Chapter 7 - Death Gives Rise to the Dao

Chapter 7 - 1: Death Gives Rise to the DaoZhao Hanzhang listened to the footsteps on her left and walked to the elevator entrance. The person by her side thoughtfully informed her, "Teacher Zhao, let's wait a bit, the elevator is just coming down from the thirty-second floor."

Although the tone was somewhat indifferent, it was a pleasant voice. What a pity, they were from the same school. You can't eat the grass by the nest.

She had heard students borrowing books from the library discussing before that Professor Fu from the math department was very handsome. But they had few interactions. Had she known the person introduced by Professor Fang was a fellow professor from the same school, she wouldn't have come.

After all, her reputation at the school... was a bit special.

It was a bit awkward at that moment.

As she thought about it, Zhao Hanzhang tilted her head slightly and smiled in the direction he was in, "Alright."

As her voice fell, she heard someone nearby whispering, "So handsome."

"The woman is also pretty, they match well."

"But there's something odd about her. Does she have a problem with her eyes?"

"It seems so."

Zhao Hanzhang's expression did not change, and she continued to smile lightly, though her eyes lowered slightly. She noticed he gently supported her elbow, and Zhao Hanzhang turned her head questioningly and heard him say, "Teacher Zhao, the elevator is here."

Zhao Hanzhang smiled at him and followed his footsteps into the elevator.

The onlookers were now certain; she did indeed have a problem with her eyes.

Realizing only the two of them had entered the elevator, Zhao Hanzhang slightly turned her head.

As if sensing her confusion, Fu Tinghan explained, "I heard there's a seven-star alignment phenomenon tonight, so they've all gone to the observation deck. We're the only ones going down."

Zhao Hanzhang laughed and said, "Professor Fu can go have a look as well. You don't have to see me off; I can go back myself."

She unabashedly pointed to her eyes, "Even though I can't see, it doesn't affect my travel."

Fu Tinghan glanced at her eyes and said, "I'm not particularly interested in astronomy, and we're headed the same way."

Indeed, both of them lived on the school grounds, so they were on the same route.

In the empty elevator with just the two of them, when Fu Tinghan fell silent, Zhao Hanzhang's entire world went black.

She was genuinely composed but didn't like the excessive darkness, so she made conversation. "I didn't expect the person Professor Fang introduced to be Professor Fu."

After hearing his indifferent "Hmm", Zhao Hanzhang said, "I also didn't expect the person Madam mentioned to be Teacher Zhao. I should have accompanied Teacher Zhao over."

The words were interesting. Zhao Hanzhang raised her eyebrows and was about to speak when she suddenly heard something and frowned.

Noticing, Fu Tinghan asked, "What's wrong?"

Just as he spoke, the elevator suddenly plummeted. Fu Tinghan instinctively reached out to support Zhao Hanzhang, who reflexively twisted the hand reaching toward her. When she was about to kick, she realized and quickly switched from twisting to grabbing, repeatedly apologizing, "Sorry, I overreacted..."

But as the elevator abruptly dropped, she lost her balance. Before she finished speaking, she toppled towards him, pinning him beneath her.

The two of them fell together in a heap.

Great, Professor Fu's impression of her would worsen.

Fu Tinghan could see and, ignoring the pain in his arms, held her tightly, stabilizing himself while half-squatting against the elevator wall...

The elevator halted after the drop, but they felt it still trembling. Zhao Hanzhang also heard chaotic and noisy sounds outside, capturing some keen sounds and frowning, "It seems like there's an earthquake."

Fu Tinghan looked outside through the elevator. It was a scenic elevator, so he could see outside. Below, chaos ensued as people ran out of the building.

His expression changed slightly, and he held her tightly, reaching to press the button. Just as his hand touched the red button, the elevator plummeted rapidly. Zhao Hanzhang felt her entire being light and weightless, being held tight by someone protecting her. Then came a loud noise, as if a light flashed before her eyes...

She found it unbelievable. How could she see light?

She had been blind for fourteen years.

Then came the excruciating pain. Before she could ponder whether she had died or if Fu Tinghan died too, she felt white light squeezing into her eyes.

Zhao Hanzhang's eyelids fluttered, cautiously opening her eyes...

She was suddenly transported from the elevator to a... ancient film city?

Zhao Hanzhang stared in astonishment at the towering city walls before her, with people continuously rushing past her, all dressed in ancient clothing, faces filled with fear. As her gaze shifted left, she saw rows of soldiers with spears running towards the city gate, forcing people trying to enter back out.

Raggedly dressed people desperately squeezed in, the soldiers showed no mercy, thrusting them out with spears.

Zhao Hanzhang's eyes narrowed, her hands trembled as she watched the blood flow freely, the wide-eyed people collapsing one by one, trying to convince herself it was filming, to no avail.

The soldiers pushed the group back, the city gate slowly closing before her eyes, with soldiers continually reinforcing it.

But despite the running, shouting, suffering, and death, she couldn't hear a single sound. The scene before her played out like a silent movie.

Now, after regaining her sight, she was deaf.

For a moment, Zhao Hanzhang didn't know whether it was better to be blind or deaf.

She looked down at her hand and clothes—a white dress with a red belt around her waist. A belt selected especially by her roommate for her to wear on that day's blind date outing.

Said to make her waist appear slender with the red belt on her white dress. The other person would be captivated unless they were blind.

So was this reality, or... a dream?

Could an elevator fall cause not only time travel but also restore one's eyesight?

Zhao Hanzhang clenched her fist, pinched her hand slightly—it felt real. Her eyes lit up as she saw someone running past and reached out to grab, "Excuse me..."

Her hand passed right through the other's, and they ran past her without even looking.

Zhao Hanzhang paused, realizing something was amiss. It was one thing not to hear, but standing right there, people ran as if she were invisible.

She waved her hand in front of several people, trying to get their attention, "Hey, excuse me, sir, brother?"

No one responded to her. Great, now she was not only deaf, but invisible. So was this a dream?

Just as Zhao Hanzhang began to firmly believe it was a dream, a group of people carrying a stretcher rushed past her. As Zhao Hanzhang turned, she met the eyes of the girl lying on the stretcher.

It was a ten-year-old girl, wearing a red dress, lying on the stretcher with her eyes tightly closed, her forehead covered in blood. But Zhao Hanzhang recognized her at once...

No, she didn't recognize her, she didn't know who she was, but she looked so much like Zhao Hanzhang did at ten, before she had gone blind...

At the exact moment her gaze landed on her, Zhao Hanzhang seemed to hear a "pop", like something shattered, and the chaotic clamor rushed into her ears.

Zhao Hanzhang could hear!

"Sanniang, wake up! Hurry, take her back to the residence, call a doctor immediately!"

Zhao Hanzhang dumbly ran a few steps following the stretcher, hearing a voice of surprise, "Teacher Zhao—"

Zhao Hanzhang turned her head and saw a handsome young man in a suit standing among the crowd, looking at her. He had just seen her and, upon meeting her gaze, excitedly walked towards her, but after only two steps, he suddenly vanished.

Zhao Hanzhang's pupils contracted. Unable to hold back, she advanced, "Professor Fu—"

But then everything went black, and she instantly lost consciousness.