Starting with the divine power of the Great Vajra, he traversed the heavens.

Chapter 555 Shaolin Forbidden Area
The Kinnara Fist has a rich history.

Kinnara is one of the eight classes of celestial dragons in Buddhism, and in Sanskrit it means "human or non-human".

This is a human-like spirit with a single horn on its head. It is gentle in nature and rivals the Asuras and Indra in supernatural powers. Therefore, it is Indra's celestial musician and does not flaunt its magical abilities.

Legend has it that during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, there was a monk named Shaolin, who was disheveled, bare-backed, and not good at speaking.

The abbot at the time was kind-hearted and took him in to work in the kitchen. This monk was diligent and conscientious, usually taciturn, and would meditate with his eyes closed in his spare time. Everyone found him strange and did not know his name.

Three years later, the peerless expert Huangfu Jiqiang broke into Shaolin Temple, intending to plunder it.

The monk emerged wielding a fire stick, his form transforming several meters into a solitary figure atop a high peak, startling Huangfu Ji into retreating.

The monk cried out, "I am the Kinnara King!" After saying this, he disappeared, and people then realized that he was an incarnation of a Bodhisattva.

Grateful for his virtue, the monks erected a statue of him in the temple, making him a guardian deity of Shaolin. Although this story is unfounded, the monks firmly believed in the vastness of Buddhism and held this belief without doubt.

Subsequently, twelve images appeared on the back mountain of Shaolin Temple. When put together, they formed an extremely profound set of boxing techniques, inscribed with the words "Kinnara Fist".

The monks had no doubts, and after practicing it, they found it to be incredibly miraculous. Thus, it was passed down from generation to generation and was hailed as a divine skill of Buddhism.

(P.S.: The original story is about the Kinnara monk saving Shaolin Temple at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, but it's been adapted here.)
"Wow, this boxing style has such a prestigious origin!"

Ding'an was stunned.

“Yes.” Xu Zhu scratched his head. “When the old sweeper told me, I also thought it was amazing.”

"If you can master this style, there must be quite a few people in the entire Shaolin Temple who practice this style of boxing, right?"

"I do not know."

Ding'an exclaimed "Ah!" in surprise, "You didn't know?"

Xu Zhu chuckled sheepishly, "My master only taught me one punch; he didn't tell me anything else." He cautiously asked, "Master Ding'an, what do you think of this fist technique?"

"How would I know?" Ding'an replied without even thinking.

"You don't know either?"

Xu Zhu was somewhat disappointed. In his mind, Ding An was a celestial being who knew everything from astronomy to geography. He never expected that Ding An would also have things he didn't know.

Ding An laughed and said, "I'm a stubborn blockhead, I can't understand these twists and turns." Then, he changed the subject, "However, I feel that this boxing technique has a kind of magic, which can make people lose their composure and become like demons and monsters."

"Ah!" Xu Zhu exclaimed in surprise, "This fist technique, when practiced to the end, turns into a demon?"

"No, no!" Ding An waved his hands repeatedly. "This fist technique is extremely mysterious. If you practice it well, you will become a Buddha; if you don't practice it well, you will become a demon. It depends on what kind of person you are."

"I don't understand," Xu Zhu said with a worried expression.

"Oh dear, how come you're even dumber than me?"

Ding'an paced back and forth anxiously, sighing, "If only Shaoyang and Hongxiu were here! They're so quick-witted; they can understand what others say in a thousand words with just a sentence or two. Unlike me, I can sense things but can't express them well at all!"

He grew angrier the more he thought about it, and used his prosthetic hand to bang his head, sparks flying everywhere.

Seeing that he was hitting himself so hard, Xu Zhu exclaimed in surprise, "Master Ding'an, what are you doing?"

Ding An cursed, "If you weren't so stupid, would I have such a headache?"

Xu Zhu shrank back: "I was wrong!"

Seeing his cowardly appearance, Ding'an became angry and suddenly shouted, "Coward! I'm a big believer too, but I never give up! What else can you do besides apologize?"

Xu Zhu had never seen him so angry. He was both scared and upset, and suddenly covered his face and started to sob.

