Wen Bufan was actually trying to poach Jiang Xuan right in front of Jiang Han, the Patriarch of the Jiang Family.

Jiang Xuan turned him down.

Wen Bufan, however, wasn’t angry.

He said with a chuckle, "Mr. Jiang, don’t worry, and don’t be afraid."

"As long as you agree, Patriarch Jiang definitely won’t object. Isn’t that right, Patriarch Jiang?"

Then, Wen Bufan looked at Jiang Han, his expression turning cold.

He’d heard that the Jiang Family’s alchemist was quite good. If he were to poach someone from the Alchemy Master Guild, he wasn’t yet willing to fall out with them.

Although the City Lord’s Mansion was indeed powerful, the Alchemy Master Guild was also a behemoth one shouldn’t provoke.

But when it came to the Jiang Family, Wen Bufan couldn’t have cared less.

He had no qualms about poaching someone right to their face.

Jiang Han, on the receiving end of Wen Bufan’s threatening gaze, felt a surge of anger.

"Eldest Young Master Wen, isn’t this going too far?"

"Our Jiang Family has never had any grievances with your City Lord’s Mansion. Why must you do this?"

’Jiang Xuan is an Alchemist my son painstakingly trained. How could I possibly let him leave the Jiang Family?’

He was deeply displeased.

However, Lin Hai also stepped forward and said, "Jiang Han, why don’t we ask Mr. Jiang again? Perhaps he’ll agree?"

He looked at Jiang Han, his face full of ridicule.

Even though the current Jiang Han seemed somewhat unfathomable, they were from the City Lord’s Mansion and backed by the Fire Sparrow Kingdom. Naturally, they had no fear of the Jiang Family.

Jiang Han was truly enraged, but there was nothing he could do.

He looked toward Jiang Xuan.

Jiang Xuan shook his head repeatedly at Wen Bufan. "Eldest Young Master Wen, I will not leave the Jiang Family. I am a member of the Jiang Family."

Wen Bufan was completely unmoved.

He said with a smile, "Mr. Jiang, how about a word in private?"

Jiang Xuan looked to Jiang Han for help.

He knew the Jiang Family absolutely could not afford to provoke the City Lord’s Mansion.

He was in an extremely difficult position.

Jiang Han, however, could only smile bitterly.

He was powerless to help with Jiang Xuan’s plea.

’Unless we resort to violence, any refusal will absolutely mean falling out with the City Lord’s Mansion.’

’If a real fight were to break out,’ Jiang Han believed, ’the Jiang Family would be wiped out before long.’

’Even if we managed to defeat the City Lord’s Mansion, the Fire Sparrow Kingdom is not an entity the current Jiang Family can afford to provoke.’

The facts were laid out before him.

"Alright. Go talk with Eldest Young Master Wen."

He had no other choice right now. The other party was poaching someone right to their face, far more direct than when Ximen Gong had secretly tried to poach Ling Xuan.

But it was precisely this directness that left them completely at a loss.

Refusing was not an option, but neither was agreeing.

Bitterness filled his heart.

Utterly helpless, Jiang Xuan followed Wen Bufan to a small, separate sitting room.

Wen Bufan looked at Jiang Xuan and said seriously, "Mr. Jiang, I know you’re a member of the Jiang Family."

"But working for our City Lord’s Mansion doesn’t affect your identity as a Jiang Family member in the slightest."

"We need a talent like you right now. Come with me to the City Lord’s Mansion. You should understand that once you’re there, your status will be greatly elevated."

But Jiang Xuan had never once considered leaving the Jiang Family.

Even if he were to become an extremely powerful Alchemist, he had sworn to protect the Jiang Family.

This was due to his affection for the Jiang Family, as well as his gratitude and awe toward Jiang Chen.

He shook his head again, resolutely. "Eldest Young Master Wen, I really will not leave the Jiang Family. You should give up on this idea."

In that instant, Wen Bufan’s eyes turned icy.

His tone became unfriendly. "Jiang Xuan, are you sure you won’t come to our City Lord’s Mansion?"

"You had better think twice, or you will regret it."

