I am destroying the protagonist in the fantasy world!

Before Lei Yi recovered from his dispute with Li the Bully, he heard people talking on the street:

"Have you heard? The owner of the grain and oil shop has raised the prices again! A bushel of rice is now more than double the price it was a few days ago!"

"That's right! The cloth shop and the drugstore have also raised their prices! Life is really unbearable!"

"Who says it's not true? It's obvious that someone is manipulating the market behind the scenes and trying to take advantage of the situation!"

Lei Yi's heart tightened, a bad premonition coming over him. He quickly walked up to a complaining citizen and asked, "Father, what's going on with the prices? Why have they suddenly gone up so much?"

The old man glanced at Lei Yi, sighed, and said, "Well, it's because..."

Before he could finish his words, a sturdy arm suddenly covered his mouth. A burly man glared at the old man fiercely, then turned to Lei Yi and said with an apologetic smile, "Sir, please don't listen to his nonsense. This price increase is determined by the market, and there's nothing we ordinary people can do about it."

Lei Yi looked at the man's panicked eyes and his father-in-law's expression of anger but not daring to speak, and he had already begun to speculate. He asked calmly, "Brother, you have a point. However, I still want to know when did the prices start to rise, and by how much?"

"This..." The man stammered and couldn't say a complete sentence for a long time.

Lei Yi didn't force him, but just looked at him quietly, his eyes so sharp that it seemed as if he could see through everything.

The man was frightened by his gaze and was just about to find an excuse to slip away when he heard a familiar voice behind him: "Mr. Lei, why are you here?"

Lei Yi turned around and saw that it was Zhao, the owner of Lai Fu Tavern. He had a sad face and walked towards him with heavy steps.

"Manager Zhao, what's wrong with you? What happened in the tavern?" Lei Yi asked with concern.

Shopkeeper Zhao sighed and said with a bitter face, "Oh, forget it! It's all because of the damn prices! Everything is ridiculously expensive now. My tavern business has plummeted. If this continues, I'll have to close down!"

He grabbed Lei Yi's hand and pleaded, "Master Lei, you helped us solve the water problem last time. Can you help us again this time? Think of a solution!"

Lei Yi patted the back of Shopkeeper Zhao's hand and said soothingly, "Shopkeeper Zhao, don't be anxious. Tell me slowly. What's going on?"

Shopkeeper Zhao finally came to his senses and told Lei Yi in detail about the recent price chaos in the town. Lei Yi frowned after hearing this and thought to himself, "It seems that this matter is not simple..."

He looked up at Shopkeeper Zhao and said in a deep voice, "Shopkeeper Zhao, don't worry, I will get to the bottom of this matter."

After saying this, ignoring Shopkeeper Zhao's grateful gaze, Lei Yi turned and walked towards the grain and oil shop, leaving only a meaningful sentence floating in the wind: "It seems that some people forget the pain after the scar has healed..."

Lei Yi's figure disappeared around the corner, his last words still echoing in the air. Shopkeeper Zhao looked in the direction he left, a glimmer of hope flickering across his previously gloomy face. He knew that if Young Master Lei intervened, things would definitely turn around.

Lei Yi walked along, observing his surroundings. He noticed that not only the grain and oil shops, but other stores were also deserted, as the people suffered greatly from the soaring prices. He walked into a cloth shop, picked up a piece of fabric, and asked the price. Seeing his well-dressed appearance, the owner assumed he was a wealthy young man and asked for an exorbitant price, a full three times the usual price!

Lei Yi put down the cloth and looked at the boss with a half-smile: "Boss, you are really smart in doing business. Aren't you afraid of ruining your reputation?"

The boss was frightened by his gaze and pretended to be calm, saying, "Sir, you're joking. These days, who doesn't do business to make more money? Besides, prices are skyrocketing now, and I can't do anything about it."

Lei Yi didn't expose him, but simply said "Really?" and turned to leave the cloth shop. He knew in his heart that these merchants were just being used as pawns, and the real mastermind behind the scenes was someone else.

