"After hearing the story of the girl across the street, Xiao Lan was terrified. From then on, she never dared to go near the window, and she became very neurotic."

"Xiao Lan's mother, seeing her daughter become more and more haggard day by day, knew that this matter was not so simple, so she asked a friend with connections to contact a master."

"It is said that this master was quite capable, specializing in helping people settle some strange things."

"According to the master's instructions, they made arrangements at home, but not with talismans or divine water. Instead, they used dark curtains to cover the girl's bedroom window tightly, never opening it easily, and then placed a pot of flowers on the windowsill."

"As the days passed, Xiao Lan's body gradually improved, and her complexion also improved a lot. Other than still being afraid to go near the window, everything else was the same as before."

"Just when Xiao Lan and her mother thought that this matter would slowly pass, they suddenly received a call from the master."

"The master said on the phone that the previous arrangement was just a delaying tactic. The ghost was different from what they thought, and was essentially a curse."

"And Xiao Lan had already made a promise to let the ghost come to her, which was equivalent to making an agreement with the ghost. The ghost would definitely come."

"Hearing this, Xiao Lan was directly frightened, her lips trembling, and she couldn't say a word."

"Xiao Lan's mother begged the master bitterly, asking if there was any way to stop the ghost from coming to her daughter, no matter how much it cost."

"The master said helplessly, it was too late. Once the agreement was reached, the ghost would definitely come, no matter what was done."

"But in a change of tone, the master also said that although it was impossible to avoid the ghost coming, it didn't mean that Xiao Lan would definitely be killed by the ghost."

"As long as you do as I say on that day, there is still a high probability that you will be safe and sound. Moreover, the ghost has already come once, so the agreement to invite her has been completed, and the ghost will not come a second time."

"When will the ghost come?" Xiao Lan's mother asked, the master's words sprouting a glimmer of hope in her gloomy heart.

"When Xiao Lan's leg is almost healed," the master replied.

"Just like that, some time passed, and one morning, the master called. He didn't ask about Xiao Lan's health, but directly told Xiao Lan's mother to go to the window and look at the flower."

"But at the moment of drawing back the curtain, Xiao Lan's mother was stunned. The flower that was fine yesterday was completely withered today."

"The leaves were not withered in the way of turning yellow, but were gray, like paper burned for the dead."

"The master sighed and said, it's tonight. He still had to make some preparations, and then let Xiao Lan wait for his call. He would call again in the evening to tell her what to do."

"Sure enough, when it was just getting dark, the master's call rang as scheduled, and Xiao Lan answered immediately, feeling like she had grabbed a life-saving straw."

"The master first asked Xiao Lan's mother to leave, and then, after Xiao Lan's mother left, he said to Xiao Lan, the ghost will come in the early hours of the morning, so she had to open the door, and all the doors in the house, before 12 o'clock."

"He then explained that doing so was to show that she was sincerely inviting the other party to visit her home, and had not violated the original agreement."

"Xiao Lan's face turned pale when she heard that she had to open the door to welcome the ghost, but she also knew that only by listening to the master could she have a chance to survive, so she had to grit her teeth and agree."

"The second point," the master said, "You have to choose a safe place to hide. The ghost won't stay in your house for long. As long as she can't find you, you can survive."

"Then... where is a good place to hide?" Xiao Lan asked quickly.

"Under your bedroom bed," the master said without thinking, and emphasized, "You also have to prepare a set of clothes in advance, the ones you often wear, and then spread them on the bedroom bed, arranged in the shape of a person, so that you can confuse the ghost."

"Time passed by in fear, and finally, the time came. A few minutes before 12 o'clock, Xiao Lan arranged the clothes on the bed as the master said, and then quietly opened the door."

"After that, she ran quickly to the bed and crawled into the gap under the bed."

"The gap under the bed was not very big, and it was difficult for Xiao Lan's figure to crawl in. Perhaps it was the narrow space that gave Xiao Lan a strange sense of security."

"She could just see the position of the bedroom door through the gap, and her right hand, clutching the phone tightly, was covered in cold sweat, and she didn't dare to breathe."

"She was waiting, waiting for the ghost to come."

"Slowly, she heard a strange sound coming from the direction of the door."

"At first, it was far away and unclear. As the distance gradually approached, her pupils trembled, and the phone she was clutching almost fell to the ground."

"It was a strange rubbing sound, as if someone was rubbing on the ground without lifting their feet."

"At midnight, at the end of the silent corridor, a woman, moving strangely, rubbing on the ground without lifting her feet, was coming towards her..."

"Just imagining this scene made Xiao Lan scared to death."

"Finally, the strange rubbing sound came to the door of her house."

"At the same time, Xiao Lan suddenly had an ominous premonition. She frowned subconsciously, as if she had overlooked something very important."

"At this time, Xiao Lan suddenly received a message on her phone, but because she had set it up in advance, it didn't make any sound."

"Staring at the phone screen, Xiao Lan's eyes paused. It was sent by her mother."

"Several in a row."

"The moment she saw the information clearly, Xiao Lan's mind buzzed."

"Xiao Lan, how are you? The master has been calling your phone, why aren't you answering?"

"The master said to close every door in the house tightly, and don't open the door no matter who calls, and don't make any noise."

"Also, the most important thing, you have to find a place to hide, and remember to hide in a high place! That ghost has no legs, she can only crawl on the ground, as long as she can't see you..."

"Xiao Lan didn't read the words behind, because it wasn't necessary anymore. The rubbing sound... stopped."

"She trembled and turned her head, and a human figure appeared horizontally in front of the bedroom door. A bloody face was tightly attached to the ground, facing Xiao Lan under the bed."

"Found... you." The corner of the female corpse's mouth cracked open, and the sound from the broken mouth was the master's voice.

After the woman in red finished telling the story, she stepped aside. She lowered her head, and in the dim light, everyone couldn't see her face clearly.

"That's a pretty good story." Another man spoke, standing in the shadows, having not said anything all along, his presence was very low.

After he came out, everyone noticed that the man was probably in his early 40s, his hair was messy, and the sportswear on his body looked like it hadn't been washed for a long time, and it was covered in mud.