Master, What Dao Do You Cultivate?-Chapter 16: Human Sentiments Are as Fickle as Autumn Clouds

Shen Bitao and the monk plummeted together. No matter how strong the monk was, he never expected the other party to let go without hesitation.
The name "Security Task Force" was something the monk naturally recognized, but he had never imagined that this was a group of lunatics willing to sacrifice themselves to complete their mission.
Not only that, but as Shen Bitao let go, he even twisted around to restrain the monk’s arm, preventing him from using Flowing Cloud Flying Sleeve again.
"You f**king insane?!"
"Heh."
The two of them fell from the rooftop and slammed hard onto the ground under the stunned gazes of the onlookers.
"Descend! Quickly! Descend and save them!"
Hearing Shen Bixin’s shout, the pilot was just about to turn back when the client—who had previously failed in counterattacking the monk and was terrified of experiencing another near-death moment—shouted in panic:
"Don't listen to him! Get me out of here!"
The pilot glanced back, momentarily unsure of what to do. Shen Bixin pulled out her gun and pressed it against the head of the suited client.
"I said descend! Now!"
The client shivered in fear.
"You... you’re crazy! I’m the client!"
"I don’t give a f**k about—"
Before Shen Bixin could finish, her teammate, E, seized the moment to restrain her, flipping her down and pinning her to the ground.
"Calm down! Don’t do anything stupid!"
Struggling violently, Shen Bixin shouted:
"Let go of me! We have to go down and save him! Hurry! If we wait any longer, it’ll be too late!"
The others, however, ignored Shen Bixin’s cries. After disarming her, they tied her up immediately to prevent her from doing anything reckless.
Seeing Shen Bixin still trying to break free, teammate B grabbed her and enunciated each word clearly:
"Be realistic. He’s not a Qi Refiner. Falling from that height, there’s no way he could survive. You know that better than anyone. What we need to do is make sure his efforts weren’t in vain and escort the client back safely."
Watching Shen Bixin continue to struggle, B had no choice but to take out a sedative and inject it into her.
The scene beneath the helicopter gradually blurred. Shen Bixin wasn’t sure whether the sedative was kicking in or if her tears were finally about to spill over.
Beneath the abandoned building, Shen Bitao lay on the ground, critically injured and coughing up blood in large mouthfuls. Not far from him, the monk had also crashed and lay motionless.
Shen Bitao had once heard his sister say that jumping off a building wasn’t a quick or painless way to die—it was an agonizing experience.
But only after personally going through it did he realize just how indescribable that agony was. Because he had smashed into several barriers during the fall, he hadn’t died immediately, but he knew it was only a matter of time.
When had he started letting the company fool him into being a self-sacrificing hero?
Risking his life just to save those idiot employers who were born into their privileged positions?
That wasn’t heroism—it was pure stupidity.
But at least getting his sister out safely gave him some comfort.
Not everything was worth dying for, but this time, he had made the right choice.
Urgh—cough, cough—
The monk coughed up several mouthfuls of blood, struggled to his feet, and looked up at the helicopter, which was now completely out of reach. He then turned to glance at Shen Bitao, who was not yet completely dead, and gritted his teeth.
"You actually had the guts to do that, huh?"
And he’s still not dead?
Shen Bitao no longer had the energy to be surprised. He could only watch as the monk picked up a gun from the ground and limped over.
"Losing your life over a job—what a pitiful tool you are."
Shen Bitao gazed at the helicopter vanishing into the distance as if looking at the stars in the sky. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly, but he said nothing.
Maybe he had been a tool before, but not today.
Sis, I’m sorry.
Bang—
When Shen Bixin woke up again, she was already in the company's medical room.
How she wished everything that had just happened was nothing but a nightmare. But reality was always cruel.
A supervisor, accompanied by two bodyguards, led Shen Bixin to the morgue. Inside the cold storage cabinet lay the corpse of her younger brother, Shen Bitao.
Although his body was severely injured, he hadn’t died from the fall. The fatal wound was a bullet to the head.
As a medical professional, Shen Bixin knew very well—if his brain hadn’t been damaged, maybe there would have been a slim chance of revival with current medical technology. But now…
"I’m very sorry, Ms. Shen. The company has already dispatched armed personnel for a secondary search at the scene. They only found the remains of Team Member A. The monk’s body was not recovered. However, the company has already ed the case and issued a bounty."
"We deeply regret your brother’s passing. The company and the client will be transferring compensation funds to your account soon. In honor of his heroic sacrifice, the company will spare no effort in commemorating his deeds…"
Shen Bixin didn’t bother listening to the supervisor’s polished words. Comfort and money meant nothing to them—but her brother meant everything to her.
Before the supervisor could finish, Shen Bixin interrupted:
"I want the information on the man in the suit and that monk."
"I’ll send you the monk’s details right away. But as you know, the company must protect client privacy. I can’t disclose the client’s information."
Shen Bixin grabbed the supervisor’s collar.
"My brother died for that b**tard, and I don’t even get to know who he is?!"
The two bodyguards quickly stepped in to pull Shen Bixin away. The supervisor adjusted his tie and said calmly:
"I completely understand your feelings. We, too, lost a valued colleague. But rules are rules—I don’t have the authority to make exceptions."
Realizing she wouldn’t get anything useful out of them, Shen Bixin forced down her rage and said:
"Give me that dead monk’s information first. And I’m taking my brother’s body with me."
"Of course. Additionally, I’ve arranged for you to take a two-week leave. After handling your brother’s affairs, you should take some time to rest. You’re a valuable medical professional to the company, so let me remind you—this monk is a powerful Qi Refiner. Don’t do anything reckless."
Shen Bixin ignored the supervisor’s warning. She lowered her head and silently wiped the bloodstains from Shen Bitao’s body.
After returning, she didn’t bury or cremate her brother’s remains. Instead, she rented a cryogenic storage chamber to preserve his body.
As a medical professional, she knew better than anyone that this was futile. But at this moment, she didn’t have the courage to put an end to her brother’s story.
The whole process felt like a haze because her mind was consumed by a single thought:
How to kill that damn monk.
From the information provided by the company, she learned that the monk's name was Iron Mad Monk, nicknamed "Golden Body Tathagata." He had originally been a Qi Refiner employed by another trading company. Through her own channels, Shen Bixin confirmed that the person they had saved that day was none other than the major shareholder of that company—likely a dispute over profit distribution.
The company did issue a bounty, as they claimed, but the amount was so low that even an idiot wouldn’t risk going after a Core Formation Realm Qi Refiner.
Shen Bixin had seen Iron Mad Monk’s skills firsthand and knew that even if she started spending money to cultivate now, there was no way she could catch up to him anytime soon.
After careful consideration, Shen Bixin decided to take out all her savings and place her own bounty on the black market—offering a reward for the head of Iron Mad Monk, Golden Body Tathagata.