The battle of being adored.

[ Which can be tiring in and of itself! ]

Dare? [ If I trip over anymore truths, I'm really going to feel bad!! ]

Thank you.

[ He bows slightly. ]

This humble one can't always be the aloof, cold cultivator. Sometimes, a person can only learn what is right and wrong through force. [ Sometimes, you just gotta beat someone's ass into the ground. ]

But also, it helps against disciples that are out causing trouble.

Well...

[ What can he say? The original Shen Qingqiu was a shit! He let his disciples bully and pick on others because it gave the villain a thrill to watch others being kicked down in the mud. Of course, he would have trouble with disciples from time to time until they learned there was a new sheriff in town! ]

Unfortunately, I was too lenient in the past and so they needed to be reigned in. They had gotten it in their heads that they could act as they pleased.

No, no. I'll tell you for free.

They did wish to learn, but... [ Best explain that part, huh? ] The Peak that I command is the second most powerful in the sect. While disciples there wish to gain their own immorality, they could also feel ... self-important.

[ He let a sigh out. ] Since it caused bullying, occasionally, it would have to be running around the peak multiple times, writing down the rules of the sect, or stopping them from harming others with more physical means.

[ No, no, not abuse of disciples, okay?! ] Using a leaf filled with energy to leave a small cut on their hand or face just as they were going to strike someone else... that sort of thing.

[ That is giving me way too much fucking credit.

He just stopped them from being little shits as young pre-teens tend to be. They were at the age where they wanted to throw rocks at each other because pain to others is cool! He didn't think that he did anything too amazing other than have them shape up and see them slowly become less like hellions. ]

I wouldn't say that it was much joy in having to discipline. If I'm honest, I'd rather not discipline anyone at all. [ He lets out a small sigh. ] People are going to make mistakes and have to learn them. On a mountain, it's harder to find those lessons than when one is out in the world. It means the teacher has to be a cold person at times.

[ It's not really that glamorous! ] Certainly, it is good to see them grow, but ... if they were not with me, I'm sure they would have learned how to become such wonderful people on their own. [ Which is to say, I'm just the training wheels and they were the bike the entire time? I guess? This is an analogy I regret. ]

Isolating oneself from the world is good for cultivation but makes things strange for those growing up in it. [ Is pretty much the takeaway! ]

[ That's a good fucking question. He doesn't know how the original Shen Qingqiu was taught. The backstory of a scum villain is rarely one anyone wants to hear. But he does know his own. ]

I was taught in a similar manner, yes. [ Private tutors FTW! The joys of being a rich kid. ] As for why perpetuate and continue ... it's the way of the sect. The sect wishes to cut a person off from the material world. It is a means to cut away the desires a person would have.

[ He shrugs. ] The path to a righteous, pure, and noble cultivator is not an easy one. Those that come into the sect are usually young ... around thirteen-years-old. To tell a young teenager that they should not be boastful, not hold status over others, not throw rocks at others... there are only a few children that are so good.

[ He chuckles. ] So, I don't blame them. It's quite a tall order to ask. But they shouldn't expect not to get scolded for it and set right.

It is the perfect age to begin cultivating. [ His hands open in light surrender as he continues to explain. It does seem rather young, right?! That's why the person looking after them has to be both firm and kind at the same time! If they aren't, those kids are going to grow up rotten! He feels a fiery determination to not let that happen to his precious disciples. ]

And generally speaking, no.

[ He lightly shakes his head. It sadly isn't like a private boarding school! ] That is why the relations in the sect are so ... close. It's why we call ourselves sect brothers and sisters when there is no blood necessarily shared between us. It's why the disciples call the other elders "uncle" and "aunt."

Their old life is not closed to them and many keep connections to their family, but also ... they've gained another family that loves and worries for them just as much.

In the sect, yes. There was only one person I called "older brother," but everyone else was "little brother" or "little sister." [ He laughs a little before letting out a little sigh. And for the sake of what he's saying, it's easiest to put it that way rather than explain all the naming schemes within the sect.

Besides, there is a much more important thing to say. ]

Family isn't always the one that you are born with but the one that you find.

[ Hearing her longing to have a big family, he can't help but want to offer her the small hope that something like that is not impossible. She could find her own family -- certainly, there will be people who would love to call her "big sister." ]

I guess we're becoming a couple of old people reminiscing about our family.

[ He laughs a little -- it's warm and bright. His chin lifts just before his head tilts in confusion at her apology. Waving his hand dismissively, he can't say that he misses them but it isn't for a cold reason that he is not feel the pain of being separated. ]

No. I don't miss them at all, because we're still connected to one another. [ Ah, how to put it? ] It's a feeling like no matter how far apart that we are that we will one day be together. Rather than missing... I suppose there is an itchy feeling of anxiety at hoping to see them soon.

But ... I am enjoying myself here, too. I will have many stories to be able to tell them when I return of the wonderful people that I met. [ Another smile. ] But it would be nice if you were able to meet them, too. I wonder who would most likely travel through ... [ He frowns as he wonders if it would be Airplane. His fist clenches as his head drops as he finds the man to be overly shameless and embarrassing. All those warm feelings... give them back to me! ]

Ah, it is my shidi that I am concerned about...

[ He clenches his fist like he means to punch through the dimensional walls that separate him from Airplane -- so he can land a strike right across the man's face! ]

A shidi is a martial younger brother. [ Shen Qingqiu almost launches into a lesson of words, but decides to scrap that to talk about Shang Qinghua, also known as Airplane-bro. ] He is someone that is ... without shame or dignity. This humble one cares about him as someone that understands the trials that I am going through... but as a fellow countryman, he sometimes leaves much to be desired.