The Wandering Samurai and his Beloved General (BL)

Thankfully, with how busy the army was, Old Jin couldn't continue interrogating Haruki using his authority as a squad leader. Under the old man's watchful gaze, Haruki seized the opportunity to escape, running out of the tent and heading back to the training grounds to focus on his training.

But Old Jin wasn't the only one who was worried. Verdan lingered nearby for the rest of the afternoon, stepping in whenever Haruki's interactions grew too intense. If the conversation strayed into troubling territory, Verdan would skillfully steer it in a different direction or gently guide Haruki away.

By the end of the day, even Xuzhan appeared, returning after a week in the wilderness as punishment, his face marked with hesitation. In his hands, he clutched a clear bottle, while a taller man with short dark hair, light purple skin, and androgynous features—a rare glimpse of someone with demonic heritage—gently urged him forward.

"Go on. Don't be shy," the taller man urged.

"Who the hell is shy?!" Xuzhan snapped back, his face flushing a deep red, a mix of shame and anger.

Taking advantage of Haruki's distracted moment, Xuzhan thrust the bottle into his chest while muttering a frantic warning. "You—don't drink anything green in the future! And don't trust anyone so easily! You're not a child anymore—just because someone gives you candy doesn't mean they're trustworthy!"

His face softened as a look of relief passed over him. He glanced at his friend, then turned to leave, not giving Haruki time to process the situation.

"Okay, I'm done here. Let's go." He stomped off, muttering about how expensive the bottle was that he'd just given away.

Haruki stood there, staring at the pair's retreating backs in utter confusion. With the bottle still in hand, he turned to Verdan, who looked just as baffled. "Got any idea what this is?"

Verdan took the bottle from him and sniffed it, but after a moment, he shook his head. "You could ask a mage about it, or... ask the general?" he suggested cautiously, the last part more of a hesitant afterthought.

"I'll go ask a mage," Haruki responded without a second thought, already heading toward one of their mage friends.

Verdan sighed heavily. "Are you serious? It's just a question!" he grumbled, trailing behind. "Why am I the one who's exhausted seeing you two like this? What the hell happened between you two?"

Haruki suddenly stopped in his tracks and turned to Verdan, looking exasperated. "Why are you exhausted? Isn't it natural for us to fight every now and then? It's not like the general and I have some deep relationship..." he said, though his words trailed off uncertainly.

Verdan rolled his eyes. "Who would believe you? As someone who has patiently listened to you talk about the general day and night like a girl talking about his crush, it's impossible for me to picture you actually fighting with him! It makes more sense to imagine you crying because the general got mad at you!"

Haruki couldn't argue. He hadn't realized that he had cultivated such an image in people's minds, to the point where it was almost unthinkable for anyone to see him act against the general.

But Haruki knew he had to keep up the act—and only he knew that he was doing it all for Lanling as well.

Really... they wouldn't be wrong to think of him as a henpecked husband.

That thought was quickly shoved deep into the recesses of Haruki's mind, a desperate attempt to prevent his delusions from spiraling out of control.

Before long, they reached their mage friend and handed over the bottle. Ten minutes later, the potion was identified as a high-level mind-clearing elixir worth hundreds of gold. Such potions were difficult to come by, and most mages would have to personally order them from their trusted alchemist.

"Quick, drink it! Xuzhan might be clumsy with words, but he's actually a good guy! He gave you such an amazing gift!" Verdan exclaimed, shaking Haruki by the shoulders, his hands raised in anticipation like a child waiting for a reward.

But Haruki didn't drink it. He stared at the bottle, deep in thought. Before Verdan could lose all patience, Haruki patted him on the back. "I'll be back. Don't throw away my bedroll in case I need to crash in your tent again."

Then, with a quick gust of wind beneath his feet, he disappeared into the distance, leaving Verdan standing there, confused and a little stunned.

After days of training, Haruki had grown accustomed to using the wind beneath his feet to double his speed. He arrived in front of Xuzhan in just a few minutes, a journey that would normally have taken him at least ten.

His sudden appearance startled both of them, though the androgynous man with Xuzhan seemed to have anticipated it.

"Hey, got a moment?" Haruki waved the bottle in his hand, his face adorned with an innocent smile.

It was an obvious hint, but Xuzhan didn't seem to catch on. "Oh, sorry. We're both busy—"

"We have a moment." The man behind Xuzhan quickly interrupted, flashing an equally innocent smile. "Do you drink Earl Grey? I also have some mint leaves. Our tent's just a few minutes away. Why don't we sit down and have a chat there?"

Like shepherding two strangers into an impromptu meet up, the man took hold of Xuzhan's arm with one hand and Haruki's with the other, guiding them toward the tent.

Xuzhan was caught between confusion and barely contained anger, while Haruki kept up his cheerful smile, as if it were perfectly natural for him to be part of this little group.

As soon as they were out of sight of the rest of the camp, Xuzhan grabbed his friend in frustration. "Baili! Why did you bring him here? Didn't you say that giving him the bottle was the last time? Don't tell me you really expect me to apologize to him?!"

Baili's smile remained unfazed, despite Xuzhan's outburst. Calmly, he gestured toward the lone table in the center of the tent, surrounded by four simple chairs. He pointed to the porcelain jars in the middle. "The smaller one has mint leaves, and the one on the right is honey. Help yourself."

A scroll suddenly appeared in Baili's hands as if conjured from thin air. With a practiced motion, he unfurled it, and a shimmering silver dome materialized, encasing the table in an otherworldly glow. When Haruki spoke, he noticed his voice was muffled, barely more than a whisper within the barrier.

"This way, we can chat openly, no?" Baili said with a sly smile, his tone effortlessly calm.