墨香铜臭

天官赐福 [Tiān Guān Cì Fú]

Heaven Official's Blessing

Last time, they spent eight hundred years running towards each other.

This time, it only took an instant to fall into each other’s embrace.

Hua Cheng waited for him for over eight hundred years, so what did it matter if he waited for Hua Cheng for another eight hundred more?

It’s been so long since anyone listened to me talk, won’t you stay?

“If I could, I would have you use me as your stepping stone, the bridge you take apart after crossing, the corpse bones you need to trample to climb up, the sinner who deserved the butchering of a million knives. But, I know you wouldn’t allow it.”

Hua Cheng continued, “My beloved is a brave, noble, and gracious special someone. He’s saved my life; I’ve looked up to him ever since I was young. But, I wanted to catch up to him more, and become an even stronger person for him. Although, he might not remember me well. We never really talked. I want to protect him.” 

He gazed at Xie Lian. “If your dream is to save the common people, then my dream, is only you.”

Hua Cheng didn’t answer him directly. He only bent one knee to the ground before him, raising his head to gaze at him, smiling hummingly. “How’s this? Gege, with this, do you remember now?” 

At that time, that nameless ghost also frequently bent down on one knee to the ground in front of him like this! That pale smiling mask overlapped Hua Cheng’s current smiling face. Xie Lian’s heart shook, his knees buckled, and he slumped to the ground in front of him, mumbling, “...San Lang...it, it was you!” 

Hua Cheng let out a small laugh and maintained that posture of one knee to the ground, and that remaining eye gazed at him deeply. “Your Highness, I’ve always watched you.”

“But more often than not, I’m still...rather in awe of you.” 

Mu Qing gathered his courage, looking like someone was choking his neck, forcing him to speak, and he said stiffly, “Isn’t that normal? You...certainly...are rather amazing. You’re...also...a better person...than me. Long story short, I...very much wanted...to become your f-f-friend.”

“That you weren’t lying,” Xie Lian replied. 

“...” Just what was Mu Qing’s expression was truly hard to describe. 

Xie Lian said, quite matter-of-factly, “Didn’t you ask me to believe you? I believe you. That’s it.”

“But…in the end, I…still think…it’s so unfair,” Yin Yu sobbed. “If I was already destined to be no one remarkable, then at the very least, I…wanted to be a kind and perfect person. But…I couldn’t even do that. It’s really…so unfair. And truth to be told, even in this moment, just thinking that I’m dying for Yizhen, this little dummy, I still can’t get over it. I can’t even let go and die with a heart with no resentment and no regrets, what is that.”

“There’s no need to say anything else. I will wait for you down here. If gege really wants to thank me, then just come back to me quickly after.”

Mu Qing couldn’t hold back and exclaimed, “COMPLETE BULLSHIT, WHAT DO YOU KNOW…” But soon after, he probably thought there wasn’t a need to explain such a thing to a man-child like Quan Yizhen, and forcibly changed his tune. “Yes, that’s right, it was borrowing spiritual powers.” 

Pei Ming laughed heartily. “That’s right indeed, but you can’t borrow like that so casually; understand, Qi Ying?”

Heaven Official’s Blessing [天官赐福]

oceanhued

Nova

oh my god... oh my god i feel like this ?!?!&$@@#%%#%!!?!!<£¥#% yeah

actually 4.5 stars & i wanted give 5 stars for this but as with everything when i’m too deeply immersed in feelings i can overlook things like plot holes and minor things. what i really love about this book is the depth of its characterization, the backgrounds they have. it lines up quite well to how their present selves are like. it gives understanding to why they are the way they are, and such. 

of course as i’m reading a translation there are a lot of contexts that i’m not going to get sadly T___T studying mandarin will have to wait... the storyline itself feels pretty simplistic i think? as in nothing really surprised me MUCH (but i did read some spoilers which bummed me out quite a lot) — DOESN’T MEAN IT DIDN’T HURT THE SAME! 

this might as well be more painful than mdzs, imo. the books both have their own attractions going on and i appreciate that! i cried more reading tgcf surely. honestly my eyes are still swollen ;___; the love xie lian and hua cheng have for each other. it’s crazy. just my humble opinion but it’s not quite love if it’s not like hualian.

kyra

4 blessing lanterns on 5 :) 

Did I skip sleep and listen to the animation’s soundtrack obsessively, reading this? Yes. Did I find a bunch of issues and inconsistencies with the writing but still manage to get emotionally invested? Yes. 

