The Radiance Pill

1,077 words

Chapter 113: Radiance Pill

The night air wasn’t particularly cold, but little Mo Caihuan’s pretty face had grown somewhat pale. She glared hatefully at Han Li, grinding her teeth in her heart at this shamelessly thick-skinned senior brother who had appeared out of nowhere.

The two of them had been standing coldly on this back garden path for over a quarter of an hour without taking a single step forward.

In truth, Mo Caihuan had exhausted her three ultimate techniques—playing cute, acting spoiled, and the waterworks—but Han Li had completely ignored them. Out of options, she had finally gritted her teeth and refused to lead the way any further, hoping this show of defiance would force his hand. She also continued to stare at him with pitiful, wide eyes, hoping the two-pronged attack would make him yield.

But when Han Li saw her pathetic expression, he couldn’t help but laugh.

It reminded him of his good friend Li Feiyu. Whenever Li Feiyu had a troublesome favor to ask of Han Li, he would put on a strikingly similar performance. After so many repetitions, Han Li had become completely immune to such displays.

So when Mo Caihuan looked at him with the eyes of an abandoned puppy, Han Li simply stood there, savoring the performance, occasionally shaking his head and muttering some nonsensical verse.

Under Han Li’s vicious counterattack, Mo Caihuan quickly crumbled. Her pitiful expression vanished, replaced by a glare of pure fury that had persisted until now.

In truth, she was already regretting her actions. If her mother found out about this, not only would she fail to get any benefit, she would probably taste the family’s disciplinary methods first.

With that thought, she glared at Han Li a few more times. This country bumpkin—why couldn’t he just casually hand over something? Did he not know girls needed to be coaxed? What a hick!

At this point, the girl had completely forgotten how she had tried to bleed him dry just moments earlier.

Though Han Li had no experience coaxing girls, he knew he still had to stay at the Mo estate and couldn’t afford to genuinely offend her. Judging that her spoiled temper had been sufficiently dampened, he slowly reached into his robe to see if he could find something suitable to fob off this little demon.

He finally pulled out a small, emerald-green porcelain bottle containing a few fiery-red pills with a rich fragrance.

These pills were called “Radiance Pills.” He had heard they were a favored medicine of imperial concubines. Their only function was to emit a captivating exotic fragrance that was not only long-lasting and pleasant but also repelled bothersome mosquitoes—truly beloved by the women of the harem.

Unfortunately, several of the main ingredients required for these pills were rare herbs with long maturation periods. Even the imperial palace, with all the wealth under heaven, often found itself short of materials, unable to fully satisfy the demands of the harem. Naturally, the common people never saw such pills at all.

Han Li would never have normally concocted such useless medicine. But back in the Seven Mysteries Sect, Li Feiyu had pestered him relentlessly until he prepared some of these pills for him to use on Zhang Xiuer.

This small bottle held the leftovers. Han Li had originally kept them to prevent mosquito bites when camping in the wild, but now he had to offer them up as a stopgap.

He tossed the bottle to the girl across from him. Caught off guard, Mo Caihuan fumbled before catching it.

“What’s this?” Her tears turned to laughter. She had finally gotten a gift from this stingy man, and though she didn’t know what it was yet, she was already thrilled.

“This is a Radiance Pill. It’s quite miraculous. It can…” Han Li explained the pill’s effects to the girl in detail, fully expecting her to be pleased.

But instead, the girl opened the lid, sniffed the fragrance briefly, then quickly snapped it shut. She stared at Han Li with the caution of someone facing a predator, speaking carefully:

“This pill isn’t a knockout drug or an aphrodisiac, is it? The smell reminds me of what my sisters described. You wouldn’t be plotting something against me, would you?”

Han Li was stunned speechless for a long moment, then fell into a wooden silence. He suddenly felt like vomiting blood three times over. How unpredictable were girls these days! To associate a Radiance Pill with an aphrodisiac!

He didn’t know whether to admire her cautiousness or cry out in grievance at being so wrongly accused.

“It seems you’re telling the truth. But I still need to have my second sister test it before I use it. We girls have to be careful!” Mo Caihuan said with a straight face.

“Cough, cough… suit yourself,” Han Li managed, dryly coughing to cover his awkward expression. He now felt it best to stay far away from this little demon, or else she might bore him to death.

“Well, if the pill really works as well as you say, then you pass! If Senior Brother ever runs into trouble in the Mo estate, feel free to come to me for help. As long as you pay me a small fee, I guarantee I can solve your problems completely,” Mo Caihuan said cheerfully, tossing the bottle in her hand.

“Alright, Junior Sister. I’ll be sure to come to you if I need anything,” Han Li replied, recovering his composure with a forced smile. Internally, he was thinking savagely: “As if I’d ever go to you, you little gold-digger!”

Mo Caihuan, of course, couldn’t hear his thoughts. She was delighted that he had become compliant. She suddenly felt that this Senior Brother Han was rather interesting and looked a bit more agreeable now.

“Let’s go, Senior Brother Han! I’ll find you a bigger room. I won’t let you be wronged!” Mo Caihuan said with a beaming smile, finally leading the way again, her chin held high.

Behind her, Han Li sighed softly and followed.

