Liu Haichan

Liu Haichan, whose secular name was Liu Cao and whose Daoist sobriquet was Haichanzi, was a native of Yanshan during the Five Dynasties period and served as chancellor under Liu Shouguang, ruler of the Yan Kingdom. One day, he encountered the immortal Zhengyangzi, who awakened him to the perilous instability of official life—comparing it to eggs stacked precariously atop one another. Deeply moved, Liu Haichan renounced his chancellorship, distributed his family wealth, and withdrew to Mount Zhongnan to cultivate the Dao. There he attained mastery of Golden Elixir alchemy and subsequently journeyed across famed sacred mountains. Because his Daoist title was 'Haichanzi' (Sea-Toad Master), later folklore evolved the legendary tale of 'Liu Hai Playing with the Toad': the three-legged golden toad, capable of spitting forth coins, is tamed by Liu Hai using a golden thread strung with coins; he scatters these riches to relieve poverty, giving rise to the popular saying, 'Liu Hai plays with the toad—step by step, coins are hooked.' Thus he became venerated as a deity embodying both fortune and wealth. Both the Southern Golden Elixir School and the Northern Quanzhen School honour him as a patriarch, and Emperor Shizu of the Yuan dynasty posthumously conferred upon him the title 'Emperor Haichan, Illuminating Insight, Propagating the Dao, and Purely Bestowing Protection.'