While Kui and Aok stayed out of sight, the old man placed the beautifully painted lantern at the front of his stall. He had been practicing this craft for most of his life, and even he couldn't understand how someone so young could paint with such skill. The details on the lotuses were incredibly vivid, almost as if the flowers might come to life and bloom right there on the paper.
Just as he finished arranging it, a customer stopped by and picked up the lantern.
The old man immediately smiled up at him. "That is a fine lantern, sir. Our new trainee painted it. If you like it, you can have it for ten copper."
He deliberately quoted a middle-range price. After all, the lantern itself was still rather poorly made, and he couldn't very well charge too much for it.
