I Am Still Wu Dalang

Shen Yan, a programmer at a major tech company in the Bay Area, wakes up one day as Wu Dalang. No system, no magical powers, no transformation. Wu Zhi's stature, strength, and circumstances remain unchanged. To make matters worse, he knows that Wu Song will return, the bamboo pole will fall, Ximen Qing will appear, and the original Wu Dalang will eventually die from a bowl of poison. He can do accounting, streamline processes, and set rules, but he can't forge steel or make guns, nor can he make people a thousand years ago live by his principles. So, starting with two-cent sesame cakes, he turns a small stall into a trade route, and each clean transaction becomes an ever-growing network of relationships. Pan Jinlian may not love him, and Wu Song may walk his own path. From the streets of Yanggu to the turmoil of Liangshan, and then to the southern crossing of the Jingkang era. When rules bring wealth, and wealth becomes power, Shen Yan ultimately faces the question: will he become another Ximen Qing who is better at reasoning? — Description from novelcodex.org