, he didn't dare move a muscle, afraid that his massive body might accidentally hurt Ruan Qiuqiu.

His body temperature continued to rise as he let her hug his paw, enduring the slight pain of the hail and rain.

"Silly wolf…" Ruan Qiuqiu didn't know what had come over her. When she came to her senses, she was already at Mr. Big Gray Wolf's paws, shamefully hugging his huge forepaw.

The wet fur felt unpleasant, pricking her face and making it ache. It also completely soaked her already damp clothes.

The smell of rain and blood filled her nose, mixed with the familiar scent of wood, making Ruan Qiuqiu instantly understand what the wolf had been doing.

The firewood at home was indeed running low, enough for only four or five days even with careful use. She had originally planned to gather some ordinary firewood nearby as a temporary solution and go into the forest later to search for more.

She also planned to modify the spear, making it more like an axe for chopping wood.

Now, there was no need.

Ruan Qiuqiu's eyes stung, and she couldn't bring herself to be angry at all.

The pain she had felt from him before, when they had inadvertently connected, wasn't fake.

Even if Mr. Big Gray Wolf was once a fifth-rank expert, it didn't mean he wouldn't feel pain when injured.

Ruan Qiuqiu suppressed her sadness and distress. She knew Mr. Big Gray Wolf was in a very bad state, so after that initial, uncontrollable embrace when she thought he wasn't coming back, she quickly released his paw.

But she was freezing cold, her lips trembling, unable to speak.

Ruan Qiuqiu jogged to the side, clearing the entrance to the cave, wanting him to enter first.

As the rain and hail fell, Ruan Qiuqiu felt a shadow pass before her eyes and a gust of damp, cold wind brush her ear.

She looked up and saw a giant wolf paw suddenly appear above her head.

Slightly spread, with long claws, it shielded her from all the rain and hail.

Ruan Qiuqiu "…………"

Mr. Wolf let out a low growl from his throat, urging his frail little wife to quickly return to the cave.

He was fierce, but still tried to maintain his elegant composure, not revealing his fangs, upholding his domineering wolf persona—

A cold, autocratic, and domineering wolf that she would fear and revere.

However, his little wife wasn't afraid at all when she heard the wolf's low growl.

Looking up at the giant paw that shielded her from the wind and rain, Ruan Qiuqiu's eyes curved into a gentle smile.

Realizing she was in the way, she "obediently" complied with the snail-gray wolf's wishes and jogged back into the cave.

Seeing Ruan Qiuqiu's obedience through his demonic consciousness, Mr. Snail-Gray Wolf twitched his ears in satisfaction.

His demonic power was gradually dissipating; he could only hold on for another ten minutes at most.

Yuan Jue violently suppressed all the little thoughts sprouting in his heart and slowly shrunk his demonic form.

Ignoring the pain in his mangled left leg, he supported his weight with his three paws and carried the firewood and wooden sticks into the cave, piling them in the open passageway near the entrance.

According to his original plan, he was supposed to transform into his human form and pretend to be unconscious.

But…

His remaining wisps of demonic consciousness touched the dirty fur clothing he had taken off and tucked among the firewood. He looked at Ruan Qiuqiu, who was standing nearby and watching him without blinking, and his furry wolf face gradually warmed.

He hadn't thought much about what would happen if he suddenly transformed into a naked wolf before, since he hadn't had any special feelings for her. But now, if he suddenly reverted to his half-naked human form, wouldn't Ruan Qiuqiu think he was being a pervert?

Besides, he was even uglier now than before.

The sweetness that had blossomed in his heart from his little wife's embrace was instantly tinged with bitterness. Yuan Jue dragged his crippled left leg, resisting the urge to collapse from the pain, and just trembled slightly in place.

Ruan Qiuqiu pursed her lips, noticing Mr. Big Gray Wolf's unusual behavior.

She caught sight of the two carefully folded garments she had made for Mr. Big Gray Wolf among the pile of wood, and vaguely guessed the reason why he hadn't yet transformed back into his human form. Amusement and tenderness filled her heart.

They had been married for more than ten days (?), old husband and wife (??). It wasn't like she hadn't seen him shirtless before, so why was he suddenly shy now?

Was he embarrassed?

Her gaze fell on Mr. Wolf's deliberately aloof and handsome wolf face, and recalling the prickly hug just now, Ruan Qiuqiu's ears gradually warmed.

She looked at the gruesome, blood-dripping wounds on Mr. Wolf with heartache. Without hesitation, she picked up the backpack on the ground, took two steps towards the "master bedroom," and looked up, saying to her rarely conscious wolf husband, "Husband…I…I'll get your clothes…"

After speaking, ignoring the clearly stunned wolf, she lifted the tattered fur curtain of the "master bedroom" and walked into the much warmer interior of the cave, her legs feeling weak.

Ever since Mr. Big Gray Wolf had secretly worn clothes out and gotten them dirty, Ruan Qiuqiu had thought about making him another set.

