When Destiny Brings the Demon

Sima Jiao still didn’t think there was anything wrong with asking Liao Tingyan to kill someone, yet he also felt a twinge of regret… This was the first time he had ever experienced what "regret" felt like—a novel sensation, entirely different from physical pain, a torment of its own.

Liao Tingyan hadn’t eaten properly for days. Normally, she would take time to have two meals a day—sometimes refined, sometimes lavish, and sometimes, when the mood struck, she would even cook herself. He remembered once when she made something called a "hot pot," filling the entire room with its aroma.

Though he didn’t understand what was so appealing about it, seeing her enjoy it had lifted his spirits. Now, watching her listless and unable to eat these past few days, Sima Jiao felt even more unsettled than she did.

Moreover, he had witnessed firsthand the nightmares Liao Tingyan had mentioned. Resting in her Soul Abode, he found the once-clear skies and white clouds replaced by a scene of a group of people slaughtering a pig—the animal tied up, squealing deafeningly.

Sima Jiao: "..."

How… unique. In all his years, this was the first time he’d seen someone’s Soul Abode manifest such a sight. His own Soul Abode, at its worst, resembled a hellscape of corpses and blood, but a crowd of indistinct figures gathered to slaughter a pig? Truly eye-opening.

The sound of the pig’s squealing seemed to echo in his mind all day.

It wasn’t Liao Tingyan’s fault. Aside from recent events, her most vivid childhood memory was witnessing a pig slaughter at her grandmother’s countryside home when she was little. The trauma it left was comparable to seeing Sima Jiao kill someone. Subconsciously repulsed by killing, her nightmares had transformed into this.

Liao Tingyan opened her eyes and immediately applied a face mask. Though cultivators didn’t develop dark circles from a single sleepless night, she felt utterly exhausted, her skin no longer as supple to the touch.

Sima Jiao pulled her onto his lap.

Liao Tingyan, clutching her face mask: "?"

Sima Jiao’s expression was inscrutable. "Slaughtering pigs… scary?"

Liao Tingyan rolled her eyes at the canopy and stayed silent. She knew nothing—don’t ask her.

Sima Jiao had learned his lesson: slaughtering pigs wasn’t scary, killing people wasn’t scary, but if Liao Tingyan couldn’t eat or sleep properly? That was terrifying.

Sima Jiao’s features were striking—his dark brows and pale skin giving him an intense, almost severe presence, especially when deep in thought, as if pondering matters of life and death.

Seeing him like this, Liao Tingyan spoke up first to reassure him, "I’ll be fine after a few days of adjusting."

Waiting? That wasn’t Sima Jiao’s style. A man who excelled at creating problems was equally adept at solving them.

Soon, he returned with a jade pillow.

"Use this. You’ll only have pleasant dreams."

Liao Tingyan hugged the pillow, reminded of a popular time-travel drama from her childhood that also featured a jade pillow—though she couldn’t recall its name. That night, she tried it out. It wasn’t as hard as she’d feared; in fact, it was quite comfortable. And it worked like a charm.

That night, Sima Jiao heard no more pig squeals in her Soul Abode. Instead, the floral scents had thickened into a rich, sugary sweetness, as if steeped in desserts, leaving even his Divine Soul tinged with sweetness.Liao Tingyan dreamed of her birthday, surrounded by long-lost relatives and friends, indulging in a feast of cream cakes. Upon waking, she sighed, "It's been so long since I've had cream cake." And even longer since she'd seen her loved ones.

"Did you have a pleasant dream?" Sima Jiao asked her.

Liao Tingyan savored the memory of her dream—her beloved friends and family smiling at her, everyone chattering and urging her to cut the cake. An enormous, delicious cake, everything so harmonious—though the dream had clearly idealized things. Her mother would never splurge on such a big cake, her father wouldn’t smile so warmly, her younger sister wouldn’t sweetly call her "big sister," and her friends, scattered far and wide, would never gather so completely.

Still, she nodded. "Quite pleasant." It just reminded her of a line of poetry: What seemed ordinary then is treasured now.

"If this pillow is so useful, why don’t you use it yourself?" Liao Tingyan traced the carvings on the jade pillow, which vaguely resembled a wild boar with a long snout.

Seeing her spirits restored, Sima Jiao relaxed slightly and snorted. "It’s useless to me."

