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

"I don't know whether or not you've come into contact with many card artisans, but what I'm talking about now is my understanding of fighting. Use your perception to check it out!"

Shielded by the coiled vine, Mark Victor took on a martial spirit with his hair bristling. Gone was any sign of his normally droopy-eyed schlumpy look.

"Indeed, no matter if it is a close-combat or a remote card artisan, the core is always defense."

Suddenly, Mark Victor pulled back his right leg slightly, and assumed a forward weighted half crouch.

"This is defense!" Mark Victor shouted, as the energy-body thorny vine contracted around him like a suddenly tightening spring, sheltering Mark Victor's entire body within dense airtight coils. The light golden energy vine which had formed itself into a protective ring suddenly glowed with such an intense light that it couldn't be looked at without one's eyes being burned as though looking at the sun.

The Great Mark Victor