When Destiny Brings the Demon

Waking up to find a scar missing from her face, and then waking again to discover a ring around her ankle.

Shi Yan lifted her leg in an unrefined manner, fiddling with the silver anklet on her foot. She thought it was truly beautiful—the kind of treasure that radiated "nobility" from every angle.

The position made it hard to inspect properly, so she rolled over and sat up, kicking aside a pillow as she lifted the anklet to examine it closely. It consisted of two delicate silver rings linked by a fine chain, adorned with intricate patterns that resembled peonies or perhaps peonies' close relatives, the tree peonies. The hollowed-out core was inlaid with a faint, translucent jade-green hue.

It felt weightless on her foot, barely noticeable except for a faint coolness. Based on her years of experience in Crane Immortal City, Shi Yan was certain this was a magic treasure—a high-grade one at that. Just how high, she couldn’t say, since she’d never had the money to buy something so powerful before. Though it appeared to be made of silver and jade, the texture under her fingers suggested otherwise.

"What do you think of it?"

Sima Jiao’s voice suddenly came from behind her.

Shi Yan startled, then scratched her ear. "It’s nice, but I’m not used to wearing anklets. Can’t it go on my wrist? Also, such a precious magic treasure—you’re giving it to me?" It felt like a family heirloom, yet there had been no ceremony, no grand gesture—just slipped onto her foot without fanfare.

Sima Jiao looked at her and suddenly smiled, reaching out to touch the anklet around her ankle. "Once it’s locked onto its owner, even I can’t remove it. This Defensive Magic Treasure is one of a kind. No one can break through its protection to harm you."

No one? Shi Yan blinked, instinctively asking, "Ah, not even you?"

Sima Jiao didn’t so much as twitch an eyebrow, his gaze holding a gentleness Shi Yan couldn’t quite decipher. "Right. Not even me."

Shi Yan’s mind raced. Holy shit, isn’t this an anti-domestic-violence artifact? If even Sima Jiao couldn’t do anything about it, she could practically strut around without a care—no, not just strut, she could probably lounge her way through life.

Who in this world could possibly subdue me now?!

Sima Jiao studied her expression carefully, tilting her chin up. "You don’t feel like something’s off?"

Shi Yan: "What’s off?" She blanked for a moment before realizing the problem. Why anti-domestic-violence?! Why did I automatically categorize Sima Jiao’s actions as domestic abuse?!

But that wasn’t what Sima Jiao meant.

He burst into laughter, leaving Shi Yan baffled as to what was so funny. She felt a kiss pressed to her forehead, and Sima Jiao, seemingly in high spirits, nuzzled her nose and asked, "You don’t think I’m trying to imprison you with ill intentions?"

Not that you distrust me, not that you were raised by that old bastard Shi Qianlv for so many years, not that you don’t remember me—why do you still trust me?

Shi Yan: I’m constantly baffled by this ancestor’s thought process, but since he seems so happy, I think keeping my mouth shut is the wiser choice.

Waking up to find a beautiful piece of jewelry on her body—wasn’t the first reaction supposed to be that she’d received a gift? Wasn’t that normal? Why would anyone jump to imprisonment? She truly didn’t get it.

Sima Jiao’s fingers brushed her chin before grasping her wrist. With just a light tug, Shi Yan felt her entire body float up, as if she’d lost all weight. Then, holding her wrist, Sima Jiao guided her to step onto the ground.Shi Yan had no idea what he was doing when he suddenly took her hand and strode out with her in tow.

The floor of the Forbidden Palace was smooth and black, almost mirror-like in its reflection. Shi Yan walked barefoot across it, the two delicate rings around her ankles clinking softly with each hurried step.

Sima Jiao wore a black robe, and his strides were swift and powerful, as if each step could cover a distance of one meter eighty. With her wrist in his grip, Shi Yan was practically dragged along, their figures—one black, one blue—reflected faintly on the dark floor.

Shi Yan was barefoot, her hair loose, and she hadn’t even washed her face yet. She felt like a ghostly apparition, but Sima Jiao, seized by some inexplicable impulse, pulled her along without giving her a chance to speak.

They walked through the Forbidden Palace for a while, the vast halls devoid of any other presence. All around them were towering pillars supporting the dome and intricately decorated ceilings.

