Liu Bei passed away, but his spirit and his beliefs will forever remain in the hearts of the people of Shu Han.

This grand battle between Sun Quan and Liu Bei ended in a disappointing fashion!

In order to consolidate the Shu Han regime, Zhuge Liang requested Liu Shan to become emperor!

In this way, all the civil and military officials in Shu could be rewarded, and the foundation of Shu Han could be preserved.

Subsequently, Zhuge Liang took over as Chancellor of Shu Han, and Sun Quan followed suit by declaring himself emperor in Jiangdong.

However, Cao Cao did not respond at all. His civil and military officials had submitted memorials many times, requesting that Cao Cao depose the emperor and establish himself as emperor.

But Cao Cao refuted them all!

Since the Battle of Hanzhong, Cao Cao's headaches have frequently recurred, and now he is nearing the end of his life.

Xuchang, the Prince of Wei's Mansion.

"Zhicai... I know that Lu Xunzhen is not dead. May I see him?" Cao Cao said weakly as he lay on the bed.

Xi Zhicai was taken aback upon hearing this and asked in confusion, "How does my lord know that the gentleman is still alive?"

Cao Cao sighed with a wry smile and said, "I still know that you were sent to my side by him..."

At this moment, Xi Zhicai's heart skipped a beat; he knew he couldn't hide it from Cao Cao anymore.

He could only honestly say, "My lord, it is indeed true!"

Cao Cao nodded slightly and said, "Zhicai, I know everything. I just admire you. I simply want to meet Xunzhen. Is that alright?"

Xi Zhicai looked somewhat troubled and said, "My lord, although I can help you contact the gentleman, is the gentleman willing to see you...?"

"It's alright, it's alright..."

After saying this, Xi Zhicai wrote a letter and ordered someone to send it to Yunmeng Mountain.

When Lu Li received the letter, he felt a mix of emotions. He hadn't expected that Cao Cao would actually guess that he was not dead and even ask to see him.

"Master, are you going to see Cao Cao?" Dian Wei asked, standing beside Lu Li.

Dian Wei could never forget how his senior brother sacrificed himself, which is why he harbored immense hatred for Cao Cao.

"Liu Bei is dead, and Cao Cao probably doesn't have many days left either. Why not meet him?" Lu Li said calmly.

"But...but Cao Cao is the murderer who killed my senior brother! He also harmed so many people!" Dian Wei's face was full of anger.

Lu Li remained silent; he had never forgotten the grudge against Leifu.

Ten days later, Lu Li arrived in Xuchang alone.

At this time, Cao Cao was white-haired and extremely weak, barely clinging to his last breath, waiting for Lu Li to arrive.

"My lord, the gentleman has arrived..." Xi Zhicai said, bowing.

Cao Cao opened his eyes, a smile appeared on his face, and then he slowly sat up.

"Xunzhen, you really haven't changed at all." Cao Cao smiled, his face was very old, and his eyes were full of fatigue and vicissitudes.

He was thin, his cheeks were sunken, and he looked as if he had aged ten years. Where was the image of the once powerful and domineering hero?

At this moment, Cao Cao resembled an old man in the twilight of his life, yet even in such a state, he could not conceal his restrained sharpness and imposing presence.

"Yes, you're getting old, and you'll die soon," Lu Li said calmly.

“Xunzhen…we have shared hardships together, we are both enemies and friends,” Cao Cao sighed.

"Since I raised my army, the person I hate the most is you, the person I love the most is you, the person I respect the most is you, and the person I fear the most is also you."

Lu Li did not answer, but quietly looked at Cao Cao.

"If...if only Laifu hadn't started the Yellow Turban Rebellion, how wonderful that would have been! We would have become good teachers and friends." Cao Cao seemed to be reminiscing about those glorious days of the past.

Lu Li remained completely unmoved as he listened to Cao Cao's words.

"I know you hate me, but if I were given another chance, I... would still do the same thing!"

"The world has misjudged me, Cao Cao, and so have you!"

"But I am still me, and I'm never afraid of being misunderstood!"

Lu Li took a deep breath and then said, "Cao Mengde, I became a disciple of Guiguzi during the Warring States period."

"Help Qin Shi Huang, Ying Zheng, kill Lao Ai, dismiss Lü Buwei, reorganize the Qin Dynasty, and assist him in ruling personally!"

Upon hearing this, Cao Cao's pupils contracted, somewhat incredulous.

He could guess that Lu Li was different from others and had even lived for a long time, but he never expected that Lu Li was actually a person from the Warring States period.

"I used all my knowledge to form alliances, employ intrigue, strategy, and trickery, ultimately helping Ying Zheng to sweep across the six kingdoms and establish the Great Qin!"

"I will assist Meng Tian in driving out the Xiongnu and reclaiming the Hetao region!"

"I defeated Chen Sheng and Wu Guang, and even used myself as bait to draw Heaven into the game, killing Xiang Yu and Liu Bang, hoping to preserve the Qin Dynasty!"

"But in the end... no matter how hard I tried, I could never stop the decline of the Qin Dynasty."

"I slept for four hundred years! Four hundred years! When I awoke again, everything had changed..."

"The people around you are dying one by one, do you know the pain of loneliness?"

"Therefore, I cherish life even more, especially for ordinary people living at the bottom of society."

Cao Cao fell silent, for every word Lu Li spoke touched his heart.

"Heaven and earth are ruthless, treating all things like straw dogs. The powerful and wealthy are ruthless, treating the common people like straw dogs."

"I thought I had extinguished my inner self, but in the end, it was Leif who reignited it!"

"That's why I will stand behind Leif without hesitation!"

Cao Cao seemed to understand why Lu Li always appeared so compassionate; it turned out he had long seen through the fickle nature of human relationships.

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