Heaven Official's Blessing

Heaven Official's Blessing (Chinese: 天官赐福; pinyin: Tiān Guān Cì Fú) is a Chinese novel by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu. It was serialized on the web fiction platform Jinjiang Literature City, beginning on June 16, 2017, and concluding on February 25, 2018. The work includes 244 main chapters and eight extra chapters. A manhua adaptation, drawn by STARember and released through Bilibili, debuted on October 19, 2019. A donghua adaptation premiered on Bilibili and Funimation on October 31, 2020.

The story follows Xie Lian, who was once the Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Xianle. Beloved by his people and seen as heaven’s favorite, he first ascended to godhood at age seventeen. However, due to unfortunate events, he fell back to the mortal realm. He ascended again years later, only to be banished moments afterward. Eight hundred years later, Xie Lian ascends a third time, now without any followers or offerings. While collecting scraps, he encounters a mysterious young man who turns out to be Hua Cheng, the feared ghost king known across the three realms.

The narrative, though not told in strict chronological order, traces Xie Lian’s life. After his first ascension, his kingdom suffers drought and a new disease, leading to war and upheaval. Defying heavenly and fateful edicts, Xie Lian intervenes in mortal affairs to help his people, but his involvement worsens the conflict. Xianle collapses, and Xie Lian’s temples, statues, and shrines are destroyed. He gains a reputation as a God of Misfortune. After two banishments by the Heavenly Emperor, he ascends once more, now a peculiar scrap-collector with persistent bad luck, ridiculed by other officials but still good-hearted.

For his first assignment in this third ascension, Xie Lian investigates missing brides on Mount Yujun. During his inquiry, a ghost appears: a young man in maple-red robes with silver vambraces, black boots, and silver chains, accompanied by silver butterflies and a rain of blood. This ghost briefly guides Xie Lian, breaking an enchantment on the mountain. After completing the task, Xie Lian learns the ghost is Hua Cheng, also called Crimson Rain Sought Flower, one of the Four Great Calamities—four fearsome ghost kings. Despite warnings, Xie Lian keeps crossing paths with Hua Cheng as he becomes more involved in the affairs of heaven, earth, and the ghost realm. Their relationship grows close and protecti