Because he would be leaving China at the end of the month to head to the Extreme Dojo’s global headquarters, Luo Feng spent most of his time at home during this period, accompanying his parents and younger brother. Although Luo Hongguo, Gong Xinlan, and Luo Hua were all reluctant to see him leave, they did not want to stand in the way of his promising future.
On 12 March, Luo Feng gathered with the members of the Fire Hammer Squad. They first sold the monster materials they had obtained from their previous hunts. Since this would be the last time the Fire Hammer Squad sold monster materials together, Luo Feng proposed that the money be divided equally among all five members.
The total value of the materials was slightly over 800 million.
Ordinarily, Luo Feng had contributed the most and should have received the largest share, more than 300 million.
However, everyone understood that Luo Feng was leaving the Fire Hammer Squad, while Chen Gu, Wei Tie, and Wei Qing, who were already getting older, would be retiring.
The Fire Hammer Squad would naturally be disbanding.
For Luo Feng, these past several months had been a normal period of squad life as a martial artist. For Gao Feng, Chen Gu, and the others, it had been many years.
Everyone’s emotions were complicated.
The moment Luo Feng proposed splitting the money equally, Gao Feng immediately agreed.
Since Luo Feng and Gao Feng accounted for the majority of the contribution and both supported the idea, Chen Gu, Wei Tie, and Wei Qing did not object.
Each member received more than 170 million.
That evening, the Fire Hammer Squad drank together until three or four in the morning.
The following day, they boarded trains and returned to their respective homes.
Thus, the Fire Hammer Squad was officially disbanded.
Chen Gu, Wei Tie, and Wei Qing retired.
Luo Feng would soon head to the global headquarters.
Gao Feng would join another martial artist squad and continue striving forward.
On 21 March, the weather was excellent and the sun shone brightly.
In the main urban district of Jiangnan Base City lay the University District, a vast area that housed all eight undergraduate universities of the entire base city.
Outside one of the university entrances, the six gleaming characters reading “Jiangnan Second Military Academy” stood prominently above the main gate.
Numerous male and female students were coming and going.
Some couples walked together arm in arm.
Others travelled in groups of male or female friends.
Only one young man, dressed in a simple dark blue T shirt, leaned against the railing of a small bridge near the entrance, watching the passing students.
“Hey, Luo Feng!”
A loud shout came from the distance.
Luo Feng turned towards the source of the voice and saw a slightly thin young man running over from the pavement.
The young man appeared refined and scholarly.
It was Wei Wen, his childhood friend and closest brother.
“Ah Wen.”
Luo Feng smiled and jogged over.
“I’ve been waiting for you at the gate. Where did you come from?”
“Our classes finished early this morning, so I went back to the dormitory. The dormitory area is quite far from the campus.”
Wei Wen explained.
“Oh? The campus and dormitories are separate? That’s quite an eye opener for someone who never attended university.”
Luo Feng grinned.
“Damn it, you’re a martial artist and you’re teasing me?”
Wei Wen laughed and punched Luo Feng lightly in the chest.
“Spring has only just started. It’s still cold outside. You’re only wearing a T shirt. Aren’t you cold? As expected of a martial artist.”
Compared to Luo Feng, Wei Wen was dressed much more warmly.
Luo Feng looked around.
“Come on. Let’s find somewhere to sit.”
“Haha, it’s rare to catch such a fat sheep. This time I’m definitely going to make you pay dearly. Let’s go to that place, Baiye Residence.”
“Fine. Lead the way.”
Luo Feng smiled.
When he was in the wilderness or at supply bases, he always maintained a certain level of caution around others.
But when he was with Wei Wen, it felt as though he had returned to his secondary school days.
Everything felt easy and relaxed.
Baiye Residence was a mid range restaurant.
A meal for two or three people usually cost around three to four hundred yuan.
For students without an income, it was already quite extravagant.
For martial artists, however, it was nothing special.
“Good afternoon, gentlemen. How many?”
A waitress greeted them warmly.
“Two.”
Luo Feng glanced around.
“Somewhere quiet.”
The waitress met countless customers every day.
At a glance, she could tell Luo Feng was different from the surrounding students.
His sharp eyes alone made her feel slightly intimidated.
Instinctively becoming more respectful, she replied quickly.
“We have private rooms upstairs. Please follow me.”
“Tsk tsk, a private room. I’ve never been in one before.”
Wei Wen followed Luo Feng upstairs.
“I’ve only been here a few times with my girlfriend, and even then we sat downstairs in the main hall.”
“Girlfriend?”
Luo Feng raised an eyebrow.
“You never mentioned that during the New Year. This must be recent.”
The two entered an elegant private room.
After quickly ordering several dishes and a crate of beer, Wei Wen smiled.
“Back during the New Year, things weren’t fully official yet. We only became a proper couple after the semester started.”
“Congratulations.”
Luo Feng laughed and raised a fist.
“You’ve been at military academy less than a year and you’ve already got yourself a girlfriend. Impressive.”
“I just got lucky. My girlfriend studies at the teachers’ university nearby.”
Wei Wen opened a bottle of beer.
“You know what military academies are like. There are loads of men and very few women. The gender ratio is ridiculous.”
“So you found someone from another university?”
Luo Feng laughed.
“Come on, let’s drink first.”
Wei Wen raised his bottle.
Luo Feng picked up one as well.
The bottles clinked together and they each took a few drinks.
“Luo Feng, getting a girlfriend really isn’t easy.”
