Heaven Official's Blessing (Chinese: 天官赐福; pinyin: Tiān Guān Cì Fú) is a Chinese novel written by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu (墨香铜臭). 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 244 chapters and eight additional short stories. 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. An audio drama began releasing on July 15, 2022, published by Xun Sheng Studio.
Contents
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 and was lauded as a flower-crowned martial god; however, due to unfortunate circumstances, is banished back to the mortal realm. Years later, experiences a brief second ascension, and is quickly banished a second time.
Now, eight hundred years later, Xie Lian ascends to the heavens a third time, this time without any followers or offerings. While returning from collecting scraps to build his first new shrine, he meets a mysterious young man, who is later revealed to be Hua Cheng, one of four ghost kings, or "calamities," long feared across the three realms. Heaven Official's Blessing is the story of how Xie Lian re-establishes himself as a god, comes to terms with long-buried past transgressions, and uncovers how intertwined his and Hua Cheng's fates and history really are.
Plot
"啊那个收破烂的天界公务员，跟鬼界第一大佬有一腿！"
(English: "Ah! That Scrap-Collecting Heavenly Official is having an affair with the King of the Ghost Realm!")
Novel
Told through a nonlinear narrative spanning more than eight centuries, Heaven Official's Blessing follows Xie Lian, the former crown prince of the fictional Kingdom of Xianle, and his relationship with Hua Cheng, a powerful ghost king whose life has been intertwined with his for centuries. The novel combines elements of xianxia fantasy, Chinese mythology, and romance, alternating between Xie Lian's present-day adventures and events from his past.
Born into Xianle's royal family, Xie Lian dedicates himself to Taoist cultivation and martial training, ascending to godhood at seventeen. Revered by his people, he believes that his divine powers should be used to alleviate human suffering. When his kingdom is threatened by drought, civil unrest, and war, he defies the heavenly prohibition against interfering in mortal affairs and attempts to save his people. However, his intervention fails to prevent Xianle's destruction, which is further accelerated by the outbreak of a deadly epidemic known as the human face disease. Blamed for the kingdom's downfall, Xie Lian loses his worshippers, and his temples and statues are destroyed. He is subsequently banished from heaven and endures centuries of poverty, humiliation, and isolation.
During his youth, Xie Lian unknowingly saves the life of a young boy named Hong Hong-er, who develops an enduring devotion to him. Despite witnessing Xie Lian's fall from grace, the boy never abandons his faith in the former prince. After his death, he persists as a spirit and eventually becomes Hua Cheng, also known as Crimson Rain Sought Flower (血雨探花), one of the Four Great Calamities. Over the following centuries, Hua Cheng's admiration develops into profound romantic love, motivating his determination to become powerful enough to protect Xie Lian.
Eight hundred years after his first ascension, Xie Lian ascends to heaven for a third time. Having spent centuries wandering the mortal realm as a scrap collector, he is now widely regarded by the other heavenly officials as a god of misfortune. To repay the debts incurred by his latest ascension, he begins investigating supernatural disturbances. His first assignment takes him to Mount Yujun, where several brides have mysteriously disappeared during their wedding processions. During the investigation, he encounters a mysterious red-robed figure who guides him through a dangerous supernatural formation. He later discovers that the stranger was Hua Cheng, a feared ghost king whom the heavenly officials warn him to avoid.
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 on 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:
...In a broken and defeated temple with a soon-to-be forgotten god and a young devout follower was the first image that floated into my mind for this novel, and was also what gave me the impulse to write it. I'm the kind that would write up an entire book just for a scene.
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 (including the special episode) 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.
The English release switched platforms from Funimation to Crunchyroll but the Chinese release continued to be on Bilibili.
Live-action
A live-action series, Eternal Faith, began production in 2021. Chen Jialin will direct the series.
Audio drama
An audio drama adapting the revised version of the novel premiered on July 15th, 2022, on MaoerFM. It is produced by Xun Sheng Studios and recorded by Jing Yun Kai Ge Studio. At time of writing, the audio drama has released three complete seasons, with the fourth season airing as of August 2026.
Characters
Main characters
Xie Lian (谢怜;)
Protagonist. A very unlucky god who collects scraps for a living. Also known by the titles Crown Prince, God-Pleasing Crown Prince, and Flower-Crowned Martial God.
Voiced by: Jiang Guangtao (donghua S1), Deng Youxi (donghua S2), Hiroshi Kamiya (Japanese dub), Park Yohan (Korean dub), Howard Wang (English dub), Non Sepho (นนท์ ศรีโพธิ์, Thai dub)
Hua Cheng (花城)
Main character and love interest. A ghost king known as the terror of the heavens. One of the Four Calamities. Also known as Crimson Rain Sought Flower (血雨探花) or San Lang (三郎).
Voiced by: Ma Zhengyang (donghua), Jun Fukuyama (Japanese dub), Jeong Joo-won (Korean dub), James Cheek (English dub), Sakarach Amsom (ศักราช อ่ำส้ม, Thai dub)
Heavenly Court
Jun Wu (君吾)
Voiced by: Takehito Koyasu (Japanese dub)
The Heavenly Emperor of the Upper Court. The most powerful martial god.
Ling Wen (灵文)
A civil goddess who provides information on assignments through a spiritual communication array. Also known as Ling Wen Zhen Jun (灵文真君).
Voiced by: Huang Ying (donghua), Yoko Hikasa (Japanese dub), Kim Bo-na (Korean dub), Wendee Lee (English dub)
Shi Wudu (师无渡)
The elemental master of water. Elder brother of Shi Qingxuan. Also known as Lord Water Master or the Water Tyrant.
Shi Qingxuan (师青玄)
Voiced by (female form): Qiu Qiu (donghua), Ayako Kawasumi (Japanese dub), Anjali Kunapaneni (English dub)
Voiced by (male form): Lu Zhixing (donghua), Nobunaga Shimazaki (Japanese dub)
The elemental master of the wind. The younger sibling of Shi Wudu. Also known as Lord Wind Master or Lady Wind Master.
Ming Yi (明仪)
The elemental master of earth. Also known as Lord Earth Master or Lady Earth Master.
Yushi Huang (雨师篁)
The elemental master of rain. Also known as the Rain Master.
Feng Xin (风信)
Ghost Realm
Bai Wuxiang (白无相)
The main antagonist of the story. The eldest and the most powerful of the Four Great Calamities. He is the one responsible for the fall of the kingdom of Xianle. Also known as the White-Clothed Calamity (白衣祸世) or White No-Face.
He Xuan (贺玄)
One of the Four Calamities. A powerful water demon. Also known as Black Water Sinking Ships (黑水沉舟).
Qi Rong (戚容)
One of the Four Calamities. Ranks as a Savage, one step behind the other three Calamities' rankings of Supreme. Also known as the Night-Touring Green Lantern (青灯夜游) or Green Ghost.
Banyue (半月)
A Savage-ranked female ghost. Former State Preceptor of Banyue Kingdom.
Voiced by: Tao Dian (Donghua), Kana Hanazawa (Japanese dub), Emi Lo (English dub)
Xuan Ji (宣姬)
A Wrath-ranked female ghost. A former lover of Pei Ming before he ascended to the heavens.
Voiced by: Shan Xin (Donghua), Yuko Kaida (Japanese dub), Michelle Rojas (English dub)
Spiritual devices
Ruoye (若邪)
Xie Lian's spiritual device. A sentient strip of white silk.
E'ming (厄命)
Hua Cheng's spiritual device. A sentient scimitar.