WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Episode 9 of Heaven Official's Blessing, "Evil Taoist Scourge," now streaming on Funimation.
After San Lang dramatically threw himself straight into Sinner's Pit, it's up to Xie Lian to save him in Heaven Official's Blessing Episode 9. When he does, he discovers an important part of San Lang's identity, confirming his suspicions. The two of them realize that the General's hatred for the Imperial Preceptor isn't unfounded and has its roots in a past rife with betrayal.
The Truth About San Lang
Xie Lian is about to follow, but the General grabs onto the back of his clothes, demanding he stay to be interrogated. It barely fazes Xie Lian, who uses Ruoye to pull the General down with him. This, however, seems to awaken the figure on the pole, who easily escapes from her bounds and defeats all of the Banyue soldiers with a couple strikes. Xie Lian pulls the two of them down and releases Ruoye to grab hold of something to pull him back up, but to no avail. Something's blocking the top of the pit.
San Lang, dressed in a very familiar style, catches Xie Lian mid-fall. With the Pit being pitch-black, Xie Lian has to feel up San Lang to see whether or not it's him -- touching his chest, face and lips. After confirming that San Lang's identity, Xie Lian asks to be put down. San Lang refuses, saying the ground is dirty because it's covered with corpses of Banyue soldiers he killed. With San Lang holding him close, Xie Lian realizes two things: he's not breathing, and he has no heartbeat!
Despite him princess-carrying Xie Lian, San Lang easily defeats the General with his agility and a curved sword. To San Lang's surprise, Xie Lian doesn't interrogate him about whether he's human or not -- it didn't matter, because Xie Lian would like him no matter what state he was in.
The Imperial Preceptor's Betrayal
Since there's no way out of the pit, Xie Lian takes the opportunity to find out more about the grudge that the General has against the Imperial Preceptor, a young girl. Long ago, the girl, who was half-Yong An and half-Banyue, was left alone after her mother died. She disappeared when a riot broke out at the border but returned with magical powers. However, because she was able to tame the scorpion-tailed snakes, she attracted vitriol wherever she went.
Seeing how pitiful she looked, the General took the girl under his wing. He still didn't fully trust her but after she saved the General's men, she earned his trust and she eventually gets promoted to Imperial Preceptor. During the battle between the Central Plains and the Banyue Kingdom, the General is told that the Imperial Preceptor had opened the gates, letting in the rest of the enemy soldiers into their kingdom to slaughter them.
Why Xie Lian's Answer Mattered
This is the second time that San Lang has somewhat revealed his true identity as Hua Cheng to Xie Lian, the first being in the bridal sedan. However, both instances are shrouded in darkness, most likely due to San Lang's insecurity and fear that Xie Lian might not like him if he ever saw him. He wants Xie Lian to know the real him, but because he's still afraid of potential rejection, San Lang hides in the darkness.
Although we already have a good idea of how much San Lang trusts Xie Lian, the fact that he allows him to be so close to him physically is symbolic of his openness and vulnerability. When Xie Lian realizes that San Lang isn't human, the first thing San Lang asks is why he doesn't probe any further as most people would do.
Xie Lian offers San Lang unconditional acceptance. It doesn't matter if San Lang was a ghost, demon, god or human -- it was what was on the inside that was important. Hopefully, Xie Lian's answer gives San Lang the necessary courage to finally see him in his real form.
