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

Jie Yanbai had a solemn expression as a blush of bright red floated onto his pallid face. He said in a low voice, "Young Zu doesn't want his scheme to come to naught. Yanbai is wounded, so I'm naturally not the equal of young Zu. But if young Zu insists on going it alone today, then even though my brothers and I would be laying our lives on the line, we will never retreat!"

Once he said that, the breathing of the Central Repository of the Classics card artisans turned coarse as they went red in the eye! What Jie Yanbai said carried a lot of weight. He filled the card artisans with his indignation and solitary fighting spirit.

His adversary had come prepared with plenty of strength. On his side, the general had been wounded, and their numbers were a lot smaller. Once they made their move, it would a battle with no chance of victory!

Preparing for War (IX)