Hearing Angel’s words, Lu Tianxing lit a cigarette for himself and slowly blew out a ring of smoke, his gaze deep as he watched the bustling traffic below the skyscraper and said in a low voice, "Angel, you don’t understand. A life filled with blood and violence is not what I yearn for. I desire a peaceful existence; to me, no matter how splendid the world outside is, it pales in comparison to a greeting from my family. I..."
Before Lu Tianxing could finish his sentence, Angel interrupted him without any courtesy, saying, "No, Judge, you are wrong. As you say in China, ’Once you’re in the jianghu, you have no control over your life.’ You have no choice. Even if you choose peace, can you really live in peace? Think about the things that have happened around you recently, think about all of it. Do you believe you can choose a life of peace?"
"If it had been you a year ago, even knowing that your wife has the Four Symbols Ring, how many forces would have dared to trouble you? Who would dare trouble the Judge? Once you enter the jianghu, only death offers an exit. You’ve faded into the shadows, which is why every Tom, Dick, and Harry dares to seek you out. What you need to do is not to endure, but to wield the butcher’s knife in your hand and dominate their fate, making them tremble at the sound of your name. That is the life you live. That is the Judge..."
Angel’s voice grew louder and more agitated, tinged with a hysterical madness, "Judge, you’ve rested long enough, and the world has been peaceful for too long. It’s time for you to bare your fangs. Judge, wake up! I need you, I need to see the domineering side of you—see you dominantly ’possess’ me. You are invincible, I believe..."
Listening to Angel’s voice on the phone, Lu Tianxing remained silent, merely smoking in silence, and it took him a long time before he spoke, "Angel, do you know why Beijing became the capital of China, why it is feared by countless forces? It is because of its deep roots. Whether it’s the old clans or the new generation of families, their power is beyond your imagination. The Angel Intelligence Station is indeed strong, but there are also many forces capable of annihilating it. The waters there are too deep. You shouldn’t get involved in this muddy water. I am not strong enough to suppress those invincible veterans in Beijing."
"I believe in your ability and your strength. The Netherworld Mercenary Corps was able to rise from nothing to become a top mercenary group under your leadership, you never feared anything. You shouldn’t remain silent anymore, the more you do, the more those nobodies will think you’re easy to bully. If you want to protect the people around you, you must bare your fangs and tell everyone that the Judge is back."
"Angel, why are you doing this to yourself! There’s no need for you to do this, you might die." Lu Tianxing sighed as he spoke.
Angel’s voice was full of confidence, "Because I’m the Judge’s woman. Would the Judge let his woman die? Besides, if the older generation doesn’t take action, who can contend with you?"
Hearing Angel’s words, Lu Tianxing could only offer a bitter smile. Indeed, as Angel had said, if the older generation did not step in, the number of people who could contend with him were few. In a life-and-death struggle, there were very few who could kill him, not even Sima Lingyun.
But the question remained, would the older generation truly not step in?
This is absolutely impossible. For a prominent family, face is more important than anything. If you slapped their face, stepped on their descendants’ feet, and threatened their family’s survival, the older generation would not hesitate to strike and utterly annihilate you.
Especially when they confirm that you are a genius who poses a threat to the family’s existence, these old fossils would not hesitate to cut you down because they do not want a genius to grow up and ultimately destroy their family. In their hearts, the survival of the family is far more important than their own dignity, and even if they do not act against you openly, they are absolutely scheming to put you to death in secret.
"Angel, you are underestimating human nature. Do you really think those old fossils won’t make a move? They won’t, because you have not touched on their interests or posed a threat to them. Before that happens, they would rather see you compete with the younger generation of their families. However, once you touch upon their interests, they will mercilessly strike at you, killing you. This is the fundamental principle of survival for a great family: to eradicate anyone who threatens the family’s interests."
Lu Tianxing slowly exhaled a ring of smoke and continued to speak, "Moreover, Angel, I have changed. In the past, I was alone with no attachments. I could say that if one is full, the whole family is not hungry. I dared to fight and struggle, and getting hurt or bleeding was no big deal to me because I had no burdens. But now it’s different. I have a family to feed. Even if I don’t consider myself, I have to think about the people around me, right? What would happen to them if something happened to me? I am no longer alone, no longer someone who dares to challenge the world just because of a rush of blood. Every step I take now must be considered for the sake of the people around me. Do you understand?"
Angel fell silent upon hearing Lu Tianxing’s words. She was raised in the West and received a Western education, which is vastly different from Eastern education. In the East, there are three forms of unfilial conduct, the worst being having no descendants. Young men might dare to fight and do anything because they are alone, and enduring hardship is not a big deal.
After they get married, most men will choose to rein in their temperament and prioritize their families above all else. They will no longer act recklessly and are no longer young and hot-blooded who do not fear challenges but become more stable because they have families and loved ones waiting for them at home. Everything they do must take these into consideration.
Angel considered everything and calculated all variables, but the one thing she didn’t take into account was the human heart. Lu Tianxing was no longer alone; he had loved ones by his side. If something happened to Lu Tianxing, what would happen to his loved ones? They could only wait to die.
After a long silence, Angel finally exhaled softly, her tone filled with regret, "Judge, I’m sorry, I hadn’t considered these, it was my mistake. Should I leave Beijing now?"
"It’s too late. From the moment you entered Beijing, I assume that quite a few forces have been watching you. There’d probably be no issue if you did nothing. However, as soon as you make a move, they will too, and might even guess the real reason you came to Beijing. Don’t underestimate them; figuring out your real intentions isn’t difficult. By now, they might have already guessed it. They don’t take action because you are under the guise of commercial cooperation and it’s not convenient to move against you. However, once you leave Beijing for no reason, they definitely would not hesitate to act against you because seizing you would be like controlling an Angel Intelligence Station. There’s no one who wouldn’t want that."
Saying this, Lu Tianxing gave a wry smile. He indeed wanted to let Angel leave, but it was clearly not possible now. The only way for Angel to get out of this situation was to continue seeking commercial partners. Otherwise, leaving would be very difficult, and there was even the risk of danger to her life once she left Beijing.