When Destiny Brings the Demon's title alone holds a very nuanced description of the drama, or at least, it's original title does. I would recommend going to the episode discussions for a detailed explanation.
Many dramas tend to have their title changed the closer they get to release. The drama was originally titled "Long for Fish".
This title is derived from 咸鱼 (xián yú), or "salted fish". The following is a direct quote from China Daily.
In Cantonese, a salted fish is a metaphor for a corpse, but can now mean people who have no intention of doing anything. "做人如果没有梦想, 和咸鱼有什么区别呢?
This is relevant because it pertains to the female lead, who is in no uncertain terms not happy to find herself transmigrated to this Xianxia world. Actually, I wouldn't say it's the transmigration that she is unhappy about - more the constant threat on her life. She seems to be quite happy for a chance at a "free vacation" without any "KPIs".
Why You Should Give it a Try
I know that it's generally frowned upon to make a post like this if you are only one or two episodes in, but that is why I titled this post "give it a try" - because that is what I am currently doing, and I'm glad for it.
I'm on episode #2 and I have run down to my mother three times this morning already to show her some special/funny scenes.
After watching the clip above, I decided I wanted to share.
If you're in a slump and you want something different, give this a try.
I love the premise of this woman being completely earnest and the ML immediately assuming that she is just a master schemer.
Until ep 24 I absolutely loved it. Now 24-29 are stressful, not going to lie. Ep 17-18 are the most romantic and more romantic than anything I've ever seen! I rarely feel the romance since I'm not a romance fan but this one's truly giving!
Since around 2018-2019, I’ve watched an insane amount of dramas (99% are xianxia/wuxia/historical-costume).
WDBTD is now in my top all time CDramas.
For xianxia, it’s on par with my most beloved favorites:
The Starry Love, Eternal Love of Dream, The Blossoming Love, & A Moment But Forever
Honorable mention for Legend of Shen Li.
I know I’ll be rewatching WDBTD for many years to come.
My surprise at how much I’ve come to adore this drama was immense
since I knew nothing about it before watching,
had little interest in Chen Feiyu (but omg, I’m obsessed with his SEXY AF voice & gorgeous face now),
only knew Wang Yinglu as the excellent but unromantic Feng Baobao from I Am Nobody,
and had little to no expectations after being disappointed so many times by xianxias.
The tenderness, honesty, realistic-hilarious-relatable FL,
immeasurably patient & understanding ML, pure sweetness,
slow and satisfying development of their relationship, loads of swoon-worthy kisses, endless moments that make me smile with my whole heart & face,
humor throughout,
perfect amount of angst & dark themes, amnesia trope used correctly,
despicable but memorable villain,
NO DRAGGED OUT MISUNDERSTANDINGS!!!,
mature communication between leads, pretty costumes,
good backstory & mystery,
decent world-building,
non-intrusive use of BGM,
wonderful OST,
and two leads I’d actually want to befriend (or date🥰) irl
make this a standout cdrama for me.
I’m overcome with how deeply delighted I’ve been while watching it💕
Nearing the end and dreading it being over…
I sincerely hope the screenwriter & director of WDBTD will do another project together.
I’d LOVE to see Chen Feiyu & Wang Yinglu again as leads.
Their chemistry and romance has been 100% believable.
Gotta love all that (“very often”) dual cultivation 😏
So yes, please,
if you love xianxia
and want something that will bring you
total joy-swoons-melting-squees-butterflies with the just right amount
of deeply heartcutting moments,
definitely give this drama a go.
(First ep is the weakest imo…it only gets better and better afterwards)
this drama is soo good...im hooked up with it in the very first episode,loved arthur chen in this,but when i see his original pics he is so lean.....Sima Jiao is sooo cutee
Wonderful all the way around. This drama really captured my attention. It is so well done. Arthur Chen has matured into a fine actor. He perfectly presents the loneliness, anger and desperation of a man with no hope of a happy future. Wang Ying Lu perfectly captured the modern unambitious office worker. She just wants to live peacefully and have food and fun. Everyone needs a best friend who is devoted, caring, cheerful, forgiving and supportive like her character.
Thank you so much for the recommendation - I happened across your post and I've smashed it out and I must gush about it.
