Episode Summary
In this episode, Liao Tingyan tries to stay out of trouble by slacking off, but danger finds her anyway. After witnessing more death, she befriends Sima Jiao's giant python. When she gets poisoned, the python brings her to Sima Jiao, who saves her with his blood. He then makes her his personal attendant after confirming she's harmless. The episode ends with a major discovery: Liao Tingyan's touch can soothe Sima Jiao's mysterious, painful episodes, making her invaluable to him.
Spoiler Alert
When Destiny Brings the Demon Episode 2 Recap: Just Trying to Survive
So, Liao Tingyan is stuck on Sansheng Mountain, and let's be real, she hates it. All she wants is a quiet life, to just chill and do nothing, but that's not happening. The episode kicks off with a maid getting killed by the moody Sima Jiao right in front of her for a tiny mistake. Naturally, this just makes Tingyan want to escape even more.
After a formal meeting with the grand master, Sima Jiao makes it clear he's not interested in any of the disciples, basically telling them all to get lost. Tingyan is more than happy to oblige and head back to her "Gao Lao Zhuang" (that's her cute nickname for her old, peaceful life at Qinggu Mountain). Unlike the friendly folks back home, everyone on Sansheng Mountain is kind of snobby, and because Tingyan comes from a minor clan and isn't the sharpest tool in the shed, the other disciples avoid her. This works out perfectly for her. She has zero interest in fighting for favor or power. Instead, she puts her decades of work experience (from her past life, you know) to use and decides to "lie flat" and be a "salted fish"—basically, she's in full-on slacker mode. She finds a sunny courtyard with a nice pond and just goes to sleep.
While she's napping, the other girls are busy plotting. They all want something from Sima Jiao—his spiritual power, his blood, the magical flowers in his temple, or even to have his baby to seize power. Sima Jiao, however, knows exactly what they're all thinking. He's been a prisoner here for 500 years, ever since he was a child. He's seen the worst of humanity, remembering how supposedly righteous people poisoned him and nailed his spirit down with "Soul-Destroying Nails" just to use his power.
He's watching everyone, and Tingyan stands out because she's... well, sleeping. She's not scheming or networking, just snoozing under a leaf. He finds it both fascinating and incredibly dumb.
When Tingyan wakes up, she sees another girl picking some beautiful but creepy-looking, dark-red flowers from the pond. Just as Tingyan is about to say hi, the girl explodes into a bloody mess. Another day, another traumatic event for our girl.
Still, she decides to live one day at a time. She takes out the "Qiankun Bag" her master gave her, which is full of snacks and plum wine, and continues her lazy life. She even befriends Sima Jiao's giant, scary-looking python by sharing her wine with it. The python takes a liking to her and secretly visits her for drinks when its master is busy.
One night, Tingyan suddenly collapses from poison. The loyal python immediately carries her to Sima Jiao. He uses his own blood to cure her, and the moment the pain is gone, she just... falls back asleep. Curious, Sima Jiao uses a truth spell on her and confirms she has absolutely no ill intentions towards him. So, he decides to make her his personal attendant. Tingyan is terrified of this new job, constantly on edge whenever he's near, but she'll do anything to stay alive.
Later, the python wakes her up and leads her to the inner hall. She finds Sima Jiao glowing red and in extreme pain, as if he's the one who's been poisoned. She wants to run, but she can't bring herself to leave him like that. She stumbles and falls, and her forehead accidentally touches his. Instantly, his pain seems to ease. Her touch is like cool rain on a volcano. Sima Jiao realizes that her very presence, her constitution, has a healing effect on him.
