Chapter 43 The Armbar

Before Chen Yi could explain, Li Guangming charged at him like a tank at full throttle, his heavy footsteps thundering across the ground.

Just moments ago, this guy had been rambling incessantly, yet now he attacked without so much as a preamble or a word of warning—how utterly unsophisticated!

Li Guangming's punch was nothing fancy, just a straightforward jab. Yet it was as swift as lightning and as forceful as thunder—a textbook military-style strike.

Chen Yi's expression grew serious. He countered with an equally direct punch, his reaction slightly delayed but landing simultaneously, meeting Li Guangming's blow head-on.

Bang!

A dull sound echoed as the two fists collided.

Both men took two steps back.

Li Guangming's eyes flickered with surprise. Despite his advantage in height, weight, and momentum, he had only managed to fight Chen Yi to a draw?

"Not bad. Let's go again!"

Li Guangming exclaimed with enthusiasm, his eyes burning with excitement as he threw another punch.

Chen Yi, too, felt his competitive spirit ignite. He had never encountered someone who could match his strength. How could he let such a worthy opponent slip by?

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

The repeated thuds of their punches reverberated through the air, leaving Feng Kun, Ji Hao, and their bodyguards trembling with unease. How could this not hurt?

After exchanging more than a dozen bone-crushing punches, a bitter expression began to creep across Li Guangming's face.

Who said it didn't hurt? It hurt down to his very marrow! He even began to suspect that Chen Yi's fists were made of stone—how could they be this hard?

"Exhilarating!"

Li Guangming stepped back quickly, laughing heartily. "Brother, hard fists alone won't defeat me. Let's change it up. Be careful now!"

Bluffing, are we? Keep bluffing!

Chen Yi didn't believe a word of it.

Their fists were already battered and bloody, the pain making his own fingers twitch involuntarily. And yet this guy could still laugh?

What an actor—a true professional!

Despite his disdain for Li Guangming's pretense, Chen Yi didn't dare let his guard down.

The two clashed again, their moves now blindingly fast and electrifyingly fierce. No longer relying on brute force, their fight became a dazzling display of skill and strategy.

Li Guangming, however, was growing increasingly frustrated. He could tell Chen Yi's techniques were unorthodox—a chaotic mix of styles cobbled together. Yet somehow, they were incredibly effective. Every move he made was countered perfectly, leaving him no room to execute his killing blows.

While Li Guangming was simmering with frustration, Chen Yi was having the time of his life. He had never enjoyed a fight this much!

Tiger Claw Strike!

Monkey Steals the Peach!

Sweeping Leg!

Groin Kick!

…

Li Guangming's military training had endowed him with an extraordinary ability to endure pain. Despite taking more than a dozen of Chen Yi's punches and kicks, he didn't utter a single groan and kept fighting.

But inwardly, he was crying out in agony. He wasn't made of iron, after all. Every blow felt like it was shattering his bones.

This kid had no sense of martial ethics whatsoever!

Eyes, nose, ribs, solar plexus, groin—wherever it hurt most, that's where he struck!

If not for his years of hard qigong training in the special forces, he would have been flattened long ago.

Watching Chen Yi grow more and more exhilarated as the fight went on, Li Guangming's face turned ashen.

As a combat instructor for the special forces, Li Guangming wasn't without his tricks. Realizing the situation was turning against him, he quickly changed tactics.

Enduring a few more of Chen Yi's punches, he suddenly closed the distance between them, grabbing Chen Yi's waist with both hands in an attempt to execute a suplex.

Chen Yi felt a tremendous force lifting him from the ground.

Though not formally trained in martial arts, Chen Yi was an avid fan of MMA. He had seen this move—the suplex—a few times before.

Quickly retreating his legs, Chen Yi leaned forward, pressing his chin against Li Guangming's head and shifting all his weight onto him. No matter how hard Li Guangming tried, he couldn't lift him an inch.

Just as Li Guangming exerted all his strength, Chen Yi suddenly bent his knees, disrupting Li Guangming's balance. With a swift pivot, Chen Yi slipped to his side, grabbed Li Guangming's arm, and used the momentum to slam him face-first into the ground.

Li Guangming, now sprawled on the ground, felt a sharp pain in his arm. His body instinctively twisted, flipping him from his stomach to his back.

A sense of dread washed over him as he realized what Chen Yi was about to do. Desperately, he used his free hand to grab the arm that Chen Yi was trying to control.

But Chen Yi wouldn't let him off so easily. Raising his foot, he aimed a kick at Li Guangming's face.

Panicked, Li Guangming used his free hand to block the incoming blow.

However, the expected impact never came.

Instead, an excruciating pain shot through the arm Chen Yi had trapped, as if it were being torn apart.

Turning his head, Li Guangming saw his arm locked between Chen Yi's legs, being wrenched backward with relentless force.

An armbar!

A perfectly executed armbar!

