When Destiny Brings The Demon Episode 12 Recap
> When Destiny Brings The Demon Recap
Yan Huan had lost the will to live, but Liao Tingyan encouraged him, even proposing a reunion with his wife and child. This brought a glimmer of hope to his eyes, although he doubted he could live a carefree life after his experiences, fearing the Fengshan bloodline would inevitably drag him back into tragedy. Sima Jiao conceded that Yan Huan was right, but Liao Tingyan still urged Sima Jiao to check on Zhou Qing'er.
Liao Tingyan then persuaded Yan Huan to meet his daughter, Zhou Yueqing, whom he had named himself. Zhou Qing'er expressed profound gratitude to Sima Jiao for his help, saying she would never forget his kindness, even if he claimed he hadn't done it for her. She acknowledged that what might have been a small effort for him was a lifelong blessing for her. When she mentioned Master Yan, Sima Jiao assured her he would handle it.
Zhou Qing'er confided that despite her current anxieties, this was the most at peace she had felt in years. Sima Jiao echoed her sentiment, stating that only recently had he learned what peace meant. Yan Huan finally met his daughter, Yue, holding her gently. He expressed his immediate love for her and how this tiny being had given him immense courage.
Meanwhile, Liao Tingyan reflected on how her opened Soul Manor made her feel deeply connected to the fates of others, like Zhou Qing'er and Yan Huan. She realized that Sima Jiao, having endured his fate for centuries, must suffer even more than Yan Huan. As Yan Huan held Yue, he noticed the flame-shaped birthmark on her shoulder. His expression clouded as he remembered the curse that would turn his child into a puppet, bound to a life of forced reproduction.
He decided to end the Yan family's tragic fate with his generation. He set the room ablaze, intending to die with Yue, but hearing Zhou Qing'er's desperate cries to save their child, he faltered. He threw Yue out of the burning room, choosing to sacrifice himself to break the curse. Liao Tingyan watched, tears streaming down her face.
Sima Jiao observed her, finally understanding the profound helplessness and pain his own mother must have felt when she was forced to abandon him. Sima Jiao awoke from a dream, startled. Liao Tingyan, who was nearby, noted that he rarely slept, let alone dreamed. He confided that he had dreamed of "that woman" – his mother.
He recalled how others reacted to him with fear, disgust, or flattery, but she had treated him with a detached calm, like a roadside flower. He also remembered his mother’s desperate cries of "Jiao'er!" as Gengchen Celestial Palace sought to take him, and a voice urging her to kill him to end his wretched fate. Liao Tingyan comforted him, reminding him that he was not Yan Huan, but himself, and that his destiny was his to shape.
Sima Jiao mused that all paths lead to the same end. Later, an emissary from Baifeng Mountain arrived to test Yueqing's bloodline. The emissary's son accompanied them, explaining that he needed to witness the process to prepare for inheriting the family's estate. Inside Baifeng Mountain, Sima Jiao found the imprisoned members of the Sima clan, his kin. They were chained, forced to provide blood for cultivation and to continuously reproduce.
Many begged him to end their lives, preferring death to being drained dry and eaten like livestock. One mother, still in labor, pleaded for him to kill her and her unborn child rather than let them suffer. As soon as her baby was born, it was taken away by the captors, leaving her devastated. Sima Jiao released the prisoners, urging them to flee.
However, Shi Qianlv had set up a barrier at the exit that would drain the internal energy of any Sima clan member who passed through it, killing them instantly. The desperate clan members, choosing death over their horrific existence, ran through the barrier and perished, their bodies collapsing in a bloody heap. Enraged by the massacre, Sima Jiao set out to destroy everything. He killed the guards and began to burn down Chiyan City.
Meanwhile, Shi Qianlv was informing his father that Sima Jiao had broken into Baifeng Mountain and would destroy their "master plan." Shi Qianlv then ordered his subordinate, Zhenxu, to set Chiyan City ablaze and spread the word that Sima Jiao was responsible, hoping to incite the various palace heads against him. He also began gathering the palace heads and elders, though some, like Master Yuan and Madam Ye, were absent.
Liao Tingyan, witnessing the city engulfed in flames and hearing the cries for help, realized the gravity of the situation and rushed to find Sima Jiao. She found Sima Jiao, covered in blood, cradling the body of a child. He was in despair, believing that as long as he existed, the Sima clan's fate remained unchanged.
He yearned for the Fengshan Spirit Fire to extinguish, believing that only then could his clan truly be free, even if it meant his own demise. He wished the dead child a better next life. Liao Tingyan was horrified by his state, urging him to pull himself together. He claimed he was dying, but she dismissed it as a joke, reminding him of his mother's desire for him to live.
Sima Jiao asserted that anyone who wanted his life would lose theirs, but Liao Tingyan offered her life to him if he wished, which he denied. She insisted he wouldn't die and that she would live with him, pulling him to his feet. He clung to his belief that only by thoroughly destroying the place and burning himself to ashes could the Fengshan bloodline be truly eradicated and the Gengchen Celestial Palace's lifeblood severed.
Liao Tingyan dismissed his nihilistic talk, reiterating that they needed to leave. Sima Jiao wondered why she hadn't run when he told her to, saying he looked undignified. She shot back that he looked uncool and should get a grip, to which he replied, "Does how I look really matter if I'm going to be burned to ash anyway?" Soon after, Shi Qianlv and the other palace heads arrived. They noted the presence of many Fengshan bloodline members and acknowledged that Sima Jiao, though injured by their array, must be captured alive.
