My wuxia/mythic China book is right on schedule for a November/early December release, just in time for your Yuletide shopping needs. Most of the art is in hand, the editor is dutifully editing, and the rest of the art is on schedule to be delivered by the end of this month.
Thought I’d whet your appetites with a couple of pieces from the book. I give you the staff of kung fu, by the ever talented Christopher R. Conklin:
And the Imperial Court, by Khairul Hisham:
I really like the art direction.
Is that "staff of kung fu" Sun Wukong's golden rod?
Golden Sword of Justice (like all of the Adventures Dark and Deep books) takes its cue from the original AD&D books when it comes to things like magic items, spells, and monsters. So, something that was originally conceived as a singular item (or creature, etc.) might find itself transformed into a more general item.
So, to answer your question, it's something that is based on the original found in Chinese folklore, but modified to make it more of a general item, in much the same way that the flying carpet was something unique in the Arabian Nights, or the horn of collapsing was situationally specific in the Old Testament, but got turned into a more generic item. Specifically, it is more geared mechanically towards the way kung fu is presented in the book.
Hope that helps!
Since the game is based on ancient China, should we expect to see some gunpowder weaponry?