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

Bogner and Xi Ping had been waiting for a while. Chen Mu and Wei-ah's operation that day had a high degree of danger, and they were worried. They hadn't told Jiao Si about it for reasons of secrecy.

The two of them were a little dumbstruck when they saw Chen Mu. They saw him with a backpack strapped to his chest and a suitcase that was half the size of a person on his back, along with a woman over his shoulder. He looked like some thief returning with his booty. Wei-ah looked a lot better, though he also had a half-person-sized suitcase on his back.

Seeing them, Chen Mu walked quickly into the meeting room. He walked past Xi Ping while ordering, "Call Lu Xiaoru over." Bogner and Xi Ping looked at one another before following. Xi Ping opened his communications card as he was walking.

Entering the meeting room, they saw two huge suitcases on the table, along with a backpack and a woman—an unconscious woman.

More Wonderful Than a Great Dream