Heaven Official's Blessing: Vol. 1

Heaven Official’s Blessing is the third series by author Mò Xiāng Tóng Xiù (known as MXTX). Mò Xiāng Tóng Xiù is a pen name that roughly translates to “ink fragrance and the stink of money,” as many danmei authors keep their identities secret due to the heavy stigma surrounding the representation of gay men’s relationships in literature in Chinese culture. LGBTQ+ themes in media often face censorship, and authors of danmei risk social and legal repercussions. Heaven Official’s Blessing, along with MXTX’s first three series, was originally published on Jìnjiāng Wénxuéchéng (JJWXC), a popular Chinese web-novel site. Web novels often face criticism worldwide, as some people perceive them as prioritizing entertainment over literary depth. Western cultures tend to be critical of these formats, associating serialized fiction with soap operas and viewing self-published works as amateur vanity projects. Notably, some of the most celebrated works of Western literature, such as Great Expectations and Anna Karenina, began as serialized stories, and self-published works like Sense and Sensibility and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn have stood the test of time.

MXTX’s stories gained immense popularity, leading to print editions that landed on bestseller lists in multiple countries.