When Destiny Brings the Demon

The Summer Palace was built by the previous emperor as a retreat to escape the summer heat. Though not as cruel and bloodthirsty as Sima Jiao, the late emperor was equally indulgent in pleasures and women, causing his ministers nearly as much headache as his son did. The palace he ordered constructed was exceptionally exquisite and lavish, completely different from the simple yet imposing style of the Yan City imperial palace.

This Summer Palace wasn't large, but every corner was picturesque. Nestled at the foot of Liyun Mountain with water surrounding it, the cool summer breezes made it truly an ideal summer retreat.

In previous years, Sima Jiao had visited here too, though he never stayed long anywhere—usually just a few days at most. But this time, bringing his imperial consort along, he had ordered the palace cleaned thoroughly in advance, breathing new life into the long-neglected Summer Palace.

Liao Tingyan took an immediate liking to the Summer Palace at first sight. Compared to the scorching heat of Yan City's royal capital, this place felt much more tranquil. Moreover, the mountain stream behind the palace reminded her so much of the pool they used to soak in at Gengchen Immortal Mansion—except for the lack of spiritual energy.

Liao Tingyan suffered monthly pains that lasted several days, and this time she spent the remaining days soaking in the mountain stream behind the Summer Palace.

Everything was fine except for needing to keep the palace maids at a distance to avoid awkward encounters. After all, Sima Jiao had only recently become intimate with her and frequently helped relieve her pain these past two days.

Being young, his eagerness was understandable to Liao Tingyan. The only thing she couldn't figure out was how the older version of Sima Jiao—the ancestor—had managed to maintain such a dignified facade, acting completely indifferent to such matters.

The young emperor was much more direct. Noticing his lack of former "restraint," Liao Tingyan suddenly realized that the mature Sima Jiao had been carrying the heavy burden of his centuries-old grandmaster image—probably weighing a ton.

The landscapes of the mortal realm weren't much different from those of the cultivation world. Liao Tingyan lay in the cool stream, gazing at the green leaves overhead. She plucked a branch, swished it through the water, and playfully splashed water at Sima Jiao. He sat nearby, draped in a black outer robe, lazily tilting his head to avoid the droplets.

Seeing the look in his eyes, Liao Tingyan suddenly agreed with something Hongluo had once said: "He's utterly bewitched by you."

She used to scoff at this notion. While others saw Sima Jiao as mad, to her, this man had always been rational—even his death had been meticulously planned. How could such a person be "bewitched"? But now, seeing how he looked at her, she understood.

—He truly is infatuated with me.

Their time together had actually been brief. Their relationship hadn't followed the conventional path of romance, progressing more naturally, perhaps lacking some of the fiery passion of young lovers. Back then, Liao Tingyan rarely even felt shy because Sima Jiao made everything seem so matter-of-fact.

Moreover, that version of Sima Jiao had been far too clever and perceptive. He could detect every nuance of her emotions, effortlessly smoothing over anything that might make her uncomfortable. Like a hunter skilled at creating safe spaces, he waited for his prey to enter willingly before keeping her close.But the current Sima Jiao had forgotten all that. The blood flowing in his veins no longer caused him pain, and he didn't remember the heavy shackles of centuries past or how much bloodshed the Sima surname had brought him. In the sixteen years of memories he retained, she occupied a special place.

He couldn't as effortlessly maintain that "everything is under control" demeanor with her anymore, and would sometimes look at her with that particular gaze—the way one looks at a beloved.

Facing this lover from another lifetime, Liao Tingyan felt an unprecedented flutter of shyness.

She tilted her head slightly, gazing at the blue sky beside them. Sima Jiao approached and sat next to her, one hand resting in the water as he leaned down to stare at her, rather unreasonably occupying most of her field of vision.

Liao Tingyan: "...What are you doing?"

Sima Jiao didn't answer. He smiled—a mischievous, youthful grin—and flicked a few droplets of water onto her face. Liao Tingyan instinctively closed her eyes, then felt a finger trace the path of the falling droplets across her cheek.

