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A review by anl2633
Heaven Official's Blessing: Tian Guan Ci Fu (Novel) Vol. 2 by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu
5.0
AHHH this book was amazing. A billion times better than the first one. Seriously, I inhaled the chapters in this like a starved man seeing bread for the first time.
First of all, I want to comment on how much MXTX has layered Xie Lian’s character in book 2. It is unbelievably hard to get an immortal character right, and this. . . MXTX is a genius. I was so shocked reading. It’s insane how much Xie Lian comes off as innocent and naive once we transition into his past in the last tenth of the novel. The difference between past Xie Lian and present Xie Lian is so striking, but there’s still this undercurrent of familiarity there. An 800-year gap is a huge timeline to draw on, but the parallels are still there. Even as a 17-year-old, Xie Lian was still compassionate, selfless, and always trying to shoulder everyone’s problems as he does in the present. He’s just a lot more pampered, naive, and ignorant about the world.
And I love the way that comes across. It’s still irrevocably Xie Lian. . . but definitely a 17-year-old version rather than an 800-year-old one. And I think this kind of character-writing is extremely daunting and difficult for writers to get right. I actually can’t think of another fictional character this old that actually feels real. MXTX is beyond belief.
The dynamism between the first 75% and then the last 25% was so fun to read. Starting out, we’re seeing Xie Lian at his lowest. At his literal breaking point ignited by Qi Rong and all that chaos. We see a Xie Lian that has spent his whole life trying to take on the burdens of others, to step in to solve everyone else’s problems, only to realize that every. single. time. he ends up making the situation worse and bringing misfortune down on the people he’s tried to save. That is beyond heartbreaking. Seriously. I love this cinnamon roll man who has the biggest heart and the most selfless soul and suffers beyond belief for it. And then like the literal swing of a sword, we brought immediately into the past. Now here’s a Xie Lian who is confident and self-assured, compassionate, and full of energy. He’s naive about the world and the people around him, but he still wants to solve the world’s problems. He wants a kind of justice in the world that defies gods, humans, and ghosts. And it’s insane to see how different that philosophy is from 800-year-old Xie Lian who has seen the world, lived in it among the rabble, and suffered for it. 800-year-old Xie Lian is embarrassed that he ever thought he could save the common people, be the one god in the world to make it and bring about that kind of change.
Building off that, I love the parallels that are hidden between past and present. In the past: Xie Lian catching Hua Cheng and holding him during a fight, them travelling with an ox cart, and the red pearl earring. In the present: Hua Cheng catching Xie Lian and holding him during a fight, them travelling on an ox cart, and Hua Cheng wearing the pearl in his hair. I adore the continuity of it all. MXTX is, once again, a friggin genius of the highest level.
There are a few philosophical questions that this novel raises, and I’m excited to see the way they are drawn out and layered in the next few novels. First, the difference between obsession and devotion. Qi Rong (I actually kinda like his character by the way, for anyone wondering) is obsessed with Xie Lian in the past. He adores his cousin, defends him at every turn, and sees no wrong in Xie Lian. Therein lies the issue. Obsession doesn’t leave room for imperfections and flaws. I know the rest of these novels are going to rip my heart to shreds about this. . . but I welcome the pain. Because I know that when Xie Lian returns to save his people, they’re going to turn on him and demand to know why he wasn’t perfect enough to keep them all safe.
They and Qi Rong will burn his temples and desecrate his statues, spit on him, and call him the laughingstock of the three realms because their obsession blinded them to the simple fact that is brought up by Guoshi at the very end of the novel: when humans ascend, they are still human. . . when they fall, they are still human. Xie Lian might have ascended to godhood, but he was and still is human. He makes mistakes and has flaws. By putting him on a pedestal, the people and Qi Rong couldn’t see past their idolization of Xie Lian. They felt personally aggrieved by any mistakes Xie Lian made.
It reminds me a lot of the kinds of debilitating effects of parasocial relationships we see in our modern world. The way our society looks at celebrities, politicians, and athletes is the same way that the people of Xianle looked at Xie Lian. It’s all blind worship and obsession without the thought that all those people are humans just like the rest of us. Not only do those people make mistakes, but they have the same hopes, fears, and thoughts that the rest of us commoners do. They aren’t better than us or higher than us. They’re just people. It really brings into focus how much of a clown show the Heavenly Realm is in the first novel. The Officials aren’t concerned with anything unless there’s a chance to gossip about it or see something dramatic happen.
