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

No one paid any attention to one more person on the base.

Untold numbers of card artisans wanted to join the Ning family by that time. Their victory in the conflict didn't only bring them great material benefit, it also boosted their prestige to a level they had never enjoyed.

The Ning family also had to replenish the power from their casualties. This meant no rest for Ning Peng and Ning Yan, who were once again busy. They had to check out the identity and background of each card artisan, as well as determine their power.

So there were a lot of new faces appearing on the base. There were a few among the card artisans who got peoples' attention, such as the previous leader of the 'Wei forest tigers' card artisan troop, Mark Victor, or Cheng Ying who was called "The Rose," and so forth. But the majority were still unknown card artisans having exceptional power.

Breath Control