Chapter 25 - 25 23 Thundering Whip

25: Chapter 23: Thundering Whip 25: Chapter 23: Thundering Whip Anyway, there were still five and a half days left, so trying it out wouldn’t hurt. So let’s start with being a shepherd. After bidding farewell 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 sheepfold, and went straight to the point. Old Yang (Shepherd): “What, you want to help me with sheep herding? Haha, that’s great, I’m short-handed here. Sigh, my legs aren’t what they used to be; I can’t even herd sheep anymore. Come here, young man, I’ll tell you how to do it. The job is very simple; just don’t let the sheep get lost. Do you see that grassland in the valley behind the village? That’s where you’ll be herding the sheep. Remember, you don’t need to mind them while they’re grazing. But if the sheep start to run, you must herd them back to the flock, and make sure they don’t run up the mountains. Things aren’t so peaceful outside nowadays, and once lost, they’re impossible to find. Sheep are creatures that are frightened of noises. If you crack a whip in front of them like this, they’ll obediently run back. Here, take this; use it to herd them if they run. I’ll give you 100 copper coins for one hour of work; how does that sound? The wage isn’t small, right? After an hour, just bring the sheep back to the pen. Remember to count them; if any are missing, I’ll have to deduct your wage. Missing one sheep costs you 200 coins; that’s not too much, is it?” A dialogue box popped up in front of Xiao Jie. [System Prompt: Old Yang has offered you the task [Sheep Herding]. Do you accept?] An hour’s work for 100 coppers, and losing one sheep costs 200 coppers… even capitalists aren’t as exploitative as you… There were a total of fifty sheep; if they were all lost, that would be 10 silver coins, enough to buy a hundred-year-old ginseng… But thinking about it, his skills shouldn’t be that bad. As long as he managed properly, without losing a single sheep, the pay would be quite good. Working eight hours (four hours) a day would earn 400 coins, more than chopping wood. Alright, for the Beast Taming Skill, let’s get started! Xiao Jie clicked to accept the task. System Notification: You have obtained the temporary profession [Shepherd], and the temporary weapon [Shepherd Whip]. Xiao Jie checked the Shepherd Whip in his inventory. [Shepherd Whip (Abnormal Weapon) Attack Power: 5 toughness. Exclusive Combat Skill for the Weapon: Thundering Whip. Release: Produces a thunderous boom, consuming 10 Energy Points. Weapon Effect: Intimidate wild beasts (Weakened). Weapon Description: A whip used by shepherds to herd sheep and intimidate wild beasts. Swinging it creates a crackling noise, and it is said that this combat skill imitates the sound of thunder, harnessing the mighty force of nature to strike fear deep in the hearts of beasts and thus protect the safety of the flock.] This… Xiao Jie found himself speechless reading the weapon description; even the job-related weapons were so over-the-top. It was one thing for a Firewood Axe to come with a special effect, but even a Shepherd Whip had combat skills. He equipped the whip. He used the Combat Skill—Thundering Whip! With a forceful swing of his arm, a cracking sound echoed crisply, reminiscent of the sound of old men cracking whips in the park. Gazing at the bustling fifty sheep on the grass, Xiao Jie took a deep breath. It was time to get started. He herded the flock to the grassland on the back mountain, and once the sheep entered the grazing area, Xiao Jie began to herd them earnestly. Fortunately, the job wasn’t as complicated as he had imagined. The core strategy was to ensure that the flock stayed together and didn’t disperse. Most of the sheep huddled together, bustling and munching on the lush grass beneath them. Xiao Jie whipped at a few of the strays, herding them back into the main group. He noticed that each sheep had a satiety progress bar above their heads. When there’s grass to eat, the goats are usually quiet, lying there and nibbling away. But once the nearby grass is gone, they start wandering aimlessly, and sometimes they stray from the herd. At that point, you have to hurry and drive them back to a suitable area, so ensuring each goat gets its share of grass is the key to keeping the flock settled. However, the biggest challenge is the goats that have had their fill. There are always a few restless ones wanting to scamper here and there, even trying to squeeze into the woods up the mountain. Every time this happens, Xiao Jie has to sprint to cut off the goat’s path and drive it back to the flock. If too many scatter and he can’t catch up, he uses a Thundering Whip. That thing is really useful; with a crack, the runaways immediately get scared and hide back within the herd. In the beginning, it’s fine since the goats are busy eating grass, but after more than an hour, when more and more goats are getting full, Xiao Jie starts to get overwhelmed. Damn, why are these goats such a handful? He dashes towards the hillside, simultaneously herding and intimidating a few goats back to the flock, all the while muttering complaints to himself. After a few back and forth runs, Xiao Jie realizes that his energy is starting to wane. Man, herding goats is really a physical job. Xiao Jie quickly pops a Power Pill to hold himself over. Luckily, with the hill to the south and the village to the north, and steep cliffs on both the east and west sides, as long as he guards the southern path up the hill, he can basically ensure no goats are lost. But Xiao Jie doesn’t dare to relax completely. He still has to keep moving around the flock, occasionally driving away the mischievous goats. This job is much more complicated than chopping wood; at least with woodcutting, the worst is just being slow, without the worry of losing goats and money. Time almost reached an hour, Xiao Jie had taken two Power Pills and was thoroughly exhausted. He thought to himself that chopping wood might be better, but for the sake of mastering the Beast Taming Skill, he just had to endure it. “Ah, if only I had a dog, it’d be much easier,” he couldn’t help thinking. Too bad apprenticing as a Hunter was too expensive, and being penniless himself, it was something to consider only if he had the money. Finally, the hour passed by, and most of the goats had their fill. Xiao Jie drove the flock back to the pen, dizzy with fatigue, but Old Yang was very satisfied. Old Yang (Shepherd): “Well done, lad, fifty goats and not one missing, here, this is your pay. If you want more work, you can come to me anytime. These goats sure can eat a lot, and soon there’ll be hungry ones again.” Looking at the 100 coins in hand, Xiao Jie wasn’t very happy. Although the task was done, he hadn’t attained any associated skills, which was quite frustrating. In his haste to herd the goats, afraid of letting even one escape, he completely forgot about the chance for Satori. After resting for more than ten minutes and feeling his spirit considerably replenished, Xiao Jie gritted his teeth and chose to speak with Old Yang again. “Uncle Yang, I’m rested up. Let me herd once more.” Old Yang (Shepherd): “Oh, the lad is diligent, very good, very good. Just in time, these goats here are hungry too. Come on, drive them out.” Another fifty goats were driven out, and Xiao Jie herded the flock to the pasture, where in no time, the grass that had been eaten bare had refreshed again. Thankfully, this is just a game and the grass continuously respawns; otherwise, with the rate these goats eat, the mountain would likely be stripped bare in a couple of days. Watching the flock start grazing again, Xiao Jie tells himself he can’t just stand by. When he had his Satori with the “One Cut, Two Pieces” skill, he had grasped some of the game’s patterns only through relentless tree chopping. He should be doing something this time too. With the experience from last time, Xiao Jie is more at ease and even has some gaps to observe the flock’s behavioral patterns. Watching the satiety meters rise above the goats’ heads, he suddenly has a brainwave. Since being full makes them wander, then the solution is not let them get full at all.