Yang Chen had already guessed Li Dun's purpose in seeking him out. As expected, given the rugged military deanor of this man, the only thing that would interest him was an honest fight.
"Do you think I'll agree?" Yang Chen asked with a smile.
Li Dun's eyes burned with intense fire. "You will. Otherwise, why did you ask to co out here?"
Yang Chen shook his head. "If I agree to fight just because you want to, wouldn't that make look bad?"
"So what do you propose we do to have a match?" Li Dun was reasonable, not rashly starting a fight, especially considering they were at a hospital.
Yang Chen replied, "We can spar, but just like betting, there should be stakes. If I'm going to fight you, there should be so rewards and penalties. It depends on whether you dare to bet with ."
Though straightforward, Li Dun was no fool; otherwise, he would have died countless tis on the battlefield. As the leader of special forces, he couldn't be an idiot.
"Mr. Yang, it seems you have so troubleso issue that you need my help with," Li Dun said frankly with a smile.
Yang Chen clapped his hands. "Talking to smart people is effortless. Actually, I want to repay a favor."
Yang Chen then briefly explained Cai Ning and the Eternal Night affair. Eternal Night and his parents were relatives of the Li family, but they certainly didn't have the deep roots and high status that Li Dun had in the family.
So Yang Chen's condition was simple: if Li Dun lost, he would help annul Cai Ning's ridiculous engagent. This way, Yang Chen wouldn't have to personally get involved and stir up trouble, and Cai Ning wouldn't lose her reputation because of Yang Chen's involvent.
After hearing this, Li Dun frowned and thought for a while. "Mr. Yang, Eternal Night is a cousin of mine, but we don't have much interaction. If I were to help you with this, there has to be a legitimate reason, not just because of a bet. Perhaps you think my cousin's marriage to Hua Yu is unreasonable, but regardless, it's his life decision. I can only bless him, not ddle."
Yang Chen felt a headache coming on. "You need a reason? There is one! Just tell him that Cai Ning doesn't like him. Don't force a marriage that's dood to fail."
Li Dun laughed. "That's not a reason. We're not the parties involved; how do we know what they truly feel? Besides, if they end up happy together, wouldn't I be committing a sin by interfering?"
Yang Chen was taken aback, not expecting the seemingly straightforward Li Dun to be so thorough, not acting impulsively despite his confidence.
Li Dun continued, sowhat regretfully, "I'm sorry, but I can't agree to that condition. If it were about money or other items, I might consider it, but when it cos to my cousin's lifelong happiness, no matter how much I want to spar with you, I can't do that. One must not only think of oneself."
"You're right," Yang Chen laughed awkwardly. He had been impulsive, forgetting that if Li Dun agreed, he would beco soone who breaks up family bonds for a re fight, which would be disgraceful.
Li Dun pondered for a mont. "However, if my cousin is indeed using our family's influence to opportunistically marry Hua Yu, that wouldn't be honorable. It would end badly for both. If we can prove that Hua Yu genuinely doesn't want to marry him, as his cousin, I can still step in and say a few words."
For the first ti, Yang Chen looked at Li Dun closely and found himself liking the guy. Of course, this "liking" had no special aning; it was simply an appreciation for Li Dun's character.
Self-assured, rational, considerate of others—such traits were rare among scions of wealthy families.
Apart from Yuan Ye, who had beco his cousin, Yang Chen had never t another male friend in China he was willing to befriend. Of course, he was usually too busy dealing with his won to have ti for n.
"You're not bad, honest in your words. I shouldn't be too stingy," Yang Chen smiled. "Even if you can't help right now, if you really want to spar, I'll accompany you for a round."
Li Dun's initially regretful expression turned into joy. He laughed heartily and even patted Yang Chen's shoulder. "No wonder you have the title of Hades. You're straightforward! Let's not waste ti and find a spacious place to exchange a few moves!"
Since they were at a hospital, a public place, it wasn't convenient to start a fight. Yang Chen had no objections and readily agreed.
