Chapter 2: The Red Date and the Great Han Guan Yu

However, today, despite this roll, the opponent showed no reaction at all. Even more terrifying is that the sensation from the earth completely fails to perceive Guan Yu's presence, as if Guan Yu is not standing on the ground, or perhaps Guan Yu has merged with the earth itself

Guan Yu chuckled: "Perhaps I will just follow the master and go over there"

Time passed second by second, and for Ma Ying, each day felt like a year. Standing in a T-position was not tiring, but being on high alert consumed a lot of energy. Yet, the enemy did not appear, and the most detestable part was the extremely harsh environment he found himself in. Ma Ying recalled a saying: "A calm heart brings natural coolness." Thus, although the surroundings were extremely foul, dirty, and disgusting, he settled his mind and imagined himself at the summit of Mount Tai, beside the pine forest, amidst the white clouds, battling the world's greatest master. The mountain breeze gently brought waves of... cough, waves of fresh air. Yes, fresh air. What a majestic scene this was, what a delightful feeling! Thus, although the surroundings were extremely foul, dirty, and disgusting, he settled his mind and imagined himself at the summit of Mount Tai, beside the pine forest, amidst the white clouds, battling the world's greatest master. The mountain breeze gently brought waves of... cough, waves of fresh air. Yes, fresh air. What a majestic scene this was, what a delightful feeling! "Hahahaha," Ma Ying laughed heartily towards the sky. Life is like this; how could one not laugh? However, Ma Ying's laughter was soon forced to stop, as a pile of excrement that had stuck to his nose was jolted loose and fell directly into his mouth.

Ma Ying finally realized that the person before him was unreasonable. Looking at his dignified appearance, complete with a bushy beard, it turned out he was an idiot. From his own experience, it was evident that a person's appearance often diverged from their inner qualities. With this thought, his pent-up anger was somewhat alleviated; after all, given his own status, intelligence, and looks, it was hardly worth getting angry with this fool

If it were not for Ma Ying's excessive carelessness and intoxication, he would not have fallen along with his horse. At that moment, he was mocking the previous big man in his heart, while also indulging in self-expectation and lamenting life. In an instant, he learned what the impermanence of life truly meant and what it meant for flowers not to bloom for a hundred days. Unfortunately, Ma Ying's lightness of body was inadequate, and by the time he attempted to react and leap out of the pit using his strength, it was already too late

Ma Ying stroked his short beard and pondered, "Could it be that there was heavy rain here the other day, causing the rocks and trees to collapse, and the mud and sand to flow down, thereby damaging the road and blocking the mountain path, making it impassable?"

Ma Ying was almost driven to madness, saying: "What the hell, are you cramping your neck? All you do is shake your head, what on earth is going on?"

Moments later, a heart-wrenching scream echoed through the mountains. No matter how well Ma Yinghan had cultivated his composure or how extraordinary his self-reassurance skills were, he was completely shattered by the cruel reality at this moment, cursing in a fit of rage. However, even at this point, he did not doubt his previous judgment and did not believe that it was Guan Yu who had done this.

Ma Ying's patience is nearly exhausted, reverting to her usual tone of speech: "Is it the bandits who have blocked the road?"

Shake one's head

Although it is a leisurely trip through the mountains and waters, Ma Ying still maintains a considerable level of vigilance after many years of escorting goods. After all, the cargo being protected this time is worth a fortune. While enjoying the scenery, one must still perform their duties well, and there must be no mistakes. Reminding herself of this, Ma Ying feels a deep admiration for her own caution in such small mountains. As the chief escort, she truly is competent. If it were anyone else from the escort agency, they certainly would not be as careful as she is. Otherwise, how could they be called a chief escort or a head escort? There is indeed truth in this!

Guan Yu stood with his arms crossed, watching Ma Ying rolling around beside him, unmoving like a mountain

The origin of the name "Red Date Mountain" is quite significant. It is not only because there have suddenly been many jujube trees in the mountain in recent years, but also because traveling merchants and visitors often see a person who resembles a red date in the mountain.

Ma Yingda was excited, so he simply took off his clothes and pants, wearing only a pair of shoes and shorts. He wiped off the large amount of excrement on his body with his hands, reducing his weight to the lightest possible, and then stood on the nearly suffocated gray horse, preparing to make a daring escape.

