HEIFEIGU -Chapter 56

The post described the plant Mandrake as extremely terrifying and even included lots of information found online.

Every link led to sensational content.

Things like “witches’ feasts,” “love potions,” “medieval dog killers,” and so on—all connected to ignorance, superstition, and death.

This kind of content naturally sparks curiosity and exploration, so the post quickly gained popularity and was soon picked up by marketing accounts to trend online.

It caused chaos on social media.

This time, the focus of the controversy wasn’t on a person but on the production team. So Qi Zhen, who monitors public opinion, tried to contact the team immediately—but the mountain area had poor signal and he couldn’t get through.

After the situation had brewed overnight, the first people to actually contact the production team the next day weren’t Qi Zhen but the sponsors.

The milk brand they were working with promotes “natural and healthy” products, yet the team took the guests to dig up poisonous plants. It was a heart-stopping move.

The director got blasted by the brand and was completely stunned.

Previously, when the production planners spoke with the park developers, they only mentioned wanting to highlight three local specialties. They ultimately chose bamboo worms to represent culinary culture, the herb ma mian shen to represent natural resources, and “witch culture” to represent history and humanities.

They only picked ma mian shen because it was an important part of witch culture—they didn’t consider the plant’s toxic properties, which triggered this wave of public criticism.

The production team decided to consult the participating guests to see if they could temporarily swap it for a milder herb.

By the time the director finished dealing with this and reached the guests, Xie Jixing and the others had already started digging.

Mandrake typically grows in sandy soil on dry riverbeds. Near the village, a river had been rerouted along a sunny hillside, and Long Shan, not trusting things alone, followed Xie Jixing and the others.

The leaves of the plant were large and bushy, with immature fruit dotted with small purple or white trumpet-shaped flowers—very easy to identify.

Once they decided which patch to dig, Xie Jixing used an entrenching tool to outline a circle around it, only digging outside the circle to avoid damaging the roots.

The sandy soil was loose and easy to dig. After just a few minutes, Xie Jixing tugged with his gloves and found it ready to pull out.

Seeing him brace himself, Luo Feiang suddenly reached out like Er Kang, “Wait!”

“Are you sure it won’t scream?”

Xie Jixing rolled his eyes slightly, too lazy to answer, and braced himself again.

Xuan Caiyan shouted, “Wait!”

“If I pull it out, I’ll hold it off for everyone—run as far as you can. If I…”

She made a mock teary gesture, “Make sure to clear my phone’s chat history!”

Fei Zhehan was already in position, ready to faint at any moment.

Even Sister Yue nearby joined the fun; she had watched four episodes straight last night and knew all the jokes inside out.

“Xingxing, if I faint, should I roll my eyes black or white?”

Xie Jixing was speechless, “Crazy!”

He was really going to pull it out now.

【Hahaha, I’m literally going to die laughing at these drama queens.】

【Hurry up, save the comedy scene in entertainment that can’t make people laugh.】

【So what’s in Xuan Caiyan’s chat? As an SVIP, I should be allowed to see it, right?】

“Wa…wait…wait a minute!” This time it was the director.

Luckily, he arrived just in time.

“What now?!” Xie Jixing bared his teeth.

Turning, he saw, “Eh, director, what are you doing here?”

The director struggled to catch his breath, “Can we have a quick meeting?”

“A meeting?” Xie Jixing asked, puzzled, still pulling with effort.

“Don’t you dare!” The director grabbed his hand, “It’s about this herb.”

The digging plan was paused, but the livestream didn’t stop, leaving viewers confused.

【What’s happening?】

【Didn’t you see the trending posts yesterday? Someone reported the production team.】

【Huh? What kind of operation is this?】

【The herb they were about to pull is reportedly highly toxic and dangerous.】

【Wasn’t Xie Jixing saying it’s poisonous yesterday? Why the fuss now?】

The director relayed the online situation to the guests, who all looked completely confused.

Xuan Caiyan: “I don’t understand.”

Luo Feiang: “Yeah, do we really have to destroy all poisonous things in the world for safety?”

Meng Zezhou: “Then we might as well live in a vacuum.”

“Also, since the country hasn’t banned private cultivation, it means this thing is legal,” Fei Zhehan chimed in.

Duan Yanming, who had been present but quiet, finally spoke, “Perhaps because of historical reasons, our country manages this area more strictly, so the public is more sensitive about it.”

“If this herb is toxic, then we can just use a milder one for the task, and the toxic one can be pulled and destroyed afterward.”

This statement elevated the herb to the level of a dangerous substance, and everyone present fell silent.

The director tried to smooth things over: “Yes, yes, we’ll use a different herb for the task, points doubled.”

Long Shan, who hadn’t understood a word, only heard that ma mian shen would be destroyed and panicked: “Don’t pull it! It’s a witch herb, it can’t be taken!”

