Heaven Official's Blessing: Vol. 1

Heaven Official’s Blessing (Tian Guan Ci Fu) Volume I, written by Mò Xiāng Tóng Xiù (MXTX), is a Chinese danmei (a genre focused on male-male romance, or “boys’ love”) novel initially published online in 2017 and later released in print. Mò Xiāng Tóng Xiù is a well-regarded author in the danmei genre, known for her intricate worldbuilding, complex character dynamics, and exploration of fate, morality, corruption, and redemption. The novel blends xianxia (a fantasy sub-genre rooted in Daoist mythology and martial arts) with romance, centering on the fallen god Xie Lian and the mysterious yet powerful ghost king Hua Cheng. The series has 8 volumes of intertwining mysteries and revelations. Since its release, Heaven Official’s Blessing has gained international recognition, receiving a highly acclaimed donghua (animated series), manhua (comic adaptation), and official translations in over 10 official languages.

This guide references the 2021 Seven Seas Entertainment e-book edition translated by Suika with illustrations by ZeldaCW.

Content Warning: The source material and this guide include depictions of graphic violence, sexual violence, death, death by suicide, self-harm, illness, cursing, and bullying.

Plot Summary

Xie Lian, once the revered Crown Prince of Xianle, ascended to godhood at 17 but suffered a tragic downfall, leading to two banishments. Eight hundred years later, he unexpectedly ascends again. With no temple, followers, or divine power, he becomes an object of amusement and ridicule. His ascension also causes chaos, damaging a sacred bell that injures Mu Qing (General Xuan Zhen) and the palace of Feng Xin (General Nan Yang), both his former subordinates with whom he fell out. Unable to pay for the damages, Ling Wen, the foremost scholar god, gives Xie Lian a mission to earn merits—the gods’ currency—based on prayers and offerings.

Assigned to investigate a “ghost groom” abducting brides on Mount Yujun, Xie Lian travels north. Two junior officials, Fu Yao from Mu Qing’s palace and Nan Feng from Feng Xin’s, secretly accompany him. The father of the latest missing bride offers a hefty reward, leading a group of villagers to cause a ruckus to lure the ghost groom. They plan to capture a bandaged boy lurking in the mountains, assuming he is the culprit.

To draw out the ghost groom, Xie Lian disguises himself as a bride and enters the mountains in a bridal sedan, escorted by soldiers. He hears a child’s voice instructing him not to smile during the journey. Suddenly, wolves and ghosts attack them. Xie Lian fights them off with Ruoye, his sentient silk band, and sends the soldiers away to safety. He takes a mysterious youth’s hand, who guides him through the woods and scares off all assailants. The youth crushes a skull, maintaining a magical barrier before disappearing into silver butterflies.

Inside a dilapidated temple dedicated to General Pei (General Ming Guang), Xie Lian discovers the corpses of the missing brides. Hiding among them, he witnesses a thumping creature lifting the brides’ veils. Attacking it with Ruoye, he chases it outside, where he encounters the villagers.

Xie Lian questions why there is only one Ming Guang temple in the area, especially as Ming Guang is the local god: Other temples mysteriously burned down. The villagers decide to take the dead brides down the mountain for a reward. A rock strikes a villager, prompting them to chase a shadow into the forest, where they stumble upon corpses hanging from trees—a signature of the Green Ghost Qi Rong.

The villagers capture the bandaged boy, accusing him of being the ghost groom. Meanwhile, Xie Lian investigates the temple burnings and learns about Xuan Ji, a vengeful spirit once romantically involved with General Pei. She was an opposing general but defected for him. When he refused to marry her, she broke her legs and later died by suicide. Xie Lian realizes she is behind the burning temples and the attacks on brides.

Disguised as a bride, Xuan Ji appears and kills several villagers. The fight ends with the arrival of General Pei Junior, Pei Ming’s subordinate, who orders her capture. He reveals that Pei Ming never used the information Xuan Ji betrayed her country for, making her sacrifice meaningless. Soldiers take her away for punishment.

Xie Lian and Nan Feng, the junior official from Feng Xin’s palace, assist the remaining mortals. Xie Lian offers to take care of the bandaged boy. However, upon seeing his face, Xie Lian panics. The boy flees, and Xie Lian later explains that he had “human face disease,” a plague that destroyed Xianle. He asks Ling Wen to find the boy while also inquiring about the youth with silver butterflies. The officials reveal he is Hua Cheng, also known as Crimson Rain Sought Flower, a supreme ghost and one of the Four Calamities.

Returning to the mortal realm, Xie Lian builds Puqi Shrine, an abandoned shack he repurposes as his temple. He meets San Lang, an educated youth, and invites him to stay. While traveling together, ghosts attack but mysteriously retreat in fear upon seeing San Lang. San Lang helps repair the shrine.

A disheveled man stumbles in, claiming to have escaped the cursed Banyue Pass. However, he is a puppet controlled by a more powerful entity trying to lure Xie Lian to Banyue. When Xie Lian asks about Banyue Pass, the other heavenly officials warn him to stay away, but he ignores them.

Fu Yao Nan Feng—the junior officials who initially accompanied Xie Lian in secret—arrive to help. They are wary and suspicious of San Lang. Traveling to Banyue, they take shelter from a sandstorm in a cave, where they meet merchants planning to cross the pass. Despite the legend that half of every group perishes, they feel safe with their guide, A-Zhao. Suddenly, scorpion-snakes attack, biting a merchant and stinging Xie Lian. The only cure is the shanyue fern, found in the ruins of Banyue. Xie Lian, Nan Feng, San Lang, and A-Zhao head there while Fu Yao stays behind.

At Banyue, Nan Feng distracts two suspicious female cultivators. The others find the fern, but ghostly Banyue soldiers led by Kemo attack them. Captured, the soldiers take them to the Sinner’s Pit, where Banyue once executed criminals. Xie Lian sees a black-clad corpse tied to a pole above the pit. A-Zhao unexpectedly attacks Kemo and is thrown into the pit. San Lang jumps in after him. The black-clad corpse revives, knocks the remaining soldiers into the pit, and Xie Lian and Kemo follow.

San Lang catches Xie Lian. Kemo mourns his fallen soldiers, now permanently destroyed. He explains that Banyue and Yong’an (Central Plains) were at war. Banyue’s state preceptor, born of mixed blood, rose to power with Kemo’s help but betrayed her people by opening the city gates for Yong’an soldiers, leading to their massacre. The corpse reveals herself as Banyue, the state preceptor and a young girl Xie Lian once knew.

Banyue admits she lost control of the scorpion-snakes. Xie Lian realizes another force is at work and calls out Pei Xiu (General Pei Junior). Pei Xiu admits that to prevent Banyue’s planned fatal attacks using explosives against Yong’an, he orchestrated the city’s downfall. He has since lured travelers to Banyue to appease ghosts and conceal his crimes.

The suspicious cultivators arrive, revealing themselves as heavenly officials. One, clad in white, introduces herself as the Wind Master. She accuses Pei Xiu of his misdeeds and takes him and Kemo to the heavens for judgment but leaves Banyue in Xie Lian’s care, warning him to stay out of further trouble.

Returning to Puqi Shrine, Xie Lian realizes San Lang is Hua Cheng. While Xie Lian sleeps, Hua Cheng leaves, gifting him a crystal-clear ring on a chain.