Return to One

Return to One is an urban supernatural web novel by Feng Yu Jiuqiu, serialized on 17K Novel Network from July 1, 2018 to December 30, 2020. It runs 985 chapters and about 3.1 million Chinese characters, and was selected for the top 100 works of the fourth Chenggua Online Literature Awards, the 2020 China Writers Association Online Literature Key Works Support Program, and the 2020 Huadi Literature List Online Literature Annual List. The story begins with several inexplicable incidents surrounding the orphan Wu Zhongyuan: a mysterious golden dragon tattoo on his chest, a bizarre humanoid skeleton in his master's grave, a dying beggar speaking a strange language, and an ancient stone stele carved with modern characters. To stop a developer from demolishing his master's grave, Wu Zhongyuan journeys back to his hometown and is drawn into a series of supernatural events. He gradually discovers that his genes and constitution are abnormal, that his identity seems linked to secrets from the era of the Yellow Emperor, and that foreign forces covet and plot against him. Protected by and cooperating with official authorities, he pursues the truth of his origins in modern society while seeking the path and resources to "return." The novel's most distinctive feature is its "reverse time-travel" structure: the protagonist does not travel from the modern era to the ancient past, but is first sent from remotest antiquity to the contemporary world five thousand years later, then carries jade artifacts, modern technology, and modern knowledge back to the tribal age after the primordial flood. The ancient human race is divided into three hostile tribes—Bear, Bird, and Ox; the five paths of gods, ghosts, demons, monsters, and beasts, sealed away by Fuxi and Nüwa, are about to break through the barrier, and the fate of humanity hangs in the balance. On the savage battlefield, Wu Zhongyuan uncovers his destiny as a savior and fights for the survival of his tribe and the human race. The first half is modern suspense and adventure; the second half shifts to classical xianxia-style primordial warfare, fusing archaeological discoveries, Daoist cultivation, and genetic science into a single worldview. Its open ending leaves readers much to ponder.