When Destiny Brings the Demon

Liao Tingyan asked, "May I ask, what were you thinking?"

Sima Jiao replied, "The pain of disaster shouldn't be borne by just one. Since they're so close, of course they should share it together."

Liao Tingyan, who had thought he would let the cow demoness go, was speechless. The ancestor before her wore an utterly natural expression—clearly, this was genuinely how he thought, and he saw nothing wrong with it.

Big boss, are you a sociopath?

Not long after, Liao Tingyan noticed that the captured cow demon couple not only harbored no resentment toward Sima Jiao but were actually extremely deferential. They constantly sought to curry favor with this unfathomable big boss, desperately hoping to become his underlings. To this end, they voluntarily took on the role of jailers, herding the two little pheasants. Even Little Black Snake was promoted, becoming the cow demon couple's big brother.

Little Black Snake wasn't the brightest, but its keen perception of people was inherited from Sima Jiao, while its attitude toward life mirrored Liao Tingyan's—with an added layer of naive, childish simplicity, best described as single-minded. Sima Jiao wasn't particularly kind to it, but he was indulgent. Liao Tingyan often brought it food and drink, occasionally petting its head and playing fetch with it.

In private, the cow demon couple speculated that the senior who had captured them might actually be a snake demon—his cultivation was so high they couldn't discern his true form. As for Little Black Snake, it was surely the child of the senior and that woman.

"It must have been born from that woman! Only toward his own woman, the mother of his child, would he show such indulgence!" the cow demon declared confidently, and his wife nodded in agreement.

Thus, toward Liao Tingyan—the big boss's woman—the cow demoness was effusively complimentary and even offered to carry her into town.

"I can run fast and steady! Riding me is super comfortable!"

Liao Tingyan: "No, no, thanks."

Liao Tingyan had no idea what image she held in the couple's eyes. Watching the pair, now shrunk to fist-size, trying so hard to integrate into the enemy camp, she once again witnessed the might-makes-right nature of this world. If Sima Jiao wanted to, given the power he'd displayed, he could probably raise a Gengchen Immortal Mansion rebellion force in minutes. Yet he had no such intention, so self-assured and stubborn to the point of obsession.

"What's the use of your numbers? I could wipe you all out alone!"—this was likely Sima Jiao's true mindset, the epitome of arrogance.

A man like him wouldn't spare a second glance for two little cow demons. Since Liao Tingyan wasn't eating them, he soon forgot about the matter. The shrunken cow demons had no choice but to maintain their tiny forms and work diligently, hoping one day to truly be taken under Sima Jiao's wing.

It was time again for Liao Tingyan to sneak out for a solo meal. With the seasons changing, she planned to buy some clothes, so this time she brought along her maids—four attendants and two guards, a modest entourage for a young lady's outing.

Chen Academy was full of wealthy heirs, all flush with cash and spending lavishly, single-handedly boosting the GDP of the surrounding market district. The area around the academy was the liveliest spot in Gengchen Immortal Mansion's outer quarters, naturally teeming with shops selling dresses, jewelry, incense, and medicine—the favorites of noble ladies and madams.Liao Tingyan frequented the largest Cloud Robe Embroidery Workshop on the main street, which specialized in high-end women's attire. Thousands of fabric samples were crafted into colorful butterflies, fluttering within the spacious interior for female customers to select their preferred materials. There were ready-made dresses available for purchase, and custom orders were also accepted.

Having visited several times and spent vast amounts of spirit stones, Liao Tingyan was a VIP client. The moment she stepped inside, a beaming attendant would escort her to a private viewing room to examine fabrics and new dress designs. VIPs here enjoyed exclusive parlors to avoid waiting with other customers, accompanied by dedicated attendants whose attentiveness rivaled even the famed Haidilao hotpot service.

"Please take a look at this newly arrived fabric—Starry Cloud Gauze. At night, the starlight shimmering on the skirt's hem resembles the flowing Milky Way, utterly breathtaking. Moreover, these stars are intricately engraved with formations, offering basic dust resistance and even defensive properties..." The clear-voiced attendant enthusiastically introduced the new arrivals.

