When Destiny Brings The Demon Episode 31 Recap
> When Destiny Brings The Demon Recap
In the evening, Sima Jiao sought out Liao Tingyan. Observing her shoulder wound healing at an astonishing pace, he directly questioned her. If she truly were a celestial fairy, he wondered, why would she reserve her kindness solely for him? He asked if she was an agent sent by his enemies. Liao Tingyan, realizing Sima Jiao had forgotten their past, replied that many years ago, they were a pair of demon lovers.
Due to certain circumstances, misunderstandings had arisen between them, but given time, Sima Jiao would surely remember her once more. Sima Jiao found her answer deeply satisfying. Though he maintained a composed exterior, his mother had once hinted that Liao Tingyan might be his destined match, and now it seemed to be true. Meanwhile, the Marquis of Nanyan, having learned of Wei Xianyu's capture by the emperor, feared that the investigation would lead back to him.
He covertly sent a message to the Centipede, who then attacked Wei Xianyu in prison that very night, leading the Marquis to believe Wei Xianyu had been eliminated. Upon hearing this, the Marquis was pleased, finally recognizing the Centipede's power and trusting her even more. The Centipede also revealed she had planted a trace of her aura within Liao Tingyan's demon core.
This aura, she explained, would gradually activate and, when fed by the grievances of the mortal realm, would cause the demon core to swell and become uncontrollable, ultimately compelling Liao Tingyan to kill Sima Jiao for them. Sima Jiao's attendant reported that Liao Tingyan's wound was healing rapidly, and she was using her own secret remedies, which Sima Jiao allowed.
Later, a trusted minister, Jiang Cha, apologized for failing to uncover the Marquis of Nanyan's plot at a recent banquet, which had endangered Sima Jiao. Sima Jiao, however, reassured him, affirming that saving his parents, the emperor's subjects, was no special favor, and the minister had performed well by not raising the Marquis's suspicions. However, Liao Tingyan, aware of the Marquis's intent to eliminate Wei Xianyu, had secretly intervened.
She enlisted Nianjiu to impersonate Wei Xianyu, staging an attack in the prison. The real Wei Xianyu, having been rescued and witnessing the Marquis's clear intent to eliminate him, revealed all the Marquis's past transgressions against Sima Jiao. Liao Tingyan diligently recorded Wei Xianyu's confession and presented it to the emperor. Around this time, a minister reported that Wei Xianyu had mysteriously vanished from prison, as if into thin air.
Sima Jiao immediately ordered that Wei Xianyu be declared dead in prison, hinting that his disappearance was by design, likely to protect him given the new confession. Sima Jiao, seeing this firsthand account, was astonished and recognized Liao Tingyan's sincere desire to help him. Suspecting Liao Tingyan knew Wei Xianyu's true whereabouts, he went to her chambers but found them empty. He instructed his maid, Liangchen, not to reveal Liao Tingyan's absence to anyone.
Liao Tingyan, determined to eliminate all threats to Sima Jiao, took Hongluo on a tour of Hu Kingdom's defenses. They discovered a peculiar mansion that, despite being in the mortal realm, was protected by a spiritual barrier. This suggested it was the very place the Centipede clan had targeted. Soon, Sima Jiao was scheduled to hold an Ancestral Ceremony there, which Liao Tingyan believed was the crucial event the Centipede sought to exploit.
She tasked Hongluo with finding all relevant information to uncover the Centipede's plan before the ceremony. Hongluo and Chi Anhe had already learned from the Pavilion of Destiny that the "worship ritual" was what You Yan coveted most from the Hu Kingdom emperor. Liao Tingyan tried to break the barrier with Spirit Fire but failed, reinforcing her belief that Sima Jiao was hiding critical information and rushed to prevent something.
She decided to focus on helping Sima Jiao secure his throne and use the Marquis of Nanyan as a lead to expose the Centipede. Sima Jiao spent the entire night in Liao Tingyan's room, unsure of her whereabouts. After morning court, still concerned, he returned to Ziquan Palace. There, he encountered Noble Consort Si Xian, daughter of the Marquis of Nanyan, who, with her usual arrogance, slapped one of Liao Tingyan's maids.
Sima Jiao immediately intervened, admonishing Noble Consort Si Xian. Just then, Liao Tingyan arrived. Upon seeing her, Sima Jiao deliberately took Noble Consort Si Xian's hand and feigned affection to provoke Liao Tingyan. Liao Tingyan later presented Sima Jiao with a special tea for his headache, teasing him about his dual roles of combating the Marquis in court and appeasing his daughter in the harem. Sima Jiao, in turn, pressed her about her overnight absence.
After some playful deflection, Liao Tingyan confessed that all her actions were for him alone, not for anyone else. Sima Jiao, in a moment of tender honesty, apologized for using Noble Consort Si Xian to make her jealous. He explained that while the women in his harem represented various scheming factions, he had never touched any of them. Liao Tingyan was different; she was the one who asked nothing of him, and the one who visited him in his dreams.
He then cancelled his dinner plans with Noble Consort Si Xian, considering it his "reply" to the Marquis of Nanyan. The Hu Kingdom's former king had recently passed, and the northwest region was plagued by constant floods. To further destabilize the political situation, the Marquis of Nanyan, during court, raised the matter of constructing a new canal. Loyal ministers vehemently opposed the proposal, but the Marquis's allies were numerous, making debate futile.
Liao Tingyan, understanding the Marquis's true intentions, decided to turn the proposal to their advantage. In court, Sima Jiao, seeing the futility of debate, publicly agreed to the canal's construction. Knowing the canal's construction by ordinary means would demand immense resources and labor, Liao Tingyan immediately summoned Hongluo and Chi Anhe, instructing them to complete the canal overnight.
The next morning, Sima Jiao received reports from his subordinates: the canal was entirely finished in a single night, as if built by celestial beings. Sima Jiao recalled Liao Tingyan's earlier claim of being a fairy and her promise to "pluck stars" for him, realizing she had indeed "plucked a star for him" by completing the monumental task overnight. In court, Sima Jiao seized the opportunity of this recent "blessing" to propose making Liao Tingyan his empress.
The Marquis of Nanyan initially attempted to object, but with so many ministers now revering Sima Jiao, he reluctantly retreated. With his daughter out of favor in the palace and Sima Jiao growing increasingly wary of him, the Marquis grew restless. He promptly summoned the Centipede to devise a new strategy. The Centipede, requiring a continuous supply of blood to sustain her power, demanded one hundred young boys and girls from the Marquis.
She claimed these children could be used to conjure a devastating drought. Skeptical, the Marquis hesitated. The Centipede then decided to use Liao Tingyan as a weapon, a scheme of borrowed power. Early the next morning, dead birds were discovered littering Liao Tingyan's courtyard, and one of her maids was found brutally murdered. Awakened to find her hands covered in fresh blood, Liao Tingyan gasped in horror, wondering if the demonic energy within her had caused her to kill. The Centipede, having sensed the Marquis's wavering resolve, had taken matters into her own hands to force his compliance.