There are two ways to look at this book:
- How it made me feel 
- How it was written 

It ripped my heart apart, stomped all over it, and then comforted it and patched it together. The story starts out with some lovely supernatural detective work, lightweight moments, and harmless flirting. And then it smacks you on the face with a harrowing flashback. It comes back to the present with some very sweet romance, friendship fluff, intertwined with more supernatural mysteries and more lovely characters that you can’t help but get attached to. You think there’s light at the end of the tunnel, and then more grievous tragedy from the past is described. All the subplots begin to come together, and you’re faced with another heartbreaking development, which ultimately cultiminates to a happy ending. In conclusion, you experience every emotion that your heart is capable of.

(Possible spoilers ahead)

I’m going to start with what I think could have been better. Hua Cheng, I love him & I won’t talk to you if you dislike him, however, his personality and backstory could have been detailed further. Characters such as Banyue, Pei Su, Ke Mo could have been given a better resolution. The romance taken out of context may seem bizarre, but somehow that characters and the plot make it work.

What did I like? The two mains becoming the right people for each other over hundreds of years before ending up together. The f-f-friendship (couldn’t resist) between the XianLe trio. The Guoshi trying his best to look out for as many people as possible. Shi Qingxian, enough said. Qi Rong’s persona (I can’t describe how much I’m looking forward to seeing him animated) and his relationship with Guzi (you knew he was a goner when the kid first called him ‘dad’). Appreciated Hua Cheng trying to impress his in-law (Guoshi) by helping him across some lava (which sounds strange as I’m typing it out), and getting appreciated/ accepted with a stiff ‘not bad’. Ling Wen being ruthless (is it weird that I want her as a life coach, except for the creating blood thirsty robes part, of course). He Xuan & Hua Cheng’s impossible friendship. 

Xie Lian is now one of my favourite fictional characters - he’s relatable. He wants to do the right thing, he stumbles, he falls, but he gets back up and believes in the inherent goodwill of humanity.

Lines worth mentioning:

“Only in this world, just doing your best isn’t good enough” 

“Only after having met you did I rediscover that it’s simple to be happy”

“The others were fleeing and dodging, running madly, seeing how the two were having a good tile, they couldn’t stand it.” (The entire book is them flirting while others are in mortal danger)

“Was this not incredibly persistent and creepy?” (This story only works because of the characters, like I mentioned before)

“He no longer believed in anyone, and he no longer believed in himself either.” and “Mom, a ghost, there’s a ghost, there’s a ghost clinging to me” (I have become an emotional mess)

“I said I’ve always been here. It’s just that I didn’t speak, and none of you saw me.” (Mu Qing saying that broke something in me) 

“Don’t look at his face and suddenly lose all your marbles” (warning applies to everyone, Hua Cheng’s charm can be dangerous)

jinni

can someone invent the sixth star for this book please?

i absolutely adore all of xiuxiu’s characters! aside from the two male leads, other characters (like qi rong, hei shiu, shu wudu and shi qingxuan brothers, etc.) are also written with personalities and care where no one is defined to be a “bad guy” or “good guy” because they all have their own reasons and motives. i especially love how the author can make me understand and sympathize with a “bad guy” even if they have wronged my favorite characters. the way they add so much color, humanity, and complexities to the story easily made tian guan ci fu one of my favorite books of all time. 

tgcf is reminiscent of many chinese web novels; it is filled with drama, hate and love relationships (爱恨情仇), plot twists, and excitement. and since tgcf takes place in a historical fantasy setting, bits and pieces of traditional chinese customs, traditions, mythology, and beliefs are incorporated to build this 3-layered world of gods, mortals, and the dead. though the length of the novel is a whopping 252 chapters or 2050 pages according to goodreads, i enjoyed every bit of it and was shocked by how well it all tied together at the climax. 

