Chapter 275

In the corner of the room, there was a hunched elderly man curled up.

Hearing the sound of the door opening, the aged man made a concerted effort to lift his head towards the source of light.

The faint light illuminated the man’s face, and upon closer inspection, he was none other than the elder of the Hua family’s third branch.

“What are you… heh, heh… here for?” The elder’s voice was hoarse, and by the end of the sentence, he was almost out of breath. He tried to raise his head, but it dropped heavily to the ground, creating a loud thud.

As the elder of the third branch raised his head, Hua Nan could clearly see the extent of his misery.

The once weathered face now featured deep furrows and wrinkles, and his emaciated body occupied only a small corner of the room. His body was covered in dirt and bloodstains.

Yet, Hua Nan felt no sympathy for him.

The voice of Hua Yun, the mother of the two siblings, reached the elder of the third branch’s ears.

“In the family, you were closest to Hua Mei. Where is she hiding?”

“I don’t know,” the elder of the third branch suddenly laughed. “If you have the ability, find her yourselves.”

“But, you won’t be able to find her.”

“Hahaha, our family was once so formidable that even the Emperor’s descendants had to respect us. Yet, now it’s in your hands, and you can only hide in this dark forest, barely eking out an existence.”

Hua Ji angrily retorted, “You’re simply unrepentant!”

“Have you truly forgotten how our family ended up in this dark and hidden place?”

“If it weren’t for many people in the family who, like you, are so stubborn, our family wouldn’t be in the dire straits we’re in now.”

“But you remain unrepentant, partnering with Hua Mei and delving into those things that harm others.”

Hua Ji finished his drink, then turned away from the elder of the third branch and faced the outside.

Sensing the intense emotional turmoil of Hua Ji, the elder of the third branch, who was lying on the ground, laughed triumphantly.

Hua Yun glanced at the elder of the third branch, who couldn’t stop laughing, and calmly said, “Why waste so much time on someone like him?”

“He’s just a fleeing underling, not worth mentioning.”

The reason why they referred to Hua Mei as a “fleeing underling” was due to her defeat in the struggle with Hua Ji and Hua Yun.

But their current obsession with finding Hua Mei was not only to completely eliminate the threat but also because Hua Ling had fallen victim to Hua Mei’s schemes and remained in a comatose state. They needed to find Hua Mei or obtain a solution from the elder of the third branch to address the issue.

However, the elder of the third branch remained stubborn and refused to say anything useful.

On the day the individuals sent by Shen Yu’an to escort Hua Nan and Hua Ling back arrived, they had stopped just outside the forest, considering Shen Yu’an’s instructions and the siblings’ requests.

All the items they had brought with them were packed into two horse-drawn carriages and brought into the forest.

It’s worth mentioning that during their time at the Shen family, the siblings had learned how to drive a carriage.

Those people watched the siblings enter the forest, waited for half a day, and left when nothing unusual happened.

Once inside the forest, Hua Nan and Hua Ling hadn’t walked far when they heard faint sounds, and then they saw the injured Hua Mei.

“Hua Mei, big sister?” Hua Ling pushed aside the vegetation and was utterly shocked.

Seeing the injuries on Hua Mei, her shock grew. “Hua Mei, how did you get so badly hurt? We’ll take you back.”

Saying that, Hua Ling helped Hua Mei stand and started walking towards the direction of the horse-drawn carriage.

Hua Nan, upon seeing Hua Mei in this place, was immediately puzzled. If she had gone out to buy things, she would have gone to the nearby town on the other side. Moreover, how could the group have left her alone?