After being forced into a marriage of convenience, a master of metaphysics manipulates a cold and al

"...You're overthinking it. This whole street is called 'Donghe Street,' so all the shops on this street, no matter what they do, have 'Donghe' in their names."

"It's said that this is a regulation from the neighborhood committee, in order to make the streets look more uniform and aesthetically pleasing..."

Yu Anqi shook her head and explained that she was aware of the existence of Donghetang, which was a key target of surveillance by the Jingzhou police.

However, no substantial evidence of a crime has been found so far.

Even when there's a problem, arresting people only results in catching a few low-level thugs, which is completely useless.

"Oh."

A strange light flashed in Ye Bai's eyes again, and then he looked to the side.

Just as Yu Anqi said, every shop on this street has the words "Donghe" before its name.

Donghe meat buns, Donghe hardware, Donghe hair salon, Donghe foot massage, etc.

At first glance, it does have a neat and uniform feel, but the more you look at it, the more strange it seems.

"Come on, this is Master Nangong's carving studio. Don't be fooled by its small facade; it's a hidden gem inside..."

Yu Anqi called out to Ye Bai and stepped into the Donghe Sculpture Shop.

"Please stop here, do you have an appointment?"

As soon as Ye Bai stepped inside, before he could even see where the so-called cave was, he was stopped by two security guards.

This tiny carving shop not only had two security guards at the entrance, but they also immediately asked if I had an appointment.

This illogical situation only made Ye Bai more interested.

Without a doubt, regardless of whether Nangong Shengshou is the mysterious "Mr. Nangong" or not, he is certainly extraordinary.

"I am Yu Anqi, and I made an appointment with Master Nangong beforehand."

The police captain seemed unfazed by this, and even took out her police ID and showed it to the two security guards.

"It's Officer Yu, please come in!"

The two security guards' expressions changed immediately, and they quickly made way, gesturing for them to pass.

It wasn't just because of the other party's police status, but also because they did have an appointment.

After taking a few steps inside, Ye Bai suddenly opened his eyes wide and finally understood what Yu Anqi meant by "a hidden paradise".

After passing through the entrance porch a few meters wide, a spacious hall of several hundred square meters suddenly appeared before me.

Various booths were arranged in a staggered manner, and each booth was filled with sculptures.

There are many kinds and varieties.

Figures, animals, plants, utensils, fruits, vases, musical instruments, etc., in the form of sculptures in the round, reliefs, and openwork, including wood carvings, stone carvings, and clay sculptures... it has everything.

Each one is incredibly lifelike and has a unique artistic design, making them a feast for the eyes.

Ye Bai deliberately went to take a look and found that all the works were signed by Nangong Shengshou.

Without a doubt, all the sculptures in this hall were created by Master Nangong.

Putting everything else aside, this high productivity alone is enough to leave many of their peers far behind.

"How about that? Master Nangong is amazing, isn't he? I'm not exaggerating. In the field of sculpture, Master Nangong is definitely a grandmaster-level figure, a towering figure!"

"Moreover, its influence is not limited to Jingzhou. In some ways, it can definitely be called the pride of Jingzhou!"

Yu Anqi leaned close to Ye Bai and whispered with a proud expression.

"...You're not your bureau chief, what are you so proud of?"

Ye Bai curled his lip, and his words almost made the policewoman captain faint.

If it weren't for the different circumstances, Yu Anqi would have even had the urge to rush up and fight this guy to the death.

That guy surnamed Ye is so damn infuriating.

Besides this main hall, there are actually two more floors upstairs.

The second floor houses the office area and the sculpture production area.

Although Donghe Sculpture is nominally just a studio, it has a considerable number of employees, numbering in the dozens, due to the reputation of Nangong Shengshou.

Among these people are some disciples of Master Nangong, who also make sculptures and the like on a regular basis.

When Ye Bai and Yu Anqi came up, everyone was busy.

Upon seeing the two strangers, a young and pretty girl quickly approached, a smile on her face, and said, "You must be Officer Yu? The master is waiting for you upstairs..."

This is the advantage of making an appointment; the studio is fully prepared to receive you, and you don't even need to introduce yourself.

The young girl led Ye Bai and Yu Anqi upstairs. The entire third floor was Master Nangong's private studio.

Normally, not only outsiders, but even the employees and apprentices of Donghe Carving are not allowed to enter without permission.

It's not just that there are abnormally many people involved in art; sculpture is also a delicate craft.

If disturbed, even the slightest tremor of the hand could completely ruin the entire artwork.

Any one of Master Nangong's works would fetch at least six figures on the market, so the extent of the loss is unimaginable.

Finally, Ye Bai met the legendary Master Nangong.

Ye Bai recognized her at a glance, without even needing the young girl to introduce her.

It wasn't that Ye Bai knew the other person; in fact, there was only one person in the entire third-floor workspace.

It was a man in his forties, of medium build and with an ordinary appearance, who was looking down and fiddling with the sculpture in his hands.

After Ye Bai and Yu Anqi entered, the other party did not raise his head, but simply said indifferently, "Please wait for me for a moment. Xiao Wang, make tea for the guests."

"Yes."

The young girl responded and led Ye Bai and Yu Anqi to the sofa on the side.

"Officer Yu, I'm sorry, Master Nangong is like this when he's busy. He didn't mean to slight you..."

The young girl deftly brewed the tea while quietly offering an apologetic explanation.

From this perspective, the secretary is clearly quite qualified.

However, it's probably because they've hosted so many guests that they've become quite adept at it.

Sculptors of Nangong Shengshou's caliber receive requests for their works almost daily.

"It's alright, no rush, we'll just wait patiently."

Yu Anqi smiled, but showed no dissatisfaction.

Because the wooden snake statue was made by Nangong Shengshou, Yu Anqi had been collecting a lot of information about him during this time.

I've gained some understanding of the other person's personality, hobbies, and way of doing things.

For artists, being abnormal is actually normal.

The fact that Nangong Shengshou said something after they came up was already considered very polite.

If it were someone with a bad temper, they might just start swearing.

While Yu Anqi was having tea and chatting with her secretary, Ye Bai stood up and started strolling around the neighborhood.

To avoid disturbing Master Nangong, he did not approach the past, but simply looked at the sculptures around the reception room.

Before he came, he had been speculating that since the wooden snake statue was carved by Master Nangong, the beast-bodied human-headed statue in Song Fuling's house, which was somewhat similar to the wooden snake statue, was also made by Master Nangong.

If so, there should be other sculptures of a similar style here.

A few minutes later, Ye Bai's gaze fell on a statue, and his pupils suddenly contracted!