#tgcf chinese edition

[thecrimsonrainthatseekstheflower]

Heaven Official's Blessing Chinese Revised Edition - Part 2/3

Part 1

Part 3

[itzitxou]

I miss the boys.

[alinadraws02]

“Only after having met you did I rediscover that it's such a simple thing to be happy.”

[xxr0tt1ngz0mb13]

This looks so beyond amazing!!

After 800 years

One of my illustrations for French TGCF vol. 1

[baiwu-jinji]

translated the postscript of the revised edition of TGCF, it's beautifully written and you can just tell from the tone of the writing that MXTX's been through stuff:

"I write first to entertain myself, then to entertain others. Of course, self-expression and self-affirmation are given priority, but other people's appreciation is important positive feedback as well. Therefore, above all I want to thank my readers who have stayed with me all along unwaveringly and unfailingly. It's not as if I've never thought about walking away from it all: everyone has different opinions and it gets too loud, too much turmoil in the community makes me want to abandon social media. That would have seemed nice too. But looking back, my steps always waver, and I'm reluctant to part with some readers who are true and sincere.

In the past, there were writers I really loved who just disappeared from the internet, and I always felt as if days of my youth disappeared with them. This is a terrible feeling, and makes one think thoughts that are too grand and harsh, like things tragically forgotten by time, or the overwhelming movement of history. Therefore, I want to stay with my readers longer to the best of my ability. Maybe the day of parting will come eventually, but it could come just a little bit later. Maybe I'm not good enough as I am, but I will try to become better in the coming days. Maybe you've never understood what kind of person I am, or even completely misunderstood me, but anyone who comes is a guest, and anyone who stays is a friend; as long as you like my stories, we can sit down and have a chat."

original Chinese:

“写东西先自娱，后娱人。自我表达和自我认可固然为第一，但他人的喜爱也是很重要的正反馈，所以，首先感谢一直以来坚定不移陪伴我的读者们。也不是没想过一走了之：众说纷纭，吵闹；江湖纷扰，弃号！这样好像也不错。但回首却总踟蹰，终归是舍不得一些真心读者。

我曾有很喜欢的作者消失在网络，我总觉得是我的一段青春销声匿迹了，这感觉很难受，让人联想到一些诸如时代眼泪、历史洪流之类过于宏大冷酷的东西。所以，我想竭尽所能地陪伴我的读者更久一些。或许离别的那一天终将到来，但它可以来得晚一些。或许现在的我还不够好，但日后的我会努力变得更好。或许你从来不了解我是什么样的人，甚至是全然误解，但来者是客，留者是友，只要喜欢我的故事，咱们就能坐下聊聊。” ——天官赐福新修版后记

[sapphicteadragon]

TGCF Revised Edition Translation

Greetings, friends! I figure it's about time for this.

For the last 6 months I've been working on a full translation of the newest 2024 revised edition of TGCF, since it has so thoroughly taken over my life and well, since nobody has done a full translation of the revised edition yet, I thought I'd start one.

Since Chinese isn't my native language, translating takes me a long time, and I have to fit it around other life commitments. But, rest assured, I do not use MTL for any of my work! As of writing this I've translated up to the end of the Ghost City arc, but most of it still needs editing, so I'm starting by uploading just the first few chapters.

I hope you guys enjoy the new added scenes as much as I have been, because damn there's so much more to love, even in just the first few arcs.

Happy reading!

天官赐福，百无禁忌！

[nyerus]

A Masterpost for the Revised Version of TGCF

Due to the amount and frequency of misinformation about the revised version of TGCF, I wanted to make a post to serve as a resource for those who are confused about it, while also helping to debunk some of the sensationalist rumors floating around.

This post will be edited to include new things as needed.

⚠️Spoiler Warning: if you have not finished reading the original novel, or want to experience the new scenes from the revised naturally/fresh, please proceed with caution! I've intentionally kept things as vague as possible, but some spoilers are unavoidable!⚠️

✨ PART ONE: Frequently Asked Questions ✨

🔹What is the "revised" version of TGCF?

MXTX had been working on a revised version of TGCF since completing the original, as mentioned this in her postscript/afterword, and in an online interview (Q.27) done years ago just as she competed TGCF. That's all that was known for several years.

