When Destiny Brings The Demon Episode 20 Recap
> When Destiny Brings The Demon Recap
In Celestial Crane City, a young woman, Liao Tingyan, lives under the name Shi Yan, serving Shi Qianlv as her adoptive father. She suffers from amnesia and daily endures Shi Qianlv's relentless reminders of their family's deep-seated hatred for Sima Jiao, constantly urging her to seek revenge. Shi Qianlv emphasizes that Sima Jiao has awakened, posing an immediate threat, and that Liao Tingyan must kill him.
He recounts Sima Jiao's alleged atrocities, painting him as a ruthless tyrant who destroyed their once-powerful Shi family in the Battle of Taiwei Mountain and used false charges to secure his position as the Immortal Mansion's overlord. Shi Qianlv also reminds her that her true brother, Zhenxu, sacrificed his life to save her, and that he himself became crippled defending her.
He attempts to force Liao Tingyan to undergo painful marrow cleansing to awaken her cold constitution, claiming it's the only way to generate the Extreme Cold Ice Spikes needed to defeat Sima Jiao. He suggests that if she refuses, she might even sacrifice himself to Sima Jiao to spare her. Despite Shi Qianlv's fervor, Liao Tingyan, while acknowledging her debt to him and Zhenxu, lacks the same burning desire for vengeance.
She tells her father that she has no hatred in her heart and wants to cherish her remaining life, suggesting that since she has forgotten the painful past, they should move on. Internally, she believes she is no match for Sima Jiao and finds the idea of revenge daunting, describing Sima Jiao as a "great devil" who is "green-faced and fanged" (grotesque/fierce), whom she's too weak to fight.
To conceal her identity from Sima Jiao, Shi Qianlv makes her wear a mask that hides her aura. Liao Tingyan's current occupation is a "corpse handler," an arduous job she undertakes to earn demon stones for their sustenance. She dreams of saving two thousand demon stones to take her father and her best friend, Hongluo, to Grain Rain Vale, a peaceful place where she hopes he might find inner peace and cease his talk of revenge.
Liao Tingyan receives a new assignment at Rouge Terrace in Winter City, where a beautiful dancer named Hongluo (whose original name was Ye Ruluo) accidentally killed a man who had harassed her. Upon arrival, Liao Tingyan meets the Madam of Rouge Terrace and Hongluo herself.
Hongluo, who has a history with Liao Tingyan as her best friend, admits she killed the man because he had previously murdered her sister at Rouge Terrace and then dared to make advances on her, even attempting to cultivate with her despite his low cultivation level. After some negotiation, Liao Tingyan agrees to a fee of fifteen demon stones (down from an initial eighteen).
She deftly stages the scene by adding two other male corpses, making it appear as if the three men had fought to the death, thus cleanly absolving Hongluo of any blame. After the successful cleanup, Hongluo, sympathizing with Liao Tingyan's hard work, suggests she join Rouge Terrace as a guard, like Feng Qi, to earn a steady income.
Hongluo also reveals that when the Madam found her, her spirit sense was damaged, leaving her with no memory of her origins or parents. Meanwhile, Sima Jiao arrives in Winter City with Nianjiu, planning to quell the growing unrest and rebels in the Demon Realm. He stops at a restaurant and finds a distinctive dagger mark on a table, which he immediately recognizes as Liao Tingyan's unique "emoticon" secret code.
Overjoyed and convinced she is alive, he attempts to sense her presence but fails, realizing her aura is concealed, likely due to Shi Qianlv's protective measures. Determined to find her, Sima Jiao orders Nianjiu to take over Winter City. Nianjiu easily defeats the city lord, Niu San, who quickly pledges loyalty, acknowledging the Demon Race's admiration for strength. Niu San, initially mistaking Nianjiu for the true leader, is quickly corrected by Sima Jiao, realizing Nianjiu is merely the Grandmaster's subordinate.
Sima Jiao instructs Nianjiu to ensure no Celestial Palace disciples are harmed in Winter City and to spread the word of their rule, believing Liao Tingyan will seek refuge there. In the Demon Palace, the current Demon Lord, You Chi, is apathetic and disinterested in ruling, preferring to indulge in leisure rather than attend to state affairs or lead battles. His subordinate, Mingli, proposes using an ancient secret artifact, the Xingtian Chain, to defeat Sima Jiao.
This chain, he explains, requires the "Frost Fish"—a being with extreme-cold nature, which You Chi himself had painstakingly transformed into human form—to be refined into a froststone and embedded in it. You Chi, however, is frustrated, lamenting the immense effort he spent on the Frost Fish and expressing his desire to simply "rot in the palace" as a descendant of the You family. The Preceptor, another influential figure, observes You Chi's incompetence.
While he considers removing You Chi, he refrains, as You Chi's body is crucial as a vessel for the return of the former Demon Lord You Yan's soul. The Preceptor, prioritizing the search for Liao Tingyan, dispatches demon soldiers to search the southeast, specifically Celestial Crane City and Winter City, where faint traces of an extreme-cold constitution have been detected, wondering if they are left by the Frost Fish.
As Sima Jiao continues his search, he encounters demon soldiers abducting Celestial Palace disciples. He interrogates a soldier, learning that they are searching both Winter City and Celestial Crane City for anyone from the Celestial Palace, ordered by higher-ups to bring them to the Demon Palace. Sima Jiao realizes that any one of these individuals could be Liao Tingyan and vows to protect her from any harm.
During this time, Zhou Qing'er's daughter, Zhou Yueqing (now named Bi'an), who has been living in the Demon Realm since the Celestial Palace fell into chaos and whose mother recently passed away, seeks to find Sima Jiao (her Grandmaster) and Liao Tingyan (Sister Yan). She encounters Sima Jiao, who protects her from demon soldiers. Recognizing her Fengshan bloodline, Sima Jiao creates a protective shield around her and instructs her to seek refuge with the Winter City Lord.
Despite conquering Winter City, Sima Jiao grows impatient as there is still no news of Liao Tingyan. He plans to conquer Celestial Crane City next, as it is a major hub and transit point in the southeast where many Celestial Palace disciples might be hiding. He decides to launch a massive, highly publicized campaign to ensure Liao Tingyan hears of his presence.
He declares that if she still doesn't appear, he will depose You Chi and mobilize the entire Demon Race to search for her. Upon hearing of the Winter City Lord and Ci Zang Daojun's (Sima Jiao's) swift conquests and their reputation for establishing peace, He Sou, the City Lord of Celestial Crane City, along with his demon soldiers, pledges loyalty to the two, recognizing Sima Jiao's power and his status as a demon dragon.