On the other hand, devotion is something so pure. Because it acknowledges that the other party is human, and so, is flawed. Despite those imperfections, the love and the appreciation are there and can withstand the tempests of trials and tribulations. That’s why I can’t understand the hate Hua Cheng receives from the fandom or the idea that his only purpose is to trail Xie Lian to the ends of the Earth. I may not have read this novel to the end, but I can see that MXTX is setting us up to understand a general theme that runs through this novel, MDZS, and SVSSS: there is so much power in having at least someone in your life stay, understand you, and love you alongside all your flaws. Therefore, I can’t see Hua Cheng as a creepy stalker or someone obsessed with Xie Lian. He’s devoted, and there’s a world of a difference there.
I also had to stop and think a lot about the parable the Guoshi brought up about the two men in the desert and the singular cup of water. Feng Xin doesn’t give a crap (obviously), Mu Qing wants to judge every good and bad thing both men have done in life to decide who deserves the cup more, and Xie Lian wants to conjure a second cup of water. Neither of these possibilities occurred to me. I figured you could just “split” the cup in two and give half to each dehydrated man. But maybe that falls in line with Xie Lian. There just isn’t enough water for both men, only one. So how do you even live with the knowledge that you have to betray one or both of those people? It’s so difficult to be a good person. And we can say all we want to about the altruistic deeds we’ve all done in our lives. But how many of us could face this issue of not having enough water and being forced to watch others die because we aren’t powerful enough to fix the issue? It’s marvelous that Xie Lian could spend 800 years of his life failing people (through no fault of his own honestly) but still want to get up each morning and keep saving people. He’s so inspiring. I wish I could be more like Xie Lian.
Breaking away from all the philosophical crap, I simply adore Honghong-er. I love how he immediately latches onto Xie Lian as someone who will defend him despite what others think of him. And they do think a lot with that whole Star of Solitude thing. Nobody even wanted to touch him, and then Xie Lian just kneels down and gives him a hug without hesitation. *wipes tear*
I really do feel so bad for little Hua Cheng. I mean, it would suck to be cursed with extremely horrible luck like Xie Lian, but to be born cursed so that nothing bad ever happens to you but terrible things happen to those around you?? That’s such a harsh life. I’m glad Hua Cheng gets to have something divine and wonderful at the end of this series. Both he and Xie Lian deserve a lifetime of ease, happiness, domesticity at Puqi Shrine, and not a care in the world.
All-in-all, this book was so fun to read. I finished it so quickly. . . too quickly, since the series isn’t actually wrapping up until the end of the year. I’m excited to move onto the next one but also terrified out of my mind because I’m afraid of what’s coming for Xie Lian now that he’s ascended and Xianle’s destruction is just around the corner.
First of all, I want to comment on how much MXTX has layered Xie Lian’s character in book 2. It is unbelievably hard to get an immortal character right, and this. . . MXTX is a genius. I was so shocked reading. It’s insane how much Xie Lian comes off as innocent and naive once we transition into his past in the last tenth of the novel. The difference between past Xie Lian and present Xie Lian is so striking, but there’s still this undercurrent of familiarity there. An 800-year gap is a huge timeline to draw on, but the parallels are still there. Even as a 17-year-old, Xie Lian was still compassionate, selfless, and always trying to shoulder everyone’s problems as he does in the present. He’s just a lot more pampered, naive, and ignorant about the world.
And I love the way that comes across. It’s still irrevocably Xie Lian. . . but definitely a 17-year-old version rather than an 800-year-old one. And I think this kind of character-writing is extremely daunting and difficult for writers to get right. I actually can’t think of another fictional character this old that actually feels real. MXTX is beyond belief.
The dynamism between the first 75% and then the last 25% was so fun to read. Starting out, we’re seeing Xie Lian at his lowest. At his literal breaking point ignited by Qi Rong and all that chaos. We see a Xie Lian that has spent his whole life trying to take on the burdens of others, to step in to solve everyone else’s problems, only to realize that every. single. time. he ends up making the situation worse and bringing misfortune down on the people he’s tried to save. That is beyond heartbreaking. Seriously. I love this cinnamon roll man who has the biggest heart and the most selfless soul and suffers beyond belief for it. And then like the literal swing of a sword, we brought immediately into the past. Now here’s a Xie Lian who is confident and self-assured, compassionate, and full of energy. He’s naive about the world and the people around him, but he still wants to solve the world’s problems. He wants a kind of justice in the world that defies gods, humans, and ghosts. And it’s insane to see how different that philosophy is from 800-year-old Xie Lian who has seen the world, lived in it among the rabble, and suffered for it. 800-year-old Xie Lian is embarrassed that he ever thought he could save the common people, be the one god in the world to make it and bring about that kind of change.
