Li Chen waved a hand. "Innkeeper, I'd like to ask whether you sell disguise masks or painted skins that can change one's appearance."
The innkeeper paused. "Are you referring to 'skin goods,' sir? We do have those. Several Skin-Painters in the city supply such items, but what grade are you looking for?"
Li Chen asked in return, "What grades do you sell?"
The innkeeper said, "Most of what we sell here is high-grade or better, skin goods classified as magical artifacts. We also have supreme-grade pieces painstakingly crafted by a few experts."
Li Chen asked, "What do they cost?"
The innkeeper said, "There is something for every purse, from around a thousand Talisman Coins to upwards of ten thousand. If you require it, we can even arrange a meeting with a Skin-Painter to commission finer skin goods tailored specifically to you."
"I see." Li Chen smiled.
The innkeeper asked in bewilderment, "What amuses you, honored guest?"
Li Chen said, "I'm laughing at how you know neither the height of heaven nor the depth of earth. Mere leatherworkers dare call themselves Skin-Painters, passing off ordinary wares as fine goods to fool your customers. Do you know who is standing before you?"
The innkeeper's expression shifted uncertainly. "May I ask... who?"
Li Chen smiled without answering, but Wu Ding stepped forward like an eager lackey, straightened his back, and declared imposingly, "This is Artisan Li, a Skin-Painter from the east! Artisan Li is a true inheritor of Shape-Stealing Skin-Painting. He arrived here on his travels recently and intended to visit incognito to investigate the market, only to discover you conducting yourselves like this. You'd better open your eyes wide and see just how exquisitely peerless the painted skins Artisan Li produces are!"
It took the innkeeper a while to digest this. Surprise