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

Bo Wen had been watching Chen Mu very closely those past few days. Ever since his last probing he had been convinced that Chen Mu came from the "night of the cross," which made him examine Chen Mu even closer. He wanted to know what was really different between the night of the cross card artisans who had gone through such tortuous training, and the rest.

He still hadn't gotten the answers he needed from that examination, but instead his doubts had increased.

That was because he had discovered something really strange.

The Brilliant Ape