When Destiny Brings The Demon Episode 30 Recap
> When Destiny Brings The Demon Recap
Liao Tingyan’s eyes reddened the moment she saw Sima Jiao, a living presence before her after nineteen years of seeing him only in dreams. Sima Jiao felt a strange familiarity with the girl, having seen her numerous times in his dreams, and was deeply moved by her tearful gaze, as if she was cherishing a rare treasure. He wondered why she had entered his dreams and captured his heart, and noted her appearance was truly strange.
Sima Jiao, testing her, asked for her name and deliberately mentioned his reputation as a ruthless killer. Liao Tingyan, however, simply smiled, unconcerned by his dark words. She showed her deep familiarity by recalling his past cruelties, such as wiping out clans or destroying immortal abodes, and found his current youthful self "cute." She expressed her joy at finally reuniting with him in this lifetime.
As she approached, not wanting him to say irrelevant things, she calmly touched an acupuncture point on his body, causing him to lean against her shoulder. She wished for time to stand still, allowing their moment to last longer. That night, Liao Tingyan stayed by Sima Jiao’s side. She observed that he indeed possessed no trace of his divine power, though his complexion had improved, losing its former pallor and gaining a human vitality, returning him to a robust youth.
She also noted his body was fine. The next morning, Sima Jiao received a report from his palace staff: the girl who rescued Wei Xianyu the previous day was none other than Liao Tingyan. Unable to uncover her true background, Sima Jiao explicitly concluded that she was "definitely not mortal." He suspected she might be a spy sent by the Marquis of Nanyan, considering her presence in his dreams a potential conspiracy if she were an enemy.
Believing it safer to confront open threats than hidden dangers, he decided to bring Liao Tingyan back to the palace to observe the Marquis’s next moves, pretending to go along with her intentions. They shared a carriage ride back to the capital, Yan City. Liao Tingyan seemed in high spirits, commenting on how delicious mortal food was. Sima Jiao was puzzled by her talk of the "mortal realm," openly wondering if she was claiming to be non-human.
Liao Tingyan, unfazed, suggested he could think of her as a fairy, adding that she knew he would be suspicious of her motives, especially without his Truth Spell. She then teasingly asked how she might "entice" him. Sima Jiao, intrigued yet cautious, declared, "From now on, you shall be my Lady Yan," a move he believed would allow him to gradually understand her intentions.
Liao Tingyan, in her thoughts, found his youthful charm endearing, remarking that she wouldn't even be angry at his absurd words given his tender face. During their journey, Liao Tingyan noticed Sima Jiao experiencing a headache. Revealing her master was a healer, she immediately offered to massage his head, a gesture he initially resisted, citing his imperial physicians' inability to cure him.
As she massaged him, Sima Jiao internally wrestled with his fast-beating heart, questioning if he was falling for her or if it was her enchantment. Liao Tingyan, aware of his discomfort, soothed him and offered him a pill from Serene Vale, which she considered an ordinary medicine in the immortal realm but more than sufficient for a mortal.
He wondered if she was attempting to poison him, to which she humorously called him a "silly boy" for his lack of appreciation. She also noticed that his soul was still damaged from years past and hadn't fully merged with his current body, causing his frequent headaches. The journey was suddenly interrupted by an ambush of assassins. Sima Jiao had deliberately chosen the forest path to lure them out, stating "They really came!"
He swiftly engaged them, displaying his formidable martial arts. Liao Tingyan, whose powers were suppressed in the mortal realm, observed his prowess, noting that without her spells, she might not be able to defeat him. She realized he had been feigning weakness all along, admiring him as her valiant husband.
From afar, the Demon Lord, who was observing the events, remarked on Sima Jiao's reincarnation as the Hu Kingdom's emperor, believing he intended to thwart his plans of opening the Nine Nether Purgatory and releasing his demonic soldiers. As one assassin lunged at Sima Jiao from behind, Liao Tingyan instinctively shielded him, taking the blade directly to her chest, which bled profusely.
Sima Jiao’s guards quickly subdued all the attackers, capturing Wei Xianyu among them, and took them back to the capital, Yan City. The Demon Lord, noting Liao Tingyan's quick actions, found her protection of Sima Jiao had made his problem "tricky." Liao Tingyan’s selfless act deeply moved Sima Jiao, convincing him that she was not a spy of the Marquis of Nanyan. He immediately summoned imperial physicians for her.
