Thunderous Whip Strike

With five and a half days left, there was no harm in giving it a try.

Then, he would start with the shepherd.

After taking his leave of Wang Kai, Xiao Jie headed straight for the livestock pen on the east side of the village.

He found Old Yang, who managed the sheepfold, and stated his purpose directly.

Old Yang (Shepherd): "What, you want to help me herd sheep? Haha, that's wonderful! I'm short-handed as it is. Sigh, I'm old now, my legs aren't what they used to be, and I can't keep up with the flock anymore. Come here, young man, let me tell you how it's done."

"The work is simple enough. You just need to make sure none of the sheep get lost. See that grassland in the valley behind the village? That's where you'll be herding them. Remember, you don't need to bother them while they're grazing. But if they try to wander off, you must drive them back to the flock. Whatever you do, don't let them run up the mountain. Times are tough out there; if they get lost, they're gone for good."

"Sheep are terrified of loud noises. You just need to crack this whip in front of them, and they'll scurry right back. Here, take this. Use it if any sheep try to bolt."

"I'll pay you 100 coppers for an hour of work. How's that? Not a bad wage, right? After an hour, drive the sheep back to the pen and remember to count them. If any are missing, I'll have to deduct it from your pay—200 coppers for every lost sheep. That's fair, isn't it?"

A dialogue box popped up before Xiao Jie's eyes.

[System Prompt: Old Yang has offered you the task [Herding]. Do you accept?]

100 coppers for an hour (two hours in-game), but a 200-copper penalty for a single lost sheep? Even a capitalist wouldn't be this ruthless...

There were fifty sheep in total. If he lost them all, that would be ten taels of silver—enough to buy a century-old ginseng root.

Still, he figured his skills weren't that bad. If he played it right and didn't lose a single sheep, the income would be quite decent. Eight hours a day (four hours in-game) would net him 400 coppers, which was more than he could make chopping wood.

Fine, for the sake of Taming, let's do this!

Xiao Jie clicked to accept the task.

System Prompt: Obtained temporary profession [Shepherd], obtained temporary weapon [Shepherd's Whip].

Xiao Jie checked the Shepherd's Whip in his inventory.

[Shepherd's Whip (Uncommon Weapon) Attack: 5. Durability: 5. Weapon Skill: Thunderous Whip Strike. Activation: Emits a thunderous sonic boom, consumes 10 Stamina. Weapon Effect: Intimidate Beast (Weakened). Description: A whip used by shepherds to drive flocks and scare off beasts. It produces a cracking sound when swung. It is said this skill mimics the sound of thunder, using the power of nature to strike primal fear into beasts, thereby protecting the flock.]

Xiao Jie was speechless as he read the description. Why were the weapons for these jobs so explosive? It was one thing for a firewood knife to have a weapon effect, but a shepherd's whip actually came with a combat skill.

He equipped the whip.

He activated the skill—Thunderous Whip Strike!

His character's arm swung out with force, and a crisp crack echoed through the air. It sounded so sharp it reminded him of the old men cracking whips in the park.

Looking at the fifty sheep bustling about on the grass, Xiao Jie took a deep breath. Let's get to work.

He drove the flock to the grassland behind the mountain. Once they were inside, he began his duties in earnest.

Fortunately, the job wasn't as complicated as he had imagined. The core strategy was simply to keep the flock together and prevent them from scattering.

Most of the goats huddled together in a noisy mass, grazing on the grass beneath their feet. Xiao Jie cracked his whip a few times at the stragglers, driving them back into the main group.

He noticed a satiety bar above the head of every sheep.

As long as there was grass to eat, the goats didn't act up; they just stayed quiet and grazed.

But once the grass nearby was gone, they would wander aimlessly, sometimes drifting away from the main group.

At those moments, he had to quickly drive them back to a suitable area. Ensuring every sheep had grass to eat was the key to keeping the flock calm.

The biggest challenge, however, was the sheep that were already full. There were always a few restless ones trying to run off in every direction, even attempting to dive into the woods on the mountain.

Whenever that happened, Xiao Jie had to sprint to cut them off and drive them back to the flock.

If too many sheep scattered at once and he couldn't keep up, he would use Thunderous Whip Strike. It was incredibly effective; at the sound of the crack, the runaway sheep would immediately scramble back to the flock in terror.

It started off fine while the sheep were busy eating, but after an hour, as more and more goats became full, Xiao Jie found himself struggling to keep up.

Damn it, why are these goats so much trouble?

He grumbled to himself while sprinting toward a hillside, swatting and scaring a few goats back into the fold.

After only a few trips, Xiao Jie realized his stamina was failing him.

Man, herding is a real workout.

Xiao Jie hurriedly consumed a Strength Pill to keep going.

Fortunately, the grassland was bordered by mountains to the south, the village to the north, and steep cliffs on the east and west. As long as he guarded the path leading up the mountain to the south, he could basically ensure no sheep were lost.

Even so, Xiao Jie didn't dare relax. He had to keep circling the flock, constantly driving back the mischievous goats.

This work was much more complex than chopping wood. At least with chopping wood, the worst that happened was he was a bit slow; he didn't have to worry about losing sheep and getting docked pay.

By the time the hour was almost up, Xiao Jie had consumed two Strength Pills and was exhausted.

He thought to himself that he'd rather be chopping wood, but for the sake of Taming, he had to endure it. Sigh, if only I had a dog, this would be so much easier, Xiao Jie couldn't help but think.

It was a pity that the cost of apprenticing under a hunter was too high, and he was broke. If he had the money, he would definitely consider it.

Finally, an hour had dragged by, and most of the sheep had reached Satiety.

Xiao Jie drove the flock back into the pen, dizzy with exhaustion, though Old Yang seemed quite satisfied.

Old Yang (Shepherd): "Well done, young man. Not a single one of the fifty sheep is missing. Here, this is your pay. If you want to work more, come find me anytime. These Goats can really eat, so they'll be hungry again soon."

Looking at the 100 copper coins in his hand, Xiao Jie didn't feel particularly happy. He had finished the job, but he hadn't gained any related skills, which was quite frustrating.

He had been so focused on herding the sheep and terrified of losing even one that he had completely forgotten about Sudden Enlightenment.

After resting for ten minutes and feeling his energy and spirit mostly restored, Xiao Jie gritted his teeth and chose to speak with Old Yang again.

"Uncle Yang, I've rested enough. Let's do another round."

Old Yang (Shepherd): "Oh? You're quite the diligent lad, aren't you? Good, good, good! These sheep over here are hungry too. Come, come, come, drive them out."

Another fifty sheep were driven out. Xiao Jie herded the flock to the Grassland, where the grass that had been grazed away just a short while ago had already respawned.

It was a good thing this was just a game where the grass constantly refreshed; otherwise, at this rate of grazing, the entire mountain would likely be picked bald in two days.

Watching the flock begin to graze again, Xiao Jie told himself he couldn't just stand there and watch. When he had gained the skill One Cut Two Pieces, it was through the repetitive process of Firewood Chopping that he had grasped the game's mechanics and achieved Sudden Enlightenment. He should be doing something this time as well.

With the experience from his previous stint, Xiao Jie felt much more composed and had some spare moments to observe the flock's behavioral patterns. Seeing the Satiety levels constantly rising above the Goats' heads, a sudden inspiration struck him.

Since they would wander off once they were full, he simply wouldn't let them get full.