When Destiny Brings the Demon

"I think you can somehow read my mind," Liao Tingyan stared at Sima Jiao, her mood rather heavy.

They had returned to their room, and Liao Tingyan assumed a posture suggesting a heart-to-heart talk. She suspected Sima Jiao truly possessed Mind Reading, but without proof, she decided to gather some evidence.

Sima Jiao: "Yeah." Shamelessly, he admitted outright.

Liao Tingyan, who had expected to expend more effort to get an answer, froze her expression into one of utter devastation: "Ancestor, you lied to me! You lied to me again! Didn’t you promise you couldn’t read minds?!"

Seeing her like this, Sima Jiao actually burst out laughing. Propping one foot on a nearby stool, he leaned back. "I really don’t have Mind Reading." He had simply been sensitive to others' true emotions since childhood—and knew the Oath of Truth.

"Lately, when you get emotional, I occasionally hear what you’re thinking," Sima Jiao said. "Only you."

What kind of tragic reality was this? Only me? Liao Tingyan nearly cried. Just an ordinary slacker like me—what did I do to deserve this?!

Then, a flash of insight struck her—this was likely a side effect of their Soul Communion. Surely, it was because of that intimate contact that Sima Jiao’s ability had mutated when it came to her!

Liao Tingyan: ...I’m suffocating!

When it came down to it, this was all because she was too young and hadn’t studied properly. If only she had attended school in this fantasy world earlier and taken a health class, she wouldn’t have carelessly gotten involved with someone, leading to such a headache-inducing historical issue.

Sleep, sleep, sleep! Can you just casually sleep with a big shot like that?! There’s a price to pay!

Liao Tingyan felt like she had accidentally created a life, full of bitterness and clueless about what to do, while the culprit responsible for her predicament was still giggling away, as if her panicked state was especially amusing.

Liao Tingyan: Why the hell am I not a Magical girl?! If I were a Magical girl, would I be in this sorry state?!.jpg

She couldn’t help but imagine herself beating Sima Jiao to a pulp in her mind, cursing this wretched old man for being so evil.

Sima Jiao lifted his eyelids, his overly youthful face carrying a hint of warning: "I can hear you."

Liao Tingyan immediately began reciting the multiplication table in her head, using math to overwrite the violent imagery.

Sima Jiao drawled, "What are you afraid of? It’s not like I’m listening to your thoughts all the time. And it’s not like I haven’t seen filth and darkness before. Do you really think about anything besides eating and sleeping that you’d be scared for me to know?"

Liao Tingyan felt Sima Jiao’s understanding of her wasn’t comprehensive enough. For example, when he mentioned "filth," her mind involuntarily recalled all the adult films she had watched in her past life.

She had lived in an era of information explosion. Back in her youth, before the internet crackdown on adult content, resources were everywhere. Out of curiosity, she had seen plenty of bizarre stuff. From A to V, or G to V—she had witnessed all kinds of productions.

The human mind was like that—the more you tried not to think about something, the harder it was to resist. And thoughts were truly difficult to control, prone to wandering off when you least expected it.Sima Jiao looked at her with an increasingly strange expression, until finally he gave a half-smile and rubbed his temples. "I've truly never seen anything like this before."

Liao Tingyan quickly censored the thoughts in her mind and threw them into the mental trash bin, only to hear Sima Jiao say, "As expected of someone taught by the Demon Realm. You've broadened my horizons—consider me enlightened."

Liao Tingyan: The Demon Realm's reputation is taking a hit because of me. I've let the Demon Realm down.

She bristled for about ten minutes before deflating again. Whatever, it wasn't a big deal. As long as she maintained a calm mindset and didn't get agitated, this ancestor wouldn't hear her mentally cursing him as an idiot. Starting today, she would be a serene and composed person.

Come to think of it, she had cursed him as an idiot quite a few times before—had he heard all of them?! Liao Tingyan lost control again and got worked up.

Sima Jiao: "I heard them."

Liao Tingyan let out a miserable wail. "Please, Ancestor, stop telepathically conversing with my brain."

