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

Energy block Y09 was the toughest Chen Mu had encountered so far. If he wanted to take it down, he needed to use his perceptual tendrils to complete 16 recursive twists. He'd already tried it 522 times and still hadn't taken it down.

Even given Chen Mu's disposition, he still felt a little irritable. He also knew his current emotional state wouldn't help with the training, so he directly exited the mysterious card.

He didn't know where Wei-ah had run off to, and that brown fleshy dog was nowhere to be seen either. He imagined Wei-ah had taken it with him. Looking at the empty rooms, a feeling of desolation welled up in him. Chen Mu stood there for a few minutes before rushing into the bathroom to douse his face with cold water. His brain immediately cleared, and his restless heart also settled.

Details and a Conjecture