Capítulo 26: Ace Instructor

"With this, I vow to be loyal to the clan, to uphold righteousness, and to honor my comrades. Should I break this oath, may I suffer the punishment of three blades and six stabs."

After our solemn pledge, I and the two young people next to me—who seemed about sixteen or seventeen—had officially become part of the Dragon Head Clan. In truth, it wasn't as dramatic as the whole live as a Dragon Head member, die as a Dragon Head corpse sentiment made it seem.

For newcomers like us, loyalty was more about showing respect and keeping up appearances. Even within the clan's upper ranks, there were guest advisors, who came and went freely. But, judging from the sparkle in her eyes, the girl chattering next to me clearly took every word of that oath to heart.

"Brother Han, Gao—let's look out for each other as family from now on." said the girl with a bright smile. Her name was Ye Luoqui, and from what I'd gathered, she was another recommended candidate in the Earth Hall, just like me.

She was lively and straightforward, the kind of person you couldn't help but like. Beside her was a bookish-looking teenager named Gao Yan, trying hard to keep his excitement in check.

This kid was impressive; he'd passed the scholar's exam at just sixteen, a rarity in these parts. Unlike us, he was a Dragon Head insider, born and bred.

The induction ceremony we'd just completed wasn't something every Dragon Head recruit experienced.

Most lower-ranking members were just peripheral affiliates, not full-fledged clan brothers. Only after a probationary period could they formally join one of the Dragonhead's thirty-six halls.

Despite that, the clan still had thousands of official members. We three had been fast-tracked, skipping the usual vetting for outsiders with no connections or standout skills.

And after a week of waiting in the Earth Hall—a department handling the clan's finances—I finally understood just how influential our backers were.

In this hall, money was everything, and that meant it worked closely with Celestial Hall, which managed internal inspections, and Merchant Hall, the trading arm. As for me, my job was straightforward enough: accountancy.

The past week had been a crash course in Dragon Head bookkeeping basics. Gao Yan and I had spent most of our time cross-referencing ledgers, the dullest part of any financial operation.

But as tedious as it was, I had a secret edge—modern math and university statistics. The real challenge for me was that this Han couldn't read, and squinting at these scrolls with no punctuation was giving me a serious headache.

Luckily, Dragon Head's accounting was still stuck in single-entry bookkeeping, a method I remembered from long ago.

With a few basic principles of double-entry bookkeeping up my sleeve, I was ready to flex some of my transmigrator skills. Meanwhile, poor Gao Yan was struggling.

Although the Empire's exams included arithmetic and law, their focus was heavy on politics, essays, and poetry.

As a newly minted scholar, Gao had initially offered to help me decipher all the obscure terminology, but after I got the hang of it, I left him eating my dust.

Realizing my sudden leap from total newbie to ledger pro, Gao Yan started calling me Brother Han with sincere admiration. It helped that the Empire's script was standard enough for me to understand, though the writing style took some getting used to.

With so many familiar elements in this world, I couldn't help but wonder how it all connected to Earth.

A week later, I was settled into Room Eleven of the Earth Hall's B-level offices. It was a modest storage room lined with shelves full of ledgers and records.

Having finished twice my daily workload early, I kicked back in a cushioned chair with a cup of green tea and scribbled a few more notes on my Han-Style Accounting Method 1.0. My goal? Introduce double-entry bookkeeping.

After that, I'd work on a debit-credit system and make sure I had Han-Style Accounting Method 3.0, 4.0 lined up, to leverage every last bit of my knowledge.

Ideally, I'd gain enough influence to hold a stake in any financial reforms based on these methods. Imagine that—leaving my mark on an entire world by advancing its economy.

Three days ago, the accounting manager was so impressed by my efficiency that he bumped my salary from two taels of silver to five. And once the Han-Style Accounting Method 1.0 was in full swing, a promotion to mid-level supervisor wasn't far-fetched.

"Supervisor Han, could you look over this? I'm a bit confused," said Ye Luoqui timidly, holding a scroll of records.

