We Had to Send Them Off to Fix Their Ways in Their Next Life

"I understand. I'll go check how many exits that underground 'rat hole' has. See you in a bit."

With that, the Rakshasa Phantom vanished from the spot with a whoosh. Moving soundlessly among the shadows of passersby, he slipped into the ancient-looking building and began checking all the exits to the Evil Soul Masters' hideout.

Underground...

After slipping through a concealed gap in the floor, the Rakshasa Phantom walked upside down across the basement as easily as if he were on solid ground. It was far larger than he had initially expected.

In the middle of the basement, two hideously ugly Evil Soul Masters were drinking. Though there were only two of them, one fat and one thin, they had filled a whole table with food and were drinking to their hearts' content.

"Hey, brother, what'd you go upstairs for just now?" The skeletal-thin Evil Soul Master gulped down a cup of wine, then asked haltingly to the plump meatball sitting across from him.

"What do you think? I drank too much, so I went up for some air. While I was at it, I picked out a couple of people to bring back tonight as snacks."

"Bring them back tonight as snacks? What are you talking about, brother? We've been drinking since noon. There's no way we'll still be at it tonight!"

"Then I'll use Soul Power to sober up, and we can keep drinking tonight."

"Bullshit. What's the point of drinking if you use Soul Power to sober up? If you ask me, we should drink until we pass out, then sleep straight through till tomorrow. Now that's the good life." The thin Evil Soul Master burped. As if something had just occurred to him, he suddenly stood up and shouted toward the other side. "Oi, you three! Get in here!"

"Yes, sir."

Soon, three masked figures in gray cloaks came through a concealed door on the other side of the basement. The one in front knelt on one knee and respectfully called out to the two Evil Soul Masters. "Great Holy Spirit, Second Holy Spirit, what are your orders?"

"We're running low on snacks. There are plenty of people outside, so you three go grab a couple and bring them down." The fat Evil Soul Master, sitting by the table, jiggled his leg and reminded them nonchalantly, "Hurry up! Got it?"

As soon as the Evil Soul Master finished speaking, the short, thin Grey-Robed Man to the trio's right suppressed his fear and said softly:

"Great Holy Spirit, Second Holy Spirit, but right now..."

"You little bastard! You dare bargain with me?" The thin Evil Soul Master flew into a rage and kicked the Grey-Robed Man, sending him flying several meters. He cursed furiously, "Do you still want to see your families again or not? If you don't, just say so. I'll turn them into wraiths right now!"

The Grey-Robed Man who'd been kicked scrambled over to the fat Evil Soul Master and fell prostrate before him, pleading miserably:

"Great Holy Spirit, I know I was wrong. I'll go grab someone right now."

"Hmph! Get lost!"

With that, the round-as-a-ball Evil Soul Master shook out his cloak and sat back down at the table.

Before long, the Rakshasa Phantom emerged from Qian Yuhan's shadow again and rattled off everything he had found in the underground chamber:

"The Evil Soul Masters' hideout has only two entrances, counting the front door. Both exits have some traps. Those two Soul Emperor Evil Soul Masters are holed up downstairs drinking. The bastard who glared at us earlier is one of them."

"..."

"Then we'll take one each?" Qian Yuhan considered it for a moment and proposed a perfectly fair division. But the Rakshasa Phantom darted his eyes away and, after a pause, added, "Actually, I haven't finished."

"There are also... um, three underlings who seem to have been coerced into going out and grabbing people off the street. But by normal standards... they probably don't count as Evil Soul Masters yet."

"But as the saying goes, better to kill a thousand by mistake than let one slip by. Anyone who'll be a dog for Evil Soul Masters and help them abduct people can't be any good. Old Qian, I say we just kill all three of them along with the others for aiding and abetting them."

"That wouldn't be right." Qian Yuhan shook his head, deep in thought. "Since they aren't Evil Soul Masters yet, that means they can still be saved. We should help them see the error of their ways."

"And what if they refuse to see reason and won't mend their ways?" the Rakshasa Phantom asked.

"Refuse to see reason and won't mend their ways?" Qian Yuhan rolled the words over in his mind. He could tell the Rakshasa Phantom's words carried a deeper meaning—or, rather, were aimed at someone in particular.

"Exactly." The Rakshasa Phantom nodded furiously.

"Then there's no helping it. We can only hope they'll mend their ways after they die and try not to be bad people in their next lives."

"Um... how can they mend their ways after they're dead?" the Rakshasa Phantom asked again.

"..." Qian Yuhan paused, then said expressionlessly, "How they mend their ways isn't our concern. That's for them to worry about. What we have to do is send the Evil Soul Masters and anyone who refuses to mend their ways to their deaths."

"Old Qian, I've gotta say, the way you think these days is more and more to my liking."

Hearing the Rakshasa Phantom's delighted words, Qian Yuhan's eye twitched. He couldn't help laughing in exasperation. "I feel like... this is just how a normal person should think!"

"Then what are we waiting for? Before they get a chance to escape, let's rush into that gloomy basement and hit those two doglike Evil Soul Masters with our fiery combo move!"

With that, the Rakshasa Phantom sprang behind Qian Yuhan and grabbed his shoulders with both hands, shaking him vigorously.

Qian Yuhan raised a hand and swatted away the Rakshasa Phantom's incorporeal hands. With an exasperated sigh, he said:

"Don't rush. Let's make a plan first. I remember you said those two Evil Soul Masters ordered their three... underlings to go upstairs and bring a few people down, right?"

"Right, but what does that have to do with your plan?"

"Everything." Qian Yuhan's lips curled into a strange smile. "Suppose—we're just supposing here—that we let those three people take us inside. Then we wouldn't have to avoid the traps you mentioned at the entrances, would we?"

"That's true. We could do that." The Rakshasa Phantom nodded, then took the idea a step further. "Got it. The first step of our plan is to find the three underlings the Evil Soul Masters sent out and let them take us inside. Leave that to me. I marked all three of them before I came back."

"Exactly. That's the first step of my plan. The second step is the most crucial and important part of the whole thing!"

By then, Qian Yuhan's expression had grown solemn. Even the Rakshasa Phantom became more serious. He widened his eyes and asked gravely, "What's the second step?"

"The second step is to kill those two Evil Soul Masters."