Chapter 29: Women! Women only slow down my leveling speed!

Fortunately, the coma caused by the excessive treatment did not last long. In a daze, Xiao Yang was startled awake by a rhythmic knocking at his door. Through the haze, he seemed to hear a voice.

"Call the police, hurry!"

These words sent a jolt through Xiao Yang, and he sprang up from the floor like a carp leaping from the water.

"Wait!"

He shouted out instinctively, and only after leaping up did he have the chance to observe what was happening. Outside the self-built house left to him by his grandfather, several elderly uncles and aunts had gathered. Among them, a young girl holding a smartphone was directing the others while preparing to use a small iron hammer to pry open Xiao Yang’s door.

Xiao Yang moved with lightning speed, throwing his door open just in time to stop the lock-picking.

After a chaotic flurry of activity, the messy situation finally calmed down. Not long after, in his own living room, Xiao Yang dutifully poured tea for the group of uncles and aunts. Truth be told, it was all a misunderstanding. It started when a passing aunt saw Xiao Yang lying motionless on the floor, which led to the scene of them banging on the door to save him.

Fortunately, Xiao Yang had woken up just in time; otherwise, he shuddered to think how much worse things might have become. After a long session of playing host and repeatedly explaining that he only suffered from a bout of hypoglycemia, the matter was finally smoothed over.

Waving goodbye to the last aunt who was still lecturing him, Xiao Yang finally managed to drop his signature fake smile. Clutching his waist, he sighed helplessly. He felt that this ordeal was more exhausting than grinding in the Skeleton Dungeon for three days and three nights.

Still, he couldn't complain; after all, these uncles and aunts truly cared for him. In this small town, everyone shared some form of kinship, even though he hadn't been back in years due to his studies.

But at least it was over.

The moment he had first woken up, he had instinctively closed the basement door. Regarding the Skeleton Dungeon, Xiao Yang chose to keep it a secret—perhaps because it was hard to explain, or perhaps simply because he valued the dungeon too much.

He pulled open the basement door, and the deep, dim corridor appeared before him once again. Satisfied that the passage to the dungeon hadn't vanished, Xiao Yang nodded. Now, it was time to reap the rewards: first, the items dropped by the Dungeon Guardian, and second, the gift box brought by the Dungeon Advancer.

These were things worth being happy about, but for some reason, Xiao Yang felt a lingering anxiety. He hadn't considered this before, but now that he thought about it, if the dungeon passage were truly permanently anchored to his basement door, it could be troublesome. Not to mention the times he was away, but what if someone broke in while he was inside the dungeon exploring?

Should he add a lock?

The thought crossed his mind. However, an answer seemed to appear almost immediately.

A crisp voice rang out behind Xiao Yang. It was the young girl who had been holding the phone. Xiao Yang had a vague impression of her; she was the daughter of his neighbor, Uncle Lin, and he seemed to have played with her when he was a child. But that was many years ago, and now, they were practically strangers.

"What are you staring at in the cellar for, Xiao Yang?"

The moment she spoke, Xiao Yang turned around. Compared to the quiet and disheveled state he had been in before the crowd of relatives, Xiao Yang now appeared significantly sharper and more dangerous, especially with his greatest secret being poked at.

One should not underestimate Xiao Yang. After struggling and grinding in the Skeleton Dungeon for nearly a month, he had effectively become a seasoned killer of monsters. Just a single look from him caused the young girl to feel an inexplicable sense of fear and intimidation. She instinctively took a few steps back, her heart rate accelerating.

Of course, this state lasted only until Xiao Yang realized the oddity in the girl's words, as well as his own current appearance—his skin, which was as delicate and fair as a baby's, and his messy hair, which had been dyed a light shade of pink.

One could only say that such a combination was hard to describe in words; it was simply strange. These features greatly diluted the cold, sharp temperament Xiao Yang had honed over the past month, as well as the danger hidden within that coldness.

Wait, a cellar?

Xiao Yang remained silent for a moment, thinking, before attempting to speak.

"Oh, right, can you do me a favor? It’s just... I can't really tell the sweet potatoes and the regular potatoes apart in the cellar. Could you help me fetch some potatoes?"

Xiao Yang made this request to the young girl as if pleading, posing a demand that was bizarre to the extreme. For some reason, the girl agreed, and with a flushed face, she walked into