"Zhao Feng, no!"
Just as the sword energy flew out, another exclamation rang out.
But it was too late. In the blink of an eye, the sharp sword energy had arrived in front of Lu Qing.
However, perhaps out of fear of hurting Xiaoyan, the sword energy did not pierce his vital points, but instead slashed at his arm.
Amidst gasps of alarm, the sword energy was about to pierce Lu Qing's body.
Suddenly, a slender figure appeared in front of Lu Qing, and with a flick of its tail, shattered the sword energy into pieces.
Then, the figure arrived in front of the youth who had emitted the sword energy in an instant, moving even faster than the sword energy itself.
An incredibly terrifying aura enveloped them, freezing their minds and souls.
Just as the enraged five-colored winged serpent was about to kill the creature that dared to harm its master, it was...
Lu Qing's calm voice rang out: "Five Elements, come back."
The five-colored winged serpent paused. It wanted to kill the arrogant brat in front of it, but its master's orders were absolute.
In the end, it could only give the boy a cold look before returning to Lu Qing's side and concealing its aura.
However, the power that the five-colored winged serpent had just exuded had been completely imprinted in the young man's mind.
Even though the Five Elements had returned, his eyes were still filled with fear.
My body is stiff and my hands and feet are trembling.
In the end, he couldn't even hold the sword properly, and it fell to the ground with a thud.
At this moment, Lu Qing had already released Xiao Yan.
He looked over there and saw several young men and women of similar age standing at the gate of the courtyard.
However, their expressions were now filled with shock.
Especially the way he looked at the five-colored winged snake, it was as if he were looking at some kind of monster, filled with disbelief.
Clearly, they were completely overwhelmed by the aura emanating from the Five Elements.
Even more unexpectedly, this little snake that had always followed Xiaoyan and slept soundly every day could exude such terrifying power.
Could it be that this little snake is actually a spirit beast at the Foundation Establishment stage?
"Xiaoyan, are these your friends?" Lu Qing asked.
Xiaoyan wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes and said somewhat shyly, "Yes, they are friends I made during my travels."
Then she said to the people opposite her, "Senior Brother Zhao, you've misunderstood. This man is not a bad person; he is my [N O V E L I G H T] brother."
elder brother?
The group slowly came to their senses, and then were startled again.
Only then did they notice that Lu Qing and Xiao Yan did indeed look somewhat alike.
This immediately made the group feel awkward.
When the siblings were having a reunion, they inappropriately showed up and disturbed them, even resorting to violence.
This kind of thing goes beyond just being impolite.
The young man who made the move, in particular, wished he could disappear into the ground.
Seeing the awkwardness of the group, Lu Qing smiled.
He said in a gentle tone, "My name is Chen Qing. I greet you all, young heroes. Thank you all for taking care of my sister these past few days."
From the message Xiao Yan sent, Lu Qing already knew that she used the alias "Chen Yan" when she was traveling.
So he simply used an alias, "Chen Qing".
After all, his name is quite eye-catching.
Ordinary cultivators might not know, but many major sects probably already know his real name.
Xiaoyan's name has likely also caught the attention of many people.
That's why Xiaoyan uses an alias when she goes out.
As for the surname "Chen" that was changed, it was taken from the master's surname, so it can't be considered a random change.
"So you are Junior Sister Xiaoyan's brother. I am Mu Tian, and these three are Wu Wenyuan, Qin Wuxue, and Zhao Feng."
Seeing that Lu Qing didn't seem to mind what had just happened, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
The composed-looking young man at the head of the group introduced the names of the group to Lu Qing.
"Greetings, Senior Brother Chen."
The other three bowed to Lu Qing.
Zhao Feng, in particular, blushed deeply and said, "Brother Chen, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. I thought you were... you were..."
Lu Qing smiled and said, "It's alright, you're just worried about Xiao Yan."
Hearing that Lu Qing did not blame them, the group breathed a sigh of relief.
Although in their perception, Lu Qing was only at the Great Perfection of the Innate Realm.
But at this moment, none of them dared to treat him as an ordinary expert in the Innate Realm.
After all, the terrifying aura emanating from the Five Elements was still etched into their minds.
How could someone be an ordinary person to be able to subdue such a terrifying spirit pet?
Thinking of this, the group glanced again at the five-colored winged snake that was fawning over Lu Qing, and at Xiao Li who was curled up in Lu Qing's arms.
They were familiar with Xiaoyan's two spirit pets.
After all, they saw each other every day during the months they were working together.
However, Xiaoyan's two spirit pets are usually very aloof.
The little black beast, in particular, ignored everyone except Xiaoyan.
Even though they had known each other for several months, neither of them had been able to touch them.
Xiaoyan explained that both of these spirit pets were rather shy and disliked being touched by strangers.
So apart from being a little surprised, no one paid too much attention to it.
After all, these two spirit pets were not powerful in their perception; apart from being a little more spiritual, they didn't have many special characteristics.
However, Xiao Yan was seen going out to gain experience, and she even brought two spirit pets with her to keep her company.
This has led many to speculate whether she is the daughter of a powerful and influential family.
Who would have thought that the little snake, which was usually inconspicuous and spent its days curled up in Xiaoyan's hood and sleeping, could exude such a terrifying aura?
Just now, when the five elements unleashed their power, they genuinely thought they were about to die.
Now everyone understood why the Five Elements usually ignored them.
This wasn't shyness at all; the other party was a powerful spirit beast whose strength far surpassed theirs.
How could such beings possibly take them seriously?
Since the Five Elements are so terrifying, Xiao Li, who occasionally swats at it, must also be extraordinary.
The fact that he could take such a powerful spirit beast out for training, plus the fact that he had an equally mysterious older brother, was also remarkable.
Xiao Yan's identity is probably just as they initially guessed.
He is the core heir of a top-tier powerful family.
Their subtle actions naturally couldn't escape Lu Qing's notice.
Even without realizing it, he had already used his supernatural abilities to find out the details of the group.
As Wu Xing mentioned earlier, these people were indeed disciples from various sects.
Furthermore, according to the information shown on the note, they were all righteous disciples, not some treacherous individuals.
However, when Lu Qing saw the message that appeared on the note from the young man named Zhao Feng who had attacked him earlier, he was shocked.
His expression froze for a moment, then a strange look appeared in his eyes.
However, he quickly suppressed that strange feeling and didn't say anything.
"By the way, Senior Brother Mu, is there something you need from me?"
At this moment, Xiaoyan suddenly asked.
"Little Yan, have you forgotten? Today we are going to Qiujia Village to investigate the mysterious disappearances of villagers one after another."
Qin Wuxue, the only woman among the four, spoke.
"Oh right, I almost forgot about that!" Xiaoyan suddenly remembered.
"What about the missing villagers?" Lu Qing asked.