How childish, Liao Tingyan thought to herself. Suddenly, she scooped up a handful of water and splashed it directly into Sima Jiao's face. Then, with an agility completely unlike her usual languid self, she sprang up and dashed to the shore, evading any potential counterattack.

She stood laughing atop a large rock by the water's edge.

Sima Jiao remained seated in the water, brushing the droplets from his face with one hand before pointing at her and smirking. "Childish."

Liao Tingyan: "..."

You're the little emperor here, and you're calling me childish?!

She silently slipped back into the water, only for Sima Jiao to immediately drench her with a huge splash.

Liao Tingyan: "???" Damn you! I knew this guy was no good.

Sima Jiao, bracing himself in the water, burst into laughter: "Ahahahahahaha!"

Life at the summer palace was leisurely. After those few painful days passed, Liao Tingyan stopped being sentimental and spent most of her time lounging. She didn't want to admit that Sima Jiao might have picked up bad habits from her—he'd occasionally laze about like her before, but now he sometimes outdid her in sheer idleness. Perhaps this was what liberation felt like after casting off burdens.

However, as a ruthless emperor, his days couldn't remain entirely peaceful.

One night, Liao Tingyan sensed something amiss and slowly awoke from deep sleep. Without even opening her eyes, she used her spiritual awareness to detect strangers infiltrating various parts of the summer palace—assassins, most likely.

From her elevated spiritual perspective, those agile figures hiding in the shadows of trees appeared as clearly marked moving red dots on a game map, unmistakable at a glance.

She propped herself up slightly and whispered in Sima Jiao's ear: "Someone's come to assassinate you."

She repeated it three times before he opened his eyes. Studying his expression, Liao Tingyan suspected he hadn't heard clearly and added: "Wake up, there are lots of people outside coming to kill you."

Sima Jiao made an acknowledging sound, pulled her closer, and lay back down. "Took them four months this time. They're getting worse."

His tone fully conveyed both his familiarity with such occurrences and his contempt for the opposing forces.Liao Tingyan watched as the red dots representing assassins were swiftly cut down by the palace attendants hidden around the perimeter. These attendants were Sima Jiao’s personal entourage, usually meek and unassuming, but when it came to killing, they revealed their ferocious side, thoroughly defeating the assassins. Thus, the brief commotion outside quickly died down.

Liao Tingyan: Such a perfect opportunity, and I, a big shot from the Demon Realm, didn’t even get to make a grand appearance?

She felt a little regretful but closed her eyes and tried to go back to sleep. However, she soon woke up again and shook Sima Jiao awake.

"Wake up, another wave is coming." This time, there were fewer of them, but they were clearly more skilled than the previous ones.

Sima Jiao pressed his temples. "If you’re not sleeping in the middle of the night, don’t wake me up either."

Liao Tingyan: "Believe it or not, I learned this from you."

Sima Jiao pushed her back down. "It’s fine, just ignore them."

Unable to sleep, Liao Tingyan kept her spiritual senses active, watching the situation unfold like a live broadcast. She noticed one particularly skilled assassin who had broken through the defenses and was heading toward… huh, the palace where Black Snake was staying.

They had brought Black Snake along on this trip to the summer palace because, in His Majesty’s mind, the snake was now their "love child." Pfft—just thinking about it made her want to laugh.

Liao Tingyan: "Ah, one of the assassins is heading toward Sisi."

Sima Jiao sat up. Without a word, he got out of bed, barefoot, yanked a sword from the wall with a clang, kicked the door open, and stormed out.

Liao Tingyan: "...Wait a second?"

Don’t you know your "son" is a "monster"? Why are you rushing over like that? She quickly got up and chased after him. She wasn’t worried about Black Snake—she was worried that Sima Jiao might be shocked if their "son" suddenly transformed into a giant black serpent. If he got scared out of his wits, would she have to pull a White Snake and steal immortal herbs for him?

