When Destiny Brings the Demon

"Never forget each other once we prosper." These were the words Liao Tingyan once said to Hongluo. Back then, she was still using the alias Lü Yan, working as a security guard at the Rouge Terrace. Hongluo earned more and fared better than her. After they became friends, Hongluo often treated her to meals, sometimes tossing her a fruit to try whenever they met.

Working at a place like the Rouge Terrace inevitably came with dangers. Liao Tingyan had once suffered an occupational injury, but unfortunately, the Demon Realm had no employee compensation for such cases. In the Demon Realm, people were indifferent, but it was Hongluo who dragged her away from the battlefield back then and even helped her secure a decent pill for her injury.

Liao Tingyan remembered all this clearly. Seeing Hongluo now, lively and overjoyed, she felt genuinely happy.

The two caught up on what had happened since they last met. After hearing Liao Tingyan’s story about her and the big shot of Winter City, Sima Jiao, Hongluo slapped her thigh and exclaimed, "What kind of divine love story is this?! Damn, I’m so jealous!"

When she talked about her own experiences, she angrily pounded the table: "You have no idea how terrible those two idiots who killed me were at their craft. After all my years mastering the arts of romance and countless men under my belt, those two could still rank dead last in skill. Damn it, I was so furious I wanted to haunt them as a vengeful spirit. I never thought you’d actually avenge me."

Hongluo pressed her lips together, then threw herself at her friend, hugging her tightly.

"Thank you."

"Alright, no need for thanks." Liao Tingyan patted her back and stood up, lifting her in her arms. "Come on, let’s go out for a stroll."

Hongluo immediately perked up, sitting in her arms and laughing arrogantly. "Hahahaha, you know what? Dying once wasn’t so bad after all. Do you have any idea how amazing my potential is now? Look at this face—born to be a beauty, hehehe. And now I even have a dad who’s the Demon Realm’s queen!"

Liao Tingyan: "You’re really calling me ‘Dad’? Then wouldn’t that make Sima Jiao your ‘Mom’?"

Hongluo swiftly clamped a hand over her mouth, nervously glancing around. "Shh! If the Demon Lord hears this, I’m dead!"

Liao Tingyan laughed. "It’s not that exaggerated. Sure, people say he’s ruthless, but he doesn’t actually kill much." In all the time she’d spent by his side, she’d never seen him lift a finger—let alone kill anyone. He didn’t even eat meat. Where else could you find such a peace-loving Great Demon King?

Hongluo gave her a look of utter disbelief. "Mom. Dear mom. You think the Demon Lord isn’t scary because you’re his Dao companion. He harbors no ill will toward you, so of course you can’t sense the terrifying aura around him. The rest of us aren’t so lucky—we’re all like stepchildren to him! If he dislikes you, he’ll kill you without a second thought!"

"And what do you mean he doesn’t kill? Are you stupid? He just doesn’t let you see it. Tsk tsk tsk, not to be rude, but he’s way too considerate. It’s not like you’ve never killed before—is the old man worried he’ll scare you or something? You weren’t this ‘delicate’ back when we used to hang out."

Liao Tingyan: "Let’s be reasonable, my friend. If someone else is doing the thinking for you, would you still want to think for yourself? If someone handles everything for you, would you still want to do it yourself? Nah, that’s not happening."

Hongluo: Damn, I’m so jealous of this lucky bastard.

Liao Tingyan strolled through the Forbidden Palace with Hongluo and the Black Snake circling playfully at her feet.Hongluo: "So this is the legendary Forbidden Palace of the Demon Lord. The rumors outside made it sound so mysterious, but looking at it now, it doesn't seem that scary."

Liao Tingyan: "Feeling good?"

Hongluo: "Hell yeah! Others can't come here, but I can. Look at this privilege—I could practically swagger around now!"

Hongluo: "But you're way too lazy. Now that you've made it big, you're not doing anything. If it were me, I'd march back to Crane Immortal City with a horde of demon generals, fierce beasts, and the Demon Lord himself, showing off to those bastards who used to look down on me. I'd make them regret it to death!"

Liao Tingyan opened her mouth to say something, then closed it again.

Somehow, they wandered to an outer palace guarded by two demon generals. The two guards took one look at Liao Tingyan, who was holding a child with a snake trailing behind her, and didn't dare to stop her. Instead, they stepped back and gestured for her to enter freely. Liao Tingyan hadn't planned to go in, but seeing their welcoming demeanor, she simply walked in.

