Chapter 563: Isn't this what I said?

「Taiyi, Di Jun, what are you doing? 」

When Li Er went to Cheng Zhou, Yu Lin's figure had already appeared in Taiyi's palace.

This palace floating above the Star Sea is especially cold today. Usually the gods that lingered here have gone somewhere unknown, leaving only two figures tugging at each other in the hall.

Taiyi was pushing Di Jun to walk out.

Di Jun, however, remained motionless, letting Taiyi push him, merely wearing a half-smile on his face, his feet as if rooted.

Seeing Yu Lin arrive, Taiyi stopped his driving-away motion, a flicker of unease crossing his face.

He gave a light cough, straightened his disheveled robes, and quickly put on a smile.

"How did Yu Lin come?" he said, his tone warmly enthusiastic yet somewhat deliberate:

"Come, come, come, sit quickly, Di Jun is here too, let's have a drink."

Yu Lin was not polite either, walking straight to the side of the table and sitting down.

Di Jun nodded at him and also sat down nearby.

Taiyi personally poured three cups of wine, pushed one to Yu Lin, another to Di Jun, picked up his own cup, and said with a smile:

"Come, try my newly brewed Star Dew Wine."

Yu Lin lifted his wine cup and took a sip.

"Not bad, rich and mellow, with a lingering aftertaste."

Taiyi's smile deepened.

"That's natural, dew droplets taken from the depths of the Star Sea, then fermented with the essence of sun and moon for a thousand years to yield a jug."

Yu Lin nodded and took another sip.

Then he set down his wine cup, looked at Taiyi, and said with a smile:

"Anything new lately?"

Taiyi also set down his wine cup, thought for a moment, and said:

"News? Not much, but the mortal realm is bustling."

Yu Lin gave an "oh" and didn't respond.

He lifted his wine cup and took another sip.

Taiyi also lifted his wine cup and took a sip.

Neither of them spoke.

Di Jun sat to the side, glancing at Yu Lin and Taiyi, the corners of his mouth twitching slightly, yet he forced himself not to laugh.

Yu Lin set down his wine cup and said:

"Speaking of which, I recently recalled an interesting story."

Taiyi raised an eyebrow: "What story?"

Yu Lin said slowly:

"Once there was a person who made a bet with someone."

"He lost the bet but wanted to welch, so that person came to his door every day, neither urging nor scolding, just sitting there for a long time; the bet‑loser could no longer bear it and had no choice but to............."

Taiyi laughed heartily.

"This story is interesting; what happened next?"

Yu Lin said:

"Later? Later he made another bet with someone."

Taiyi froze for a moment, then his smile deepened.

"That is… persistent despite repeated defeats, worthy of admiration."

Yu Lin nodded: "Yes, persistent despite repeated defeats, worthy of admiration."

The two exchanged a glance, then looked away.

Di Jun's mouth corner twitched again.

He lifted his wine cup to shield his face.

Taiyi set down his wine cup and said:

"Speaking of which, I also recently heard a story."

Yu Lin made a gesture of invitation.

Taiyi said:

"Once there was a person who won a bet against someone, and came to his door every day demanding the wager; later................"

Yu Lin nodded, seeming thoughtful.

"This story is also interesting; what happened to the winner later?"

Taiyi said:

"Later? Later he never bet with anyone again."

Yu Lin laughed heartily.

"That is… learning from a setback, worth learning from."

Taiyi also laughed: "Yes, learning from a setback, worth learning from."

The two exchanged another glance, then looked away.

Di Jun could no longer suppress the twitch at the corner of his mouth.

He set down his wine cup and cleared his throat.

Both of them looked at him at the same time.

Di Jun spoke in a deep, sombre voice:

"Oh my, speaking of which, I also have an interesting thing recently."

Taiyi's eyes lit up, and he quickly responded:

"What interesting thing?"

Di Jun said leisurely:

"I recently made a bet with someone."

Taiyi's smile stiffened slightly.

Di Jun continued:

"If I lose, I have to hand over a treasure."

He sighed.

"Face is trivial, treasure is important."

Taiyi's expression became subtle.

Di Jun looked at him and said seriously:

"If possible, I would rather exchange my face for that treasure."

He paused, then added:

"Taiyi, don't misunderstand, I'm talking about myself, really, I'm talking about myself."

"Meaning you."

Taiyi: "......"

He fell silent for a moment, then gave a dry laugh.

"So that's how it is."

Di Jun nodded: "That's right."

Taiyi thought for a moment, then said:

"Then how about this: I give you a treasure, and you do something for me?"

Di Jun shook his head.

"It's better to handle one's own affairs oneself." He said, "No need to trouble you."

Taiyi looked at him.

Di Jun also looked at him.

Their gazes met in midair.

Taiyi tugged at the corner of his mouth:

"Hehe."

The atmosphere fell into silence again.

Yu Lin didn't speak, Taiyi didn't speak either; they just stared at each other, their gazes clashing in the air, neither willing to look away first.

Di Jun sat to the side, holding a wine cup, leisurely watching this show.

His lip corners could no longer be suppressed; he simply let them perk up blatantly.

Silence.

Silence.

Still silence.

Finally, Yu Lin gave a light cough, breaking the stalemate.

"Taiyi ah," he said casually, as if chatting about everyday matters, "How's that thing we had before?"

Taiyi looked at him and gave a faint smile.

"What thing are we talking about?"

Yu Lin raised an eyebrow.

"You don't know?"

Taiyi shook his head, looking sincere.

"What should I know?"

Yu Lin stared at him.

"Are you sure?"

Taiyi blinked.

"Sure about what?"

Yu Lin took a deep breath.

"You're pretending with me, right?"

Taiyi's smile deepened.

"Pretend what? I don't understand."

Yu Lin looked at him.

Taiyi also looked at him.

That smile was gentle and harmless, his eyes clear and innocent, almost as pure as a fawn in the mountains.

Yu Lin fell silent.

Then he raised his hand and waved.

A light screen unfolded before the three of them.

In the light screen was exactly that day when Taiyi, at the banquet, smiled and said to Yu Lin, "If you can make Old Lord call you father, then I will call you as well."

The image was clear, the sound clear, even Taiyi's mischievous smile on his face was plainly visible.

Taiyi looked at the Light Screen, his face showing no trace of embarrassment.

He even nodded his head, as if appreciating some interesting performance.

"Oh, that's how it is." He said, his tone suddenly enlightened.

Yu Lin stared at him, waiting for his continuation.

Taiyi looked at him, with a sincere expression.

"It's not that I don't want to."

He paused, then sighed.

"Actually, that day, my second personality appeared."

Yu Lin froze for a moment.

Taiyi continued:

"I call it—Evil Taiyi, he promised you on my behalf."

He looked at Yu Lin, his gaze earnest, his expression sincere.

"Do you believe me?"

Yu Lin: "……"

"Isn't this what I said?"

"And you, a god, talking about personalities?!"

"Fine, I believe you."

"Then have Evil Taiyi come out."