When Destiny Brings The Demon Episode 3 Recap
> When Destiny Brings The Demon Recap
Late at night, after being forced into unexpected overtime, Liao Tingyan managed to escape Sima Jiao’s office, having witnessed his eyes blaze with a terrifying fire. Still trembling, she ran out and was startled to encounter the Aunt-Master whom Sima Jiao had previously waved away with a mere flick of his sleeve. Liao Tingyan was shocked, exclaiming, "You came back from the dead? You’re still alive?"
The Aunt-Master, annoyed, affirmed she was indeed alive, explaining that Grandmaster had merely given her a lesson and a warning, which she would now heed by being more prudent. The Aunt-Master then pressed Liao Tingyan for information on Sima Jiao’s current state. As a self-proclaimed "laborer" who knew not to gossip about her boss, Liao Tingyan smoothly replied, "Grandmaster is doing perfectly fine."
Unable to extract any useful details, the Aunt-Master huffed and left, reminding Liao Tingyan that serving Grandmaster was a privilege. Liao Tingyan mused that perhaps Sima Jiao was just trying to scare her earlier, and that despite being a bit slow in the head, he didn’t seem like someone who would kill over trivial matters, behaving more like a schoolkid than a revered Grandmaster.
Liao Tingyan, whose only desire was to "lie flat" and live a comfortable, peaceful life, truly didn't understand the mindset of the other cultivators. Those who hadn't been chosen to serve Sima Jiao often cast hostile glances at her, as if she had gained an immense advantage. She felt misunderstood, though she did find some solace in Ye Ruling, a girl who treated her with kindness.
Liao Tingyan appreciated that in this fantasy world, she didn't have to clock in for work and could sleep soundly. One morning, as Liao Tingyan prepared to wash up, she found her basin empty. She grabbed a wooden bucket and went out to fetch water. Along the way, she encountered a group of disciples who gave her cold looks.
They whispered that she seemed favored by Grandmaster, able to freely enter and exit the Central Tower, and wondered what made her special, suggesting perhaps only those with low cultivation could approach him. One disciple confronted Liao Tingyan directly, demanding to know why she was still alive and warning her not to harbor any vile thoughts towards Sima Jiao. Ye Ruling intervened, asking if the disciple was simply worried Liao Tingyan might gain Sima Jiao's favor before her.
The disciple scoffed, dismissing Liao Tingyan as a low-grade spiritual root who appeared out of nowhere. Ye Ruling countered, questioning if high cultivation and noble birth truly made one inherently superior, to which the disciple accused Ye Ruling of feeling connected to Liao Tingyan due to her own humble origins. Liao Tingyan, initially unwilling to argue, stepped in when they insulted Ye Ruling's background. She reprimanded the disciple for resorting to personal attacks and bullying those weaker than her.
Later, Liao Tingyan offered Ye Ruling some sweet treats as a thank-you, telling her they were now friends. In her mind, Liao Tingyan was delighted to have found a good colleague. Ye Ruling, for her part, had a hidden agenda, believing that by befriending Liao Tingyan, she could eventually gain Sima Jiao's attention and access the inner hall.
Sima Jiao, still unable to fully grasp Liao Tingyan’s true thoughts, decided to create an opportunity for any hidden "rats" to reveal themselves. He ordered his subordinates to lower the barrier around the Central Tower, using the pretense of catching a Demon Realm spy. He also instructed Liao Tingyan to water a valuable magical flower daily. Liao Tingyan, indifferent to the flower's worth, simply viewed it as a task from her boss.
While working, she commented on a faint "child's crying sound" emanating from the flower. Sima Jiao explained that when the flower thrived, he felt restless and murderous, and even encouraged her to try and extinguish its flame, saying it would be a great feat if she succeeded. The flower itself, an entity known as the Fengshan Spirit Fire, could talk and complained about Liao Tingyan's constant watering, threatening to burn her.
Liao Tingyan maintained her professionalism, explaining she was just following orders. The Spirit Fire then revealed a surprising detail: Sima Jiao's nickname was not "Jiao" (delicate), as Liao Tingyan misheard, but "Jiao" (burnt), which amused her. The Spirit Fire also revealed that its suffering didn't alleviate Sima Jiao's pain, meaning Liao Tingyan's work was ineffective. Liao Tingyan realized her "work" was pointless but decided to continue out of fear of Sima Jiao, rationalizing it as siding with the "greater evil."
Feeling overworked, she later tried to negotiate for a "shuangxiu," her modern term for a two-day weekend. Sima Jiao, completely misunderstanding it as a vulgar proposition, stormed off, leaving her utterly bewildered. Sima Jiao didn’t know that "shuāngxiū" (双休, "double rest") in modern terms meant a two-day weekend off work.
