Yan Qingsui looked deeply aggrieved by what Qiao Ranran had said. "I don't know either! I fell into this place for no reason, and before I could figure out what was going on, these people chased me the whole way. I thought it was strange too! You know how honest I am. I never provoke anyone! And the strangest thing is, these people know me too well. They're scarier than fighting myself."
Sword Venerable Jinglin had a small illusory training formation. Anyone who entered it faced themselves, and Yan Qingsui often trained there. As he put it, a cultivator's greatest opponent on the path to advancement was himself. What had happened today had nearly shaken that belief.
"They aren't human anymore."
Yan Qingsui stared. "What did you say?" Not human?
Qiao Ranran nodded. "Pei Ling said they're puppets, made from living people. From the looks of it, they all came for you. That's why I asked if you'd offended anyone lately!"
"P-puppets?" Yan Qingsui nearly stammered. The news was too shocking. "That can't be right. I've never even heard of puppets made from living people. They must be rare, and making them must be a lot of trouble. So this definitely isn't because I offended someone recently! Wait, no—I haven't offended anyone before either!"
Qiao Ranran gave a dry laugh. Yan Qingsui had come close to offending every fellow disciple in the Heavenly Evolution Sword Sect, never mind all the people he had beaten up outside it. But most cultivators admired strength, and Sword Cultivators tended to be straightforward. Even if Yan Qingsui offended someone, that person would usually train hard and then defeat him fair and square. To Yan Qingsui, that probably did not even count as an offense. It was all ordinary sparring and challenges.
But whoever was