Hu Yan had only just entered Qi Refining, so she certainly could not be considered strong among Qi Refining Practitioners.
But she was a Qi Refining Practitioner nonetheless, and one of his own.
In the battle at Ailin, Hu Yan had already proven herself reliable and worthy of trust.
Jiang Che knew his own limits. No matter how highly he was valued or how bright his future looked, none of it changed the fact that he was still an Embryonic Breath cultivator. This journey was to seek his Dao Path into Qi Refining.
Before he truly entered Qi Refining, far too many things could threaten him.
Spending a little of his future earnings to bring Hu Yan along as insurance was unquestionably a great bargain.
Most importantly, she came cheap.
She had been planning to travel and earn money anyway. One destination was as good as another.
After settling things with Hu Yan, Jiang Che did not linger. He headed down the mountain.
Hu Yan did not stay beside him. They could be considered traveling together, but taking separate routes.
Jiang Che had two considerations here. First, there were things he needed to do alone that he would rather his senior sister did not see.
Second, his persecution paranoia had flared up again.
Traveling separately made them less conspicuous. If trouble really arose, if someone truly meant to target him and planned around his being merely at the peak of Embryonic Breath, Hu Yan hidden in the shadows could break their scheme.
Having made himself a hidden trump card, he naturally had no reason to reveal it in a hurry.
So they agreed to travel separately during the day. Each night, she would find the vicinity of wherever he had settled, showing herself from a distance without needing to