The assassin was indeed formidable—by ordinary mortal standards. But against a massive black snake? There was nothing he could do but meet his bitter end.

By the time Sima Jiao arrived, he saw the enormous black snake open its maw and chomp down on the sword-wielding assassin. Black Snake hadn’t actually intended to eat the man—it was just a habit—but Sima Jiao’s sudden appearance startled him so much that he reflexively swallowed the person whole.

Black Snake: "Blergh—"

All that came out was the assassin’s sword.

Sima Jiao stared at Black Snake.

The snake wriggled awkwardly, sensing that his master probably didn’t want to see him in serpent form, so he obediently transformed back into the little black-haired boy, sitting on the edge of the bed and swinging his legs.

Sima Jiao, who had just witnessed a live human-to-snake transformation: "..."

Liao Tingyan, who arrived shortly after, also saw the scene and couldn’t help covering her face.

Sima Jiao glanced at her, his expression complicated. In that split second, Liao Tingyan suddenly synced with his train of thought and blurted out preemptively, "I’m not a snake demon!"

Sima Jiao’s gaze flicked to her waist. Sure, you’re not a snake demon , he thought. Aloud, he said, "No need to explain. I don’t care."

Liao Tingyan: "..." Damn it, but I care!

Sima Jiao rubbed his temples again and pointed at their "fake son." "Why does he keep eating random things? Didn’t you teach him not to swallow garbage?"

Liao Tingyan: " You were the one who raised him!" Back then, you even used the giant black snake as a trash disposal! Get a grip! Sima Jiao: "When I'm not around, you as his mother don't teach him anything?"

Liao Tingyan: "...I have nothing to say." (swear words)

For some reason, the atmosphere suddenly turned into a family parenting discussion. Black Snake looked like a clueless child caught in the middle of his parents' argument, utterly lost.

Sima Jiao: "Forget it, I'm not blaming you."

Liao Tingyan: "As if you even have the right to blame me."

Possessing a wisdom most men lacked, Sima Jiao knew when to stop arguing with his wife to prevent further escalation. He turned to their innocent son instead. "Spit that thing out. Don’t just eat anything in the future."

Black Snake: "Hiss—" So aggrieved.

Sima Jiao: "Why can’t my son talk yet? Is there something wrong with his brain?"

Liao Tingyan: "..." You're asking me? I don’t even know how you managed to produce him. If there’s something wrong, it’s your fault.

Noticing the subtle shift in Consort Liao’s expression, Sima Jiao waved his hand dismissively. "Never mind, I’m not complaining. He’s our child after all. If he can’t talk, so be it."

Liao Tingyan looked at him with a complicated expression, realizing she might not even need to speak—this man could single-handedly carry out this entire family drama. He created the problem, then solved it himself.

The two returned to rest, but suddenly, Sima Jiao pinched her waist. "Can you turn into a snake? Show me."

Liao Tingyan: "I can’t."

Sima Jiao: "Were you injured, so you can’t revert to your true form?" He made a reasonable guess.

Liao Tingyan: "Because I’m not a snake demon." She provided a more reasonable answer.

Sima Jiao: "Are you still mad about earlier? You’re not even speaking properly now."

Liao Tingyan: "..." Seems like this man just won’t listen to the truth.

She took a deep breath. "Fine, watch this."

Right before Sima Jiao’s eyes, she transformed into a sleek, glossy otter, then said matter-of-factly, "See? This is my true form. An otter."

Sima Jiao fell into deep thought—under what circumstances could an otter demon give birth to a giant snake demon?

He picked up his otter consort. "I feel… this form is strangely familiar. I think I’ve seen you like this before."

As he spoke, fragmented images surfaced in his mind—him tucking the otter into his embrace, stroking her belly.

Now utterly convinced, Sima Jiao nodded. "So you’re an otter demon."

Liao Tingyan: "..." So much regret. Shouldn’t have taken him swimming—his brain’s waterlogged now.