Sima Jiao was sitting inside the hall. Before him, several demon generals writhed and twisted in flames, burning into piles of black ash. The ground in front of him was already thickly covered with such ashes.

Liao Tingyan: "..." Wow.

Sima Jiao glanced at the group of demon generals standing nearby and pointed out a few more. The chosen ones looked grim; one even dropped to his knees, weeping and begging for mercy. But Sima Jiao burned them along with the others.

Soon, the layer of ash on the ground grew thicker.

Hongluo's hair stood on end. She instinctively tightened her grip on Liao Tingyan's arm and whispered, "Holy shit, those were demon generals from Winter City, right? The Demon Lord just kills them like that? See? And you said he doesn't kill people—what do you call this?"

Liao Tingyan: "Em..."

Though her voice was soft, Sima Jiao quickly turned his gaze toward them.

"Why are you here?"

Liao Tingyan pretended to turn away. "Should I head back, then?"

Sima Jiao reached out a hand. "Come here."

Reluctantly, Liao Tingyan dragged her entourage—her adopted daughter, who was now trembling like a leaf at the sight of Sima Jiao, and the fawning Black Snake—toward him.

The crowd of demon generals and would-be generals watched her but didn't dare to stare too long.

Liao Tingyan sat beside Sima Jiao, settling Hongluo on her lap. The same friend who had been bragging earlier was now as quiet as a mouse.

Sima Jiao continued summoning demon generals. Judging by his indifferent expression, Liao Tingyan suspected he was choosing randomly—like a child playing "eeny, meeny, miny, moe."

Watching the demon generals struggling to maintain their composure, she suddenly felt like she was back in math class, watching the teacher call students to solve problems on the blackboard. Those not chosen wore expressions of grave seriousness, while the chosen ones looked as if they'd just lost their parents.

Seeing none of them attempt to fight back or resist, obediently stepping forward to their deaths, Liao Tingyan found it slightly odd. Since when were the notoriously ruthless demon generals of the Demon Realm so docile?

She had arrived too late to witness it, but among the thick layers of ash were many who, in their despair, had tried to attack Sima Jiao. And what had become of them? Just another handful of ashes.

Sima Jiao seemed to have killed enough for the day. With a wave of his hand, everyone else was dismissed. The survivors' faces were filled with the exhilaration of having narrowly escaped death.

"And those are?" Liao Tingyan gestured to the ashes on the ground.Sima Jiao said, "Deal with those who developed disloyalty during my absence."

Liao Tingyan felt the Hongluo she was holding tremble and patted her comfortingly.

Sima Jiao finally noticed Hongluo and glanced at the little girl. "What's this?"

Liao Tingyan lifted her up for introduction. "Hongluo, the friend I wanted to revive earlier." Best to make her presence known to the big boss now, lest she accidentally gets killed by him someday.

Hongluo twitched her short legs. "..." Friend, please put me down. I don’t want to face the Demon Lord directly—honestly, I’m a little scared right now.

Sima Jiao didn’t say anything else, pulling Liao Tingyan to her feet. Seizing the opportunity, Hongluo jumped down and walked behind the Black Snake, no longer daring to stay in her friend’s arms.

Holding his hand, Liao Tingyan noticed his palm was unusually warm—this wasn’t normal, as his body was always cool. She wiggled her fingers, but Sima Jiao tightened his grip, interlacing their fingers to stop her fidgeting.

Liao Tingyan looked at him. "Do you always burn people to death?" Yet she’d heard before that Sima Jiao, the Great Demon of Winter City, loved killing with his bare hands, reveling in the bloodshed.

Instead of answering, Sima Jiao chuckled. "Their fear of the Fengshan Spirit Fire has been etched into their bones by me, bit by bit."

Liao Tingyan: "???"

Sima Jiao stroked her temple with his thumb and changed the subject. "I’ve captured Shi Zhenxu."

Liao Tingyan instinctively gasped.

Sima Jiao: "Do you want to see him?"

This question... The correct answer was probably "no," but considering how this fake brother had often helped her with demon stones over the years, she felt obliged to check on him.

She cleared her throat and asked, "Can I say 'yes'?"

Sima Jiao: "If you want to, then go." His tone was casual, indifferent, as he brushed her hair aside to let her leave.

