The Lay Flat Life: My Wife's Cultivation Makes Me Stronger - Chapter 30

Jiang Huayang chuckled in surprise, “Not bad, little sister. You’re usually so quiet, but when you open your mouth, you really know how to debate.”

“For the sake of your ‘beloved brother-in-law,’” Jiang Surou retorted, rolling her eyes dramatically.

Elder Wang mulled over her words for a moment before speaking seriously, “What the disciple said is very reasonable. This case is quite unique, and we’ve never had a precedent like this.

I will report this to Elder Tie Lian and the head of Danxia Peak to discuss revising the regulations. I believe the entire supply chain should bear responsibility at every step to ensure that no one is unfairly blamed. If the collector is held accountable, then servant disciples like Han Feng won’t be held responsible unnecessarily. If something goes wrong at any stage, the person involved at that stage should be the one held accountable.

As for the pills, I will send them to the elders of Danxia Peak for further analysis to determine whether the issue lies with the herbs, the ratio of ingredients, or perhaps the alchemical process. I am not an expert in alchemy, so I won’t make any hasty conclusions.

However, even if it’s confirmed that the problem was with the Four-Leaf Orchid, that doesn’t automatically make Han Feng responsible. Too many hands have touched the herbs along the way, and any of them could have tampered with them. There is no conclusive evidence to accuse anyone of poisoning them.

Based on the presumption of innocence, Han Feng is acquitted of all charges.

Additionally, since Alchemist Ye Longzhao produced the tainted pills that harmed Ye Yuntang, he bears responsibility for the outcome. Ye Longzhao will be detained until the truth is uncovered, and a proper judgment can be made.”

At this, the three members of the Ye family were left completely speechless.

What?! They had come here to frame Han Feng, but instead, one of their elders had been arrested, and now another member of their family, Ye Longzhao, was about to be taken into custody as well?

Ye Yuntang quickly stepped forward, panicked, and sputtered, “Elder, this is all Han Feng’s fault! He holds a grudge against our family, so he must have poisoned the herbs to get back at us!”

“Oh, really?” Elder Wang’s eyes narrowed. “How would Han Feng know that the herbs would end up at Danxia Peak, be taken by your family, used in refining, and then consumed by your family members? Unless, that is, you’re saying your family had complete control over the entire process from the start, ensuring that Han Feng’s herbs ended up in your hands just to set him up?”

Ye Yuntang stammered, “N-no, Elder, I-I was just speculating… I don’t have any evidence… It was just a wild guess.”

“A wild guess? And from that, you decided to file false accusations against him? You don’t even seem to be that badly injured for someone who supposedly suffered from a poisoned pill.”

Ye Longyuan was standing beside Ye Yuntang, signaling with his eyes for him to stop talking.

“Yes, yes,” Ye Yuntang stuttered, “I wasn’t seriously hurt, and… and the poison wasn’t that bad. Please don’t punish Ye Longzhao; he’s innocent.”

Ye Longyuan rubbed his forehead in frustration, wishing he could kick Ye Yuntang for being such an idiot.

Ye Longzhao, for his part, remained silent. He knew full well that the issue was with the herbs and not his alchemy. At worst, they would charge him with negligence for not inspecting the herbs thoroughly, and he would just have to pay a fine to get out of it.

But Ye Yuntang, with his big mouth, had turned a simple incident into a much bigger mess by making it about conspiracy and false accusations.

He’s ruined it. What could have been a minor issue has turned into a full-blown disaster because of his stupidity.

Elder Wang slammed his hand down on the table and barked, “If you weren’t really injured, then why did you file a complaint? Why falsely accuse Han Feng? What were your motives?”

“I… I…”

Ye Yuntang opened and closed his mouth, utterly lost for words.

The elder continued, “Furthermore, I personally tested the pill, and it was indeed poisoned. However, the poison has no significant effect on someone of my Core Formation level.

Ye Longzhao’s pills are clearly faulty, and as for you, Ye Yuntang, your inconsistent claims, false accusations, and lack of evidence make you highly suspicious. You and Ye Longzhao will both be detained for further questioning. Court adjourned!”

With that, the Enforcement Hall disciples moved forward to detain Ye Longzhao and Ye Yuntang.

Ye Yuntang began to panic, shouting, “Brother Longyuan, help me! Please, help me!”

Ye Longzhao remained silent, knowing that the problem was with the herbs and not his alchemical process. He expected only a fine or a reprimand at most. Still, Ye Yuntang’s idiocy had blown the whole situation out of proportion, turning what should have been a simple investigation into a scandal of conspiracy and malpractice.

The once-clear outcome had been muddied beyond repair, thanks to Ye Yuntang’s loud mouth.

As the hall emptied, Zhang Xiang bowed slightly to Ye Longyuan and quickly made his exit.

Ye Longyuan’s face was dark, his expression brewing with anger.

His father had given him a brilliant plan, a foolproof strategy. Yet here he was, having managed to involve not only a family elder but now also Ye Longzhao and Ye Yuntang.

His father’s clever plan to secure the future had ended in losing both an elder and a relative. It was a complete disaster.

Ye Longyuan’s fury was palpable. He glared across the room at Han Feng, Jiang Surou, and Jiang Huayang, his eyes burning with hatred.

This *dog servant disciple*, this *waste*, had caused him loss after loss. Four attempts, all of them failures, and each one more disastrous than the last.

Now, what had once been mere annoyance had festered into full-blown hatred.

With a cold sneer, Ye Longyuan spat, “Well played, Junior Brother Han. First, your Senior Brother Jiang helped you out, and this time, your Senior Sister Jiang has come to your rescue. But what about next time? Or the time after that? How many more people will come to your aid?

You should start sleeping with one eye open. And when you walk alone at night, you should take a companion. Otherwise, who knows whether tomorrow or an unfortunate accident will come first?”

Han Feng sneered right back at him. “Thank you for your concern, Senior Brother Ye. My life is going just fine. But as for you, the more evil deeds you commit, the closer you come to your downfall. You might want to be careful walking around at night yourself. It’s easy to fall into a ditch when the night is dark and the wind is strong.”

“Fine. Let’s see what happens.” Ye Longyuan turned to leave but paused at the door. His face softened as he looked at Jiang Surou. “Junior Sister Jiang, I won’t give up on you. Even if you have a Dao partner now, I’ll wait. Even if you get married, I’ll wait for the day you separate. Cultivators live long lives, and I can wait. One day, you’ll see that I’m the right man for you.”

Jiang Surou rolled her eyes. “Get in line behind the dog.”

Ye Longyuan’s face turned an ugly shade of green. He clenched his fists, holding back his anger, before finally letting out a cold grunt and storming out of the hall.

After he left, Jiang Huayang and Han Feng burst into laughter.

Jiang Surou shot them both an exasperated look. “What’s so funny? It’s obvious that Ye Longyuan has it out for you, Han Feng. We need to come up with a way to deal with him.”

—-

T/L Note:

The phrase “你排狗后面” (nǐ pái gǒu hòu miàn) in the original title, as said by Jiang Surou, literally translates to “You rank behind the dog.” In Chinese, this is a sharp insult, implying that the person being addressed is less significant or even less worthy than a dog. Traditionally, dogs are often viewed as lower in status, so to be placed behind one represents a complete lack of respect.