---Being seen by others as weaker than you were... was the key to living well.
The difference was that Onya was not an ancient cultivator 'being a child' for the benefit of adults who would find it charming as she spun schemes (*innocent* pranks of the small sister aside). She simply was a child, all the way down. The sort of kid who didn't want to *hurt* people and who liked all the happy noises they made, like when she told the boy holding her something and he guffawed out loud.
In comparison, the ancient cultivator was more like someone who grew into those qualities deeper inside her first life. She held no particular joy for others in her youth, even if she wouldn't go out of her way to harm someone - because she found no joy in causing pain or distress. That too… changed a little bit later on, at least in the sense that she gained an appreciation for doing what needed to be done for vengeance to be sated.
"Elua!"
"Coming."
