#heaven's official blessing volume two

[wutheringskies]

just finished volume 2 of tgcf and omfg. you know how generally the first books are soo good and the second book sucks?? well, this was the opposite (might be due to the arc difference)

(spoilers ahead)

the first book i found really too boring; but the ending of arc 1 in the mausoleum, followed immediately by the heavenly procession was great! the entire build up of the ghost city and new, interesting characters was amazing with Feng Xin and Mu Qing finally gaining more character - solid actions, solid dialogues, great tension!

the whole Hua lian flirting scene while dice rolling was so fun, too. I did feel the exposition of the Glided Banquet was a little too eh, but the morality questions it posed was interesting. I also love Shi Qingxuan and I loved the Lang Qinqiu's dialogue of never becoming like Xie Lian; and I loved how... terrible things were? With Qi Rong using Xie Lian's statue as foot rest, Hua Cheng's anger, it was all too fun.

I literally was equal parts annoyed, endeared and impressed by Xie Lian's 17 year old self but yeah, like it finally made me like Xie Lian a bit more; with all that family conflict and everything.

compared to how long it took me to want to start book 2, I'm really interested in diving straight into book 3!

also god i loved so many dialogues and scenes this time around ><

[imnotpoppunk]

I'll always be so obsessed with the part where Xie Lian is bracing himself for Hua Cheng finding out about the part of his life that he's most ashamed of. He knows how bad it was, how low he stooped, and truly believes that it would make him unlovable.

And then Hua Cheng kneels before him and reveals that yes, he already knows. He was there. He lived that nightmare with him.

And despite all of that, he still loves Xie Lian. Loved him then and loves him now.

Xie Lian's tears were so real and I could feel how cathartic it was for him to get that reassurance. I could feel his fear dissipate as he realized and WOW.

wow.

[youneedtolightenup]

i did an impulsive thing and bought xie lian and hua cheng nendodroids, but honestly they really make my tgcf shelf like 1000x better so like.....no regrets....kinda....

[dramaticviolincrescendo]

Finished volume eight and will never be okay again. What a beautiful story. A forever fave. 100/10

[schrodingers-hoarding-problem]

guess who now owns 6/8 of the english heaven official's blessing volumes? me!!

im so excited to start my reread (first one since i read the fan translation oh so long ago and im so excited)

[robsterskellington]

Thanks, everyone. I just get really curious about stuff like this. Okay, so:

If you'd like to explain why, please do!

Edit: Fuck, I forgot about the Untamed, I'm so sorry!! If I remember to do another poll later down the line, I'll add it. If you wanted to vote for that, I'm sincerely sorry.

(My personal rambling answer down below.)

I can't believe so many people voted lol.

At the time of making this poll, I have just finished reading Volume 3 of Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation, and I can personally say that I already prefer the novels. Granted, the donghua had a fantastic depiction of what happened at the Lotus Pier, but Wen Chao's fate was far more brutal in the novel and I lived for it. I do love the manhua as well, my cousin's been showing me bits and pieces to make me laugh. I also know an official manga is coming soon, and I can't wait for that!

I still need the last two volumes and to read them, then I'll start reading The Scum Villain's Self-Saving System, especially since it's rare for me to go into something completely blind. I'm unfortunately the kind of person who seeks spoilers when possible- whenever a new chapter of Bungou Stray Dogs comes out, I will hardly get off my phone or focus on anything else, just wanting to know what happens in that moment.

Even with Heaven Official's Blessing, I would get an inkling about something and spoil myself. It never ruined the story for me, I just don't like being surprised. However, even then, I was almost always caught off guard and would get incredibly emotional about certain things.

I'm grateful to those who voted. There's absolutely no reason to this, I just like knowing people's opinions about things that I happen to like because everyone's views are so vastly different and it fascinates me. Thank you all again!!

[weixlsstuff]

Is the King of Xianle a bad father?

pt 1

It would seem to be a typical story: a father adores his son in childhood, spoils and encourages him in every possible way. However, with age, when the young prince becomes a young man, there is a break in this close bond between them.

