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

A few captains of the Cang Jiang Military Force had gathered together. Their faces showed traces of fear and despair.

The campsite was a mess. The Cang Jiang Military Force had suffered heavy casualties in the ambush the night before. Excluding the card artisans who had died at the hands of the enemy, there were many card artisans who had frozen to death and suffered from frostbite. The card artisans were extremely weak without their power shields in such weather. Not many card artisans had frozen to death, but majority of the card artisans had suffered from frostbite. Many card artisans were mourning, and morale had dropped to a low point.

A few captains remained silent, as they had no idea what to say.

After a long while, an older card artisan spoke up. "Let's figure it out. What shall we do now?"

The other captains looked at each other, but all they could see was the fear in everyone's eyes. Yan Yu had died, and the military force was left leaderless.

Offense Is the Best Defense