Dee, the detective serving Chinese empress Wu Zetian, is called upon to investigate a series of strange events in Loyang, including the appearance of mysterious warriors wearing Chiyou ghost masks, foxes that speak human language and the pillar sculptures in the palace coming alive.
During the reign of King Zhou, an official enters his bedchamber, and is devoured by the monstrous tails of Daji, his concubine. Outside their city, several warriors within a metal wagon discuss their strategies to free the Invisible People and their Chief, when Jiang Ziya appears to them. He tells them that when King Zhou was younger, he let himself become possessed by the Black Dragon for his quest for power.
Painted Skin is based on one of Pu Songling's classic short stories in Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio. Zhou Xun stars as Xiao Wei, a fox spirit that feasts on human hearts in order to maintain her lovely, youthful appearance. When General Wang Sheng (Chen Kun) 'rescues' her from a band of bandits and brings her home, trouble brews as the demon falls in love with the general.
Wang Sheng, a Ming-Dynasty scholar who just failed the Imperial Examination, works together with his fellow villagers through many strange but fantastic approaches to change his hometown’s backwardness and his own fate. He accidentally meets with a Fox Spirit and involves himself in a series of weird adventures, both physically and emotionally, only to completely change his own life.
Yang buys a painting of fox fairy. When he faces the painting and calls "Qing Mei", a fox fairy will get out the painting and stay together with Yang. Yang's parents invite a Taoist to catch the fox, but a vampire appears to kill the Taoist's assistant and seduce Yang. The fox fairy fights the vampire to protect Yang.
When she helplessly falls in love with her mortal enemy, the beautiful yet cursed fox spirit known as Snow Lady causes her mother much trepidation. To make matters worse, a ruthless tracker emerges and threatens to alter her fate. Darkly comical and hauntingly stylish, this magical gothic tale from Hong Kong also features performances from Wai Yiu and director Ma Wu.