Marrying the Soft-hearted Villain

Before Qing Ruyi left, she pulled Ruan Qiuqiu to the cave entrance to talk for a while.

Grandmother Ruyi touched the wooden "door" of the cave, quite intrigued. "I didn't expect your wolf cub husband to have such craftsmanship."

Ruan Qiuqiu was amused by the words "wolf cub husband." She gently rubbed a trace of blood still remaining on the edge of the wooden door, seemingly returning to that night of high fever.

Seeing her expression, Qing Ruyi could probably guess Ruan Qiuqiu's attitude towards Yuan Jue.

Grandmother Ruyi hesitated for a moment, then tentatively asked, "Qiuqiu, what do you think of that wolf cub's treatment of you?"

Ruan Qiuqiu didn't expect Grandmother Ruyi to ask this. Surprised, she also felt a strange shyness. "Um, he's a good wolf…"

Actually, she hadn't interacted much with Yuan Jue in his conscious state. The wolf always remained silent, and she couldn't guess what he was thinking. Was he taking her in temporarily out of pity, or was he thanking her for saving him, or was there some other reason? Ruan Qiuqiu didn't know.

She had initially only wanted to find a temporary shelter; saving the legendary, aberrant Big Gray Wolf gentleman was just incidental.

But now, things seemed a little different.

Qing Ruyi glanced at her reddened ear tips and sighed. She wanted to say something but thought better of it. Instead, she pulled a shimmering, translucent willow leaf from the pocket of her fur clothing and placed it in Ruan Qiuqiu's hand.

"I'm leaving now. If he forces you tonight, crush this leaf, and Grandma will come quickly," Qing Ruyi said very seriously.

Ruan Qiuqiu was speechless.

She felt a mixture of amusement and exasperation at Grandmother Ruyi's kindness.

What would Yuan Jue force her to do? Force her to eat? Or force her to…

Ruan Qiuqiu's face grew hotter and hotter. By the time she came back to her senses, still holding the slightly cool leaf, Grandmother Ruyi had already left.

…

Outside, the snow continued to fall, and the cold wind whistled through the cracks in the door.

Ruan Qiuqiu put the crystal-clear little leaf in her fur clothing pocket and closed the wooden door.

After seeing Grandmother Ruyi off, she finally had time to notice the changes in the cave.

The pile of wood at the entrance had decreased again. Ruan Qiuqiu walked to the "storage room" and found a large wooden bucket and two basins there.

The bucket was half-filled with clean snow brought in from outside. The edges of the wooden basins also looked like they had been smoothed by something sharp, almost without splinters, ready for use.

It was obvious that this was the handiwork of the snail gray wolf.

Ruan Qiuqiu had always felt that there weren't enough basins at home, but now there were.

She first fed the wolf, then fetched some water and cleaned both herself and the wolf.

Ruan Qiuqiu herself wasn't very dirty, but cleaning a certain wolf took a long time.

The big red robe she had made for him was already stained with blood, wood chips, and melted snow. Big Gray Wolf gentleman seemed to have truly entered the middle stage of demonification, as faint 'demon markings' appeared on the surface of his body, just as Grandmother Ruyi had mentioned.

If it got any worse, these 'demon markings' would tear through his skin, growing into the ugly skin of a demon, perhaps scales, or hard, grayish-black keratinized skin.

Fortunately, the 'demon markings' on Big Gray Wolf gentleman were very faint, appearing and disappearing quickly.

Ruan Qiuqiu wiped his fluffy ears, which were lying limply on his black hair, with warm water, and then wiped his long hair, which was soaked with sweat and snow.

Because there weren't enough animal hides at home, Ruan Qiuqiu cut open the soft wool hide Xiao Bohe had given her. Two pieces were made into pillows, and the rest was made into towels.

After applying medicine to Big Gray Wolf gentleman, she draped the black fur coat over him. After checking that his temperature was normal, Ruan Qiuqiu finally relaxed.

She noticed that the Tier 4 multi-spirit stone she had placed in Big Gray Wolf gentleman's hand was gone, leaving only some powder on the stone bed. It must have been completely absorbed by Yuan Jue.