Ding'an had already deeply regretted his earlier scolding, and seeing him cry again, he became flustered and scratched his head repeatedly.

After a while, seeing that Xu Zhu had finished crying, he rubbed his big eyes and sobbed.

Ding An sighed and beckoned to him, saying, "Little monk Xu Zhu, come here."

Xu Zhu wiped away his tears and whispered, "Master Ding'an."

Ding An said, "I'm asking you, have I been good to you or not?"

Xu Zhu nodded: "It's excellent. Master Ding'an taught me breathing techniques, which made me unafraid of winter or summer, and I can sweep the floor much faster. He also taught me a fitness boxing style. Every time I finish practicing, I feel refreshed and in a good mood! And, and..." As he spoke, he held up his fingers to count, his expression becoming increasingly happy.

"Alright, alright!" Ding An waved his hand impatiently, but couldn't help but curl the corners of his mouth and said, "You little brat, remember this."

Xu Zhu blinked: "Remember what?"

"No matter how difficult things get in the future, don't give up easily!"

"What if many people are pressuring me?"

Ding An snorted: "Then let's do it!"

Xu Zhu was startled. This ugly monk disliked fighting more than anything in his life. Thinking of Kumārajīva, he felt an indescribable fear and shook his head, saying, "I won't fight, and I can't beat him anyway."

Ding An retorted angrily, "Hmph, do you want me to teach you kung fu?"

Xu Zhu said, "Yes!"

Ding An put his hands on his hips and said, "So, are you going to fight or not?"

Xu Zhu looked miserable: "I won't fight."

Ding An shook his head and said, "You are just suited to spend your whole life burning incense and chanting Buddhist prayers in temples."

Xu Zhu chuckled and leaned closer, saying ingratiatingly, "Then I'll serve Master for the rest of my life!"

Ding An snorted coldly: "I'm going to enjoy the world of martial arts with Shao Yang and Hong Xiu. Who's going to keep an eye on an ugly monk like you?"

Xu Zhu was stunned, his face turning red and white, tears welling up in his eyes.

After standing there for a while, the young monk, looking dazed, ran to the tree.

He suffered cold treatment since childhood because of his ugly appearance and cowardly nature. Only when he was by Ding'an's side did he feel warmth. In his heart, he had long regarded this lazy and fierce person as his closest relative.

Now, being scolded by Ding'an, he was already feeling indescribably sad. When Ding'an said those words, he couldn't help but feel overwhelmed with grief. He squatted down under the tree roots and began to sob.

As he was crying his heart out, he suddenly felt a large hand stroking his head. Through his blurry vision, Xu Zhu looked up and saw Ding An looking at him helplessly. He choked out, "Master Ding An, I'm sorry."

Ding An shook his head and said, "You coward, don't apologize so easily." He sighed, "I spoke too harshly. Get up." He reached out to help him up. Xu Zhu's mood immediately improved upon hearing this. He turned around, lowered his head, and walked away.

Ding An asked, "Where are you going?"

"I'll get you some food."

"I'm not hungry!" Ding'an said. "Take me somewhere."

Xu Zhu asked, "Where are we going?"

"The location of those twelve fist-shaped diagrams."

Xu Zhu, embarrassed, said, "That's a forbidden area in the back mountain."

Ding'an glared and said, "What do you mean by 'forbidden place'? The old monk taught you the boxing technique, that's fate! Come on, lead the way, let's go take a look."

Xu Zhu couldn't persuade him otherwise, so he had no choice but to lead the way in a daze.

The two exited through the back door, and Xu Zhu pointed to a distant mountain hollow: "I heard from my senior brothers that the map is on the opposite back mountain, but no one has ever dared to take me there."

Ding'an looked in that direction, and suddenly a thought struck him. He grabbed Xu Zhu's arm and ran.

"Just point out the way, I'll take you there!"

Ding An had practiced the "romantic" method of the "Book of Forgetfulness" for many years. Although his lightness skill was not as amazing as Shao Yang and Hong Xiu's, it was still faster than lightning when he used it now.

Xu Zhu was grabbed and floated up like a kite. He didn't cry out, but just let his legs float in the air.

