Sun Jian turned his head—and his expression immediately changed.
Standing not far away was a tall, refined man in scholar's robes, smiling as he approached.
"Brother Wentai, you've come to visit Marquis Xuanwei as well?"
Sun Jian narrowed his eyes slightly, then cupped his hands.
"It's you… Cao Cao."
A Chance Encounter — But Not a Simple One
Zhang Xin hadn't even appeared yet, and already two future giants had met at his gate.
Behind Sun Jian stood:
Cheng Pu Huang Gai Han Dang Zu Mao
Behind Cao Cao… though alone for now, stood something far more dangerous:
ambition + political instinct
Cao Cao stepped forward with a smile, his gaze sweeping briefly over Sun Jian's men.
"Your subordinates look extraordinary. Truly worthy of the Tiger of Jiangdong."
Sun Jian didn't respond to the flattery. Instead, he asked directly:
"And you? Don't tell me you're also here to 'exchange martial arts'?"
Cao Cao chuckled.
"Of course not."
He leaned slightly closer and lowered his voice:
"I'm here… to see if this Marquis Xuanwei is truly worth betting on."
Two Very Different Minds
At that moment, the contrast between them was obvious:
Sun Jian → straightforward, battle-driven, seeking opportunity to fight Cao Cao → calculating, observing, already thinking in terms of alliances and future power
Sun Jian frowned slightly.
"Betting on him? He's already been dismissed. What's there to bet on?"
Cao Cao's smile deepened.
"Dismissed… yet still favored enough to:
keep his title receive a mansion and attract half of Luoyang to his doorstep"
He paused.
"Does that look like a fallen man to you?"
The Hidden Insight
Sun Jian was stunned for a moment.
He hadn't thought that far.
To him:
Zhang Xin = former Yellow Turban + talented general useful if he could help him get back to the battlefield
But to Cao Cao:
Zhang Xin was something else entirely—
A man rejected by the emperor… yet not destroyedAvoiding factions… yet attracting all of them
That kind of person…
was either:
a fool
or
someone extremely dangerous
Cao Cao straightened up and smiled again.
"Since we're both here, shall we go in together?"
Sun Jian hesitated for only a moment before nodding.
"Fine."
Inside the Mansion…
At that exact moment, Zhang Xin was just stepping out to greet them—
completely unaware that outside his gate stood:
the future founder of Wei → Cao Cao the future founder of Wu → Sun Jian
And behind them—
the early sparks of what would one day become the Three Kingdoms.