Yang Guo
Hong Qigong makes a brief appearance in the second novel while roaming the "jianghu" as a carefree old beggar in search of culinary delights. He has regained his inner energy at this point in time. At Mount Hua, he encounters the protagonist, Yang Guo, as well as his old rival, Ouyang Feng, who has become insane but still has his powers. Hong Qigong fights with Ouyang Feng again to the point of sheer exhaustion, but neither of them is willing to back down so they use Yang Guo as an intermediary by teaching him their respective skills and asking him to perform the skills for the other to see. During this time, Yang Guo learns the Dog Beating Staff Technique from Hong Qigong. Eventually, both Hong Qigong and Ouyang Feng realise that neither of them can win the other so they give up and die together in the midst of laughter and forgotten past feuds. Yang Guo then buries them beside each other on Mount Hua.