I am the famous ghost-handed embalmer of the capital, a master of the art of painted skin, able to turn decay into immortal beauty with a single brushstroke. Even the King of Hell has to offer me a cigarette when he sees me.
My father, a corpse-driving Taoist, ran off seven years ago. To ward off disaster, I painted a hideous centipede scar across my stunning face, earning myself the fearsome name "Rakshasa Ugly Woman."
The young general thought I was too hard to kill and too ugly, so he broke off our engagement on the spot. Then I was carried, coffin and all, back to his manor by the sickly young marquis, the beautiful invalid rumored to be on his last breath!
The whole capital laughed at me for being an ill omen. Little did they know that I could capture the dead's grievances in a few strokes, and even solve countless cold cases with my corpse-driving bell!
The young general looked down his nose at me. "Marry an ugly woman like her? Only if I were blind!"
Without a hint of panic, I wiped away the fake scar, revealing my truly breathtaking face. While I was at it, I also found irrefutable proof in the hidden compartment of a coffin that the young general's father had colluded with the enemy.
The young general dropped to his knees on the spot, begging to get back together. But the young marquis, seemingly frail and coughing blood yet secretly the crown prince of a fallen kingdom, gently circled my waist with his slender sword. "My lady, now that you've finished painting other people's faces, shouldn't you close the door tonight... and help me finish painting this dragon robe?"