Jiang Xuan’s heart went cold. He had a feeling that if he refused again, the City Lord’s Mansion might move against the Jiang Family.

’I don’t want to be the one to bring ruin upon the Jiang Family.’

But asking him to leave the Jiang Family was something he couldn’t do.

He shook his head firmly once more.

"I will not leave the Jiang Family."

"Eldest Young Master Wen, please don’t make things difficult for me anymore."

"Besides, my Alchemy Skill is only average."

Wen Bufan, however, flipped his hand over and produced a Silver Quality Elixir from his Spatial Ring.

"Jiang Xuan, if I’m not mistaken, this is an Elixir you refined, isn’t it?"

The Elixir he held was one he had purchased from the Jiang Family Elixir Shop.

Having witnessed the Jiang Family’s now-booming business, Wen Bufan had decided to recruit their alchemist.

After all, there weren’t many Alchemists who could refine Silver Quality Elixirs, even in the Alchemy Master Guild.

Such a person was worth poaching.

Wen Bufan was already preparing to cultivate his own power base in Hanwu City.

As the foremost young master of Hanwu City, wherever Wen Bufan went, he left devastation in his wake.

When Jiang Xuan saw the Elixir Wen Bufan produced, he nodded.

"That’s right, I refined it."

He and Jiang Ling were both capable of refining Silver Quality Elixirs now.

Of course, this was all thanks to Jiang Chen’s constant guidance from behind the scenes, which was why they had progressed at lightning speed.

If it weren’t for Jiang Chen, they would probably still be alchemist apprentices somewhere, not even qualified to get their foot in the door.

Now, however, they were considered formidable even among First-Grade Alchemists.

’The one Wen Bufan just showed me was probably bought from our Jiang Family Elixir Shop.’

It was precisely because of the high quality of the Elixirs they refined that the Jiang Family was growing stronger and stronger.

’But I never thought that this high quality would attract trouble.’

Seeing that Jiang Xuan didn’t deny it, Wen Bufan was even more satisfied.

"Since you can refine this kind of Elixir, it proves your Alchemy Skill is quite extraordinary."

"Jiang Xuan, follow me, and the benefits I can give you will be endless."

Jiang Xuan shook his head with a bitter smile.

He rejected the man’s offer again and again.

Wen Bufan, however, was exceptionally patient with Jiang Xuan.

He paid no mind to Jiang Xuan’s refusal.

Instead, he suddenly chuckled. "Jiang Xuan, you probably don’t know the true strength of our City Lord’s Mansion, do you?"

"Let me tell you, in Hanwu City, our City Lord’s Mansion has no rival."

"If I want a faction to disappear, it will vanish from the face of the earth by dawn tomorrow."

"Think about it."

"I’ll give you plenty of time to consider."

"If you’re really thinking about the Jiang Family’s well-being, you certainly wouldn’t want to see it suddenly disappear overnight, would you?"

Wen Bufan’s words were filled with threats.

He was threatening Jiang Xuan with the destruction of the Jiang Family.

He gave Jiang Xuan no room to refuse.

Jiang Xuan was in extreme anguish.

This choice made him realize that if he refused, the Jiang Family might really be wiped out by Wen Bufan and the people from the City Lord’s Mansion.

And the Jiang Family didn’t dare to oppose the City Lord’s Mansion. After all, the Fire Sparrow Kingdom behind it had experts as numerous as clouds, including no small number of Martial King Experts. Its strength was even more terrifying.

This was undoubtedly a difficult decision.

Finally, he let out a deep sigh.

He seemed to have made a decision, yet couldn’t bring himself to speak.

Wen Bufan could also see that Jiang Xuan seemed to be wavering for the sake of the Jiang Family.

An idea suddenly struck him, and he said with a laugh, "Jiang Xuan, it’s fine if you don’t agree. How about this: the day after tomorrow is my birthday, and I’m holding a banquet. I’d like to invite you to visit our City Lord’s Mansion for a couple of days. What do you think?"

Jiang Xuan was a bit surprised. ’Why is Wen Bufan inviting me to some birthday banquet?’

He knew the man’s true intentions weren’t about the banquet, but about him—Jiang Xuan.

But how could he refuse?