While he had lived with Jinde for quite some time already, he was still born a human. The time it would need to understand the other races to the degree that Jinde did would be much longer.
For now, he had mostly tried to understand his own part as an ascended deity among the gods and the dragons for Jinde's sake. After that, he likely would have tried to find out more about the demons considering that Jinde had some ties with them thanks to raising the current demon king.
So to say, the spirit beast people hadn't even factored into what he wanted to know for the time being. It wasn't that he looked down on them but that he just didn't feel like they would play a big role for him and Jinde in the near future.
Now, it seemed that this might not be true. But he couldn't change it anymore. Thus, he could only wonder just why him mentioning Jinde's race would make this person this cautious. If he couldn't get an answer right now, this might be a matter worth bringing up with Jinde himself later on.
Leng Jin Yu took a moment before he cleared his throat. "So, are we talking about the demon-hunting sects? Because if that is the case, then I will definitely keep my promise. In fact, you might want to know that the person I'm trying to get the mountain peak cloud for was also captured by one of them. He got injured when some people of the dragon race went to free the ones imprisoned there. I'm pretty sure that some of your people will also return in due time."
The spirit beast person furrowed his brows. "Why would the dragon race go and free our people?"
Leng Jin Yu didn't quite know how to answer. He didn't know what the relationship between the dragons and the spirit beast people was and he was afraid that whatever he said would aggravate this person in front of him. Unfortunately, he couldn't just keep quiet. "Well, I don't know that much about the situation. I think the dragon race wasn't really aware of what was happening until a short while ago. They only found out because one of their own people was captured and held prisoner as well. Thus, they sent people to deal with this.
"I think most of the prisoners escaped unharmed but some that were being kept on the lowest levels didn't. I'm not quite sure which people this concerns though. You would likely be able to get more details out of your own people."
The spirit beast person gave him a long look as if trying to see if he was lying.
Leng Jin Yu raised his hands. "You can go and verify it. In fact, I can accompany you. I just ask that we hurry up a bit. That person I'm trying to get this herb for won't have much more time left. I'm afraid it might only be a few hours back in the mortal realm. You know what that means. It would do him no good if the herb was brought back later than that."
The spirit beast person finally clicked his tongue. "Well, let's grab it then. I'll give it to you if it turns out that you were saying the truth. Then you can return at once."
Leng Jin Yu nodded and crouched down, finally taking out the herb. He took out the small jade box Jinde had given him, only to once again have a tail swish in and grab the box from his hands. Leng Jin Yu looked up, feeling a bit annoyed this time. "Didn't we agree that we would take the herb with us for now? I will have to put it in the box so as to keep it fresh. If it wilts until I arrive back in the mortal realm, it won't help him at all."
The spirit beast person gave him a strange look and then turned the box in his hands as if looking for something. "Where did you get this?"
Leng Jin Yu raised his brows and wanted to say that it was from his husband but then, he kept quiet. Somehow, this wasn't quite right. "Is it important? Anyway, it is used to store the herb. So please give it back." He reached out, quietly urging the person to hand over the box.
The spirit beast person hesitated for a moment longer but then handed it over. "I'll keep the box after that. If you really said the truth, then you get it back."
Leng Jin Yu sighed, undid the seal, and put the herb inside before handing it back. "Wasn't that what we agreed on? Now, let's go back to where you expect your people to go. As I said, there isn't much time."
The beast person continued to look at him, as if unsure about something. In the end, he nodded and then turned around, pushing off the ground and rushing toward someplace further to the center of the territory.
Leng Jin Yu didn't hesitate and followed immediately. As far as he knew, the spirit beast people weren't malicious. He hadn't done anything to harm them and had even promised to help in exchange for the herb. They would have no reason to lie to him.
Even if he was affiliated with the dragon race and there was some trouble between the two, he didn't think that that alone would be grounds for them to try and hurt him. From what he knew from his visits back then, they were the kind of people that distinguished kindness and grudges very clearly. He didn't believe that anything had changed about that just because some millennia had passed. He refused to believe it.