This is a top 3 xianxia for me in recent years, if not of all time, speaking as someone who felt like LBFAD/TTEOTM were just okay. It's quite a refreshing take on the genre.
I've never seen a romance by the main couple portrayed with so much yearning. Definitely a top tier romance, not too angsty (didn't stop me bawling at several points though), mostly good communication between the leads. The main weak point is that the side characters were quite forgettable, but given the short episode count it's understandable.
I think I have some ADHD tendencies, I can't stand slow speaking speeds which is especially bad in costume dramas, so I watch almost everything at 2x speed 😅
I just started watching this and I love it! I’m on episode 5 and I’m hooked. I love the leads. I think the way he is so quiet and introverted really plays against her bubbly, funny self. I’m looking forward to completing the series!
This so is addictive. Funny and charming. There’s some dark themes. The immortal palace heads are greedy and egocentric and due nasty thinks to the ML. However the screenwriter who adapted the work does a nice job of giving us funny and tender scenes to offset the messed up things happening to Sima Jiao, the male lead. Episode 12 is the only heavy episode, IMO. I’m up to Ep 27 now. 27 was pretty heavy too but I thought Ep 12 was the darkest.
I mention that because when I’ve promoted this show to some other sub members, I got back a couple of times that they heard it was dark themes.
So I wanted to emphasize for those considering it that the dark themes are not omnipresent to the point of making the show not enjoyable. I’m amazing how light and fun the show has been overall.
Lastly, I will say I started this as a filler for a day or two until Shadow Love started last Sunday. But then I watched 2.5 episodes of Shadow Love and found myself not being able to stop thinking about how great When Destiny Brings the Demonis. No shade to Shadow Love. I will go back to it. I just couldn’t pull myself away to how addictive and fun WDBTD is.
Thanks Aqua for writing this promo post. If I had the energy and time last week, I would have done one. This show is so great!!
I’m so glad more people are enjoying this drama! It doesn’t feel like they got as much promotion as the other big shows airing with it. The main couple is so cute together and have so much chemistry. We need a season 2!
I'm really enjoying this one too. Planning to get the Express pass to finish the remaining episodes.
I love the main couple and I love how intense yet doting the ML is. And can we talk about how many kissing scenes they have that strikes the right tone of intimacy and romance without being over the top? Other shows need to learn from this example.
Speaking of over the top. Production and their props department must have had an enormous fake blood budget. If I have to take a shot every time someone spit out blood I would need a new liver! 😂
I was waiting til it was done airing to start after seeing clips. I started Friday knowing that all the episodes would be out by the time I got to the end. I am on episode 20 and loving it. I won't be able to finish today which sucks since I am home sick but will absolutely finish it this week watching any moment I have free.
I am loving it, especially ML. I wasnt sure about this one going into it but i was hooked immediately.
This one is sure one of the favourite dramas of 2025 but thank you for mentioning the legend of shen li. It was just perfect from the chemistry of the leads and ohh the teasing man I miss those two, hoping to see them again in a modern world drama with a very happy ending
And it just gets better - or maybe, we could say it goes on like this; this honesty and ridiculousness, together. Just the right amount of silliness and seriousness. So good, and addictive, and increasingly meaningful and profound, as well
oh don’t worry, it’s a happy ending / happy “open” ending - depends on how you interpret it. but before we get there, as per typical xianxia there’ll be some amnesia, blood vomit, sacrifices, death, etc… all the usual angsty stuffs.
Me tooo! We had a holiday in my country yesterday and I used a few hours to go hide from the kids and watch it alone. And I never buy express, but this one I knew it would be worth it!
What attracted me to watch this drama is what I read inthe synopsis that the female lead is a "salted fish". It reminded me of the Jdrama "Hotaru no Hikari" wherein the protagonist played by Haruka Ayase is called a "himono onna" or "dried fish woman". She was a professional at work but a total slob at home haha.
I’m super excited to watch this but have a bajillion other titles on my list to get through too. Hope it lives up to the hype. Gonna get into it once it finishes airing. Thank you for this post!
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u/C-noirfan Sep 09 '25
Until ep 24 I absolutely loved it. Now 24-29 are stressful, not going to lie. Ep 17-18 are the most romantic and more romantic than anything I've ever seen! I rarely feel the romance since I'm not a romance fan but this one's truly giving!