马天霸 Ma Tianba
生前好勇遇明主，忠贞不二做前卒。
知恩图报走单骑，不解危局誓不服。
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.
马天霸原不叫马天霸，叫马二。
他本是商队养的马，要帮着贪财的商贾们，翻过火焰山去做买卖。
未料，商队在山中被妖怪所袭，独剩他一马当先，逃了出来。
他撒蹄狂奔，直跑了六十里，才在一户庄院前力竭倒下。
庄中有位独居的许老汉，见马儿可怜，便收留了他。
每日喂水送饭，在老汉细心地照料下，马儿很快就好了起来，日渐茁壮。
他天性有灵，见老汉待他好，就以叫声回应老汉的闲聊。
老汉甚觉有趣对马儿道:“我在家排行老大，你既愿入伙，便是行二，以后就叫马二罢。”
老汉对马二真心实意，哪怕自己吃不饱，也不会少了马二的饭。马二都看在眼里，记在心上。
火焰山本就大旱，只要铁扇仙的扇子不动，这地便没有春秋。
更何况许老汉年事已高。
这日，他同往常一样，给马二添水加饭，却一头栽倒在了马厩边。
马二见状，扛起老人，飞驰而出，直奔翠云山芭蕉洞而去。
这一趟，他一刻未停，直直跑了七百三十余里。
可惜，待他抵达翠云山时，老人已然咽气了。
马二伤心欲绝，不愿再回庄院，自此流浪在山间。
山间有名有姓的小妖们，见马二善，常常欺负他。
马二不生气，也不言语，任他们打趣调笑。
他无家可归，也无洞府倚靠，原本壮硕的身躯又日渐消瘦下来。
一日，他照例沿着山路寻些小妖们不要的吃食，寻着寻着，瞧见有一老牛，酣睡路边，山间的火团都快烧到那老牛的眉毛了。
马二大惊失色，却怎么也叫不醒他，只得扛起老牛，又奔芭蕉洞而去。
沿途的妖怪，见马二扛着这烧掉了半边毛的老牛，一个个火气冲天，喊打喊杀。
马二全不理不睬，闷头猛冲，身上受了不少伤，才抵达了芭蕉洞。
等马二见了铁扇仙，才知这老牛原是牛魔王，他不知又去何处赴宴，跟朋友喝得大醉不醒!
铁山仙才唤了两声，牛王的酒就吓醒了。
回头看看伤痕累累的马二，放声大笑:“你这马儿，够霸道!今后跟着我老牛，叫你个马天霸如何!”
自此，马二就成了马天霸。
他跟着牛魔王习武修行，本领日渐高强，后来，还做了牛魔王的麾下大将哩。
兜兜：
马哥的故事，我之前有汇总过：
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 manor. An old man named Xu, who lived alone in the manor, 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 manor 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.