Lei Yi walked out of the cloth shop and happened to see Sun the Hunter passing by, carrying a load on his shoulder. Sun the Hunter usually made a living by hunting, a simple but stable life. But since rising prices, his life has become increasingly difficult. He used to be able to trade his game for food and cloth, but now even basic food and clothing are a problem.

When Sun the Hunter saw Lei Yi, he wanted to go up and say hello, but when he thought about what had happened in the town recently, he couldn't help but feel a little resentful. He turned his head away, pretending not to see Lei Yi, and walked straight past him.

Lei Yi naturally noticed Sun Liehu's abnormality, but he didn't say anything. He just sighed silently and continued to move forward. He knew that it was useless to say anything now. Only by finding out the truth as soon as possible could the problem be solved and the people live a stable life.

After several days of covert investigation, Lei Yi finally discovered that the price chaos was caused by a mysterious group of merchants manipulating the market. They obtained large quantities of goods from unknown sources and sold them at low prices, quickly monopolizing the town's market. Once other businesses were forced to close, they began to jack up prices and reap huge profits.

Lei Yi told Shopkeeper Zhao the results of his investigation. After hearing this, Shopkeeper Zhao was so angry that he slammed the table and said, "How can this be! These black-hearted businessmen are simply lawless! Master Lei, you must find a way to deal with them!"

Lei Yi nodded, a cold light flashing in his eyes: "Don't worry, Shopkeeper Zhao, I will never let them get away with it."

He returned to his room and began to think about countermeasures. He recalled the economics knowledge he had learned in modern society, and suddenly an idea flashed in his mind: why not try to use antitrust methods to deal with this group of businessmen?

Thinking of this, Lei Yi immediately wrote down his plan and sent it to several of the largest shops in town...

The next morning, Lei Yi went to the town's teahouse and invited several businessmen who had received the business plan to discuss countermeasures with them. However, when he walked into the teahouse and saw the faces of those businessmen, he suddenly felt an ominous premonition.

"Mr. Lei, we appreciate your kindness, but regarding this matter..." an elderly businessman put down his teacup and said in a heavy tone, "I'm afraid we can't be of much help."

"Oh? What do you mean, Boss Liu?" Lei Yi's expression remained unchanged, and his tone remained calm, as if he didn't hear the evasion in the other party's words.

Boss Liu sighed and looked at the other businessmen present. Seeing that they were all silent, he knew that they were as skeptical about Mr. Lei's plan as he was.

"Mr. Lei, you don't know," Boss Liu said slowly, "the methods you mentioned may work in those big places, but I'm afraid they are not suitable in this small Qingshi Town."

"Boss Liu means..." Lei Yi picked up the teacup and gently blew on the floating tea leaves, seemingly not in a hurry to get an answer.

"Think about it, those mysterious businessmen are very wealthy. How can we, who run small businesses, compete with them? If we do as you planned, I'm afraid we will anger them. Then they will secretly make trouble for us, and we will really lose both the wife and the army!" Boss Liu became more and more excited as he spoke, his tone full of worry and fear.

Lei Yi gently set his teacup down with a crisp clatter, interrupting Boss Liu. "Boss Liu, you're worrying too much," he said, looking around with a determined gaze. "Since I dared to propose this plan, I must have made every possible preparation. I assure you, as long as we work together, we will surely defeat those unscrupulous businessmen and restore Qingshi Town to its former prosperity!"

His words were powerful and full of confidence, but the businessmen present were still looking at each other, obviously not moved by his words.

"Mr. Lei, you're still too young to understand the stakes involved!" A short, fat businessman shook his head. "Those mysterious businessmen are not to be trifled with. If you really go against them, I'm afraid..."

"Boss Wang, there's no need to say more. I've made up my mind." Lei Yi interrupted him and stood up. "Consider today's matter as a favor I owe you all. If you need me in the future, I will definitely help you!"

After saying that, he walked out of the teahouse without looking back. Looking at Lei Yi's receding figure, the businessmen looked at each other in confusion, and finally sighed helplessly.

