When Destiny Brings the Demon

The atmosphere on the field was tense and unpredictable, with everyone calculating and scheming in their hearts. Although Liao Tingyan thought her nap was inconsequential, it had actually drawn the attention of everyone present.

Especially Palace Master Shi Qianlv, who thought to himself: This woman appears guileless, but precisely because of that, he was certain she must be profoundly cunning. Could a woman capable of winning over Sima Jiao truly be so naive and simple? Moreover, her sudden nap seemed casual, but in reality, it allowed her to deftly avoid the subsequent challenge from the Clear Valley Heaven disciples—she had skillfully evaded his test!

This Liao Tingyan was anything but ordinary. Could a disciple like her really just be a minor figure from an insignificant branch of Clear Valley Heaven? Shi Qianlv doubted her identity. He had previously sent people to investigate but found nothing suspicious—her selection had seemed merely a stroke of luck. Now, his suspicions flared again, and he secretly sent a message to his disciple, ordering another thorough investigation.

It seemed he needed to act quickly to win her over before someone else got ahead of him. He absolutely could not allow any uncontrollable variables around Sima Jiao, the last descendant of the Fengshan Clan.

Yuan Shang of the Yuan family, who had orchestrated Liao Tingyan’s entry into Gengchen Immortal Mansion, was also present today. His status was a generation lower than Shi Qianlv’s, so his seat was slightly further back. Due to his usual low profile and reclusive nature, few paid him any attention. Witnessing Taoist Lord Cizang’s indulgence toward Liao Tingyan filled him with indescribable elation. Initially, he hadn’t believed such a woman could help him succeed, but now, even the heavens seemed to be aiding his cause.

Just the thought of finally avenging his enemies and destroying Gengchen Immortal Mansion made Yuan Shang impatient. He had to arrange a meeting with Liao Tingyan soon!

Although White Deer Cliff was under the control of the Palace Master’s faction, as the son of the Yuan family head from the main lineage of the Four Seasons Palace, he held considerable influence. While major moves were beyond him, sending a message to summon her for a meeting wasn’t impossible.

Liao Tingyan had napped through the entire afternoon, nearly giving herself a stiff neck and not sleeping well at all. The ancestor’s chilly physique made for a terrible pillow. After grumbling, she began pondering why Sima Jiao had allowed her to use his lap as a pillow. Was it for sustainable development? Let her rest during the day so he could torment her more at night?

That was downright diabolical.

Sima Jiao wasn’t in high spirits that day and left early with his entourage. Liao Tingyan was delighted—who’d want to nap in a noisy, crowded place when she could sprawl on a soft bed back home?

Just like the day before, Sima Jiao vanished upon returning to White Deer Cliff. Liao Tingyan went straight to her room, kicked off her shoes, and flopped onto the bed like an exhausted office worker just off duty.

Should she eat first and then sleep, or sleep first and then eat?

After ten minutes of deliberation, Liao Tingyan began reciting her menu to the puppet servant assigned to her care.

The puppet servant turned to fetch her meal.This time, the meal was served in the small sitting area outside the bedchamber, furnished with cloud-patterned chairs and floral arrangements, alongside floating glass lamps. Liao Tingyan leaned against the soft cushions, idly poking at the suspended glass lamps while a puppet servant brought her tea. These puppets were like silent yet highly efficient professional attendants—within just two days, Liao Tingyan was already being pampered into a spoiled, helpless noble who couldn’t even dress or feed herself.

But it felt really good.

Exquisitely plated dishes were brought out, each exuding mouthwatering aromas and rich spiritual energy—main courses, desserts, soup, and… a floral letter.

A floral letter? Liao Tingyan picked up the pink-hued stationery and glanced at the puppet servant who had delivered the meal. "What’s this?"

The puppet remained unresponsive, standing quietly with its head bowed like a wooden statue.

Liao Tingyan turned the letter over in her hands, finding the color rather odd. Such a girlish pink, adorned with floral patterns and carrying a faint, lingering fragrance—it almost seemed like a love letter. Hesitating for a moment, she set down her chopsticks and opened it.

[Tonight at midnight, beneath White Deer Cliff, by the blue ying flowers. I’ll wait for you.]

These sixteen words were all the letter contained. The more Liao Tingyan scrutinized them, the more she sensed an unmistakable air of ambiguity. Was this the original owner’s lover? Otherwise, why would they arrange a secret midnight rendezvous by some blue ying flowers? It practically screamed "romantic tryst under the moonlight!" The more she thought about it, the more cold sweat broke out on her forehead. What was she supposed to do now? She wasn’t the original owner—she couldn’t just go in her stead!

A gust of wind blew past, scattering the letter in her hand into pink petals that slipped through her fingers and fluttered to the ground.

Liao Tingyan fell silent for a moment before picking up the petals and tossing them out the window, pretending nothing had happened. She picked up her chopsticks and resumed eating. Since the letter had disintegrated into petals, she might as well treat it as nonexistent. There was no way she was going. Whatever the situation, she wasn’t getting involved.

Yuan Shang had used the puppet to deliver that secret letter and was now eagerly awaiting their nighttime meeting. Driven by hatred, he had defected to the Demon Realm, and Liao Tingyan was the gift the Demon Realm had prepared for him. Their methods of control were unparalleled—Liao Tingyan had been raised using special techniques, her loyalty to the Demon Realm absolute. Combined with the Bone-Corroding Poison, Yuan Shang was certain she would never betray him. The last time she hadn’t responded, though it had angered him, upon reflection, he realized it might have been due to the unique nature of Three Sage Mountain. Under Taoist Lord Cizang’s watchful eye, she might not have been able to slip away.