For example, the king stopped considering Xie Lian "cute" as the latter grew up*. This tendency is typical for some parents, because a teenager is no longer the "comfortable child" who blindly believes in everything a parent says. Xie Lian, like any person in the awkward age, begins to see the world in his own way, that is, he forms his worldview, which does not correspond to the ideas and principles of his father (it is also interesting to note that his father is a conservative man who holds traditional views on the foundations both in terms of government and class division of society, which would later play a role in the tragic development of events). The king takes everything with hostility, imposes his principles and ideals on his son (of course, the culture of Ancient China plays an important role here, but I won't touch on it here), which, in my opinion, was the reason for their strained relations.

Mo Xiang Tong Xiu mentions that almost every (!!!) meeting they had ended with a fight, and it was Xie Lian's unwillingness to interact with his father that led him to decide to move from the palace. In fact, his father's actions force Xie Lian to run away from his own home. According to some psychologists, running away from home is an attempt to avoid conflicts and an unfavorable situation, which is very suitable for the situation between the Crown Prince and his father (one of the protective mechanisms of Xie Lian's psyche is immediately visible, which he uses later in the course of the narrative, namely avoidance, that is, in a way his relationship with his father "taught" him to use this method, and showed that this mechanism is quite effective in resolving individual situations.) Аt the same time, his act cannot be called impulsive, rather it has a certain emancipation character, it is associated with the desire not only to avoid quarrels, but also with the desire to get away from excessive parental control, to get more freedom of action, thirst for independence and freedom.

What is the king doing to try to restore relations with his son? The correct answer is ... nothing. He does not try to establish contact with his son, take the initiative and show himself as an adult in their relationship (of course, the role of the family hierarchy, characteristic of Ancient China, is important here: the father is the head of the family, the unconditional authority, however, in the "Heaven Official's Blessing" it is noticeable that not all the traditional principles of that time are respected, for example, a love match between Xie Lian's mother and father; the likely upbringing of the Crown Prince by his parents (at least, the novel did not mention servants and teachers, except for Mei Nianqing and the empty shells of his friends), the presence of Confucianism in a modified form, aspects of Xie Lian's upbringing, etc.). The initiator of communication, as well as the mediator between these two is Xie Lian's mother, and in some cases – other people who happened to be nearby at the time of the conflict. For example, Feng Xin even breaks his arm to stop Xie Lian from continuing the argument**.

Thus, Xie Lian's relationship with his father before the events preceding the fall of Xianle is almost on the verge of breaking up and is retained only at the insistence of the Queen. At the same time, if Xie Lian's position can be understood by referring to his adolescence, then the king's position remains unclear: why did he not try to restore their relationship?

* - interview with Mo Xiang Tong Xiu

**- Volume 2, chapter 65

[chocolatepot]

OFMD fandom, consider TGCF

Tian Guan Ci Fu is a Chinese light novel with an English translation published by Seven Seas Entertainment as Heaven Official's Blessing. You might not have heard of it, but chances are pretty good that you've heard of Mo Dao Zu Shi, adapted by Tencent into a tv series that aired on Netflix as The Untamed. ("Sexy Times with Wangxian", yes.) That's by the same author, Mo Xiang Tong Xiu!

For roughly the year before OFMD first aired, I was in MXTX fandom, more focused on MDZS than TGCF, although I'd read and liked both. Recently, though, I've come back to TGCF in a big way - doing a full reread - and a number of parallels to OFMD have been jumping out at me, making me think, hey, maybe my friends would like this?

Canon m/m romance that is the emotional backbone for the story

Lots of humor!

Main character from a high status background ...

... who is derided as a laughingstock by his high-falutin' peers and by people on the ground

Love interest who is widely believed to be the most powerful evil being in existence

Despite the obvious aesthetic differences, the MC and LI get each other on a level nobody else does

Also despite appearances, both MC and LI are very much not young and spend a long time alone before they meet

You could even say there's a "slyly complicated butch/femme dynamic" (a phrase from an old article about OFMD that always sticks in my head)

MC's kindness and attention to people considered "worthless" often help solve the problem

Okay, curious? I'll tell you about TGCF in more detail behind the cut.

(I do want to be clear here, I'm stressing these points of similarity but these two canons are not The Same - I'm just saying, if these are aspects of OFMD that really resonated with you, you should think about giving TGCF a try!)