Luckily, she had good luck today and obtained some small spirit stones from the fat pigeon, otherwise, it really wouldn't have been enough.

Ruan Qiuqiu climbed onto the stone bed, took two small spirit stones, and put them back into the wolf's hand.

She sat not far from Yuan Jue, kept two small spirit stones for later use, and began to cultivate and restore her spiritual power.

Because she remembered what Grandmother Ruyi had said: "Those in the middle stage of demonification are prone to nightmares. Talk to him more."

Ruan Qiuqiu only circulated her spiritual power for two cycles, recovering some of her strength. Then, taking a deep breath, she began to try to communicate with Big Gray Wolf gentleman.

His current state was very poor. Although the obvious wounds on his body had healed, his expression was somewhat gloomy. His small fangs, though retracted, still looked fierce, and from time to time, he would let out low, warning growls from his throat.

While stroking Big Gray Wolf gentleman's large tail, Ruan Qiuqiu told him about what had happened today.

"Grandmother Ruyi said that she is half-demon, half-monster."

"Mr. Snail Gray Wolf, do you know what half-demon, half-monster means?" Ruan Qiuqiu's voice was gentle, without any concealment. "She said you are also half-demon, half-monster."

"Grandpa Mo also became like this, old and frail, because he saved Grandmother Ruyi." Ruan Qiuqiu's smile carried a hint of bitterness and relief as she spoke a lot in one breath. "Also, we have new enemies."

Ruan Qiuqiu slowly recounted what Grandmother Ruyi had told her. "It's a demon that is about to become a Demon King. It sounds quite scary."

"But I also didn't expect that you were previously a Tier 5 expert. I thought you were only Tier 3…"

"I really… don't know you very well."

Ruan Qiuqiu laughed at herself as she spoke, but she also felt inexplicably sad.

She had originally thought that she and Big Gray Wolf gentleman were both early-dying supporting characters in someone else's story, their strength and brilliance inferior to Lu Ziran and Rou Yuerao. She hadn't expected his true strength.

Thinking about it now, perhaps Big Gray Wolf gentleman in her previous life didn't die in the winter, but was very likely to have had his heart cut out by Grandmother Ruyi's master.

The thought made Ruan Qiuqiu's heart palpitate.

She blinked and looked down at the wolf's expression.

His expression hadn't eased because she was talking to him; on the contrary, it became increasingly gloomy.

Was he in too much pain?

After a moment of consideration, Ruan Qiuqiu reached out, intending to connect her spiritual power with the demonic energy in his body, as she had done before, to share some of his pain.

But this time, just as she released a trace of spiritual power, she saw the wolf, who had kept his eyes tightly closed, move.

He abruptly opened his narrow eyes, revealing scarlet pupils.

Ruan Qiuqiu froze and called out to him, "Husband… are you awake?"

"Awoo. (Not me.)" Hearing Ruan Qiuqiu's voice, Yuan Jue slowly closed his eyes again, his eyelashes fluttering. His eyes narrowed to slits, and he suddenly extended his long arm, his large hand accurately grasping Ruan Qiuqiu's arm in the cold air.

Ruan Qiuqiu was confused.

"Aw… (Not.)" Yuan Jue murmured hoarsely. As Ruan Qiuqiu tried to guess what the wolf was saying, he slowly sat up, his entire body pressing down on her in a daze.

Ruan Qiuqiu was speechless.

Because the wolf was so heavy and she was completely unprepared, she was suddenly pressed against the stone bed.

The wolf's slightly heavy breathing brushed against her ear, and Ruan Qiuqiu's ears instantly turned red. Her head was in a daze, and only one thought remained:

Thankfully, she had just cut the soft sheep wool hide to make a pillow. Her head landed on the soft pillow, and she didn't feel any pain.

But because of the wolf's sudden movement, she couldn't help but let out a small cry of surprise.

"Aw…" Yuan Jue half-propped himself up on his arm, his scarlet eyes slightly narrowed as he looked down at her from above.

From Ruan Qiuqiu's perspective, it was as if the wolf had suddenly given her a kabedon and was now staring at her.

