THERE WILL BE SPOILERS FOR BOTH BOOKS

I wanted to talk about the Heaven Official’s Blessing series in detail because I don’t think I did before. This is not a review but more of a commentary. It is literally what I thought as I read the books.

So the first book pretty much follows the plot of the first season of the animated version of this story.

I have to say, they did a really good job! I was worried about the censorship and all that but they basically kept everything in, even the wedding sedan moment.

My favourite scene has to be when Hua Cheng pops in on the wagon and they start chatting and basically start their friendship.

It’s so cute and so romantic! The colours that they chose for that scene, the way everything is a glow with a warm orange, giving romantic autumn vibes.

They got Hua Cheng’s and Xie Lian’s personalities down to a T.

When Xie Lian was big mad at Hua Cheng for jumping into the pit and also when he was sad when he thought Hua Cheng was mad at him. Ahh! And Hua Cheng with that mischievous glint in his eyes juxtaposed with moments where his eyes were filled with sorrow.

Ugh, love it.

Before I read the book I watched the show… wait, did I? I can’t remember but I do know I read the book online the first time I read it. And I did it within a week. I remember thinking, “Damn this book is long” and girl! There are going to be eight volumes! How did I read all that within a week, not even including the weekend, a working week!

Do I have reading super powers?

It’s the online effect. The same effect will have me reading fanfics that are book sized in one day.

So, let’s move on to book two. We start off with Ghost City Arc! I know everyone is excited for this one to be animated but the way things are going… will that ever happen?

I feel like this one got censored more or they’re having trouble getting it green lit.

Ooh but the love I have for this arc! Eeek!

The flirting! That scene in the gambling house, wow tingles. The frisson!

I love how playful Hua Cheng is when he flirts and how Xie Lian goes along with it but he’s more cute in a way. It’s just so adorable hearing his inner thoughts. It’s also hilarious watching everyone else become a third wheel, because mission, what mission, amma flirt first and foremost.

Although, the spectators did not mind being third wheels. In fact, it tickled me pink that they were telling Qian Qiu to shut up and let them flirt. Even the Wind Master was like that.

The author did so much foreshadowing and a lot of setting up for a later story line it’s insane. I noticed it the most in this book. I really think this is her best work BUT I have to read SSVS first before I say that for sure. It’s so intricate and just satisfying to read again and to see all that I missed when I didn’t know.

So, in Ghost City Xie Lian is on a mission of course and it kind of goes against Hua Cheng. I was worried. I was thinking this was going to come between them and set them back but they both showed how secure they are… or rather Hua Cheng did. Xie Lian did fret.

One thing I love about Xie Lian is that he is a martial god, which leads me to my campaign. Let man be buff! He doesn’t have to be a body builder but he can have muscle! You can be pretty and have a muscular body! Tik Tok has shown me that for sure.

A lot of the time people equate femininity with weakness and that translates to musculature as well… you can be feminine or pretty and have bulging biceps, trust me.

The day I find a fan artist that draws him as a martial god, I will die happy.

Anyway, the moment he got in between the swords and basically disarmed them was badass. (Poor E Ming though). That was sexy. I can’t wait for them to animate that.

I, like Xie Lian, love martial arts so excuse me. Oh wait, the scene when Hua Cheng showed him the armoury. That too would have me smitten, because what!

The next part of the plot was a little annoying for me. When Qian Qiu figured out that Xie Lian was the old state preceptor and that he killed his family. Then it turns out that, that was not the truth and it was Qi Rong (dickhead) all along. (I got so much joy out of Hua Cheng bullying him).

Xie Lian was so stubborn about not wanting to tell Qian Qiu I almost wanted to fight him. I get that Xie Lian wanted to keep that guy an optimistic person but sometimes you have to tell people the truth of what happened.

Otherwise, man would spend his whole life naïve and never learning that life is often times not black and white. How did Xie Lian expect him to grow without learning the hardships of life?

Maybe he wanted to spare him because Xie Lian went through a lot of hardships but it makes you stronger in the end and lying to him only made things worse in this instance.

That moment everyone clocked that Jun Wu favoured Xie Lian I relished in. Yes, yes, *to be read in a Sith voice* you better treat him better! They were moving mad towards my man. I was ready to square up.

Then we get our first flashback. In this we learn that Xie Lian was spoiled, of course he was, he was the crown prince. However, he only cared about cultivation and he spent so much time on the mountain the common people did not actually know what man looked like. So, he was also removed from the world.