If she had truly betrayed him, he wouldn’t still be safely residing in Gengchen Immortal Mansion.

This time, however, Yuan Shang had planned meticulously. At midnight, when the moonlight was at its peak, Taoist Lord Cizang would undoubtedly be suffering the burning agony of the Fengshan Spirit Fire, submerged in the cold pool. During such times, he would never keep Liao Tingyan by his side, giving her the perfect opportunity to meet him. To ensure their secret encounter remained undetected, Yuan Shang had gone to great lengths to prepare the Heaven-Shrouding Mirror, a treasure capable of temporarily obscuring heavenly omens and preventing discovery.

As for Shi Qianlv, his spies were practically crawling all over White Deer Cliff. Without proper precautions, their meeting would be exposed immediately.

Everything was ready—all that was missing was Liao Tingyan.

Liao Tingyan… had already gone straight to bed. Whether it was that bizarre letter or the possibility of the old ancestor paying her a nighttime visit, unless it was literally forced upon her, it simply didn’t exist in her world.Over there, Yuan Shang waited all night without seeing anyone arrive. His feverish excitement finally cooled a bit as he awoke from his dream of using a beauty trap to kill Cizang Daojun and destroy Gengchen Immortal Mansion. All his elaborate schemes turned into pure rage.

"Could she really have the audacity to betray us, to betray the Demon Realm?" The gray-robed figure beside Yuan Shang spoke in a harsh tone.

Yuan Shang's expression was equally grim. He hadn't expected all his arrangements tonight to come to nothing. Now he too suspected that Liao Tingyan might have truly betrayed them.

"It seems her ambitions have grown. First she didn't respond to my summons, didn't send even the slightest message. Now she's ignoring our master's letter completely. She must be taught a lesson!" The gray-robed man spoke indignantly.

With a dark expression, Yuan Shang produced a string of bells—three in total. He shook them vigorously at first, but after prolonged ringing with no response, he snorted coldly and crushed one of the bells directly.

These bells were Liao Tingyan's symbiotic objects. The Bone-Corroding Poison in her body, though named as poison, was actually a sinister technique. The Demon Realm had few people and often smuggled many children from the mortal world to raise. These children were trained to be spies planted in various sects of the World of Cultivation, with loyalty being paramount. Thus, they were implanted with this special Demon Realm technique from childhood, using the bells as vessels. Over the years, the technique became symbiotic with them. Whoever controlled the bells controlled their lives. Removing this technique was extremely difficult.

Normally, those implanted with the Bone-Corroding Poison would never betray the Demon Realm or their masters. But this Liao Tingyan didn't even know she was a Demon Realm spy.

As the bell rang out, the sleeping Liao Tingyan was jolted awake by pain. Alone in bed, she clutched her aching stomach with utter despair.

What the hell? Can't a person even sleep in peace? Finally a night when the ancestor didn't come, and now stomach pains! She got up to use the bathroom, confirming it wasn't her period.

Probably the same as last time, she thought, recalling similar pains without menstruation when she'd stayed at Three Sage Mountain. That time the pain had been so severe she vomited blood and passed out, thinking she was dying—only to wake up and get scared by Sima Jiao's presence. She'd concluded he must have saved her, guessing her body had some underlying condition.

Now the pain was back. After sitting on the edge of the bed for a while, unable to bear it, Liao Tingyan grabbed a lantern to seek out Sima Jiao. She had extremely low pain tolerance, which explained why she was breaking her usual lazy habits to actively seek out the murderous ancestor.

White Deer Cliff was illuminated by floating glass lamps. Wrapped in an outer robe, she left her side hall for the brilliantly lit main hall, feeling like some white lotus offering herself at night.

Bent over in pain, she arrived at Sima Jiao's main hall with a miserable expression. Pushing open the heavy doors, she called softly, "Ancestor?"

"Ancestor?"

"Sssss—" The massive Black Snake coiled around a pillar slithered down.

Her face pale with pain, Liao Tingyan asked, "Where's our boss? I'm dying here, ow."The big black snake tilted its head and led her to where Sima Jiao was, but the creature was too timid to enter through the door. Liao Tingyan wasn’t particularly eager either, but the relentless pain in her stomach forced her to push the door open and peek inside.

The air inside the hall was frigid, with a layer of cold mist swirling over the floor. As soon as she opened the door, the icy air made her shiver. Two glass lanterns illuminated the dimly lit room through a curtain, revealing a pool where a shadowy black figure was submerged.

She recalled a similar scene at the Central Tower—back then, the big black snake had also ferried her in its dark carriage to Sima Jiao’s private quarters, where she had seen him soaking in a pool.

He probably didn’t enjoy sleeping in such cold water—there must be another reason. So barging in now might not be the wisest move?

Hesitating for a moment, Liao Tingyan clutched her stomach and stepped inside. Each step forward felt like treading on a landmine, unsure if the next would trigger an explosion. Heart in her throat, she reached the edge of the pool, set down the glass lantern she was holding, and crouched beside the water, peering at Sima Jiao submerged within. His eyes were closed, his face expressionless in the water, showing no reaction to her arrival.

Just as Liao Tingyan was about to call out to him, a sharp, bell-like shattering sound echoed in her mind. Suddenly, the world spun violently, and she toppled forward into the pool. The excruciating pain overwhelmed her senses almost instantly, and she vomited a mouthful of blood into the water.

It felt as though every organ in her body had been crushed. Yet despite the agony, she remained fully conscious, acutely aware of both the external world and the torment within.

The moment Liao Tingyan plunged into the water, Sima Jiao’s eyes snapped open. He reached forward, wrapping an arm around her waist as she sank, and lifted her out of the pool with him.