Then, Liao Tingyan suddenly realized another issue. She had cursed Sima Jiao so much, yet he hadn't reacted or gotten angry enough to slap her to death. Could it be... true love?!

Sima Jiao didn't react, as if he hadn't heard.

She'd just pretend he hadn't heard.

Liao Tingyan poured herself a large cup of sweet, fragrant beverage and downed it in one gulp to steady her nerves. At that moment, Sima Jiao seemed to suddenly remember something and tossed her an enormous, dictionary-thick tome.

Liao Tingyan: "What's this?" She hugged the stone-like, heavy book.

Sima Jiao said casually, "I went to take care of some business earlier and saw this book, so I brought it back."

The cover was covered in incomprehensible scribbles. When Liao Tingyan opened it, a beam of light gently brushed against her spiritual sense, and she immediately understood what kind of book this was. It was an Arcane Tome, containing Spells of the Heaven, Earth, Black, and Yellow tiers, as well as special Spells for the five elemental Spirit Roots and twelve variant Spirit Roots—105,000 entries in total.

Nearly every notable Spell in the entire cultivation world was recorded within. A Spirit Book like this was of immeasurable value. Possessing just this one book could serve as the foundational treasure of a mid-sized sect. Even in a prestigious place like the Gengchen Immortal Mansion, it would be considered a rare and invaluable treasure—the kind of thing that would be stored in a heavily guarded vault, something ordinary disciples would never see in their lifetimes, something even elders couldn't possess but could only worship from afar.

So... the Ancestor just casually brought this back? What kind of shady business had he been up to?

"Are we going to have people searching everywhere for lost property tomorrow, only to trace it back to us?" Liao Tingyan hugged the book, stiffening as she looked at Sima Jiao. "Like, full lockdowns and wanted posters for thieves."

Sima Jiao: "...Have I not killed enough of their people already? That doesn't scare you, but taking a book does?"

Huh, that actually made sense. Liao Tingyan was convinced.

Spirit Books were different from ordinary books in that they came with built-in teaching functions. By selecting a Spell within the book using spiritual sense, one could immerse themselves in learning it. Essentially, it was an intelligent learning database—though how much one could master still depended on their own comprehension.

Liao Tingyan: This heavy study load is burning my hands.

"I love studying. From now on, I'll memorize fifty words a day—no, I mean, learn fifteen Spells a day," Liao Tingyan said in a monotone.

Sima Jiao: "No, you don't." Even though you're mentally wailing about not wanting to study. Liao Tingyan: "Since you already know, why did you give me such an outrageously thick workbook!" Throws it down.

Sima Jiao's head throbbed from her loud complaints, his face darkening: "Keep making noise, and we'll have Soul Communion."

Liao Tingyan could switch between soft and hard tactics effortlessly. She immediately flopped down, chanting "Amitabha," and stuck a leaf of Clear Heart Spirit Grass on her forehead. Under immense pressure, she fell asleep in just three minutes, making Sima Jiao suspect the grass had sleep-inducing properties. He peeled it off to check.

The grass had no such effect—it was Liao Tingyan herself who was soporific. She exuded an aura of "live fish worry, dead fish rejoice." Sima Jiao was successfully hypnotized, burying his face in the crook of her neck and closing his eyes to rest.

At some point, he'd begun to feel drowsy naturally by her side, falling asleep as easily as if... he were just an ordinary person.

......

Liao Tingyan noticed something was off.

The looks her classmates gave her were strangely disdainful, voyeuristic, and scornful. She glanced down at her dress but found nothing amiss. Judging by their expressions, one would think she'd gone out wearing only sleep pants without a skirt.

At first, she thought it was because she'd shown off too much at the flower banquet and was being ostracized. But a few days later, the Mu family sent envoys—Yong Lingchun and Yong Shiqiu's grandfather had dispatched people to drag them back to the Mu family for punishment.

Liao Tingyan: What the hell?

The grandfather berated them for bringing shame and tarnishing the Mu family's reputation. Sitting on a stool to the side, Liao Tingyan listened as the old man ranted at their illusions for half an hour before finally understanding the reason for this unwarranted disaster.

