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

She had curved eyebrows like a painting, skin like snow that could be broken with a puff, and a face that could easily show both joy and anger but was exquisite enough to take one's breath away. Her fluid eyes and the off-hand style they exuded made one's heart race.

Chen Mu was rather taken aback. Ah Sang's beauty surprised him. When he saw that face, he finally understood why Ah Sang normally wore a veil and why Miao Xuan was always thinking about her.

Considering beauty alone, Sue Lochiro was slightly inferior to her. Ah Sang's was a kind of stunning beauty without the slightest defect. Once a person saw it, it would be hard to take one's eyes away.

Chen Mu had powerful resistance to beautiful women, which had a lot to do with his childhood experiences. Afterward, although he hadn't been surrounded by all that many beautiful women, those like Lu Xiaoru or Sue Lochiro were women with looks and temperaments that were hard to come by.

Dang Han