By the time Li Guangming realized what was happening, it was already too late. He was completely at Chen Yi's mercy.

As a special forces instructor, Li Guangming was all too familiar with the armbar—a common yet highly effective move in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

Even a strong man caught in an armbar by a smaller opponent would have no choice but to surrender, lest they risk having their arm broken.

Though effective, the armbar required precision and skill to execute. A poorly applied armbar could easily be escaped or even countered.

But Chen Yi was clearly a master of the technique. He had left Li Guangming no openings whatsoever.

Even from Li Guangming's professional perspective, Chen Yi's execution was flawless—textbook perfect.

After slamming him to the ground, Chen Yi hadn't rushed to apply the lock. Instead, he had subtly set up his position. When Li Guangming had tried to resist, Chen Yi feigned a kick to his head, forcing him to block and creating the perfect opportunity to secure his arm.

A masterful setup.

A masterful lock.

Deceptive, seamless, and utterly inescapable.

"Give up. I'm telling you, I could snap an iron bar as thick as your arm!"

"I concede!"

Admitting his defeat, Li Guangming tapped the ground in surrender.

Chen Yi had only used the armbar on a whim; he hadn't intended to actually break Li Guangming's arm.

Though Feng Kun and Ji Hao were despicable, it was clear that Li Guangming had been manipulated into fighting for them.

"What are you all standing around for? Didn't you see Brother Guangming lose?"

Feng Kun and Ji Hao had enlisted Li Guangming's help because they feared they couldn't handle Chen Yi on their own.

Ji Hao, in particular, had witnessed Chen Yi incapacitate two bodyguards in mere minutes during their last encounter.

Hearing about a recently retired special forces instructor who could take on a dozen thugs single-handedly, they had pulled some strings to get an introduction and casually mentioned Chen Yi's name. Their plan had worked perfectly—Li Guangming had agreed to step in.

But the outcome was far from what they had expected.

Chen Yi had won!

From start to finish, Chen Yi had dominated the fight.

Terrified, Feng Kun and Ji Hao realized they couldn't count on Li Guangming anymore. They decided to take advantage of Chen Yi's momentary distraction to have their five or six bodyguards swarm him and subdue him alongside Li Guangming.

They had to retrieve the phone at all costs. It was like a ticking time bomb that could destroy them completely.

Just as the bodyguards prepared to charge, Li Guangming, who had been released by Chen Yi, sprang to his feet with a kip-up and shouted, "Stop!"

"Brother Guangming, this scammer is too despicable! He must be taught a lesson!"

Ji Hao, panicking at Li Guangming's intervention, protested vehemently.

"If I lose, it's because I'm not skilled enough. But if losing means resorting to a gang fight, I'd rather not disgrace myself!"

Li Guangming's voice was sharp and commanding, his presence imposing.

The bodyguards, caught mid-charge, hesitated, unsure of whom to obey.

"Didn't you hear what I said?"

Li Guangming barked, his tone icy.

"Fine. Whatever Brother Guangming says goes," Ji Hao muttered reluctantly, signaling the bodyguards to stand down.

Only then did Li Guangming's expression soften slightly. Turning to Chen Yi, he said, "With skills like yours, why waste them on scams? You could make an honest living in a respectable profession. If you need connections, I can help you."

Hearing this, Chen Yi felt a flicker of goodwill toward Li Guangming and gave him a second look.

Mistaking Chen Yi's silence for doubt, Li Guangming continued, "Whether it's the military or the police, I can put in a word for you. With your abilities, it's a shame to waste them as a con artist."

Chen Yi chuckled. Feng Kun and Ji Hao must have spun quite the tale about him behind his back.

"Thanks for the offer, but I'm doing just fine as I am. Why would I want to join the military?"

Li Guangming, though retired, still harbored deep feelings for the army. His departure hadn't been his choice, and he often felt he owed his superiors a debt. Seeing someone like Chen Yi who could fill the void he had left behind stirred his emotions.

Still unwilling to give up, he pressed on, "Brother, scamming people isn't a long-term plan. It'll catch up to you sooner or later. Why not walk the straight and narrow? With your skills, you'd rise through the ranks in no time."

Chen Yi laughed softly. "I think you've misunderstood. Though I charge high fees for my fortune-telling and feng shui services, they're all based on real skill. I solve people's problems—I don't scam them."

Realizing there had been a misunderstanding, Chen Yi explained with a smile.

Li Guangming, seeing Chen Yi's sincerity, began to doubt Feng Kun and Ji Hao's claims.

With abilities like his, why would Chen Yi need to resort to deception?

Who would choose a crooked path when they had the talent to succeed on a straight one? Only those without ability, or those driven to desperation, would stoop so low.

"What's going on here?"

Li Guangming's gaze turned icy as he looked at Feng Kun and Ji Hao.

"Brother Guangming, don't fall for his lies. The more convincing a scammer, the more believable their words. Otherwise, how would they fool anyone?" Feng Kun replied coolly.