The Shen brothers

"I WILL DO IT!" all three brothers suddenly said.

"No, I will do it! As the oldest, it's my responsibility to shoulder things and speak up for the rest," declared the brother in the blue robe, and valiant spirit. His serious expression seemed to leave no room for argument.

"Who said you were the oldest? I'm clearly the oldest—and the smartest—so obviously, I should be the one to speak," retorted the brother in the yellow robe, his crafty and calculating look making his words sound all the more self-assured.

"Why waste time arguing? Everyone knows the one with the biggest fist should speak for the rest. Might has always ruled in the cultivation world, and I'm clearly the strongest—unless you two want a refresher," the brother in the brown, patched robe said with a smug, provocative grin.

"Someone sure is full of himself. Did you forget the tally, Shen Tian? All those blows to the head from head-butting spirit beasts must've knocked a few things loose. You weren't exactly gifted in the brains department to begin with, but it looks like you've dropped even lower," the yellow-robed brother mocked, his tone dripping with scorn.

"WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY, YOU MONEY GRUBBER?!" Shen Tian barked, his fists clenching as he prepared to take a swing.

Yang Qing shook his head lightly when he noticed Yi Jie about to step in. With an amused smile, he signaled him to hold back, choosing instead to sit back and enjoy the brothers' antics.

"Be mindful of where we are, Shen Tian. Besides, what Shen Ding said isn't a lie either. What was the tally again of your fights against us?" the brother in the blue robe asked.

"You've won 23 bouts against me, lost 22, and drawn 15. Against Shen Ding, you've won 12, lost 14, and drawn 34. Meanwhile, my tally against him stands at 18 wins, 17 losses, and 25 draws. With these results, you still want to claim you're the strongest—on what grounds?

Wait until we're done here, and we can settle the score later. For now, I think it's fair to have the one with the most recent victories speak for the rest. You both agree, yes?" His sharp gaze moved between his two brothers.

"Fine," Shen Tian, the brother in the brown, patched robe, relented. His earlier aggression faded in an instant, as if it had never been there.

"Better you, Shen Shi, than him," Shen Ding, the crafty-looking brother in the yellow robe, said with a shrug, his expression instantly thawing out from its earlier aggression.

Yang Qing's smile only deepened at the charade. The three brothers might have seemed to reach a sudden agreement, but it was no coincidence—their cooperation came the moment they sensed Yi Jie was about to lose his patience.

"I guess living as rogue cultivators has made them rather sensitive to dangerous situations," Yang Qing mused, drumming his index finger lightly on the podium as his eyes gleamed with an idea.

"Sorry for the rude display, Judge Yang Qing. We meant no disrespect to the Order. My brothers and I have lived openly and without structure wandering from place to place with life as our only teacher since we were kids, so we sometimes struggle to keep our mannerisms in check," Shen Shi, the blue-robed brother, said as he performed a curt bow.

"It's okay. I'm already used to it—being on this desk, I've seen all kinds of people, especially from the rogue cultivating community," Yang Qing said, waving his hand dismissively. He could tell Shen Shi's bow was merely perfunctory, lacking any genuine sincerity.

For those who had spent most of their lives as rogue cultivators, certain traits were bound to develop—some contradictory to one another, others similar. While their lives were marked by freedom and a sense of unrestraint, they were also steeped in constant danger, far more than what cultivators from sects, noble clans, royalty, or established organizations ever faced.

These dangers shaped them in different ways. Some grew to value their lives above all else, while others became indifferent to the line between life and death. They could be either valiant and indifferent in the face of extreme peril or be extremely cunning or sometimes a combination of both.

But there was another belief ingrained in rogue cultivators, one that only grew deeper the longer they survived with little to no resources. In their eyes, every hardship they endured and overcame was proof of their mettle and superiority. With so many odds stacked against them, their survival became a badge of honor for them which in turn produced a fruit of contempt toward cultivators from structured systems.

Just as sect cultivators looked down on rogues as boorish and poor, many rogue cultivators viewed their sheltered counterparts as soft and domesticated who would be unable to survive a single day in their shoes. For some, every danger they overcame only strengthened this belief. A few even took it further, proudly dubbing themselves the true cultivators taking the heavens as their master and the wide earth as their abode.

Yang Qing noticed the three brothers seemed to fall into that group. Though they appeared restrained and deferential on the surface, it was all a pretense. A veiled contempt lingered in their eyes whenever they glanced at him or anyone else in the courtroom.

