Episode Summary
Sima Jiao and Liao Tingyan investigate Yan Huan, a man with a mysterious flame birthmark, and his strange personal life. They uncover a dark family secret: Yan Huan's father has been systematically stealing the children born to his many concubines. After rescuing a baby and dealing with a treacherous butler, Sima Jiao theorizes that Yan Huan may be connected to the Fengshan clan due to a bloodline resonance he felt.
Spoiler Alert
When Destiny Brings the Demon: Episode 10 Recap
Sima Jiao heads to a brothel, not for fun, but because he's tracking down a guy for Shi Qianlv. He leaves Nian Jiu behind, figuring the newly-human guy isn't ready for that kind of scene.
Inside, he and Liao Tingyan find their target: a man named Yan Huan, who has a distinctive flame-shaped birthmark on his shoulder. This guy seems like a real piece of work, just drinking and womanizing. Sima Jiao quickly captures him in his Qiankun Bag and, to avoid suspicion, transforms himself to look exactly like Yan Huan before they leave.
Just as they're about to make a clean getaway, one of Yan Huan's concubines, Zhou Qing'er, stops them. She's in tears, asking why "he" is suddenly ignoring her and begging him to name their one-month-old baby. Feeling a bit sorry for the woman, Liao Tingyan whispers to Sima Jiao to be as cruel as possible, thinking it'll help her get over the guy. Sima Jiao does exactly as she says.
Back at their place, they try to interrogate the real Yan Huan about the birthmark, but the moment they mention it, he completely freaks out. Even a truth-telling spell doesn't work on him. Liao Tingyan tells Sima Jiao to be patient, and they'll figure it out eventually.
Liao Tingyan can't stop thinking about the heartbroken Zhou Qing'er. She meets with her in secret, trying to convince her that Yan Huan is a bad guy and she should move on. But Zhou Qing'er won't hear it, insisting the Yan Huan she knows is a kind and loving man. This makes Liao Tingyan suspicious, and she soon discovers that Yan Huan does seem to genuinely care for this concubine but is deliberately keeping his distance for some unknown reason.
She rushes to tell Sima Jiao what she's found, but they're interrupted by a servant with urgent news: the eleventh concubine tried to kill herself by jumping into a well. Thankfully, she was saved. The woman was crying, saying she just wanted to see her child. This sets off alarm bells—Yan Huan has over ten concubines, but there are no children in his household. Super suspicious, right?
They go back into town to find Zhou Qing'er, with Sima Jiao once again disguised as Yan Huan. The second she sees him, she runs up in a panic, crying that their baby has been stolen! Sima Jiao immediately uses his powers to find the child.
It turns out, Yan Huan's butler was the one who took the baby. Under a truth spell, the butler confesses that it's actually Yan Huan's father who has been stealing all the children. Sima Jiao, not one for lengthy trials, deals with the wicked butler right then and there.
In a side story, Ye Ruling happens to find Liao Tingyan while she's transformed into an otter. Liao Tingyan, completely off-guard, accidentally reveals her true self.
Later, Liao Tingyan talks to Zhou Qing'er again, confirming she knows nothing about the flame birthmark. She gives her the baby name she got from Yan Huan. Zhou Qing'er is incredibly grateful for their help in finding her child and admits she knows the man with her isn't the real Yan Huan. Liao Tingyan has a moment, realizing that true love can even see through a transformation spell.
The episode ends with Sima Jiao having a major breakthrough. He speculates that Yan Huan might be from the Fengshan clan. The reason? When he used his magic to locate the stolen baby, he felt a connection through their bloodline.
