Jingming Shang was still confused about how Lin Mu actually managed to get in despite the barriers. He could have understood if Lin Mu broke or dismantled the formations, but when he left the building, he was sure that all of the barriers were intact and unaffected.

After thinking for a bit, Jingming Shang decided to let it go and just attributed it to some skill that Lin Mu might have. After all, he had reached the Nascent Soul realm in such a small time. It soul be less shocking that he would have some method like this.

Lin Mu and Jingming Shang discussed a bit more and Lin Mu explained his end of the things and how Gu Yao's plan was working. The alliances, the conflicts, the emperor's sickness, everything was an intricate plan made by Gu Yao with the assistance of the Northern tribes.

"Hmm… now that I think about it, there have been a lot of rumors about the northern tribes in the past few years." Jingming Shang suddenly spoke.

"There are? Surprisingly I haven't heard them at all till now." Lin Mu spoke.

"They are mostly rumors that plague the commoners. They fear that the Northern tribe has already entered the Great Zhou continent and is secretly planning things to destroy it. The sects and cultivators though, think of it as a joke and don't think they would ever be able to enter the continent.

There are even stories of people spotting the spies of northern tribes in various places. But they were easily dismissed and not taken seriously." Jingming Shang said.

Lin Mu furrowed his brows upon hearing this.

"And what did these rumored spies of the northern tribes look like, according to these commoners?" Lin Mu questioned.

"Hmm… all the accounts say that they were wearing thick animal furs on their bodies and had pale complexions." Jingming Shang explained.

A complex expression appeared on Lin Mu's face upon hearing this.

"I'm afraid those are not rumors…" Lin Mu replied.

"Why? Do you know something more?" Jingming Shang questioned.

"I know for sure that they are from the northern tribes… someone I know, someone I trust, has seen them as well. And this was two years ago." Lin Mu answered.

Jingming Shang's face went pale upon hearing it. Unlike the rumors, he would much rather trust Lin Mu about something like this and now that he heard that the northern tribes had truly entered the continent, he was stunned.

"But how can this be possible? The Pear's Belt is very difficult to cross and even then there is the Vermillion legion that guards the passes that allows one to cross over the waist." Jingming Shang questioned, feeling a bit lost.

"If Gu Yao can control the elders and patriarch of the top sects, then controlling some commanders from the Vermillion legion would be far easier. Plus, I think that might have been one of the first things they must have done. 

Once they secure their entry, the rest of the plan would be far easier to do." Lin Mu spoke.

"This Gu Yao… if he can control such strong people,  then isn't everything lost already?" Jingming Shang said, feeling hopeless.

"No, there are still things restricting him. After seeing the technique that he uses, I was able to devise certain limitations that he must have. The very first one that I know is that he can only control a limited amount of people at once and if he wants to let them free from his control, he needs to kill them.

The use of his technique is not instant and needs a lot of preparation. Then there is the fact that it can actually be resisted and people can free themselves from it if they have certain beast bloodlines and cultivation techniques." Lin Mu explained.

Jingming Shang seemed far better after hearing the words of Lin Mu. He at least felt a bit of hope that something could be done and not all was lost.

"So what is it that you want from me?" Jingming Shang questioned.

"You know about Gu Yao and the danger he poses to everyone in this world. I want your help in defeating him and freeing the people under his control. I know this is something I can't do alone and need a lot of allies. 

I know you are someone approved by Old Man Jing Wei and Duan Ke. They are two people I trust the most in this world and if they approve of you; I approve of you as well. Are you willing to join us in resisting and defeating Gu Yao?" Lin Mu questioned.

"I…" Jingming Shang seemed to hesitate and didn't know what to say.

"I'm not too strong to do many things. I won't be able to fight against that many people if it comes to it." Jingming Shang voiced his concern.

"You won't have to. The purpose of the alliance is not to fight Gu Yao head on, rather we need to fight him on all fronts. We need a variety of people that can do different tasks and I believe you can excel at one of them." Lin Mu replied.

"And what task is that?" Jingming Shang questioned.

"One of the basic steps in defeating Gu Yao would be to dismantle his support system. He gets these supplies that help him in his cultivation and increasing the number of people he has under his control. 

I know by now that Gu Yao uses various means to transport them to the place that he resides in and also to the other places that need these supplies. If we take away these supplies, he won't be able to do a lot of things.

I've heard from Jing Wei and Duan Ke that you are a talented merchant. And if you are one, you should be able to see where a certain amount of goods could be heading to and changes in the trade patterns. This is all I want from you." Lin Mu explained, "… and one other thing."

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