If she didn't know that Big Gray Wolf gentleman was in the middle stage of demonification and his consciousness was somewhat blurry, she might have misunderstood that Yuan Jue was going to do something to her.

But Mr. Evil Wolf shouldn't be that kind of wolf. If he wanted to do something to her, he could have done it when she was sick before.

But Yuan Jue didn't.

At this moment, Ruan Qiuqiu, who didn't yet know that her first kiss had been stolen by a certain evil wolf, even somewhat naively wanted to completely trust the wolf's character.

"…Husband, Husband?"

Ruan Qiuqiu didn't know why she was so nervous, but her speech was a little slurred. She touched the translucent leaf in her pocket, wondering if she would really have to crush it and call for Grandmother Ruyi.

Seeing the wolf's breathing gradually become unsteady, his demonic face getting closer and closer to her, Ruan Qiuqiu became uncontrollably nervous.

She saw Big Gray Wolf gentleman slightly open his pale lips, revealing two slightly pointed canine teeth.

Did he want to eat her?

Or was he, like Grandmother Ruyi back then, craving fresh prey?

Ruan Qiuqiu's palms were sweaty. Her right hand pulled the translucent leaf from her pocket. Her eyelashes trembled, her fingers curling and then releasing. Finally, with a sense of resignation, she threw the leaf far away.

If her blood was really useful, it wouldn't be a big deal if the wolf cub, who had saved her many times, took a few bites…

The dim light from the stone stove was completely blocked by Yuan Jue's tall figure. In Ruan Qiuqiu's line of sight, only his reddish, narrow eyes remained.

She clenched her hands and closed her eyes.

Her cheek was touched by Yuan Jue's warm, moist breath, but the anticipated pain never came.

Her forehead was pressed against the wolf's burning forehead, her neck tickled by his not-yet-dry long hair.

Ruan Qiuqiu slowly opened her eyes and met the wolf's scarlet pupils.

She wanted to ask him "why didn't you bite," but they were so close that Ruan Qiuqiu could even feel Yuan Jue's breath.

"Awoo."

After a brief moment of confusion, Ruan Qiuqiu realized:

Yuan Jue's forehead was burning hot. He had a fever.

He hadn't shown any signs of fever on the way back. The shy feelings in Ruan Qiuqiu's heart receded. She felt that one of her arms was still gently held by him, so she took the opportunity to send her spiritual power into his body.

The demonic energy in Yuan Jue's body instantly entwined with hers. Ruan Qiuqiu's vision went black, and her entire being was assaulted by intense pain and dizziness. She almost fainted.

Ruan Qiuqiu, on the verge of unconsciousness, didn't notice that the demonic energy and spiritual power connected between her and Yuan Jue emitted a faint white light, pulling her consciousness completely into the wolf's unwakened nightmare.

…

"Awoo… (Not me.)"

The familiar "awoo" sound rang out again beside her ear, yet it was somewhat unfamiliar, with an added childishness.

She felt strange, finding that the pain she had been sharing with Big Gray Wolf gentleman had vanished.

"Hmm?" Ruan Qiuqiu opened her eyes and subconsciously spoke, only to find that her voice had also become much younger.

She widened her eyes in surprise, looking down at her hands, shocked to discover they had shrunk.

The scene before her gradually became clear. It wasn't the cave where she and Yuan Jue stayed, but a similarly snowy winter.

The surrounding giant trees had sparse leaves, clearly not the environment around the Flame Wolf Tribe.

What was going on? Had she entered Big Gray Wolf gentleman's memories, like when she entered Grandmother Ruyi's memories before?

Speaking of which, Yuan Jue was also a Tier 5 expert before, and his forehead was against hers…

But that wasn't right. When she was in Grandmother Ruyi's memories, she couldn't feel the surrounding temperature, and her consciousness hadn't shrunk. But now, she could feel the snowflakes falling on her, and the cold was very distinct.

Was this a side effect of her spiritual power connecting with Big Gray Wolf gentleman's demonic energy?

How could she get out?

Ruan Qiuqiu tried to mobilize her spiritual power from within her consciousness, but unfortunately, in this world likely constructed from Big Gray Wolf gentleman's memories, her current body didn't have any spiritual power.