Shake one's head

Guan Yu smiled faintly and stroked his beard, saying, "That is called camouflage"

This person, surnamed Guan, named Yu, with the courtesy name Yunchang. It is quite strange that Guan Yu appears to be quite young, yet has such a long beard. According to the physiological phenomena of ordinary people, this is very difficult to achieve. However, extraordinary individuals emerge in every generation, and such a minor issue of hormonal imbalance is not worth making a fuss over. Yet, Guan Yu meticulously maintains this beard, allowing it to grow longer and longer, fearing that others might not know about his endocrine disorder. Psychological analysis suggests that men who have an extreme love for displaying their secondary sexual characteristics usually do not fare well in terms of their primary sexual characteristics, and often have some issues. It is not worth making a fuss over, yet Guan Yu meticulously maintains this beard, allowing it to grow longer and longer, fearing that others might not know about his endocrine disorder. Psychological analysis suggests that men who have an extreme love for displaying their secondary sexual characteristics usually do not fare well in terms of their primary sexual characteristics, and often have some issues. However, this is merely speculation and there is currently no way to verify it.

Thus, unfortunate events came to pass

Is it that a towering tree was blown down by a strange gust of wind, fortuitously falling across the path and blocking your way

Ma Ying looked at the trap; the surrounding stone walls were extremely smooth. When he touched them, he found they had even been oiled, making them slippery. It seemed impossible to gain any leverage to climb up. Ma Ying made a vigorous leap, but he was still over a foot away from the top. As he fell, he landed in a pile of excrement, splattering it all over his nose and mouth.

Guan Yu muttered to himself, "How could the road be closed? We will have to take a detour this time." He raised his eyes and saw Ma Ying, saying, "My lord, do not go forward; it is impassable."

Ma Yingqi was enraged, without saying a word, he kicked the sign away with a flying kick, saying: "Fool, this is most likely a prank."

Liu Bei and Zhang Fei both shook their heads in unison

Guan Yu said: "Look, it is no longer connected, right"

In Hongzao Mountain, if one unfortunately encounters Guan Yu, it is inevitable that after leaving the mountain, everyone's face will be as flushed as the red dates that cover the hills. The reason is simple: their money has been taken away by Guan Yu

The sound echoed several times in the small mountain, but no one paid any attention

Indeed, the road ahead was smooth and flat. Ma Ying turned back to look, and found that Guan Yu had not followed, cursing the fool a few more times in his heart. As one ages, it is easy to feel pity for the world. Ma Ying gazed up at the blue sky, with clouds drifting by, murmuring to himself: "In such a vast world, why are there so few heroes like me? Alas, it is truly lonely." Upon mentioning the word 'lonely', Ma Ying suddenly felt a surge of emotion, becoming quite intoxicated, stroking his little mustache, feeling exceptionally good. Before he could lower his head to return to a normal posture and look at the road, he suddenly heard a 'plop' sound, and both man and horse fell into a deep pit, followed by a waft of the fragrant smell of dung spreading all around.

Ma Ying cast a sidelong glance at him and said, "Have you ever been forward?"

This time, Ma Ying was transporting ten flawless white jade pieces, worth a fortune. He was taking a secret route, relying on his extensive experience and exceptional martial skills, planning to traverse the territory of Youzhou alone to deliver the cargo to Luoyang

As Ma Ying rolled on the ground, he immediately sensed that things were not going well. After so many years in the martial world, he was not naive; he had encountered many formidable opponents and had even triumphed over those whose skills surpassed his own by a margin. However, when he rolled on the ground, the opponent's momentum instantly weakened by several degrees. Although he was rolling on the ground, he was acutely aware of every move made by his opponent. Under the operation of his unique internal technique, the Rolling Dragon, he maintained full contact with the earth, allowing him to perceive every action and even the breath of the enemy standing not far away on the ground.