Duan Yanming’s few words had changed the perceived nature of the plant. Xie Jixing didn’t want to argue—it was fine to switch herbs for the task—but he couldn’t accept anyone casually defaming someone else’s cultural heritage.

He glared coldly at Duan Yanming, “Feeling a little hot-headed lately?”

Duan Yanming: ???

Why suddenly concerned about me?

“Was it because your urine was too yellow to see your own worth clearly?”

Everyone: Pffft!

“Do you even understand this herb’s properties? Can you tell the difference between addiction and toxicity?”

“Talking nonsense and wanting to destroy centuries of cultural heritage in one sentence—how dare you be so confident?”

“You… you… you!” Duan Yanming tried to argue but couldn’t find words beyond “you.”

Xie Jixing didn’t care that his face was red with anger; he continued, even taking on the director.

“I thought our proud tradition was: tasty things are eaten, bad-tasting ones are used in medicine, and toxic ones are soaked in liquor.”

“Are mushrooms poisonous?”

Xuan Caiyan answered quickly, “Yes.”

“Is fugu non-toxic?”

Luo Feiang answered, “Highly toxic!”

“Konjac is also fully toxic, yet you enjoy it with chili oil every day. So why make such a fuss about ya bu lu?”

【Here he comes again!】

【I will always submit to Xingxing’s words!】

【LOL, I’m his cursing fan!】

【Can I borrow his mouth for a few days? I’ve been bullied and can’t argue back, so mad!】

【Xie Jixing virtue +1 (tap tap)】

【I think one point he made is excellent: distinguish between toxicity and addiction. Our country strictly bans addictive plants, not all toxic plants—there are too many to ban completely!】

【And talking about toxicity without considering dosage is ridiculous!】

“There’s nothing absolutely bad in this world, only bad people,” Xie Jixing said seriously. “A sword in a hero’s hand punishes evil, but in a villain’s hand, it’s a weapon. Should we destroy all swords too?”

“Medicine and poison have never been separate. The difference between healing and killing is just dosage and preparation.”

“Instead of making sensational statements, better find a doctor to see how to fix your own stupidity.”

Director: …

Why not just join a debate show? You really can’t argue with him.

He could only pull Qian Shuyun aside and quietly mention the sponsor issue, hoping there was still one rational person on the team.

Qian Shuyun listened calmly, no frown: “If they want to withdraw funding, it’s fine—follow the contract. I’ll find a way to cover the funding gap.”

“But if it’s because of a broadcast accident that damages the brand image, that must be clarified. From my perspective, the show hasn’t had any issues so far.”

He looked up at the director, “What do you think?”

Director: …

So difficult—one you can’t argue with, one you can’t provoke. What can he do? He could only compromise.

“Dig, dig! What else can he do?”

The director, trying to slip away, was stopped as Luo Feiang and Xuan Caiyan pressed down on his shoulders from both sides, while Meng Zezhou and Fei Zhehan blocked him from behind.

“With a director as our human shield, Xingxing, hurry up and dig! If we’re going to poison something, poison him first!” Luo Feiang shouted.

“Exactly! The points for the mission item have to be doubled—we’re taking public criticism risks for this! If they’re not doubled, I’ll make a compound decoction from the Mandela herb and feed it to the director, turn him into a pig!” Xuan Caiyan snarled fiercely.

Xie Jixing was about to dig when Qian Shuyun gently pushed him, “I’ll do it.”

Not all the risk should fall on Xie Jixing.

The root of this sleepy ginseng plant was extremely thick. Once pulled, nothing unusual happened.

“Ah,” Xuan Caiyan let out a downward inflection sigh, “It really doesn’t scream.”

Luo Feiang, wearing gloves, flipped it over a couple of times. “No face either.”

“So don’t demonize plants,” Xie Jixing commented as he examined the roots of the enormous ginseng-like plant. “It’s so fat—what’s wrong with that?”

【Xingxing, you didn’t spare it either. First time I’ve heard someone describe a plant as ‘fat.’】

【Disappointed, just like Xuan Caiyan and Luo Feiang, disappointed. It doesn’t scream! Who understands?! My magical world is shattered!】

【Hahaha, you said not to demonize plants, so you turned it magical instead, huh.】

【Annoyed. I need to go to Big Eye Social and give those idiots a piece of my mind.】

While everyone was studying this huge ginseng, a young man ran from the direction of the village, shouting Longshan’s name from afar.

Longshan went to meet him. After exchanging a few words, Longshan’s face suddenly turned pale.

He hurried over and reported briefly to the production team, “Teachers, something’s happened at home. I need to go back immediately. Can you manage to get back on your own?”

The director’s eyes went dark repeatedly. How could something else go wrong now?