When Destiny Brings the Demon

Shi Qianlv, along with the Yuan Family Head and the Moon Palace Master, left White Deer Cliff. The Moon Palace Master, who had remained silent despite her face darkening like charcoal in front of Sima Jiao earlier, now vented all her frustration on Shi Qianlv. "Sect Leader, must you continue to tolerate his arrogance? You were never this timid before."

Shi Qianlv replied calmly, "What would you suggest instead?"

The Moon Palace Master gritted her teeth. "Even if we can't kill him, surely with so many of us, we can at least trap him—"

Shi Qianlv chuckled. "Trap him? Like we did five hundred years ago?"

The Moon Palace Master faltered, her expression turning uneasy as memories resurfaced.

Back then, unable to kill Sima Jiao, they had attempted to control him completely—only to fail. Instead, he had slaughtered countless people, grown even more powerful, and ultimately forced them to sacrifice many disciples just to confine him to Three Sage Mountain for five hundred years. The plan had been to weaken him over those centuries in a place devoid of spiritual energy, further draining him by feeding the spirit fire. Yet, far from growing feeble, he had emerged stronger than ever.

Sima Jiao was a once-in-a-millennium genius of the Fengshan Clan, his talent and comprehension unparalleled. Even in the face of death, he could escape unscathed. Shi Qianlv’s own master had once failed against him, and Shi Qianlv had long since abandoned any underestimation of the man.

Now, they could only tread carefully, maintaining a fragile balance. Everyone knew that as long as Sima Jiao didn’t cross their bottom line, they had no choice but to endure his killings—and Sima Jiao himself was well aware of this fact.

Though his actions seemed reckless and unrestrained, he operated with precise calculation, nothing like a madman. At times, Shi Qianlv even doubted whether Sima Jiao was truly insane. If he could endure such torment without breaking, that made him all the more terrifying.

"Moving against him would only cripple Gengchen Immortal Mansion. If he truly turned against us without restraint, it would only end in mutual destruction," Shi Qianlv said, his gaze heavy with meaning as he looked at the Moon Palace Master. "For now, we must endure." No one could remain arrogant forever, and this delicate balance would eventually shatter.

The Moon Palace Master, long accustomed to her lofty status and unused to humiliation, had initially struggled to swallow the insult. But after this confrontation, she ultimately chose to endure. With a flick of her sleeve, she returned to her Moon Palace—she still had her beloved daughter to console.

As for the Yuan Family Head, his visit to Sima Jiao had little to do with his son. Sima Jiao had been right: he had many sons, and though he had once favored Yuan Shang, his concern had waned over the years as Yuan Shang’s cultivation stagnated. His true purpose for coming lay elsewhere, and now that he had his answers, he said little else. After exchanging a nod with Shi Qianlv, he returned to his Yuan estate.

Upon arriving, he immediately summoned his most trusted subordinates and ordered, "Detain everyone who served Yuan Shang for interrogation. Find out exactly what he’s been up to."

No fool, he acted swiftly—and soon uncovered Yuan Shang’s dealings. The revelation that his son had ties to the Demon Realm left the Yuan Family Head aghast.

"That Liao Tingyan was actually a spy from the Demon Realm planted by him? How audacious!" the Yuan Family Head fumed. He could guess that his once-promising son, plagued by inner demons after his injury and subsequent decline in cultivation, must have resorted to such desperate measures.Fortunately, he was dead, and that spy from the Demon Realm was also dead. Otherwise, any commotion would have affected the Yuan family as well.

After Shi Qianlv returned, the first thing he did was head to the Lantern Pavilion. The disciple guarding the lanterns looked grim and hurriedly reported upon seeing him, "Ancestor, I was just about to inform you—that disciple's life lantern has suddenly extinguished for some reason, and their soul cannot be summoned."

Shi Qianlv had come specifically to check Liao Tingyan's life lantern. Now that it had gone out, it seemed she was truly dead. Confirming this, he felt a pang of regret—another valuable tool had been lost.

"Forget it. No need to keep watch anymore."

The news that Liao Tingyan, once infatuated with by Taoist Lord Cizang, had been killed by him within just a few days spread quickly, sparking another wave of rumors.

It was said that Liao Tingyan had died a gruesome death, with not even her bones remaining. Yet, the supposedly deceased Liao Tingyan had just woken up from a nap.

She had been admiring the moon on the balcony of the flying pavilion when she dozed off. Upon waking, she was greeted by a dazzling expanse of sunlight.

She rolled over and saw Sima Jiao sitting beside her. A very large Sima Jiao.

Ancestor, why does he look so huge? His outstretched hand was enormous too, like that of a giant.

Liao Tingyan had a bad feeling. She watched helplessly as Sima Jiao's hand reached her belly. She had shrunk in size, was now naked, and her furry belly rose and fell, looking irresistibly soft. Then she noticed her paws and... a tail!

Liao Tingyan: "Ah—"

What came out was a weak, whimpering sound.

She scrambled up from the couch, clutching her face with her gray furry paws. "Ah—"

Sima Jiao: "Hahahahahaha!" He laughed so hard he collapsed onto her pillow.

Liao Tingyan realized she could still use some of her abilities. For instance, she could still see the little red flower in her mind and the inner space where the items she had moved from the brocade pouch remained. She dug out a mirror, now larger than her entire body, and propped it up on the pillow.

