Ping's eyes snapped open. He found himself ensnared in Shang's warm, thick arms, his face almost pressed against his captain's bare chest. For all the comfort and warmth that surrounded him, Ping felt the hairs on the back of his neck prickle and heart rate speed up for some unknown reason.
He wiggled out of Shang's grasp (blushing the entire time) and sat up, listening. Above the low rumble of Shang's snoring he heard the usual string of soft chatter outside the tent, along with the insects and birds of the night singing their nocturnal melodies. Still, this strange sensation in his gut continued and he gingerly got out of the cot.
After pulling on his shoes and readjusting his bun, Ping peeked out of the tent to make sure the coast was clear before exiting. The night air chilled him through his tunic and smelled sharp against his nose. Ping realized it had rained as he walked softly through damp grass and wondered how he hadn't noticed. Usually the rain woke him up through the deepest slumbers.
Then he recalled exactly what might have been hogging his attention during the rain and forced an image of Shang's flushed, pleasure-wrecked face out of his mind, attempting to brush the shivers off his arms.
Ping spotted Yao and Ling sitting by the fire at the northern entry of their camp, arms crossed and hands grasping their swords. Chien-Po stood a ways off, munching on something. Ping made his way over to them and greeted them heartily.
"Hiya, Ping! Where have you been?" Ling inquired good-naturally, looping his arm around Ping's shoulders. "I turn around for one second and you sneak away!"
"Oh, well, I was—um," Ping fumbled for an excuse.
"Hey," Yao saved him from answering as he delivered a friendly punch to Ping's arm. "That was impressive, taking on the Jin Zai captain like that."
"Yeah!" Ling agreed, sitting back down by the fire. "Did you see the look on that guy's face? I thought his eyes were gonna pop out!"
Ping chuckled along with them until his neck prickled again. He perked up and looked around, studying the horizon outlined in the pale glow of early dawn. The rest of the troops were just starting to stir for the day. Still, a sense of foreboding washed over him.
"You three were the night sentries, right?" He asked.
"Sure were," Yao grunted, scratching at his back. "My ass is as stiff and cold as Ling's sister."
"Hey," Ling warned with a grin.
"You didn't see anything…suspicious?"
Ling and Yao shared a look. "No," they answered.
Ping was about to inquire further when he heard it. Hoof beats, echoing off the mountain faces surrounding them. He ran over to Chien-Po, who was no longer eating the pear he had somehow acquired and squinting at the eastern woods a few leagues away.
"Chien-Po, you hear that?"
The bald man nodded, usual cheer gone. Ping felt like ice was running down his back as the beats grew louder, finally gaining attention of Ling and Yao. The two hopped up and ran to the watch tower, climbing up the wooden ladder to the deck.
It took only a few seconds for Yao to yell down, "Huns! We're under attack!"
Ping felt his gut drop and heart leap up into his throat, his pulse thrumming against his ears. It seemed to keep in time with the frantic tempo Ling started on the drum to warn the camp. His feet felt rooted to the spot as men emerged from their tents.
"How many?" Chien-Po asked.
"Looks about thirty, forty at best! All on horseback!"
Chien-Po took off towards the Jin Zai tent. "Alert Captain Shang!" He called over his shoulder.
YOU ARE READING
Sunset Illusions ( Fa Ping x Li Shang )
Romance(This is a BL) To save his father's life and prove his worth Fa Ping takes his father's place and joins the army. This was a choice that would bring many difficulties and perhaps, even death. Fa Ping expected that, but what he didn't expect was to...
