The second watch of the day is complete. A further telling awaits this afternoon!

—

Stonepillar remained silent. Wang Zhuo, standing nearby, sneered, “I told you the lad didn’t have the makings! Now, see? He only went and embarrassed himself. I was taken on in the very first test! I didn’t see his later trials, but I hear he failed all three. He should have listened to me; it would have been better not to go at all. I wager Huzi, from Fourth Uncle’s family, would have done better.”

Stonepillar’s Fourth Uncle furrowed his brow and barked, “Wang Zhuo, even if you become an Immortal, don’t you dare be insolent in my presence! Whether my Huzi has the talent or not is none of your concern, you ill-mannered whelp!”

Wang Zhuo’s eyes flashed with coldness, and he chuckled coldly, saying nothing more.

Stonepillar’s father seemed to age a decade in an instant, collapsing into a chair. Stonepillar’s mother was equally stunned, as if in disbelief. “Stonepillar… is… is it true?” she stammered.

Stonepillar bit his lip so hard it bled, ignoring the crimson trickles. He fell to his knees with a thud, bowing his head low to the ground. “Father, Mother,” he whispered, “Stonepillar was not taken by the Immortals. I have failed you… I… I shall repay your kindness in the next life.”

His mother, sensing the despair in her son’s voice, rushed to him and embraced him, sobbing. “Child, it’s alright! Don’t be sad! So you weren’t taken by the Immortals? We’ll go to the county trial next year, it’s the same! Child, don’t do anything foolish! Think clearly! Your father and I still need you to see us to our final rest!”

Stonepillar’s father, recovering from his shock, saw the look in his son’s eyes and was shaken. He rushed to embrace Stonepillar, saying anxiously, “Stonepillar, don’t do anything rash! Your father is here! Listen to me, we’ll go home and study hard. Next year’s trial will be the same!”

The surrounding relatives, their faces shifting rapidly, moved away from Stonepillar’s parents, a look of morbid fascination on their faces. Whispers and gossip filled the air.

“That Stonepillar kid, I always knew he wasn’t up to it. How could he compare to Wang Zhuo from Elder Brother’s family? He’s truly disgraced himself this time,” mocked Stonepillar’s father’s sixth brother.

“Indeed! If we’d known it would be like this, they shouldn’t have acted as if he was actually chosen! How embarrassing! Second Brother, you’re getting on in years, how can you still do such foolish things? No wonder Father didn’t bequeath any land to you,” sneered Stonepillar’s father’s third uncle, his face filled with disdain.

“As I see it, the whole ‘he’s been clever since he was a boy’ is mostly false. Second Brother probably thought he’d amounted to nothing in his life, so he bragged about his boy to the heavens. Now look, he’s been exposed!” declared Stonepillar’s father’s fifth uncle, his face instantly abandoning its former flattery.

“Three children went to the test, and he’s the only one who failed! Stonepillar is the worst of the Wang family! What a disgrace! Second Sister-in-law, I was just saying you and Second Brother were in for a good life. Now I see, this is all you’ll ever have! No such fortune for you!” mocked one of the women.

“Of course! I saw Stonepillar in their village just a few days ago! I immediately thought, that kid looks dim-witted, how could he compare to Wang Zhuo and Wang Hao? He’s bound to fail!” Stonepillar’s fifth aunt-in-law echoed, her face contorted with malice.

“I saw through that Stonepillar kid long ago! Look at his father and mother! What good child could they possibly raise? In our Wang family, only the children of Elder Brother and Third Brother have any promise! Stonepillar, bah! Even his name sounds idiotic!” added another woman, eager to join the chorus of jeers.

“My eyes must have been clouded! I was going to push my daughter into a fire pit! Thank the heavens Stonepillar wasn’t taken by the Immortals, or my daughter would have hated me for life! Stonepillar’s mother, let’s forget about this alliance! Since your son can’t become an Immortal, who would give their daughter to him? It’s like a toad wanting to eat swan’s flesh!”

In an instant, nearly all the relatives revealed their true, avaricious faces. The cruel words grew harsher, relentlessly striking at Stonepillar’s family.

The scene was a world apart from the earlier fawning. Some even tore off all pretense, directly demanding the return of the gifts they had given, leaving Stonepillar’s parents pale as ghosts. Wang Lin clenched his fists, his inner pain intensified. He felt like he was dying, the mocking words ringing in his ears.

Wang Zhuo’s father chuckled inwardly, saying casually, “Second Brother, I told you before, the Immortals choose disciples according to fate, and their requirements are very strict. Unless one is as outstanding as my son, there’s no chance at all! But you, you actually took it seriously! Now the child is so despairing he doesn’t want to live anymore. Why bother?”

Stonepillar’s father, unable to bear it any longer, whipped around, glaring at Wang Zhuo’s father. “Wang Tianshan, hold your tongue! Before Father passed, he clearly left a share of the land to me! You schemed with the relatives to steal it from me, and now you’re here, mocking me! Do you really think Wang Tianshui has no spirit left!”

“And all of you relatives! Fawning before, sneering now! My child is in such a state, and you’re still kicking him when he’s down! Do you have no humanity at all!”

Wang Tianshan faltered, then said angrily, “Why bring up the past? Your boy simply doesn’t have what it takes! I was giving you kind advice, and instead of thanking me, you lash out! Hmph! The beam isn’t straight, the rafter is crooked! Like father, like son!”

The surrounding scornful laughter and mockery struck Wang Lin, who stood frozen in place, like a thousand needles stabbing at his heart. He endured the tearing pain in his chest, coldly observing everything, memorizing the face of every relative.

“You!! I’ll fight you!” Stonepillar’s father grabbed a bench, ready to charge forward. Stonepillar’s fourth uncle quickly stepped in, stopping him and whispering, “Second Brother, don’t be rash! The Elder Brother’s family has many servants, you’ll only suffer! I’ve got this. Watch me.”

Turning to Wang Tianshan, he glared and said, “Elder Brother, how can you speak like that? This Fourth Brother of yours can’t stand to hear it! If you dare insult my Second Brother in my presence again, don’t blame me for disregarding our brotherhood! The Wang family may be large, but I, this Fourth Brother, have made many friends in the Jianghu over the years. Don’t let a fire consume it all!”

Wang Tianshan mumbled a few words, wary of his fourth brother, who had many connections.

“Fourth Brother, that’s not right,” said the oldest member of the family, the Third Ancestral Uncle. “Second Brother’s boy simply doesn’t have what it takes. Are we wrong to speak our minds? Are we elders not allowed to comment on this useless boy? That’s simply unreasonable!”