In early 2023, TGCF was finally released in print format in mainland China — and this was revealed to be the revised version! Due to regulations, this was a censored edition. However, in early 2024, the uncensored edition was uploaded to JJWXC (the site where all of MXTX's webnovels were originally published)! It's currently fully available to read in Simplified Chinese.

If you want a more in-depth explanation about the revised, please see my post about that here.

🔹What does the revised change compared to the original?

Several scenes have been added, some removed, others expanded upon. Overall, MXTX reportedly wrote 100k characters (words) of new content. While the overarching plot of each arc and the novel as a whole remains the same, it's a more cohesive and polished story. Pacing in each part of the story has been adjusted to flow better, especially in arcs notorious for feeling slow or disjointed.

Some segments have had fairly significant changes — namely the Bloody Banquet/Fang Xin Guoshi arc. (Though it still plays out much the same way.) Most others have smaller changes.

A new extra was also added, called "the Ghost King Dressed Down," which has been translated by Scarabsi on twitter.

🔹How does the revised version effect characters?

Apart from certain minor characters — such as the child Lang Ying who was removed entirely — there haven't been many drastic changes. The biggest thing was side characters like Lang Qianqiu and Ling Wen being given notably more backstory to further flesh them out. Their characterization itself hasn't changed, however.

🔹Which version is canon, then?

Whichever you want, and you can mix-and-match! MXTX has given fans her blessings and encouragement!

🔹How do I read the revised version in English?

Currently, there are no official or unofficial English translations of the whole revised version. Nor are there any plans to do so for the near future.

However, there are English fan translations of a few notable chapters, which you can read here. There's also instructions on that site on how to read the rest of the updated webnovel in English, using a browser extension.

Additionally, the audio drama is adapting the uncensored revised version, and has been doing an amazing job! Check out how to listen to that with English subs here.

✨PART TWO: Debunking Rumors & Clearing up Misinformation✨

Note that all chapter numbers given will be referencing the webnovel's. The old chapters are also available towards the bottom of the page as "serialized versions."

(Translated screenshots provided are janky because it's just basic google MTL!)

🔸"Mentions of Mu Qing's mother was removed from the revised!"

Not at all! Both his parents are still mentioned, along with how Mu Qing is the primary breadwinner due to his mom's failing eyesight. (Ch. 57)

🔸"The earring scene isn't there anymore!"

The earring scene is still very much there! Not actually sure why this is a rumor at all, when the whole earring thing spans several chapters. Here's the conclusion of it (Ch. 59):

🔸"Characters have been butchered in general, with Mu Qing especially getting scenes cut!"

No character (who didn't straight-up get deleted) has been butchered. Nor has any character been singled out for having their scenes deleted/changed, because that's happened to every character — yes, including Xie Lian and Hua Cheng! — and they also have new scenes added!

E.g. the scene where Mu Qing picks the cherries is removed, because that whole section was changed. (However, it's still mentioned that others are prejudiced against him due to his background, and so on.) Meanwhile, there's a brand-new scene that shows Mu Qing's aptitude in treating wounds, as well as he and Feng Xin having new hijinks as "junior officials" with Xie Lian, and more.

Despite the rumors, characters haven't been flattened to make them more one-dimensional compared to Hualian. Perhaps the idea of certain scenes being cut sounds scary for characterization, but a lot of the original has been retained one way or another. In many cases, MXTX just condensed things, or moved them around. The revised is meant to be looked at as a whole, after all.

🔸"Mu Qing now leaves for no reason in Book/Arc 4, instead of for his mother!"

Mu Qing clearly states in the revised that he wants to leave in order to find a way to improve their situation, since they anyways cannot agree amongst themselves. Just like in the original, he was frustrated and felt there was no point in continuing along the same path. (Ch 152)

And yes, he does not bring up his mother in the revised scene. For context: there is a three year gap between the end of Book/Arc 2 and the start of 4. Which means in the original, Mu Qing didn't mention his mother for those three years. Given the events leading to his departure, and what follows, this causes several inconsistencies.

That is a whole topic unto itself, however. But it's not surprising the revised did it a bit differently.

🔸"Feng Xin isn't as funny anymore!"

