Chapter 6: Painted Skin

I don’t know how much time passed.
A series of footsteps echoed from the stairwell.
Startled, I stood up and adopted a defensive posture.
Xia Yubing had already scared me into a state of extreme paranoia.

The door pushed open, and a petite, adorable short-haired girl walked out.
It was Ou Zhiqin.
Seeing her, I let out a sigh of relief.
Although she was just a weak girl herself, she felt like the only straw I could grasp as I drowned.

“Xia Yubing?! No, are you really Brother Xiao?
Why aren’t you wearing clothes?” Ou Zhiqin looked at me suspiciously, asking tentatively.

“It’s me, I am Luo Xiao, Xiao Qing, you must believe me.
You might not believe it when I say it, but I was attacked by a malevolent ghost.
Xia Yubing is that malevolent ghost!” I explained in a panic.

Although I had repeatedly thought about how to explain the situation to Xiao Qing, when it came time to speak, I was still incoherent, not knowing how to articulate it.

Unexpectedly, Ou Zhiqin didn’t seem confused at all; instead, she calmly told me: “Alright, calm down.
I know you’re Brother Xiao.
First, put on some clothes, then tell me in detail what happened.”

She brought a set of clothes, a woman’s tracksuit and jeans.
These must be Ou Zhiqin’s private clothes, as I had seen her wear them before.
She probably couldn’t find any other clothes and, in a hurry, brought her own.

“Thank you,” I quickly put on the outfit.
Although it wasn’t too obvious, it was still women’s clothing.
And Xia Yubing’s figure seemed a bit taller than Ou Zhiqin’s, so the clothes felt a bit tight and awkward, but having them was better than nothing.

Moreover, the clothes she brought seemed to have something on them, a layer of black aura seemed to linger.
Ou Zhiqin herself also had a similar aura around her.
I had never noticed such an unusual quality about her before.

“Now you can tell me properly.
What kind of ghost attacked you, what were its characteristics, what did it say to you, or what did it do to you, and…” Ou Zhiqin paused before asking with lingering fear, “How did you survive?”

She was completely unfazed, even after hearing that I was attacked by a malevolent ghost.
I had prepared myself for her not to believe my story, but Ou Zhiqin asked me very seriously what kind of ghost had attacked me.

How would I know what kind of ghost it was?
I could only tell her from the beginning: from Xia Yubing confessing to me, to her skin tearing open, to the green-faced, fanged malevolent ghost covered in blood inside, and how it swallowed me.
I told Ou Zhiqin everything, and she often interrupted me to ask for details.

It was then that I remembered she was from the Supernatural Events Department, a hobbyist in this field.
But I had always believed that these monsters and spirits simply didn’t exist, until Xia Yubing attacked me, shattering my worldview.

Compared to me, Ou Zhiqin was the expert.
After listening carefully to my description, she also checked the bloody claw marks on the door, then sighed and said: “It’s a Painted Skin Ghost.
That’s a kind of demon that wears human skin to disguise itself as a human.”

“Wait, are you talking about that Painted Skin?” I had heard of the Painted Skin Ghost; it’s one of the most famous chapters in Liaozhai Zhiyi.
Although I didn’t know the specific plot, I had heard the name.
I just used to think it was merely a legend.

“That’s right, it’s that Painted Skin Ghost.
Xia Yubing shouldn’t be its true form; she was likely harmed by it.
That Painted Skin Ghost was wearing Xia Yubing’s skin and trying to harm you.” Ou Zhiqin said.

“Painted Skin Ghosts will dig out and eat human hearts and lungs, drain human blood, and take their human skin for themselves.
But it needs a condition: the victim must fall in love with them.
Many spirits and monsters have various restrictions.”

No wonder it pretended to be Xia Yubing to confess to me.
I admit I was indeed moved at that moment.
But there were still some things I didn’t understand: “But why did it run away?
And why did I turn into Xia Yubing’s appearance?”

“Ah, that’s your grandmother’s blessing.
Her jade pendant saved you.
I guess that Painted Skin Ghost was quite impatient; it actually swallowed you, jade pendant and all, in one go.
This jade pendant, which had already become a Dharma artifact, was suppressed by the evil aura inside and unleashed its spiritual power, expelling the ghost.” Ou Zhiqin analyzed.

I held up the jade pendant, feeling its warm aura.
Although I had vaguely guessed that the jade pendant saved me, it wasn’t until Ou Zhiqin told me it was a Dharma artifact that I was certain: my grandmother’s dying words, ‘turn misfortune into fortune,’ were true.

“But as for why Brother Xiao you turned into Xia Yubing’s appearance, I don’t know.
There’s no record of this situation in books.
I can only guess wildly: maybe after the Painted Skin Ghost was frightened away by the jade pendant, you were still trapped inside Xia Yubing’s skin, and the skin automatically put itself on you while you were unconscious.”

“But, I feel like this is my own skin, and if it’s just a skin, it shouldn’t even change my voice, right?” My voice now was an agreeable girl’s voice, and pulling at the skin hurt; I couldn’t tear it off at all.

According to my understanding, a painted skin should just be a human skin worn by the ghost, like a special effects suit.
But why did I now feel like I had completely turned into a girl?

“Brother Xiao, don’t underestimate the Painted Skin.
That’s its innate divine ability; it’s not just as simple as wearing a layer of human skin.
This is a mystical fusion, and even the voice changes.
Otherwise, wouldn’t a Painted Skin Ghost expose itself the moment it spoke?” Ou Zhiqin said.

“Then, how do I take it off?
I can’t possibly be a girl forever, can I?
And I know nothing about Xia Yubing; there’s no way I can pretend to be her.” I said worriedly.
This skin was seamless; it didn’t look like it could be taken off at all.
Rather, it felt just like my own skin.

“I don’t know either.
I’ve never heard of anyone being able to expel a Painted Skin Ghost during its possession and then wearing its skin, let alone how to take it off.” Ou Zhiqin shook her head, indicating she couldn’t help.

I was about to say something else when Ou Zhiqin suddenly continued: “Alright, stop talking for now.
We absolutely must leave the school now.
If we can’t get past tonight, there won’t even be a ‘later,’ so what’s the point of talking about skin?”

“Eh? What do you mean?” I had a vague bad premonition.

“According to records, Painted Skin Ghosts are particularly vicious and vengeful demons.
You temporarily repelled it with the jade pendant and even stole its skin.
Once it recovers, it will definitely come back for revenge.
Staying here, we will surely die.” Ou Zhiqin said gravely.

“Um, I have the jade pendant protecting me, so I shouldn’t need to fear that Painted Skin Ghost, right?” I held onto a sliver of hope.

“How could that be?
Before, the Painted Skin Ghost didn’t know you had the jade pendant, so it swallowed you and the jade pendant together and suffered a backlash.
Now it knows you have the jade pendant.
With the Painted Skin Ghost prepared, it won’t be possible to repeat that.
If it comes directly to dig out your heart and lungs, how could a small jade pendant protect you?”