long story short, if you are looking for a book that tricks you into thinking that it’s a fluffy romance with humor and adventure but instead it rips your heart into pieces, chews on it, vomits it out, and stomp on it, THIS IS FOR YOU. 

i read the original chinese version of tgcf here and for the unofficial english translations, you can access chapters 1-24 here and chapters 21-252 here (these links are found in the review section of tgcf). 

my review DOES NOT do this book justice so i urge everyone to read it and see the level of emotional and physical damage it can reach :))

p.s. i will never shut up about the tension between hei shiu and qingxuan because they deserved more. and we all need a hua cheng in our lives who is willing to wait 800 years. anyways, i'm gonna hibernate and cry.

dija

Hua Cheng said quietly, “Your Highness, I understand your everything.
“Your courage, your despair; your kindness, your pain; your resentment, your hate; your intelligence, your foolishness.
“If I could, I would have you use me as your stepping stone, the bridge you take apart after crossing, the corpse bones you need to trample to climb up, the sinner who deserved the butchering of a million knives. But, I know you wouldn’t allow it.”

The rawest love story i have ever read about i wish i didn't finish it, i want to experience it all again anew.

illya

Even though I did have to work through the cultural shock that is the difference of styles between what I'm used to (western) and MXTX's style, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Where do I start? 

The fantasy element of it is a major aspect of the book, with its action scenes encapsulating the genre of Wuxia in ten words or less: sword fights, people flying, spells, tailsmans, all that good stuff. However, because that genre is heavy on its lingo, the reader needs a lot of crutches to fully understand what we are talking about here. No fear, the translators have you covered, fellow western reader.

The characters are beyond compelling: it is always interesting to see how other cultures work on the take of the fact that Gods have flaws, like the Olympians were in their myths. This time, Gods and Buddhas are mortals that given their range of good deeds, have earned a way to heaven. It is great to see their mortality and flaws glimer still between all the immortality. Gods fuck up. They are stubborn, they are greedy and they don't work for free. They regret, they apologize. They are still somewhat mortal. The whole worshiper/god is HEAVILY worked on in this book which brings me to talk about.

Them.
(view spoiler)[
Xie Lian and Hua Cheng. The world has probably never seen a love such as theirs. It's everflowing and all-consuming. It's patient, it's pure and kind and born from the pure need to have someone believe in you. Just one soul is enough for you to be worth it. Even when you get trampled (although you were doing the right thing) by the people you love, even when you do bad things for the good reasons, there's always someone loving you. That's their love. That's trust, and the knowledge that one will always find the other, no matter what. That even the ugliest parts of oneself are loved and cherished. Even when Hua Cheng was this poor bastard, a kid riddled with bruises, bloody and incoherent, a bad solider or a nameless ghost, he was always by Xie Lian's side. 

And Xie Lian, ah a good old unreliable narrator. He tells you half truths, but always in a way where the bad guy ends up being him. When most of the times, he is not. He has taken upon himself to save EVERYONE. Not pick one solution between two: make a third. 

I could go on but this is EXTENSIVE and no one will read it so I'll just quote what I think is my favourite ending ever: 
"They say, in the common world, that there is a Scrap Immortal.

He has the strength to annihilate the world, but the heart to cherish a flower. Yet it is said that if you worship him your luck is guaranteed to be bad.

The also say, in the common world, that there is a Red Robed Ghost King.

Although inhuman, he has many worshippers. But ghosts aren't like gods. If he's happy, he'll help even if you don't pray. If he's displeased, even if you give a thousand gold he will turn away or even take your life. Give your respects, but stay far away.

But it is said, that if you worship the two together, the Scrap Immortal's robes are revealed to be gold not white, and a miracle will happen."

 (hide spoiler)]

Lia Yuliana

Update 29/11/2021

Find my reviews on :  An Ode to Fiction
Buy the book :
 Amazon |  Book Depository



  
    Last time, they spent eight hundred years running towards each other.

This time, it only took an instant to fall into each other's embrace.
  


I'll make this review short. . .

There is no greater story of love, faith, and devotion that can parallel the story of Hua Cheng and Xie Lian. A story filled with twists and turns, happiness, tears, and suffering. This five book series has come to it's finality for me as I finally found it within me to finish it. I've held back because I didn't want to see their story end just like that, so I kept stalling and stalling. Now, that it's over. I am nothing but an empty shell of tears. This series has brought me so much joy and tears. Just like Xie Lian, I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. So, I did both.