Okay, if you haven't really heard of MXTX novels before, I assume you might not be familiar with a lot of the genre conventions, so I'll step way back. TGCF is xianxia, which is a type of fantasy where people can gain powers and eventually ascend to immortality/godhood; in some xianxia books, the process of gaining or using those powers is the point, but here it's really just background for the story. These powers are gained through "cultivation", which can be a combo of meditation and martial arts practice. People who die are either reincarnated or turn into ghosts, depending on how much resentment they have going on.

The first volume opens with a prologue explaining that Xie Lian was a handsome and popular prince who ascended at seventeen; when his kingdom was beset with war and famine, he came back to help the populace but was unsuccessful. As a result, they burned his temples and stopped worshipping him, and he was also banished from the heavens with his powers cut off. Having to live as a penniless normal person (but still immortal) was some Real Bad Times, and when he ascended again, angrily, he was banished again. This time, he went back down and lived peacefully but in destitution as a wandering busker and scrap collector for several centuries. And then he ascended a third time.

That's where the story picks up! Xie Lian is now a god again and everyone appears to either hate him or think he's incredibly pathetic. He starts off in trouble by accidentally causing a lot of property damage, and to repay it he's sent to solve a mystery: brides in wedding processions that go by a particular mountain are being kidnapped. Part of his investigation involves dressing up as a bride as bait for the "ghost groom", and this is where the reader gets their first sight of Hua Cheng, taking bride!Xie Lian's hand and briefly guiding and protecting him. After the mystery is solved, Xie Lian finds out that the man who seemed very kind and attractive to him is actually a ghost who defeated and destroyed thirty-three gods - he's the ruler of Ghost City, someone everyone is terrified of.

I'm not going to go further into the plot because there are some big central mysteries that are so fun to uncover as you go, and I don't want to deprive you of that! But as the story goes on, Hua Cheng is involved more and more, and the adorable thing that I think will appeal to OFMD fans is the way everyone else is really concerned by AHH OH NO HUA CHENG while Xie Lian always feels safe with him. (And by the same token, Hua Cheng is always impressed with Xie Lian despite the way everyone else thinks he's obviously the crummiest god that could possibly exist.) There's also a lot of resonance with s1 of OFMD in the way that Hua Cheng, let's just say, has been following Xie Lian's ship before arranging a meeting, and also is well aware of his feelings for Xie Lian while the latter is considerably more confused.

The full translation has been pulled from the web as its translator collab'd with Seven Seas, but you can find some other people's translations of the earlier chapters still online via NovelUpdates. If this all sounds interesting to you but you're not sure about buying or can't find it through your library system, I'd recommend checking that out (although be aware that free translations are sometimes ... real bad, just run through Google Translate).

My last point, not really aimed at OFMD fans: I feel like a lot of people who say that canon queer romance can never match up to the fanon surrounding queerbait need to get into BL! It has a very fanfiction sensibility, all the drama and yearning and sex you could want. (Well, this one doesn't actually have sex in it. But in the MDZS extras Wei Wuxian has a canonical non-con kink, so.)

[siilverwiitch]

He spoke as he walked, "I rolled snake eyes earlier. Does that mean every time I roll a two, I can see you?" As soon as he asked the question, he realized his words implied a bit too much, as if he had dearly wanted to see Hua Cheng. But Hua Cheng replied, "No." Xie Lian felt a little awkward and scratched his cheek. "Oh. So that's not it. I was wrong, then." Hua Cheng, walking in front of him, said, "If you want to see me, it won't matter what you roll. I will appear."

(Heaven Official's Blessing Volume 2, pg. 198)

[flowersdiceandlove]

Last night I wasn’t feeling good, so my mom—my wonderful, amazing mom who I love and am so lucky to have—offered to read some of Heaven Official’s Blessing to me. I’d just finished book 6 and hadn’t started 7, so she read the first chapter of book 7 to me. She has fun doing it. She reread about the first half of book 1 and a chapter here and there in the others volumes in the past, so this wasn’t the first time she’s done this. She’s unused to the Chinese names, and so I have to remind her who the characters are. Here is an incomplete list of how I remind her of the characters.

