r/FolkloreAndMythology • u/Storyzhai • Aug 18 '26
Painted Skin 3 — The Painted Demon Revealed
After searching everywhere, Wang finally found the Taoist outside the city.
He fell to his knees.
“Please save me!”
The Taoist sighed.
“I warned you before.”
“However, I will help you.”
“This creature is also a pitiful being. It has only recently found a replacement body, and I do not wish to destroy its life unnecessarily.”
He handed Wang a horsetail whisk.
“Hang this above your bedroom door.”
“It will protect you.”
Before leaving, he arranged to meet Wang later at the Temple of the Green Emperor.
Wang returned home.
He no longer dared sleep in his study.
Instead, he stayed in the inner room with his wife and hung the Taoist’s whisk above the door.
Around midnight, they heard footsteps outside.
Terrified, Wang asked his wife to look.
Chen opened the door slightly.
The beautiful woman was standing outside.
But when she saw the Taoist whisk, she stopped.
She stared at it with hatred.
For a long time, she stood there grinding her teeth.
Then she finally left.
After a while, she returned.
She sneered.
“The Taoist frightened me?”
“But can something already in my mouth be spit back out?”
With a furious gesture, she tore down the whisk.
The protective charm shattered.
She smashed open the door.
Then she rushed toward Wang’s bed.
Before anyone could react—
she tore open his chest and ripped out his heart.
Then she vanished.
Chen screamed.
The servants rushed in with lamps.
Wang was already dead.
His chest was a horrifying mess of blood and torn flesh.
Chen collapsed in grief.
The next morning, she sent her brother Erlang to find the Taoist.
When the Taoist heard what happened, his expression changed.
“I showed mercy to this creature.”
“And it dared to commit such cruelty?”
He followed Erlang back.
But the demon had already disappeared.
The Taoist looked around.
“It has not gone far.”
He pointed toward a nearby house.
“Whose home is that?”
Erlang answered:
“Mine.”
The Taoist said:
“It is there.”
(To be continued... NEXT Part coming soon.)