But their fur was limited, and she had only managed to make him a large robe. There were no trousers, and the color was a spotted yellow, a bit rustic, but it would do for now.

There were no cupboards at home, so she folded the clothes and placed them on the inner side of the stone table, covered with a piece of fur.

Ruan Qiuqiu thought for a moment and took out her last set of worn fur clothing and skirt.

She needed to change into clean clothes too…

It was perhaps a coincidence that her set was also spotted yellow…

Shaking her head, she tossed aside these random thoughts and walked out with the clothes and a drier piece of fur.

The slightly smaller, pathetic-looking wolf remained in the same position as when she left.

Ruan Qiuqiu placed the clean fur clothing on a dry piece of wood and said, her face slightly flushed, "After you've cleaned yourself, change into these. There are no trousers, though…"

Mr. Big Gray Wolf "…"

Ruan Qiuqiu remembered the sharp-horned sheepskin Xiaobohe had brought and her eyes lit up. "Wait."

She quickly ran inside and brought out the pure white sheepskin, placing it in the same spot. "If you don't mind, you can wrap this around you as a fur skirt…"

Mr. Big Gray Wolf "……………" He was a perfectly normal wolf without any unusual (??) fetishes and didn't want to wear a fur skirt.

And…

How did she have this piece of fur? Who gave it to her? Was it the snail-gray wolf?

Because the smell of blood and her scent were too strong, and the rain had washed away Xiaoyu's faint scent, Yuan Jue couldn't tell who had given her the fur, but he felt very jealous and petty.

His demonic consciousness was gradually fading, and what he could "see" was becoming blurry. Pain shot through his mangled limb and broken meridians, and Yuan Jue, filled with jealousy and vinegar, gradually grimaced.

Ruan Qiuqiu coughed lightly, thinking he didn't like wearing skirts, so she skipped the topic and scratched her cheek. "Um… I need to change my clothes too. I'll be quick."

Her voice was soft, with a shyness that was obvious but completely lost on the wolf, as she entered the "bedroom."

Although Ruan Qiuqiu wasn't particularly shy, she still couldn't bring herself to change clothes directly in front of her "husband."

Her forehead gradually warmed. Thinking about the wolf outside, who was probably in an even worse condition than herself, Ruan Qiuqiu felt terrible.

She quickly dried herself and changed into clean clothes before walking to the tattered fur curtain. Carefully choosing her words, considerate of his pride, she asked, "Hu-Husband, are you done?"

The naked wolf, now in human form, "…"

He pursed his pale lips. Having lost the aid of his demonic consciousness, the world before him was pitch black.

Fortunately, he had found the fur clothing she had prepared for him.

He picked up the garment and, guided by touch, put it on.

But he wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but the fur clothing his little wife had prepared this time was particularly… furry?

It felt uncomfortable against his skin.

"…Husband?" Ruan Qiuqiu paused for a dozen seconds, but receiving no response, she asked again, filled with concern.

Mr. Big Gray Wolf, with his pitiful experience in communicating with humans and experiencing love for the first time, didn't know how to answer her. He simply replied curtly and coldly, "Mm."

Ruan Qiuqiu finally heard his hoarse, deep voice and breathed a sigh of relief, glad he hadn't fainted.

She lifted the fur curtain and walked out, her vision blurring as she saw a wolf leaning against the wall, supporting himself with a wooden stick, his long hair wet, and his fur coat on backwards, clearly very uncomfortable.

Ruan Qiuqiu "…………Cough, cough."

No, hold it in, don't laugh.

Mr. Big Gray Wolf had already suffered enough. He was so good, she absolutely couldn't let him discover that he had put his clothes on backwards.

She took a deep breath, softened her expression, and looked at his deliberately lowered "handsome" face, which now bore even more scars than before and looked even worse. She tentatively took a step forward, wanting to take his sleeve. "…Shall I help you inside?"

Yuan Jue felt dirty rainwater dripping from his long sideburns down his forehead. He lowered his long, clumped eyelashes, hiding the self-consciousness and dejection in his eyes. His expression was cold and uncertain. "No need."

After saying that, the wolf immediately regretted it. He worried that he had sounded too harsh. He gripped the piece of firewood he had grabbed to support himself, his knuckles turning white.

Ruan Qiuqiu's outstretched hand paused in mid-air and slowly dropped.

She saw the furrow in his brow deepen, seemingly impossible to smooth out. The black markings on his cheeks had multiplied, probably after-effects from dealing with Lu Ziran.

Ruan Qiuqiu's heart softened. She forced a smile into her voice. "Okay."

Ruan Qiuqiu picked up the pure white sheepskin that Mr. Big Gray Wolf hadn't touched and stood no more than half a meter away from him. She began to speak, pretending nothing was amiss.

"Um…Hu-Husband, we can have fish soup tonight. A child I met while hunting last time, his sister gave me this white sharp-horned sheepskin…"

---So it wasn't a gift from the snail-gray wolf, huh.

"Ah, there's a stone here, I almost tripped."

---He knew.

