Painting Bones in the Tang Dynasty: Pei Xijun’s Case Files

My name is Pei Xijun, daughter of Pei Jian, Vice Minister of Personnel. The world knows me only as the madwoman in Chang'an who longs to die for Xiao Lang, the man who supposedly died in battle long ago.

If not for the bizarre Chang'an Red Tea case, I might have spent the rest of my life wasting away in that dim boudoir.

That day, the arrogant and overbearing Lu Lingfeng, a lieutenant general of the Imperial Guard, barged into my world. He was domineering and rude, yet his silhouette was exactly like that of the Xiao Lang in my dreams.

That same day, Su Wuming, a disciple of Judge Di, told me that the brush in my hand could do more than paint landscapes, flowers, and birds. It could also reveal the truth beneath the surface and uncover the darkness in people's hearts.

From Chang'an's sinister ghost market to the misty, rain-soaked roads of the south, from the strange tales at Gantang Post Station to Luoyang's deadly Flower-Faced Curse.

I joined them on a road from which there was no turning back.

I painted the face of a bride who had met a gruesome end, the silhouette of a serial killer, the greedy faces beneath the Crocodile God's shadow, and the crumbling illusion behind the prosperous Tang Dynasty.

This is a journey in search of the truth, and a story of how I, Pei Xijun, found myself and recognized true love.

It turned out that the Xiao Lang I had pursued for so long had always been by my side, protecting me and standing with me.