Were they actually friends? Not really. Maybe if Ryu actually had cultivation, he would have killed that bastard long ago.
As for why Ryu was still living right now, that was even more obvious. He was the Scion of the Tatsuya Clan, how could a brat from the Deep Eruption Sect dare to kill him?
It was quite funny because this was the first time Ryu had ever even joked about him being a friend. If he had remembered that young man a few weeks ago, it would have probably been fleeting before he ignored it. Or, he could have very well decided that he would kill him the moment he saw him.
The two had never had a friendly talk even once.
Back when they were both just boys, Ryu's sharp tongue did nothing but dress him down. At the same time, he always had a quip about Ryu's lack of cultivation back when Ryu was the most sensitive about it. How could they have not grown to hate each other?