Xie Lian = the main character (luckily she knows this one by now)

Hua Cheng = the love interest (she got him mixed up with mu qing last night for some reason. Normally I don’t have to remind her)

Mu Qing = the sarcastic/condescending one

Feng Xin = the angry one

Pei Ming = he’s flirtatious (and with only that two word explanation of him, she read his line perfectly. Exactly how I imagined it)

When Fu Yao and Nan Feng were in it, I used Mu Qing and Feng Xin’s explanations respectively.

She messes up the pronunciation, but has finally remembered (at least most of the time) that “x” makes a “sh” sound and “q” a “tch” sound. She also has endless trouble with the gege = guh guh wanting to pronounce it jee jee. She also often says Xian Lian instead of Xie Lian and just can’t quite get Hua Cheng right. She really is trying though.

Also, also when it was revealed what the “giant” in the Kiln was, she was so shocked and her expression alone caused me to laugh for several minutes.

And, before you ask, yes, she likes HuaLian.

Two more things. 1) she absolutely loves the tremendous masculinity/Ju Yang euphemism, and it has become something I bring up to make her laugh. 2) she always forgets the word “fuck” is used in the books. Every. Single. Time. No matter how many times she reads it.

This post has not been intended as a roast to my mom. She’s amazing , and I love it when she reads this to me. It’s a little way we can spend time together and she can enjoy my interests with me. If anything this is me bragging about her awesomeness, sprinkled with comedy. Anyway, wish my mom luck on learning those Chinese names. They really are hard for her to learn. 😬🫤

[satusepiida]

Books I been reading lately:

Otherside Picnic by Iori Miyazawa: 8 volume light novel yuri horror series. Almost done with volume 4 now. Taking my time but I like it a lot. The horror is scary and the yuri is sweet. The horror is based on Japanese net lore and "true ghost stories." It's about two women who meet in another world connected to our own, where mysterious entities try to communicate with humans through our fear. There's one season of an anime based on it by the same name, which I loved enough I had to read the books.

Heaven Official's Blessing / Tian Guan Ci Fu by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu: 8 volume tianxia danmei series, about an immortal fail prince and the ghost king who loves him. Also started reading these after seeing and loving the show. Read them all then got hit with the book withdrawal very hard. Might have to read the manhwa too the art looks gorgeous.

Thousand Autumns / Qian Qiu by Meng Xi Shi: 5 volume historical wuxia danmei, taking place during the late Northern and Southern Dynasties of Imperial China. Evil guy meets good guy, decides to turn him evil, fails so hard he falls in love. This one grabbed me good I finished all 5 volumes in 4 days. Not for everyone! Read if you like yandere shit I guess. I really love the writing style of the 7 seas translation, it's so evocative. Haters may say it's purple prose, I say it's pretty.

[unforth]

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Small indie Press Aloha Comics has announced they have the license for the Tian Guan Ci Fu manhua-that-is-adapted-from-the-donghua and will release volume 1 fall 2024.

THIS IS NOT THE STAREMBER MANHUA.

SO most Western fans don't know, I think, that there are actually two TGCF manhua.

The first is the adaptation of the book with art by Starember. This is the one most Western fans are familiar with in my experience.

The second uses screen captures from the donghua and is solely a manhua version of the donghua (this is a common way of adapting a lot of donghua and anime, I used to get Japanese "manga" adaptations of anime in this format).

Anyway, this license from Aloha is of the second, not the first.

There are six volumes available based on the two existing donghua seasons.

Here's the listing for the Chinese version of what this English translation is for, to give folks more idea of what we're actually looking at in the Aloha license:

[dyed-indigo]

Svsss

How did you consume the series? Web novel, comic? Any recommendations/ links?

I'm unsure if this ask is from someone looking to get into the series or from a fellow scummer who wants recs for other works, so I'll cover everything here.

I personally consumed the series by reading the books! My girlfriend sent me a copy of the first book in the mail to pressure me to start reading the series, so I ended up buying the physical copies of all the books as I read them. (If you haven't read the books though you can find the official translation on the Internet Archive here!)

I also watched the first few episodes of the donghua (which is free on youtube!) in an... unconventional manner, still haven't finished it, though I know that at the moment it's just a partial adaptation (they have said they're working on getting season 2 released though!).

