Ming Dynasty and New Rome and Infinite Magic Machine

Chapter 1631 Beating the ball
The room was familiar, the furnishings were familiar, but the person inside was not Zhu Xianxi, but a middle-aged man around 50 years old. He looked somewhat like Zhu Xianxi, but he didn't seem as "nervous" as Zhu Xianxi; instead, he appeared quite relaxed.

He was playing poundball. It was an indoor poundball, with soft mats laid on the ground to simulate a lawn, and a small mound in the distance with a hole on it.

Although it's only an indoor practice version, this indoor poundball set perfectly simulates everything in a real environment. From the roughness of the grass to the slope of the mounds, the design and size of the holes, it perfectly matches the characteristics of a professional poundball court.

The room wasn't very big, so he chose a putter that aimed for balance, rather than the long poles used on outdoor hamfing courts.

While he was talking to Shangluo, he stood 3 meters away from the hole and hit the ball; it went in.

The ball that went into the hole rolled out of the slide behind the mound and into the trough next to it.

"Shangluo, help me set up the ball."

"Okay." He walked over, picked a ball out of the trough, placed it in front of his club, and let him putt again. The ball went in.

"Hmm~~ It's been a while since I played this set, the feel is still pretty good. Do you want to give it a try?"

"what?"

"Come on, give it a try. This is a lot of fun." He handed the cue to Shang Luo, pulled Shang Luo to where he had been standing, and then bent down to pick up a ball and put it in the striking position.

"Yes, keep this hip position, this angle. Stay stable, then push the ball towards that mound. Don't push too hard, or it will flip over. Don't push too lightly either, or it will roll back. Give it a try?"

Shangluo tried to hit the ball once—the ball stayed almost in the middle without veering off course, rolling straight toward the hole, then landing precisely in the hole and rolling back.

"Yes, very good." He nodded. "Seeing the ball is like seeing the person. The way you hit the ball tells me you're a proper kid, completely different from that impetuous alchemist."

"So, you are..."

"Me? I'm just a retired father. I heard my daughter's going on blind dates, so I came to give her my opinion."

"Ah! It's the Emperor Emeritus!"

No wonder he sat here as if he were at home. Because this was his home—he was Zhu Xianxi's father, the Taihe Emperor who ruled the country for 35 years.

The Zhu family members all have their own hobbies. Zhu Xianxi likes alchemy, Zhu Ling likes raising pandas, and their father likes playing pound ball.

The numerous pound carts currently in use throughout the Grand Palace were purchased by him years ago. Although they are no longer used at the pound court, they are quite useful for performing official duties. After all, the terrain around the Grand Palace is often undulating, and gasoline engines are prone to stalling when starting on inclines, while small electric motors are insufficient. Only these large pound carts with large batteries are suitable for navigating inclines, making them very convenient for frequent stops and starts.

However, Emperor Taihe had already abdicated some time ago. After handing the throne to Zhu Xianxi, he went into seclusion. He was actually much older than he appeared, and it was clear that his seclusion during this period had enhanced his power.

"Hey." He waved his hand. "This isn't work, so there's no need for titles. Just call me Uncle."

"Oh, okay." Although he said that, Shang Luo wouldn't call him uncle. He said it as a polite gesture; it wouldn't be appropriate to casually call an elder he wasn't very familiar with "uncle."

"I heard that Zhu Xianxi is very fond of you, his junior brother?"

"It's because my senior brother is too kind."

“I don’t know if he’s misjudged people, but our ancestors never misjudged people—don’t be so tense. I’m here today as an old father to visit you, my young man.”

Shangluo felt a pang of anxiety upon hearing this—that's precisely why he was so nervous.

"How did you and Zhu Ling meet?" "Ah, we met at work."

"Oh," Emperor Taihe nodded. "Sit down, you can talk while sitting down."

"Please sit down, please sit down."

"It's alright, you can sit down. I just wanted to get up and stretch my legs after sitting for a while. You can sit down."

"I've been sitting for too long, standing is quite nice, quite nice."

“Okay.” He took Shang Luo’s hand and pressed him down to sit in front of Zhu Xianxi’s desk, then sat down in Zhu Xianxi’s seat himself—adjusting the back of the chair to settle himself down.

"Do you feel more at ease now? He usually meets you here."

"This is where my senior brother and I discussed things."

"But something just feels off to me." He looked at his chair, then at the table, feeling that something was wrong but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

"Ah!" He turned around abruptly. "Where's the window? Where did my window go? Did he seal it up?"

Before he could finish speaking, hurried footsteps came from outside. Zhu Xianxi pushed open the door and entered: "Dad! Why are you back?"

"Where's my window?" Emperor Taihe pointed behind him. "I came back to take a look, and I saw a huge surprise. You think the design of this house is bad and want to change it yourself? Good, a new dynasty, a new look!"

"No, no, no, I wouldn't dare to change anything. Dad, look at the layout of this room, I haven't dared to touch anything either."

"Okay." He stood up. "You can sit in your seat."

"No, no, no, no! Father, please sit down, Father." He moved a stool from the side and sat opposite Shang Luo, also sitting in front of the table. "Father, did you come back suddenly because you have any instructions? I was in a meeting over there, and when I heard about what happened here, I came back immediately."

Where is Yang Jing?

"She went to school. She hasn't given up her work yet."

"Yes, she needs to travel more. However, her research work needs to be conducted in isolation."

"She stopped being tainted by evil spirits a long time ago, so we can conduct experiments outside the bunker."

"Well, that's fine. But I didn't come here to nag you. There are two main things—first, I know about Zhu Ling's situation, and I've also seen Shang Luo. Actually, I saw him before; he and Zhu Ling were having dinner together then, and I even treated them to a meal. You should treat him like a younger brother."

"I've always treated him like a younger brother."

"Then the second matter," Emperor Taihe said in a low voice, "is that your child is extraordinary. I have discussed this matter with my grandfather. You know that you have already cultivated to become a Celestial Being, and the children of Celestial Beings cannot be born at will."

"Huh? What does that mean?"

"It means you need to help Yang Jing achieve the Celestial Realm as soon as possible, for safety reasons. Do you have any ideas on this?"

(End of this chapter)