Marrying the Soft-hearted Villain

Grandmother Ruyi, using a willow branch to support Ruan Qiuqiu, looked at her pale face and softened her tone. "Granddaughter, I know a place, it's some distance from here, closer to the Winter Bear Tribe."

Grandmother Ruyi smiled. "We'll talk about that later. You've overexerted yourself. I'll take you back to our home first. After you've rested a bit, I'll send you back to your cave."

"I…" Ruan Qiuqiu instinctively wanted to refute Grandmother Ruyi. Although she hadn't been away from home for very long, she felt that Mr. Wolf was in a critical period. She felt uneasy not watching over him.

Qing Ruyi reached out and tapped Ruan Qiuqiu's forehead. "The vitality of a half-demon, half-devil is very tenacious. You are weaker now. If you rush back, not only will you not be able to help, but you will also add to the chaos."

"Alright, come back with Grandmother. I'll also tell you about cultivation methods and some news about the nearby tribes."

As Qing Ruyi spoke, she no longer concealed her abilities. Willow branches swirled around her, quickly digging up all the edible wild vegetables on the ground. She even snatched a passing plump bird with a willow branch.

She used the willow branches to create a simple wooden board to carry Ruan Qiuqiu, securing her in place before starting her journey back.

Watching the slightly hunched old woman dragging the wooden board with her on it, Ruan Qiuqiu would have been very embarrassed if she didn't know that Grandmother Ruyi's strength was several times greater than her own.

But now, she couldn't even stand up, let alone walk.

Because she didn't need to worry about Ruan Qiuqiu's pace, Grandmother Ruyi walked very quickly. They soon arrived near Grandpa Mo's cave.

However, unlike the usual quiet atmosphere, as they approached the cave, Ruan Qiuqiu, still pale, heard a burst of harsh curses.

"Uncle Linson, this stinky brat Mo Yu, last time he sneaked into the Tribe Shaman's residence and stole a lot of herbs. Damn it, apologize to me!" The familiar voice of the young wolf demon rang out. Ruan Qiuqiu looked up and saw the wolf demon Ning Yue, who had given her a hard time when she went to the Flame Wolf Tribe to exchange for herbs.

Beside Ning Yue stood a middle-aged wolf demon, the same one who had led the group that brought her back from the Wind Lion Tribe.

Next to these two wolf demons stood Mo's family, their faces and bodies covered with varying degrees of wounds and dirt. Grandpa Mo and Mo Mao stood in front of Little Yu and Little Mint, holding bone knives they usually used for cutting meat.

"Old man, get out of the way." Ning Yue's tone was unfriendly, pointing at Little Yu behind Grandpa Mo. "Let your grandson come out and apologize. According to the rules, we only need to carve a mark of theft on his face, and we won't bother you anymore."

"What a joke!" Ruan Qiuqiu couldn't help but stand up, her voice full of anger, but weakened by her condition.

Carving the universally understood mark of theft on Little Yu's face would mean he would live in its shadow for the rest of his life. Besides, Little Yu hadn't stolen any herbs from the Tribe Shaman's residence. He had only gone in to see what the herbs looked like.

If he had stolen the herbs, he wouldn't have ventured into the forest with her later.

The middle-aged wolf demon, Linson, stood silently, but clearly agreed with Ning Yue. Even if he knew the herbs were taken by another demon, so what?

In his eyes, Grandpa Mo's family, who had not lived in the Flame Wolf Tribe for long, were just insignificant outsiders.

He wouldn't care if they falsely accused Little Yu of stealing and marked his face, or even if they drove the entire Mo family into the forest to be eaten by wild beasts.

A family of old and weak, unable to contribute anything to the tribe, was his and the Tribe Shaman's judgment.

Linson didn't bother with further words. He glanced at the approaching Ruan Qiuqiu and Qing Ruyi, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. "Who is this old woman?"

"Heh." Hearing Linson's words, Qing Ruyi sneered, not bothering to talk nonsense. She narrowed her eyes and waved her sleeve at the two demons.

Ning Yue and Linson only felt a blur before their eyes, as if several willow branches had suddenly bloomed in front of them. Sharp pain shot through their jaws and arms. When they regained their senses, they spat out mouthfuls of blood.

Ning Yue was stunned by the blow. As the pain slowly registered, he looked dizzily at the pool of blood on the snow, belatedly realizing that his two fangs had been knocked out.

Linson, being stronger than Ning Yue, hadn't escaped unscathed. His usually resilient teeth now felt loose.

"You!" Linson covered his mouth, his words slurred due to the missing teeth. His face turned green with rage, but he quickly realized he was no match for this old woman who had appeared out of nowhere.

"You what?" Grandmother Ruyi smiled kindly, but her aura remained strong. She looked at Linson and the incapacitated Ning Yue with a smile. "Go back and tell your Tribe Shaman that I will visit him tonight."

"Now you can scram."

Grandmother Ruyi was still smiling, but Linson and Ning Yue didn't dare say another word. The two demons scrambled to their feet, Ning Yue only daring to glare fiercely at Grandpa Mo and the others before being helped away by Uncle Linson, thoroughly humiliated.

