Chapter 50
Xie didn't refuse. Setting up formations was a very easy thing to do, so finding a master was the safest way to get started.
In the next few days, he followed Jing Xiebai to learn how to set up the formation. Lu Jueqiu and Shi Ming were responsible for monitoring Chen Shan. Occasionally, a few blurry photos would be sent to them.
"Do you feel any changes in Chen Shan?" Xie printed out all the photos from the past few days and lined them up on the table.
Chen Shan almost always goes out late at night, and the dark tones and strange shooting angles make Xie feel like he is catching a fugitive.
"What's the difference?" Shi Ming leaned over the table and looked back and forth several times, but couldn't see any difference. He yawned, lay down on the sofa, and started to strike: "My IQ is not good enough, you three come on."
Lu Jueqiu threw a pillow at him and told him to go home.
"What's the difference?"
Shi Ming took the pillow and heard Lu Jueqiu asking the same question. He couldn't help but say, "You're not that smart, and you still have the nerve to criticize me." After saying that, he immediately ran back to the room with the pillow, fearing that he would be caught up by Lu Jueqiu if he was a step late.
"Didn't you see it?" Xie Que raised an eyebrow and overlapped the photos of Chen Shan, showing them to him and Jing Xiebai in turn. "Look carefully, there's a subtle difference."
Jing Xiebai glanced at Xie Que, then looked at the photo twice before finally realizing what Xie Que meant. He explained to Lu Jueqiu, "His back has become hunched, and his overall posture is getting worse. It seems he hasn't had a good time lately."
"What?" Lu Jueqiu frowned, not understanding what Jing Xiebai meant.
"Look carefully." Xie Que took the photo from Jing Xiebai's hand and placed it in front of Lu Jueqiu. He took a ruler and divided Chen Shan's body into three parts: head, upper body, and lower body.
"Look, haven't his proportions changed a bit?" Afraid that Lu Jueqiu still couldn't figure it out, Xie picked out another picture of his back and gave it to him. "This one's a little clearer. Take a closer look."
Lu Jueqiu sat up straight, took the ruler and measured it on the photos. He was a little skeptical: "There are differences, but what does that mean? It could just be that there's something wrong with the photos. It doesn't mean that Chen Shan has changed, right?"
"Are you stupid?" Jing Xiebai asked impatiently, "Think about Chen Shan's current situation?"
Lu Jueqiu rarely refrained from arguing with Jing Xiebai, and answered honestly, "The difficult moment of being interrupted in the middle of a sorcery spell, the backlash becomes more severe day by day, and there's nothing worse than death."
"Is this the only evil technique he has?"
Lu Jueqiu blinked and realized, "His body was also replaced by evil magic."
"That's right." Xie snapped his fingers and casually lifted his bangs, revealing his smooth forehead. After a period of rest, he was in much better shape, his face looked rosy and bright, completely different from the decadent look when they first met.
He continued, "I've been wondering what would happen if he didn't change his body for a while. It seems that if he doesn't change it for a long time, this body will age very quickly."
"These photos were taken in the past week and it's clear he's aging rapidly."
The most obvious sign of aging is physical change, but physical changes are also important. To avoid alerting the suspect, their photos only showed Chen Shan from behind. Although there was still some risk, Xie was convinced of his hypothesis.
"I'll let someone see his front face today." Jing Xiebai added while looking at Xie Que.
Xie Que nodded. Even if Jing Xiebai didn't say anything, he would have spoken. They had become more and more in tune with each other, often knowing what the other was thinking with just a glance. Shi Ming always called them "riddlers", and Jing Xiebai would always curse back.
"When do we start?" Lu Jueqiu handed them a map of the neighborhood. "I had someone draw this map for me. It even has the locations of the pipelines. We can't let Chen Shan get away this time."
"We have to hurry." Xie tapped the table unconsciously. He always felt that something was wrong.
Chen Shan actually stayed so quietly in the neighborhood, not making any moves. How could this be possible? Was this the behavior of someone who suffered backlash day and night? Xie thought about it. If he were Chen Shan, even if there were hundreds of exorcists standing outside, he would not choose to hide at home and die in humiliation.
"What does he do out of the house every night? Are there any shops open after 11 in this old town?" Xie looked at Chen Shan's back in the photo and felt he was still very far away. It was like seeing a light across the ocean. You think it's very close, but in reality, it's a million miles away.
"There aren't many shops around here, right? I remember there's a vegetable market and a few restaurants. The nearest convenience stores are across the street and close at 10 pm." Jing Xiebai had staked out there once, but he didn't dare get too close to the community for fear of being discovered.
"There was no store open at that time, but why was he going out at this time?" Lu Jueqiu touched his chin and decided to send a few more people to wait.
"How many hours does he usually go out?" Xie circled the nearest 24-hour convenience store on the map. "It takes more than ten minutes to get a taxi to this convenience store, right? Not to mention there are so many surveillance cameras on the road. He probably doesn't go to the convenience store."
"He came back in an hour and didn't bring anything home." Afraid of being discovered by Chen Shan, the people he sent would only wait at various points in the community and would not follow Chen Shan.
