Deputy Commander Ning Xiong stared at the Command Token in Yi Yang's hand for five breaths.
His tiger-like eyes moved from the Flying Eagle Official Insignia to Yi Yang's face, then back to the token, sweeping between them twice.
Fifty members of the Pacification Guard stood ramrod straight on the Drill Ground, watching in silence.
Wind swept past the flagpole in the Camp, and the rope slapped against the pole with sharp cracks.
Ning Xiong uncrossed his arms, clenched his right fist, and thumped his breastplate as he declared loudly:
"Ning Xiong, Deputy Commander of the Pacification Guard, pays his respects to Commander Yi!"
His voice was rough and powerful. Standing so close, Yi Yang felt his ears ring.
At Ning Xiong's declaration, the fifty black-armored Patrol Guards behind him cupped their fists in unison.
"We pay our respects to the Commander!"
Their black armor clattered in perfect unison, sounding no different from a single person's movements. Their coordination was impeccable.
Yi Yang tucked the Command Token back into his robes and nodded. They had made no attempt to intimidate him, so there was no need for him to put on official airs.
"At ease."
At his order, Ning Xiong waved a hand behind him, and the fifty members of the Pacification Guard dispersed in squads.
Only the two of them remained on the Drill Ground.
Then Ning Xiong turned back. With neither hostility nor unnecessary courtesy in his voice, he said calmly:
"I watched today's contest."
"You really are stronger than me. I couldn't have stopped that saber strike of yours."
Yi Yang listened to the deputy commander's praise without any change in expression. He was waiting for what came next.
"But I'm not accepting you because you can fight."
Ning Xiong lowered his tiger-like gaze, his voice dropping