Characters
The identity of certain characters may be a spoiler; use this guide with caution on your first read of the novel.
Note on the given name translations: Chinese characters may have many different readings. Each reading here is just one out of several possible readings presented for your reference and should not be considered a definitive translation.
MAIN CHARACTERS
Xie Lian
谢怜 “THANK/WILT,” “SYMPATHY/LOVE”
Heavenly Title: Xianle, “Heaven’s Delight” (仙乐)
Four Famous Tales Title: The Prince Who Pleased God
Once the crown prince of the Kingdom of Xianle and the darling of the heavens, then a very unlucky twice-fallen god who eked out a meager living collecting scraps, and now a happily married god who still collects scraps on the side. As his bad luck tends to affect those around him, Xie Lian spent the last eight hundred years wandering in solitude. He accepted his lonely lot in life, or at least seemed to have a sense of humor about it. But even for this perpetually unlucky man, a chance encounter turned eight hundred years of unhappiness around—and heralded an eternity of wedded bliss with the love of his life.
Xie Lian has seen and done many things over his very long life and originally ascended as a martial god. While it was his scrap-collecting that saw him ascend for the third time, Xie Lian’s feats of physicality are hardly anything to scoff at…though he’d sooner use them as part of a busking performance than to win a fight.
His title Xianle is a multi-layered nickname. “Xianle” is Xie Lian’s official heavenly title and also the name of his kingdom. “Xianle” itself can translate to “Heaven’s Delight,” which ties into Xie Lian’s “Four Famous Tales” moniker, “The Prince Who Pleased God.” Jun Wu referring to Xie Lian as “Xianle” sounds professional and businesslike on the surface (as Jun Wu generally refers to gods by their heavenly titles only), but it deliberately and not-so-subtly comes across as an affectionate term of endearment.
Hua Cheng
花城 “FLOWER,” “CITY”
Nickname: San Lang, “third,” “youth” (三郎)
Four Calamities Title: Crimson Rain Sought Flower
The fearsome king of ghosts and terror of the heavens. Dressed in his signature red, he controls vicious swarms of silver butterflies and wields the cursed scimitar known as Eming. His power and wealth are unmatched in the Three Realms, and for this he has as many worshippers as he does enemies (with considerable crossover between categories). He rules over the dazzling and otherworldly Ghost City in the Ghost Realm and is known to drop in to spectate at its infamous Gambler’s Den when he’s in a good mood.
In spite of all this, when it comes to Xie Lian, the Ghost King shows a much kinder and more respectful side of himself. He does not hesitate for a moment to sleep on a single straw mat in Xie Lian’s humble home, nor to get his hands dirty doing household chores at Puqi Shrine. That being said, Hua Cheng has only grown more mischievous as he and Xie Lian grew closer—and now that he and Xie Lian are living in wedded bliss, he is an absolute menace. From the very start, his secret identity as
San Lang seemed to be no secret at all to Xie Lian, but Xie Lian still calls him by this name at Hua Cheng’s request.
Hua Cheng has been in love with Xie Lian for eight hundred long years, and his love is certain to grow ever deeper as he and Xie Lian spend the rest of eternity side by side.
Wuming
無名 “NAMELESS"
A nameless ghost in an ever-smiling mask. He seems to have been following Xie Lian since the bygone days of Xianle, though Xie Lian was unaware of his fealty at the time. He is staggeringly powerful and absolutely loyal to Xie Lian’s command.
Wuming has lingered as a ghost for the sake of the one he loves. He seeks to avenge the suffering his beloved endured at the hands of humanity and protect them from further harm—even though they likely don’t even know his name. Whoever his beloved might be, they are truly fortunate to garner such devotion.
Considering Wuming’s unconditional faith in Xie Lian, it is not surprising that he grew up to be Hua Cheng himself.
HEAVENLY OFFICIALS & HEAVENLY ASSOCIATES
Feng Xin
风信 “WIND,” “TRUST/FAITH”
Heavenly Title: Nan Yang, “Southern Sun” (南陽)
The Martial God of the Southeast. He has a short fuse and foul mouth (especially when it comes to his longstanding nemesis, Mu Qing) but is known to be a dutiful, hardworking god. He has a complicated history with Xie Lian: long ago, in their days in the Kingdom of Xianle, he used to serve as Xie Lian’s bodyguard and was a close friend until circumstances drove them apart.
In order to follow Xie Lian in secret, Feng Xin created an undercover identity for himself: Nan Feng, a Middle Court official. This failed to fool Xie Lian from the start, not in the least due to Feng Xin’s completely unchanged personality and questionable ability to create a believable pseudonym: “Nan” / 南 is the same character as in Feng Xin’s heavenly title, and “Feng” / 风 is the same character as in Feng Xin’s proper name.
Jun Wu
君吾 “LORD,” “I”
Heavenly Title: Shenwu, “Divine Might” (神武)
The Emperor of Heaven and strongest of the gods. He is composed and serene, and it is through his power and wisdom that the heavens remain aloft—quite literally. Although the heavens are full of schemers and gossipmongers, Jun Wu stands apart from such petty squabbles and is willing to listen to even the lowliest creatures to hear their pleas for justice. Despite this reputation for fairness, he does have his biases. In further contrast to the rest of the rabble in Heaven, he shows great patience and affection toward Xie Lian to the point that many grumble about favoritism.
Jun Wu was the crown prince and eventual god of the ancient kingdom of Wuyong. A series of unavoidable calamities saw his people turn against him, and his fellow gods took advantage of his moment of weakness to steal his power for themselves. Abandoned by all and tormented by those he once called friends, he slaughtered the gods and rose to power as Heavenly Emperor under a new identity. His resentment for humanity roils beneath his serene exterior even now; he must exert significant effort to refrain from mass murder and destruction.