"He hasn't left the community yet." Lu Jueqiu added, "If he goes out, our people will follow him immediately."
"So that means he's still in the complex, but just happened to be out of your sight?" Xie frowned slightly, his expression darkening. He tossed the map to Lu Jueqiu, "Mark the locations of all the people you sent there."
Lu Jueqiu moved quickly and marked out the positions of all the people in just two minutes.
"They are all residents of the complex. The only one who was still outside at night was a homeless man."
Lu Jueqiu's plan was very meticulous. More than half of the houses in the community were occupied by people he arranged, making it almost airtight, except for one place that was not under surveillance.
"Sewer." Xie Que and Jing Xiebai spoke at the same time.
"There used to be cases of illegal wiring in the old town, and some tenants even stole water and electricity to save on their utility bills." Jing Xiebai quickly retrieved the information. "A few years ago, there were several cases of children accidentally electrocuted and dying, and even children falling into the sewers. That's why the government paid to renovate that area. The sewer entrance is built next to a garbage dump, so ordinary people have to go around the garbage to enter the sewer, which is quite troublesome."
It was too torturous to stay next to the garbage dump in the summer, so Jing Xiebai didn't arrange anyone to guard it.
"Why would he go to the sewer? To compete with rats for food?" Lu Jueqiu couldn't understand Chen Shan's train of thought, and a feeling of being fooled rose in his heart. "He's such a cunning guy. He can get away even if so many people are sent there."
Xie patted Lu Jueqiu on the shoulder and comforted him, "Don't be angry, it's all because Chen Shan is such a cunning person."
Jing Xiebai looked up at Lu Jueqiu, pretended not to care, pulled him away from Xie Que, and sat next to Xie Que himself.
Lu Jueqiu didn't say anything, just rolled his eyes silently and put the car keys that Jing Xiebai had placed on the table into his pocket.
Xie Que naturally noticed the actions of the two. His ears had been burning hot since Jing Xiebai approached him. He didn't even need to think about it, as they must have turned red like liver.
"But, but this also gives us an opportunity." Xie didn't dare to look up at Jing Xiebai who was sitting next to him. He lowered his head and pretended to explain the plan seriously. "After we set up the formation, we don't have to bother luring him out. We can just guard the sewer."
"Yes." Jing Xiebai seemed not to notice that something was wrong with Xie Que. He leaned closer to Xie Que, his body close to him, and the hot air he exhaled hit Xie Que's ears when he spoke.
"It will take about three days to set up the formation. We'll start on the fourth night, okay?"
"Yes, sure." Xie lowered his head and didn't hear what Jing Xiebai said at all.
"Okay, you two go set up the formation." Lu Jueqiu kicked Jing Xiebai and didn't want to watch the two flirting anymore. He walked towards the room without looking back.
"Let me tell you about the formation." Jing Xiebai moved a little further away from Xie Que, giving him some breathing space.
"We can't rush the formation. We have to do it step by step and follow the formation rules. We can't make any mistakes." When it comes to serious matters, Jing Xiebai is still very serious.
"I'll call a few people to help us set up the formation. Don't be nervous when you see them."
"Hmm? Who should I call?"
"A few old Taoist priests." Jing Xiebai didn't introduce them in detail. He hastily drew a formation diagram on a piece of paper and handed it to Xie Que, telling him to remember the diagram.
"The formation is made of cinnabar. This formation must not be stained with blood. If it is stained with blood, it will be activated. Then Chen Shan will definitely be able to detect our plan."
"Won't Chen Shan discover us when we draw the formation?"
"That won't happen." Jing Xiebai smiled proudly, "This formation is very advanced. It will disappear immediately after it is drawn. Unless it is activated by blood, no one will notice it."
"Then this formation is not very suitable for plotting against others?"
Jing Xiebai curled his lips and gently patted Xie Que on the head: "How can it be so omnipotent? This formation can only be seen by exorcists with the Yin-Yang eyes."
"Why?"
Jing Xiebai patiently explained to him: "Orthodox exorcists practice a strange martial art during their training. This technique changes the structure of their eyes, allowing them to see this formation."
Xie Que felt a little nervous after hearing this: "Then I can't see this formation either? What should I do?"
"Don't be afraid, I'm here with you, nothing will happen."
"Okay." After getting Jing Xiebai's assurance, Xie Que felt much more at ease and concentrated on memorizing the formation diagram.
For the next three days, Xie Que was dragged out of bed before dawn every day by Jing Xiebai to draw the formation. He and Jing Xiebai were in charge of the formation at the entrance to the residential complex, and fearing Chen Shan's discovery, they could only leave after dark. Over the course of several days, Xie Que's daily routine had become completely disrupted.
"Hold on a little longer, tonight is the last night." Jing Xiebai stuffed a few candies into Xie Que's hand and patted his head, "Don't be nervous."
"Will Chen Shan go out tonight?" Xie was still a little worried.
"It's hard to say, but he didn't come out on the full moon day last time. Today should be the day when his backlash is the most serious." Otherwise, he wouldn't have been so hasty to act last time and exposed himself.
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