Chapter 36: The Battle Ignites Once More

"...This..."
Seeing the situation before them, everyone's faces turned ashen.
All eyes turned, almost in unison, to Guo Pengcheng.
As the saying goes, every debt has its debtor.
He had instigated this matter; he had rallied everyone together.
Now, with everything unraveling so suddenly, he had no choice but to speak up!
They did not dare to confront Little Slant-Eye directly, but pushing Guo Pengcheng to the front—this they had the courage to do!
"Brother Yan, let's talk things over, all right? There's no need for our brothers to start a fight, is there?"
Guo Pengcheng was at a loss.
He braced himself and stepped forward.
While the others were inwardly anxious, he was utterly terrified.
Of all of them, he was the most timid, the quickest to back down.
His fear of Little Slant-Eye came from deep within his bones!
But he had no choice.
He knew that if he didn’t step forward now, his stall would never appear in the market again!
Besides, he felt responsible—he was the one who had set this in motion with Little Slant-Eye.
He thought, perhaps, in this situation, he could have a bit of say.
But who could have anticipated—
"All right, Guo Pengcheng, out of respect for you, I’ll hold back! But my respect doesn't come cheap! So, you take the lead—set an example! Starting now, lower your prices immediately!"
"What!"
Guo Pengcheng broke out in a cold sweat.
Wasn’t this pushing him into the fire?
If the others didn't follow suit and only he stood off against Chai Yanfen, it would be suicide!
She had already turned a profit, while they would start off with losses!
At this rate, they could lose everything and still not do her any harm!
"Heh, as long as you're the one in front, we're safe, aren't we?"
The others looked on with schadenfreude.
Having Guo Pengcheng lead the charge was the same as having him take all the bullets for them!
Maybe, before he lost everything, Little Slant-Eye would let Chai Yanfen go.
In that case, they wouldn’t bleed out their own fortunes!
With these thoughts, everyone relaxed a little.
But—
"You’re all the same. As soon as Guo Pengcheng drops his prices, the rest of you follow immediately! Otherwise, none of you will ever do business in this market again!"
Little Slant-Eye’s next words caused an uproar.
"Why?"
"Yeah, why should we do this?"
"Are you trying to force us to lose everything?"
A price war—if you can fight, you fight; if not, you pull out.
There’s no need to risk your life over it.
Especially when it’s their own lives on the line!
Little Slant-Eye looked at the scene, nearly out of control.
Bang!
He slammed his hand on the chair and stood up.
"What, you still have objections? Don’t forget, this is Brother Huazi’s order—my boss! He wants you all to work together to bring down Chai Yanfen. Do you dare defy him?"
Everyone froze, finally understanding.
Huazi wanted them to stake everything they had to take down Chai Yanfen!
Even if it meant losing everything, it was a price he was willing to pay!
But what had Chai Yanfen done to offend this boss, to provoke such ruthless revenge?
And yet—
The methods of this boss were downright despicable!
The cost, after all, was their own livelihoods!
Now, regret filled them all.
They should never have gotten involved in this dispute!
Now, even extricating themselves was a distant hope.
As everyone hesitated, wavering—
"What now, are you still reluctant?"
Little Slant-Eye’s sinister voice rang out again.
Whoosh—
His eight henchmen pressed in, weapons gleaming.
Some already brandished large, sharp blades.
At this, everyone fell silent.
They glanced at each other.
Finally, all eyes returned to Guo Pengcheng.
Little Slant-Eye wanted him to take the lead, after all.
Once he moved, the others could follow.
"You know, you’re the ones stuck with a backlog of unsold clothes. If you stall any longer, you might not even get a chance to sell them! Think about it carefully!"
Little Slant-Eye, seeing their fear, shifted to a tone of heartfelt persuasion.
But they knew exactly what he meant.
If they delayed any longer, and Little Slant-Eye decided to play dirty, they would never be able to set up shop again!
All their stock would be dead weight in their hands!
It was over.
They had truly boarded a pirate ship this time!
Any hope of profit, any fantasy of making a fortune with Little Slant-Eye, was nothing but their own naïve wishful thinking!
All the hopes they held onto, the expectation that Little Slant-Eye would come and uphold justice for them, were now dashed to pieces!
They realized now that they had walked right into a trap!
Their only option was to grit their teeth, sell off their stock, and keep fighting, hoping to recover at least a little money!
"Any more objections? If not, get to work! Delay one more moment, and this will be your end!"
Seeing their inaction, Little Slant-Eye lost all patience.
The moment his words fell—
Crash, clatter!
His eight henchmen swept Guo Pengcheng’s stall clean, turning it upside down.
Clothes of all kinds fluttered in the wind—thin shirts and socks scattered everywhere.
"My goods!"
Guo Pengcheng snapped out of his daze, waving his arms frantically, but he couldn’t catch a single stocking.
In that instant, he had lost at least three hundred yuan!
The others, seeing this, dared not delay any longer.
If they sold, they might salvage something.
If they resisted, their stalls would be smashed and they’d be chased out of the market!
Their own greed had led them into this mire.
Now, regret was useless.
They could only obey Little Slant-Eye’s orders and begin a new round of price cuts.
Meanwhile, Wu Ya had returned to Chai Yanfen’s stall.
"Heh, Sister Chai, they’ve started lowering their prices again?"
"Yes, I’m selling at twenty-eight, they’re selling at twenty-five! Losing fifteen yuan per item—are they crazy? Just watching this, my heart aches for them!"
Chai Yanfen’s face was full of anguish.
They were all small business owners, eking out a living in the market.
Even if they had acted unscrupulously first, she still felt a pang of sympathy.
"Sister Chai, everyone has their own path. It’s not for us to decide! If they were in control now, do you think they would show you mercy? So, drop your price now—cut off all their escape routes!"
Business is war.
Once the battle begins, the other side is the enemy!
Wu Ya would not hold back simply because the others risked losing everything.
As he said himself, if those six had the upper hand, what would become of Chai Yanfen?
Her fate would be miserable indeed.
Unless they were utterly defeated, left with nothing, they would never truly feel pain.
Moreover, unless they were too weak to fight back, Little Slant-Eye would never lose control.
Forcing him to desperation—that was Wu Ya’s true goal!
"All right! I’ll do as you say—I'll lower my prices at once!"
With Chai Yanfen’s declaration, a storm of price cuts swept through the market!
School uniforms had become dirt-cheap overnight!