"And this brocade—the floral pattern isn't ordinary. Most people have never even heard of these flowers, let alone seen them. They're called 'Sunmoon Ghostly Ephemerals,' truly extraordinary!"

At this point, the attendant's expression turned reverent and solemn. "You must be familiar with the renowned Sima clan of Gengchen Immortal Mansion. These Sunmoon Ghostly Ephemerals are said to be the companion flowers of those esteemed figures. Few have ever laid eyes on the real blooms, and this pattern is exclusive to our Cloud Robe Embroidery Workshop!"

Liao Tingyan: "...Hmm, quite pretty."

But as someone who had seen—and even eaten—these flowers, Liao Tingyan noticed the shape and leaves weren't quite right.

Still, the embroidery was undeniably exquisite. The black-and-white woven flowers didn't appear monotonous; instead, the branches seemed to sway with the shifting light, likely crafted with special threads and techniques.

The attendant, evidently proud of this unique pattern, added, "This brocade is always in high demand. Our workshop produces only a dozen bolts annually, never enough to meet requests."

Seeing her pitch so earnestly, Liao Tingyan nodded. "Then I'll take this and the Starry Cloud Gauze from earlier."

The attendant smiled and moved on to the next item. "Now, this one is called Molten Gold Filament..."

Just as she began, a green-robed attendant hurried in and whispered something to her.

The blue-robed attendants serving in private parlors held higher status than their green-robed counterparts. Frowning at the message, the blue-robed attendant apologized to Liao Tingyan and stepped aside to converse.

Though Liao Tingyan hadn't meant to eavesdrop, her cultivation level made it impossible not to overhear.

Apparently, a young lady of considerable status had taken a liking to the Sunmoon Ghostly Ephemeral brocade and demanded all available stock—including the bolt Liao Tingyan had just reserved.

Someone with a temper might have erupted at having their chosen item snatched away. But Liao Tingyan didn't mind. She wasn't particularly attached to the brocade anyway—especially since the pattern was inaccurate, making it feel like a counterfeit.After a while, a blue-clad attendant came over reluctantly, offering an apologetic and cautious smile. "I'm truly sorry, but this Sun-Moon Twilight Satin Brocade has already been reserved. It was my oversight not knowing about this earlier... As an apology, please feel free to select twenty new bolts of fabric today as our compensation. Would that be acceptable?"

No matter how this situation was handled, it wouldn't please everyone—it ultimately depended on who had greater influence and who couldn't be offended. The attendant framed the fabric dispute as his own mistake to avoid escalating the conflict.

The maids behind Liao Tingyan, trained by Yong Lingchun, were all strong-willed and accustomed to the Night Wanderer Palace's domineering ways. Since coming to Chen Academy, they hadn't enjoyed the same favor as before and often felt neglected by their mistress. Eager to prove their loyalty and regain her affection, they were even angrier than Liao Tingyan herself and immediately stepped forward to take the lead.

"What oversight? It's clear someone is snatching what belongs to our young mistress! You're just looking down on us and afraid to offend the other party, so you're trying to brush us off like this!"

"Exactly! First come, first served—there's no reason for us to give up what's rightfully ours!"

"Do you even know who our young mistress is? She's the eldest daughter of the Night Wanderer Palace, the granddaughter of Patriarch Mu Xiuxiu of the Wood Mansion!"

Before Liao Tingyan could utter a single word, her maids bombarded the attendant with their tirade. They were just as skilled at flattery as they were at confrontation—except there was one problem. Their tone and mannerisms were exactly like those of the arrogant lackeys of a third-rate villainess, just waiting for the heroine to put them in their place.

"Hah, just a mere Night Wanderer Palace?" A cold laugh came from the entrance of the floral hall. "Even if the Palace Master of Night Wanderer Palace and Patriarch Mu Xiuxiu came in person, they'd have to speak politely in my presence."

See? Right on cue, the face-slapping heroine had arrived.

