“No!” Several people said this at exactly the same time.

Ji Mingyu, Qin Fei, and Yan Qiu all rejected Zhen Jiu’er’s request together.

Jiu’er shot the three of them a glance, but her gaze stayed fixed on Lu Beicheng. “I’m a doctor.”

“Hm?” Lu Beicheng’s expression didn’t change, and he didn’t seem to react with much resistance to what she’d said.

Jiu’er explained at once, “There’s no telling what they might run into once they’re inside. There needs to be a doctor along the way — otherwise, if something happens, they won’t be able to handle it themselves.”

That did make a certain amount of sense.

But the one who always accompanied the archaeology team had always been Ren Qiqi.

Since when was it her turn?

Qin Fei and Ji Mingyu both looked unconvinced.

Yan Qiu’s gaze fell on Ren Qiqi as well.

Ren Qiqi looked rather timid. “This… I’ve… I’ve never been to that kind of… underground imperial mausoleum before. I don’t know… what might happen.”

“She’s so faint of heart that if something happened, she probably wouldn’t even be able to handle her own situation, let alone help anyone else.”

Ordinarily, Jiu’er wouldn’t have been so insistent, let alone so blunt about pointing out someone’s shortcomings.

But right now, she simply wanted to go in.

“You’re not familiar with them. Ren Qiqi really is more suited for this than you are,” Lu Beicheng finally spoke.

Ren Qiqi let out a breath. Since the Ninth Master had made his wishes clear, she’d simply comply.

She didn’t seem to have any intention of refusing, let alone resisting.

Clearly, in everyone’s hearts, the Ninth Master was, in every sense, the one who decided everything.

No one would ever raise any objection to what he wanted.

Except, it seemed, for the little girl standing right in front of him.

“She can’t go.”

“Why do you insist on going in? This matter has nothing to do with you.”

Lu Beicheng’s expression wasn’t good at all — it was clear he did not approve of Zhen Jiu’er going in.

People said the relationship between the Ninth Master and this girl was somewhat ambiguous, and seeing this now, it was likely true.

Whoever went in would be in danger, and the Ninth Master simply couldn’t bear to let her take that risk.

“Your role on this team is only as my doctor,” Lu Beicheng said, his tone growing firmer the more insistent Jiu’er became about going in.

“Then don’t consider me part of this team. Can’t I just go in on my own?”

Jiu’er herself wasn’t sure why, but right now she desperately wanted to go in and look.

She kept feeling that whoever lay at eternal rest in this Northern Emperor’s tomb might… might be someone she once knew.

Her heart ached.

Nearly a thousand years of history!

Yet to her, it had only been a matter of a few short days.

Now, she was still alive, while all her friends from the ancient era lay buried in the ground!

Who exactly was the Northern Emperor? If she didn’t go in and see for herself, she wouldn’t be able to rest easy.

But Lu Beicheng gave her no chance at all. “This project was funded by me. Since you don’t consider yourself part of this team, then you certainly have no right to go in.”

“Lu Beicheng!” Jiu’er was furious!

This scoundrel — no matter how he put it, he simply didn’t want to let her go in!

She had actually called the Ninth Master by his full name!

Everyone else trembled at once, not daring to even breathe too loudly.

Had this girl, doted on by the Ninth Master for just a couple of days, grown so presumptuous that she’d forgotten who she was? Forgotten who the man in front of her was?

This was the Ninth Master of the Lu family — a man whose mere stamp of the foot could shake all of Jiangzhou!

Wasn’t she afraid that one careless word from the Ninth Master, whenever he pleased, could end all her future prospects in Jiangzhou?

Qin Fei, gathering his courage, spoke up quietly. “Jiu’er, why don’t we wait until they come back out—”

“I’m going in!” Zhen Jiu’er suddenly turned and walked straight toward the entrance.