Dream Realm of Deities

“Ugh!”
Wang Liang pressed his head, struggling to open his eyes and see where he was. Yet, when his eyes finally opened, he found the world before him shrouded in darkness. Only a faint oil lamp flickered in the distance, barely illuminating his surroundings.

He was, astonishingly, inside a cell no larger than five square meters. The wall against which he leaned was made of massive blocks of blue stone, while both sides were fenced by thick wooden bars, each as wide as a person's head.

This prison cell was likely underground; even the straw on which Wang Liang lay was damp and tinged with mold. A bucket sat by the door, its purpose all too clear.

From both the left and right sides of the room came faint sounds of breathing—one rapid, the other almost inaudible. It was clear that other people were being held in the cells to either side.

As he pondered further, Wang Liang finally recalled the reason for his predicament. He remembered being falsely accused of colluding with a border general, scheming treason against the state. His entire family had been implicated and executed; all those associated with him had perished, and only he, through the intervention of a eunuch, had been spared death and sentenced to exile in Huan Prefecture.

On his way to exile, he had been captured by bandits and brought here—over twenty days had passed since then.

Rubbing his forehead gently, Wang Liang was struck by a sudden question: why had he just now doubted his own whereabouts?

At that moment, the door outside his cell was sud