Liao Tingyan remained composed, knowing her extraordinary constitution meant such a wound was not truly life-threatening. The imperial physician, after examining her, also noted her unusual resilience and the astonishingly quick cessation of her bleeding, a fact Sima Jiao pointed out, recalling the profuse bleeding he had witnessed. Liao Tingyan downplayed the injury, calling it merely a scratch, to avoid raising more suspicion about her non-mortal nature.
After their return to the palace, Minister of Justice Chen Tang reported to Sima Jiao the findings of the investigation into Liao Tingyan. The assassins claimed no knowledge of her, and she had no recorded presence in Liyang County or any other region, seemingly appearing out of nowhere, leading Chen Tang to conclude that her rescue of Wei Xianyu was likely coincidental.
Sima Jiao acknowledged her non-mortal nature, but despite the minister's implicit advice against keeping such a mysterious person close, Sima Jiao showed a special fondness for Liao Tingyan and remained perplexed by her presence and true intentions. Meanwhile, the Demon Lord, frustrated by Sima Jiao's existence which hindered his cultivation and required him to use others' blood, sought an alliance with the Marquis of Nanyan. The Demon Lord, appearing before the Marquis, offered to help him seize the empire.
He revealed that Mount Hu, once called Mount Feng thousands of years ago, held something he desired, accessible by an imperial seal after the Emperor's worship ritual. He explained that both Sima Jiao and the Marquis possessed the True Dragon Aura, the divine right to the throne, but deemed Sima Jiao incompetent and useless. The Demon Lord proposed to help the Marquis eliminate Sima Jiao and ascend to power.
The Marquis, cautious, worried about public criticism if Sima Jiao died prematurely before the mountain worship ritual, prompting the Demon Lord to agree to act according to mortal methods but warning that relying solely on such tactics would lead to defeat. The Demon Lord also informed the Marquis that Liao Tingyan, whom Sima Jiao brought back from Liyang, was a powerful demoness who could jeopardize their plans.
The Marquis, concerned for his daughter, Noble Consort Si Xian, agreed that eliminating Liao Tingyan was paramount, seeing an opportunity in the upcoming palace banquet. At the grand palace banquet, Sima Jiao instructed his subjects to enjoy themselves, setting aside state affairs. He publicly reprimanded his Minister of the Ministry of Personnel for allowing "outsiders" into Chengming Hall, a thinly veiled reference to the Marquis of Nanyan and his daughter, Noble Consort Si Xian, who were conspicuously absent, claiming illness.
The Empress Dowager arrived, chiding Sima Jiao for his childish displays. She took an immediate interest in Liao Tingyan, noticing her graceful demeanor and finding her strikingly similar to a goddess from her hometown temple, commenting that it was no wonder Sima Jiao liked her. Liao Tingyan explained her humble origins in Shu, her journey to Liyang after her mother’s death from melancholy during a great drought, and how she made a living by raising silkworms with her neighbor's sister.
The Empress Dowager, touched by her story, assured her of a life free from hardship within the palace. Later, a consort, Beauty Tong, attempted to poison Sima Jiao's wine. Liao Tingyan subtly used her abilities to neutralize the poison, transforming it into fine liquor, playfully thinking how lucky Sima Jiao was to have her. Suddenly, Sima Jiao sensed a surge of "demonic energy" and identified it as "You Yan," ordering her immediate arrest as the banquet descended into chaos.
After the commotion, the Empress Dowager brought Sima Jiao his favorite Poria chicken soup, prepared by her own hands, after having observed that he barely ate during the banquet. She commented on Liao Tingyan's cheerful disposition and great appetite, noting her profound wisdom.
She then broached the topic of Sima Jiao's marriage, wondering why he, who usually rejected women, had actively brought Liao Tingyan into the palace and suggested he make her Empress, especially before the ancestral mountain worship ritual required an Empress to be established. Sima Jiao denied fancying her, but his mother saw through him.
He confessed his initial suspicion of Liao Tingyan being a spy, which was dispelled by her repeated sacrifices, yet an unsolved mystery remained: she had appeared in his dreams since childhood. The Empress Dowager took this as a sign of fate, but Sima Jiao, who never believed in fate, remained wary.
That night, Sima Jiao was plagued by a disturbing dream, reliving a past where he was forced to kill, resisting fiercely but urged by voices to act, lest more lives be lost. He woke up, still haunted by the dream and by Liao Tingyan's image within it. He confronted Liao Tingyan, asking about her wound again and why it hadn't healed as quickly as before. She replied, "Fairies aren't omnipotent, you know?"
Sima Jiao, perplexed, then pressed her, "In tales of the supernatural, fairies always love all living beings. But you're only devoted to me, focused on one person. Who exactly are you? What are your intentions?"