Feng Xin is actually one of the least changed characters! This rumor likely stems from the scene where Xie Lian reveals his password, to Feng Xin, who no longer rolls on the floor while laughing. Or maybe it's a miscommunication based on the printed revised, which censored some of his (and Qi Rong's) cursing. But that was only for the printed!

🔸"Ling Wen's character isn't as interesting because of the changes!"

People will really say anything on the internet. She's been given more depth and complexity, if anything. There's new scenes that expand on her background and early days in heaven, and her relationship with Bai Jing has been given a lot of extra attention. Her motivations and actions remain the same, but if the subtext was missed in the original, it could have led to some readers thinking of Ling Wen as certain way. Like a ruthless girlboss.

The revised reiterating that this isn't the case doesn't change or detract from her, as that was one of the points of her story to begin with. Plus, the revised arc gives Bai Jing much-needed characterization.

🔸"Ling Wen's ascension is now due to Jing Wen/not on her own merit/etc!"

Frankly, this rumor might be due to people not properly understanding how ascension works in TGCF, and thinking the revised is adding something that they forgot was already in the original. The revised didn't change anything about the manner in which Ling Wen ascended.

You can actually check out the revised Brocade Immortal arc here for yourself, as it's been fan translated!

🔸"The dynamic between Hualian is different in the revised!"

Their dynamic is exactly the same as before, only reinforced if anything. If the new additions are enough to destroy someone’s image of Hualian or turn it on its head, that’s definitely not a fault with either novel version!

🔸"The scene where Hua Cheng is disguised as Lang Ying and accidentally catches Xie Lian bathing is removed!"

Unfortunately, yes, the bathing scene is gone. However, Hua Cheng in disguise is still there — he's a village kid instead.

🔸"MXTX made changes to side characters/ships because she felt threatened by their popularity compared to her main couple!"

This one just doesn't really make sense, because several side characters were given *more* content — including their relationships.

Lang Qianqiu finally feels like an actual character. Quan Yizhen and Yin Yu have new stuff about them. Shi Wudu has some clever little cameos. Pei Ming’s feelings about Yushi Huang are brought up. Pei Xiu’s backstory is even more heartbreaking. Qi Rong has new scenes that make him feel genuinely menacing. Xiao Ying’s been completely revamped. These are just to name a few, and excluding things already talked about above.

It seems unlikely that MXTX would go through the trouble of adding to her side characters if she didn’t care about them, felt they weren’t important, or thought they were getting undeserved attention. Besides, popular characters like Shi Qingxuan and He Xuan had no cuts to their arc!

Looking at the actual metrics… MXTX has no need to feel threatened by her side ships vs her main ships.

[notyixiangs]

tgcf revised—mu qing & xie lian's reconciliation, chapters 192-193, translated by me

note: i'm not a translation professional, i did this for fun to give a rough idea of what happened in the revised version of this scene. it's also inevitable for subtleties to get lost in translation so do be aware. i know the english prose sounds a little awkward because chinese prose works differently but i wanted to translate it as directly as possible & any attempts at making it sound "smoother" or nicer would demand biased input from me which i wanted to minimize

edit; found a typo in the first slide. mu qing should say "even thought" not "even though"

[clara-maybe-ontheroad]

I started a side blog for my photography, and had to post these from a weekend in the most beautiful sacred mountains a few years ago. It felt straight out of a dream ❤️follow me on there for more pictures of my travels through the world, including my year in China !

Transported into the painting, Huangshan 黄山

[guidaozongshi]

This may be a VERY controversial opinion but I don't think neither the official EN artists nor the JP artist ( Gearous ) are able to convey the mood and atmosphere of Mo Dao Zu Shi. The latter especially is more suited for doing anime-esque cutesy arts than the more serious and dramatic art that would represent the novel. They make perfectly good art that I would retweet and love as fanarts but not so much as the official art representing the novel.

To give you an example take a look at the official Audio Drama episode arts for CN (by ChangYang) and JP( by Gearous) respectively

I can gush over ChangYang's art for hours but let's just say that her art is simply more evocative.

Or even A-xin's

I think it's unfair to compare CN artists like Changyang, Higga or Yasuko who have such distinct stylised gufeng inspired art but there are so many non-cn artists who are as good.