No wonder they never joined a sect despite their talent, Yang Qing mused. The arrogance that comes from defying death a few times sure is something—but I've never quite understood how that makes them 'true cultivators.' How are they better when the threats they fight tooth and nail to survive are things I could handle with a pinkie in less than a millisecond?

His lips curled into a faint smile as a particular memory surfaced.

That reminds me—what happened to that rogue cultivator in the early stage of the core formation realm? The one Kang Huilang had fight against that intern who was only at the peak of the foundation realm?

A chuckle almost slipped out.

I heard the rogue got beaten black and blue—nearly suffered qi deviation from how serious the beating was. Kang can be insidious sometimes.

Yang Qing's fingers drummed lightly on the podium. Still... seeing these three brothers with their smug airs, even I'm tempted to break their wills in the most insidious ways.

He shook his head, dismissing the thought. Let me be magnanimous for once—seeing as it's my final week in this court.

Pushing the idea aside, he focused back in time to catch Shen Shi's introduction.

"My name is Shen Shi, and these are my brothers, Shen Ding and Shen Tian," Shen Shi said, gesturing toward the yellow-robed man and the brown-patched-robed man, respectively.

"We three brothers are rogue cultivators. To others, it might seem like a path for those with no prospects or a last resort, but to us, it's a gift that keeps on giving," Shen Shi said, his tone carrying a trace of pride.

"We get to travel all over, experience different things, and learn new skills—with the sky as our blanket and the earth as our bed." His lips curved faintly before his expression shifted back to seriousness.

"It was during those travels that we heard about the Earthvine Restaurant while making our way across Red Maple Empire for a job. We decided to patronize the place, enjoy a good meal, and test the effects of the earthvine wood to see if it was as good as they claimed."

He shrugged slightly. "The service wasn't bad—though we've seen better—but I can appreciate that the Earthvine Restaurant doesn't discriminate against who it serves. The food was okay, and as for the earthvine wood, its effects—though minimal on us—could still be felt."

His voice grew smoother, more casual, as he continued. "During one of our discussions as brothers, things got heated, and before we knew it, our passionate natures led us to trade blows. But we didn't use much force," he said, holding up a hand in mock defense.

"We were mindful of where we were and restrained most of our abilities—seeing as only the table broke is a testament to the truth of my statement." His smile turned wry, as if he found the whole thing ridiculous.

"However," he added, his tone sharpening just a bit, "despite us holding back, the earthvine table broke way too easily. Isn't something touted with so many great effects meant to be resilient—even against the attacks of a core formation expert?"

His fingers tapped lightly against his arm. "We couldn't make heads or tails of how something that is at least of sky rank broke at the slightest of our attacks. But since we were at fault, we agreed to compensate for it."

The lightness in his voice faded, replaced by quiet indignation. "Yet the owner claimed it was worth 15,000 mid-grade spirit stones. Clearly, he was trying to take advantage of us, likely assuming we were rogue cultivators who wouldn't be informed on certain matters."

"Judge Yang Qing," Shen Shi began, his tone calm but edged with underlying discontent, "my brothers and I truly do not believe that table was made of true earthvine wood. We may not have seen one ourselves, but we've encountered other sky-rank woods—like condor's caller wood, ghost stream wood, and even the thunder-thorn tree."

He shook his head slightly. "All of them could withstand an attack from an early-stage core formation expert without issue. But I'm supposed to believe that earthvine wood broke from an attack that wasn't even at the core formation stage?"

He sighed, his voice softening as if trying to appear reasonable. "Not wanting to cause a commotion, we chose to compromise and offered to complete a job for him. However, he insisted that we lend our services for a month to make up for the so-called 15,000 mid-grade spirit stones."

A hint of irritation slipped through as he continued. "But the math didn't add up. We are three core formation experts at the 4th level and our combined strength is comparable to someone at the 7th level or even 8th if we risk our lives. How could our worth amount to only 500 mid-grade spirit stones a day? The going rate for someone of our level of strength should at least be ten times that figure."

He let the weight of those numbers hang in the air before finishing, "When we pointed this out, negotiations broke down, and here we are."

His expression grew solemn as he lowered his head. "I implore you, please.. please look at this case fairly. Despite being conned by the owner, we didn't act out and even tried to reach a peaceful resolution. But the owner kept pushing and pushing, trying to take advantage of us, all just because we're rogue cultivators."

Pausing briefly, he raised his head slightly, his voice carrying a quiet but firm conviction. "We trust the court to be fair in this matter and show the world that no matter whether you're royalty or a commoner, justice is served equally." With those words, he performed an even deeper bow.