Wei Wen tilted back his head and drank deeply.
His face quickly reddened.
Shaking his head, he sighed.
“Nowadays people compare everything. They compare relationships, they compare whose girlfriend is prettier. That’s actually the small issue. The biggest thing is atmosphere.”
“Atmosphere?”
Luo Feng looked puzzled.
“For example, if I take my girlfriend out for dinner and don’t choose somewhere nice, she won’t complain because she’s a good person.”
“But her female classmates certainly will.”
Wei Wen shook his head.
“You have no idea. The way girls compete and play mind games is even worse than men.”
“One girl’s boyfriend is the son of a wealthy family. Another girl’s boyfriend is an advanced martial arts student. Everyone keeps comparing.”
“Even for my girlfriend’s sake, I have to take her somewhere decent when we go out.”
Wei Wen sighed helplessly.
Luo Feng froze.
Having never attended university, he truly knew nothing about such things.
Still, he remembered signs of this kind of behaviour among girls back in secondary school.
“You know how expensive eating out is.”
“Sometimes I buy gifts for my girlfriend too. In just one month I’ve spent over four thousand yuan.”
Wei Wen finished the rest of his beer in one gulp.
His eyes were slightly red.
“Sometimes my girlfriend even ends up paying for meals.”
Luo Feng frowned slightly.
“My girlfriend and I both come from ordinary families living in subsidised housing. How much money can we possibly have?”
“So now I work as a tutor.”
“Unfortunately I’m not yet an advanced martial arts student, so tutoring doesn’t pay much.”
Wei Wen shook his head.
“I’ve realised something. In this world, people live for their pride.”
Luo Feng sighed inwardly.
Back then, Wei Wen’s family had actually been slightly better off than his own.
During secondary school, Wei Wen had often lent him money.
“After this past month, I’ve figured it all out.”
“In the end, it comes down to two words.”
“Status.”
“This society is all about people stepping on each other.”
“Students from wealthy families always have followers around them. Girls throw themselves at them.”
“The same goes for people with strength, those who are already martial artists. Everyone respects them.”
“And people with powerful backgrounds attract students who want to follow them around, hoping for help in the future.”
“Money. Power. Strength.”
“The rich have status.”
“Those with influence possess power, so they have status too.”
“And martial artists naturally have status.”
Wei Wen opened another bottle.
“So it’s really very simple. People naturally respect those with high status and look down on those with low status.”
Luo Feng nodded.
He had always thought Wei Wen was intelligent.
His words were simple and blunt, yet they revealed the truth of society.
“When rich people lose their money, they’re finished.”
“When powerful people lose their position, their power disappears.”
“Money and authority are things granted from the outside.”
“Personal strength is what truly belongs to you.”
“So I’ve come to one conclusion. The most reliable thing is your own strength.”
“Look at martial artists. Even disabled martial artists still possess powerful abilities and can work as instructors.”
Wei Wen smiled.
“This relationship has only strengthened my determination.”
“I have to become a martial artist.”
“This year I should be able to become an Advanced Martial Arts Student.”
“Hopefully I’ll become an official martial artist before graduating from military academy.”
He raised his bottle.
“Come on, cheers.”
Seeing that Wei Wen had not lost heart at all, Luo Feng felt relieved.
“Cheers.”
The two brothers chatted, drank, and ate together.
After finishing their meal, they ordered a pot of tea and continued talking until after four in the afternoon.
Only then did Luo Feng accompany Wei Wen back to the dormitory area.
Outside the dormitories.
“Follow this road, pass two sets of traffic lights, and you’ll reach Jiangnan University’s campus.”
Wei Wen pointed ahead.
“Alright.”
As Luo Feng spoke, he took out his phone.
“Calling Xu Xin?”
Wei Wen teased.
Suddenly,
he felt his own phone vibrate.
Pulling it out, he muttered,
“Probably my girlfriend asking me to have dinner with her. There goes more money.”
Opening the message, he froze.
It was a text notification.
“Your account ending in 0306 received a transfer of 6,000,000 yuan on the 21st at 16:51. Current balance: 6,002,100 yuan. Bank of Communications.”
“Six… six million?”
Wei Wen’s eyes widened.
To him, it was an astronomical amount.
“Who transferred money to me?”
Almost immediately, he thought of the person standing beside him.
Luo Feng.
Among all his relatives and friends, only Luo Feng could casually produce such a sum.
“Luo Feng, this was you…”
Wei Wen looked up at him.
Luo Feng placed a hand on his shoulder.
“Ah Wen, if you’re serious about becoming a martial artist, then focus all your energy on it. Stop wasting time tutoring for a bit of extra money.”
“Consider this my gift to celebrate your first proper relationship.”
“Next time your girlfriend’s classmates start talking, let’s see what they have to say.”
“A man should stand tall in front of the woman he loves.”
Wei Wen’s eyes reddened slightly.
“Damn, don’t tell me you’re about to cry?”
Luo Feng widened his eyes as though witnessing something unbelievable.
“Cry my arse.”
Wei Wen burst out laughing.
To Luo Feng, this amount of money meant very little.
Killing a single mid level Warlord monster could easily earn more than ten million.
“Alright. I’m heading to Jiangnan University now.”
Luo Feng waved and walked down the street towards the university.
Wei Wen stared at the bank notification on his phone.
The enormous figure of six million still felt unreal.
Not long ago, he had been secretly worrying about the money he was spending on his relationship while pretending everything was fine.
Yet in the blink of an eye, he had suddenly received a fortune.