"Was the beef in the 'storage room' hunted by you? I gave a piece to Xiaoyu and the others as a return gift. Is…is that okay?"

---It's all yours.

"Ah, we're here." Ruan Qiuqiu guided him forward with her awkward acting.

She knew he couldn't see, so despite her dizziness, she stood in front of him, trying her best to be his eyes.

The human and wolf maintained this somewhat strange state as they returned to the "master bedroom."

He was much taller than her, and the wolf, having lost his magnificent beauty, had a very imposing presence standing behind her. But Ruan Qiuqiu wasn't afraid at all.

If it weren't for Mr. Big Gray Wolf, she would have died several times over. So, what was there to be afraid of?

It was just that she had spoken so much, and he had remained silent, which worried her.

She had heard stories in the base about powerful ability users who, after failing to advance or being injured by mutated beasts, became despondent, self-harmed, or went mad.

Although she felt that Mr. Snail-Gray Wolf probably wouldn't be like that, Ruan Qiuqiu hesitated. She turned around cautiously and looked up, only to find that Mr. Wolf's narrow eyes were red-rimmed.

His lips were pale, and the faint light illuminated his face, half in shadow, half in light.

He looked eerie and fragile, as if he might disappear at any moment.

Ruan Qiuqiu felt a sudden pang in her heart, a surge of uncontrollable pain. Sadness welled up, and the words on her lips changed, filled with suppressed worry and fear.

"Next time…" don't suddenly disappear, okay?

I'm scared.

Ruan Qiuqiu clenched her hands, parted her lips, her eyes flickering.

Before she could finish her sentence, the scheming Big Gray Wolf, his body nearing its limit, decided to proceed with his original plan.

He had a rough idea of their current location in the bedroom, but he didn't understand why her voice sounded sad.

There was enough food, plenty of firewood, and someone had even given her new fur. She should be happy.

Was she still frightened by that hateful lion head?

He wouldn't let her encounter that old lion again…

Yuan Jue, completely unaware that Ruan Qiuqiu's sadness was entirely because of him, the scheming wolf, leaned on the wooden stick and took two steps forward, tentatively reaching out towards her.

Ruan Qiuqiu, who had been feeling sad but suddenly saw Mr. Food Reserve reach out his paw in a direction far from her "…"

Should she play along and stuff herself into his paw?

Ruan Qiuqiu carefully shifted a step and asked the wolf, "What's wrong?"

Mr. Big Gray Wolf, as he wished, felt the warm air of her breath as she spoke. His expression remained indifferent as he casually retracted his hand. He tilted his head, which he had been keeping lowered so she wouldn't see it, but his unfocused phoenix eyes met hers.

Ruan Qiuqiu's eyes widened slightly, and for the first time, she clearly saw his conscious appearance—

His long, black hair hung down, and a faint scarlet light flickered in his deep, gray-blue eyes. The wolf's tone was cold, his voice magnetic and hoarse, but the ending seemed to carry a hint of imperceptible anticipation.

"…Yuan…Jue."

Mr. Big Gray Wolf's dark brows seemed to be furrowed in coldness, but in reality, he was extremely nervous. Perhaps because he was nearing his limit, the pain was intense, and his speech was halting. "Name…"

"…Wolf's."

Ruan Qiuqiu felt a mixture of amusement and exasperation as she watched the equally swaying Mr. Big Gray Wolf strike a very cold and domineering pose.

Before Mr. Big Gray Wolf collapsed, ignoring his previous "No need," she grabbed his arm.

The somewhat dejected but still fearsome-looking wolf, before losing consciousness, heard his little wife's reply, "Ruan…Qiuqiu."

"Name…"

"…Human's."

…

…

The sudden hailstorm and thunderstorm made life even harder for the already struggling small tribe. The two bears who had planned to travel to the Wind Lion Tribe were also trapped in the middle of the forest halfway through their journey.

They were forced to transform into their demonic forms, using their thick fur to shield themselves from the rain.

But they were clearly not the same breed of bear. The younger one transformed into a large black and white panda, while the other was a slightly larger brown bear with brown fur all over.

"Roar~Aw~~ (Brother! Brother!! This way, this way, I see a rock face where we can take shelter.)" The round, black and white panda, Xiong Duoduo, spotted a natural barrier not far away and quickly called out to his brother.

Although their eyesight wasn't as good as other demons after transforming, it was certainly much better than that of wild beasts.

He was at the late stage of the second rank, stronger than his brother, who was only at the early stage of the second rank.

"Huff~huff~ (Coming, coming)" The brown bear, Xiong Yuan, quickly responded and followed his younger brother, Xiong Duoduo, towards the protruding rock face that blocked most of the rain.

Although they were strong enough to continue their journey through the forest, the feeling of being pelted by hail and drenched by rain was not pleasant at all, so the two bears decided to take shelter.

But as they approached the rock face, they discovered that there were already demons hiding in the inconspicuous corner.

And not just one.

ʕ•́ᴥ•̀ʔっ

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