In such an empty space, the only sounds were their own. For a moment, Shi Yan felt a strange sense of familiarity.

Scientifically speaking, it could be called a secondary memory of the brain.

Sima Jiao led her to the center of the Forbidden Palace, where a tall tower with golden tiles and red walls stood, starkly out of place amidst the white expanse of Winter City, its colors so vivid they seemed almost jarring.

Again, she felt a vague sense of recognition.

Sima Jiao guided her toward the tower.

The path leading to it was paved with white stones, embedded in the ground and emanating a chilling cold. It reminded Shi Yan of the pebbled walkway in the park near her home, where elderly people would tread repeatedly, claiming it massaged the acupressure points on their feet.

Shi Yan had always been skeptical. She used to think that uncomfortable pebbled path couldn’t possibly massage anything—it was more likely to kill someone. Of course, now she wouldn’t mind such a path. With her cultivation level, she could walk barefoot on a path of knives without flinching. Ordinary blades couldn’t pierce a Transformation Stage body.

Lost in thought, she didn’t notice Sima Jiao turning to look at her. His questioning gaze first swept over her before landing on her bare feet. Without hesitation, he scooped her up into his arms and carried her across the cold stone path.

Shi Yan: “…I didn’t mean for this to happen.”

But since she was already being carried, she couldn’t be bothered to struggle.

Still, she suspected this bigshot didn’t have much experience holding women. Who carried a grown woman like a child? Perched on his arm, her hand resting on his shoulder, she mused, I haven’t sat like this on my dad’s arm since I was seven.

Even Shi Qianlv, her possibly fake father, had never held her this intimately. This self-proclaimed boyfriend of hers, however, seemed quite adept at playing the role of a father.

Her body’s reaction was oddly familiar too—her hands had instinctively settled into place. Maybe this was the power of love. The lingering effects on this body were quite severe.

Once past the cold stone path, the temperature around them dropped sharply. Sima Jiao pushed open the door, set her down, and took her wrist again.

The floor inside the tower was covered in an extravagant carpet, its pattern a riot of flowers. The walls were adorned with vibrant murals of celestial revelry and immortals soaring through the skies, their colors dazzling and lifelike.

“Come.”Shi Yan stepped onto the stairs and followed him upward. The staircase was endlessly long, one flight after another, as if it would never reach the top. She tilted her head to look at the light filtering down from above, and Sima Jiao’s figure fell into her view—his long, ink-black hair and the fluttering hem of his robe, which once again gave her a familiar sense of dizziness.

Sima Jiao suddenly turned to look at her and said, “Back then, when you climbed the high tower, you were so exhausted on the stairs you nearly sat down. At the time, I thought…”

“I thought you were really weak. I’d never seen anyone weaker than you. Even the snakes I casually raised were a hundred times stronger than you.”

Shi Yan: Does this guy even know how to talk?

Seriously, the original owner must have been some kind of saint to be able to date this ancestor. A tactless straight guy like this—if he weren’t so good-looking and powerful, there’d be no way he could ever get into a relationship.

The amusement in Sima Jiao’s voice suddenly faded. He said, “Now, walking up stairs like these won’t tire you out like that.” There was a sighing undertone to his words that Shi Yan didn’t quite understand.

Shi Yan felt she couldn’t just stay silent, so she dryly replied, “Well, with Transformation Stage cultivation, climbing stairs isn’t a problem.”

Sima Jiao gave an indifferent hum, his expression turning inscrutable again. Then, before she knew it, Shi Yan was lifted into his arms. Though she hadn’t spent much time with this big shot, his impulsive, unpredictable nature had already left a deep impression on her.

Held in a princess-carry, Sima Jiao leaped upward, his toes lightly tapping on floating lanterns as they ascended several floors in the blink of an eye.

Shi Yan: Hey, this is way faster than an elevator!

Beside the staircase floated lanterns suspended in midair, each carved with intricate floral patterns. If lit, they would surely cast overlapping shadows of flowers on the ground—a sight very much to Shi Yan’s taste. Her gaze lingered on the lanterns as Sima Jiao unceremoniously stepped on them to propel himself upward.