With his unique abilities and immense power, many magical artifacts and Spirit Medicines had no effect on him.

Liao Tingyan was seeing pigs everywhere now—even Sima Jiao looked like one. "Why carve a wild boar on this jade pillow?"

Sima Jiao: "It’s a dream-devouring tapir."

Liao Tingyan: "The legendary dream-devouring tapir looks like this?"

Sima Jiao: "A mere dream-devouring tapir counts as legendary?"

They stared at each other for a moment before Sima Jiao sat up. "Come on, I’ll take you to see one."

True to his decisive nature, he grabbed Liao Tingyan and whisked her away. She was too stunned to react—she hadn’t even known such creatures still existed in this world. By the time she regained her senses, they were already miles away.

Liao Tingyan: "Wait, wait—"

She clutched her hair. "I haven’t combed it! I haven’t changed clothes!"

Sima Jiao paused to glance at her, puzzled. "You usually look like this."

Liao Tingyan: Being at home and going out are two different things. At home, I don’t even wash my hair or wear a bra.

At the very least, she tidied her hair and threw on an outer robe.

Dream-devouring tapirs were rare, and the few kept in Gengchen Immortal Mansion were housed in a private mountain belonging to the sect leader, Shi Qianlv. Hearing this, Liao Tingyan couldn’t help asking, "We’re just going like this?"

Sima Jiao: "Empty-handed is fine. No need to bring your grill—dream-devouring tapirs have tough hides and unpalatable meat."

Liao Tingyan realized her question was pointless. There was no place Sima Jiao wouldn’t dare to go, nothing he wouldn’t dare to do.

Having been out of touch with the outside world for so long, Liao Tingyan noticed the closer they got to the inner mansion, the livelier it became. "Is there some big event lately? Why’s it so bustling?"

Sima Jiao smirked. "Gengchen Immortal Mansion holds a grand ceremony every century. This year, it coincides with the sect’s founding ancestor—that is, me—emerging from seclusion. Naturally, they’re making an even bigger spectacle of it."The Palace Masters of Gengchen Immortal Mansion still dared not make his affairs public, so they could only grit their teeth and endure it. They would likely inform everyone that he still needed to continue his secluded cultivation, keeping the matter concealed. However, the gifts he had prepared for them were already in place, which would add to the festivities when the time came.

Liao Tingyan usually paid no attention to outside matters, but upon hearing Sima Jiao's words and observing his expression, she could guess what was going on. It seemed the "trouble" he had mentioned earlier was related to this upcoming ceremony.

Sima Jiao said a few words but didn’t elaborate further, his gaze sweeping past the disciples who were chatting and laughing with joyful expressions. These disciples couldn’t see the abyss beneath the towering immortal mansion, still proudly and eagerly discussing the imminent ceremony.

"Our mansion is the foremost immortal mansion—what sect would dare not show us respect? I still remember the gift the Buyun Sect sent during the last centennial ceremony—a kong phoenix. I wonder what they’ll send this time..."

Liao Tingyan glanced back and saw the superiority on those disciples' faces.

The foremost immortal mansion had indeed stood at the pinnacle for far too long, making everyone take it for granted that they were nobler than those "outsiders." To them, the world wasn’t divided by directions—only by whether one was inside or outside Gengchen Immortal Mansion.

Since this was Shi Qianlv’s territory, even though they weren’t heading to the main peak, Tai Xuan, but to the secondary peak, Tai Wei, Liao Tingyan was still somewhat apprehensive. Sima Jiao, however, acted as if he were strolling through his own backyard, occasionally pointing things out to her along the way.

"Shi Qianlv has a fondness for rare spiritual and immortal beasts, so he specially designated this secondary peak for raising them."

"I’ve heard he visits occasionally, but since this isn’t an important place, the security is lax."

Just as Sima Jiao had said, they entered Tai Wei Mountain with ease. There were only a few guards at the base, and they were all loafing around—far less vigilant than the guards at the fishing pond they had visited earlier.

Well, it made sense. This was essentially a zoo, a place for relaxation, no different from a garden. If not for a few special immortal beasts, there probably wouldn’t even be guards here.

The mountain didn’t look particularly remarkable, though it was rich in spiritual energy. It was divided into various zones, each housing different creatures. The dream-devouring tapirs Liao Tingyan wanted to see weren’t considered particularly valuable here, inhabiting an area near a lakeside.