It is said that once, the chief escort of the Kansai Escort Agency, Longma Ying, was transporting goods past Hongzao Mountain. Longma Ying was a stout man, quite famous in the escorting industry. When he faced off against his opponent, he suddenly turned into a mass of flesh, and with a "thud," he fell off his horse, rolling from east to west, rolling from south to north, and as he rolled, he ended up right in front of you, wielding a pair of dragon-patterned short blades, resembling the spines of a cactus, lunging at you, leaving you with several holes in your body

After jumping several times in succession, all to no avail, Ma Yingsi pondered for a moment, shouted a few more times, and jumped again several times. In desperation, he finally decided to lighten his load, unfastening the large bundle weighing about ten pounds from his back and throwing it upwards. After all, the ten pieces of white jade were wrapped separately in cotton, so they would not be damaged. With a stroke of luck, he made a vigorous leap, this time only a little short of being able to hook onto the opening.

It has been proven that although during the Three Kingdoms period, many wise and talented individuals emerged, and there were often those who excelled in the first half of Guan Yu's famous saying, in the latter half, looking across the world, there has yet to be anyone who surpasses him

Guan Yu pushed the cart, following behind Ma Ying

Guan Yu clapped his hands and walked away leisurely, kicking Ma Ying, who was howling, as he left, and scolded, "What an idiot, relying on rolling in a fight, are you satisfied now?"

Guan Yu has a commendable habit of frequently visiting nearby towns to gather intelligence. Last time, he learned about Ma Ying's combat strategies, which prompted him to carry iron nails with him, embodying the principle of knowing oneself and knowing the enemy to achieve victory in every battle. Each time he set out to gather information, he would always push a cart of red dates, disguising himself as a vendor. Later, Liu Bei asked Guan Yu why he always pushed a cart of red dates and never changed the variety, suggesting he could sell bananas, durians, or mangoes instead. Guan Yu chuckled and responded with a question: "Do you know why I planted so many red date trees on Red Date Mountain?"

Then, is it that the foundation of this mountain road is unstable, with underground cavities or hidden springs, causing it to suddenly collapse and become impassable

At this time, the world is on the brink of chaos, although there are the Yellow Turban rebels, outside the areas of their activity, peace still prevails. Ma Ying has been traveling through mountains and rivers, indulging in food, drink, and entertainment, and with his years of rich experience in escorting goods, he has not encountered any danger. He occasionally comes across a few unwise petty thieves, and without even needing to draw his dragon-patterned blade, he easily sends them away.

Ma Ying stopped Guan Yu and asked, "I say, you man, why are you so foolish and reckless? Come, come, explain to me clearly what is going on ahead. Why did you say, 'My lord, do not go forward, it is impassable'? If you cannot provide a reasonable explanation, then you are deceiving me, and do not blame me for striking your mouth."

This pit is over 2 zhang deep, and it was excavated from a large natural rock, filled to the brim with excrement. Ma Ying had no time to marvel at the magnitude of this undertaking, nor did he pay any attention to the gray horse lying on its back nearby. He stood firmly in the excrement, ready for action. Indeed, he was an old hand in the game.

Ma Ying was walking along when he turned a corner and suddenly saw a burly man pushing a cart full of red dates ahead. Ma Ying felt suspicious (after all, he was an old hand in the business), and maintaining a skeptical attitude towards unexpected appearances is essential for a good bodyguard. However, after some analysis, Ma Ying soon set his mind at ease. Looking at the vast expanse of date trees, it was neither a desolate mountain nor a treacherous waterway, the scenery was not picturesque, and there was no hint of a bandit or a fierce criminal atmosphere. There was also no sense of menace in the surroundings. Hah, in such a small hill, no green forest hero would take notice.

After Ma Ying emerged from the mountain, reeking of foul odor, he gathered information through various channels and finally discovered the background of the big man with red dates, whom he had thought to be an idiot. He realized that he had previously fallen into this idiot's hands. If he did not retrieve the important cargo that was lost, he would not be able to return, and the escort agency would inevitably close down. Over the past few days, Ma Ying had conducted a thorough search of Red Date Mountain and finally found Guan Yu on the seventh day

Ma Ying turned around and said: "Why are you following me?"

