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

When Ru Qiu saw the appearance of the boss, she instantly had a scare. The boss looked haggard, and his eyes were bloodshot. But it was just those burnt-out eyes that were shining with excitement and a certain strange light.

"Boss," Ru Qiu called out demurely. Until that moment, everything still felt somewhat unreal to her. In the past, she had never imagined she would one day part with the principal and teachers to follow a stranger to a strange place for studying.

In the time spent living there, however, she had been unconsciously integrated into that organization. She had seen with her own eyes how they had traversed the forest and how they were surviving in an environment as awful as the Heavenly Drum Village District. Similarly, she had also witnessed how that plain-looking youth had led everyone to where they were that day.

The Transformation (I)