After Lei Yi left the teahouse, he didn't go directly back to the Zhao family. Instead, he went straight to a secluded forest outside the town. He knew that the mysterious merchants must be there, and he wanted to meet them in person!

"Young Master Lei, we meet again." A cold voice came from the depths of the woods. Lei Yi looked in the direction of the voice and saw a man in black clothes and a conical hat slowly walking out.

"Who are you?" Lei Yi asked coldly.

"Haha, Mr. Lei, don't worry about who I am. You just need to know that we are here to help you make a fortune." The man in black smiled grimly, took out a heavy bag of silver from his arms, and threw it in front of Lei Yi. "As long as you promise not to interfere in this matter again, all this silver will be yours."

Lei Yi looked down at the silver on the ground, then looked up at the man in black, a sneer curling up at the corner of his mouth: "Are you threatening me?"

"You can understand it this way." The man in black made no secret of his purpose. "He who knows the current situation is a hero. Mr. Lei, I hope you won't refuse a toast and then drink a forfeit!"

Lei Yi didn't say anything, but just looked at the man in black coldly, with a cold light flashing in his eyes...

Lei Yi fiercely kicked the silver bag off the ground. It arced through the air and landed deep in the woods with a dull thud. "I, Lei Yi, may not be a gentleman, but I will never go along with you!"

The black-clad man's face darkened, and his tone turned icy. "Young Master Lei, you need to think this through carefully. This is no small matter. Do you really want to risk your life for these irrelevant people?"

"Life? My life has long ceased to be my own." A trace of sadness flashed across Lei Yi's eyes, but he quickly covered it up, "I have made up my mind, no need to say more!"

"Okay, very good!" The man in black laughed in anger, "Since Master Lei refuses to accept my toast, don't blame us for being rude! Let's go!" After saying that, he turned around and disappeared into the depths of the woods.

Lei Yi didn't stop them. He knew this was just the calm before the storm. He had to find the other vendors as soon as possible and persuade them to unite, otherwise the consequences would be disastrous.

Over the next few days, Lei Yi visited the town's small vendors one by one, explaining the mysterious businessman's conspiracy and the importance of uniting to fight against him. However, most vendors, like Boss Liu, were afraid of the mysterious businessman's revenge and did not dare to agree easily.

"Mr. Lei, you don't know that those mysterious businessmen are very vicious. We small business owners can't afford to offend them!" Sun the Hunter sighed and frowned.

"Yes, Mr. Lei, you'd better not worry about it, so as not to get yourself into trouble!" Shopkeeper Zhao also advised earnestly.

Lei Yi looked at the terrified vendors before him, feeling a mixture of emotions. He knew it wasn't that they didn't want to resist, but that they didn't dare. Long-term oppression had robbed them of the courage to resist.

"Everyone, I know you're afraid. I'm afraid too." Lei Yi took a deep breath and spoke sincerely, "But if we don't unite now, when those mysterious merchants completely control the market in Qingshi Town, we won't even have a place to cry!"

His words seemed to touch the hearts of the vendors. They looked at each other, and hesitation and struggle began to flash in their eyes.

Meanwhile, deep in the woods, a man in black was respectfully reporting to a masked figure. "Your Excellency, Lei Yi is being stubborn. What should we do?"

The masked man sneered, his tone filled with disdain. "A mere Lei family dares to oppose us? They're truly overestimating their own capabilities! Since they refuse to cooperate, don't blame us for being ruthless..." He paused, a sinister glint in his eyes. "Pass the order down. Increase the purchases. No matter the cost, we must drive prices in Qingshi Town out of control!"

"Yes!" The man in black took the order and disappeared into the night.

Lei Yi stood at the entrance of the Zhao Family Tavern, gazing at the dark night sky in the distance. A sudden sense of unease welled up in his heart. He knew a bigger storm was coming, and he wasn't ready yet...

"Mr. Lei," Shopkeeper Zhao walked up to him and handed him a glass of wine, "What are you worried about?"

Lei Yi took the wine glass but didn't drink it. He just shook his head slightly, "I always feel that this matter is not that simple..."