Baoshan Karo's illustrations for MDZS are one of the best official arts, Anteiku also did amazing fairytale-like illustrations for TGCF.

Also let's talk about the novel covers because the EN edition is so .... well cartoony/anime like

Just take a look at some other editions which use illustrations as their cover

Vietnamese edition (By ChangYang)

Thai edition (By ChangYang)

Or they could have just went with simpler covers like the original Simplified Chinese version or the Traditional Chinese version.

Once again I am not hating the artist, they make good art but I don't think the choice of artists convey the aesthetic of the novel very well

[lttawnymadison]

TGCF Thai Edition Foreword by MXTX (2018 novel version)

Ghosts and demons have a long history in Chinese culture. Literary works themed around occult records that were popular during the Wei, Jin, and the Northern and Southern dynasties such as “In Search of the Supernatural” still remain as entertaining today as they once were. At the same time, “Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio” from the Qing dynasty gave the ability to love to all things inhuman, from ghost ladies, to fox demons, to a flower spirit who falls in love with a young scholar and comes to visit him in abandoned temples and houses at night. They were far more lovesick than actual flesh and blood humans.

In 1989, the movie “A Chinese Ghost Story” was born, and became a perennial classic in the decade to follow. A little girl who hated reading watched this movie, back then, and fell in love with the story of the incredibly beautiful ghost lady with her grievances, exorcism arts that call forth a spectacle of lightning and thunder, great martial artists who soar through the sky and dive through the earth, and last but not least, the myriad ghosts and monsters who like to peel skin, pull apart limbs and tear out hearts and lungs...that little girl fell head over heels for it, indeed.

Still...all this combined still can’t fully explain where my fondness for mysterious supernatural things came from.

One problem has always been sticking in my mind, though: why is it always ‘gorgeous ghost ladies crazy with love’? Why not ‘gorgeous ghost men crazy with love?’

Problems always have solutions. Luckily for me, this is a problem I can find a solution to by myself. And thus Hua Cheng was born.

Red garments. Skin as white as snow. Moves around without a trace. Magic unfettered.

Maybe it’s because I cut out the whole thing about a ghost’s aura of grudges, but sometimes I feel that he’s more like a fox demon. While the ascetic gege is meditating, he’ll be sitting there lazily sunbathing on a rock, red fluffy tail shining in the light and caressing the back of the ascetic gege’s hand. He’ll quickly pull his tail back to his chest and sit there behaving himself while his gege sits there meditating. He’ll sit there just to be that person’s company, but also constantly shows off his fur in the most noble and regal of manners... (okay I’m getting sidetracked).

The period while I was writing Tian Guan Ci Fu was not an easy period for me. To tell you the truth, I was in a very bad place mentally back then, always drowning in stress and pain that I couldn’t get myself out of. Yet every time I got to a Hualian scene, I’d feel like I was making some delicious sweets for myself, and even if this may sound like I’m tooting my own horn, if a single piece of sweets can reach your hand and you feel that it’s delicious, too, I’ll be ten times as happy.

Let me bless my readers in Thailand with that spell: May heaven’s officials bless you, and no paths be bound (Tianguancifu, baiwujinji)!

———————————————

Translation source: https://x.com/faelicy/status/1428555536635731973

[thecrimsonrainthatseekstheflower]

Heaven Official's Blessing Chinese Revised Edition - Part 1/3

Part 2

Part 3

[piosplayhouse]

Could you explain the tgcf revised addition please? I have the seven seas entertainment english version are they the revised addition?

Nope, the revised edition is only available in Chinese rn (there are some fan tls). It's significantly different from the seven seas etc versions with some scenes entirely rewritten with details added/cut out. I don't know that much about it and like everything tgcf these days it's unfortunately incredibly controversial and theres like six million discourses that go on every day about it so I can't really suggest anywhere you can get more info on it, but it's out there if you really want to see it

[unforth]

Do you know what the deal is with MXTX apparently having edited SVSSS and MDZS? Thank you.

Not the details but it strikes me as mostly a nothing burger.

When MXTX has done large-scale revisions of her stories, we've heard whispers about it for years because that's how long it takes to edit stories this long. We knew the TGCF revision was in the works for ages.