Recently, rumors about the incestuous relationship between the twin siblings Yong Lingchun and Yong Shiqiu had spread widely in Chen Academy, becoming an open secret. There were even whispers that they'd shamelessly engaged in that act in the Brocade Hall during the freshman flower banquet night.

What act? That act?

Liao Tingyan slapped her forehead: Oh god, I almost forgot about this sibling setup.

Sima Jiao: "Hahahahaha."

Liao Tingyan: "Ancestor! Your reaction really shouldn't be laughter in this situation!"

But Sima Jiao couldn't stop laughing. Even on the Cloud Carriage back to the academy, he was still chuckling.

Liao Tingyan wondered, Is it really that funny?

Sima Jiao's laughter shifted into a sinister sneer as he resumed fiddling with his death lottery balls. Shaking them idly, he remarked, "I heard my parents were siblings too. Back then, to obtain the Sima clan's pure bloodline, people brainwashed them daily, urging them to bear a child... I thought these people didn’t care about such things. But today, it seems they do know shame—what can and can’t be done."

"Did you see how gleefully that old man scolded us?" Sima Jiao directly plucked a ball inscribed with "Mu" from the pile, marking his next target.

Liao Tingyan guessed he was targeting the main families within Gengchen Immortal Mansion's inner circle, but she didn’t know the specifics. There hadn’t been any news of major upheavals, after all.

Sima Jiao crushed the "Mu" ball. Flecks of spiritual power scattered inside the Cloud Carriage, sprinkling like gold dust over Liao Tingyan's lavender skirt.Seeing him like this, Liao Tingyan knew he would be going out again tonight to stir up trouble, which meant she could sleep alone once more. Not that sleeping together was bad, but Sima Jiao had this habit of nuzzling his head against her neck, his hair tickling her unbearably.

Sleeping alone was just happier.

As expected, Sima Jiao said, "I'll be leaving tonight."

Liao Tingyan: "Oh, then have a safe trip. Be careful."

A moment later, she felt like a wife seeing her husband off, and the sheer absurdity of the thought made her scalp tingle.

Sima Jiao smirked, leaning in to stare into her eyes. "Do you want anything?"

Liao Tingyan: "Want anything?" She didn’t understand what the Ancestor was suddenly getting at.

Sima Jiao: "I’m going out. If you want something, I’ll bring it back for you."

This was getting even more ridiculous! What was this, a husband bringing gifts back from a business trip? But you’re literally going out to kill and burn—why are you talking like it’s some corporate outing? And bringing gifts? Hello? Are you planning to bring back an enemy’s head or something?

Liao Tingyan: "Ah, anything’s fine. I’m not picky."

"Then wait for me to return." Sima Jiao stroked her cheek, displaying a trace of tenderness she had never seen before. It nearly scared her to death on the spot. Ancestor! What’s wrong with you, Ancestor?!

Liao Tingyan spent her days attending classes, flipping through that Spirit Book of Spells, learning minor skills, and living her life within the circle of ostracism from her classmates. After mastering a small-scale Illusion, those with lower cultivation couldn’t see her napping during lectures. And whenever she picked up a new minor spell, she’d test it out on the gossipy classmates.

Unable to find the culprit behind the pranks, the classmates erupted into several small-scale brawls. Liao Tingyan’s reaction? "Fight harder! Another round!"

Two days later, Sima Jiao returned as promised. He came back in the dead of night, damp with evening dew, sitting by the bed and shaking Liao Tingyan awake.

Bleary-eyed, she mumbled, "You’re back."

Seeing her about to drift back to sleep, Sima Jiao tugged open her collar and slipped something icy into her embrace. The cold shock jolted her fully awake, and she fished the object out from her clothes.

"What is this?"

"Found it in... hmm, can’t remember which treasury." Sima Jiao leaned against her pillow and said, "Thought it was nice, so I brought it back for you to play with."

Author's Note: Yan Yan: My Ancestor can’t possibly be this tender!