C1 Returning to the Human World

A bolt of lightning tore through the sky, bringing with it a plummeting figure.

Ling Yifei's eyes snapped open mid-air. "Where the hell am I? No, wait! I'm falling!" he realized in panic.

He hit the ground with a thud. "Ouch, my butt! That's gonna leave a mark," he groaned, squinting as he surveyed his surroundings. His eyes suddenly widened in shock, and he took another incredulous look around before examining his hands.

"Is this... a physical body? Wasn't I transcending a tribulation?"

Just a moment ago, he was in the throes of the Heavenly Dao Mystery Tribulation, transitioning from the ethereal to the void. Success would mean becoming one with the Heavenly Dao. But now, this bewildering situation?

He sprang to his feet, his phone slipping out of his pocket. Picking it up, he saw the date: October 11th, 2017. He stared at the screen, frozen for a moment, then bolted.

"Damn it!"

Ling Yifei nearly screamed as he spun around and dashed back to his home. Over two thousand years had passed, but he vividly remembered that today was the day his father, Ling Zhiyu, had taken his own life.

The haunting memory of his father's suicide lingered in his mind. No, he couldn't let it happen again.

He raced home, bursting through the door without a second thought. Inside, he found his father, Ling Zhiyu, with a rope tied to the doorknob, looped over the top of the door, his body dangling.

Ling Zhiyu was still struggling against the rope.

In desperation, Ling Yifei's fingers channeled energy into a blade, and he cut through the rope.

"Dad!" Ling Yifei rushed to his father's side, but Ling Zhiyu was unresponsive.

Without hesitation, Ling Yifei channeled his Genuine Qi forcefully into his father's chest. Ling Zhiyu coughed and began to stir.

Seeing his son, Ling Zhiyu immediately broke down in tears. Ling Yifei, too, couldn't hold back his tears.

"Yifei..." Ling Zhiyu sobbed, a mix of tears and snot streaming down his face. "Dad didn't want to drag you down with him..."

"Dad, it's okay, it's okay..." Ling Yifei reassured, holding his father tightly while his own body trembled uncontrollably.

In that moment, Ling Yifei realized he had somehow returned from a celestial plane to the mortal world, a realization that dawned on him because his father had indeed taken his own life by hanging. Now, grappling with the dual shock of saving his father and returning to the human realm, his mind was a whirlwind of confusion. Before he could even begin to make sense of it all, someone entered their home.

"Hey, what's going on here with the father-son duo?"

Just hearing the voice, Ling Yifei's memories surged back. Lee Quan, with his signature bald head, enforcer's jacket, and tattoos, was unmistakably a mobster, a debt collector by trade.

Business had been tough over the years, and Ling Zhiyu's factory had nearly gone under three times. Eventually, the banks refused to extend any more loans. Desperate, Ling Zhiyu had taken out loans with exorbitant interest rates, but to no avail.

Ling Yifei vividly remembered that after his father's death, this thug had held him captive for three days. Those days of inhumane treatment—being forced to drink from the toilet, being doused in filth—were etched into his memory. The thought made Ling Yifei's hands shake even more.

"Ling Zhiyu, I've come to collect your debt again!" Lee Quan sauntered over and shoved Ling Yifei aside. "So, when do you plan on paying back the thirty million you owe?"

Ling Zhiyu's eyes bulged in disbelief. "Wasn't it just one million?"

"With no interest, who would lend to a factory on the edge of collapse?" Lee Quan retorted, slapping Ling Zhiyu across the head. "Pay up or I'll end you!"

Seeing his father struck, Ling Yifei was overcome with rage. He leaped up, seized Lee Quan by the hair, and hurled him against the wall.

"F*ck you!" Lee Quan, unscathed from the fall, sprang up and bellowed, "You think you can stand up to me? Get in here!"

At his command, three of his henchmen burst in. They seized both Ling Yifei and his father, Ling Zhiyu, pinning them to the floor.

Ling Yifei had just arrived, his body's Vital Spirit depleted. Before he could even fight back, he was struck on the head with a blunt object and knocked unconscious.

Sometime later, a splash of cold water jolted Ling Yifei awake. He found himself with his hands bound behind him to a chair. His father, Ling Zhiyu, was tied up beside him, both of them gagged.

"Draw the curtains!" Lee Quan commanded his henchmen, then turned on the light himself. He was holding a thin cord, its purpose unclear. "Ling Zhiyu, the IOU states you were to repay the debt within three months. How long has it been now? Six months?"

It wasn't until Lee Quan came closer that Ling Yifei could see what he held—it was fishing line. Lee Quan yanked the gag from Ling Zhiyu's mouth.

"I... I don't have the money..."

"No money, huh?" Without another word, Lee Quan looped the fishing line around Ling Yifei's neck. "If you can't pay, your son will pay the price."

Panic-stricken, Ling Yifei thrashed in his chair. Lee Quan had his goons pin him down as he pulled the line tight around Ling Yifei's neck, cutting off his breath and causing his brain to starve for oxygen.

But in that critical moment, a surge of Vital Spirit burst forth from his Dantian, snapping the fishing line.

"Damn it!" Lee Quan cursed as he inspected the severed line, then fished another from his pocket.

Ling Yifei realized that although he was back in the human world with a scant amount of Vital Spirit, he seemed to have retained some of his cultivated spirit. Yet, it was unstable and not readily accessible. It appeared he needed to regulate the Vital Spirit within him...

"Think fast, or your son's going to suffer," Lee Quan threatened, looping a new line around Ling Yifei's neck.

"No, no, I'll think of something, I will!" Ling Zhiyu, unable to watch his son in distress, quickly acquiesced.

"I'll give you three seconds. One, two..."

In that instant, Ling Yifei summoned a sliver of his Vital Spirit to sever the ropes. Simultaneously, the Vital Spirit struck Lee Quan squarely in the groin, who was standing right behind him!

"Damn it!" Lee Quan cried out, clutching his groin as he collapsed to the ground.

Ling Yifei quickly rose from his chair.

"Big brother!" His underlings rushed to assist Lee Quan to his feet.

Ling Yifei extended his hands, the Vital Spirit gathering at his fingertips. Though this Vital Spirit was only at the Initial Stage, its lowest level of power, it was still more than a match for a mere thug.

As he recalled the indignities he had endured, Ling Yifei took a step forward, almost wishing he could burst Lee Quan's skull with a single jab of his finger.

But the sight of his still-bound father halted him. He couldn't kill Lee Quan—not yet. He needed to expose the loan shark lurking in the shadows, the true culprit behind his father's demise. With a burst of speed, he charged, knocking Lee Quan and his lackeys unconscious.

Yet Ling Yifei wasn't about to let Lee Quan off easily. As the three goons lunged at him, he feigned capture before unleashing a powerful kick. Without employing his Vital Spirit, he still delivered a blow with tenfold strength to Lee Quan's groin.

Lee Quan, previously knocked out, was abruptly awakened by the searing pain. Writhing on the ground, he howled, clutching his groin. A slight smirk played on Ling Yifei's lips. After this ordeal, Lee Quan's life would be forever altered.