Heaven Official's Blessing
Heaven Official's Blessing is a Chinese novel written by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu. The serialization started on Jinjiang Literature City, a popular Chinese website for publishing and serializing web fiction, on June 16, 2017, and was completed on February 25, 2018. It consists of 24 chapters and eight extra chapters. A manhua adaptation, illustrated by STARember and published by Bilibili, was released on October 19, 2019. A donghua adaptation was released on Bilibili and Funimation on October 31, 2020.
Synopsis
Eight hundred years ago, Xie Lian was the Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Xianle. He was loved by his citizens and was considered the darling of the heavens. He ascended to the heavens at 17 years old; however, due to unfortunate circumstances, returns back to the mortal realm. Years later, he ascends again–only to be banished a few minutes after his ascension.Now, eight hundred years later, Xie Lian ascends to the heavens for the third time as the laughing stock among all three realms. On his first task as a god thrice ascended, he meets a mysterious ghost who rules the ghosts and terrifies the heavens, yet, unbeknownst to Xie Lian, this ghost king has been paying attention to him for a very, very long time.
Plot
Novel
Though not chronologically, the novel follows the life of Xie Lian, a once-human crown prince of the Kingdom of Xianle in the east who ascends to godhood at seventeen after dedicating himself to cultivation and martial training. During the inaugural years of his divinity, his kingdom experiences upheaval and war, due in part to drought and a terrifying new disease. Going against the edicts of both the heavenly realm and of fate, Xie Lian involves himself in the affairs of the mortals who have always loved and supported him, hoping to achieve peace and relieve suffering in his kingdom. Unfortunately, his appearance in the mortal world only amplifies the conflicts between his people, and their desperation leads to the dramatic and abrupt downfall of Xianle, as well as the downfall of Xie Lian. The people destroy his temples, statues, and shrines, abandoning him as their most respected religious figure and earning him the reputation of a God of Misfortune.Much later in his immortal life, after being banished twice by the Emperor of the Heavenly Realm, Xie Lian again ascends to the heavens to work as a godly official. Now known as a peculiar, peripatetic scrap-collector with perennially bad luck, Xie Lian is ridiculed or ignored by most other heavenly officials. Nevertheless, he retains his good-hearted nature and only wishes to fulfill his duties as a god.
For Xie Lian's first assignment of his third ascension, he is tasked with solving the mystery of a number of brides who have disappeared during their wedding processions through Mount Yujun in the mortal world. During his investigation, he is unexpectedly greeted by a ghost whose form resembles that of a young man wearing maple-red robes and silver vambraces, with black boots and attached silver chains. Silver butterflies and a rain of blood also accompany the first appearance of the youthful ghost. He interacts with Xie Lian only to briefly guide him in his mission, by taking his hand and walking with him through Mount Yujun, simultaneously breaking an enchantment array on the mountain that was preventing Xie Lian from detecting the culprit of the disappearances. After his completion of the assignment, bemused by an encounter he describes as "oddly charming to the extreme," Xie Lian learns from heaven that he had encountered Hua Cheng, or Crimson Rain Sought Flower, one of four fearsome ghost kings known as the Four Great Calamities.
Heedless of warnings to stay away from Hua Cheng, Xie Lian continues to cross paths with the nonchalant and intelligent ghost king as he becomes increasingly enveloped in the affairs of the three realms of heaven, earth, and ghost. Their interactions gradually lead to the building of a close, mutually protective relationship. As he unravels his feelings for Hua Cheng, and as Hua Cheng establishes himself as a steady fixture in his life, Xie Lian is yet to realize just how long their pasts have been entwined.
Translation
The novels were officially translated into English by Seven Seas Entertainment, with eight volumes in total. The translation is accompanied by illustrations from ZeldaCW, and the first volume was released on December 14, 2021. The final volume of the series was released November 28, 2023, alongside two special editions.The seventh volume of the translation reached #5 on The New York Times Best Seller list for the week of October 1, 2023, which was the highest ranking of any novel written by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu up to that point.
Origin
Regarding her conception of the story, Mo Xiang Tong Xiu has said:The term "Heaven Official's Blessing" traditionally referred to the Shangyuan Festival of the Daoism. It was said that on the date of the Shangyuan Festival, the xian Tianguan visits the mortal realm to bring blessings. The phrase is said as a blessing and written on fai chun for the festival.
Adaptations
Donghua
The donghua was released on Bilibili and Funimation in October 2020. The production of a second season was confirmed by Bilibili in January 2021. A special episode was released on February 16, 2021. Netflix also began streaming the series as of April 9, 2021. A trailer for the upcoming second season was released on November 24, 2021. The second season started airing from October 26, 2023.The English dub premiered on November 12, 2021, on Funimation.
Season 2 (2023–2024)
The English release switched platforms from Funimation to Crunchyroll but the Chinese release continued to be on BilibiliLive-action
A live-action series, Eternal Faith, began production in 2021. Chen Jialin will direct the series.Characters
Main characters
Xie LianVoiced by: Jiang Guangtao, Deng Youxi, Hiroshi Kamiya, Park Yohan, Howard Wang, Non Sepho
Hua Cheng
Voiced by: Ma Zhengyang, Jun Fukuyama, Jeong Joo-won, James Cheek, Sakarach Amsom
Heavenly Court
Jun WuVoiced by: Takehito Koyasu
Ling Wen
Voiced by: Huang Ying, Yoko Hikasa, Kim Bo-na, Wendee Lee
Shi Wudu
Shi Qingxuan
Voiced by : Qiu Qiu, Ayako Kawasumi, Anjali Kunapaneni
Voiced by : Lu Zhixing, Nobunaga Shimazaki
Ming Yi
Yushi Huang ''
Feng Xin
Voiced by: Wen Sen
Nan Feng
Voiced by: Wen Sen, Makoto Furukawa, Choi Seung-hun, Phil Song
Mu Qing
Voiced by: Hu Liangwei
Fu Yao
Voiced by: Hu Liangwei, Chiaki Kobayashi, Nam Doh-hyeong, Lucien Dodge
Pei Ming
Voiced by: Tu Xiongfei, Junichi Suwabe, Aaron Campbell
Pei Su
Voiced by: Ling Fei, Toshiki Masuda, Aaron Campbell
Quan Yizhen
'''Lang Qianqiu '''
Ghost Realm
Bai WuxiangHe Xuan
Qi Rong
Banyue
Voiced by: Tao Dian, Kana Hanazawa, Emi Lo
Xuan Ji
Voiced by: Shan Xin, Yuko Kaida, Michelle Rojas
Spiritual devices
Ruoye'''E'ming '''