The young woman standing there exuded an air of nobility, adorned with several rare Heaven-grade spiritual artifacts. The hairpins and ornaments on her head were not only exquisite but also embedded with numerous formations and restrictions. From her clothes to her shoes and accessories, not a single item was ordinary.

And it wasn’t just her—the attendants surrounding her, both men and women, were all refined and elegant, accompanied by a group of highly skilled guards. Among them were four Transformation Stage cultivators, the same level as Liao Tingyan.

Liao Tingyan’s brow twitched.

She recognized this pampered young woman!

Back when she and Sima Jiao were still living at White Deer Cliff, the ancestor once threw a tantrum and inexplicably confined her to the White Goose Flying Pavilion—a small floating pavilion carried by a flock of white geese, which belonged to Yue Chu Hui, the daughter of the Moon Palace’s Palace Master.

At the time, Sima Jiao had dragged her along and kicked Yue Chu Hui out of her own pavilion. The unfortunate girl’s exaggerated expression as she was sent flying had left such a vivid impression that Liao Tingyan remembered it clearly.

And wasn’t that the very same young woman now standing before her, wearing a mocking sneer?

Why would a privileged princess from the inner circle of Gengchen Immortal Mansion come to the outer mansion? What kind of cursed fate was this?

This situation was actually related to Sima Jiao. Previously, he had killed off many of the inner mansion’s top figures, even injuring or eliminating several secluded patriarchs, causing significant upheaval. Though the sect leader and others had worked hard to suppress the news, they all knew Sima Jiao wouldn’t let things rest. Recently, the inner mansion of Gengchen Immortal Mansion had been in a state of panic.The Palace Master of the Moon Palace had suffered significant injuries during that battle, and many incidents had occurred within the Moon Palace. Overwhelmed and anxious about Sima Jiao's potential retaliation, she decided to send her daughter away to a branch of the outer palace, hoping she could relax and avoid trouble.

Yue Chu Hui had been in low spirits for a long time since Cizang Daojun heartlessly shattered her youthful infatuation with a single kick. Her temper had grown increasingly worse, and being sent away by her mother only deepened her frustration. That day, she had reluctantly agreed to accompany the young ladies of the Moon family's outer branch to view new fabrics.

She didn’t particularly like the brocade patterned with moonlit epiphyllum—after all, she had grown up wanting for nothing and had even seen the real moonlit epiphyllum before. But just because she didn’t like it didn’t mean she wouldn’t take it. If she claimed it, no one else could have it.

Liao Tingyan was simply unlucky enough to cross paths with this powder keg. Seeing that the situation wouldn’t end peacefully, she stood up and took a step back, saying, "Since you want it, it’s yours."

She thought her tone was quite friendly—she had even smiled. Outnumbered, she decided it was best to leave before things escalated.

But Yue Chu Hui wouldn’t let her go.

"Did I say you could leave?" Yue Chu Hui didn’t recognize her face—Yong Lingchun’s face—but that didn’t stop her from finding Liao Tingyan irritating. "Are you from the Night Wanderer Palace?"

Liao Tingyan answered frankly, "Yes."

Yue Chu Hui only let out a cold scoff. Without her even needing to speak, the entourage around her immediately launched into a barrage of insults, turning the faces of Liao Tingyan’s maids bright red with anger.

Liao Tingyan remained unshaken, not even lifting an eyelid.

Yue Chu Hui had wanted to humiliate her, but seeing her completely unfazed only infuriated her further. Just then, the Little Black Snake coiled around Liao Tingyan’s ankle woke up and peeked out.

At the sight of the small black snake, Yue Chu Hui was reminded of the massive Black Snake kept by Cizang Daojun, souring her mood even more. She tilted her chin up slightly and commanded, "Leave the snake behind. Get lost. If I ever see you again, taking your life will be as easy as a single word."

Liao Tingyan picked up the Little Black Snake and tucked it into her sleeve.

Hey, friend, just so you know—taking your life would also be as easy as a single word.

Author’s Note:

Liao Tingyan: She’s the one who bullied me! (Tattling)