Marrying the Soft-hearted Villain

Ruan Qiuqiu stirred the fish soup sent over by Grandpa Mo with a wooden spoon.

The fish's innards, scales, and sharp fins had been removed, the skin scraped clean, and the head taken off. They had received the best section, the middle, with large flakes of snow-white flesh swirling in the broth.

Although the lack of seasonings meant the fish could only be cooked in the most basic way, Grandpa Mo's culinary skills were clearly superior to hers. He had added a lot of dried green vegetables and some fruits and vegetables she couldn't name, making it smell incredibly fragrant.

There were actually green vegetables!

She hadn't eaten vegetables in ages. Her daily diet consisted of dried meat, meat broth, and root powder, seasoned with nothing more than salt. She had almost forgotten what delicious food tasted like.

To make the already delicious-smelling fish soup even more flavorful, Ruan Qiuqiu added three drops of mutated water.

After simmering for a while longer, the fish was so tender that the flesh practically fell off the bone with the slightest touch. Unable to resist any longer, Ruan Qiuqiu ladled herself a bowl, blew on it to cool it down, and took a sip.

The boneless, flaky fish meat melted on her tongue, releasing a rich, savory flavor. The warm soup flowed down her throat, settling comfortably in her stomach. A fruity aftertaste lingered on her palate, perfectly masking any fishy odor.

Ruan Qiuqiu felt instantly revitalized.

By the time she came back to her senses, the small wooden bowl of fish soup was empty, even the vegetables gone.

Glancing at Yuan Jue lying weakly on the stone bed, Ruan Qiuqiu smiled and, instead of having a second bowl, picked up another wooden bowl and scooped a generous portion of fish soup to feed the wolf.

She now knew that Mr. Big Grey Wolf's true form was enormous, and this bowl of soup was probably not even enough to fill the gap between his teeth. Still, she wanted to feed him as much as possible.

She didn't know the wolf's current attitude towards her, but it seemed much more relaxed than when they first met. He didn't seem to reject her presence and had even told her his name. Was this a significant breakthrough?

Ruan Qiuqiu propped her chin on her hand, observing Mr. Yuan's expression.

He must have been truly ferocious in the past, which explained why he still maintained a cold demeanor even in his sleep. He was undeniably handsome, with eyelashes even longer and thicker than hers, yet he always wore a displeased expression.

Come to think of it, she didn't think she had ever seen him smile.

Or rather, Mr. Big Grey Wolf's waking hours were limited. Although she was considered married to him, he had never called her "wife" or even her name…

Was it because he didn't want to be with her? Or perhaps he had a beloved female demon in the past, and that's why he was reluctant to call her "wife."

A sudden emptiness filled Ruan Qiuqiu's heart, diminishing her joy.

She shook her head, telling herself she was overthinking. Their survival was still precarious, so titles and forms of address could wait.

With a slightly gloomy expression, Ruan Qiuqiu touched her ears, which for some reason felt hot again. She had a childish thought:

Next time, she wouldn't call him "husband" either. Now that she knew Mr. Big Grey Wolf's name, she would call him "Mr. Yuan."

Hmph.

She had wanted to tug on his wolf tail to alleviate this inexplicable feeling of grievance, but her gaze fell on Mr. Yuan's slender waist. She then remembered that he was currently in human form, his tail hidden.

Ruan Qiuqiu "…"

Looking at his inside-out clothes, the dirty animal hide, and his tightly furrowed brows from pain, her heart softened in resignation.

She fed the wolf, ate her own meal, washed the wooden basin, bowls, and spoons, tidied the cave, organized their spoils (both hers and the wolf's), and then cleaned herself.

For safety, Ruan Qiuqiu hid the hard-earned medicinal herbs and spirit stones in an inconspicuous corner near the stone bed. She took a partially used, but still potent, third-tier spirit stone, placed a stone stool by the bed, and began the most demanding and time-consuming task: transferring her mutated spiritual energy to alleviate Mr. Big Grey Wolf's pain.

As she had done with the demon core before, Ruan Qiuqiu first drew the spiritual energy from the spirit stone, circulated it within her body for a full cycle, and then transferred the converted energy into his body.

Although Mr. Wolf's complexion improved quickly, Ruan Qiuqiu noticed something amiss.

