After waking up, he would first exercise his body and warm up, and then start learning from Zheng Wei from scratch.
Over two months, although his martial arts hadn't shown much progress, his body had clearly changed immensely.
This change wasn't just a physical transformation due to long-term training, but also a change in his overall demeanor.
The former Lu Taobao, though tall and thin, always gave a feeling of being insubstantial.
It wasn't an insubstantiality due to excessive indulgence, but rather a feeling of being a timid scholar.
However, scholars had an air of learning about them; he, on the other hand, only exuded the aura of a glutton.
But that was no longer the case. The current Lu Taobao stood straighter than before, and he exuded a sense of security.
Compared to his former self, Shen Xiaoyan preferred the current him even more.
Shen Xiaoyan scrutinized Lu Taobao from head to toe, thinking to herself, if Bai Ying were to see Lu Taobao now, would she still be so resolute in leaving?
"Sister-in-law..." Lu Taobao looked at Shen Xiaoyan, hesitated for a long time, and finally said, "Sister-in-law, why are you looking at me and smiling like that? Did I do something wrong? Or do you think there's something wrong with this amount of money? If there's anything, please just say it. Don't look at me like that, it's a bit creepy..."
As he spoke the last part, Lu Taobao's voice gradually lowered, fearing that the more he said, the more he would err.
"It's nothing, it's nothing, it's nothing." Shen Xiaoyan's thoughts were interrupted by Lu Taobao, and she instinctively waved her hand, saying she was fine.
Seeing Lu Taobao's somewhat startled expression, she couldn't help but want to laugh.
How terrifying was she that she made Lu Taobao like this?
"I'm really fine. I just think you've been training well recently, and you're no longer like a sickly cat," Shen Xiaoyan said earnestly.
As she spoke, Shen Xiaoyan nodded incessantly, as if to prove she was telling the truth.
"Really? You can really see the results?" Lu Taobao was first delighted, then remembered Shen Xiaoyan's last sentence, and his face fell again. "Sister-in-law, what do you mean by 'like a sickly cat'?"
"Ahem, it's just..." Shen Xiaoyan was a bit embarrassed, unsure how to answer.
She herself, how could she have carelessly blurted out her thoughts?
"No, I misspoke. I wasn't talking about you, I was talking about Luoluo," Shen Xiaoyan quickly changed her words, not knowing how to explain, as her peripheral vision caught sight of Luoluo lying listlessly on the kang.
Lu Taobao was initially a little disbelieving, but seeing Shen Xiaoyan's serious expression and then looking at Luoluo on the kang, he believed her.
So, he nodded and said, "I also think it's strange, what's wrong with Luoluo? Why has it been looking so listless these past few days?"
Lu Taobao still remembered how fierce Luoluo used to be, able to scare Huadian Dian, a spotted tiger, into fleeing in all directions. How had it become so listless now?
"I don't know. It doesn't say anything when I ask it," Shen Xiaoyan shook her head, her gaze towards Luoluo filled with worry.
"Sister-in-law, that's where you're wrong," Lu Taobao burst into laughter.
Shen Xiaoyan looked somewhat perplexed. "How is that my fault? I didn't hit it, nor did I scold it. How is it my fault?"
"I'm not talking about that."
"Then what?" Shen Xiaoyan was even more confused.
"I mean, Luoluo is a cat. No matter how you ask, it won't answer you because it can't speak in the first place," Lu Taobao said, looking at Shen Xiaoyan teasingly, laughing uncontrollably inwardly. He never expected his usually intelligent sister-in-law to have such a muddled moment.
Shen Xiaoyan's expression became a little subtle upon hearing Lu Taobao's words, and for a moment, she didn't know what to say.
Not only her, but even Zheng Wei and the other two sitting nearby had very subtle expressions, wanting to laugh but holding it back. The feeling was unbearable.
Fortunately, Lu Taobao was still engrossed in his own thoughts and didn't notice their awkwardness, so the matter passed.
When only Shen Xiaoyan and Zheng Wei remained in the room, Shen Xiaoyan let out a long sigh, her expression somewhat hesitant.