It's a series that has become one of my favorite reads this year and I'm excited to collect the English translations that will be released by Seven Seas. Though I'm sad that I am parting with this series . . I want to express my feelings with quotes I highlighted from the story. 


  
    "I pray to never rest in peace"
  



  
    "To die in battle for you is my greatest honour."
  



  
    "There is no banquet in this world that doesn't come to an end."
  



  
    "I am forever your most devoted believer."

Patricia Macías García

No voy a escribir mucho porque como empiece a hacer una reseña de esta novela no acabo. Me ha flipado. Ya está. Solo podría explicar lo mucho que me ha gustado con un audio de 10 minutos.

elif sinem

Fengqing I owe you one. good god... great worldbuilding, some great moments, great gowns but the plot is a first draft. it's ok though. thanks Black Water arc for my life.

finn

4 stars

honestly? this book was really good in several ways. the plot was pretty good, and i was intrigued for most of it, even if some plot reveals ended up being kind of obvious. i was entertained by it all though and i didn’t really mind the predictability that much. it also had some very funny moments i’ll give it that.

what really got to me with this novel, though, was the characters. i loved the main character, Xie Lian, and what the kind of cruel life lessons gave him as a character. when he learned he can’t save everyone even as he had ascended to godhood… that was peak writing to me. book 4 was also a really good arc for him and for ME who loved his relationship with Mu Qing and Feng Xin. Xianle trio i care you…. i care you so much…

side characters, including Mu Qing and Feng Xin, were also really well written. most of the top characters in my personal character ranking are definitely mainly side characters…

as for Xie Lian and Hua Cheng… god. their love really is so good. i love that for them and i haven’t cried to a book in a while (shocking, considering how easily i cry to books), but these two… they got to me. that is enough praise for them though as i have several problems with how MXTX wrote their ~lore~. they’re 800 years old during the main events of the book, so their 7 year age difference is nothing BUT the fact that MXTX had them meet when Xie Lian was 17 and Hua Cheng was 10 didn’t make me feel good. sure, there were no intentions from either side and there was nothing between them until they were literally centuries old (THANK GOD), and MXTX wanted the impact of a young boy devoting his life to a disgraced god, in the end being his only believer. that impact could have easily been made even if Hua Cheng was a little older when they met. book 2 also ended up being WEIRD because of this. i loved this book but i hated this part of it. this book could have been a 5 if mxtx wasnt a weirdo.

very good book though.. the concept of this book is really nice, and i love cliches so a demon and a god falling in love is so good to me.

tldr: good novel, great characters. Hua Cheng and Xie Lian were in love and it was beautiful, but MXTX was a weirdo with them and i hate that. so much.

an unexpected fave?!  i think unexpected is just a really good descriptor for this book 😭  i just picked it up to pass the time while waiting/working but i ended up so into it!  i came for the myths and fairytale vibes but got a surprise treat of absurd humor (the amount of times i snorted loudly in public… god) and cute silly romantic bits.  probably my fave mxtx work :’)

jasmine

Autumn 

This book was so wonderful. A lot of people say this is a very sad and torturous reading experience but I only cried twice and I cry easily so they are exaggerating. 
I really liked the lore behind this story. 
It's official! eastern fantasy is just better! 
Although if you look at it with western standards you are definitely going to misunderstand the book and you won't enjoy it. 
warning for major violence and horror themes.

Pamela Alvarado

4.5 JUST because it was so fucking long. But this novel is also so beautiful and I can't be TOO mad about the word count since the ending made up for all the time spent reading it!

Lauren  English

Kareema A Godhrawala

I have cried, I have smiled, I have laughed.
I have had my heart broken and similarly I have had my heart swell with laugh.
I read in awe at the author's ideas and thoughts as the book progressed. 
The characters were so nuanced and things came together so well as we slowly learned the past of the characters and how they came to be. 

I LOVE LOVE MXTX. An absolute genius.

天官赐福 [Tiān Guān Cì Fú]

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