The Coldness of Human Nature

Yet the two who walked away never once looked back until they disappeared from sight.

Nearby, a medical staff member looked up the number for Jiangcheng City’s War God Martial Arts Academy.

Crouching beside Liu Weiwei, they dialed the number on their phone and put it on speaker.

"Hello! This is Jiangcheng Martial Arts Hospital."

"The patient, Liu Weiwei, urgently needs surgery. Please send someone to cover the medical expenses."

A professional customer service voice responded from the other end of the line.

"Understood. Please hold while I transfer you to Liu Weiwei’s coach."

Soon, the voice of a middle-aged man came through.

"The War God Martial Arts Academy doesn’t keep useless people."

"Liu Weiwei has already been expelled and has nothing to do with us anymore."

With that, the call was abruptly ended.

"Master!" Liu Weiwei cried out desperately, but the only reply was the dial tone.

At that moment, Liu Weiwei was utterly crushed by despair.

Her parents had long passed away, and the inheritance they left behind had been taken by her aunt.

Her aunt had abandoned her, and now even the martial arts academy she was contracted to had cast her aside.

Even the competition prize money had been claimed by the academy—not a single cent given to her.

Now, Liu Weiwei had no one to rely on, not a penny to her name, and with both legs severely injured and disabled, she couldn’t even receive treatment.

What awaited her next was death.

Even if she somehow survived, the days ahead would be nothing but misery.

Her heart completely shattered, Liu Weiwei had already resolved to end her life.

Chen Feng had originally come to the hospital to visit Liu Weiwei and apologize.

After all, Xiao Ruohan’s martial arts skills had been taught by him.

Not apologizing would have weighed too heavily on his conscience.

But he never expected to witness such a scene.

Beside him, Jin Youxi clung tightly to Chen Feng’s arm, her beautiful eyes brimming with tears as she took in Liu Weiwei’s pitiful state.

"Master, she’s so… so tragic!"

Chen Feng let out a heavy sigh, his hands unconsciously clenching into fists.

"Doctor, I’ll cover the medical expenses. Please proceed with her surgery immediately!"

Liu Weiwei, who had been sobbing into her hands, immediately looked up at the voice.

But when she saw Chen Feng, she froze in shock.

She had thought it might be her aunt and uncle returning.

Or perhaps a teacher or classmate from the War God Martial Arts Academy.

But never in her wildest dreams did she imagine that the person willing to pay for her treatment would be…

Xiao Ruohan’s master.

Meeting Liu Weiwei’s gaze, Chen Feng lowered his head apologetically.

"I’m sorry. Since Xiao Ruohan was the one who injured you like this, I share the blame."

After speaking, he sighed deeply.

The medical staff, hearing that someone would cover the costs, quickly produced the bill.

"Go to the payment counter right away. The initial deposit is thirty thousand."

Thirty thousand!

Chen Feng’s face twitched involuntarily, and he grumbled inwardly,

"Did you guys check my bank account? My entire savings just happen to be exactly thirty thousand."

Only after seeing the payment slip with her own eyes was Liu Weiwei finally wheeled into the operating room.

Chen Feng tucked the receipt away, his expression pained as he sighed in resignation.

"Of course. Being a do-gooder just means you’re doomed to be broke forever."

Meanwhile, Jin Youxi gazed at her master with admiration.

"Master is such a kind man—so incredibly dependable."

"I want to marry someone as kind as Master one day."

At that thought, her cheeks flushed slightly.

Just then, Chen Feng’s phone buzzed with a bank notification.

He instinctively counted the zeros.

One hundred thousand!

For a moment, he was stunned—then realized it must be Xiao Ruohan’s competition prize money.

To be honest…

At first, he hadn’t planned to accept it—after all, Chen Feng was a man who valued his pride.

But now, he couldn’t help feeling relieved that he hadn’t refused outright just to save face.

The master and disciple waited outside the operating room.

Bored, Jin Youxi idly scrolled through her phone.

The hottest topic across the internet was, of course, the martial arts tournaments taking place nationwide.

Along with the star competitors from various cities.

Countless media studios had produced recap videos,

and some were even speculating in advance about who might make the top ten in the provincial competitions three months later.

Soon, a post-match interview surged to the top of trending headlines.

The glaring title immediately caught Jin Youxi’s eye.

[Greedy Mentor: Money Over Disciples.]

The thumbnail featured Xiao Ruohan.

Even before watching the video, Jin Youxi had a sinking feeling.

After seeing the interview’s contents,

she frowned in anger and turned to Chen Feng, exclaiming,

“How could Senior Sister’s mother slander you like this, Master?”

“Why would she lie? This is just too much!”

“And why didn’t Senior Sister stop her or explain the truth?”

Chen Feng took Jin Youxi’s phone and replayed the clip.

On screen, Xiao Ruohan wore a medal, her parents beaming proudly beside her, while several high-ranking officials from War God Dojo stood behind them.

Reporters thrust microphones toward her, firing off questions one after another.

Xiao Ruohan remained silent, letting her parents answer on her behalf.

Reporter:

“According to the records, you competed under Celestial Selection Dojo, so why did War God Dojo representatives join you on stage for the award ceremony?”

Xiao Ruohan’s mother replied:

“Ruohan is now with War God Dojo. She’s left that trash Celestial Selection Dojo behind.”

Reporter:

“What exactly made you switch dojos right after winning the championship? Doesn’t that show disrespect to your former mentor?”

Xiao Ruohan’s mother snapped:

“Disrespect? That Chen guy is nothing but a fraud.”

“That so-called Celestial Selection Dojo? My daughter was one of only two disciples there.”

“The mentor has no martial energy—a total con artist—and the other disciple is a talentless waste.”

“If not for my daughter’s natural genius, they would’ve ruined her future.”

“And what’s worse, that mentor pocketed all her prize money. We didn’t get a single cent!”

Her words sent the reporters into a frenzy, sensing a juicy scandal.

Questions poured in rapid succession.

Xiao Ruohan’s mother, thrilled to be in the spotlight for the first time, spoke without restraint.

She even fantasized about bragging to her neighbors later:

“I made it on TV!”

Soon, under the reporters’ relentless digging, a flood of negative rumors about Celestial Selection Dojo surfaced and quickly went viral.

Before long, old photos of Chen Feng accompanying Xiao Ruohan during competitions were dug up,

sparking a wave of online outrage.

“This guy looks decent, but he’s actually such a scumbag.”

“Word is he scammed two female disciples—Xiao Ruohan and some other poor girl still being duped.”

“Chen Feng is definitely a creep. I heard his other disciple is stunningly beautiful too.”

“How can someone with no martial energy even run a dojo?”

“Where’s the Martial Arts Association? Shouldn’t they step in and address this?”

...

After watching the video and scrolling through the barrage of comments, Chen Feng felt a pang of frustration.

For now, though, there wasn’t much he could do.

Still, he wasn’t too upset.

With his abilities, he was certain he’d eventually prove Xiao Ruohan’s mother and those keyboard warriors wrong.

For the time being, he’d just have to endure it.

But the next moment, his phone rang.

The caller ID showed a familiar five-digit shortcode—the official number of the Martial Arts Guild.