I was confused, already unable to discern what was real and what wasn't at that time...
If I was also deceived, then why could the talisman I drew on the prison door block the red-dressed woman? And how could it have killed the patrolling warden?
My master said that I was indeed deceived, and that the cloth doll placed inside the Demon Repelling Circle was just an illusion conjured by the nightmare to fool everyone.
Even if that's true, what about Zhang Ye? Was he also something conjured by the nightmare? It seems that no one knows the answer to that now.
The next day, my master processed my discharge paperwork early in the morning, and after asking around, we walked to the Juvenile Delinquent Management Center. It wasn't too far; it took just over half an hour.
My situation had been clarified, and this return was just to sort out the relevant paperwork and produce some proofs that could attest to my innocence.
Upon seeing me, the Warden was quite shocked and even looked at me strangely. According to my master, the Warden had been there the whole time I was in the emergency room, leaving only after receiving the notice of my death.
I told the Warden that it was a medical miracle that allowed me to come back to life but mainly it was thanks to the talisman from my master, the Yin Yang Master. Of course, I had to say this — otherwise, how could I gain their trust and proceed with the next steps of the plan? After all, there were witnesses to my death.
Sure enough, after hearing my story, the Warden looked at my master with admiration, unable to believe that such an unremarkable person possessed such abilities, achieving the realm of bringing back the dead and repairing flesh and bones. My master waved it off, saying that bringing someone back to life was possible, but fixing flesh and bones was an exaggeration.
Soon after, we got to the main point. My master mentioned that the center wasn't clean, but oddly enough, the Warden didn't object. Instead, he became even more convinced by my master, saying that a wise person had warned him about it before he arrived at the center, but since nothing happened, he had ignored it.
I mentioned that a Warden had tragically died not long ago, but he was extremely surprised, saying that it never happened.
It seems the nightmare had erased all of that too.
My master expressed his desire to help the center cleanse these filthy things, and the Warden welcomed his offer enthusiastically, promising to assist with all his might.
Under the Warden's guidance, my master inspected the prison cells, but the nightmare seemed to have covered its tracks very well, revealing nothing out of the ordinary.
When we passed by Cell 107, I noticed it was empty, as if it had never been occupied, and Zhang Ye's whereabouts were unknown.
When I entered the cell where I used to stay, the cellmates actually recognized me. It seems that the nightmare had not erased information about me, and I didn't know if it was for some purpose or because I was protected by the red undershirt, which prevented it from erasing my information.
But when I asked about Zhang Ye, everyone shook their heads, saying they didn't know him. I then asked the others, where was our Dormitory Head then?
At that moment, a somewhat chubby guy, pushing up his glasses on the bridge of his nose, smiled and said he was the Dormitory Head. He was pleased to meet me, and we shook hands. But inside, I was taken aback because I didn't know him at all; from what he suggested, he had been staying in this cell for a year already.
Could there be something off about this chubby guy? I shot a glance at my master, who subtly shook his head, signaling that he couldn't perceive anything peculiar.
Suddenly, I remembered that everything had been normal until the day we cleaned the third floor and entered Cell 309. Strange incidents started happening frequently after that, and Zhang Ye had said, before I went to the hospital, that he had accidentally released the female ghost. Zhang Ye must have known something more, only he was missing now.
I told the Warden that we'd like to take a look at the third floor, and he said there was no problem at all. However, he suddenly had matters to attend to and told us to go up ourselves, saying that we could find him directly if we needed anything. Perhaps he found it boring to accompany visitors, especially in a place he was already weary of, so he made an excuse and left.
For us, though, this didn't matter; it was even better. Him being with us would make it awkward to speak freely about certain matters.
Following my memory, I led my master to the third floor, heading towards the location of Cell 309. However, to our disappointment, when we reached that spot, there was no Cell 309—only a wall.
I told my master that there definitely was a door here that day, and the number on the door was 309.
My master said it could be that the nightmare had fooled the missing Dormitory Head and had opened the so-called Cell 309 to him, which you saw and entered through your Dormitory Head. That cell might very well be the nightmare's den.
The nightmare's den? But we couldn't see it at all now. If it knew we were here and stayed hidden, didn't that mean we were out of options? I was genuinely worried, especially for Zhang Ye's safety, fretting to the point of scratching myself all over. It wasn't that I was actually turning into a monkey, but the worry made me itch all over.
Seeing me incessantly scratching, my master did some calculations and stated that he was right—Cell 309 was indeed the nightmare's hiding place.
I told my master that my urgency was causing me distress, but he said it wasn't the case. The discomfort I was experiencing was due to the yin energy in this place, and right after, he took me downstairs to discuss further. It would be best to visit the scene of Old Liu's death and to return to the Taoist Temple to retrieve some items.
We found the Warden who was assigned to us and conveyed our wish to go back. Without a second word, he went to request permission from the director. Fortunately, the director approved the request. I'm not sure how the Warden convinced him; he probably didn't say the center was unclean. As for his methods, neither my master nor I asked.
The Warden drove us, and on the way, he talked about spirits and deities, mentioning that he believed in such things and that he had seen divinities as a child.
Seen divinities? I was curious and asked him to share the story, which, after some thought, he did.
Warden Zhao grew up in the countryside and was also poor, with not much to play with. At some point, he became enamored with sports, although there were no gyms back then. Engaging in sports meant running, punching, doing push-ups, and practicing headstands.
At the time, Warden Zhao was only fifteen or sixteen years old.
One day, as the sky began to brighten...
