The Painted Skin tattoo is sinister in its own way—after it’s completed, you have to remove it within fifteen days, or something terrifying will happen. As for what exactly happens, my grandfather never explained, only told me to follow the procedure.

This tattoo, known as a Yin tattoo, has a dark origin. It comes from the Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio (聊斋志异).

The story is set in the late Ming dynasty in Taiyuan, where a scholar named Wang Sheng met a homeless girl. The girl was young and beautiful, and Wang Sheng, taken by her looks, brought her back to his house. He kept her hidden in a secret room, and every day, they shared moments of intimacy.

What Wang Sheng didn't know was that the girl was a malicious ghost in disguise. Her face was greenish, her teeth sharp like saw blades. She would often spread human skin on the bed and paint it with colorful brushes. Once she was done, she would pick up the painted skin and shake it like a garment, transforming it into a beautiful woman before his eyes.

The story was strange and horrifying. The Painted Skin tattoo comes from this ghostly tale. As for its effect, it may very well be as sinister as the one in the story. People who seek this tattoo are asking for trouble, no matter how powerful it is. The eerie feeling it evokes is undeniable.

I told them about it, and Su Qing seemed to shudder at the thought. She commented, "Who would dare get a tattoo like that? Just imagining it gives me the chills."

But Cui Meixi was resolute. She declared, "I’ll get it! I don’t care about the consequences. If there’s even the smallest chance of me becoming beautiful, I won’t miss it. I’m not afraid of death, but I am terrified of being ugly!"

I reassured her that she wouldn’t die, as long as she followed my instructions. She would need to come back after fifteen days to remove the tattoo, and everything would be fine.

Since she had made up her mind, I gave her the price: 300,000 yuan. This tattoo wasn’t a simple one—it was potent, and the effects could be unpredictable. The tattoo would need to be removed after fifteen days. How beautiful she could become would depend on her luck. After all, this was my first time working with a Yin tattoo like this.

Cui Meixi hesitated at first. 300,000 wasn’t a small sum, and I couldn’t guarantee the outcome. After thinking for a while, she finally agreed. She said that even if she was scammed, she would accept it. For the chance of beauty, she was willing to try anything.

I assured her that the Yin tattoo was powerful and wouldn’t be without effect. As she was a referral from someone I knew, she could trust my expertise. Hearing this, Cui Meixi finally felt more at ease. She transferred the 300,000 yuan directly to my account, and I confirmed the payment.

Today, I’d made 320,000 yuan, bringing my total savings to 550,000 yuan. After I paid Hong Wu for the ghost, that would leave me with 540,000. It wasn’t quite a million, but I had a small goal: first, I would aim to make one million.

After receiving the payment, I called Hong Wu. The old man seemed pleased that business was rolling in. He chuckled and asked what I needed this time.

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I told him I needed a ghost for a Painted Skin tattoo and asked him to bring it over.

Hong Wu laughed, saying my tattoos were getting more and more vicious. He appreciated my boldness and business sense more than my grandfather’s, saying I was a natural.

He told me he had a "supply" that had been sitting around for a long time. A woman had died in a botched cosmetic surgery, and the poor thing had never been able to become beautiful in life, and now, as a ghost, she remained ugly. Hong Wu said he almost felt sorry for her and was considering letting her go.

I didn’t buy his act, though. "Stop pretending to be a good Samaritan," I said. "Would a fisherman ever release a fish back into the sea? Would a hunter let his prey go free out of pity? Cut the crap and bring the ghost."

Hong Wu was caught off guard but quickly agreed. "Alright, I’ll bring her."

Not long after, Hong Wu showed up with his truck. As always, it was packed with "merchandise"—this time, it was female corpses, all dolled up and carrying a strange fragrance.

I was curious—why did these bodies smell sweet instead of the usual rotting stench? What was he doing with them? My grandfather had always said that dead bodies began to stink after a while, but these... they smelled oddly pleasant.

But I didn’t ask too many questions. Hong Wu didn’t offer any explanations either. He handed me the bamboo tube and quickly left. I assumed he had more deliveries to make. Where he was taking the bodies or what he was doing with them, I didn’t know—and frankly, I didn’t want to know.

When I opened the bamboo tube, I heard something knocking inside. It sounded like something was tapping against the bamboo.

It was eerie, but at this point, I was used to it. I poured the contents of the tube into the paint. With that, the tattooing process could begin.

I led Cui Meixi into the tattoo room and began working on her. The Painted Skin tattoo didn’t have a specific location requirement. It could be placed anywhere on the body, but I asked her where she wanted it. She chose her back.

She had a great figure—if you didn’t look at her face, she was quite striking. Her body was well-proportioned, with curves in all the right places. She was the kind of woman whose back alone could captivate anyone. It was a shame that her face ruined the effect.

I joked with her, asking how her boyfriend could be so foolish. If he turned off the lights and looked at her from behind, he would think she was a beautiful woman. Why bother with porn when he had a real-life figure like that?

As I tattooed her, she told me about her struggles. She worked hard on her body, hitting the gym, trying to compensate for her looks. But no matter how perfect her figure was, her face still held her back. In this world, looks were everything.

She went on about her life’s hardships, but I wasn’t particularly moved. People with sad stories were a dime a dozen. I had heard enough of them over the years to stop sympathizing. Life was tough for a lot of people.

The Painted Skin tattoo wasn’t particularly complicated. It took about four hours to complete. When I was done, I held up a mirror for her to see the design.

The tattoo on her back depicted a ghostly woman with a green face and sharp teeth. She was holding a piece of beautiful human skin in one hand and a colorful paintbrush in the other, grinning eerily.

Cui Meixi shuddered when she saw it. "This tattoo is terrifying," she said, visibly shaken.

I told her not to worry—after all, she wouldn’t be able to see it herself since it was on her back, and it would be removed in fifteen days. There was nothing to be afraid of.

But then, something strange happened. I noticed the ghost’s paintbrush twitching in the reflection of the mirror. I froze and asked Cui Meixi if she saw anything unusual.

She shook her head. "No, what are you talking about?"

I shrugged it off. "Maybe it’s just my eyes playing tricks on me. Nothing to worry about."

After Cui Meixi left, I was about to relax when Aizi Xing suddenly woke up. The little guy grabbed one of the kidneys I had bought for him and began chomping down on it.

As he ate, he suddenly stopped, eyes wide. "Uh-oh, I think I messed up," he said, his voice filled with concern.