Chapter 627 - 310: Ate Ginseng and Fell Asleep? Bro, You Ate Polygonum multiflorum

"You just said that your roommate didn’t eat the ginseng himself but shared some with you all?"

Li Jiyuan turned to look at his roommates who were all sleeping soundly, then nodded:

"In our dorm, except for me, the others all ate it. I must say, the ginseng’s restorative effect is amazing; they’re still sleeping now."

Ning An raised an eyebrow: "You, young man, everyone else ate it, but you didn’t? What’s up with that, not being a team player?"

Li Jiyuan gave a bitter smile: "Brother Sect Leader, don’t laugh at me. My body is a bit weak, so if I eat this stuff, I fear it might cause other health issues due to being over-supplemented."

"So, I lied to them saying I ate it too, but I secretly hid it. I’m waiting for the holiday to bring it back, so my parents can also taste what ginseng is like."

Listening to Li Jiyuan’s words, the live stream friends nodded in agreement.

"Ah, don’t say, this is a filial son, knowing to give good things to his parents, unlike my brat, who just asks for money from home to spend on his girlfriend, profligate waste."

"Indeed, a single ginseng is really quite precious for a college student."

"Moved to tears, but I still want to ask, which live stream is this, that actually gives away ginseng?"

"..."

Ning An furrowed his brow.

He didn’t find anything wrong with what Li Jiyuan said.

But what’s strange is, even if someone becomes lethargic from the ginseng, it’s impossible for an entire dorm to fall into such a deep sleep, right?

"Brother Sect Leader, it’s almost class time, and this professor is particularly strict."

Li Jiyuan touched his nose, somewhat embarrassed: "In his class, if caught skipping, no matter the reason, your usual scores in the final exam will be zeroed out."

"The ginseng’s effect is so strong that I really can’t wake them up, so I came to ask the Daoist Master to see what’s going on?"

At this point, Ning An’s expression turned serious, as if remembering something, he said sternly: "Fellow practitioner, tell me, how much ginseng did your roommates eat?"

"How much did they eat?"

"Let me take a look."

On the video side, there were sounds of rustling.

"Brother Sect Leader, my roommates probably finished it all."

"I didn’t find any leftover ginseng on their beds or desks."

Hearing this, many in the live stream were filled with envy.

"Truly students; they eat ginseng like it’s nothing and then just sleep. Tsk, tsk, tsk."

"For a moment, I couldn’t tell if they were eating ginseng or just some snacks, enjoying it so much."

"I may not understand, but I’m thoroughly envious, I also want to eat ginseng, boo hoo."

"..."

Ning An sighed and said:

"Fellow practitioner, if a person is somewhat weak, eating a strong tonic could indeed cause them to fall into a sleep, but they can be awakened."

"Moreover, the probability of an entire dorm being weak and all falling into an unarousable sleep after eating ginseng is very small."

"The most likely explanation is that what they ate wasn’t ginseng at all."

These words hit Li Jiyuan like a lightning bolt on a clear day, leaving him stunned and stammering: "No...it can’t be..."

"We all checked the images online before eating; it does look just like ginseng."

To verify his claim, Li Jiyuan showed the uneaten ginseng on screen.

The light yellow plant had cylindrical rhizomes, smooth surface, without notable blemishes.

It was firm in texture, with smooth cross-sections and radial texture and yellow punctate resin canals.

The surface was yellow-white, with a milky white cross-section and a small portion of light yellow-brown areas.

No matter how you looked at it, the plant seemed indubitably like ginseng.

Ning An shook his head and said slowly:

"Five plants look similar to ginseng."

"They are sweet potato vine, bamboo ginseng, saposhnikovia root, mist vine, and polygonum multiflorum."

"Among these, sweet potato vine, saposhnikovia root, and mist vine are essentially non-toxic."

"Eating them casually won’t have any major effects."

"Bamboo ginseng has some toxicity but isn’t lethal, and for those with good health, eating a few mouthfuls shouldn’t be too severe."

Li Jiyuan discerned the underlying implication and his face turned a bit pale instantly.