Upon hearing the call of "Master," Ma Ying felt a surge of joy, and could not help but puff out his chest, which was actually his belly, and then raised his head to correct his posture. The gray horse beneath him immediately trembled its legs and let out a few mournful whinnies

Originally, Ma Ying did not necessarily have to pass through Hongzao Mountain, as it was not a required route, nor was it the most direct or closest path. However, having encountered such a generous patron willing to spend so much money, it would be too much of a disservice to oneself to complete the secret escort mission so easily. Therefore, he deliberately chose to take a longer route, planning to visit several of the largest cities in Youzhou and to indulge in intimate encounters with the most popular courtesans in the most renowned pleasure houses, so as not to waste the patron's goodwill. In the future, if he were to inquire about it, he could always concoct a few reasons, as there would be plenty to choose from, such as being obstructed by bandits in front, or being pursued by treasure hunters behind, necessitating a roundabout strategy. When absolutely necessary, he might even have to hide in a brothel and pose as a bodyguard, which would tarnish his reputation, but for the sake of work, everything could be sacrificed. This would certainly present an image of absolute integrity, moving that patron to tears. He could even add an extra 20% to the commission. Reflecting on this, Ma Ying could not help but sigh, realizing that one must possess professional competence in any endeavor; if his professional skills were lacking, how could he possibly thrive so well.

However, Ma Ying is still rolling

Unfolding, it is a large pile of long iron nails

Guan Yu shook his head

Shake one's head

Within the boundaries of Youzhou, over thirty miles west of Zhuoxian County town, there lies an unnamed small mountain. However, this small mountain has recently acquired a name: Hongzao Mountain

Guan Yu, with a face like a bitter melon, said: "The way ahead is blocked, how strange, it was passable this morning, how could it suddenly be impassable"

With a flick of my fingers, I play, I play, I play again

First, reach into the bosom

Furthermore, is it the case that the local officials here have official duties to attend to, and in order to carry out certain activities that are not suitable for common citizens like you to be aware of, they have closed the roads and temporarily prohibited passage

shake one's head

Having spent half a lifetime as a bodyguard, it can be said that he has lived a life on the edge. Ma Ying understands a principle: the more perilous the situation, the more one must remain calm; otherwise, one is bound to meet their end. Upon realizing he has fallen into a trap, the bandits lurking nearby will undoubtedly hurl large stones or even spears down at him. A moment's carelessness could lead to a fate worse than death.

Some honest people think that being deceived is just a lesson learned. Of course, there are many who refuse to accept this and naively believe that a fraudster must lack any real ability. When they return to settle accounts with Guan Yu, they find that the burly man has already vanished without a trace. A very few unfortunate souls who encounter Guan Yu again, when they charge at him, discover that the very person who just used countless tricks and efforts to swindle their money possesses extraordinary martial skills. With a mere flick of his hand and a stretch of his leg, he sends them flying to the other side of the mountain. While tossing them aside, he strikes a cool pose and adds a famous saying from the Guan family: "The most important thing for a person is to have intelligence and wisdom, not to rely on brute force."

Ma Ying is a prominent escort leader. This time, he carefully planned his identity for the secret escort mission. His identity for this mission is that of a wealthy man who is greedy for money, enjoys sleeping with gold ingots, has no appetite unless dining at the finest restaurants, cannot sleep unless in the top suite of a luxurious inn, and is notoriously flirtatious, always accompanied by three or more women each night. As a leading escort, Ma Ying possesses exceptional professional qualities, listing a total of seventeen reasons for why he must disguise himself as such a wealthy man, complete with dense annotations. He wrote extensively, using three pounds of silk cloth, ultimately gaining the full approval of the person entrusting him with the escort, thereby covering all expenses incurred during the secret mission.

In fact, if Guan Yu did not want Ma Ying to find him, even when Ma Ying had completely evolved into a wild man, he would still not be able to locate Guan Yu. It was merely that Guan Yu was annoyed by this ungrateful and foolish person wandering around his territory, so he decided to reveal himself and prepare to teach him a good lesson.

Ma Ying is still rolling, and even he does not know when he will stop. Whether to fight or to flee, Ma Ying remains hesitant. Although it is said that life is more important than wealth, and a security agency can be reestablished, can he truly escape even if he tries?