Such overwhelming confidence—truly befitting the world’s number one big boss.

Liao Tingyan indeed went to see the imprisoned Shi Zhenxu. After she left, Sima Jiao coldly stared at Hongluo, who nervously clung to the Black Snake beside her, thinking inwardly, "Oh heavens, is this ancient monster planning to make me disappear because he finds me clinging to his partner annoying?!"

Sima Jiao: "Can you kill?"

Hongluo: "Yes, yes, I can!"

Sima Jiao scrutinized her for a moment longer. "I can give you everything you desire. In the future, I’ll need you to do some things for her."

Hongluo nodded frantically: "Yes, yes, yes, I can do it!"

Unaware of her friend’s ordeal, Liao Tingyan went to see Shi Zhenxu and found him in decent condition, though he looked somewhat haggard.

"...Brother?" Out of gratitude for the money he’d lent her, she still addressed him this way.

Shi Zhenxu looked at her with a mix of complexity, disgust, and wariness. "Since you’ve already remembered, calling me that—are you mocking me?"

Wrong. She hadn’t remembered.

Liao Tingyan scratched her cheek.

Perhaps reading something from her expression, Shi Zhenxu widened his eyes in surprise. "You haven’t regained your memories? Then how could you throw yourself into Sima Jiao’s arms?"

Liao Tingyan: "Because... love?"Shi Qianlv choked on his words—there was truly no way to respond. His mind raced, and suddenly he laughed. "Although restoring your memories won't be easy, Sima Jiao is certainly capable of it. Yet he hasn’t done so. Do you know why? Because there are things he doesn’t want you to remember! Everything he’s told you during this time is a lie! He’s deceiving you!"

Shi Qianlv had no options left. Since he’d been captured by Sima Jiao, death was inevitable. But even in death, he wanted to make Sima Jiao suffer. If he could drive a wedge between these two, all the better.

Liao Tingyan said nothing more. With a sigh, she left.

She thought back to the days she had lived with Shi Qianlv and Shi Zhenxu. They had always tried to convince her that as a member of the Shi family, she must sacrifice for the clan—that personal desires and futures were meaningless, and only the eternal legacy of the family held significance.

It sounded like cult indoctrination, so she never believed it, even suspecting she might be trapped in some pyramid scheme.

But after living together for years, had she truly felt nothing? She had, but such familial affection was ill-timed and better left unspoken. It would do no one any good.

Sima Jiao was waiting for her outside.

As Liao Tingyan approached, she heard him say, "I won’t kill him, but he will be imprisoned here forever." For Liao Tingyan’s sake, he could spare this Shi family member’s soul, allowing it to enter the Soul Pool normally for reincarnation.

After speaking, Sima Jiao brushed his thumb across the corner of Liao Tingyan’s eye.

"Only this one. Shi Qianlv must die. Understood?"

Liao Tingyan sniffled and nodded.

She took Sima Jiao’s hand. "Can’t I recover my past memories?"

Sima Jiao replied, "If you can remember on your own, then do so."

Liao Tingyan added, "I trust you."

Sima Jiao: "It doesn’t matter if you don’t." He didn’t care about such things. If he loved someone, it didn’t matter what they did. His actions were driven solely by his own will. Whether she believed him or not, loved him or not, made no difference.

Liao Tingyan was silent for a moment, gathering her thoughts. "Cultivation partner, shall we Dual Cultivate? The kind that opens the Soul Abode?"

She hadn’t expected Sima Jiao to agree—after all, he had never mentioned Soul Abode Dual Cultivation during this time. She had always felt he was avoiding it, perhaps because her amnesia made it unsafe?

But Sima Jiao agreed. "If you wish, then we shall."

Liao Tingyan finally understood why Sima Jiao had avoided Soul Abode Dual Cultivation. She saw his Soul Abode—the earth had vanished, replaced by a churning sea of crimson magma. Flames filled the sky, a torrent of scorching fire and molten rock. It was a suffocating Soul Abode; she couldn’t even touch the flames. The only place her Divine Soul could stand was a small patch of flowering ground.

...

Liao Tingyan lay dazed, her vision slowly clearing.

She turned over, choking back a sob.

"Wouldn’t an ordinary person have died from the pain by now?"

Sima Jiao turned her toward him. "Am I an ordinary person?"