Chapter 173: Chapter 173: Marriage Proposal

Jiang Chen didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Master Qin was pulling out all the stops to force him out.

But Jiang Chen was determined not to leave. Even if he were to depart eventually, the time wasn’t right.

He waved his hand. "President, I appreciate your kind intentions, but I truly have no plans to leave Hanwu City for the time being."

"You really don’t need to go to so much trouble."

"If there’s nothing else, I’ll be leaving now."

With that, Jiang Chen stood up and turned to leave.

This caused Master Qin’s expression to darken, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

However, he knew Jiang Chen’s methods were too bizarre to risk a direct confrontation.

Otherwise, he would have already had Jiang Chen killed.

Jiang Chen was completely beyond his control, like a wild horse that had broken free. Despite his low status, there was no way to restrain him.

And that was the biggest problem.

He desperately wanted to force Jiang Chen out, but Jiang Chen refused to show him any deference whatsoever.

Finally, as Jiang Chen was about to leave, he tried again. "Steward Jiang, you really should reconsider. Leaving would be of great benefit to you and to the Jiang Family."

"There’s really no need!"

Jiang Chen left without a backward glance.

He worried that if he didn’t leave quickly, he and Master Qin would end up coming to blows, which would not be ideal.

BANG!

The moment Jiang Chen left, an enraged Master Qin slammed his fist on the table.

He burst out cursing, "Damn it! That bastard really thinks he’s somebody special."

"I gave you an honorable way out, and you threw it back in my face."

Master Qin’s chest heaved with rage.

If it had been anyone else from the Alchemist Guild, they would have understood his words as an order to leave and would have had the sense to take their leave long ago.

But Jiang Chen had shown no deference at all, making him furious enough to want to kill.

"Father!"

Just then, Qin Lie came running out from a back room, staring at the empty doorway where Jiang Chen had just been.

He said angrily, "That bastard won’t leave. What should we do?"

Both father and son wanted Jiang Chen to get the hell out of the Alchemist Guild.

But now, they had no way to get rid of him.

"It’s easier to invite a god than to send one away. That kid is not easy to deal with."

Master Qin said, his face ashen.

He too was grinding his teeth in frustration.

When it came to dealing with Jiang Chen, the young man’s bizarre killing techniques made even him, the President, extremely wary.

But as long as Jiang Chen refused to leave, he could never be at ease.

Right now, Jiang Chen was like a sharp sword hanging over his head, ready to fall and strike his neck at any moment. When that time came, he, the President, would inevitably meet his doom.

"Damn it."

Qin Lie was also incensed. He shouted, "Father, why don’t we just send men to kill him? We can slaughter the entire Jiang Family and eliminate this menace for good!"

It was an impulsive suggestion from Qin Lie.

Unfortunately, Master Qin shook his head. "That’s not a viable plan. If we make an open enemy of him, I fear we’ll be the ones to fall into his hands."

"Forget it. For now, we’ll let him be. We won’t go out of our way to provoke him."

In the end, left with no other choice, Master Qin could only resolve to ignore Jiang Chen.

As long as Jiang Chen didn’t try to turn the Alchemist Guild upside down, he would leave him alone.

Although Qin Lie was resentful, he had no choice but to endure it.

Forcing Jiang Chen out was, indeed, proving difficult.

"In that case, since we can’t drive Jiang Chen away, why don’t you go ahead and propose marriage for me?"

"It would be great if I could just marry Murong Xiangming sooner."

Qin Lie once again grew restless, his mind turning back to his designs on Murong Xiangming.

A covetous gleam appeared in his eyes.

Seeing the look in his son’s eyes, Master Qin sighed helplessly.

"Fine. We’ll handle your business first and put the matter with Jiang Chen aside for now."

"I’ll go to the Treasure Elephant Pavilion tomorrow to propose the marriage."

Leaving the President’s Hall, a cold glint flashed through Jiang Chen’s eyes.

’They want to drive me away? Not a chance.’

’If I don’t want to leave, no one can force me out.’

Jiang Chen knew perfectly well that all of Master Qin’s schemes were just to get rid of him.

Unfortunately for them, they were destined to fail.

Jiang Chen even thought to himself.

’Push me too far, and you can forget about remaining President of the Alchemist Guild.’

He snorted and headed straight back to the Jiang Family estate.

There hadn’t been any major issues recently.

The power of the Jiang Family’s Infinite Sword Array grew daily. With the breakthroughs in the cultivation of their Death Warriors, any Martial King Expert who now dared to charge into the Jiang Family estate would be walking to their doom.

One day, the Treasure Elephant Pavilion welcomed some distinguished guests.

The Pavilion Master, Master Tian Mu, hurriedly ushered Master Qin and his son, Qin Lie, to their seats.

He laughed heartily. "Chairman Qin, Young Master Qin, what brings you here so suddenly? You’ve caught me completely unprepared."

Master Tian Mu was, in fact, quite taken aback by Master Qin’s arrival.

After all, the man usually gave advance notice before visiting.

But today, he had arrived first thing in the morning, and with valuable gifts in tow.

Master Tian Mu grew suspicious as he eyed the bottles before him, which appeared to contain Elixirs.

Master Qin chuckled. "I came to see an old friend, of course."

In truth, Master Qin and Master Tian Mu had always been on good terms.

They socialized quite often.

As the two men exchanged pleasantries, Qin Lie’s eyes darted back and forth, searching for his target.

Murong Xiangming. He was disappointed that he couldn’t see her anywhere.

"You didn’t need to bring all these gifts just to see me, did you?"

"Be honest, you’re definitely here for a reason."

Master Tian Mu chortled. After all, Master Qin never brought gifts on his usual visits.

He was the Pavilion Master of the Treasure Elephant Pavilion, after all.

And Master Qin was the President of the Alchemist Guild.

Exchanging too many gifts between men of their station could be problematic.

After sitting for a moment, Master Qin no longer tried to conceal his purpose.

After a moment of contemplation, he suddenly asked, "Tian Mu, I wanted to ask about your Treasure Elephant Pavilion’s young lady, Miss Murong. Is she betrothed to anyone?"

He was getting down to business.

The moment Master Qin spoke, Master Tian Mu was taken aback.

Glancing at Qin Lie, he suddenly understood.

Asking about Murong Xiangming at this moment... it really sounded like he was here to propose a marriage. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

However, since the other man had not yet said it outright, he didn’t press the matter. Instead, he nodded and said, "Miss Murong is not currently betrothed. She is unattached."

"But why do you ask?"

Hearing Master Tian Mu’s words, both Master Qin and Qin Lie were overjoyed.

As long as Murong Xiangming was not betrothed and remained unattached, then things would be much simpler.

Everything was sure to go smoothly.

Master Qin smiled. "Well, it’s like this. My son has come of age. He is now a Second-Grade Alchemist with a bright future ahead of him."

"So, I was thinking it’s time to arrange a marriage for him."

"And as it happens, he has taken a great liking to your Treasure Elephant Pavilion’s young lady, Miss Murong."

"To be honest, I am also extremely impressed with Miss Murong."

"Therefore, I have come today to formally propose a marriage to your young lady, Miss Murong. A union between our two families would be a match made in heaven."

"What are your thoughts on the matter?"

Finally, Master Qin had stated his purpose.

He was here to propose a marriage.

There was nothing taboo about proposing a marriage, and he had made his intentions perfectly clear.

Qin Lie looked extremely excited.

His breathing grew heavy at the thought of marrying Murong Xiangming.