Ding'an ran along the rocky shoal by the river, hoping to find a shallow spot to cross and explore. After walking for a while, he jumped off a few large rocks and reached the riverbank. Seeing that the shoal was quite close to the other side, he waded across.

But after taking only a few steps, he was suddenly startled and retreated sharply. In his haste, he tripped and fell into the river with a "plop".

"Ouch!"

"Ouch!"

Ding'an and Xuzhu struggled for a moment, but luckily the water only reached their knees. They quickly got up, but they were soaked to the bone and looked utterly disheveled.

The two quickly used their "wedding dress magic" to dry their clothes, leaving them covered in white steam.

Ding'an angrily said, "Old monk, what are you doing here?"

But there lay the sweeping monk, staring straight in the river, motionless, his hempen robes swaying up and down with the current.

Xu Zhu cried out, his voice trembling with tears, "Master, how...how did you die?"

He called out to the monk for a long time, but seeing that the sweeping monk remained unmoved, he looked at Ding'an.

Ding An said, "Stop shouting, go and see!"

Xu Zhu said "Oh" and took two steps closer.

The sweeping monk had his arms crossed in front of his chest, his hands in a gesture of picking flowers, and his feet were also crossed together, with his feet pointing straight up to his chest, maintaining a strange posture.

Xu Zhu examined it for a long time but couldn't figure it out, so he turned to look at Ding An again.

Ding An said, "That old monk is practicing his kung fu." He also stepped forward and called out to the sweeping monk, "It's the dead of winter, so cold! Why aren't you coming up?"

The sweeping monk glanced at him but said nothing.

"Hey, what kind of weird kung fu are you practicing?"

This time, the old monk curled his lip in disdain. But after thinking for a moment, he sighed, nodded, and then shook his head.

Ding An said, "Oh, what are you practicing? It's not some kind of evil martial art, is it?"

The sweeping monk nodded and smiled.

Ding Anxin said, "You're even more sinister than Hongxiu's demonic blade!" Suddenly, an idea struck him, and he said, "Can I get a closer look?"

The sweeping monk nodded again.

Ding An moved closer, slowly squatted down beside him, and looked at him carefully.

Surprisingly, the sweeping monk's face was quite thin, but the wrinkles on his face had been smoothed out a lot, making him look no longer like an old man. His skin was fair, and he seemed to be only in his forties.

There was a bloodstain between his eyebrows, very similar to Shao Yang's, but extremely faint, so faint that it was barely noticeable unless you got very close.

Ding'an watched for a while, and seeing that he still had his eyes open, he chuckled awkwardly and said, "Take your time practicing, I won't disturb you, haha, you're a really good swimmer."

As he spoke, he grabbed Xu Zhu and they ran away in a flash.

Just one glance was enough to send a throbbing pain through Ding'an's temples and a sudden, inexplicable panic through him, so he quickly ran away.

But as soon as they set off, the moss on the ground became slippery, and they slipped and fell flat on their backs, sliding a long way.

The fall was so hard that the two felt dizzy and disoriented, and it took them a long time to scream out in pain.

He shouted for a while, then suddenly shut up.

"Ouch!" Xu Zhu jumped up and looked around. "Master, we were just on the back mountain, how did we end up in this house!"

Ding'an also stood up and said irritably, "You're asking me? Who am I supposed to ask?" As he spoke, he looked around.

Seeing that the hall was quite spacious, with only some figures painted on the west wall and the other three walls completely empty, he thought to himself, "Strange, where am I?"

My gaze shifted to the west wall, where I saw a tattered prayer mat on the ground.

The sweeping monk sat upright, smiling at them: "Ding'an, Xuzhu, didn't you want to see 'Kinnara Fist'?" He pointed to the wall, "It's right here."

Xu Zhu exclaimed in surprise, "Have we entered the forbidden area?"

The sweeping monk smiled and nodded, then looked at Ding'an.

Ding An frowned, staring intently at the sweeping monk: "Master, why did you bring us here?"

The sweeping monk chuckled, "This technique is called the 'Instant Teleportation Technique,' hmm, created by a mere Taoist priest."

(End of this chapter)