Liu Ziyuan, a talented scholar of Gusu, is arrogant and proud. Finding Shen Jinghong, the daughter of the Shen family, covered in red spots and ugly in appearance, he flatly refuses the marriage. Soon, he encounters an exquisite beauty, Chu Wanqing, in a desolate courtyard, and is bewitched by her looks, almost falling into the trap of a painted-skin skeleton demon. Shen Jinghong, though ugly in appearance, possesses secret exorcism arts and is the warding-off bride capable of suppressing evil and breaking demons. With a benevolent heart, she steps forward multiple times to rescue him using blood talismans and ancient techniques. Borrowing strange tales of ghosts and spirits, the story warns the world that stunning beauty is mostly an illusion; one must never judge people by their appearance, as lusting after romantic encounters easily leads one into traps.