His meridians were almost completely shattered.

Ruan Qiuqiu's hand trembled as she lifted the inside-out animal hide clothing from Mr. Big Grey Wolf.

The tan fur was covered in patches of dried blood.

The crisscrossing wounds covered almost his entire body.

Ruan Qiuqiu's eyes instantly reddened.

She knew it! His body hadn't fully recovered… His attack on Lu Ziran must have come at a great cost.

With such unhealed wounds and his clothes inside out, he must be in excruciating pain.

Yet he said nothing, acting as if everything was fine, even telling her his name…

No longer caring about any shyness, Ruan Qiuqiu didn't hesitate. She gently removed the animal hide, cleaning the dirt and clinging fur from his body.

She only lifted a portion of the wolf fur that had transformed into pants.

By the time she finished, Ruan Qiuqiu was so exhausted she could barely lift a finger. Her head spun.

She placed the spirit stone, which still held a considerable amount of energy, into Mr. Big Grey Wolf's hand, added more wood to the stone stove, and, not minding the animal hide she had stepped on earlier, lay down like a drained fish. Even wrapped in clothes and the animal hide blanket, she still felt incredibly cold.

While she had been preoccupied with Mr. Big Grey Wolf's injuries, she had been alright. Now that she was trying to rest, she felt pain all over.

Touching her burning forehead, Ruan Qiuqiu felt her breath grow hot.

Was she sick?

A few seconds later, her throat began to ache.

Her vision blurred, and she felt utterly drained of energy.

Ruan Qiuqiu touched her increasingly hot forehead, gritting her teeth as she tried to use the faint healing properties of her mutated water-based spiritual energy to cure herself.

She had been careless. Ever since she abruptly regained consciousness half a month ago, her memory, soul, and body had been perfectly aligned, even feeling more complete.

She had checked. Her height, weight, appearance, and even the mole on her shoulder were identical to her previous self, even clearer. It was as if she had always belonged to this world, and her memories of surviving the apocalypse were merely a hallucination.

Because her physical strength was better than before, and she hadn't gotten sick despite her previous exertions, she had become complacent.

Her forehead burned hotter, and Ruan Qiuqiu felt a wave of regret.

The wolf in her home hadn't healed yet. What if something unexpected happened…?

Ruan Qiuqiu frowned, her body drenched in a cold sweat.

She wrapped herself tighter in the animal hide, burying her head in the blanket, curling into a ball, and gradually losing consciousness.

The cave fell silent, the small noises ceasing.

The heavy rain outside gradually subsided, turning into a mixture of rain and snow.

The spirit stone in Mr. Big Grey Wolf's hand slowly turned transparent, then, with a "crack," crumbled into dust.

Yuan Jue regained consciousness, slowly opening his narrow eyes. He quickly realized the change in his body.

His meridians were rapidly healing, mostly restored, but his demon core had fractured a little more, causing his demonic power to regress slightly.

His body had clearly been cleaned and treated. The pain had lessened considerably, and his stomach felt warm and less empty.

A faint smile played on his lips. Mr. Big Grey Wolf's eyelashes fluttered as he touched his abdominal muscles beneath the animal hide, feeling a shy warmth as he wondered how his little wife had cleaned him.

Did she trace her fingers lightly over him, or did she slowly cover him with her entire palm…?

A strange, unfamiliar heat spread through his body. His pointed wolf ears and tail emerged involuntarily, twitching slightly.

So, she had been hinting at him all along, wanting him to do something.

Was she that impatient? Did she like him that much?

Even though he knew Ruan Qiuqiu hadn't meant it that way, the wolf blushed, thinking:

Regardless of how Ruan Qiuqiu had touched him…

But…

Having touched the wolf, having had skin-to-skin contact, she was now the wolf's person.

He wanted to touch(?) her back.

He also wanted to know where she had found the spirit stone, whether it had been difficult, and if she was feeling unwell after being caught in the rain.

Enduring the pain in his meridians, Yuan Jue turned his head towards her, his unfocused eyes widening, trying to see Ruan Qiuqiu in the darkness.

Despite the pain and dimness, a faint light still flickered in his eyes.

Mr. Big Grey Wolf slowly moved his large hand, reaching towards her, inch by inch.

ʕ•́ᴥ•̀ʔっ

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