Thanks to Sun Shangxiang's personal promotion, Qin Ming, who had just been an ordinary deckhand with a status lower than regular soldiers, was suddenly elevated to the position of logistics team leader. He was now responsible for managing all logistics operations and personnel on the main warship.
In other words, he had been promoted to an official position!
Although he still didn't hold any real power and technically ranked lower than common soldiers, as the saying goes, even a seventh-ranked official under the Prime Minister is not to be underestimated.
Being assigned a position on the main warship already commanded respect, especially since he had been personally promoted by Sun Shangxiang herself.
However, despite his new position, Qin Ming wasn't enjoying the perks of authority or receiving flattery from other logistics workers.
On the contrary, he wasn't being served; he was serving others.
Inside the main cabin, a three or four-year-old child was playing with toys under the watchful eye of a nervous and cautious woman.
This was Liu Bei's son, Liu Adou, along with his nursemaid.
On the other side of the cabin, a woman clad in red armor lounged casually in a chair, her long, bare legs—protected only by lower leg guards—propped up on a table.
With her arms behind her head and legs crossed, Sun Shangxiang appeared completely at ease, while Qin Ming, dressed in a high-ranking soldier's uniform and holding a tray of fruit, stood stiffly by her side.
Having just been promoted, Qin Ming was immediately summoned to wait on Sun Shangxiang.
And it wasn't the first time. In just a few short hours, Sun Shangxiang had summoned him no fewer than six times.
She called him during meals, when she wanted tea, to clean her quarters, and even just because she was bored, demanding that he perform an entertaining act for her amusement.
An act? What act? Qin Ming didn't know any! He was usually the one watching Kasumoto Emiri perform!
This woman really thought she was the boss, didn't she? If not for the necessity of completing the promotion mission, Qin Ming would've smashed the fruit tray over her head by now!
Forced to grit his teeth, Qin Ming reluctantly danced a robotic routine, managing to appease Sun Shangxiang.
Oh, and he received a tip from her afterward—coins worth 500 points as a reward.
Glancing lazily at Liu Adou, who was causing a ruckus nearby, Sun Shangxiang clearly didn't care about the little troublemaker.
She sighed, clearly bored, and shook the legs propped up on the table.
"Hey! Stop standing there like a fool! Come over here and massage my legs… Hey! Didn't you hear me? I said come here and massage them!"
Hearing her voice, Qin Ming slowly turned his head.
His face expressionless, he glanced at Sun Shangxiang before suppressing the urge to smash the tray over her head. Dragging his feet, he reluctantly approached her.
But just as he was about to reach out, a steel-clad arm suddenly blocked his way.
"Presumptuous!"
The eyes behind a steel helmet glared sharply at Qin Ming as Zhou Dun, gripping his broadsword, growled deeply.
Before Qin Ming could react, Sun Shangxiang's eyebrows furrowed in displeasure, and she snapped at him.
"You're the one being presumptuous! Zhou Dun! Who gave you the right to meddle in my affairs?"
"Lady Sun! How can someone of your noble status allow a mere servant to touch you? He—"
"Hmm? So what? Are you saying I need your approval to choose who massages my legs? If he's not allowed, then why don't you do it?"
"I— I wouldn't dare!"
"Humph! Then shut up and move aside! My affairs are none of your business!"
"Yes!"
Chastised, Zhou Dun bowed his head and stepped back. As a retainer raised by the Wu family, he didn't dare defy Lady Sun's orders.
That didn't mean he wasn't furious, though. As he retreated, he glared at Qin Ming with eyes sharp enough to cut steel.
Feeling Zhou Dun's gaze, Qin Ming paused, then turned to meet his stare.
Initially reluctant and annoyed by this task, Qin Ming suddenly changed his attitude.
He swiftly grabbed one of Sun Shangxiang's legs without hesitation, nearly yanking her off the chair in the process.
Plopping down cross-legged, he began firmly kneading her leg while turning to glare defiantly at Zhou Dun, who now looked as if his eyes might spit fire.
Sun Shangxiang quickly grabbed the chair's armrests and adjusted her posture, smiling smugly. She casually rested her other leg on Qin Ming's lap and resumed lounging with her arms behind her head, looking completely satisfied.
Half an hour later, Sun Shangxiang finally stood up and left the cabin, having finished her rare moment of rest.
Zhou Dun, who surprisingly didn't immediately follow her this time, watched her walk away before approaching Qin Ming. Standing tall and imposing, his nearly 1.9-meter frame clad in heavy armor, he glared down at Qin Ming and spoke in a cold voice.
"Watch your behavior, boy. Don't forget your place."
Looking at Zhou Dun, whose imposing figure was made even more intimidating by his armor, Qin Ming shrugged slightly.
"Shouldn't you be telling that to Lady Sun instead? What's the point of saying it to me? I'm just a worker."
"Hmph, you'd better remember your place. Nobody's going to care if a janitor suddenly goes missing on this ship."
Zhou Dun lifted his long-handled broadsword and, having delivered his warning, turned to leave.
Qin Ming rolled his eyes and shook his sore arms. Just as he was about to take a break, another female soldier suddenly ran up from the distance, calling out before she even got close.
"Hey! Logistics soldier! The lady wants you again!"
"Are you kidding me?! This never ends, does it?!"
Having barely rested for five minutes, Qin Ming's eyes instantly widened in disbelief.
His face darkened with frustration as he begrudgingly followed the female soldier through the ship's cabin, soon arriving at an inner chamber.
The entrance was heavily guarded by ironclad soldiers and female bodyguards, with Zhou Dun himself standing rigidly by the door, holding his broadsword and shooting Qin Ming a sharp glance.
As Qin Ming approached, their eyes met again, both filled with mutual disdain. The two locked eyes in a hostile glare as they brushed past each other.
Entering the room, Qin Ming found himself inside a sealed training hall.
Both sides were lined with racks holding swords, spears, and halberds. Nearby, several sets of women's armor hung neatly, along with a variety of armored training dummies.
In the center stood Sun Shangxiang, now stripped of her usual armor and dressed in a tight red leather outfit that allowed for greater movement.
She had one leg propped up on a weapon rack as she stretched, loosening her muscles. Hearing the door open, she didn't even bother turning around.
"Go make me some tea."
"Got it."
Following her command, Qin Ming walked toward a nearby table and began fumbling with the tea set, clearly having no idea what he was doing.
Behind him, Zhou Dun strode into the room, his steps heavy with authority.
Watching Qin Ming clumsily handle the tea set, Zhou Dun hesitated before speaking up.
"Lady Sun, having a man present while you practice martial arts seems... inappropriate. Especially one who doesn't even know how to brew tea."
Sun Shangxiang's stretching paused for a brief second. After a moment of silence, she retracted her long, snow-white leg and turned to face him with a cold smile.
"Oh? So it's inappropriate for him to be here, but it's fine for you?"
"That's—I'm a Wu family retainer! I'm not the same as him!"
"And what's the difference? Aren't you a man too? Didn't I already say I don't need you meddling in my affairs?"
"I—"
"Get out!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
"And everyone else, out too! Ling, that includes you! I'll decide who stays with me! If I want this guy here, then he stays!"
"Understood!"
The others swiftly exited the room, leaving Zhou Dun with a face as dark as iron. He slammed the door shut behind him as he left.
As the wooden door creaked closed, Sun Shangxiang crossed her arms, her expression fierce.
Suddenly, she raised her leg and delivered a powerful kick to a nearby weapon rack, sending it clanging loudly.
"Useless coward!" she spat, seething with frustration.