Chapter 1133 - 1076. Last Meeting Between Two Rival & Old Friend Pt.2
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(A/N: Don’t forget to give those power stones to Skyrim everyone!)
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"The Weaver of Mats," Cao Cao chuckled, wiping a tear of mirth from his eye, shaking his head. "He would weep for a trampled peasant while secretly plotting to steal his sworn brother’s province. He painted himself in the colors of a saint, which made him infinitely more detestable than a man who simply admits he wants the crown. You and I, Lie Fan... we never lied about what we were."
"We were tigers," Lie Fan agreed, pulling back a heavy wooden chair. "And tigers do not apologize for eating the deer."
With the shared amusement settling into a comfortable, profound camaraderie, Lie Fan took his seat at the table. He did not wait for the Oriole servants to approach. Instead, the Emperor of Hengyuan reached out with his own hands, picking up one of the elegant, long necked porcelain jugs of aged plum wine.
He poured the rich, dark amber liquid into a delicate jade cup and slid it across the polished mahogany toward Cao Cao. He then poured a second cup for himself.
Lie Fan raised his jade cup, holding it out toward the center of the table. "To the past, Brother Mengde. And to the paths we walked."
Cao Cao looked at the cup, and then at the man who had poured it. He reached out with a steady hand, lifting the jade to eye level. "To the tigers," Cao Cao replied softly.
The jade cups clinked together with a soft, clear chime that seemed to ring with the finality of an era. They both drank, savoring the incredibly complex, sweet, and tart notes of the finest vintage the capital had to offer.
As Cao Cao set his cup down, he looked at the lavish spread of roasted pheasant, venison stew, and steamed dumplings. He picked up a pair of silver chopsticks, the animosity between them seemingly dissolving entirely into the ether, replaced by the surreal, quiet intimacy of two veterans trading war stories.