Hey, Kid, What Are You Looking At? (The Condor Heroes: A Steamy Take)

The character for “Guo” in the pattern on the Southern Song bronze sword scabbard in the museum display case reminds me of the matching jade pendant with the same crest that my grandmother left me.

At home, I dig out the pendant, which is glowing warmly. I place it against The Return of the Condor Heroes to compare them, and the moment my fingertip touches the words “Yang Guo,” the pendant suddenly burns hot.

A flash of light explodes. Metal rings in my ears, and my soul feels as if it's being dragged away by a thread. When the sensation of weightlessness fades, the air is icy with the chill of an ancient tomb. My hand touches a stone bed. I open my eyes to find Xiaolongnu holding out a bowl of medicine.

Inside the tomb, right in front of Yang Guo, Xiaolongnu is completely naked! It shows just how deeply she loves and trusts him!

What she doesn't know is that I'm not her “Guo'er”! But I absolutely cannot ruin Great Hero Yang's reputation! And I will never let Xiaolongnu down!

I remember what my grandmother told me: this jade pendant once saved a wounded martial artist who had lost an arm. So the bond spanning eight hundred years had destined me to walk Yang Guo's path through The Return of the Condor Heroes once more.