True equality only exists when strengths are matched.
Li Qiu had one Golden Core realm cultivator and one practitioner at the Foundation Establishment Stage (Late) on his side, which made them slightly stronger than Lingfeng, who was alone at the Golden Core realm. Consequently, Lingfeng treated Li Qiu with exceptional courtesy.
"Please do not misunderstand, fellow Daoist. Concerned for the safety of my five disciples, I made a special trip to the Gulan Desert that day, only to happen upon the five of them as they were returning. My disciple Fan Zhao shared all his deductions with me. At the time, growing suspicious of that map, he had left it behind in a certain cave, so I went to inspect the cave myself and discovered the map was gone. Suspecting that whoever rescued them might have taken it, I hurried to catch up, tracking the traces left by Huixian Cave and the others..."
Chapter 299