After several attempts, Ruan Qiuqiu couldn't escape from this illusion.

She touched her face and discovered that she was wearing a furry mask, the kind that only revealed her eyes, nose, and mouth.

She tugged at it, but she couldn't take it off.

Ruan Qiuqiu was at a loss. In what state did she exist in that wolf's mind?

Was it because he hadn't seen her with his own eyes, so he couldn't conjure her appearance?

This reasoning was surprisingly plausible.

Ruan Qiuqiu shivered from the cold. She didn't know what was going on or where she was, but she knew that she currently had short arms and legs, and was only wearing a thin fur dress with medium sleeves. Only her face was warm.

If she didn't find a place to take shelter from the snow, her consciousness would freeze to death.

Ruan Qiuqiu rubbed her short arms. Before she could take a step with her short legs, she heard the familiar "awoo" sound again in the distance.

It was some distance away, but very clear, with more childish anger and grievance than Big Gray Wolf gentleman's awoo.

This time, she strangely understood the meaning of this awoo. Just like Grandmother Ruyi had said, it simply expressed three words:

"Not me."

Ruan Qiuqiu's heart clenched. The image of the wolf cub that had unexpectedly overlapped with Xiaoyu yesterday suddenly surfaced in her mind. Everything about the big wolf's hoarse "awoo" with his pointed ears curled up seemed to have found its origin.

Ruan Qiuqiu didn't have time to think. Ignoring whether or not she could be seen by demons in her current form, she struggled to move her short legs and ran towards the source of the sound.

Her current consciousness was at most five years old. Despite her best efforts, running was still very difficult.

The snow on the ground was thick, and Ruan Qiuqiu's legs trembled from the cold.

As she passed two giant trees, she quickly smelled a faint scent of blood in the air.

"You still say it wasn't you? Did the food in the tribe shaman's cave grow legs and run away by itself?"

The closer she got to her wolf cub, the more piercing the voices became.

"There's only you, a foreign demon, in our Water Pig Tribe. If it wasn't you, then who was it?"

Rounding a bend, Ruan Qiuqiu half-leaned against a rough tree trunk and saw a group of adolescent pig demons surrounding a half-grown wolf cub.

The wolf cub was in a half-demon form. His delicate and beautiful face was covered in bruises and bloodstains. He was only wearing a short shirt made of his own wolf fur, standing barefoot in the snow.

His grayish-blue eyes were bright, and he bared his fangs as he growled, holding a wooden stick he had picked up from somewhere. He looked very ferocious.

Undoubtedly, this should be Yuan Jue when he was still very young.

Her wolf was really cute in his childhood.

Ruan Qiuqiu softened her gaze, her eyes flickering as she looked at his two intact legs.

Beside the wolf cub's feet lay a small elephant bird, gnawed down to the bone.

Obviously, the food these pig demons were talking about should be this elephant bird.

"Awoo. (Not me.)"

Yuan Jue repeated himself, his eyes filled with grievance and anger.

Ruan Qiuqiu saw the leading adult pig demon stroke his chin, a rather vile smile appearing on his face. "What are you awooing about? We're pig demons, we don't understand wolf language."

Ruan Qiuqiu knew he was lying. Demons could understand each other's language. But she was somewhat surprised to find that the miniature version of Big Gray Wolf gentleman was clearly shaken.

Yuan Jue, with his messy long hair, as pretty as a little girl, clenched his hands tightly, looking down at his rough paws, which were somewhat large compared to other demons of the same age, with a helpless expression.

He actually believed it.

"Are you mute? Can't you speak? Then you must have stolen it." After the leading adult pig demon finished speaking, a small female demon wearing a thick fur skirt, who had been standing to the side, probably couldn't bear it anymore and cried out to Yuan Jue, "You little thief, get out of our Water Pig Tribe!"

"My father only gave you some food out of kindness because you were dying. How can you just latch onto my father like this? And you even made him sick! He's my father, not yours!"

"You mute, jinx, get out! Get out!!!"

ʕ•́ᴥ•̀ʔっ

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