Heaven Official’s Blessing, also known as Tian Guan Ci Fu (TGCF), follows the life of the martial god Xie Lian and his last worshiper. The Chinese novel takes place in a world with mortals, who can ascend to godhood or descend to become ghosts. Xie Lian begins his mortal life as the beloved crown prince of a prosperous nation, and quickly ascends to godhood. However, after getting involved in mortal affairs, he is banished from Heaven after violating the rules of godhood and all but one of his thousands of followers abandons him. Xie Lian becomes Heaven’s laughingstock; a prince hated by his own people, a god fallen to a beggar. After another round of ascension, banishment, and ascension again, Xie Lian returns to Heaven for another bout of adventure and tragedy (like he needs any more baggage). I haven’t finished the novel yet, but Xie Lian’s character arc is one of my favorites, and there’s still so much left to explore.
The book begins during Xie Lian’s third ascension. Without knowing much of his backstory, he seems straightforward enough: always smiling, slightly awkward, humbled, and sweet. His innocent aura and history of scrap collecting and street performing set him apart from the other heavenly officials. However, when the unflinching Xie Lian who never raises his voice or his sword breaks character when reunited with his cousin-turned-demon Qi Rong, everything starts to unravel.
The story flashes back to 800 years ago, during Xie Lian’s first ascension. Xie Lian is spoiled by his parents, adored by the people of Xian Le, and idolized by Qi Rong. When internal conflict begins in his kingdom, he descends to help despite being forbidden to meddle in mortal affairs. However, the fate of Xian Le is already sealed, and Xie Lian fighting for his kingdom only leads to new problems to preserve the predetermined destiny. As the people of Xian Le begin realizing Xie Lian is powerless, they use him as their scapegoat. For the first time, Xie Lian utterly breaks down and his mask of perfection crumbles. What made the scene most impactful was who it portrayed. Xie Lian, who always faces problems head-on, rarely shows extreme emotion, and one of the strongest characters in the novel, finally gives up. The author paints the picture of Xie Lian losing himself and slowly being driven up the wall so incredibly, and the cracks in his composure hit especially hard with the insight of his present state. 800 years later, he acts as if his past doesn’t affect him at all but subtle signs of his trauma are present. He shows even less emotion and acts as if any level of hardship is nothing to him.
After going back to the current timeline, I could finally see the weight in Xie Lian’s constant smile and my entire perception of him shifted. I loved him before for his wholesomeness, and now I love his character more knowing his story and how he carries himself despite it. Even though he is a literal god, Xie Lian has flaws, trauma, and is unlike any character I’ve read before (not just any traditional cinnamon roll, but a multifaceted cinnamon roll with a story). All his little mannerisms and different sides really bring him to life and make his character vivid. I haven’t finished the story yet but I’ve already been sucked into the wondrous world of Xie Lian, and I can tell there’s still so much left to discover!
- Sabrina
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