Scholar Wang was walking home one evening when he encountered a beautiful young woman weeping by the roadside. She claimed to have fled an abusive household, and Wang, moved by compassion, offered her shelter.

Wang's wife was suspicious of the mysterious woman, but Wang dismissed her concerns. Weeks passed, and Wang grew enchanted by the woman's beauty and charm, neglecting his studies and his marriage.

One night, unable to sleep, Wang crept to the woman's quarters. He peered through a crack in the door and saw not a woman but a hideous green-skinned demon, carefully painting a human face onto a sheet of skin.

The demon sensed Wang's presence and attacked. Only the intervention of a wandering Daoist priest saved him. The priest trapped the demon in a gourd, and Wang learned that the most dangerous masks are worn by those closest to us.