Fang Xiang

This is both a work of science fiction and an exploration of the meaning of life, love, literature and art. Brainpower is no longer the main ingredient for being human in this far distant future world.  Spirituality, physical balance, and diligence all come together as integrity for Chen Mu, the Card Apprentice.  The cards which Chen Mu masters in his own scrappy way, distill all the powers of the cosmos –  human and nonhuman –  into something that is not a book, not technology, and neither art nor magic, but is these and more.  Learn about these strange cards, which can embody everything you might imagine for the future of technology, but also a future beyond technology which promotes the best, and sometimes the worst, from mankind’s past.

The Card Apprentice

The shuttle train slowly came to rest in the station.

The sharp-eyed Chen Mu was looking through the window with his eyes tightly focused. He saw a number of suspicious looking people. Although they were mixed in with the crowd, they all seemed to be looking for something.

Madam Ning had been getting ready to give Chen Mu her home address just as she saw a frightening scene. In the blink of an eye the calm youth in front of her had abruptly swerved into something fierce, with his whole body suffused in peril. His eyes had become as sharp as needles, with his whole being like a sharp dagger hidden in the dark. That reminded her of those forever wooden-faced guys in the clan, who never smiled or uttered a stray word.

She looked at Chen Mu with uncertainty and disbelief, wondering why she hadn't realized that she might see such disposition in him. She followed Chen Mu's gaze out the window, but apart from the surging crowds, she didn't see anything.

Fishing in Turbid Water