Time passed quickly, and before they knew it, more than a month had gone by. During these days, Xiao Zi and You Xiang's injuries were long healed, and under Lin Luo and Shen Qi's guidance, the two of them had fully entered the realm of rules... Of course, entry was different from mastery.

Beyond the threshold lay a long road. Only those who traversed it to its end could truly claim dominion over these principles. Right now, they merely understood what ruled meant - occasionally managing to manifest them in practice, but remained far from becoming true rule-tier warriors.

Yet in Lin Luo's eyes, this was just a matter of time.

Meanwhile, while instructing the two girls, Lin Luo hadn't neglected his own cultivation. He knew clearly that after battling Heaven's Way, several new powers had awakened within him - one being Equivalence Exchange, which made its debut against the West Wolf King.

The Book of Contracts' sealing wasn't just due to his injuries, but also because these powers overloaded its capacity. Though uncertain about their origins, he couldn't yet contain them fully. As a protective measure, the Book had absorbed these forces itself, though residual energies remained in his body - allowing him to sense physical changes and perceive those hidden powers.

With the Book gradually awakening, more sensations began revealing themselves. A faint realization stirred within: if he could master these abilities completely, Heaven's Rank might finally be attainable.

This prospect was both enticing and impractical for Lin Luo. Though Heaven's Rank and Near-Heaven's Rank differed by just a word, their chasm was as vast as ten thousand li - one footstep into the threshold didn't guarantee the other could follow. Countless Near-Heavens had perished trying.

Across the boundless world, no one knew how many quasi-heavenly beings had shattered themselves attempting ascension. Yet Lin Luo still chose to let things unfold naturally from within.

While Xiao Zi and You Xiang immersed themselves in rule mastery, Lin Luo explored Heaven's Rank secrets. Three souls focused on power evolution - except Shen Qi. She'd grown indifferent to physical might after so many trials. Instead, she craved emotional connection more than anything else.

The moment she learned of Lin Luo's impending departure, a storm of uncertainty engulfed her heart. Though uncertain if her feelings were love or gratitude, she knew losing him would mean becoming the lonely witch once again - an outcome she refused to accept.

Yet she understood his departure couldn't be stopped, nor could she cause ripples in fate. The future they shared was already set; their paths intertwined. Changing that risked erasing everything they had.

Thousands of years seemed unbearable. Even if her lifespan allowed it, would her emotions still burn when they finally reunited? The thought haunted her endlessly.

"Shen Qi, something's wrong," Lin Luo noticed during dinner. "You look pale."

Startled, Shen Qi forced a smile. "Just tired from earlier today. You two enjoy your meal - I'll rest now."

As she left for her room, the exhaustion was real, though it burdened her soul more than her body.

Watching her go, Lin Luo remained silent, sensing her turmoil without words. Yet there were no answers to give when eternity lay between them.

"You're in denial about Shen Qi's feelings," You Xiang teased later, watching his reaction closely.

Lin Luo scowled at the girl who'd grown up navigating human complexities. "Nonsense."

"Her eyes said everything!" You Xiang mimed her telltale expression.

He groaned inwardly - time had made her perceptive. Shen Qi's trust had always left her vulnerable to such observations, and love could blind anyone.

"You've become too nosy," he diverted the conversation. "Go watch your Happy Sheep and Big Wolf."

"Ugh, I hate animal cartoons!" You Xiang scoffed as she continued sharing her obsession with Fate/Zero and Naruto - though it seemed someone confused Sasuke for a female lead again.

Lin Luo gave up trying to follow the logic as he sent them off. Their memories would be sealed anyway; letting them enjoy future culture posed no real threat.

Back in his room, Lin Luo paused at the unusual fragrance wafting from his door. His domain sensors were silent - it had to be Shen Qi's nightly routine of diffusing scents across their rooms.

After a quick shower, he collapsed onto the bed. The mental strain of unlocking the Book and teaching others had taken its toll.

Some time later, rustling noises jolted him awake. A shadow moved beside his form before his instincts took over - catching her wrist in one decisive motion.

"Ah!" The familiar voice confirmed his suspicion: "Shen Qi?"

Caught red-handed trespassing into a man's chamber would be awkward enough for anyone. But dressed only in translucent silk with unfastened buttons, Shen Qi blushed furiously, unable to meet his eyes.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, scanning her exposed décolletage before catching himself.

"You... woke up quickly," she stammered finally.

"Of course - strange sensations always wake me."

"No..." she shook her head, "I meant about the fragrance in this room?"

Understanding dawned slowly. As a witch, she could craft various elixirs - including aphrodisiacs. The one today was clearly different from her usual calming scents.

"So let me guess," he sighed, rubbing his temples. "You drugged my room with love pheromones and planned to make your move?"

Shen Qi's face burned crimson as she buried her face in her hands.

"Why go through all this?" Lin Luo asked gently after a pause.

She looked up then, eyes brimming with unshed tears. "As the lonely witch, my heart grew distant - even from myself. I don't know if what I feel for you is love or gratitude... but when you leave to your time, these feelings will vanish forever."

Lin Luo opened his mouth to argue, but she pressed her palm against it first.

"Let me finish," she whispered. "Tonight might be my last chance to say this..."

Her confession spilled out like a broken dam: the desperation behind her actions, the plan to conceive a child so his presence would live on in this era through their offspring.

"You think I'll forget you after this?" he asked softly when she finished.

She nodded solemnly. "But I didn't expect... it didn't work."

Lin Luo exhaled sharply. He'd been avoiding intimacy precisely to prevent future disruptions. Yet here was the very consequence he feared most.

"What now?" he asked eventually.

Shen Qi's resolve hardened as she removed her silk nightgown, standing bare before him. "Even if you remember this tomorrow, I don't care anymore. Let me have your child."

Lin Luo trembled at her naked form, desire warring with uncertainty. The blood connection between himself and Alice remained unclear - but would refusing Shen Qi erase their shared history?

"If we do this," he warned, "the future might change completely."

"Doesn't the future already depend on our choices?" she countered. "If I don't act now... won't that also alter what's to come?"

The question struck deep. In this world of infinite possibilities, wasn't every decision shaping tomorrow? If Alice was truly his daughter in this timeline, rejecting Shen Qi would erase her existence entirely.

His hesitation dissolved as he pulled her into a kiss - fierce and claiming. Her body responded with equal fervor, arching against him like a flower blooming under the sun.

"Shen Qi," he murmured between kisses, "I'll give you everything I have left."

The instant his body pierced her, Shen Qi felt a tear of blinding pain through her lower abdomen. A soft cry escaped her lips as her spine arched in reflexive tension. Her limbs instinctively coiled around him with desperate tightness, embracing the violent thrusts beneath her with trembling vulnerability.

As the bedclothes rustled in endless rhythm, the room echoed with muffled sensations that blurred into a single breathless symphony.

A final tremulous note reverberated through the air before stillness finally settled over the world like ash falling after a storm.

PS: This chapter clocks in at 6000 words. Another installment will follow later tonight. For those who've been waiting - this long-awaited push and counter-push moment, would you consider casting your monthly vote?