"Straight and quite strong," Ling answered. "I'm Xingese," he added, as if that was supposed to tell Kanji something.

"You're very talented," he said, perusing the drawings with a careful eye. "Oho? These are people and creatures I've seen here in this city. I can recognize them. You've captured them well."

Ling looked up and grinned. "If you'd lived in Xing, you could've studied the art of painting," he commented. "Court painters are extremely well off, especially if you can draw dragons or peonies, in the proper style. If you can do those, you can get all the way up to the top."