Building off that, I love the parallels that are hidden between past and present. In the past: Xie Lian catching Hua Cheng and holding him during a fight, them travelling with an ox cart, and the red pearl earring. In the present: Hua Cheng catching Xie Lian and holding him during a fight, them travelling on an ox cart, and Hua Cheng wearing the pearl in his hair. I adore the continuity of it all. MXTX is, once again, a friggin genius of the highest level.
There are a few philosophical questions that this novel raises, and I’m excited to see the way they are drawn out and layered in the next few novels. First, the difference between obsession and devotion. Qi Rong (I actually kinda like his character by the way, for anyone wondering) is obsessed with Xie Lian in the past. He adores his cousin, defends him at every turn, and sees no wrong in Xie Lian. Therein lies the issue. Obsession doesn’t leave room for imperfections and flaws. I know the rest of these novels are going to rip my heart to shreds about this. . . but I welcome the pain. Because I know that when Xie Lian returns to save his people, they’re going to turn on him and demand to know why he wasn’t perfect enough to keep them all safe.
They and Qi Rong will burn his temples and desecrate his statues, spit on him, and call him the laughingstock of the three realms because their obsession blinded them to the simple fact that is brought up by Guoshi at the very end of the novel: when humans ascend, they are still human. . . when they fall, they are still human. Xie Lian might have ascended to godhood, but he was and still is human. He makes mistakes and has flaws. By putting him on a pedestal, the people and Qi Rong couldn’t see past their idolization of Xie Lian. They felt personally aggrieved by any mistakes Xie Lian made.
It reminds me a lot of the kinds of debilitating effects of parasocial relationships we see in our modern world. The way our society looks at celebrities, politicians, and athletes is the same way that the people of Xianle looked at Xie Lian. It’s all blind worship and obsession without the thought that all those people are humans just like the rest of us. Not only do those people make mistakes, but they have the same hopes, fears, and thoughts that the rest of us commoners do. They aren’t better than us or higher than us. They’re just people. It really brings into focus how much of a clown show the Heavenly Realm is in the first novel. The Officials aren’t concerned with anything unless there’s a chance to gossip about it or see something dramatic happen.
On the other hand, devotion is something so pure. Because it acknowledges that the other party is human, and so, is flawed. Despite those imperfections, the love and the appreciation are there and can withstand the tempests of trials and tribulations. That’s why I can’t understand the hate Hua Cheng receives from the fandom or the idea that his only purpose is to trail Xie Lian to the ends of the Earth. I may not have read this novel to the end, but I can see that MXTX is setting us up to understand a general theme that runs through this novel, MDZS, and SVSSS: there is so much power in having at least someone in your life stay, understand you, and love you alongside all your flaws. Therefore, I can’t see Hua Cheng as a creepy stalker or someone obsessed with Xie Lian. He’s devoted, and there’s a world of a difference there.
I also had to stop and think a lot about the parable the Guoshi brought up about the two men in the desert and the singular cup of water. Feng Xin doesn’t give a crap (obviously), Mu Qing wants to judge every good and bad thing both men have done in life to decide who deserves the cup more, and Xie Lian wants to conjure a second cup of water. Neither of these possibilities occurred to me. I figured you could just “split” the cup in two and give half to each dehydrated man. But maybe that falls in line with Xie Lian. There just isn’t enough water for both men, only one. So how do you even live with the knowledge that you have to betray one or both of those people? It’s so difficult to be a good person. And we can say all we want to about the altruistic deeds we’ve all done in our lives. But how many of us could face this issue of not having enough water and being forced to watch others die because we aren’t powerful enough to fix the issue? It’s marvelous that Xie Lian could spend 800 years of his life failing people (through no fault of his own honestly) but still want to get up each morning and keep saving people. He’s so inspiring. I wish I could be more like Xie Lian.
Breaking away from all the philosophical crap, I simply adore Honghong-er. I love how he immediately latches onto Xie Lian as someone who will defend him despite what others think of him. And they do think a lot with that whole Star of Solitude thing. Nobody even wanted to touch him, and then Xie Lian just kneels down and gives him a hug without hesitation. *wipes tear*
I really do feel so bad for little Hua Cheng. I mean, it would suck to be cursed with extremely horrible luck like Xie Lian, but to be born cursed so that nothing bad ever happens to you but terrible things happen to those around you?? That’s such a harsh life. I’m glad Hua Cheng gets to have something divine and wonderful at the end of this series. Both he and Xie Lian deserve a lifetime of ease, happiness, domesticity at Puqi Shrine, and not a care in the world.
All-in-all, this book was so fun to read. I finished it so quickly. . . too quickly, since the series isn’t actually wrapping up until the end of the year. I’m excited to move onto the next one but also terrified out of my mind because I’m afraid of what’s coming for Xie Lian now that he’s ascended and Xianle’s destruction is just around the corner.