Episode Summary
Liao Tingyan and Sima Jiao share a peaceful moment cooking a rare fish, which inadvertently tips off their enemies. While alone, Liao Tingyan is ambushed and brutally attacked by the volatile young mistress of the Night Palace. Sima Jiao arrives just in time to save her, and in a fit of rage, kills her attacker in front of the assembled Eight Great Sect Leaders before making a dramatic escape with Liao Tingyan.
Spoiler Alert
"When Destiny Brings the Demon" Episode 16: An Unexpected Attack
Episode 16 of When Destiny Brings the Demon begins with Sima Jiao and Liao Tingyan in the serene and beautiful Yunkong Realm. Sima Jiao catches a rare Ice Blue Fish, explaining to a bemused Liao Tingyan that this fish is incredibly special. It feeds only on spiritual energy, takes a thousand years to mature, and eating it can cure all illnesses and enhance one's beauty. The "enhancing beauty" part immediately grabs Liao Tingyan's attention, and she treats the fish like a treasure.
Using the Qiankun Bag given to her by her master from Qinggu Mountain, Liao Tingyan pulls out a small stove and pot to make a simple fish soup. She serves a large, steaming bowl to her "grandmaster," Sima Jiao. Though he appears shocked on the surface, having never had anything like it, he feels a sense of warmth inside.
Meanwhile, a subordinate reports to Shi Qianlv that the precious Ice Blue Fish has been stolen and eaten, leaving only a skeleton behind. Ye Ruling, who is present, instantly guesses that Liao Tingyan was the culprit, though she isn't sure if Sima Jiao was with her.
The plot then shifts to the young mistress of the Night Palace, who has been cultivating her dark magic by absorbing the spiritual energy of female disciples. Her mother, the palace's leader, is furious but sends her away to the Luohe Immortal Workshop to avoid a scandal, as few people there know of the Night Palace.
As fate would have it, Liao Tingyan is in the Luohe Immortal Workshop while Sima Jiao is away searching for spiritual veins. Feeling restless, she decides to go out and wanders into a cloth shop. There, she runs into the young mistress of the Night Palace. A dispute breaks out over a piece of satin, but the young mistress quickly becomes aggressive and attacks Liao Tingyan, declaring a sudden desire to kill her simply because she dislikes her "scent."
Having boosted her powers with dark magic, the young mistress easily overpowers Liao Tingyan. She's taken to the Ziliu Mountain Villa, where she is brutally beaten and her face is cut with a dagger. In the struggle, Liao Tingyan manages to inflict a wound on her attacker's wrist.
When Ye Ruling hears about the wrist injury, she suspects it might be a frostbite-like wound caused by the Ice Blue Fish. She secretly goes to the villa and finds Liao Tingyan unconscious on the ground. Instead of helping, she sees an opportunity to use the situation to plot against Sima Jiao.
Unable to find Liao Tingyan upon his return, Sima Jiao receives an urgent message from an Immortal Envoy telling him she is in danger. He flies to Ziliu Mountain Villa and is heartbroken to find her bloodied and injured. He immediately embraces her, transferring his internal energy until she awakens, crying from the ordeal.
Ye Ruling quickly informs Shi Qianlv of Sima Jiao's location, and the Eight Great Sect Leaders assemble once more. Sima Jiao, now fiercely protective, confronts the young mistress. He tells Liao Tingyan to take her revenge by killing her attacker, but she hesitates, having never killed before and with the powerful sect leaders waiting outside. Seeing her struggle, Sima Jiao takes matters into his own hands and kills the young mistress himself. Even united, the Eight Great Sect Leaders are no match for him. He shatters their barrier and escapes with Liao Tingyan in his arms.
