Augustus's voice was sincere as he said, "So as long as you remain diligent and hardworking, you won't be far from him. Besides, your goal is not Arthur. Your goal is helping the family to grow stronger. As long as you can achieve that, everything will be fine."
Tyson heard what they said, but his mood only improved a little. His mood didn't improve much because he didn't believe them.
After all, they are his parents. They are supposed to say nice things about him. That doesn't make what they say true.
He sighed and got up from his seat. Then he went to his room with his head held down. It was clear that he was sad.
This sight hurt Lady Delia. It was painful to see her usually cheerful and happy boy so sad and depressed. She finally understood the extent of the damage to his self-esteem that Arthur's news had brought.
Lady Delia wanted to follow him and console him, but she was held back by Augustus. She was only at the second transformation of the first mortal after nearly ten years of breaking through to the second mortal coil. So she couldn't break herself free from Augustus's grip.
She could only watch him go helplessly. She called out to him, "Whatever happens, I will be proud of you, son."
Then she turned to Augustus and snarled at him, "Why don't you let me go to console my son?"
Augustus was frank with her. He said, "Because I don't trust your mouth. I don't trust that you won't say the wrong thing. Besides, nothing good you say will be of help right now."
Before she got angry at him, he explained to her. "We are his parents, so whatever we say will only go through one ear and come out through the other. He won't believe us when we praise him because it is our job to praise him and because he has heard too many praises from us."
"Our praises and assurances can only make him doubt his judgment. They will only make him consider that he isn't so bad. That is already good enough, as it will give him a chance to turn things around and realize that he isn't so bad."
"On the other hand, if you say something bad about him, it will confirm what he already thinks about himself. If his own mother says he isn't good enough, then he truly believes that he isn't."
"When I compared the benefits and the detriments of your going to speak with him, I decided that we've done enough and it wasn't worth the risk. There is just too much to lose and very little to gain."
Then he asked her, "What do you think?"
She didn't reply because she didn't have anything convincing to say in her favor. She has things to say, but it is uncertain that they will beat what he said. So rather than take the risk of losing further, she decided to give up now.
But she didn't like her silence even more because it proved exactly what he just said. So she snorted and jerked her hand away from him.
This time, he let her go. So she was able to march away from him in anger.
As she left, she said, "Anyway, you have five years to give me another child. I want another child before Tyson leaves for the sect."
She wants another baby both for the companionship and for another chance to get at Vena. The companionship is the most important reason because Augustus doesn't interact with her much, and she doesn't want to be alone in a big house all by herself.
Augustus chuckled and said, "If you say so. You're the one who is going to do most of the work anyway. If you want another child, then you should get one."
He is willing to give her another child because he feels like he owes her that much. He knows that he doesn't interact with her much. It is because he is always cultivating in a secret room somewhere.
It is at special occasions like this, when something important like the visit of an elder of the family occurs, that he leaves his cultivation room and sees his wife. So he feels that he owes her.
Besides, he also understands that it is a good thing to provide offspring for the family and that this is the best time to do so.
Just like Delia, he also understands that another child is another opportunity for the family to gain a talented child. Even if the child isn't talented enough to enter a sect, he will be satisfied if the child can reach the third mortal coil and consolidate the power of the family.
He aims to reach the third mortal coil himself. The attempt is dangerous, and he could die during the breakthrough. If he dies, then his child can take his place.
So his reproduction is him helping the family. At the very least, it is paying the family back by giving them another seed that can grow and lift up the family. And since his wife is also open to the idea, there is no reason not to try it.
He said to himself, "It shouldn't take a lot of work. One month should be good enough. I can give up that much time for my family."
He is already calculating how much time it will take for his wife to conceive. He cares about cultivation that much. Every moment that he is not cultivating has to be accounted for or he won't feel comfortable.
His estimate of one month is not an understatement. In fact, it can take a week or a day. This is because those at the second mortal coil are very fertile.
Because of the increase to vitality and life force, women at the second mortal coil rarely menstruate. They ovulate a single egg, and the egg remains viable for a very long time.