Zheng Wei gently smoothed Shen Xiaoyan's furrowed brow with his finger and asked, "What's wrong?"
"I was thinking, Lu Taobao is so close to us now, and we don't always avoid him when we talk. Should we tell him about Hua Dian Dian and Luoluo?" Shen Xiaoyan said listlessly, her tone full of uncertainty.
Zheng Wei had already vaguely guessed, and now hearing Shen Xiaoyan say this, he understood everything.
It must have been because of what just happened, that is, whether they should tell him or not, it was indeed a problem.
Zheng Wei thought for a while and finally said, "Why don't we just tell him? We've known him for several years, and we know his character. Don't mind his usual flippancy; he wouldn't casually reveal such important matters."
Shen Xiaoyan nodded in agreement upon hearing this.
She naturally knew what Zheng Wei was saying and didn't distrust Lu Taobao.
It was just, how should she bring it up now?
She couldn't just walk up to him and say that Luoluo and Hua Dian Dian were talking animals, could she?
Wouldn't that scare him to death?
Even if he had a strong capacity for acceptance, like Yue Qingxin and Sima Han back then, Shen Xiaoyan didn't want to just say it like that.
"What's there to hesitate about? Next time he talks to this cat, I'll answer him, so he won't always bully me for not being able to speak," a slightly weak voice came from Luoluo in the room.
Shen Xiaoyan and Zheng Wei exchanged a glance, then nodded in unison.
This was a good idea. Without intentionally trying, it could make Lu Taobao more receptive.
However, whether it would truly be well-received... that remained to be seen.
"What's wrong with you these past few days?" Shen Xiaoyan stood up, walked over to Luoluo, and gently stroked its head as she spoke.
"Nothing, I should be hibernating," Luoluo replied lazily.
"Nonsense, what cat needs to hibernate?" Shen Xiaoyan lightly patted Luoluo's head.
"Why not? You haven't seen it, so you say there isn't?" Luoluo retorted.
"Then why didn't you hibernate before?"
"It wasn't time then. Cats hibernate... every three years," Luoluo said smugly, its eyes rolling.
Shen Xiaoyan was truly amused by Luoluo's words, so brazenly illogical. It was indeed the same Luoluo.
However, its current state was still very abnormal.
Shen Xiaoyan thought for a moment, then looked at Luoluo with some surprise. "You... you haven't broken up, have you?"
"Meow?" Luoluo looked at Shen Xiaoyan with a head full of question marks, then shook its head and said regretfully, "I think you're the one who needs to hibernate. How is your brain wired? Have you ever seen a cat break up?"
Shen Xiaoyan's lips curved upwards. "I haven't seen it, but that doesn't mean it doesn't happen. If cats can hibernate, why can't they break up?"
Luoluo was choked by Shen Xiaoyan's words, and for a long time, it didn't know what to say.
It was like picking up a rock only to drop it on one's own foot.
Finally, Luoluo simply pretended to be deaf and blind, curled itself up, and began to purr.
Seeing this, Shen Xiaoyan shook her head helplessly.
So be it. If it didn't want to talk, then it didn't. Sooner or later, it would reveal it when it couldn't hold it in anymore.
Zheng Wei had been sitting by the side, watching Luoluo and Shen Xiaoyan bicker, an indulgent smile on his face that he couldn't hide.
He himself didn't know why he enjoyed watching Shen Xiaoyan's sharp wit so much.
Even if her sharp wit was directed at a cat that had become a spirit.
Speaking of which, this was also a matter of concern for Luoluo, a regrettable concern.
Shen Xiaoyan had told Zheng Wei that Luoluo was a product of the spatial realm, existing along with the space, a kind of spatial spirit.
However, Zheng Wei still believed that a cat that could talk and had some magical powers was a cat that had become a spirit. Even if it was a product of the space, it was still the same.
Luoluo had corrected him several times, but it was all useless. Zheng Wei still didn't change his mind.
In the end, Luoluo could only accept it. A cat demon, so be it, it wasn't a big deal.
After all, even if it was a cat demon, it was a unique cat demon.