Reflected in the mirror was a sleek, gray-furred otter—the kind often called a "whimpering creature" for its soft, cooing cries that sounded like acting spoiled.

The otter sat dumbfounded before the mirror, examining her paws, patting her belly, and tugging at her tail in a series of bewildered motions.

Did I just turn into an otter?! Liao Tingyan whipped her head around to glare at Sima Jiao, then charged at him with a headbutt. "Why did you turn me into this?! Change me back!" My ample chest! Long legs! Gorgeous face!

Sima Jiao blocked her head with his hand, amusement in his voice. "I didn’t turn you into this. You did it yourself."

Liao Tingyan swiped at him with a paw. "Stop talking nonsense, you big liar!"

Though her voice was a series of whimpers, Sima Jiao seemed to understand her. He said, "I gave you a Shapeshifting Pill, so you transformed into the image that left the deepest impression on your mind."

Liao Tingyan recalled her dream from the night before. She had been scrolling through Weibo, admiring cats and panda cubs as fluffy as sticky rice balls, then watched a video of otters. Their glossy, sleek fur looked so touchable, and in her dream, she had desperately wanted to pet one... Damn it, why?! Now she couldn’t even enjoy her own soft fur—instead, Sima Jiao got to reap the benefits!Twitter has ruined me! If only I had spent more time thinking about my male idols and online husbands—turning into any one of them would have been a win. Who wouldn’t want to become a handsome man? But now, I’ve ended up as an otter!

She angrily let out a whimper and pushed Sima Jiao’s hand away as it reached for her belly.

You turned me into this and still want to pet the otter? Get lost!

Sima Jiao burst into laughter, doubling over with unrestrained glee.

Liao Tingyan: Did I just hit your funny bone or something? Why are you laughing like this?

She lifted her two front paws, propped herself on Sima Jiao’s leg, and shouted at him, “Turn me back!”

Sima Jiao sprawled lazily on the couch—the very spot she should have been enjoying—in the same dead-fish posture as hers and drawled, “Shape-shifting pill. You’ll stay like this for three months.”

Giving her that thing for no reason, forcing her to be an otter for three months—this big jerk was clearly a devilish one, the extra-spicy kind. Liao Tingyan sat there fuming for a while until she exhausted herself, then flopped down to rest.

Just as she closed her eyes, she felt a couple of pats on her belly. She pushed away the furry hand and rolled over, but soon those cold fingers started stroking her back.

Actually… it was quite nice. Soothing enough to lull her to sleep. Fine, she’d just treat it as a massage.

Liao Tingyan soon realized that life as an otter wasn’t much different from before—still a vacation of eating and sleeping. Since only her appearance had changed, she could still use her skills, like flying. Floating in the air as an otter was even more convenient than doing so as a human because she didn’t have to worry about her image. She could even lie on her back while soaking in the bath, indulging in laziness more openly and shamelessly.

No wonder so many modern office workers wanted to be cats. Honestly, being an otter for a while wasn’t so bad after all.

The only problem was that Sima Jiao seemed to enjoy petting the otter a little too much. He used to disappear often, but now he’d drop by frequently just to give her a few strokes. When he went to soak in the pool, he’d drag her along, forcing her to lie on his belly in the icy water.

Liao Tingyan hated cold baths, so once Sima Jiao stopped reacting, she’d fly ashore and nap on the couch. While she was sleeping, the big Black Snake slithered into the hall.

This brother of a snake had been somewhat neglected lately, with Sima Jiao paying it little attention. Left to its own devices at White Deer Cliff, it lived quite comfortably—well-fed, lazily coiling around pillars every day, or wandering the mountains to catch little critters to play with.

Its brain wasn’t the sharpest, so it didn’t recognize Liao Tingyan in her otter form. Seeing her sprawled on its master’s territory, it went over to play. And by “play,” it meant clamping her in its jaws.

The Black Snake didn’t actually eat small animals—it just liked scaring them, probably a bad habit picked up from its master. Liao Tingyan had been sleeping soundly when suddenly she found herself in the snake’s mouth…

Just as she was figuring out how to escape, the Black Snake’s jaws were pried open by the waterlogged ancestor who had climbed out of the pool. Sima Jiao plucked the otter out and smacked the snake’s head. “How can you be this stupid? Get lost.”

The Black Snake hadn’t recognized her earlier, but now it sensed the familiar aura. It didn’t understand why its little companion had changed forms, but after getting smacked, it didn’t dare play anymore. Hissing in grievance, it slithered away.Liao Tingyan had just been suddenly swallowed by the giant snake and had been thinking about beating it up. But now, watching the pitiful snake crawl away, she felt it was all Sima Jiao's fault. If he hadn't randomly fed her things, would Big Black have acted this way? Big Black was just a simple-minded child! Why hit him?

Sima Jiao and Liao Tingyan locked eyes for a moment before he suddenly grabbed her with a dark expression, dragging her to the doorway. He yanked the crawling snake back, pried open its massive jaws, and stuffed the otter back inside.

Black Snake: "...?"

Liao Tingyan: "...!"

Throwing a tantrum all of a sudden—are you a spoiled brat?!

Liao Tingyan climbed out of the snake's mouth, washed her fur, then lay down on the scales atop the snake's head, letting it take her for a ride.