I never read the offical manhua, but it was cancelled after two chapters unfortunately... there is a fanmade comic apparently though, haven't read it but it is ongoing!

Ultimately, if you're someone who wants to get into the series, the donghua or webcomic might be a good starter, but the only way to get the whole story is to read the books.

If you want recommendations for other works similar to SVSSS, I'll be honest and say that I haven't read a ton of danmei, so I can't give too many. I've read the author's other works, and they're both good reads (I do prefer Heaven Official's Blessing over The Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation personally) though the fandoms for those can be... a bit frightening at times lol.

I've seen The Husky and His White Cat Shizun passed around as a rec for Scum Villain fans a lot, but I personally didn't even make it through the first book (sorry to all the Erha fans but I have beef with Mo Ran lol), you may enjoy it though. (I believe the official translation is still being released, but the version I linked has the first 5 volumes.)

I'd also recommend The Disabled Tyrant's Beloved Pet Fish for a kind of absurd transmigration danmei, I've only read what's been officially translated so far but I've enjoyed it. (This one is not on the Internet Archive, and I read it by pestering my friend with access to an epub library for PDF copies, but you may be able to find an unofficial translation on NovelUpdates if they have it listed, or purchase the official translation through official sellers. Or pirate it yourself, I don't judge.)

These are mostly some pretty basic recs, but literally the only other danmei I've read enough of to recommend is Little Mushroom (good, but not really like Scum Villain). My girlfriend is more of a danmei reader than I am, so most of what I've read has either been from her telling me to read it or her joking about me reading it and then me rolling with the bit and actually reading it.

I'll end this post off though by linking to a very very poorly machine translated version of Heaven Official's Blessing I found on the Internet Archive a while ago. Just because I find it funny.

[malsperanza]

Rereading Heaven Official's Blessing - spoilers here

I love rereading books, especially for the first time, when I see so many connections I missed on the first read. The first time you read a book, you're intent on discovering what happens next, worrying about the characters, and skipping past things you don't fully understand.

The first reread is all about looking at the structure, the patterns, the way things unfold, and learning more about character motivations. MXTX is a master at the meta, and she loves to seed innumerable hints and clues in her books, knowing they will not mean anything until the second reading. Plus, she lies like a rug and leaves out key info. This makes a first reread loads of fun.

Seven Seas edition, volume 1, p. 369:

At the end of the Banyue arc Xie Lian and Hua Cheng are finally alone in Puqi Shrine, and Xie Lian has let HC know that he knows who he is. Things are peaceful, and we finally get a sweet moment of flirting - which we have been hoping for through the whole volume. So is it any wonder that we completely miss the massive foreshadowing?

Xie Lian is unburdening some of his most private thoughts, memories of the past, and feelings about his history to this man he has just met. And HC is coming close to declaring why he is XL's devotee.

After a while, San Lang said quietly, "Something like saving the common people, it really doesn't matter how you do it. But, although brave, it's foolish." "Yeah," Xie Lian agreed. Hua Cheng continued, "Although foolish, it's brave." "..." "Xie Lian grinned. "Thanks." "You're welcome," Hua Cheng said. The two stared at the holey ceiling of Puqi Shrine in amiable silence, and Hua Cheng spoke up again after a while. "You know, Your Highness, we've only known each other for a few days. Is it all right for you to say so much to me?" "Well," Xie Lian huffed, "what's the problem? Whatever. Those who have known each other for decades can become strangers in a day. We met by chance, and we may part by chance. If we like each other, then we shall continue to meet; if we don't, then we shall part. At the end of the day, there's no banquet in the world that doesn't come to an end."

And now vol. 8, p. 118:

Xie Lian could no longer hold back the tears in his eyes, and they began to pour. As if he were hanging on to the last thread of his life, he pleaded, "You said ... you would never leave me." But Hua Cheng replied, "There is no banquet in this world that doesn't come to an end."

MXTX, you absolute fucking sadist.

The entirety of Xie Lian's little lighthearted comment, "Those who have known each other for decades can become strangers in a day. We met by chance, and we may part by chance" is the whole backstory of who HC is and is the absolutely most incorrect thing XL has ever said.

