ENG
In life, a brave heart met a noble lord,
Loyal and true, bound by a warrior's accord.
Grateful and steadfast, he sought to repay,
Unyielding in courage, keeping danger at bay.
Ma Tianba was originally named Ma Er.
Flaming Mountains were scorching hot all year round, with not a blade of grass growing around. Anyone attempting to cross the mountains, even if they had a head of iron and a body of steel, would melt into a puddle. Despite this, some merchants, driven by the lure of profit, attempted to cross the mountains to trade horses in the west.
Yet, upon setting foot in the Flaming Mountains, they were beset by guais. None survived, except for one horse, which bolted and ran for sixty miles after sensing the danger. Exhausted and thirsty, it collapsed at the gate of a cottage. An old man named Xu, who lived alone in the cottage, took pity on the horse. He took it in, fed it, and cared for it. Gradually, the horse regained its strength and grew robust.
The horse was intelligent and always responded to the old man's kindness with grateful neighs. The old man, seemingly able to understand the horse, said, "I was the eldest in my family. If you wish to join me, you shall be called Ma Er, as my second brother." The old man treated Ma Er with genuine affection, often going hungry himself to ensure Ma Er was well-fed. Ma Er took note of this and remembered it in his heart.
The Flaming Mountains were in perpetual drought, and without the Plantain Fan, there was no spring to sow and no autumn to harvest. Moreover, Xu was getting on in years. One day, as he was feeding Ma Er as usual, he suddenly collapsed by the stable.
Seeing this, Ma Er hoisted the old man onto his back and galloped towards the Plantain Cave on the Emerald Mountain. He ran non-stop for over seven hundred and seventy miles. Yet, by the time they reached the Emerald Mountain, the old man had already passed away. Heartbroken, Ma Er refused to return to the cottage and began wandering the mountains.
Seeing Ma Er's gentle nature, the yaoguais in the mountains often bullied him. Ma Er endured their taunts and jests, never getting angry or speaking back. Homeless and unbannered, he lived this way for many days, his once robust body growing thin again.
One day, as he was scavenging along the mountain path for scraps discarded by the lesser yaoguais, he saw an old bull sleeping by the roadside, with fire burning on his fur. Alarmed, Ma Er tried to wake the bull but to no avail. With no other choice, Ma Er hoisted the old bull onto his back and ran towards the Plantain Cave.
Along the way, somehow, the yaoguais, seeing Ma Er carrying a burning bull, were furious. They shouted and attacked, but Ma Er, ignoring them, charged ahead, sustaining many injuries.
It was only when they finally reached the Plantain Cave that Ma Er realized the burning bull was the Bull King, who had got drunk somewhere with friends and was now in a deep sleep. With a few calls from Rakshasi, the Bull King was startled awake from his drunken stupor. Seeing the battered Ma Er, the Bull King laughed heartily, "You are one tough horse! From now on, join my banner, and you shall be named Ma Tianba!"
Thus, Ma Er became Ma Tianba. He trained and practiced martial arts under the Bull King, growing stronger and eventually becoming a great general under the Bull King's command.
The story begins in the Flaming Mountains, a place so hot that almost nothing can survive and merchants trying to cross it to trade horses kept disappearing. One lone horse survived the crossing by bolting away and running for sixty miles until it collapsed at the gate of a small cottage. An old man who lived there, named Xu, took pity on the animal, brought it in, fed it, and nursed it back to health. That horse was originally called Ma Er.
The horse proved smart and loyal. It responded to Xu’s kindness with grateful neighs, and Xu, who was the eldest in his family, jokingly or affectionately told the horse that if it wanted to join him it would be called Ma Er, like his “second brother.” Xu treated the horse with real care, sometimes going hungry so the horse would be fed, and the horse remembered his kindness.
The Flaming Mountains suffered perpetual drought, and the text says the Plantain Fan was needed to bring seasons back—without it there was no spring to sow or autumn to harvest. Xu was growing old, and one day he collapsed while being fed by Ma Er. Ma Er lifted the old man onto his back and ran without stopping all the way to the Plantain Cave on Emerald Mountain, more than seven hundred and seventy miles, but Xu died by the time they reached it. Grief-stricken, Ma Er refused to return to the cottage and began wandering the mountains.
While wandering, Ma Er was often bullied and mocked by the yaoguai, the mountain demons and lesser creatures. He endured their cruelty and grew thin. One day he found an old bull sleeping with flames on its fur. Ma Er tried to wake the bull, failed, and carried it on his back toward the Plantain Cave. The yaoguai attacked him as he ran, and he was badly wounded, but he pressed on. When they arrived it turned out the burning bull was the Bull King, who had been drunk and asleep; a Rakshasi called and startled the Bull King awake.
The Bull King laughed at Ma Er’s toughness, gave him a new name—Ma Tianba—and invited him to join his banner. Ma Tianba trained under the Bull King in martial arts and grew strong, eventually becoming a great general under the Bull King’s command. The narrative shows Ma Er’s transformation from a grateful, adopted horse caring for an old man into a loyal, courageous warrior whose service and courage earned him a place as a celebrated general.