“A girl this mischievous and clever—he was definitely not up to the task. Not only would a young lady like this never take a liking to someone as plain-looking as himself, even if she did, he would refuse without hesitation. Her sheer troublesome nature was more than he could handle.” That was what Han Li thought as he unhesitatingly crossed her off his list of potential romantic interests.

Share to

Reading Guide Decoding

The Social Tribulation: Han Li vs. Mo Caihuan

Cultural / Xianxia Notes

The "Three Ultimate Techniques" of a Xianxia Lady. Mo Caihuan’s arsenal of cuteness, sentiment, and tears is a classic trope in Chinese web novels, particularly among young, spoiled female characters. This isn't just random behavior; it’s a culturally recognized tactic of social combat. The protagonist’s ability to see through these performances is a sign of worldly experience and a hardened heart. Han Li’s immunity, forged by Li Feiyu’s similar antics, shows that in the Mortal Stream, even survival skills can be learned through petty human interactions.

The Radiance Pill (萦香丸). This chapter provides a perfect example of how Xianxia often uses imperial lore to flavor its world-building. The pill is framed as a rare luxury item, a product of the imperial harem that commoners can’t obtain. Yet to Han Li, it’s a purely functional tool—a leftover from a friend’s romantic scheme, repurposed for mosquito repellent. This contrast highlights his utilitarian mindset. The name "Radiance Pill" evokes exotic fragrance and romantic allure, which is why Mo Caihuan's immediate suspicion that it's an aphrodisiac is both a clever joke and a brilliant piece of character writing. She's cynical enough to know the genre's conventions.

The Social Tribulation. While fighting monsters and battling for treasures are the obvious challenges of a Xianxia life, navigating complex human relationships is just as dangerous. This “social tribulation” requires a different kind of calculation. Han Li doesn't defeat Mo Caihuan with force; he out-endures her emotional campaign and uses a minor resource (an unwanted pill) to stabilize the situation. This chapter is a blueprint for how a protagonist in the Mortal Stream must navigate any social hierarchy: with patience, a poker face, and a cold assessment of what each interaction costs and yields.

Social Tribulation (社会试炼)

A type of conflict in the Mortal Stream where the protagonist must navigate complex human relationships and political hierarchies with the same cold calculation as a physical battle.

Chapter Overview

This chapter is a masterclass in the Mortal Stream's social battlefield. Han Li, having just arrived at the Mo estate, finds himself pitted against the spirited and utterly spoiled Mo Caihuan. The chapter is a delightful, low-stakes clash of wills where Han Li's seasoned pragmatism and immunity to emotional manipulation face off against the girl's arsenal of cuteness, tears, and spoiled demands. We see the protagonist not in a life-or-death struggle, but navigating the “social tribulation” of a mortal family with the same cold, analytical precision he uses for combat. It's a rare moment of dark humor, showcasing Han Li's ability to turn any encounter—even one with a teenage girl—into a calculated game of control and resource management.

Key Plot Points

The chapter opens with Mo Caihuan and Han Li locked in a silent standoff in the garden; she has exhausted her tactics of acting cute, begging, and crying, all of which Han Li has passively ignored.
Han Li reveals his immunity to these tactics, drawing a parallel to Li Feiyu’s similar manipulative performances, which have long since inoculated him.
Under Han Li’s calm counter-pressure of enjoying her performance and reciting nonsense, Mo Caihuan’s demeanor crumbles from pitiful to resentful.
To avoid genuine offense, Han Li decides to offer a gift, searching his robe for a suitable item.
He produces a small bottle of “Radiance Pills”—fragrant pellets originally intended for imperial concubines, which he had made long ago for Li Feiyu to win over a girl.
Mo Caihuan suspects the pill might be an aphrodisiac or knockout drug, forcing Han Li to endure an awkward, speechless moment.
She declares she will have the pill tested by her sister before using it, maintaining her cautious front even as she accepts the gift.
Mo Caihuan promptly declares the transaction a success and offers to help Han Li with any future problems—for a fee.
Han Li internally writes Mo Caihuan off as a potential romantic interest, concluding that her temperament is far too troublesome for his liking.

Reading Guide

Get ready for a brilliant character moment that tells you everything about Han Li’s mindset. This chapter has zero combat, zero magic, and zero world-shaking revelations. Instead, it's a clinic on how our protagonist handles being pestered by a pretty girl. His internal monologue is pure gold. Watch how he analyzes the situation, identifies his goal (avoid making an enemy while lodging in the Mo estate), calculates the cost (a useless pill), executes the transaction, and then instantly and coldly categorizes Mo Caihuan as “too much trouble.” This is not a guy who gets flustered by a beautiful face. He sees people as problems to be solved or resources to be managed, and his "protection" of his own time and peace of mind is absolute. It’s a quiet but powerful reinforcement of his core character.

Character Note: Li Feiyu's Ghost

It’s a tiny detail, but Han Li’s comparison of Mo Caihuan’s pleading face to Li Feiyu’s is a brilliant touch. It shows that even though they’ve parted ways, Li Feiyu’s personality left a permanent mark on how Han Li interprets manipulative behavior. In a genre where friends are often quickly forgotten, this small callback keeps their bond alive in the reader’s mind through Han Li’s own mental shorthand.