He asked anxiously: "Then... is polygonum multiflorum extremely toxic?"

Ning An first shook his head, then nodded:

"It is, and it isn’t."

Under Li Jiyuan’s confused gaze, Ning An explained: "Polygonum multiflorum actually comes in two types."

"One is a native type, historically used in medicine, known as ’earth ginseng’, which could also be called ginseng."

"But there’s another type, not native, scientifically called pendulous pokeweed."

"If mistakenly ingested, mild symptoms might include vomiting, diarrhea, unarousable sleep, and a feverish body."

Ning An’s expression grew increasingly serious:

"Severe symptoms might pose a risk of cardiac paralysis, leading to death!"

Ning An had barely finished speaking when.

Li Jiyuan was struck as if by lightning, his body wavering: "No way, no way..."

Ning An tapped his fingertip on the screen:

"The whole pendulous pokeweed plant is toxic, especially the rhizome. Consuming fifteen grams can be lethal. Were your roommates gnawing on it like a radish?"

Wang Hai suddenly felt dizzy: "He said he felt dizzy today, thought it was due to insufficient blood, so he stewed the whole thing in soup..."

The bullet screen immediately exploded with "WTF".

Medical students in the chat provided explanations: "Polygonum multiflorum poisoning can cause respiratory paralysis; it’s a miracle this guy is still alive!"

"Polygonum multiflorum! Extremely poisonous! Also known as red arsenic!"

"In our family of traditional Chinese medicine, five grams of this stuff can land you in ICU!"

"This guy chewed polygonum multiflorum thinking it was ginseng, he’s a VIP at Yama Hall now..."

The live stream fell into silence, then the bullet screen erupted.

"Damn! This guy chewed red arsenic like candy!"

"Screwed, screwed, a bite of polygonum multiflorum is fatal, he chewed an entire root and is still breathing? A miracle in medicine!"

"The roommate is too reckless, dare to buy ginseng from a street vendor?"

"No, at a time like this, shouldn’t you call 120?"

"Call 120? What’s it got to do with me, I wasn’t the one who poisoned them, if you’re so concerned why don’t you call?"

"..."

Seeing the helpless Li Jiyuan, Ning An instructed him:

"Call 120 immediately and explain everything to the doctor clearly."

"Your roommates need to have their stomachs pumped right away; that will at least save their lives."

"After hanging up, call your counselor and have him inform the college. This is too much for one person to bear, understand?"

Li Jiyuan nodded blankly:

"Understood, Brother Sect Leader, I understand..."

By the time the counselor and school doctor hurried over, Ning An instructed them:

"Prepare licorice, green beans, saposhnikovia root, three ounces each, and quickly decoct them. Use raw rhubarb to purge! Find an old ginseng to hold under the tongue to sustain their lives!"

Fans of traditional Chinese medicine in the bullet screen immediately translated:

"He’s using ’Thousand Gold Formula’ to detoxify the polygonum multiflorum! Green beans and licorice detoxify, saposhnikovia root dispels wind, rhubarb purges the intestines to expel toxins..."

The school doctor, hearing this commotion, showed a hint of surprise on his anxious face.

Recognizing it was Ning An, he nodded solemnly.

Then he commanded the security officers who also arrived urgently, to carry these young men to the ambulance.

Li Jiyuan, collapsed on the ground, still trembling as he held his phone: "Little Daoist, they..."

"They won’t die."

Ning An shook his head: "But this only saves them for now; the rest depends on fate!"

Li Jiyuan’s tears streamed down: "Daoist Master! I’m begging you to intercede with the Ancestor! I want to make a wish, I have only a few of these brats in my dorm!"

Hearing this, the originally serious live stream chat burst into laughter.

"Hahaha, I’m sure of it, this is definitely a dorm of good brothers."

"In a men’s dorm, if you call me ’bro’, I may be indifferent, but if you call me ’dad’, I’ll give you my life."

"Indeed, if I had such a good brother, never mind calling dad, even being called son, I’d be willing."