Yang Yi finally said, "Sorry, there are confidentiality rules. I can't say."
Old Master Qiu exchanged a surprised glance with the other old man. There was something they couldn't be told? How extraordinary!
"This is General Qiu Weiguo, former commander of the Fourth Group Army and now military advisor for the Jiangnan Military Region, and this is General Zeng Lingjun, former chief of staff of the Sixth Group Army and also a military advisor for the Jiangnan Military Region," said a general with conspicuous stars on his shoulders as he walked over, his voice booming. "In their presence, secrets below Grade A aren't considered secrets."
"Military advisor is just a title," Old Master Qiu laughed heartily. He pointed at the newcomer and said to Yang Yi, "This is Deputy Commander of the Jiangnan Military Region, Lu Pengju. Even if your confidentiality agreement is above Grade A, you can tell him."
Sweat began to form on Yang Yi's forehead. This treatment was way too extravagant, wasn't it? Three generals coming to receive him as soon as he got out of the car?
Of course, Yang Yi didn't know that Old Master Qiu and Old Master Zeng were just bored and wanted to see what the author of those two books looked like. As for General Lu, he happened to be passing by after a meeting, saw the two old masters, and came over to greet them, overhearing their conversation.
Since General Lu had said that, could Yang Yi still stubbornly refuse to speak? With the influence of these three generals, checking his background would be a matter of minutes.
Yang Yi snapped his legs together, saluted, and shouted loudly, "Former直属 of the Northwest Military Region's Special Forces Wolf Brigade, Yang Yi, reporting to the commanders!" (Note 1)
But as soon as Yang Yi said this, all three generals drew in a sharp breath. "Wolf Brigade?"
Special forces weren't unusual—every major military region and former group army had them—but the Northwest's Wolf Brigade was something else! In that volatile region, they often faced threats from minor warlords or armed drug traffickers. This special forces unit was truly forged in the fires of combat!
Every year in the all-army competitions, the teams sent by their Jiangnan Military Region dreaded encountering the Northwest Military Region's people, especially the experts from the Wolf Brigade! Though they weren't completely crushed, they could never score points against them!
That's why these three generals had such a vivid impression of this special forces unit!
However, Old General Qiu scrutinized Yang Yi and asked skeptically, "Really? Doesn't seem like it?"
Yang Yi didn't look like a special forces soldier should.
His skin wasn't dark enough—compared to ordinary people, Yang Yi was already quite tanned, but compared to soldiers exposed to sun and rain daily, his complexion had lightened over the years...
His build wasn't solid enough either—Yang Yi was wearing a loose shirt today, and from the outside, he looked tall and masculine, but it didn't show off his muscles!
More importantly, Yang Yi lacked the killing intent of the Wolf Brigade's special forces. The gleam in his eyes was ordinary, no different from anyone else's.
They naturally didn't understand that Yang Yi's skill at concealing his aura was so refined that if they could see through it, that would be a problem!
Still, Old Master Qiu's words stirred a surge of pride in Yang Yi. Other things didn't matter, but being a member of the Wolf Brigade was the pride of his predecessor's life—how could he allow it to be questioned?
Yang Yi gave a faint smile and said, "True or false, why not test it?"
"Hey, I think that's a good idea, Xiao Yang!" Old Master Zeng patted Old Master Qiu and laughed. "He says it's true, you say it doesn't seem like it—that's not enough. We need to test it!"
Old Master Qiu, not one to be provoked, immediately called over his guard: "Xiao Yan, come over and spar with our guest. Let's see if Xiao Yang really came from the Wolf Brigade!"
Xiao Yan was the guard who had driven to pick up Yang Yi, around twenty-two or twenty-three years old. In an ordinary unit, he was considered excellent in every aspect.
But Yang Yi could tell at a glance that the other was weak... Not just compared to Yang Yi, but probably couldn't even hold his own against an average special forces soldier!
Still, Yang Yi remained composed. He gave a faint smile and began to take off his watch and unbutton his shirt. He had only worn this one outfit today—if it got torn, where would he find a change of clothes?
Lu Pengju watched with keen interest from the side. He was also eager to see Yang Yi's abilities. By now, everyone's attention had shifted from "what kind of person wrote those two books" to "whether Yang Yi is from the Wolf Brigade."
Of course, he could call the Northwest Military Region to verify, but that wouldn't be as fun as this!
As soon as Yang Yi took off his shirt, Old Master Qiu's look toward him changed!
So there was substance under that shirt! Solid muscles, abdominal muscles like plates—with a build like that, Yang Yi's claim probably carried more weight!
"Xiao Yang, you've been hiding your light under a bushel!" Old Master Qiu said with a meaningful smile, then told his guard, "Xiao Yan, you'd better show some real skill!"
Upon hearing that Yang Yi was from the Wolf Brigade, Guard Xiao Yan's eyes had been gleaming with eagerness. Without needing Old Master Qiu's prompting, he wore a serious expression, as if facing the most important exam of his life!
Yang Yi, however, acted naturally. He set his things aside and walked calmly to stand opposite Xiao Yan. Unlike Xiao Yan's tense demeanor, he looked relaxed, even beckoning with his hand: "Come on!"
"Watch out!" Xiao Yan wanted to be courteous, but seeing Yang Yi's dismissive attitude, he felt a twinge of annoyance. With a shout, he stepped forward and threw a standard military boxing straight punch from his waist.
Yang Yi sidestepped, dodging Xiao Yan's punch. Of course, Xiao Yan had a follow-up—he twisted and threw a hook punch aimed at Yang Yi's waist.
He was still holding back; hitting the ribs or head would have been more threatening.
Yang Yi's reflexes were lightning-fast. He sidestepped again, evading the hook punch, and even used his shoulder to shove the other away.
The gap in skill was enormous!
Yang Yi fought with ease and grace, but he didn't intend to end it quickly. Since Xiao Yan had shown restraint, he had no reason to be harsh.
So, Yang Yi only blocked without counterattacking, trading a few rounds with Xiao Yan, making it look like a close match.
Xiao Yan, caught up in the moment, thought that if he pushed a little harder, he could take Yang Yi down!
But suddenly, Yang Yi lunged forward, his right fist striking like a shadow, knocking Xiao Yan's left and right arms aside almost simultaneously. As Xiao Yan's guard was wide open, Yang Yi's right hand shot out like a blade, aimed at his throat.
It happened so fast that almost no one present saw how Yang Yi had suddenly rendered Xiao Yan defenseless. Only Xiao Yan, in that instant, felt the shadow of death looming over him.
Fortunately, Yang Yi's hand stopped half a centimeter from Xiao Yan's throat.
"Thanks for yielding!" Yang Yi said with a smile, withdrawing his hand and lightly patting the shoulder of Xiao Yan, who stood frozen, drenched in cold sweat.
(Note 1: The military plot is just a brief interlude, so here Yang Yi is from the Wolf Brigade. Yes, Xiao Han pays tribute to a dedicated, handsome, and awesome action actor and director—that's right, him. Everyone, shout out his name!)