At that mont, Tian Long and Ye Zi, who had hurriedly followed them out, saw Yang Chen about to leave and quickly caught up. Ye Zi asked anxiously, "Brother Yang, are you really going to spar with Young Master Li?"
Yang Chen touched his nose and smiled, "It's hard to refuse such enthusiasm. But don't worry, it's just a friendly match; we won't be breaking any bones."
"Even if we do, it won't matter. I'm not that easy to injure," Li Dun said, puffing out his chest confidently.
Tian Long couldn't help but look at Li Dun as if he were an idiot and sighed, "Since that's the case, we won't stop you. We'll stay nearby, so just call us if you need anything."
The matters at the hospital were mostly resolved. Once Tang Wan's blood tests were completed, she could be discharged and return to the Tang family residence. Yang Chen's first task in Yandu was thus completed.
As for finding out who poisoned Tang Wan, Yang Chen wasn't in a rush. He could visit the Tang family after his match with Li Dun. He firmly believed there was no such thing as a perfect cri; his years of experience in the underworld had taught him that much.
About half an hour later, Yang Chen was sitting in Li Dun's military Humr, heading towards a special training base outside the Fifth Ring of Yandu.
The soldiers at the checkpoint saluted with respect upon seeing Li Dun's vehicle and allowed them through.
After passing through the heavily guarded checkpoint, they arrived at an expansive training ground surrounded by various simple yet luxurious houses. These houses were built with such high-quality materials that even an earthquake or a landslide wouldn't bring them down.
Yang Chen got out of the car, curiously surveying the surroundings. Many serious-faced, sweaty soldiers were moving around in groups, clearly in the middle of training.
Judging by their physical condition, these soldiers were at least as good as the mbers of the Dragon Division's reserve unit that Yang Chen had trained, and most of them had bulging temples, indicating they had achieved so success in practicing military hard qigong.
Seeing Yang Chen's interest, Li Dun proudly said, "What do you think, Yang Chen? These are all my brothers. Each one is an elite special forces soldier selected from units all over the country." Through so casual conversation in the car, the straightforward Li Dun had begun addressing Yang Chen by na.
Yang Chen nodded and simply said, "Not bad."
That was all he could say because, while these soldiers were comparable to the Dragon Division's special forces, they still lagged behind the world's top fighters.
Li Dun seed to think Yang Chen was being too stingy with his praise but didn't mind. He made a gesture of invitation and led Yang Chen to a training room.
As they walked, the special forces soldiers they encountered stood at attention and saluted Li Dun, greeting him with "Good day, Captain," and watching respectfully as he walked by.
Curious, Yang Chen asked, "What unit are you the captain of?"
Li Dun looked at Yang Chen with so surprise. "You really don't know?"
Yang Chen was puzzled. Was he supposed to know?
Li Dun was a bit frustrated. "My unit's na is connected to my own. It's the 'Blunt Blade Special Forces.'"
"Blunt Blade?" Yang Chen frowned, realizing he had never heard of it.
Li Dun explained, "Originally, it was a special forces unit under the security bureau, but now it operates independently. As you may know, apart from overseeing the security bureau, our Li family controls most of the special forces units in China. The 'Blunt Blade' is a collection of elite soldiers from across the country. Every year, so are kicked out, and new ones are selected. Only the best of the best can make it here."
Yang Chen was intrigued by the na. "Who ca up with the na 'Blunt Blade'?"
Li Dun laughed. "It was my grandfather. He said that a blunt blade is more dangerous because it relies on the strength and skill of the wielder. A sharp blade can be wielded by anyone, but a blunt blade requires true mastery to be effective."
Yang Chen nodded, appreciating the thought behind it. "Your grandfather has a unique perspective. It's a fitting na."
Li Dun bead with pride. "Thank you. Now, shall we find a good spot for our match? There's an open training field just ahead."
Yang Chen agreed, following Li Dun towards the training field, ready for the upcoming sparring match.
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