She was still a complete beginner, her strengths lying in martial arts and literature rather than in dry calculations and detailed record-keeping.

I wondered what the HR department of Earth Hall had been thinking, hiring someone with zero background in finance. Then I remembered: she has connections.

I put down my tea and said, "Hey, no need to call me supervisor. That sounds ancient. Just call me Brother Han or Han Liang. Where are you stuck?"

She pointed out a few places in the records, visibly frustrated. I glanced over them, calculated mentally, and quickly corrected the errors.

"Wow, Brother Han, how are you so skilled?" she asked with wide-eyed admiration. "Gao is one of the smartest people I know, but he can't breeze through these like you."

From across the room, Gao Yan sighed. "I've told you a dozen times—don't compare me to Brother Han. That's asking for trouble."

With a chuckle, I glanced down at my nearly completed accounting manual. These two, despite their talent, had little experience dealing with people and trusted me quickly.

Gao Yan, though from humble origins, had a father who was a mid-level officer in the clan and was considered a rising star. His childhood friendship with Ye Luoqui meant I'd also learned quite a bit about her background.

It turned out Ye Luoqui's family was well-connected. Her father was an elder, and her mother, a guest expert from Sword Palace, was a revered martial artist. Growing up in the elite circle of Dragon Head's little princesses, she was refreshingly sincere and unpretentious.

If my Han-Style Accounting Method were backed only by an outsider like me, it might be dismissed as a mere novelty. But with the elder's daughter on board? That would lend it serious credibility. With that in mind, I warmly motioned for them to come closer.

"Luoqui, Gao, I have something to discuss with you."

After they both sat down, I pitched my idea. "You've seen my math and accounting skills these past few days. What do you think?"

The two exchanged glances, and Gao Yan spoke first. "Brother Han, my father once worked in the Earth Hall and consulted many teachers. But you're the most… natural bookkeeper I've ever seen."

Ye Luoqui's eyes sparkled with admiration. "Yes, Brother Han. I still can't understand how you can look at a page and figure it all out."

Smiling, I replied, "You're too kind. Honestly, my skills come down to two things. First, I'm gifted in mathematics, so that part's hard to replicate."

"But the second reason is my unique approach to learning and problem-solving. This mindset can be taught, making math and bookkeeping much easier for anyone willing to learn."

Gesturing to my notes, I continued, "I'm compiling my ideas in a manual called The Han-Style Accounting Method. It might sound ambitious, but it could revolutionize accounting across the Empire. Before submitting it to the clan, though, I'd like to teach it to you two first. If it works, then I can back up my proposal with real results."

"It's a new way of accounting, so it'll require some fresh knowledge. I'll teach you my math techniques too—trust me, with a bit of effort, you'll breeze through these ledgers." Gao Yan, ever eager, jumped in. "If you're willing to teach me, I'm all in, Brother Han."

Ye Luoqui hesitated. "I want to learn too, but I'm not confident with numbers. Are you sure it's okay?"

I smiled confidently. "Don't worry...", 'After six years of tutoring back on Earth,' "...I'm practically a pro at teaching math. Three weeks until the end of the month is plenty. By then, Gao will be proficient in entry-level accounting and the Han-Style Method, while you'll at least have a good foundation, Luoqui."

With that, we started daily half-hour math lessons after work. I took on their workload for the time we spent in lessons, which was easy given my efficiency.

As for perks, I received my first major benefit beyond room, board, and pay: free access to the Dragon Head's basic martial arts manuals, Dragon Fist and Dragon Head Breathing Method.

The names sounded fancy, but the techniques were simple—Dragon Fist consisted of four combat moves and four conditioning exercises, while the breathing method was basic, focusing solely on sensing and strengthening inner energy.

Sure, Dragon Fist didn't seem that advanced compared to the martial arts I'd learned back on Earth, but given this world's unique principles, I figured I'd stick with it.

The breathing technique, however, was intriguing—if I could cultivate a real qi sense, it'd be a breakthrough. Rain or shine, I dedicated two hours daily to practice.

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