However, Li Qiuzhi's idea was all well and good, but that blasted bird gave him no chance.
Covered in sharp green feathers, the Windbell Bird gripped a slightly lower section of the tree trunk with its strong, powerful talons. With a forceful beat of its wings, it sent several Wind Blades slicing toward the two of them in succession.
"So fast!"
Li Qiuzhi keenly judged that dodging these attacks seemed a little difficult for Sucrose, who looked so soft and frail.
She seemed to have grown considerably since the last time he had gone collecting materials with her.
But she was still only level twenty-five, and the gap between that and level fifty was not merely half, as the numbers might suggest.
Unless someone possessed outstanding combat talent and experience, or had cheats like Li Qiuzhi, all they needed to do when facing an enemy far stronger than themselves was find a way to escape.
There was no point doing too many needless things.
Even if a monster lacked intelligence, its instinctive counterattacks were enough to overwhelm anyone who dared provoke it.
And Sucrose was, after all, a scholar who often immersed herself in research. She had relatively little combat experience and had yet to grow to Miss Lisa's level.
So she really could not quite react in time to the Windbell Bird's Wind Blades. She could only instinctively cry, "Ah!" and shield her head with both hands.
Li Qiuzhi acted in a flash, in the brief moment as the howling Wind Blades sliced toward them.
He darted sideways and gathered Sucrose into his arms, tackling her to the ground while protecting the back of her head with his arm.
The speeding Wind Blades skimmed past Li Qiuzhi's back, missing him by the narrowest margin.
"...Mmph..."
Sucrose's fair face was