Online Game: Me, with Unparalleled Comprehension

As the sun sets, the outline of a huge city finally appears on the distant horizon.

The city walls stand tall, built of massive, earthen-yellow stones, gleaming with a somber luster in the afterglow of the setting sun.

Banners fluttered on the city wall, and the figures of soldiers in leather armor and holding spears could be vaguely seen patrolling the top of the wall.

Xingqing Prefecture, the capital of Western Xia.

The two stopped behind a hill several miles from the city gate.

Wu Feng looked up and saw a bustling crowd and a constant stream of carriages and horses at the city gate.

Besides the usual merchants and ordinary people, you can also see many players with IDs above their heads, as well as some NPCs dressed in uniform with unique emblems embroidered on their chests—those are people from Yipintang.

What caught his attention were the three scarlet characters above Wu Xingyun's head: 【Wu Xingyun】.

In the remote towns we passed through before, there were few players and most NPCs didn't recognize the name, so we could still hide it.

But this is the capital of Western Xia, Li Qiushui's territory, where Yipintang has many spies and players gather.

If he were to take her into the city so casually, the news would probably reach Li Qiushui's ears in no time.

By then, let alone taking advantage of the chaos, even leaving Xingqing Prefecture alive will be a problem.

Wu Xingyun clearly realized this as well. Her face tightened even more, her lips pressed into a thin line, and a barely perceptible hint of tension flashed in her eyes.

Wu Feng withdrew his gaze and took out a spare bamboo hat from his backpack.

The straw hat was crudely made, with a ring of dark gray gauze hanging from the edge. He had bought it casually in a small town before, originally just to shield himself from the wind and sand, but now it came in handy.

He handed the bamboo hat to Wu Xingyun: "When we go into the city later, wear this to cover your face."

Some special equipment in the game has a built-in camouflage effect, which can hide one's appearance to a certain extent.

It's just unclear whether this works on NPCs.

Wu Xingyun glanced at him, asked no further questions, took the bamboo hat, and silently put it on his head.

The straw hat was too big, covering almost half of her face, and the thin veil hanging down made her face appear hazy.

The moment she put on her straw hat, Wu Feng's pupils contracted slightly.

The three glaring red names above her head disappeared.

They vanished without a trace, as if they had never existed.

"It seems that the concealment effect of this equipment also works on NPCs." Wu Feng himself put on similar equipment, which at most made it impossible for others to see his appearance temporarily.

After Wu Xingyun put it on, even his name was hidden, which was clearly a special treatment for NPCs by the system rules.

This saved a lot of trouble.

"Let's go." He said no more, straightened his unremarkable dark blue martial arts outfit, pulled down the brim of his straw hat, and strode towards the city gate.

Wu Xingyun followed half a step behind him, her small figure shrouded in a wide bamboo hat and thin veil, her steps light and silent.

The checkpoints at the city gate were more lenient than I had imagined.

The soldiers guarding the city merely glanced at the two men's attire, noticing they were dressed as ordinary江湖客 (jianghu ke, wandering martial arts practitioners) and had a child with them, before waving them away without asking any further questions.

A few players at the back of the line, wearing Yipintang's standard leather armor, glanced at Wu Feng a few more times. Their gazes lingered on the longsword behind him and his steady steps for a moment. They whispered a few words to each other, but did not step forward to stop him.

Stepping into the city, a wave of noise hits you.

The streets are wide and paved with bluestone slabs, lined with shops on both sides, with flags fluttering in the wind.

Fur sellers, medicinal herb vendors, blacksmiths, wine sellers, and vendors selling roasted mutton... all sorts of shops and vendors crowded both sides of the street, their shouts, bargaining, camel bells, and horse hooves mingling together, creating a scene full of the ruggedness and vitality of a foreign border town.

The number of players far exceeded Wu Feng's expectations.

Looking around, almost every ten people have several players whose names are not displayed above their heads.

They were dressed in all sorts of different outfits; some carried swords and knives and strode about, some squatted in front of stalls haggling with NPCs, and some gathered at the entrance of taverns, talking and laughing loudly.

Even more conspicuous were the players wearing Yipintang's standard equipment.

Wearing leather armor inlaid with iron, and with a ferocious wolf head emblem embroidered on their chests, they patrolled the streets in groups of three or five or carried out missions, their expressions carrying a sense of superiority, clearly indicating that they were doing quite well in this Western Xia territory.

Wu Xingyun walked beside Wu Feng, her gaze silently sweeping across the street scene beneath the thin veil.

She seemed somewhat surprised by the prosperity of the place, slowing her pace slightly and lingering her gaze on the buildings, clothing, and artifacts with distinct Western Xia style.

As Wu Feng walked, he observed discreetly.

The atmosphere in the city seemed ordinary, but he could sense an undercurrent of restlessness.

When players talk, they lower their voices, their eyes darting around, and their topics vaguely revolve around words like "royal palace," "princess," and "marriage proposal."

Some players, clearly dressed in Central Plains attire, were also peeking around the streets and alleys, seemingly trying to find out something.

It seems the news of the Western Xia princess seeking a husband has indeed attracted quite a few people.

However, it seems that it has not officially started yet, and most people are still in the observation and preparation stage.

As dusk settled, lanterns along the streets were lit one after another, their dim yellow glow creating a vibrant and bustling atmosphere in the city's night.

"Let's go to the inn to rest first," Wu Feng said to Wu Xingyun beside him, his voice not loud, just loud enough for the other to hear clearly.

Wu Xingyun gave a soft "hmm".

The two walked through several streets, avoiding the busiest market areas, and found a shop with a sign that read "Shunlai Inn" in a relatively quiet area near the east of the city.

The inn's facade wasn't large, but it looked clean and tidy.

Wu Feng went inside, and behind the counter was a shrewd-looking shopkeeper in his forties.

"Sir, looking for a room?" The innkeeper looked up, his gaze sweeping over Wu Feng and Wu Xingyun, who was wearing a bamboo hat, and a professional smile appeared on his face.

"I need a quiet, private courtyard," Wu Feng said.

The regular guest rooms are crowded and noisy, and Wu Xingyun's identity is too sensitive; staying in such a place would be too risky.

The innkeeper's eyes lit up; the price of a private courtyard was much higher than that of a regular room.

He nodded quickly: "Yes, yes, yes! There's a small courtyard left in the backyard, quiet and elegant, five taels of silver a day."

Wu Feng didn't haggle and paid ten taels of silver directly: "Stay for two days."

"Alright!" The shopkeeper took the silver, his smile widening. He took out a copper key from under the counter. "Please follow me, sir."

The courtyard is located deep in the backyard of the inn, separated from the main building by a low wall. Inside the courtyard is a main room, two side rooms, and a small courtyard in the middle, where several clumps of drought-resistant dwarf bamboo are planted, making it quite tranquil.

The innkeeper led the two to the courtyard, briefly explained that tea and food could be delivered to the courtyard by the waiter, and then tactfully withdrew.

Wu Feng pushed open the door to the main room and looked inside. The room was simply furnished, but it had a bed, bedding, table, and chairs, and the windows were intact.

He turned to Wu Xingyun and said, "You stay in this room. I'll go to the side room next door."

Wu Xingyun nodded, took off his straw hat, revealing his young but expressionless face.

She walked to the table, sat down, poured herself a glass of iced tea, and sipped it slowly.

Wu Feng walked into the courtyard, called over a passing waiter, and ordered some food: two bowls of mutton noodles, a plate of braised beef, a plate of mixed wild vegetables, and a few steamed buns.

The food was served quickly. The two ate it quietly at the table in the main room.