Zhen Jiu’er gradually grew quiet.

The loneliness and sorrow in her eyes couldn’t be hidden.

She didn’t know if her premonition was accurate, but in her heart, she truly felt sorrowful.

“Let me down. I won’t make a fuss about going in again.” After some time had passed, she raised her head and met Lu Beicheng’s gaze.

Lu Beicheng finally loosened the arm wrapped around her waist.

Jiu’er got down from his lap. Her face wasn’t flushed—instead, it held a trace of paleness.

Her body, surprisingly, didn’t resist being close to Lu Beicheng.

How could she be like this?

Did this count as a betrayal of her Ninth Imperial Uncle?

Jiu’er walked to the entrance of the imperial mausoleum, looking at the pitch-black opening inside, her mood heavy.

Ever since meeting Lu Beicheng, her moods had always been particularly strange.

She clearly knew he wasn’t her Ninth Imperial Uncle, yet she kept losing herself over him from time to time.

How had she become like this?

She didn’t know how much time had passed when suddenly, a gust of wind blew out from the mausoleum entrance.

“Get out of the way, the gas is toxic!”

Professor Xiao and He Muling shouted at the same time, dodging aside.

Zhen Jiu’er hadn’t reacted at all—she only knew there was danger, and with one misstep, she was already standing in front of Lu Beicheng.

Lu Beicheng’s eyes flickered slightly. He turned his head to look at the figure that had immediately pushed his wheelchair, wheeling him away from the mausoleum entrance, his mood even more complicated than before.

This girl…

Jiu’er herself didn’t understand why she’d done it. Once they were away from the entrance and she was certain they were safe, she finally lowered her head to look at her own hands.

Her hands and feet seemed somewhat beyond her control—knowing there was danger, her first thought had been to protect Young Master Jiu.

Just like before, whenever she encountered danger, her first thought had always been to guard her Ninth Imperial Uncle.

She… her thoughts had become tangled again.

This couldn’t go on.

“Professor, what does this gust of wind mean? Does it mean the mausoleum can be entered now?”

Qin Fei was instantly excited.

This phenomenon should mean that Yan Qiu and the others had found a ventilation shaft and released the mausoleum’s harmful gases, right?

“Wait a little longer.”

The professor urgently needed to salvage a bit of the dignity he’d lost to Xiao Chengyuan in front of Lu Beicheng. After putting on a gas mask, he took his tools and walked to the mausoleum entrance.

He placed test paper just inside the entrance, then retreated to the outer perimeter.

After a few minutes had passed, Professor Xiao went over again, took out the test paper, and glanced at it.

He replaced it with another strip and retreated to the side once more.

Jiu’er knew he was testing the toxicity.

They had to wait until the concentration of toxins in the air dropped to a level the human body could withstand before anyone could go in.

The wind kept blowing.

By the time the fifth test strip was sent in, there was suddenly some movement inside.

Someone was coming out.

“Young Master Jiu!” The person who emerged was Meng Xiao, the wilderness survival expert.

Once out, he took off his gas mask and strode quickly to Lu Beicheng, his face lit up with joy: “It really is Emperor Beidi’s mausoleum inside!”

Everyone grew excited at once.

Only two people had somewhat grave expressions.

“Young Master Jiu,” the professor said, picking up the fifth test strip sample and glancing at it before turning back to Lu Beicheng with a smile. “You can go in now.”

There was no need for gas masks anymore—now that the space had been ventilated, most of the toxic gas had been expelled, and the air inside the mausoleum would no longer harm the human body.

Qin Fei, beaming, said hurriedly, “Young Master Jiu, I’ll lead the way! Come on, Little Jiu’er, I’ll take you in!” Jiu’er didn’t think further, following close behind him as she walked briskly into the mausoleum.