Since it is a secret escort, one must have a protected identity. According to the rules of the escort agency, if one is to undertake a secret escort, a newly joined apprentice must pretend to be a beggar while wandering the world. If one is a porter, they can disguise themselves as a groom or similar roles. Once promoted to an escort master, as the saying goes, a ten-year wife becomes a mother-in-law, one can then pose as a young gentleman from a respectable family. If one is older, they can also take on the role of a steward from a wealthy household out shopping. At the level of a head escort, undertaking a secret escort is quite significant, as one can essentially portray wealthy characters such as rich masters or traveling merchants.

Ma Ying has already determined that this person is an idiot, thinking to himself that he had just wasted a lot of effort talking to this fool about a whole bunch of nonsense, truly a waste of time. He resolved not to pay any attention to him, and if he wanted to follow, so be it.

Why, why is it that no one has come to attend to me? I see, it must be that they were startled by my laughter just now, so bewildering that they have been frightened away. Truly, it is said that a single laugh can be a formidable foe.

In later generations, Guan Yu was revered by the world as the "Saint of War," not only because of his exceptional martial skills but also because he always approached combat with wisdom, elevating fighting to a higher level. Guan Yu stated: Engaging in violence is not the ultimate goal; if one can achieve the objective without breaking a sweat or resorting to physical confrontation, why expend such effort? Even if fighting is unavoidable, one should seek an appropriate method to make the process easier for oneself. Guan Yu reiterated: Engaging in violence is not the ultimate goal; if one can achieve the objective without breaking a sweat or resorting to physical confrontation, why expend such effort? Even if fighting is unavoidable, one should seek an appropriate method to make the process easier for oneself

When people are under stress, they often engage in wild thoughts. Although Ma Ying's mind constantly wanders, he does not dare to relax in the slightest. However, after waiting for a full half hour, there is still no sign of movement from above. In such a situation, even though Ma Ying is an old hand at this, he cannot figure out what is going on at this moment. He cannot help but doubt whether this trap is actually aimed at the ten pieces of white jade in the package on his back.

After waiting for nearly half an hour, there was still no sign of movement outside. Ma Ying cursed his own bad luck for being mistakenly injured by someone. He raised his voice and shouted: Is anyone there... No one... No one... No one

The ground all around was suddenly covered with large iron nails pointing upwards.

At this moment, Guan Yu, who had been sitting quietly at the opening above for quite some time, pinched his nose and used a branch to pry open Ma Ying's bundle, taking out ten pieces of white jade and leaving leisurely.

Who, who is it, if you have the guts, let your Master Ma come out, and we will battle for three hundred rounds... rounds... rounds! The echoes linger in the mountains

Then, take out a package of something

He executed a series of actions at a speed invisible to the naked eye, truly remarkable; when he moved, it was as if the heavens were shaken. Although Guan Yu remained standing in place, his feet not having moved an inch, he had already caused Ma Ying to scream in agony, like a deflated balloon, blood flowing profusely.

Seven days later, Guan Yu encountered the extremely agitated and noticeably thinner Ma Ying, the great dart thrower, in the mountains, who appeared to be evolving towards a wild man.

Shake one's head

Not long after, there was a clearly newly erected wooden sign on the road ahead, with the words "This road is impassable" written in a crooked manner

Guan Yu, with a rather foolish expression, said something that nearly caused Ma Ying to fall off his horse: "I don't know"

Ma Ying finally withdrew his stance and began to think of a way to get out

More importantly, the burly man in front of him appeared to be dazed and was mumbling to himself. Using his years of experience in reading people, he observed him from all angles—left, right, above, and below—and concluded that he was nothing more than a simple-minded farmer with a strong physique.

Guan Yu finally moved

In fact, using the character "抢" (to rob) is too insulting to Guan Yu, as he employed cunning rather than brute force. He skillfully acquired wealth and resources without direct confrontation. It is said that the vast expanse of red dates possesses a mysterious effect, filling one's vision with red, which can induce a slight hallucinatory sensation in ordinary people. With a little guidance from Guan Yu, they all become particularly easy to deceive, like fat sheep. Only after leaving the mountain, when the cool breeze blows, do they realize they have fallen into Guan Yu's trap. It is said that the vast expanse of red dates possesses a mysterious effect, filling one's vision with red, which can induce a slight hallucinatory sensation in ordinary people. With a little guidance from Guan Yu, they all become particularly easy to deceive, like fat sheep. Only after leaving the mountain, when the cool breeze blows, do they realize they have fallen into Guan Yu's trap.