Sure enough, they looked like little wild boars with long snouts, their fur black as they lapped up water by the shore.

Liao Tingyan watched them for a while and asked skeptically, "Can they really devour dreams?"

Sima Jiao crossed his arms. "So I’ve heard. I’m not sure. Want to take a couple back and find out?"

Liao Tingyan declined.

Sima Jiao scoffed. "What’s there to fear? They’re just two little things. Even if we’re caught, it’s no big deal."

Liao Tingyan replied bluntly, "No, it’s just that they’re not cute enough, so I don’t want to keep them." Such brutal honesty.

Sima Jiao let out an "Oh," then said, "There are plenty of good-looking ones here. Pick a few to take back."

Liao Tingyan felt like the ancestor was taking her on a shopping trip—even if she didn’t want to buy anything, she had to leave with something. Unable to refuse his enthusiasm, and with the mindset of "since we’re already here," she was also tempted to keep a fluffy pet for stress relief. So she silently followed Sima Jiao deeper into Tai Wei Mountain.

After checking a few areas without finding anything satisfactory, Sima Jiao suddenly asked, "Are there no otters here? How about keeping a few otters?"

Liao Tingyan rejected the idea instantly. "No."The two of them spotted a phoenix with dazzling golden feathers perched among a tree of white blossoms. Liao Tingyan asked with interest, "Is this the Kong Phoenix?"

Sima Jiao showed no interest in the noble and elegant bird, his eyes scanning the surroundings for something resembling an otter. He replied offhandedly, "A descendant of the phoenix clan. Most of them are dead—probably only this one remains."

Liao Tingyan: "Judging by how it has this entire mountain to itself, it must be the most prized creature here."

Sima Jiao: "Whether it's people or animals, when only one or two are left, they naturally become precious."

Liao Tingyan: "..." I don’t know how to respond to that.

The two continued along the mountain path until they reached a cliffside. Here, the cliff was draped with cascading vines like a waterfall, dotted with ordinary five-petaled yellow flowers. Liao Tingyan casually plucked one, and a mountain breeze carried the flower from her hand into the deep forest ravine beside them.

Sima Jiao’s gaze followed the falling flower, his previously lazy eyes suddenly sharpening.

Liao Tingyan, noticing his prolonged silence, turned to look and found his expression strangely intense.

"What’s—"

Sima Jiao raised a hand, signaling for her to stay put. He walked toward the ravine, moving slowly, and stopped after a dozen steps. She watched as he reached out, his fingers twitching violently the moment they brushed the air. At the same time, the wind seemed to die, and the birdsong vanished.

An inexplicable tension thickened the air.

Sima Jiao took a step back, then turned and returned to her.

Liao Tingyan stood frozen, unsure what had happened, when Sima Jiao said, "Go back first. Don’t leave your residence for the next few days, and no matter what happens, don’t set foot near the inner palace. Wait for me to return."

Without questioning, Liao Tingyan nodded. "Alright, I’ll wait for you."

Sima Jiao’s grim expression softened slightly. He took her hand, pressed a kiss to the inside of her wrist, and released her. "Go."

After Liao Tingyan left, Sima Jiao’s expression turned icy again. He surveyed the area—this place concealed a barrier, nearly as formidable as the one that had once trapped the Three Sage Mountain. Erecting such a barrier was no small feat, so whatever was hidden here couldn’t be insignificant.

This was Shi Qianlv’s territory. Whatever he was hiding, Sima Jiao intended to uncover it.

Estimating that Liao Tingyan was now far enough away, Sima Jiao moved again. This time, he stepped forward without restraint, the ground beneath him cracking sharply.

A bridge suddenly materialized over the lush ravine, leading to a smaller peak.

Sima Jiao stepped onto it. The bridge was no ordinary structure—with every step, spiritual energy surged around him, and boiling mist writhed as if alive, attempting to invade his body. Walking through the air felt like trudging underwater, each movement a struggle.

Crimson flames enveloped Sima Jiao’s body. The white mist recoiled upon contact, letting out shrill shrieks as it retreated.

Hidden within the mist were insects that devoured spiritual power and flesh—a type of demonic pestilence unknown in the World of Cultivation, found only in the Demon Realm.