Chapter Seventeen: Reversing the Future (Part One)

A man clad in leather armor emerged from the tall grass, cast a wary glance around, and then sent a resonant sound through the air with a vibration of his inner energy. From the direction he signaled, another figure appeared. Compared to the first, this newcomer’s features were even more striking.

“I was right after all—we’ve arrived in the future,” Sun Meng whispered to Xiao Long and Xiao Hu, careful not to speak aloud lest the two formidable future dwellers, whose strength surpassed his own, detect his presence.

“I could hear your armor clanking from a mile away. I heard you’ve dealt with another squad of the Black Fox Army recently?” Future Xiao Hu remarked.

“It was only a small team. You know as well as I do, the Black Fox Army is nothing like the rabble it was at the start. By the way, is your rebel force truly unwilling to join the imperial troops? I could vouch for you, guarantee your freedom of movement to some extent,” Future Xiao Long offered.

“Save it! We’ve met enough turncoats as it is. Besides, your army looks down on us rebels, doesn’t it?” Future Xiao Hu rejected him outright.

“It seems your relations in the future are strained. The Black Fox Gang has established its own army, and the power they wield is formidable,” Sun Meng observed, while the Earth’s Huaguo General Staff began to deduce the present situation based on the available information.

“How did things turn out this way?” Tang Xiao Long felt a surge of emotion. Though he was pleased that, in the future, he would become a great general, neither the ruined Shaolin Temple nor the rift with Xiao Hu was something he wanted to see.

“We need to ask them what happened to bring about such change!” Tang Xiao Long said, preparing to rise, but at that moment, both Future Xiao Long and Xiao Hu grew tense, gazing into the distance.

A woman’s voice rang out, “As expected, you’ve returned here. It seems my intelligence was correct!”

“That’s Lan’s voice!” Xiao Long and Xiao Hu immediately recognized her.

Sun Meng watched the expressions of Future Xiao Long and Xiao Hu and sensed instinctively that something was amiss.

Sure enough, the next moment, a wave of Black Fox soldiers surged forth, their faces hidden behind familiar black fox masks. Their gear matched that of regular troops, and judging by their composure, they were elite soldiers.

A woman in a long dress stood atop a nearby stone—grown-up Hua Xiao Lan.

One had to admit, the tomboyish Xiao Lan from childhood had blossomed into a stunning beauty, her regal bearing causing most viewers on Earth to drool at the sight.

“Are you still refusing to surrender? The imperial court is beyond saving. We’ve just seized a city, in fact!” Future Xiao Lan declared. “Beautiful clothes, riches, power—the Black Fox Army can offer it all. Can the court do the same?” There was no doubt now—Hua Xiao Lan had joined the Black Fox Gang!

“The Black Fox King is the true scourge of the land, Lan! Won’t you wake up? Have you forgotten the bonds we shared at Shaolin Temple?” Future Xiao Hu cried out.

“Hmph! Don’t mention Shaolin Temple to me! Did they ever truly teach me? I was nothing but a tool to them!” Future Xiao Lan snapped, as if provoked. With a wave of her hand, she commanded, “Seize them!”

The Black Fox soldiers surrounded them, forming a tight military formation. Their coordination suppressed the power of inner energy.

“Damn it! These aren’t ordinary soldiers!” Future Xiao Long said, standing back-to-back with Xiao Hu. The two roared, unleashing their inner energy to manifest a dragon and tiger, tearing through the formation and injuring several soldiers.

Yet, it was clear they couldn’t hold out for long; after a single attack, they were forced to retreat.

The formation broke, but the soldiers did not falter, charging forward with their weapons raised.

“We have to help!” Tang Xiao Long could no longer restrain himself. Drawing his treasured sword, he leaped forward, charging into the Black Fox soldiers.

Sun Meng grimaced. He knew things would not resolve so easily. In fact, as soon as the three future figures appeared, he had received a side mission: assist Xiao Long and Xiao Hu in reversing the future.

Earth’s analysts deduced that the key lay in the mysterious Wheel of Light. They had to return—something had happened that day to change the course of the future!

Perhaps the crux was Lan, who had left alone.

But with no other options, Sun Meng rushed out with Xiao Hu. He kicked a Black Fox soldier aside, snatched the blade from his hand.

