Xie Lian

## Voices

**Xie Lian** (谢怜, *Xiè Lián*) is the Royal Highness the Crown Prince of Xianle.

He was widely known throughout the Xianle nation as the beloved yet strange prince. Never showing interest in what was considered normal for a prince, he simply declared, "I want to save the common people!". Through practice, hard work, and insight beyond his years, he perfected his cultivation and ascended to the Heavens at the age of 17.

After multiple unfortunate events, he was twice banished from the Heavens. 800 years later, he ascended for the third time.

## Appearance

He is a handsome individual who currently wears a conical bamboo hat in honor of a nameless farmer who showed him genuine kindness and compassion at his lowest point in life. He is also dressed in simple, white Taoist robes and bandages to hide his Cursed Shackles. One of the bandages he wears is his weapon, Ruoye.

In his younger years as a prince, he wore extravagant clothing and also two red pearl earrings, one of which Hua Cheng is currently in possession of. The layers of his God Pleasing Crown Prince robes and the accessories each hold a different meaning as well. The white outer robe symbolizes "divine purity", while the red inner garb symbolizes "canonical tradition". His golden crown stands for royal power and wealth. The white plumes hidden beneath the heart symbolize "flight to ascension" and the loose cordon ribbons along the sleeves symbolize "to carry all lives".

## Personality

He is kind, beloved and determined to help the common people no matter how it would affect his own status. Though firm in his goal, the issues of the mortal realm often turned out to be more complicated than expected. He pursued multiple attempts at saving his kingdom that did not serve as long-lasting solutions, often faced with the reality that his ideas were difficult to achieve and that he did not have the answer for what his nation needed.

His futile efforts led him to become incessantly worried and feeling powerless. The continuous frustration and desperation he experienced caused Xie Lian to even have outbursts of anger at times. Instances of this would be him vigorously trying to kill Lang Ying or him lashing out against Human Face Disease patients. His confidence and strength wavered more and more and during his kingdom's complete fall, Xie Lian spiraled into a sorrowful and helpless state.

He is a compassionate man who's willing to offer his help, being indifferent towards opinions of others. Although he does not care for reputation, he still finds himself often caught in situations that make him unsure whether to laugh or cry, usually when faced with moments that cause him embarrassment or feeling awkward.

While he does not forget past grievances, most are usually pushed to the back of his mind, and he doesn't hesitate to save those he's had conflicts with. Similarly, he is loyal to those who are kind to him and those he considers friends. Despite having seen the worst that both humanity and the gods have done, he can also see the best in others. He sometimes has wrong perceptions of people's personalities, but he's usually convinced of their good sides and believes the people he knows even when circumstances may say otherwise.

In the direst of situations, he is still able to remain calm and think up strategies on how to defeat the enemy. However, when faced with Hua Cheng's flirtatious and romantic gestures, he becomes quite flustered. While strategically intelligent and able to see past people's lies and deceptions due to his many years of suffering and witnessing political struggles, he seems partially oblivious to romantic advances.