Seeing that no one was willing to spar with her, Sun Shangxiang turned around with a bored expression and headed back toward the ship's cabin.
The personal guards and iron-armored soldiers scattered to take up their posts.
Qin Ming, who had been observing from the sidelines, decided to approach the main cabin.
However, after only a few steps, two iron-armored soldiers raised their long-handled broadswords and barked at him to retreat.
With no choice but to back off, Qin Ming shook his head and resumed mopping the deck while thinking of another way to get closer.
Time flew by, and soon it was noon.
The more Qin Ming thought about how to approach the main cabin, the more frustrated he became.
He had considered ambushing an iron-armored soldier and disguising himself in their armor.
Given how heavily covered they were, with only their eyes exposed, as long as he didn't make a mistake, no one would notice.
But after observing their movements, he realized this wouldn't work.
The soldiers patrolled in pairs, exchanging passcodes whenever they met. And there were more than a dozen different passcodes asked at random!
There was no way to sneak in.
This was just the outer layer of defense; who knew what other checks were waiting inside?
With Zhao Yun already on board and security tightened, there was no chance for disguises to work.
An elite force that could be infiltrated so easily wouldn't deserve the title of elite.
Seeing that sneaking in was impossible and not wanting to waste more time, Qin Ming decided it was time to use the satellite phone to summon reinforcements for a direct attack.
As he roamed the ship, mapping its layout, an unexpected event occurred.
While scrubbing the deck, a soldier suddenly called out to him.
Startled, Qin Ming looked up to see a female soldier!
On this ship, the only female soldiers were from Sun Shangxiang's personal guard, who held high status.
It was strange that one would call out to a mere deckhand like him.
The female soldier, dressed in tight fish-scale armor with a stern expression, turned her head toward him.
"Hey, mop boy! Come with me to the main cabin!"
"What?"
"I said, come with me to the main cabin! There's work for you there!"
Without waiting, the guard waved and walked off.
Surprised by his unexpected stroke of luck, Qin Ming quickly followed her, slipping past the heavy defenses into the main cabin.
Once inside, Qin Ming realized there really was work to do—and a lot of it.
Most of the deck crew had already gathered.
The rich aroma of spilled wine filled the cabin. Several barrels had been overturned, flooding the floor with alcohol.
Iron-armored soldiers and female guards stood watch. Sun Shangxiang herself was there, arms crossed, with a dark expression.
Beside her stood a voluptuous matron who kept apologizing nervously.
A child buried his head in her chest, too scared to look up.
"I'm truly sorry, Lady Sun! It's my fault for not keeping a better eye on the young master!"
Sun Shangxiang sighed and waved dismissively.
"Forget it. It's not your fault. That little rascal is impossible to control—even I can't keep him in check."
She turned to a female guard.
"Ling! Have the deckhands clean this thoroughly—get rid of the wine smell!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
"And make sure someone watches Adou closely! No more running around!"
"Yes!"
After giving her instructions, Sun Shangxiang turned with a stern expression, heading toward the door.
However, just as she reached the entrance, her footsteps halted. She tilted her head curiously, glancing to the side.
"Hm? You there—you're a deckhand too?"
Hearing the question, Qin Ming, who was standing among the group, froze for a moment. He instinctively pointed to his nose, his eyes widening as he realized she was indeed addressing him.
Seeing Sun Shangxiang looking at him with confusion, Qin Ming hesitated before slowly pulling out a pair of sunglasses and putting them on.
Then...
Name: Sun Shangxiang (Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms)
Strength: 40
Constitution: 40
Agility: 60
Spirit: 40
Skills: Berserk Fury (Grade B), Phantom Thrust (Grade C), Phoenix Dance Chain Staff (Grade A)
Description: The sister of the King of Wu. Despite being a woman, she loves martial arts and mastered staff techniques under her elder brother Sun Ce. Bold and straightforward by nature.
Current Favorability: 650!
Staring at the data hovering before his eyes, Qin Ming silently removed his sunglasses without a word.
Standing nearby, the vice commander Zhou Dun, leaning on his broadsword, frowned and shouted.
"Hey! Soldier! Lady Sun is asking you a question! Answer quickly!"
Before Qin Ming could respond, Sun Shangxiang waved her hand dismissively.
"It's fine. A deckhand being at a loss for words when I speak is normal. Honestly, it would be strange if he answered smoothly. Kid, are you stationed on my main ship?"
Hearing her ask a second time, Qin Ming finally snapped out of his shock and responded.
"No, I'm from the outer deck crew. I was called over to help clean."
"Oh, a deckhand, huh... fine. From now on, you're assigned as the main cabin's cleaner. I like your look. Ling, give him some tasks."
"Yes, Lady Sun."
After giving her instructions, Sun Shangxiang glanced at Qin Ming one last time, a strange expression on her face before turning and leading her guards away.
For some reason, even though this was her first time meeting him, she found this lowly deckhand exceptionally pleasing to the eye.
It was almost as if he resembled the mighty Guan Yu or the fierce Zhao Yun, two legendary heroes she had admired.
But those were great warriors she respected for their battlefield prowess.
How could a mere deckhand elicit such a reaction? It was bizarre.
As Sun Shangxiang walked off, Qin Ming remained standing, dumbfounded with a peculiar expression on his face.
His Subduing Tiger General title had taken effect—on a hostile target, no less!
And not just any enemy, but the Stage One Boss, Sun Shangxiang herself!
In the Nightmare Space's system, she was recognized as part of the protagonist faction!
On second thought, it made sense—she was Liu Bei's wife, after all, technically an ally.
If it was just the title taking effect, Qin Ming wouldn't have been so shocked.
What truly left him speechless was Sun Shangxiang's favorability toward him: 650 points!
And her infatuation threshold was only 600!
In other words, Sun Shangxiang's favorability toward him had already exceeded the maximum right at their first meeting!