Demon Girl Episode 1 Recap
> Demon Girl Recap
Humans all believe demons exist in legends, but in reality, demons do exist. Normally, they are no different from ordinary people, except for a pair of glittering golden fingernails. When transforming, they grow a pair of wings, their ears and fingernails lengthen, their pupils show a different color, their tears are golden, and their blood is pink. Demons can fly, are fast, and have strong attacking power.
Besides this, they also experience birth, aging, sickness, and death, and similarly need food, clothing, and other necessities. In winter, they need to hibernate, otherwise, they will die. When a demon dies, they melt into a pool of clear water. After being exposed to sunlight, they will slowly condense into a child. With no memories of their past life, they continue to live. In 1900 AD, the Eight-Nation Alliance captured Beijing, burning, killing, and looting within the capital city.
Large numbers of refugees, disregarding their family assets, fled the city with their families, and Nie Rufeng's family was among them. His wife, Ying Die, saw the foreign pursuers getting closer behind them, and handed her two daughters, Nie Qingcheng and Nie Qingxin, to her husband, who had already run out of the city gate. Amidst her daughters' cries, she waved her hands, and the city gate immediately closed.
Ying Die glared at the foreign devils who had caught up, grew a pair of wings from her ribs, and soared into the sky. She swooped down, and a pair of golden sharp claws instantly tore the foreign devils apart. But ultimately, being outnumbered, she died under a hail of gunfire. Standing outside the city gate, Nie Rufeng didn't know if his beloved wife was alive or dead; he preferred to believe she had merely gotten separated.
He and his daughters eventually made their way to Shanghai, earning a living by teaching. A few years later, the Republic of China was established, and his daughters slowly grew up. Under their father's tutelage, Nie Qingcheng and Nie Qingxin both became skilled in singing and dancing. Nie Qingxin continued to attend school. To help with household expenses, Nie Qingcheng secretly worked as a star performer at the Xianlesi cabaret, without her father's knowledge.
Nie Rufeng only thought his elder daughter was working at a company. Nie Qingcheng occasionally had a strange feeling: a golden flash would appear on her arm, and a pair of faint, flickering wings would grow on her back. This feeling was fleeting, and she herself thought it was an illusion. On this day, Nie Qingcheng, who was performing on stage, was forcibly pulled off.
It turned out to be Fifth Master, a local smuggler and gangster, who wanted to present her to Ming Xia, a rich young master from Shanghai and the Chief of the Police Station. Ming Xia, with his status and position, was not interested in the sordid act of seizing common women. Fifth Master was put in an awkward position, couldn't save face, and vented his anger on Nie Qingcheng.
If Ming Xia hadn't intervened in time, Nie Qingcheng would have likely lost her life on the spot. Although a rich young master, Ming Xia took on the thankless job of a police inspector because of his nature to hate evil as if it were a personal enemy. He had already bribed Fifth Master's subordinates, catching Fifth Master off guard and preventing him from acting rashly.
After dealing with Fifth Master, Ming Xia held Nie Qingcheng's hand and left the Xianlesi cabaret. This was not an act of impropriety; it was to make Fifth Master wary, preventing him from bothering Nie Qingcheng again. Before parting, Ming Xia draped his suit jacket over Nie Qingcheng; this thoughtful gesture greatly improved her impression of him. Returning home, it was already late, and Nie Qingcheng, sneaking in, was seen by her father.
Although the Nie family's financial situation was far from what it used to be, Nie Rufeng still believed in upholding the rules of a formerly prominent household. With his daughter returning dressed so alluringly and wearing a man's coat, he inevitably had a few words of admonishment. Fortunately, her younger sister provided cover, preventing their father from becoming suspicious. Back in their room, Nie Qingxin heard that her sister seemed to have a sweetheart.
While they were playfully bickering, a golden flash appeared on Nie Qingcheng's arm again, and cracks simultaneously appeared in the bathtub full of water. Nie Qingxin didn't notice, but Nie Qingcheng looked at the clear, pale red cross-shaped mark on her forearm, and her doubts grew even larger. In the following days, Nie Qingcheng waited for the person who gave her the suit jacket, but Ming Xia was late in coming to retrieve it.
What one thinks about during the day, one dreams about at night; Nie Qingcheng saw Ming Xia in her dream. She was awakened by her sister sleeping next to her before they could share much intimacy, interrupting a beautiful spring dream. One day, Nie Qingcheng found her sister sad because she couldn't attend a party. All those attending the party were social elites, and since the Nie family currently had no money or power, they naturally wouldn't receive an invitation.
That evening, Nie Qingcheng borrowed a gown from the cabaret and took her sister to sneak into the party. She personally saw Nie Qingxin's classmates making sarcastic remarks to Nie Qingxin and decided to stand up for her sister. The best way to retaliate was to attract everyone's attention. Nie Qingcheng and Nie Qingxin gracefully danced in the center of the ballroom, earning a round of applause. Nie Qingxin immediately became the center of the party, leaving the others speechless.
After helping her sister fulfill her wish, Nie Qingcheng left the party alone and unexpectedly saw Ming Xia outside, being persistently pestered by a girl. This time, it was Nie Qingcheng's turn to rescue Ming Xia from his predicament by pretending to be his girlfriend and helping him escape. This accidental encounter brought their hearts together. Ming Xia, who wasn't good at dancing, meeting Nie Qingcheng, the queen of dance, also created more opportunities for contact.
Over several months, they met almost every day, and their feelings for each other grew warmer. As fire cannot be hidden in paper, Nie Rufeng eventually found out about his daughter working at the cabaret. In a fit of anger, he locked Nie Qingcheng in her upstairs room. Nie Qingcheng, who had an appointment with Ming Xia, was burning with anxiety.
By the time Nie Qingcheng finally managed to escape from home through the window using bedsheets and arrived at their meeting place, she was five hours late. Ming Xia was still steadfastly waiting there, which deeply moved Nie Qingcheng. Ming Xia also fell in love with this intelligent and kind girl. The two shouted out their wishes loudly in the evening glow. Ming Xia decided to help her achieve her heartfelt wish, making Nie Qingcheng's father understand his daughter's hardships.
