During the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty, bizarre murders occurred one after another in a small county named Anhe in the south of the Yangtze River. A wealthy businessman died quietly in a secret room in a horrifying manner. All the essence and blood were drained from his body, leaving only an empty human skin. According to folklore, this is an evil ghost from the underworld who is "borrowing its skin" to resurrect his soul.
For a time, people in the county were panicked and rumors spread.
Shen Ke, a minor official who was demoted from the capital and relegated to the county government official position, was forced to get involved in this strange case. He was once a young genius who was famous in Beijing, but now he can only hide his talents and bide his time under the corrupt bureaucracy. Facing the stupid and confused county magistrate who just wants to close the case, and the people who are dominated by fear and believe in ghosts and gods, Shen Ke can only rely on his mind that has never been dusted to find clues in the layers of fog.
As the investigation deepened, he discovered that behind this seemingly ghostly case, there was a bloody past that had been sealed for many years. Every deceased person is inextricably linked to the old case in the past. The evil in the human heart is far more terrifying than ghosts and gods.
What Shen Ke wants to do is not only to find out the real culprit hiding behind the legend of "borrowing skin from the underworld", but also to seek justice for himself and the innocent souls in this turbid world.