This, we heard nothing and then saw the word count change and then SVSSS was unlocked on JJWXC. I'd guess she was given specific information on what exactly had to go for her to finally get out of censorship purgatory, she did precisely that and nothing more, and now here we are.

To be clear, I'm mostly guessing based on the few solid data points I've got (I know the word counts changed, I know SVSSS has been unlocked) but I wouldn't expect these to be substantial changes beyond removal of content to meet censorship standards.

And I won't be finding out for myself anytime soon because when I gave JJWXC money, they then locked two of the three titles I paid for with no ability to access and no refund so uh. Fuck that. I support authors by buying print copies now, instead of trying for JJWXC, and the print copies of SVSSS and MDZS are already censored in mainland Chinese copies so *shrug*. Indeed, I wouldn't be shocked if the changes made were just making them match. (I wish JJWXC wasn't like that because I'd guess authors get a higher percentage of that money than they do from print sales but I don't have enough money to just burn it, sigh).

And substantial revisions get reprints - I own the TGCF one, for example.

I'm sure if we wait a day or four, some enterprising SVSSS fan will break down the differences they've observed. Then, we'll know. I've already seen a couple screen caps from people reading it on JJWXC so...yeah.

Sorry if this is scattered, I'm exhausted (not at all related to this to be clear, i love getting asks! Im just having A Week). 😓

[grubus]

When I first started writing "Shen Yuan of No Relation", I had read.... Scum Villain. And I guess you could include the comic "The Return of the Blossoming Blade" , though it's not gay and has no sword flying.

Anyway, that was it. That was all I knew about the genre of cultivation. svsss, which hardly explains enough and likes to hand-wave explanations.

Since then I've read much more, and I've found out just how different the setting can be. In some, everyone can sword fly the moment they being to cultivate. In others, sword flying is only possible if you're like one of the most powerful people ever. Swords are only swords in one, and in another they have actual spirits you can talk to. Immortals are very much there (svsss, tgcf) or they're extremely rare and near mythical (mdzs) etc etc.

And I'm sure it's very noticeable as one reads SYoNR! I've learned a lot more since I began to write, and I try to nudge in what new fun things I've discovered that I want to include in it.

But again, I began to write SYoNR after I had only ever read svsss. It was my first Chinese book to read, my first danmei book, my first cultivation book. I went from reading high fantasy and sci-fi in western settings, to that. So there was a bit of a learning process when it came to even the most simple things. I've had people who very kindly and not so kindly (though thankfully very rare) trying to correct me on several things. I don't think I'll ever go back and edit what I've written, but what I can change I try as I go along. Except Yuan. That one is there for a reason, and will continue to be there.

HOWEVER with all that, I've seen so many people say they're scared to write fanfiction for danmei because of all the Rules, or whatever. And honestly I think you should just go for it.

Fandom is meant to be fun. It's meant to be explored, and sometimes you just have to dive into it. You learn more by doing after all! It's okay to get things wrong.

I probably said all this before, but y'know, one can't ever repeat it too much.

[baiwu-jinji]

One of the changes made in TGCF audio drama episode 6 is about the origin of the scorpion snake of Banyue. In the original version, the scropion spirit and snake spirit were forced to mate, gave birth to scorpion snakes, then were killed by the king of Banyue. In the revised edition, the ghosts of scorpion spirit and snake spirit lingered on after their death and went to find a ghost king in a faraway place to ask for his help for revenge. The ghost king combined their bodies into the scorpion snake to terrorize the people of Banyue for eternity.

I think this revision reinforced the theme in the story that ghosts and ghost realm, vilified and shunned as they are, stand for justice and fairness to a much greater degree than people might think. The Heavenly Realm headed by Jun Wu enforces order and maintains a semblence of peace and harmony in the world; it rewards perpetrators of violence and covers up any traces of violence. But if you want real justice, if you want to adress the wrongs done to you and seek revenge on evil, it'd be better to ask help from ghosts or even turn into a powerful ghost yourself.

The hierarchy of the world in Chinese myths puts the heavenly realm at the top, human realm in the middle, and ghost realm at the bottom, and most Chinese proverbs and idioms involving ghosts have negative connotations. TGCF challenges the traditional notoriety and lowliness attributed to ghosts in this sense.