This is the scene where Hua Cheng falls from the building and Xie Lian catches him.

We see that Xie Lian was always kind but hot take I saw that he also did not understand people. He also had little interest in people if they weren’t martial artists. We see him get bored of Hua Cheng when he wouldn’t respond to the questions.

It’s not a terrible trait but sometimes I feel like fans of the books see Xie Lian in a one dimensional way when he’s got layers. He’s honestly such a fascinating character.

We also get to see young Mu Qing and Feng Xin. I feel like they misunderstand Mu Qing a lot. He’s very defensive when he speaks, and guarded but he’s the only one of the three who never grew up with luxury or security. If Xie Lian fails at cultivation he’ll still be a prince. Whereas for Mu Qing this is his everything. He came from nothing, he has a mother to look after and he’s constantly having to prove his worth. I feel like they, especially Feng Xin, don’t get that.

Feng Xin is also not royal but he grew up around royals and has always been treated well by them. He even has the favour of the Queen. He, even, is no longer impressed by the palace and all that.

We also get to see their old power dynamic. Xie Lian was the head and Mu Qing and Feng Xin had to listen to him and follow his lead. However, now in the present they’re on equal footing for the first time ever, so it’s interesting to watch.

Back to Mu Qing, my guy is used to schooling his emotions. He can do it so well that they do not realise that he actually cares. My one clue of how Mu Qing is misunderstood was the way the children reacted to him when he showed up. You know kids are honest. They would not run up to someone they hated. I bet when Xie Lian and Feng Xin aren’t around he’s the softest yet fair big brother type.

This is my second campaign, justice for Mu Qing. I didn’t realise he actually had haters till I got on Heaven Official’s Blessing (HoB) twitter.

Feng Xin on the other hand is loyal, to a fault. We’ll get to that more later though.

Seeing as we’re meeting a young Hua Cheng we learn his name, Hong Hong-er. Man, Hua Cheng really did not have a good childhood. He was ten but looked eight, malnourished and almost killed by Qi Rong.

That was chilling. That was… the first time I read that when I read the books online, I was horrified! How this didn’t have people in the palace looking at Qi Rong like, “Dude…” I don’t know. That was psychotic behaviour.

Then this kid is walking around with a broken rib and a broken leg, not crying… nah my poor baby. How are you that used to pain?

I think what Hua Cheng told Xie Lian in the wagon about his background was true. He even says basically the same thing about his home life as a kid (after the interrogation of Mu Qing).

That’s another thing, Mu Qing and Hua Cheng probably understand each other the most. They have similar backgrounds and Mu Qing was the only one able to understand Hua Cheng. If it weren’t for events low key I think they could have been friends.

Whilst I am the number one member of the Qi Rong haters club… man was abused as a child. We can’t gloss over that. Then his mother died and his aunt spoiled him. So, was Qi Rong made to be the man he turned out to be? I think so. Did he have a chance? Yes, if they had caught on earlier.

They say what he saw as a child made him cruel but honestly I think the royal family spoiling him and never discipling him screwed him up. He wasn’t cruel when Xie Lian played with him, when the other kids were ignoring him, and showed him kindness. Perhaps, if Xie Lian had stayed maybe he would have turned out better.

In Qi Rong’s case I think it’s a clear example of how nurture can shape a person.

It’s crazy how different Xie Lian and Qi Rong ended up. To think Qi Rong even sent the ghosts in book one on the wagon ride. It’s sad how genuine love and adoration turned to hate.

Back to Hua Cheng and the flashback, they take him to the temple of Jun Wu and then the ghosts get lose and we find out that Hua Cheng is a lone star. He gets a really bad fortune read and is basically condemned to a lonely existence.

It’s funny given how at the start of the book, Hua Cheng has strikingly good luck whilst Xie Lian has abysmal luck, only for the book to end in the past where the opposite was true.

Xie Lian’s kindness shines through in this moment and if Hua Cheng didn’t admire him already this probably tipped him over the edge. He held Hua Cheng as he cried with such pain. It was both a beautiful scene and heart breaking.

So, in essence Xie Lian saved Hua Cheng twice. He was willing to touch him and comfort him when no one else was willing. I had beef with the State Preceptor in this scene, who says that to a child?!

Hua Cheng escapes that night however and Xie Lian descends from the mountain to experience life but it is cut short as he has the bridge incident and he ascends whilst sleeping.

What a nice flashback.

Book two set the ground work for a lot of things that will come up later. He he he *Mr Burns posture* excellent.