The space between vol. 1 and vol. 8 is so vast that there's no way to remember that HC is quoting XL when he is dying, which means that MXTX has built the necessity to reread into the book.

I'm also continuing to notice how often Hua Cheng is described as smiling, laughing, chuckling, snickering. If Xie Lian ever should happen to wonder whether he should laugh or cry, Hua Cheng has the answer.

[tgcfresources]

Master Post Links

Since the reddit post has outdated links and information, I wanted to provide people an easy way to find things instead of having to look through massive amounts of scrolling.

First I just want to say I'm new to this fandom, if there's any incorrect information or things missing feel free to message me on Discord or @ me at any of the TGCF discord's I'm on as I DO NOT check tumblr often. My Discord is .raphaela

Tags:

Official Art

Audio Drama

Sprites

Official Videos

Novel

Colored Novel Illustrations

B/W Novel Illustrations

Revised Uncensored Version

Discord Servers

Eternal Faith / Live Action

Manhua

Novel

As the novel as been official translated into several languages, I will NOT post links to read it here.

Novel Audiobooks

Link to Audiobooks: Link 1.

Revised Chinese Novel

There is currently no plans for 7S to translate this version as it was released as a webtoon AFTER the official novel translations.

Link to the Revised Chinese Version English Fan Translations and Faq.

If you would like to buy the Chinese revised version, follow this guide on how to purchase the novel on JJWXC books. Then use this guide on how to export the text for use on your preferred translator.

You can read the revised novel easily with SmoothReader, which now has a google chrome extension.

Manhua (Manga)

The English bilibili comics site shut down on February 29th and is no longer available. You can view the original Chinese Raw on the official bilibil site with a VPN. Guide on how to buy the original volumes here.

Currently there are 101 chapters, no word on when it will resume. HEAVEN OFFICIAL'S BLESSING IS ON LEHZIN!! (no new episodes, just publishing existing episodes... for now. First 4 Chapters free.) It's also on bato.to.

Donghua (Anime)

There are currently 2 seasons available.

Season 1

Audio: English, Mandarine. (Only the Bilibili website has Japanese Audio Available, you need to become a Big Fan to view them. The Official release DVD/Bluray also only had the two languages available. If you want Japanese audio you will need to buy the Japanese release from a proxy service website.)

Subtitles: English.

Official English DVD/Bluray available from a number of retailers.

Season 2

Audio: English, Japanese, Mandarine.

Subtitles: English.

Does not yet have an official English DVD/Bluray release.

Currently Available to view on Crunchyroll (US Only, VPN Works), Bilibili Website (Available with Japanese Audio, Season 1 only) & Bilibili Youtube (Season 1 only) Both requires you to have a VPN, only available in hongkong.

Placeholder Guide on how to pay for Big Fan on Bilibili Website.

It has since been removed from Netflix and Amazon Prime.

Season 3 has yet to be confirmed.

Audio Drama

It's getting VERY long - Post here

Live Action Adaptation Series

A live action Adaptation is in the works and will be called Eternal Faith. Filming was done in 2022, rumored to be released this year (2024), set to be 60 episodes, but nothing is confirmed.

Information taken from a number of sources, mostly the tgcf reddit faq and TGCF Discord servers.

[bookswithsyd]

The Book That Broke Me | Heaven Official's Blessing

Coming into this volume, I received numerous comments wishing me luck… so that left me feeling great starting up my 340-something pages of Heaven Official’s Blessing book six. After finishing this volume, I can easily agree, this is one of the most heart wrenching entries in this series.

Barely getting into the book had me at the edge of my seat. Trekking up the mountain only to be crushed by an avalanche cause by Xie Lian’s bumbling former servants and awaken in a strange cave. Hua Cheng was acting so weird in this entire section, for a while, I worried that it wasn’t actually him. A lot of creepiness happens in these chapters and I was feeling like Hua Cheng was showing that he was actually this super crazy psycho stalker this whole time… take the thousands of statues and wall paintings as you will. The tension that was built up when Feng Xin and Mu Qing were dragging Xie Lian throughout the cave was so good. The feeling that Hua Cheng was going to catch them at any moment had me reading so fast.

