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

"Linghai Card Artisan Training Camp." Those five large gold-leaf words were rather eye-catching in the sunlight. Small clusters of students were coming and going, all of them putting on fierce looks.

Chen Mu and his group stopped up the gate, which got everyone's attention. Many of the students passing through gave them dirty looks, sneering when they turned their gazes to the group's leader, Chen Mu.

When Ji Ming arrived at the gate of the training camp in a rush, he saw what was happening. He couldn't refrain from laughing. As the director of external relations for the training camp, he had seen a lot. The Linghai Training Camp was Zargan's best-known training camp. They would encounter several groups of challengers every year, which was how they had become so well-known.

At Ji Ming's first glance, he knew the gang had come for a challenge. But it was the first time he'd seen such an ugly challenger. He couldn't hide his look of amusement.