Ledger of Good and Evil

On the very first day after transmigrating, He Wang discovered that all he had left was three copper coins and a Book of Good and Evil that no one else could see, and that scolded him for being poor every day. Good deeds went into the good ledger, evil deeds into the bad ledger. The two totals had to match to balance the books, and every amount balanced became an equal amount of power. Want to get stronger? Sure. First learn to save people while setting them up, and figure out which entry to make first, which one will come later, and when it is most advantageous to offset them.

So he shielded an old tofu seller from a scam, then arranged for the bailiff to be caught red-handed in public. He drafted petitions for people and kept accounts for businesses. Before saving anyone, he asked how many acres their family owned; before lending a hand, he worked out whether that good deed could offset tomorrow's evil one. The ledger kept sneering from the sidelines: bad debt alert, insufficient good deeds, conscience on installment, credit limit nearly exhausted.

Everyone thought he was just a poor scholar with good luck. In truth, he had calculated it all in advance: when a villain struck first, he would take on an evil debt. All he had to do was add a good deed, and the villain's books would collapse out of balance, causing their power to backfire.

Until a flood struck the county, and the ledger revealed an enormous account bearing the names of everyone who knew and failed to report it. He Wang was on the list. To balance it, he would have to stake his own life to make up the good deeds.