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 next day, Chen Mu got a call from Sue Lochiro. She wanted him to come to the Medical Card Artisan Association. Could there have been some result? Chen Mu immediately rushed over.

Unexpectedly, Sue Lochiro wasn't the only one waiting for him. To Chen Mu's astonishment, the old man he'd seen at the banquet was there.

Sue Lochiro introduced him. "Mr. Cao, this is my teacher, Kong Youde. You may call him Elder Kong."

"How are you, Elder Kong?" Chen Mu asked earnestly.

Elder Kong laughed. "Well, how about I call you Little Cao? For a young person to be neither anxious nor hot-tempered is quite good." The old man had a look of praise in his eyes.

Chen Mu said modestly, "You flatter me."

"Mmmm, your situation is quite special. It's my first time to encounter such a situation. Sue and I did some research, and the problem is quite a bit more troublesome than I'd imagined." The old man's brow creased in a look of consternation.

State of Mind