Thunderous Whip Strike

There were still five and a half days left. It wouldn't hurt to give it a try.

Then he would start with the Shepherd.

After saying goodbye to Wang Kai, Xiao Jie headed straight for the Livestock Pen on the east side of the village.

He found Old Yang, who managed the sheep pen, and explained why he had come.

Old Yang (Shepherd): "What? You want to help me herd sheep? Heh heh, that's wonderful. I'm short-handed here. Sigh, I'm old now, and my legs aren't what they used to be. I can barely manage herding sheep anymore. Come on, young man, let me tell you how to do it.

"The job is simple. Just don't let the sheep get lost. See that pasture in the valley behind the village? Herd them there. Remember, when the sheep are eating grass, you don't need to bother with them. But if they try to run off, make sure you drive them back to the flock. Above all, don't let them run up the mountain. Things aren't peaceful outside these days. Once they get lost, you won't be able to find them again.

"Sheep are afraid of loud noises. Just snap the whip in front of them like this, and they'll obediently run back. Here, use this. If any sheep run off, use it to drive them back.

"I'll pay you 100 copper coins for one shichen of herding. How about it? That's not bad pay, is it? After one shichen, bring the sheep back to the pen. Remember to count them. If any are missing, I'll dock your pay. Two hundred copper coins for every lost sheep. How about that? Not too much, right?"

A dialogue box popped up before Xiao Jie.

[System Notice: Old Yang has offered you the job [Herding]. Accept?]

One shichen—two hours—for 100 copper coins, but losing one sheep cost 200? Even capitalists weren't this ruthless...

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

Still, his skills shouldn't be that bad. As long as he handled things properly and didn't lose a single sheep, the income would be quite considerable. Eight hours a day—four shichen—would earn him 400 copper coins, more than chopping wood.

Fine. For Taming, he would get to work!

Xiao Jie clicked to accept the job.

System Notice: You have obtained the temporary profession [Shepherd] and the temporary weapon [Shepherd's Whip].

Xiao Jie looked at the Shepherd's Whip in his inventory.

[Shepherd's Whip (Special Weapon)

Attack Power: 5 Toughness.

Weapon-exclusive combat skill: Thunderous Whip Strike. Activation: Produces a thunderous sonic boom. Consumes 10 stamina.

Weapon effect: Intimidate Beast (Weakened).

Weapon description: A whip used by shepherds to drive sheep and intimidate wild beasts. It produces sharp cracking sounds when swung. It is said that this combat skill imitates the sound of thunder, using the might of nature to make beasts feel fear deep in their hearts, thereby protecting the flock.]

This... Xiao Jie was left speechless by the weapon description. Why were all the weapons given by these jobs so absurd? 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 combat skill—Thunderous Whip Strike!

His character swung his arm with all his strength. With a sharp crack, the whip rang out crisply, reminding him of old men cracking whips in the park.

Looking at the fifty sheep milling about on the grass, Xiao Jie took a deep breath. Time to get started.

He drove the flock to the grassland on Back Mountain. Once the sheep entered the pasture, Xiao Jie began herding them seriously.

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

Most of the goats crowded together in a bustling mass, chewing on the grass beneath their feet. Xiao Jie waved his whip a few times at several stragglers, driving them back into the main flock.

He noticed that every sheep had a Satiety bar above its head.

As long as there was grass to eat, the goats generally did nothing unusual. They simply lay there quietly, chewing grass.

But once the nearby grass had been eaten clean, they would start wandering around aimlessly, sometimes leaving the flock.

At times like that, he had to hurry and drive them back into a suitable area. He had to make sure every sheep could eat grass if he wanted to keep the flock settled.

However, the biggest challenge was the sheep that had already eaten their fill. There were always a few restless ones that wanted to run here and there, even burrowing into the woods higher up the mountain.

Whenever that happened, Xiao Jie had to sprint over and block the sheep's path, driving it back to the flock.

If too many sheep scattered and he couldn't get to them all in time, he would use Thunderous Whip Strike. The thing really was useful. With one crack, the sheep trying to run off would immediately get scared and hide back in the flock.

Things were fine at first, with the sheep all busy eating grass. But after more than an hour, as more and more goats became full, Xiao Jie started getting overwhelmed.

Damn, why were these goats so good at causing trouble?

He dashed toward the hillside, driving several goats back into the flock through a mix of whipping and intimidation, while muttering complaints to himself.

After only a few back-and-forth trips, Xiao Jie realized his stamina was starting to give out.

Damn, herding sheep really was hard physical labor.

Xiao Jie hurriedly swallowed a Strength Pill to keep himself going.

Fortunately, the pasture had mountains to the south and the village to the north, while steep cliffs stood to the east and west. As long as he guarded the path leading up the southern mountain, he could basically ensure that no sheep got lost.

But Xiao Jie did not dare relax completely. He still had to keep moving around the flock, occasionally driving off the mischievous goats.

This job was far more complicated than Firewood Chopping. At least when chopping wood, being slow only meant earning less. He didn't have to worry about losing sheep and getting fined.

With great difficulty, one shichen was nearly up. Xiao Jie had eaten two Strength Pills, and he himself was exhausted.

I'd be better off chopping wood. But for Taming, he could only endure it. Sigh, this would be so much easier if I had a dog.

Unfortunately, apprenticing himself to a Hunter cost too much, and he was broke. If he had money, he really could consider it.

At last, one shichen finally passed, and most of the sheep had eaten their fill.

Xiao Jie drove the flock back to the sheep pen, dizzy with exhaustion, but Old Yang was extremely pleased.

Old Yang (Shepherd): "Well done, young man. All fifty sheep are here, not one missing. Here's your reward. If you want to do it again, come find me anytime. These goats eat a lot. They'll be hungry again soon enough."

Yet Xiao Jie was not particularly happy as he looked at the 100 copper coins in his hand. He had done the job, but he had not gained insight into the related skill. That was frustrating.

He had been so focused on driving the sheep, terrified that even one might escape, that he had completely forgotten about Sudden Enlightenment.

After resting for more than ten minutes, once his body and mind had mostly recovered, Xiao Jie gritted his teeth and chose to speak with Old Yang again.

"Uncle Yang, I'm rested. Let me herd them one more time."

Old Yang (Shepherd): "Oh, you're a diligent young man. Good, good. These sheep are hungry too. Come on, drive them out."

Another fifty sheep were driven out. Xiao Jie led the flock to the pasture, and in that short time, the grass that had been eaten clean had already respawned.

Fortunately, this was only a game, and the grass kept respawning. Otherwise, at this rate, the entire mountain would probably be stripped bare in two days.

Watching the flock start eating grass again, Xiao Jie thought that he could not just stand around. When he had gained insight into One Cut Two Pieces before, he had gradually grasped some of the game's rules through repeated Firewood Chopping. This time, he should do something as well.

With his previous herding experience, Xiao Jie was much calmer. He even had time to observe the flock's behavior. Looking at the Satiety bars above the goats' heads steadily increasing, an idea suddenly struck him.

Since they ran around after getting full, then he simply wouldn't let them get full.