“Ha! Who would have thought there were others here? Who do I see—Shao Tan, you’re actually helping these two? Well, all the better, I’ll catch you all in one net. The Black Fox King will soon rule the world! Hahaha!” The queenly laughter made the ground tremble.

“Not good! The underground river!” Future Xiao Long and Xiao Hu broke through in the direction of escape, grabbing Xiao Long and Xiao Hu along the way.

“Lan can control water—we’re no match for her!” Future Xiao Long shouted to Sun Meng.

The ground cracked open and a dragon formed of water appeared, with Future Xiao Lan standing atop its head, gazing down at Sun Meng and the others. She moved her hands, and streams of water split off, transforming into serpents that lunged at them.

“Half-hearted attack!” Sun Meng scoffed, though he dared not relax. Taking a deep breath, he prepared to unleash the skill he had just mastered: “Dual Slaying Blade!”

Light and shadow intertwined, the blade energy sliced the water serpents apart and surged toward Future Xiao Lan.

“Oh?” Future Xiao Lan was surprised that her prized attack was so easily broken. “I didn’t expect your strength to have improved. If that’s your trump card, you might as well give up!” She manipulated the water into a shield, deflecting Sun Meng’s attack, and then laughed heartily.

With her laughter, more water surged from underground, sweeping toward Sun Meng and his companions like a tidal wave.

Within the water was a trace of Future Xiao Lan’s inner energy—far beyond what they could withstand.

“Follow us!” Future Xiao Long transmitted.

Sun Meng moved swiftly, keeping pace with them. The next moment, the wave crashed down. They could only protect their bodies with inner energy, letting the current carry them.

When the water finally calmed, they found themselves in an underground river passage.

Climbing ashore, Sun Meng evaporated the water from his body with inner energy and turned to the future Xiao Long and Xiao Hu. “Can you tell us now what happened? Why did Lan join the Black Fox Gang?”

“You’re from the past, aren’t you? Can you tell us which day you came from?” Future Xiao Hu asked.

Before Sun Meng could answer, Xiao Long spoke first. “We were just out exploring, and stumbled upon a mysterious cave. There were two paths—one led to a mysterious Wheel of Light. When we passed through it and came back, Shaolin Temple was already ruined. What was that thing?”

“The Wheel of Time. It possesses mysterious powers, allowing one to travel to unopened futures. Are you sure you didn’t seek it deliberately?” Future Xiao Long asked.

“We had no such intention! It was a rare day to relax, so of course we were just wandering around!” Xiao Hu replied.

“It seems our pasts differ. But I suspect that there was some crucial event in our past as well,” Sun Meng said, reading the red-lettered comments on the screen.

“Yes. One day, we went together to search for the Wheel of Time. At a fork in the path, we disagreed with Lan, but we all saw the Wheel of Time,” Future Xiao Hu explained.

“But we did nothing and returned to Shaolin Temple. After that day, we never saw Lan again, and lost the mood for mischief, focusing solely on martial arts,” Future Xiao Long added.

“We all thought something terrible had happened to her—maybe even that she had died. We blamed ourselves constantly. It wasn’t until the Black Fox King incited the rebellion with his power that we saw her again—by then, she was already with the Black Fox Gang,” Future Xiao Hu said.

“So you never passed through the Wheel of Time!” Xiao Long asked.

“Of course not! What if something went wrong?” Future Xiao Long replied matter-of-factly.

“I see. Since we didn’t know it was the Wheel of Time, we tried to explore it and ended up traversing time, arriving in the future!” Xiao Long exclaimed, pounding his fist into his palm.

“Thinking back, if only we’d gone to look for Lan, perhaps things wouldn’t have turned out this way,” Future Xiao Hu said.

“How long does the Wheel of Time last?” Sun Meng suddenly asked.

“If I remember correctly, it’s until sunset!” Future Xiao Long replied.

“Then we still have time—if we change the past, maybe your future will change as well!” Sun Meng urged. “There’s not much time left—we must hurry back!”

At that moment, the water shaped itself into the face of Future Xiao Lan. “It seems I’ve overheard something quite extraordinary!”

The water transformed into a dragon and lunged at Sun Meng and the others.

“Leave this to us—you two go!” Future Xiao Long and Xiao Hu unleashed their inner energy, shattering the water dragon and bursting through the ground.

Sun Meng flung a thick book to the pair. “Hold on, no matter what!” Then, grabbing Xiao Long and Xiao Hu, he sped away toward the opposite path.