A woman with magical powers still can’t make a man she loves fall in love with her. Xiao Wei is a demon fox who was raised as a human girl by Xia Lao along with his granddaughter Xia Bing. But when Xiao Wei unleashes her demon spirit and accidentally kills Xia Lao, she begins her life on the run. Xia Bing is devastated by the loss of her grandfather and swears she will track down Xiao Wei and get revenge. Meanwhile, Xiao Wei is taken in by a general Wang Sheng and his wife Pei Rong. But soon, Pei Rong begins to suspect that Xiao Wei is a demon in disguise and requests help from Pang Yong, who has always had feelings for Pei Rong, to help her. As Pang Yong begins to investigate Xiao Wei, he meets up with Xia Bing, and the two try to expose Xiao Wei with each other’s help. Xiao Wei falls in love with Wang Sheng but is unable to use her strong powers to win her heart. Angry by this, Xiao Wei casts a “painted skin” spell on Pei Rong to make the world believe that she is a demon.
It is adapted from the 2008 film by the same title, which also is loosely based on a classic short story from “Strange Stories From a Chinese Studio” by Pu Song Ling.
