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

<p>The division's martial spirit had dropped way down, with nearly everyone lowering their heads except for Chen Mu and Wei-ah. The experience of that period had nearly wiped clean any remaining youthfulness from Chen Mu's body without him realizing it.</p>

<p>Although they'd lost contact with the advance division, they still hadn't stopped their forward progress. On the contrary, they wanted to increase their forward speed. The gummy cloud puffs incessantly dropping from the sky were like spirits urging them along, not letting them stop for a second. They had seen a wild beast with their own eyes stranded by a ball of the gummy cloud and suffocated straight to death.</p>

Toughing it Out