Why do I have so many masters?

Hong Luoyu noticed that the Taoist seemed extremely angry, his pure eyes sharp like a drawn longsword, fixed on him as if ready to pierce seventeen or eighteen holes into his body at any moment. With a dry laugh, he said:

"No, no, don't be so hasty..."

"Staring at me like this, even I, the thief, am blushing..."

"You improper Taoist!"

The Ancient Taoist's mouth twitched slightly, his right hand's five fingers slightly spread, summoning wind and thunder. The faint sound of a sword's hum whizzed, and the sky to one side was filled with deep, purple lightning, dyeing the sky as if a wild dragon was roaring.

"Stop! Calm down!"

"I'll speak, isn't that enough? I'll speak..."

Seeing the Taoist's fingers slightly spread, seemingly about to draw a sword, the hairs on the back of Hong Luoyu's neck stood up. He hurriedly interrupted, seeing the Taoist's gaze sweep over, and promptly said:

"Those are his subordinates."

The Taoist's movements paused slightly, squinting his eyes, he said:

"Go on."

In fact, even before being asked, Hong Luoyu continued, muttering lightly:

"Zhao visitors, adorned in Hu straps, Wu Hooks shining like frost and snow."

"Silver saddles on white horses, galloping like meteors."

"Killing one person every ten steps, traveling a thousand miles without stopping."

"Finishing matters by brushing off the dust, disappearing and hiding one's body and name."

"Zhao visitors, Wu Hooks, white horses, meteors, these were his four elite groups. The arrangement is actually different from Li Taibai's poem. First is called Wu Hook, not a treasured sword, but an iron hook, a large iron hook."

The Ancient Taoist murmured: "Large iron hook..."

"Yes, a large iron hook specifically for snatching souls and lives."

"Wu Hooks in frost and snow, traveling a thousand miles without stopping, those carrying this name are exceptionally skilled in qinggong and proficient in tracking. Of course, compared to me, they naturally fall far short. Back in the day, I..., ahem, I meant to say..."

Hong Luoyu was about to habitually boast, but suddenly saw the murderous intent in the Ancient Taoist's eyes, coughed dryly twice, and then solemnly continued:

"I meant to say, if it's called Wu Hooks in frost and snow, then with white as its mark, no matter what, the right sleeve's front side will be torn off, and there must be a newly added wide white sleeve with the Azure Dragon Breaking Water Diagram on it..."

The Ancient Taoist was silent, silently murmured for a few moments, then waved his hand, dispersing the entwined thunderous light from his palm, saying:

"Go on, what about the other three?"

Hong Luoyu breathed a sigh of relief, and upon hearing this, replied: "Although Wu Hook is the first, the most dangerous is Zhao visitor."

"Zhao visitor is a martial arts expert, skillful in combat, not many, but each is based on the fifth rank, with a strong killing intent, proficient in forming formations to fight against the enemy, claiming one kill every ten steps. If three people join forces, even you and I, with the same level of cultivation, can barely contend and might even be wounded and forced to flee."

The Ancient Taoist's eyes flickered, and he said:

"Back then, the One Sword Life Snatcher, Cloud Visitor, Overturning Heavenly Mountain with the palm, were among them?"

Hong Luoyu raised an eyebrow, suddenly let out a soft 'hmm', sized him up and down, then said:

"You do know a lot indeed."

"This matter should only be known to the elders of the seven sect masters. It seems your sister and you have quite a good relationship, even telling you about such alliances of blood."

"I originally thought the Palace Master of Zixiao Palace on Mount Wudang was a person who keeps their word."

The Ancient Taoist remained composed, and said: "Naturally, my sister wouldn't tell me, but I'm not a fool either. After that day, the seven sects acted several times, subtly targeting these people. I always had suspicions in my heart, but now that you speak of it, it all connects, and the doubts naturally become clear."

"If you don't believe me, I can swear, this matter was definitely not told to me by my sister."

Hong Luoyu looked at him suspiciously, only to see his expression was frank, not pretending, seemingly reluctantly accepting, nodding his head, and said, "If that's the case, then let it be. Actually, one day it'll all be made public, and it's no big deal that you know about it."

"As for 'white horse', it serves as a covert scout, gathering intelligence from around the world. Its true identity is unknown, even to fellow 'white horse', who have contacted them, won't know upon meeting face to face and can't know."

"There's a rumor in Jianghu that when the last mask of 'white horse' is lifted, it is also the time of their death. Such people can never be seen in the sunlight, not for a lifetime. Their martial arts might not be strong, but their identity is unique, allowing them to possess more information. Some are wealthy individuals in the world, some are officials at court, and some even more exaggerated."

The Taoist raised an eyebrow and said, "Even more exaggerated?"

Hong Luoyu said, "Exactly."

"I remember back in the day, an event in Jianghu where Turkic martial artists invaded, even causing a great stir among foreign guests as well. Who knew that in the end, the greatest leader, the chanyu general, the tribal chief, was actually a white horse under Azure Dragon."

"Who could have known? The devil knows, setting up such a big game."

"Anyway, when I heard about it back then, I nearly pierced my ears deaf."

"As for what Meteor stands for, you should understand... These people are not strangers in Jianghu. As long as you enter the scene, you will definitely hear about their existence."

"To speak of it, back when we, the seven sects, fell out with the Ying family, wasn't it also because someone impersonated a martial artist from the Meteor group and killed important figures from each of the sects, leaving behind a Meteor Order to frame Azure Dragon?"

The Ancient Taoist remained silent for a moment, let out a breath, and said:

"Assassin."

Upon uttering these two words, he seemed relieved, standing motionless in place, staring at the direction of Shaolin Temple's main peak. After a while, he suddenly remembered something and said: "Right, you mentioned your martial uncle, does he have anything to do with this? What's the connection?"

Hong Luoyu fell silent, then slowly said:

"I've already said, if you want to know, you'll have to pay extra..."

The Ancient Taoist, seeing he was unwilling to say more, chuckled and said: "It seems if I want to hear this story one day, I'll have to save up more money."