A lot came out while inside the cave. Hua Cheng shockingly has been following Xie Lian for hundreds of years. The two junior officials that have been joining Xie Lian are actually Feng Xin and Mu Qing - I always thought that their actions reflected the older two’s and welp, this certainly explains why. And White No-Face is trying to make it to the kiln to increase their depleted power. With all the not-so-great things surfacing, we at least got the breakthrough with Hua Cheng and Xie Lian admitting they have feelings for each other!

Once we get to the kiln, and get a surprise first actual kiss, they jump hand in hand into the kiln. When Xie Lian ends up in the kiln without Hua Cheng and White No-Face standing in front of him, I was ready for an epic fight! Instead, I got poor Xie Lian getting re-traumatized by that mask before the start of arc 4!

Once again, we get flashbacks. This one is to right after the kingdom of Xianle has burned, Xie Lian is a banished god, and the group is on the run. Here is where all the deep-seated trauma comes in. This arc is rough and evokes a lot of feelings.

I felt even more annoyance towards the (former) king. As he gets more and more sick, he keeps silent. It’s not until he is coughing up blood that his wife says something and begs her son to get medicine so he doesn’t die! This annoyed me because instead of catching this early, he waits until a critical point and adds to much stress to Xie Lain and the others. At that point I was kinda hoping he would just die and that stress would be done with. He was so ungrateful for all Xie Lian was doing for them so I didn’t think he deserved Xie Lian pushing himself past his own morals in order to try and get his medicine.

Mu Qing leaving the group was rough to read. I knew he would leave eventually, but to have it be so abrupt was just a huge blow. The is only made worse by seeing him re-appear at the mountain and having to be the one to force Xie Lian off the mountain. The mountain seen had my mind swirling. When he found it and was finally seeing some sense of happiness for the first time in forever, that whole herd of Heavenly Officials think they can throw him out because they want the mountain instead. They were scared of him being stronger than them, I was trilled when Xie Lian destroyed all these martial gods with a stick! Then Mu Qing has to come around and ruin everything!

White No-Face picks a great time to show up, but at least we get to see that cute little ghost fire again, it’s just so cute how he tries to burn so bright for Xie Lian. The devotion is there! Even enough to transform him into a wrath just to protect Xie Lian. The temple scene single handedly broke me. Gathering a group of people to infect with a disease with only one cure, a cure that involves killing someone, so they will stab Xie Lian was possibly the most cruel thing I have seen. Breaking Xie Lian’s trust in people, proving that if pushed far enough, people will always do what they need to survive. My only question is, Xie Lian cannot die, so how can the stabbings count as a kill? I get that they are in a vital point and any normal mortal would die from it, but not Xie Lian.

This starts the downfall of his relationship with Feng Xin after White No-Face starts following him everywhere. Watching Xie Lian fall apart was hard. I hated watching him push Feng Xin away because of his fear of the friend leaving him first. I knew the dream that start was gonna come back in a more real way… Reading breakdown after breakdown mentally wore me down. After so many set backs and loses, waking up to find his parents bodies and him trying to hang himself was by far the second hardest scene to get through. Finding out this was how Rouye was made, yet is such a sweet and gentle spiritual weapon made me appreciate Rouye more.

Here we get a new Hua Cheng form with Wuming. The young solider dressed in black who will obey every order (for the most part) Xie Lian gives him. Those two go on their adventures to release the spirits of Human Face Disease. Seeing that Wuming was so dedicated to Xie Lian that he threw himself to the plague and destroyed himself in order to save Xie Lian. Proving that he will indeed die for his God. I need to know how strong his devotion for Xie Lian is because how can he, as a wrath, take out Human Face Disease?

The pain of seeing his last follower dying for him took a toll on him and Xie Lian begging to be banished in the same breath that Jun Wu welcomes him back to the Heavens proves that all this trauma is still dragging him down. I will say, from the very beginning of this series, I wanted to know the story behind the speed run of Xie Lian’s second banishment, and boy was I not disappointed in Xie Lian and Jun Wu taking this opportunity to fight each other once more.

Ending with Xie Lian’s terrible luck on full display and seeing the red flower and just seeming to know who it symbolizes was the perfect ending.