A weight settled on her head as Sima Jiao patted her. “These are all lanterns you like. They were added after the tower was moved here.” As he spoke, the lanterns lit up, and indeed, overlapping floral shadows bloomed beneath them.

There was a hint of smugness in his voice, as if saying, ‘I knew you’d like them.’ Somehow, it was oddly endearing.

She could only sigh inwardly—love really did make even this stinky big shot act childish.

When they reached the highest floor, Shi Yan found herself in another vast hall, where a pool of emerald-green water lay.

For some reason, Shi Yan felt like something was missing from the pool—as if something should have been there. Sima Jiao stepped forward and reached into the water, pulling up a trembling red lotus from the depths. As the bud slowly unfurled, it revealed a cluster of quietly burning flames inside.

A mournful, sobbing wail echoed through the hall, an endless stream of whimpering and crying, the sound of a child’s weeping piercing through the mind like a demonic chant.

The flames suddenly surged, twisting into the shape of a clawing, furious figure lunging at Sima Jiao. The child’s voice screeched hatefully, “Aaaaah, I’ll kill you! What does your woman’s death have to do with me?! Sure, it was my power, but I didn’t kill her! You’re the idiot who miscalculated while scheming against others and accidentally burned her to death! And now you blame me?! You even drowned me in water! You’re insane! Brain-dead! You bastard, you don’t feel pain, but I do, you stupid asshole!”

Sima Jiao slapped the flames back with a furious snarl. “Shut up!”The childlike flame shrank back with a shiver as it was fanned. Having likely exhausted all its courage, it finally regained its senses and retreated, continuing to whimper and sob.

Then it seemed to finally notice Shi Yan and loudly cursed before exclaiming, "You brought this woman back!"

Shi Yan: Shocked! A flame that curses! And its tone is eerily similar to how I swear!

Sima Jiao said to her, "I told you to water it earlier, but you ended up teaching it to talk. Now its cursing sounds even worse."

Shi Yan: Seriously, stop talking like I corrupted the family parrot! It wasn’t me!

Shi Yan felt utterly wronged.

She felt so wronged it could snow in June. Sima Jiao scoffed coldly, but after a moment’s thought, he let it go.

After showing her the endlessly weeping flame, he led her around the tower a couple of times. The two stood on the highest cloud corridor, overlooking Winter City below.

"Originally, this tower was on Three Sage Mountain. After I destroyed the mountain, I moved the tower here."

Shi Yan sensed he wanted to have a heart-to-heart talk. Noticing his expectant gaze, she carefully replied, "Seems like you really like this tower?"

Sima Jiao: "I despise this tower. It imprisoned me for five hundred years."

Shi Yan thought, Well, that killed the conversation. Five hundred years imprisoned? Isn’t that like the Monkey King?!

Sima Jiao: "Trapped in the same place for so long, I grew to hate those who imprisoned me. From the start, I vowed to kill them all once I escaped. So..."

Shi Yan decided to play along. She gave a thoughtful hum and prompted, "So...?"

Sima Jiao suddenly shifted the topic: "So, will you come to hate me the same way?"

Shi Yan: "Oh, what do you mean by that? I don’t quite follow. Could you explain it to everyone here?"

Sima Jiao: "..."

Pretending she hadn’t just dodged the question, Shi Yan answered, "I think it’s fine. You haven’t imprisoned me."

Sima Jiao: "I brought you here by force. Doesn’t that count as imprisonment?"

Shi Yan suddenly pointed at the distant white mountains: "I’m curious about that area. Can I go check it out in a couple of days?"

Sima Jiao replied offhandedly, "If you want to go, you can head there this afternoon."

Shi Yan nodded and said, "Oh," thinking, Yeah, this is some 'imprisonment' you’ve got here.

She cleared her throat and said, "If I didn’t want to stay here, then it’d be imprisonment. Since I’m willing, it doesn’t count."

Sima Jiao looked pleased, as if his fur had been smoothed. He chuckled softly. "I know you’d rather believe in me deep down."

Shi Yan thought that if she admitted part of her willingness to stay was due to suspicions about her identity and mostly because the treatment here was good, Sima Jiao might just fling her off the top floor in a rage.

So she could only offer a fake smile and say, "You’re absolutely right."