Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

After the two returned to their respective camps, Ma Chao was filled with joy at having such a worthy opponent. Dong Zhuo summoned Ma Chao and looked at him lovingly, his eyes gleaming with admiration. He spoke gently and with a smile, "Mengqi, today's battle was truly magnificent! I was truly pleased with your performance and was extremely satisfied."

Ma Chao responded modestly, "Thank you for the compliment, Mr. Dong. I am just doing my best."

Dong Zhuo nodded slightly and continued, "Lü Bu is indeed a fierce general, and his martial arts are rare in the world. I have no intention of belittling his martial arts skills."

Ma Chao agreed deeply and said, "Mr. Dong is absolutely right. Lü Bu is indeed a formidable opponent. Fighting him has made my blood boil and I have learned a lot."

Lü Bu also returned to his base camp. Initially feeling slightly disappointed at his horse's lack of power, the thought of meeting such a worthy opponent rekindled his eagerness for another fight. But just then, Ding Yuan scowled, "Hmph, a warrior! Aren't you usually incredibly confident in your own skills? Don't you often feel you're not outmatched, that you have no room to shine? And now you're just like that, unable to defeat even a nobody, a young man?" Lü Bu's expression tightened, nearly erupting in anger. Zhang Liao hurried forward, bowing, and said, "Lord Jianyang, you're wrong. Although Ma Chao is young, we've often heard of his impressive exploits in Xiliang, proving his reputation is truly well-deserved. Fengxian, too, hadn't been defeated; it was simply his horse's exhaustion." Before Zhang Liao could finish, Ding Yuan angrily declared, "Alas, you're all just making excuses. You're just flaunting your prowess, but you're nothing but a bunch of idiots." With that, he stormed off.

After hearing Ding Yuan's words, Lü Bu's expression instantly darkened, as if water could drip from his eyes. His eyes burned with rage, the flames of anger threatening to burst forth. He clenched his teeth tightly, his cheek muscles bulging with the force, making a creaking sound, revealing the fury he was suppressing.

His hands unconsciously clenched into fists, veins bulging, nails digging deep into his palms, as if he wanted to vent his inner anger. His chest heaved violently, his breathing becoming rapid and heavy, each breath seeming to carry endless frustration and anger.

At that moment, he desperately wanted to charge forward and argue with Ding Yuan, even to throw a punch and make him pay for his contemptuous and demeaning words. But his remaining shred of rationality told him not to do so. He could only suppress his pent-up anger and stand still, his body trembling slightly with rage. His eyes were fixed on the direction Ding Yuan had left, filled with a complex mixture of resentment, resentment, and anger, as if he wanted to carve Ding Yuan's figure into his mind. Deep in his heart, dissatisfaction and resentment towards Ding Yuan grew like wild weeds, and he secretly vowed that one day he would make Ding Yuan regret his words and actions.

Zhang Liao looked at Lü Bu's angry and frustrated expression, his face filled with embarrassment. He hesitated for a moment, but finally had to force himself to speak to comfort Lü Bu. "Fengxian, Ding Jianyang is known for his outspokenness. His words may have been careless. Don't take them too seriously. Your martial arts skills are such that the brothers are convinced. You should rest quickly, as we still have to fight again."

Lü Bu's face remained gloomy after hearing Zhang Liao's words, his heart sullen and sad. He felt incredibly frustrated, his mind almost breaking. He turned to Zhang Liao and said with a hint of complaint, "Wenyuan, I've served him wholeheartedly. How could he treat me like this?" Zhang Liao sighed softly and advised, "Fengxian, don't overthink it. The overall situation is more important."

The other soldiers were also deeply hurt by Ding Yuan's words. Their faces were gloomy, their hearts filled with resentment and helplessness. Their once high morale had become extremely low at this moment. In this oppressive atmosphere, everyone was silent, and only the bitterness and helplessness in their hearts spread in the air.

After resting, Ma Chao and Lü Bu regained their strength. Lü Bu even mounted a majestic warhorse and stood majestically before the battle.