Naturally, this is Guan Yu. This month, he meticulously designed five major schemes, and by this day, he has already deceived three individuals. Ma Ying happened to encounter the fourth scheme of Guan Yu. Guan Yu plans to summarize the effects of the five schemes at the end of the month, extracting the essence from the deceptions to facilitate quicker, better, and safer scams next month. This time, Guan Yu is playing the role of a fool. Aware of his own remarkable appearance, he deliberately hunches his back, tilts his mouth, and spreads his legs in a bow-legged manner. His skin, already pockmarked, is wrinkled in various directions due to his efforts. Over the years, Ma Ying has indeed seen countless people. Upon first seeing Guan Yu, he found something a bit strange, but upon observing the dullness in this person's eyes and the lack of bulging temples, he concluded that if it weren't for the mastery of martial arts, he would be an ordinary person. Ma Ying believes that even by using his toes to think, he knows that a top expert could not possibly disguise themselves in this manner; they could simply come and rob him directly.

Shake one's head

Such an opponent, once they launch an attack, will certainly be as unstoppable as thunder. Ma Ying broke out in a cold sweat, not daring to act rashly, merely rolling around continuously near Guan Yu. If it were not for the fact that the lost dart was too valuable, encountering such an opponent, Ma Ying would have long since slipped away, not knowing where he would have rolled off to.

When Ma Ying saw Guan Yu, without saying a word, he drew out the dragon-patterned short blade and charged towards Guan Yu.

Why can't we leave then? Certain words that had been pent up for a long time finally began to emerge

Ma Ying was determined not to concern himself with Guan Yu and continued to ride forward

When Guan Yu called him "Master," Ma Ying felt that he must also present himself with a semblance of a master, thus he spoke much more than usual. Having roamed the rivers and lakes for many years, he had long discovered a principle: the higher the position, the more verbose the speech. Matters that could be understood in a single sentence were often elaborated upon in ten or twenty sentences. On one occasion, he had the fortune to encounter someone from the capital, who was said to hold a position even higher than the governor of Youzhou. This person delivered a speech regarding the issue of grain. At first, Ma Ying could still grasp where the nonsense lay and what it actually meant, but as he listened, his scalp began to tingle. After half an hour, what entered one ear simply exited the other, and his brain was rendered completely ineffective, leaving him utterly clueless about what was being said. Ma Ying was quite self-aware; he knew he could never reach the highest realm of such nonsense. Perhaps this was not even the highest realm, but he certainly did not wish to experience what a higher level might be like. Thus, it seemed he was destined not to have the talent for officialdom, for if one could not grasp the essence from this heap of nonsense, one might very well lose their head the next day. However, the level of nonsense typical of an ordinary "Master" was something he could strive to achieve. This time out, he had already practiced this aspect quite well. For instance, when speaking to Guan Yu, he originally only needed to say, "What is going on?" but now he had said so much, indeed exuding the imposing presence of a master.

Regarding Guan Yu's time as a bandit, some classic battles have been passed down, which are sufficient to serve as a textbook for future bandits to learn from

Due to Guan Yu's speed being as swift as lightning, we will now break down the series of actions he just performed.

This person is indeed very imposing, standing between 8 and 9 feet tall, and when he stands before you, he exudes an overwhelming presence. However, his face is remarkably red, complementing the red dates on both sides of the mountain, and his face is pockmarked, resembling red dates that have been sun-dried for a while. The only feature that distinguishes his face from the red dates is the beard.

As for how Guan Yu, also known as Guan Yunchang, ended up in this place, how he became a bandit, and the origins of his martial skills, as well as the reasons behind his peculiar life philosophy, there must be quite an intriguing story. However, after Guan Yu rose to fame, he remained tight-lipped about his past, and during those chaotic times of war, it is impossible to verify the details. Although this is a historical anecdote, one cannot simply speak without basis, so it is best to leave it unmentioned. Yet, after Guan Yu became famous, he continued to refrain from discussing his past, and during those tumultuous times, it remains untraceable. While this may be considered unofficial history, it is still inappropriate to make unfounded claims, thus it is better to omit it.