Any Excuse Will Do

As the sensation of weightlessness passed, the scene before his eyes changed once again.

The Dream Demon had woven a grand dream, pulling every living being in the town into it.

The deep dream finally began to grow lively. The streets were brightly lit, yet not a single person was in sight.

There was no moon in the night sky, only a massive, singular eyeball.

The eyeball hung in the center of the firmament, bloodshot and bulging. Its pupil rotated slightly, looking down with cold indifference at every inch of the land below.

Visible transparent silk threads dangled from the eyeball, connecting to every house beneath it.

"Whoa! That’s quite a setup!" Wu Gou looked up at the eye and clicked his tongue in wonder.

Chen Zhou gazed at the eyeball. He hadn't expected an ordinary town within the province to have surveillance.

Since he intended to do some 'bad' things, he couldn't allow himself to be seen by a monitor.

Chen Zhou raised his hand, and the bone ring on his finger glowed faintly.

"Cloud Sea Resplendence, Shrouding Heaven!"

An invisible ripple spread out like a mist, silently shrouding the street below and the area where Chen Zhou stood.

In the eyeball's vision, this place remained normal, showing no signs of anything unusual.

Having done this, Chen Zhou looked down at the street.

He saw that the countless transparent threads emerging from the rooftops also branched out into separate lines. These lines connected to the hands of squads of black-armored soldiers patrolling the streets.

Those soldiers were clad in heavy armor, their faces hidden. They were likewise wrapped in the golden light of merit and the red lotuses of karma-fire.

Clearly, these were the Yinsi Guards Chen Zhou had seen earlier.

However, now that the piglet's dream had manifested, these illusory entities finally possessed physical forms.

They yanked on the threads as if they were pulling livestock, dragging things out from various inns and private dwellings.

Standing on a rooftop, Chen Zhou and Wu Gou watched the scene below.

A squad of Yinsi Guards was dragging heavy chains as they approached from the direction of Yuelai Inn.

Locked at the other end of the chains were over a dozen translucent souls.

There were men and women, humans and demons alike.

At a glance, Chen Zhou recognized several of them—the same diners he had seen in the inn during the day.

The tiger demon who had been shouting about not having enough to eat was among them. At this moment, he had long lost his previous arrogance. His soul shivered like a frightened kitten, allowing the Yinsi Guard to drag him along.

The karma-fire on these individuals was terrifyingly dense; clearly, they had committed no small amount of slaughter in their time.

The Yinsi Guard stopped. The leading black-armored soldier pulled out a bamboo scroll and spoke in a cold, emotionless voice.

"Tiger Demon Shi Lin. During your life, you consumed thirty-two humans and destroyed a hundred acres of fertile fields. Your sins are profound."

"By the law, you are to be executed. Your soul shall be cast into the soul-locking lamp to suffer the agony of soul-refining for a hundred years."

The tiger demon's soul struggled desperately, shouting his innocence. "That was before I gained sentience! I've been a vegetarian for several years now!"

"Our boss has sworn brotherhood with Prince Cangming of the Eastern Region! If you dare touch me, aren't you afraid of his retaliation?"

"Do you people of the province really want to go to war with my demon race?"

The Yinsi Guard remained deaf to his words and flicked the chains.

A soldier carrying a ghastly white lantern stepped forward and opened its lid. A powerful suction force surged out.

With a 'swoosh,' the tiger demon's soul was sucked inside. A shrill scream echoed from the lantern before the flame jumped an inch higher, turning a ghostly green.

As the evil spirit was taken into custody, Chen Zhou keenly noticed that the golden light of merit on the Yinsi Guards involved grew a fraction brighter.

"Capturing evil spirits increases merit."

Wu Gou commented, "This seems quite righteous, doesn't it? Acting on behalf of heaven."

Chen Zhou didn't speak; he simply pointed behind them.

"Don't be in a hurry. Keep watching."

After dealing with the evil spirit, the Yinsi Guards did not leave.

The leading soldier yanked on several more thin lines in his hand.

The souls of the Yuelai Inn manager, the waiter, and the cook, Song Zi'an, were dragged out stumbling. They were forced to their knees on the ground.

The manager was so terrified his soul form was on the verge of collapsing. He kowtowed repeatedly.

"Mercy, my lord! Mercy!"

"This old man runs an honest business. I have never done anything to harm anyone!"

The Yinsi Guard opened the bamboo scroll and continued to read expressionlessly.

"Yuelai Inn Manager Zhao Fu, Waiter Wang Er, and Cook Song Zi'an."

"You all clearly knew that evil spirits had entered your establishment, yet you did not drive them away. Instead, you provided them with wine and food."

"You even shared the same room with them, laughing and talking, and failed to report them to the authorities in a timely manner."

"By the law, this is deemed the crime of harboring criminals and acting in collusion."

"Furthermore, the Prince's banquet is imminent. You have allowed yourselves to be tainted by the aura of demons, which offends the noble atmosphere."

"Your crimes are compounded."

"The sentence: thirty days of soul detention, five hundred lashes, and three rolls in a cauldron of boiling oil to cleanse the filth from your bodies!"

The manager was stunned, shouting for justice.

He was just a businessman. He didn't know what was happening lately, with humans and demons coming and going through the city.

For the provincial banquet, even the Prince had sent invitations to the demons of the Eastern Region. How was he supposed to know which demons were sinful and which were the province's noble guests?

After hearing his defense, the Yinsi Guard replied coldly.

"To think you are still unrepentant. You hosted evil spirits, and the scent of the wine drifted three yards to the east, directly toward the direction of the lord's carriage. This is already a great disrespect."

"After the evil spirits left their seats, you quickly wiped down the tables and chairs. According to the law, this is an attempt to destroy the residual criminal aura of the evil spirits—you intended to be accomplices."

"The dishes your cook made were too delicious, whetting the evil spirits' appetites and making them merry."

"In doing so, the evil spirits felt less remorse. You were encouraging the arrogance of demons and disrupting the Yinsi's teachings. This is another layer of crime."

Song Zi'an looked up. Though he was in soul form, his fury was still plain to see.

"If you want to frame someone, any excuse will do!"

"We only cooked a meal! What crime is there in that?"

"Defiling the innocent... is this what you call the law?"

The Yinsi Guard refused to listen to any defense.

"The law? The Yinsi Decrees are the law."

"Take them away!"

With that, several chains were about to be looped around the necks of the three men.

At that moment, the auspicious clouds above Chen Zhou's head began to flash frantically. Clearly, the person they were guiding him to was about to be taken.

And the piglet nestled in Chen Zhou's arms could no longer hold back.

The soul-locking lamp contained many newly captured souls, and among them was the distinct scent of nightmares.

To a starving Dream Demon, it was as if someone were waving a pot of braised pork right under its nose.

"Achoo—!!!"

The piglet couldn't help it and let out an earth-shattering sneeze.

In the silence of the dream, it was no different from a thunderclap.

"Who is there?!"

The Yinsi Guards below reacted instantly. Dozens of faces turned in unison, staring toward the rooftop.

Chen Zhou slowly retracted his Ghost Domain, revealing his figure. His black robes fluttered without a wind.

"Bold madman! How dare you spy on the Yinsi conducting official business!"

The leading Yinsi Guard barked, raising his chain and pointing it directly at Chen Zhou.

"State your name! The Yinsi scroll does not record the execution of nameless ghosts!"