Instead, he mistakenly thought the other person was brazenly inviting him to "shuāngxiū" (双修, "dual cultivation" – a term from cultivation novels referring to intimate spiritual/martial partnership, often involving physical intimacy). Sima Jiao, observing Liao Tingyan’s genuine indifference to the potent magical flower, decided to test her. He tore off two petals from the Fengshan Bloodseal Bloom, which he said was cultivated with his own blood, and asked Liao Tingyan if she wanted them.
The Spirit Fire revealed the petals' true value: each contained a thousand years of cultivation. Wary of such immense power and the tropes of dangerous treasures in novels, Liao Tingyan initially expressed hesitation, fearing she couldn't handle it. Sima Jiao then offered more petals as "wages" if she would help him, but Liao Tingyan politely refused the offer. Despite her reluctance, Sima Jiao tossed the two petals to her as a reward.
He then stopped her from leaving, declaring her work was not done and instructing her to follow him to learn a killing spell. Liao Tingyan balked at the idea, but Sima Jiao ominously told her to comply or die. Later, Liao Tingyan directly asked Sima Jiao if he liked her, given his special treatment—feeding her his blood, keeping her by his side, and personally teaching her spells. Sima Jiao scoffed, calling her laughable and stating mortal romance was beneath him.
He clarified that he only kept her because her unique constitution could temporarily alleviate the manic energy caused by the Fengshan Spirit Fire within him, essentially treating her as a "walking air conditioner." Liao Tingyan sighed in relief, convinced Sima Jiao was truly emotionless. Sima Jiao then mused that his "piece" was now in place, and after five hundred years, his grand plan was finally nearing its end.
Meanwhile, other cultivators whispered about Liao Tingyan’s ability to freely enter the Central Tower, speculating that the unbreakable barrier had been lifted and gave them an opportunity to act. Hei Nianjiu was also revealed to be secretly colluding with the Demon Realm. In a conversation with a demon named Mingli, Hei Nianjiu, frustrated, demanded the antidote for a demon poison she had been given. Mingli refused, stating that as long as Sima Jiao was alive, he couldn't.
He reminded Hei Nianjiu that he had willingly sought their alliance to boost her cultivation. Hei Nianjiu accused them of controlling her with poison from the start, but Mingli countered that he was the one who initiated the alliance and his only choice now was to make Liao Tingyan act swiftly.
Ye Ruling pondered the difficult choice of asking Liao Tingyan for help, worrying it would expose her ulterior motives, but felt compelled as her family's fate hinged on Sima Jiao's demise. One night, Liao Tingyan's inner gu poison flared up, causing her intense pain. Mr. Snake, the giant python that frequently visited her, immediately coiled her up to take her for help. Just then, Ye Ruling arrived and, mistakenly believing Mr. Snake was eating Liao Tingyan, leaped into action.
She bravely fought Mr. Snake and managed to extract its inner core, or "serpent heart." Liao Tingyan woke up to find Ye Ruling safe and marveled at her bravery. Feeling bad for Mr. Snake, who she believed was not inherently malicious, Liao Tingyan watched as Ye Ruling decided to keep the serpent heart, threatening to make the python heartless forever if it scared people again. Liao Tingyan then lamented her hard life, trapped in the Central Tower.
Ye Ruling, still playing her part, pretended to admire Liao Tingyan's supposed favor with Sima Jiao and expressed a desire to also serve him. Genuinely concerned, Liao Tingyan warned Ye Ruling against it, calling Sima Jiao "stably crazy" and not wanting to push her friend into a "fire pit." Ye Ruling was momentarily touched by Liao Tingyan’s concern. Seeking a more reliable cure for her recurring ailment, Liao Tingyan tried to improve her working conditions.
She polished Sima Jiao’s table and cleaned the floor until it sparkled. She then attempted to flatter him, asking if he could be on call to provide his blood whenever her "old ailment" acted up, suggesting a mutually beneficial arrangement. Sima Jiao simply asked what she wanted and, guessing it was about his blood again, told her it would depend on his mood before leaving. Liao Tingyan sighed, lamenting how difficult it was to please her boss.
Separately, Sima Jiao internally acknowledged that the "Demon Realm spy" (Liao Tingyan) had helped ease his Spirit Fire’s burning pain. He contemplated forcing open the seal that bound him, despite an inner voice warning him that such a reckless action could kill him. The night of the new moon, when he planned to leave the mountain, was drawing near.