Grandpa Mo looked up at Grandmother Ruyi, then lowered his head without speaking.

Little Yu, rubbing his reddened eyes, sobbed, "Grandmother Ruyi, Sister Qiuqiu, I didn't steal anything. I really didn't steal anything."

Ruan Qiuqiu felt a pang of sympathy and smiled, stroking his head to comfort him. "Mm, I know."

She believed he hadn't taken the herbs. Being wrongly accused was a terrible feeling.

Looking at Little Yu's red-rimmed eyes, Ruan Qiuqiu, for some reason, thought of Mr. Grey Wolf back home.

In Little Yu's image, she seemed to see a much smaller wolf cub, also with crimson eyes, standing amidst accusing gazes.

The young wolf cub explained repeatedly, but no demon was willing to believe him.

Ruan Qiuqiu didn't understand what was happening to her. Whenever she had a moment of peace, she would think of that wolf.

It seemed her concern for him was different.

Was it because he was her husband in name only that she kept thinking about him?

Ruan Qiuqiu was confused by her own feelings. She pressed down the unnatural heat on her cheeks. After recovering for a while, she helped Grandpa Mo and the others bandage their wounds.

Fortunately, the herbs she and Little Yu had collected on the cliff were still plentiful, and everyone's injuries weren't too serious. However, Grandmother Ruyi's mood had clearly worsened. From the moment Ning Yue and Linson fled until Ruan Qiuqiu finished bandaging Grandpa Mo and the others, she remained silent with a cold expression.

Ruan Qiuqiu knew that Grandmother Ruyi was likely upset because Grandpa Mo and the others hadn't sought her help when they were in danger.

She could understand this feeling.

If one day, that wolf, due to the pain of his demonic transformation, ran away silently, she would definitely be angry.

Even Little Mint noticed why Grandmother Ruyi was unhappy, but the three men and the demon of the Mo family seemed oblivious.

Grandpa Mo was merely uneasy about Grandmother Ruyi's unusual behavior.

Since they met yesterday, Ruyi had been clinging to him. Except for when he went hunting, she even insisted on squeezing onto his small bed at night.

For him, she had transformed into this aged appearance. He was unwilling to hold her back and had constantly refused to be too close to her. If Qingqing had truly let go, it wouldn't be a bad thing.

He was no longer the naive youth he once was and had learned to endure and conceal his feelings.

Seeing Mo Bugui's seemingly all-knowing look, Qing Ruyi's inner fire grew stronger, so angry that she didn't want to pay him any attention.

Thus, for the entire afternoon, besides comforting Little Yu and making baskets with Little Mint using vines and elephant bird feathers, Ruan Qiuqiu faced the seemingly enlightened, meditating Grandpa Mo and the extremely angry Grandmother Ruyi.

…

As it grew dark and Grandmother Ruyi still showed no sign of taking her back to the cave, Ruan Qiuqiu softly reminded her, "Um, Grandmother Ruyi, it's getting dark…"

Before Ruan Qiuqiu could finish, Little Mint's voice chimed in, "Sister Qiuqiu, sleep with me tonight!"

She hugged a thick animal hide blanket, spreading it on her small bed, proudly saying, "Grandmother made my bed bigger. We can definitely fit."

Ruan Qiuqiu "??". Wait, when did she say she was staying here?

"Hmph." Qing Ruyi glanced sideways at Grandpa Mo, unclear whether she was responding to Ruan Qiuqiu or making a veiled remark. "What's so good about a dog of a man?"

Ruan Qiuqiu "…"

Noticing her expression, Qing Ruyi turned her gaze. "Same goes for male demons."

Ruan Qiuqiu "…………"

In the end, Ruan Qiuqiu was forced to eat dinner at Grandpa Mo's house and was even forced to take a willow-wood box packed with meat.

The sky had completely darkened, and as night approached, Grandmother Ruyi finally agreed to take her back to the cave.

Ruan Qiuqiu held a torch made of willow branches by Grandmother Ruyi, serving as illumination in the night.

Grandmother Ruyi walked slowly, sharing what she knew about the surrounding tribes along the way.

Hearing Ruan Qiuqiu express her concern about the Winter Bear Tribe, Qing Ruyi stroked her chin. "Tomorrow, Grandmother will take you there. If we travel with all our speed, the round trip will only take half a day."

"It just so happens that Grandmother wants to visit the market near the Winter Bear Tribe."

As they talked, Grandmother Ruyi and Ruan Qiuqiu drew closer to the cave. But when they were still about ten minutes away, Grandmother Ruyi suddenly stopped.

Qing Ruyi's expression turned strange, and she muttered, unusually, "Eh?" Why was that wolf cub still able to move despite being in such a severe demonic transformation stage?

Ruan Qiuqiu, puzzled, was about to ask Grandmother Ruyi what was wrong and why they had stopped when she felt a gust of cold wind rush past her. The torch in her hand flickered, casting a warm glow on the snowflakes falling on her straw raincoat.

She instinctively looked up. A familiar, hoarse voice reached her ears, a low growl laced with a clear threat.

It was Mr. Big Grey Wolf!

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