So, no matter how down-and-out William Reynolds's branch became, they still had the right to be the first to retreat, relying on the family's honor.

Moreover, family had always been the kind of sentiment that his father James Reynolds was most proud of. Although William Reynolds disapproved of some of the family’s higher-ups, the deep-rooted sense of family passed down from his father was still strong within him.

Furthermore, in his previous life, after the family’s decline, there was another very prominent issue: the fate of Little Alice. In his previous life, after disaster struck the family, Little Alice ended up in a tragic situation due to a series of mishaps. In this life, William Reynolds would never allow such a tragedy to happen again.

After sorting out his thoughts a bit, William Reynolds felt much clearer.

First, he had to avoid the tragedy of his previous life in the family’s internal evaluation and raise the influence of his branch within the family. Only then could he rightfully enter the mainstream circle at the banquet.

Second, he needed to seek support. And the person he sought support from had to be reliable. This was a major challenge. If he rashly approached someone in the family with influence and told them a great storm was coming, they would definitely think he was crazy and fearmongering.

If he wasn’t careful, he might even alert the enemy.

Therefore, William Reynolds only set his sights on two people. One was his grandmother Harris herself. The other was his cousin Sophia Reynolds, who was also the main person his grandmother was grooming and currently the general manager of the family’s affairs.

He dared not be careless. If he trusted the wrong person at this time, the whole situation could collapse and spiral out of control, repeating the tragedy of his previous life.

Fortunately, his overall plan was now clear. He turned over in bed, and suddenly the corners of his mouth lifted as he smiled and said, “Little Alice, go to sleep now. I’m going to sleep too.”

Outside the door, Little Alice had been sitting on the threshold, propping up her chin, occasionally pressing her ear to the door to listen for any sign that the young master had fallen asleep. When the young master called her out, her face flushed hot with embarrassment. Luckily, no one was around, so she scurried away in tiny steps.

……

That night, William Reynolds slept very soundly. When he got up early in the morning, he felt refreshed and clear-headed.

Little Alice had always gone to bed later than a dog and gotten up earlier than a rooster. When William Reynolds stepped outside his room, Little Alice had already been busy inside and out for quite a while.

She helped William Reynolds comb his hair and get dressed. Behind the bronze mirror, the little maid, being shorter than William Reynolds, had to stand on tiptoe from time to time, which made William Reynolds smile involuntarily.

“Young master, are you laughing at how clumsy I am again?”

William Reynolds was smiling out of happiness. He turned around, tapped Little Alice's nose, and said seriously, “Girl, listen carefully. I will definitely make sure you live a good life—no one can take you away from me!”

He didn’t say this lightly. Before falling asleep last night, thinking of Little Alice's fate in his previous life, William Reynolds felt even more guilty.

In his previous life, after the family’s decline, Little Alice's family came to the door, claiming they wanted to redeem her so she could return home, marry into an ordinary family, and live a stable life. At the time, William Reynolds didn’t think much of it, feeling that since he was already down and out, there was no need to keep a little maid by his side to suffer with him.

Who would have thought that the so-called redemption was just a pretext, and Little Alice was immediately sold to another noble’s son. That noble’s son was notorious for being lecherous and perverse, with a deeply twisted mind.

Knowing she had fallen into that man’s hands, the night before she was sent away, Little Alice used a pair of scissors to slash her own face dozens of times, destroying her appearance. In the following months, her wounds worsened, and she died in misery.

By the time William Reynolds learned the truth, a year had already passed. He was filled with regret, but it was too late.

If he remembered correctly, Little Alice's family would come knocking after his grandmother’s birthday celebration.

That day was also the day Little Alice was pushed into the fire pit.

Although everything from his previous life felt like a dream, William Reynolds knew that if he let things take their course, that nightmare would happen again for real.

Therefore, change had to start now, from every detail around him.

Little Alice had no way of foreseeing the future, so she couldn’t possibly know that the young master’s words were actually the heartfelt promise of someone who had lived two lifetimes.

She was a little confused by what he said, but in her heart, she wasn’t confused at all. A hazy sense of happiness made her feel that, with the young master’s words, even if she died right now, it would be worth it.

After breakfast, William Reynolds headed to the training grounds in the back courtyard.

Thanks to the legacy left by his father, the residence they currently lived in had a very large training ground in the back.

Although he had only been reborn for less than ten hours, William Reynolds felt as if several years had passed. He started with a few sets of basic martial arts to loosen up his muscles and bones.

Standing on the training ground, William Reynolds stretched his arms, feeling the morning sun after his rebirth. It was as if a red sun was rising in his chest, filling him with energy and hope.

The sets of martial arts he had just practiced were only the family’s entry-level techniques, but through them, William Reynolds was able to get a preliminary sense of his current physical condition.

He had to admit, this rebirth was perfect. The resentment and unwillingness from his previous life seemed to have transformed into a mysterious power, awakening the seed of the Dao within him!

In his previous life, at this stage, his cultivation was only at the third level of Martial Foundation.

But now, he found that he had directly broken through the third level’s barrier and, without realizing it, had already reached the fourth level.