The two men stood facing each other once again, their eyes ablaze with fighting intent. The battle erupted instantly, Lü Bu taking the lead, wielding his Fang Tian Hua Ji (Fang Tian Hua Ji). Like a bolt of lightning, it struck Ma Chao, its shadow heavy and carrying a sharp gust of wind. Ma Chao showed no fear, his spear dancing like a serpent, its tip flashing with a cold gleam as he precisely deflected each of Lü Bu's attacks.

Lü Bu's figure flashed like a ghost, each strike imbued with immense force. His Fang Tian Hua Ji seemed alive in his hands, slashing, hacking, stabbing, and thrusting in endless variations. Ma Chao, meanwhile, was equally agile, advancing and retreating with ease. His spear wielded a dazzling display of light and shadow, sometimes attacking with the force of a hurricane, other times defending with the stability of a rock.

As the battle dragged on, the two men's moves became increasingly bizarre. Lü Bu suddenly leaped into the air, slashing his Fang Tian Hua Ji from top to bottom with such force that it seemed to split the earth in two. Seeing this, Ma Chao dodged to the side and swept his spear across, the fierce friction between the spear and the air producing a sharp whistling sound. The two men exchanged blows, the halberd and the spear clashing, sending up countless sparks. The surrounding soldiers watched in amazement, shaken by the fierce exchange. The dust of the battlefield billowed, and the two figures loomed in it, like a breathtaking painting.

Seeing that he was unable to defeat Ma Chao for a long time, Lü Bu pondered for a moment before removing the bow and arrows from his back. He was already an expert archer on horseback, but now he hesitated. After all, Ma Chao had shown grace when his horse had failed, and he was reluctant to attack him with a hidden arrow. But as the battle approached, he spoke, "Mengqi is a remarkable warrior. Try my bow and arrows."

After this reminder, Ma Chao also said, "General Lu is good at shooting, and I am also good at riding and shooting."

With that, both sides drew their bows and arrows. Lü Bu fired first, an arrow streaking towards Ma Chao like a meteor. Ma Chao, quick-witted and swift-handed, dodged it with a simple sidestep. Ma Chao then returned fire, but Lü Bu remained calm, dodging the arrow with a slight sidestep. Then, each fired two more arrows, each nimbly dodged by the other.

At that moment, both generals realized that bows and arrows could not do anything to each other, so they threw away their bows and arrows at the same time and fought with their weapons again. The fierce battle started again. Both sides used all their skills and tried their best to decide the winner on this battlefield.

The two generals fought fiercely for another 150 rounds, but neither could defeat the other. However, Ma Chao was still concerned about Lü Bu's horse's exhaustion and perhaps felt it was inappropriate to take advantage of him at this time. So he stuck his spear into the ground and invited Lü Bu, "Let's return to our camp and rest. General Lu, are you willing to fight us at night?" Lü Bu shouted, "Why not? Today's battle is truly exhilarating!" The two men, feeling a mutual admiration for each other, burst into laughter. Then they each returned to their camps and began to prepare for the night battle.

When Ma Chao returned to Luoyang, Dong Zhuo personally heated a pot of fine wine for him, brought him a cup, and said with concern, "Mengqi, you've fought two battles in a row, and you're exhausted. Why do you have to go into a night battle again? If anything goes wrong, I'll be heartbroken." Ma Chao respectfully took the cup, raised his head, and drank it all in one gulp. With a chuckle, he said, "Thank you, Mr. Dong. I'll always remember your concern, but I'm also delighted to see Lü Bu's bravery. I hope you won't worry too much." Dong Zhuo's care for Ma Chao was envied by the other generals in the hall.

After Lü Bu returned to his base camp, he was once again confronted by Ding Yuan's ruthless face. Ding Yuan angrily retorted, "When two armies engage, the goal is victory. Since you've already fired your arrow, why did you warn Ma Chao? You two seemed to be holding your ground in battle. Were you acting for me? If you were fighting, why were you so selfish? In the middle of a battle, you even had to warn your opponent to dodge arrows?" Lü Bu prostrated himself in fear, saying, "I truly have no such intention. I hope my foster father will understand." Ding Yuan, with some disgust, said, "I value your talent and adopted you as my son, but you've neglected my kindness and are now gloating with the enemy generals in front of the battle line. If we can't win the next battle, I will not let you off lightly." Lü Bu fell to the ground, feeling a mixture of fear at being misunderstood and anger at being treated this way.